Mr. Halcomberose, pursuant to his notice, to move the appointment of a "Select Committee to take into consideration the evidence already before the House, relative to the borough of Warwick, and to report to the House full particulars respecting the cases of bribery, and the class or description of persons bribed; and whether any treating, and to what extent, by the authority of the candidates or their agents, occurred after the issuing of the writ; and particularly to report whether in the event of disfranchising the parties bribed, or that class of electors to which they belonged, a sound and competent constituency would remain in the borough; and that such Committee be appointed by ballot, two Members being named by the House." The hon. and learned Member adverted to the Report of the Committee to which the case of the borough had been referred, and said, that he had asked the hon. and gallant Officer (Sir Ronald C. Ferguson) 80 who was Chairman of the Committee, who it was, by whom the Report of the Committee had been drawn up, but the hon. and gallant Officer had refused to give him any information on the subject. He had heard, however, and he verily believed, that the Report had been drawn up, not by any member of the Committee, but by Mr. Parkes.
§ Sir Ronald C. Fergusonsaid, that the hon. and learned Member was as ignorant on that point, as he was on all the other matters connected with the question. The Report had been drawn up by a member of the Committee, and was approved by the rest.
Mr. Halcombecontended, that a course ought to be pursued with respect to Warwick, similar to that which the House had adopted with respect to the borough of Carrickfergus; and confidently submitted his Motion to the House.
§ Motion negatived.