§ Mr. Halfordheld in his hand a Petition from the Mayor, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the Borough of Leicester signed by the 908 Mayor on behalf of that body, and sealed with their common seal. This petition was occasioned by one which had been presented a few days back by the hon. member for Leicester (Mr. Evans), containing some reflections injurious to the public character and integrity of that body. The petitioners stated, that they had become acquainted with the real contents of the petition from seeing it advertised In The Leicester Chronicle newspaper, and also distributed and posted in hand-bills about the town, but that it contained scandalous misrepresentations, and imputed misconduct to the Corporation, both as to the administration of justice and the distribution of charitable funds as trustees for various charitable purposes; that they felt themselves so aggrieved by those false and scandalous misrepresentations, and that they should be so exposed to public odium and disgrace, that they felt resolved to adopt the only means they had—namely, that of moving in his Majesty's Court of King's Bench for a criminal information against the parties concerned in the said scandalous libel; and that as a necessary qualification for moving for such, they were obliged to deny on oath all and every charge of mismanagement and corruption which the said petition imputed to them, and in compliance with such rules, affidavits from the Bar had been filed, in which each and every charge contained in the said petition was denied. He begged leave to move, that the petition be referred to the Corporation Committee.
§ Mr. William Evans, in reference to the petition which he had the honour to present, and which was now Said to contain gross and scandalous libels, said, it was signed by 5,800 individuals, including a great portion of the most respectable inhabitants of the town of Leicester, who, he believed, were utterly incapable of getting up such a petition, unless they knew that there were abuses in the Corporation, and that they felt the grievances of which they complained. A part of the allegations in the petition he knew to be true, and his opinion was, that, substantially, they were all true. The hon. Member (Mr. Halford) could not deny that the Corporation made 2,000 freemen at nearly one time; and, he would ask, was not that an abuse? Was that a false and gross libel? It was true that all of those 2,000 did not take up their freedom, but 909 many of them did. He believed, that the inhabitants of Leicester had very great cause of complaint, on account of various instances of misconduct in the Corporation, and that nothing would gratify the inhabitants more than a full, fair, and complete investigation into the conduct of that body.
§ Mr. Roebucksaid, that the present petitioners expressed an anxious wish, as a means of refuting the allegations of the former petition, that a full and strict investigation might be made into their proceedings, and yet they were about to proceed by criminal information. Why, if they wished for an impartial inquiry, did they not proceed so as to allow the parties an opportunity, if they could, of justifying themselves? Great stress was laid on the affidavits of the Corporation functionaries; they might consider, from long habit, that their conduct was correct; but so long as they proceeded in the way they had done, he should look with great suspicion not only on their statements, but upon their affidavits.
§ Mr. Halford, in explanation, said, that they were only anxious to vindicate themselves, and, he believed, the only cause of complaint that existed against them was, that they were staunch friends to the Constitution in Church and State.
§ The Petition to be referred to the Committee on Corporations.