Mr. Ordbrought up a report from the General Committee of Elections, stating that some difficulties and irregularities had occurred in the proceedings in reference to the laid low election, in consequence of the parties engaged in supporting the claim of the sitting Member not having been duly served with the proper notices. The committee, therefore, recommended that further time should be granted by the Orders of the House Nos. 1 and 2 being discharged. The hon. Member moved that the report be printed, and gave notice that on the following day he would move that the Orders be discharged, and that the petition of George Cooper and 662 others be referred to the General Committee of Elections.
§ Sir G. Clerkperfectly agreed with the hon. Member for Newcastle, that the report should be printed, and the subject brought under the consideration of the House to-morrow. But, feeling great anxiety for the success of the new act for deciding controverted elections, he wished to call the attention of the House to some other irregularities which had taken place. He understood the report referred only to no notice having been served on those who appeared in support of the sitting Member. But he believed that no notice had been served on the electors who originally petitioned against the return. If he had been correctly informed, the messengers, instead of delivering the notices to the persons who petitioned against the return, had left them with the agent of the sitting Member. He wished to have this matter explained, and therefore, he should move that Mr. Rose, the clerk attending the General Committee on Elections, Stein, the messenger, and Poyndexter, the assistant-messenger, be called to the bar of the House on the next day to explain how it was that the notices were not served on the proper parties. Both motions agreed to.