HC Deb 12 July 1847 vol 94 cc183-4
LORD JOHN RUSSELL

, while on his legs, would take the opportunity of alluding to another subject which stood amongst the Motions on reading the Order of the Day. It was one of which notice had been given by the hon. Member for Greenock, who proposed "to call the attention of the House to the recent interference of the Government exercised chiefly through the medium of the Secretary at War, with the constitutional privileges of the Parliamentary electors of Greenock." He begged to tell the hon. Member for Greenock that the Government had no intention of interfering with the Parliamentary electors of Greenock, nor did they intend to interfere or give a preference to either one candidate or the other.

MR. BAINE

would not press his Motion.

MR. FOX MAULE

said, that as his name had been very prominently included in the notice of Motion given by the hon. Member, he begged to say that he had in no way interfered with the discretion of the hon. Member for Greenock, and that he had not attempted to sway him in either proceeding with or withdrawing the notice. He should for his own part be quite ready to answer for himself, whenever or where-ever any demand for explanation should be made upon him upon the subject.

MR. TUFNELL

would detain the House a few moments on this point. He wished to remove a misapprehension that had prevailed with regard to the publication of his letter to Lord Melgund. He was sorry to find that the noble Lord had been accused of a breach of confidence in publishing that letter, which was written for the purpose of being communicated to any parties in the burgh who might contradict his assertion, that persons connected with the Government had interfered to prevent him from coming forward as a candidate. He had been assured, in a communication which he had received from Lord Melgund this morning, that the letter had not been marked "private;" and although, therefore, he must consider that no one was authorized to read a letter of this nature at a public meeting without having received express authority to do so, still he could not, under the circumstances, do more than regret that his authority had not been demanded before the letter, which was written in his private capacity, was thus publicly used.