§ MR. WHITBREADsaid, he wished to ask the hon. Member for Perthshire, Whether it is true that the Bishops of Ely and Lichfield are on the Committee for conducting Mr. Beresford Hope's election for Cambridge University; and, if so, whether that is not in contravention of a Standing Order of the House of Commons, declaring it to be a high infringement of the privileges of the House for any Peer or Prelate to interfere in the election of Members of Parliament; and whether these right rev. Prelates still continue to be Members of the Committee?
§ SIR WILLIAM STIRLING - MAXWELLreplied that the names of the two right rev. Prelates had been withdrawn. 802 As it was a matter personal to himself, he would beg permission of the House to make a statement with regard to their having been placed there. Considering that, at the last election for the University of Oxford, certain Members of the other House tendered their votes, and that the circumstance had passed without observation in this House, the friends of Mr. Beresford Hope supposed, perhaps erroneously, that University Elections were exceptional, and that the rule with regard to the interference of Peers was, in their case, neither rigidly observed nor strictly enforced. As soon as the exact terms of the Standing Order were brought under their notice on Friday, by some of their kind friends on Mr. Cleasby's committee, the committee gave orders that the names should be withdrawn. He did not believe that the names appeared in any of the newspapers, except in some weekly papers, which were printed before the orders were given. He was anxious to state that for the appearance of the name of the Bishop of Ely on the list the committee were responsible. It was placed on the list in consequence of a hasty interpretation, which turned out to be a misinterpretation of a very kind letter received from the right rev. Prelate. He had only further to say he greatly regretted that he should have been personally concerned in any infringement of the rules of the House.