§ Mr. Handcockpresented a Petition from certain inhabitants of the town of Athlone; setting forth,
That the petitioners have learned with surprise, that a Petition has been got up, and presented to the House, in November last, by a person of the name of Flanagan, to which the petitioners' names were affixed, the purport of which Petition was to disturb Richard Handcock, esq. in his return as member to serve in parliament for the borough of Athlone; the petitioners beg leave to state to the House, they never signed said Petition, nor did they authorize any person so to do: they also beg leave to inform the House, that their names, so affixed to said Petition, are forgeries, as may appear by the annexed affidavits, and that petitioners are not freemen of the borough of Athlone, nor 1166 do they claim a right to vote at an election; and petitioners further state, that said Thomas Flanagan is in the habit of getting up petitions to parliament, in several vexatious and frivolous ways, setting the people astray, and instigating them to overt acts against the magistracy of the country: petitioners, therefore, humbly hope the House will take their case into consideration, and devise some means, as in their wisdom they shall think fit, to prevent petitions with forged signatures being presented to the House in future.
§ Ordered to lie on the table, and be printed.