§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether the Lord Chancellor has refused to consider the unanimous recommendation of the Town Council of Portsmouth for the appointment of an ex-mayor, being one of the senior aldermen, to the commission of the peace for the borough; and, whether it is his intention to appoint instead a gentleman not resident in Portsmouth, and who has never taken any part in the general business of the borough?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT,in reply, said, that he had received a letter from the Lord Chancellor's Secretary stating that his Lordship had never refused to consider the recommendations made to him by the Town Council of 756 Portsmouth. On the contrary, he had followed the recommendations of the Town Council, who submitted the names of two of their Aldermen to him. No objection had been raised by them to the intended appointment.
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFgave Notice that he would repeat the Question, and would also ask whether the gentleman to be appointed had not taken a prominent part in organizing a great Liberal demonstration?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTsaid, he know nothing about the matter; but it appeared, from the postcript of the letter, that the gentleman appointed was a Conservative.
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFsaid, he did not know whether the Alderman or the other gentleman had been refused; but he would repeat the Question on Monday.