Mr. Goulburnwished to know when the noble Secretary for the Home Department intended to make his statement on the subject of Municipal Corporations? He also begged to direct the attention of the noble Lord to another point. He had been informed that one of the Corporation Commissioners had made a separate Report to the noble Lord, and he was anxious to know whether the noble Lord would have any objection to lay that Report upon the Table of the house?
§ Lord John Russellsaid, in reply to the right hon. Gentleman's first question, he Must inform him, that as the hon. Member for Yorkshire intended to bring forward his motion respecting the currency, that evening, he would postpone his Motion respecting Municipal Corporations till Friday next. With respect to the second question, it was certainly true that he had received what was stated on the face of it, to be a Report from a single commissioner; but it did not appear to him to be a Report in conformity with the directions contained in the Commission—namely, a Report with respect to a certain part of the inquiry which had been referred to the commissioner. The document contained a great deal of personal matter—of crimination and recrimination, with respect to other members of the Commission, and he had some doubt, until he examined it more attentively, whether he could consider it a Report that ought to be laid before the House.
Mr. Blackburnehoped that, on account of the office which he held in the Corporation Commission, he might be permitted to say a few words upon the subject to which the right hon. Member for the University of Cambridge alluded. By the Commission, power was given to any three or more Commissioners to make a Report, but no power was given to any single Commissioner to do so. A Report had been prepared by all the Commissioners in the kingdom now alive, with the exception of two, one of whom was the gentleman whose protest was on the Table of the House, and the other, the gentleman who, he understood (for he had held no personal communication with him) had just sent a Report into the Home-office. According to the Commission, it was the duty of that Gentleman to have sent in his Report to the Board. He was appointed to go a circuit, and ought to have sent his Report with the evidence which he collected to the Board, but with the exception of two cases, which were of no importance whatever, he had 243 sent nothing to the Board. Now, however, for some reason or other, with which he was unacquainted, this gentleman had sent a Report into the Home-office, because, perhaps, he supposed some wrong had been done to him by his brother Commissioners. He had done his utmost to induce this Gentleman to go on with the work of the Commission; he passed over many acts of negligence, in order that the Commission might not suffer in public opinion, from it being known that one of its Members did not perform his duty. This Gentleman had held no communication with him for five or six months, but now he had thought proper to send in some communication, not to the Board, but the Home-office, in which it appeared he had criminated some members of the Commission, and probably himself (Mr. Blackburne) amongst the rest; but that Gentleman had done nothing to forward the object of the Commission. He had felt it necessary to make these observations, in order that Members might not leave the House with the impression that the Report which the gentleman in question had sent in was one which he was bound to prepare in the execution of his duty.
§ Sir Robert Peelasked, whether the hon. Member could inform him when the Reports, respecting the London and Liverpool Corporations might be expected.
Mr. Blackburnesaid, the Report for London was not yet quite ready; that for Liverpool was in the hands of the printers, and might be expected to be ready in a few days.
§ Sir Robert Peelinquired if all the Reports, with the exception of that for London, was on the Table?
Mr. Blackburnesaid, that with the exception of the Report for the Corporation of London, and those delayed by the Commissioner—
§ Several Hon. Members—"Name him! name him!"
§ Sir Robert Peel—Then, with these two exceptions, shall we have all the other Reports?
Mr. Blackburne—Certainly: with these two exceptions, the remainder of the Reports will be on the Table?
§ Mr. Baineswished to know (as we understood the hon. Member) whether, in the case of the Commissioner alluded to, the hon. Member had thought it right to "stop the supplies?"
Mr Blackburnehad not felt it his duty 244 "to stop the supplies," because—he had no supplies to stop.
§ The subject was dropped.