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in removing any persons from office who | have taken his seat in that House as memmight evince a disposition to retard the ber for Dorsetshire, had the Assessor imsuccess of the great measure of Reform. partially done his duty. Such an assumpWith respect to the sneer of the hon. andtion, he could assure him, was most ungallant Member (Colonel Trench) as to the reasonable and unjust, as it happened to want of propriety and delicacy on the part be entirely destitute of foundation in fact. of his Majesty's Government, he could He was sure, upon cooler reflection, (if only say, that Ministers, in his opinion, the hon. Baronet would pardon a much would be only doing that which was most younger man for making such an observaconducive to the weal of the realm, if they tion) the hon. Baronet himself would regret acted on all occasions precisely contrary that he had indulged in such a remark. It to the advice of Gentlemen opposite. The was impossible for him not to contend that remarks of the gallant Member, and of a reaction had taken place in the public the hon. Baronet were so discreet and mind. If there had not been such a rewell-timed as to remind him forcibly of action, how happened it that, though he the proverb-"Protect me from my friends, started only on the Wednesday, and apand I will defend myself against my ene-peared at the hustings on the Friday, and mies." No Reformer could have made ob- though his opponent (Mr. Ponsonby) had servations more injurious to the Anti-started fourteen days before, he (Lord reform party. The hon. and gallant Ashley) polled as many voters during the Member had alluded to the Dorsetshire first two days as Mr. Bankes had done in election, for instance, and designated the preceding election in six? If there the majority by which the noble Lord had not been a reaction, how could it (Ashley) was returned as a large majority. have happened that he received 500 votes If he was well informed, if there had more than Mr. Calcraft had received at the been another Assessor, the noble Lord former election? There were many freewould, in all probability, have had no ma-holders, who had walked twenty miles to jority; and, as it was, the majority was the hustings and twenty miles back again, very small. He repeated, that his Ma- to poll for him, when they heard the cause jesty's Government should sacrifice every on which he had started, without the feeling for the promotion of the great slightest hope of remuneration. The Yeomeasure of Reform; and if it was thought manry of the county told him they would necessary to reassemble Parliament again be his agents, and, in point of fact, they very soon, he hoped the importance of the had been his agents. Many of the electors measure to be brought forward would in- stated at the hustings-" We voted for duce the Irish Members, to whom the the Reform candidate on the former occountry owed so much for their diligent casion, but we are now satisfied the Bill attendance during the present Session, to was a great humbug." In illustration of sacrifice their personal convenience, and this, he might state, that the inhabitants appear again in their places on the first of the Isle of Portland, which island conday of the ensuing Session of Parliament. tained many freeholders, who had held Lord Ashley said, he did not expect their freeholds for a number of years, met that it would have been necessary for him to the number of 100, and agreed to petito address the House so soon after taking tion the Lords against the Bill. The pehis seat; still less did he anticipate that he tition had been forwarded to the Duke of should have been called upon to defend the Wellington, and it contained these reAssessor, at the late election for Dorsetshire.markable words-"We were deceived into He did not think it becoming of the hon. the support of the Bill, in the first inBaronet, considering his station, and ex-stance, by the abuse of the King's name." perience, and his constitutional knowledge, to get up in his place, and throw out an insinuation on the character of the Assessor at a contested election, from whose decision there could be an appeal. In effect, the hon. Baronet brought the con duct of that Gentleman before the bar of that House although he did not summon him thither personally. The hon. Baronet seemed to insinuate, that he would not

So far was the hon. Baronet from being correct in ascribing his success to the decisions of the Assessor, that he could inform the hon. Baronet, that his majority in fact would have amounted to more than 100, had no votes on either side been referred to his adjudication. He should not have trespassed on the House with these observations but for what had fallen from the hon, Baronet.

Sir Francis Burdett, in explanation, assured the noble Lord that he had never meant to asperse the character of the Sheriff's Assessor. He had only alluded to what he had heard stated, that it was calculated, if the votes had not been delayed by the Assessor, that there would have been a majority of fifty-six for Mr. Ponsonby, instead of a majority for the noble Lord. He also begged the House to observe, that the election for Dorsetshire was a very slight symptom indeed of the real state of public opinion throughout the country.

Mr. George Bankes hoped he might be allowed to mention the fact, that the same Gentleman was the Assessor at the late election, and at the former election, when the result was so different. In the mortification of defeat, some of Mr. Bankes's friends on the former occasion, were disposed to impugn the conduct of

the Assessor; but he said then what he repeated now, that he knew the Assessor, and that a more honourable man did not exist. If the Anti-reform party had not been taunted and challenged to come forward in Dorsetshire, he did not know that the experiment would have been tried; but, now that it had been successfully tried, the newspapers, which, before the election, were echoing the cry-" No Anti-reformer dare come forward for Dorset," were completely silent.

The Usher of the Black Rod summoned the House to attend his Majesty.

The Speaker, accordingly, repaired to the other House, accompanied by all the Members present; and soon afterwards returned, as usual, with the copy of the King's Speech (for which see the Lords' report), which he read at the Table; and thereupon the right hon. Gentleman and the Members severally departed.

END OF VOL. VIII.-THIRD SERIES.

AND OF

FIFTH VOL. OF SESS. 1831.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX.

FINANCE ACCOUNTS,

Class I to VIII,

OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, For the Year ended 5th January, 1831.

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An Account of the ORDINARY REVENUES and EXTRAORDINARY RESOURCES, consti

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