Commons Sitting of 14 March 1805

MINUTES.
A message from the lords announced, that they had agreed to the Pleasure Horse duty, and some private bills, Mr. J. Fitzgerald moved, that there be laid before the house, an account of the charges outstanding on the surplus of the consolidated fund of Ireland, and of the sums paid thereon, up to the 5th Jan. 1805. He also moved for an account of the sums of money advanced by the commissioners of the navy in Ireland; the amount of the unfunded debt of the navy; a return of the balances of arrears, specifying the times of payment of the same; and a return of the payments stated to be due, but not payable, till after the 5th Jan. 1805; all of which were agreed to.

IRISH COUNTY ELECTIONS.
Colonel Bagwellcalled the attention of the house to the subject of which he had given notice. It was for leave to bring in a bill to amend an act of the 35th of his majesty for regulating the election of persons to serve in parliament, so far as relates to freeholds of 20l. a year in Ireland. He declined entering into the detail. The object Was to regulate the mode in which the freeholder was to ob-

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tain his certificate by which he was entitled to vote at an election for the county; a subject liable to great and enormous abuses, according to the present practice. Having stated the outline of his plan, he concluded with moving, "that leave be given to bring in a bill to amend the said act, so far as relates to freeholds under the value of 201.—Agreed, to.

KNARESBOROUGH ELECTION.
Lord W. Hussellmoved the order of the day, for taking into consideration the special report of the committee of the late election for the borough of Knaresborough, which being read, he moved, that the house do concur in the first resolution. He said there was no occasion for his making any comments upon facts, which were sufficiently proved in the evidence before the committee, and since submitted to the house. Upon mature consideration, it was his opinion, and that of the committee, that, as the delinquents had not been parties before them, and consequently had not been heard in their own defence, instead of bringing them to the bar of the house, and hearing the whole of the evidence de novo, it would be much more desirable to move, as he then did, "that the following delinquents, viz. J. M. Allen R. Dewes, T. Abbott, W. Whitehead, Anne Howeton, W. Allison, and S. Henlock, be prosecuted by the Attorney General."
Mr. Roseexpressed his perfect satisfaction in this procedure, and the more so, as, if the allegations against one of the delinquents, J. M. Allen, an attorney, were true, the noble lord who presided in the court of king's bench had the power to strike him off the rolls; for though country attorneys had the means of rendering themselves useful and respectable, they were often the pests of the neighbourhood in which they lived.
The Master of the Rollssaid, that, though he was not forward in countenancing prosecutions on the part of the attorney:general by order of that house, yet he must approve of the present, as the tumult did not appear to be accidental, but of a premeditated and studied nature. He, however, should like to know whether any other prosecution had been commenced against these parties?—The several motions were then agreed to.—Adjourned.