§ LORD CLARENCE PAGETsaid, while he was up he would ask the permission of the House to make a statement which he had been asked to make by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent (Viscount Sydney) in reference to observations which fell on the previous evening from the noble Lord the Member for Huntingdonshire (Lord Robert Montagu). The noble Lord stated to the House that a certain gentleman at Chatham, named Budden, was appointed to a captaincy in the Kent Volunteers in consequence of an application from him (Lord C. Paget), and in consequence of his having given a dinner to him (Lord C. Paget) at Chatham. The Lord Lieutenant was very anxious that that misstatement should be rectified. He (Lord C. Paget) had made no application to the Lord Lieutenant. He (Lord C. Paget) knew nothing of Mr. Budden, beyond that he was a highly respectable gentleman belonging to Chatham. He did not know that he was connected with the Volunteers. Lord Sydney stated that he was originally applied to by a deputation headed by the clerk of the peace, to appoint Mr. Budden to a captaincy to command the local corps. It happened, however, that Mr. Budden was employed under the Government in reference to canteens, and Lord Sydney, therefore, thought it desirable that he should not be appointed to a captaincy. Subsequently, however, Mr. Budden became High Constable of Chatham, and Lord Sydney was again applied to, he (Lord C. Paget) believed by all parties — of all sorts of politics—to give the appointment to him. The office of high constable was, he believed, equivalent to that of mayor. Lord Sydney, under these circumstances, gave the appointment to Mr. Budden, on 574 the earnest recommendation of the townspeople. Lord Sydney wished it to be stated that he never had received any request for the appointment from him (Lord C. Paget), and he could only give his word of honour that he never applied to Lord Sydney in reference to Mr. Budden. Connected with the same matter there was another statement which, coming from the quarter it did, he might perhaps pass unnoticed. He (Lord C. Paget) was accused of having gone down to a dinner at Chatham for political purposes—
§ MR. SPEAKERThe noble Lord (Lord R. Montagu) to whose statements the noble Lord is referring, is absent, and it is the practice of the House not to allow statements to be made to which the Gentleman charged has no opportunity of reply.
§ LORD CLARENCE PAGETI can only state that I went to a dinner—
§ MR. SPEAKERI think the noble Lord must not continue.
§ LORD CLARENCE PAGETsaid, that in obedience to the ruling of the right hon. Gentleman, he would take another opportunity of referring to the matter.