Mr. Halcombesaid, that he had an interesting communication to make to the House, relative to the drawing up of the Report of the Warwick Borough Committee. It would be in the recollection of the House, that he had, on a former occasion, asked a question of the hon. and gallant Chairman of that Committee, whether the Report was drawn up by a certain individual, and that the answer of the hon. and gallant Officer was, that "he knew nothing about it." The hon. and gallant Officer had also on the same occasion interrupted him (Mr. Halcombe) in the speech he was then making, and said, that he was ignorant of the matter in debate, and of all others. He regretted, that any hon. Member of that House should have been guilty of such language, 713 and particularly when it was totally unmerited on his part. He had seen the manuscript of the Report in question: it was a fair copy in the handwriting of a law-stationer. He found, that some of the clauses had been inserted by the Clerk of the Committee, and the Clerk told him, that they were inserted by order of the Chairman, who referred him (the Clerk) to Mr. Joseph Parkes as to the insertion of the said clauses. He then went to the law-stationer, and the House should know what passed between them. He inquired about the Report, and the law-stationer said, "You mean the Report of Mr. Joseph Parkes?" He (Mr. Halcombe) said, "No; I mean the Report of the Warwick Committee." The law-stationer then told him, that four drafts of the Report were charged to Mr. Joseph Parkes, and that they were paid for by that Gentleman. This point was material, not only to the evidence given about the borough; but it was also important, as it showed the animus with which the Report had been drawn up. It was not of little consequence to know that the clause which so grossly attacked Lord Warwick, was introduced by the agent of the petitioners against the borough.
§ Mr. Humerose to order, and begged to know, whether the hon. Member had any Motion to submit to the House?
§ The Speakersaid, that even a Motion would not relieve the House from its difficulty. Any discussion as to who drew up the Report was improper. The Committee presented the Report to the House, and they were responsible for it. He never knew, that it was of any consequence to inquire who did or who did not draw up a Report of the kind, inasmuch as the House always placed its confidence in the Committee which presented the Report.
Mr. Halcombefelt distressed, that he should be obliged to make these remarks, but he had a duty to perform, and he would not flinch from it. With reference to the remarks that fell from the right hon. Gentleman in the Chair, he begged to state, he had a Motion to submit to the House. He considered it important that the Committee should take care, that the trust reposed in them by the House should be properly discharged, and that they ought not to allow any person to meddle with the evidence, or tamper with the drawing up of the Report, That was one 714 reason why he brought the matter again before the House. In doing so he begged to state, that he was actuated by another feeling. As he bad been made the instrument of an attack upon the character of Mr. Joseph Parkes, if the hon. and gallant Chairman could account for the drawing up of the Report, a public apology was due from him to the individual he had alluded to. The Motion he intended to make was, that "an inquiry should be instituted by Committee, or otherwise—as to whether the Report was or was not drawn up by the agent of the petitioners."
§ Sir Ronald Fergusonrose, but the cries of "No, no," were so loud and general, that the hon. and gallant Member sat down.
§ The Motion, not being seconded, fell to the ground.