Mr. O'Connellrose to call the attention of the House to another breach of privilege. The Report of the Committee appointed to try the merits of the return for the borough of Warwick implicated a nobleman, the Lord-lieutenant of the county, in a breach of their privileges. He wished to inquire what course his Majesty's Government intended to pursue in relation to this transaction?
§ Lord Althorpsaid, that the Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the transactions which took place at the Warwick election, did certainly contain charges of a serious nature as affecting the privileges of that House; but before he stated what course the Government had pursued upon the subject, he was anxious to correct a misapprehension which existed in the public mind with respect to the conduct pursued by Government in regard to Lords-lieutenant of counties. It was known that Government had frequently been accused of allowing noblemen and gentlemen to remain in the situation of Lords-lieutenant of counties, whose political opinions and conduct differed materially from their own. As far as his recollection went, the office of a Lord-lieutenant of a county had never been considered as a political office, and persons in that situation were not appointed solely in reference to their political opinions, nor removed generally in consequence of their political conduct. He knew there were exceptions to this rule. Two instances had occurred in his time, and one or two before, of Lords-lieutenant having been removed for their political conduct; but he appealed to those with whom he had always acted, whether they did not express their strongest disapprobation of the course which the Government pursued in those 14 cases? Having taken this opportunity of stating his views on this question, namely, that noblemen and gentlemen filling the office of Lords-lieutenant should not be removed from their situation in consequence of their political opinions, he would now advert to the case to which the attention of the House had been particularly called. He admitted that that case was a very different one from the case of a Lord-lieutenant merely differing from the Government in political opinions. Here it was not a question of difference of political opinions, but of a Lord-lieutenant interfering, as was alleged, with the privileges of that House. He certainly was ready to admit that this was a most serious charge, but inasmuch as it affected severely the character of the noble Lord in question, so much more necessary was it to give that noble Lord an opportunity of explaining his conduct. This was the course which his Majesty's Ministers had determined to pursue, and a letter either had been, or would immediately be, written to the Earl of Warwick, stating what the Committee reported against him, and calling on him for an explanation, in order that the Government might ascertain whether it were necessary or desirable to take any further steps in the matter.