Lord Folkestonemoved for a new Writ for Poole, in the room of John Jeffery, esq. who had been appointed Consul General to her most faithful majesty's dominions in Europe.
Mr. Rosesubmitted to the noble lord the propriety of previously moving for a Committee to examine whether by such an appointment a member of that house vacated his seat. For himself, he was not aware that there was any distinction between the appointment of a minister at a foreign court, and that of a consul general, in this point; and unquestionably by the 177 first mentioned of those appointments no parliamentary ineligibility had ever been created.
§ The Speakersaid, that of course his attention had been strongly called to the consideration of this affair; and on examination he had not been able to find any specific precedent of a seat having been vacated under similar circumstances. In 1762, on the appointment of a member of that house to be Conservator of Scotch privileges in the Netherlands, the member so appointed was declared to have vacated his seat. How far that transaction bore upon the present, it was for the house to determine. He would recommend that the present discussion should be adjourned for a few days, in order to give an opportunity to hon. gentlemen duly to weigh a subject in which the privileges of the house were so materially concerned.
Lord Folkestoneacceding to this proposition, the debate was adjourned to Monday se'nnight, and an humble Address was ordered to be presented to his majesty, praying that he would be graciously pleased to cause to be laid before the house a copy of Mr. Jeffery's appointment.