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Mr. Trevor rose to put a question to his Majesty's Government, on the subject of the dismissal of a noble Lord from his appointment of Chamberlain to the Queen. He had put, a question on this subject a few days ago to the noble Lord, the Paymaster of the Forces, and that noble Lord had stated that Earl Howe had tendered his resignation, which was accepted. He had since received a letter from Earl Howe, with whom he had not the honour of being personally acquainted, in which that noble Earl stated, that the noble Lord's account of the transaction was inconsistent with the real facts of the case. That letter he now held in his hand, and as he was authorized by the noble Lord to make any use of it he thought proper, he would read it to the House:—
"Gopsal, Atherstone, Oct. 16.
Sir—Although I have not the honour of your acquaintance, I am certain you will pardon the liberty I take in making a few observations on a question which the papers of yesterday mentioned to have been put by you in the House of Commons respecting my dismissal from the Queen's household. If the answer Lord John Russell is reported to have given in The Times is the one he really made, I must say his Lordship made a statement at direct variance with the real facts of the case, which are these:—
In the month of May last, and for the
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second time, I submitted to his Majesty my intention of opposing the Reform Bill, and my perfect readiness to resign my situation as Chamberlain to the Queen, at any moment that he might be pleased to fix on. I received, in reply, a most gracious command to retain my office, and a distinct recognition of my privilege of being perfectly independent of any Government, from the circumstance of my being in her Majesty's household. My having offered to resign again was out of the question, as I was allowed, by the King's own communication, to act and vote exactly as I pleased. Nothing, therefore, but the positive request of Lord Grey and his colleagues to the King for my removal, in consequence of my vote the other night, has been the cause of my being no longer in her Majesty's household. I feel that it is but common justice to my own character to make this statement, and to give you full authority to make whatever use of it you like, except the insertion of it in the public papers. I have the honour to be your faithful and obedient servant, "HOWE.
The Hon. A. Trevor.
He felt it necessary, acting on this occasion as he had on the former, without any communication with the noble Lord as to the course which he might think proper to take, to put a question to his Majesty's Government. He did so as an act of justice to the noble Lord who had been removed from his appointment. The question which he wished to put was, whether Lord Howe had not been dismissed from the situation of Chamberlain to her Majesty in consequence of the vote that he had given on the Reform Bill, notwithstanding the assurance that had been made to him by his Majesty that he might vote on that question as he pleased?
§ Lord Althorpsaid, that the hon. Member and the House must be aware, that the removal of any individual from any appointment in the household of their Majesties was made in the undisputed exercise of the royal prerogative, to remove or retain any individual at pleasure. It would not become him, therefore, standing there as a Minister of the Crown, to enter into any statement, or to give any opinion, as to the grounds of such removal.