Lord Castlereaghmoved the order oil the day for proceeding to ballot for the Committee of Secrecy, which was agreed to, and the ballot ordered to proceed. The Speaker then desired the clerk to read over the names of the members in the order of their counties, and desired such members as had prepared lists of names for the committee to deliver them at the table. The clerk then read over the names of the members in the order of their counties. Many members deposited their lists in the glass now on the table. The Speaker desired the clerk to read over in the same order the names of all those members who had not answered to the first call: which the second clerk accordingly did. The Speaker observed, that it would then be necessary to appoint a committee to ascertain those members on whom the choice of the House had fallen to compose the committee.
§ Mr. Broughamobserved, that there was clearly a considerable loss of time in the present mode of proceeding in the election of a committee of secrecy. About an hour had been occupied in receiving the lists in the urn on the table, and after this they must appoint scrutineers, who must retire and cast up the numbers, and then decide who were precisely the 21 members elected for the committee, as the individuals chosen freely and deliberately for an investigation, which might be so important to the interests of the country. The practice of balloting had unquestionably many recommendations for cases of this description; and the time it occupied was of little consequence when compared with the probabilities of a fair, due, and unbiassed election; but notwithstanding all this, he thought the time of the House might have been conveniently saved on this occasion, had the noble lord merely risen, and read over a list of the persons whom he intended to form the committee of secrecy. He believed he might almost venture to predict the names of all the members who would be chosen; so that the business might have been got through without the necessity of any committee of scrutiny, or of going through any sort of arithmetical operation. He should read to the House a list, which he 220 held in his hand, of the members likely to be elected for the committee on a subject of so much importance. Whether that list would turn out to be a true one, the result of the scrutiny would show. He then read from a paper the names of lord Castlereagh, lord Milton, Mr. Ponsonby, Mr. Canning, Mr. Bathurst, sir William Curtis, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Bootle Wilbraham, Mr. W. Elliot, The Attorney-general, The Solicitor-general, lord Lascelles, Mr. Wilberforce, sir A. Pigott, Mr. Egerton, Mr. Yorke, Mr. Rose, Mr. F. Robinson, Mr. William Dundas, Sir John Nicholl, and admiral Frank. He would put it to the House, therefore, if this list proved correct, whether the time might not have been saved.
Lord Castlereagh moved, that Mr. Arbuthnot, Mr. Freemantle, Mr. Macdonald, and Mr. Brogden, be appointed a committee of scrutiny to ascertain the 21 members on whom the election had fallen. This was accordingly ordered, and in about an hour, Mr. Brogden reported from the above committee, that they had examined the lists, and found that the majority had fallen upon the following persons; viz. lord Milton, Mr. Ponsonby, Mr. W. Elliot, lord Castlereagh, lord Lascelles, Mr. Bathurst, Mr. W. Lamb, sir A Pigott, Mr. F. Robinson, sir John Nicholl, the Solicitor-general, the Attorney-general, Mr. Canning, Mr. Yorke, Mr. Wilbraham Egerton, Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Bootle Wilbraham, Mr. Dundas, Mr. Rose, sir William Curtis, and admiral Frank.
There was a laugh at the conclusion of the reading of this list, it being nearly the same as that anticipated by Mr. Brougham. The list was approved of, and the committee received the necessary instruction.