§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ MR. WALPOLEsaid, the present Bill was a singular measure. It empowered the Chief Commissioner of the Board of Works to repair and maintain the public statues in different parts of London, and those statues were enumerated in a schedule annexed to the Bill. He found, however, that several of the public statues were omitted, which was very singular, inasmuch as those which had been omitted were statues of persons who had been Members of that House, and all of them distinguished ones. The statue of Lord George Bentinck, for example, had been omitted. But, what was more remarkable, those of two distinguished men, the Leaders in their time of the two great parties in that House, had also been excluded from the Bill—he meant the statue of Mr. Fox, in Russell-square, and that of Mr. Pitt, in Hanover-square. He wanted to know why those statues had been omitted?
§ MR. LOWEsaid that the reason was, that these statues were private property. That of Lord George Bentinck, was the property of the Duke of Portland; that of 657 Mr. Fox, of the Duke of Bedford; and that of Mr. Pitt, of the Earl of Harewood.
§ SIR WILLIAM JOLLIFFEsaid, he wished to know whether it was true that this Bill had been suggested by the abstraction of one of the early kings of the House of Hanover?
§ MR. LOWEsaid he believed it was the fact, that the Bill had been introduced on account of the disappearance of the statue of George I. from Leicester-square, and of the abstraction of the sword of the statue of Charles I. at Charing-cross.
§ Bill read 2°.
§ The House adjourned at Twelve o'clock till Monday next.