with superior knowledge and ability. Falling below the educated mind of the country, they bring discredit upon the House of Commons, while they impair its legislative efficiency. But worse evils than these have been overcome; and we may hope to see this abuse of free discussion eventually corrected, by a less tolerant endurance on the part of the House, and by public reprobation and contempt.
ABERCORN, Earl of, his rights as peer of Great Britain and of Scotland, 245. Abercromby, Mr., his motion on Scotch re- presentation, 304.
Aberdeen, Earl of, the Reform Bill of his ministry, 384.
A'Court, Colonel, deprived of his command for votes in parliament, 24. Addington, Mr., mediated between George III. and Pitt on the Catholic question, 81; formed an administration, 82; official difficulties caused by the King's illness at this juncture, 165-168; his relations with the King, 84; resigned office, 85; led the "King's friends," ib.; took office under Pitt, 86; made a peer, ib. ; per- mitted debate on notice of motion, 341, n. See Sidmouth, Viscount.
Addresses to the crown, from parliament, respecting peace and war, or the disso- lution of parliament, 466, 470; and from the people, 469; Lord Camden's opinion,
Admiralty Court, the judge of, disqualified from parliament, 317.
Althorp, Lord, the Melbourne ministry dis- missed, on his elevation to the House of Lords, 123.
American colonies, the war with, stopped
by the Commons, 48, 467; pledge ex- acted by George III. of his ministers to maintain the war, 42.
Anne, Queen, the land revenues at her ac- cession, 195; their alienation restrained, ib.; her civil list and debts, 197; increase of peerage, during her reign, 233; created twelve peers in one day, ib.; holders of offices disqualified by the Act of Settle- ment of her reign, 313; popular ad- dresses to, praying a dissolution, 469. Appellate jurisdiction of the House of Lords bill, 254.
Appropriation of grants by parliament, the resolution against issue of unappropriated
money, 64; the commencement of the system, 196, 477; misappropriation of grants by Charles II., 197.
Arcot, Nabob of, represented in parliament by several members, 336.
Army and Navy Service Bill opposed by George III., 89; withdrawn, 91. Assizes, the, a commission for holding, issued during George III.'s incapacity, 159.
BAKER, Mr., his motion against the use of the king's name, 59.
Ballot, vote by, motions for adoption of, 353, 378.
Baronetage, past and present numbers of, 274.
Barré, Colonel, deprived of his command for votes in parliament, 24; resigned his commission, 40; passed over in a brevet, ib. "Bedchamber Question, the," 130. Bedford, Duke of, remonstrated against Lord Bute's influence, 28.
Berkeley, Mr. H., his motions for the ballot, 380.
Bishops, their number in the house, 254; attempts to exclude them, 255; their present position, 256; their votes upon the Reform Bill, 263, 264; Irish repre- sentative bishops, 239.
Blandford, Marquess of, his schemes of re- form, 350.
Bolingbroke, Lord, his theory of "a patriot king," 10.
Boroughs, different rights of election in, 280, 300; number, &c., of English nomi- nation boroughs, 279, 282; of Scotch, 300; of Irish, 304; total number in the representation of the United Kingdom, 305; seats for, bought or rented, 285, 290, 292; advertised for sale, 286; prices of, 286, 291, 310; "borough-brokers," 287; law passed against the sale of boroughs, 292; government boroughs, 293.
Boyer, an early reporter of debates in par- liament, 422.
Brand, Mr., his motion against the pledge required of the Grenville ministry, 93. Bribery at elections, prior to parliamentary reform, 282; commenced in reign of Charles II., ib.; supported by George III., 289, 291; acts to restrain, 283, 285, 292; bribery since the Reform Act, 366; later bribery acts, 369; proof of agency, 370; inquiry by commission, 371; gross cases, ib.; travelling expenses, 373; po- licy of legislation, 374. Bribery of members of parliament.
Members of the House of Commons. Brougham, Lord, his motion against the influence of the crown, 114; opinion on life peerages, 250; advised, as chancellor, the creation of new peers, 264; his motion for reform, 356; on the duration of par- liament, 376.
Buckingham, Marquess of, his refusal to
transmit the address of the Irish par- liament to the Prince of Wales, 164. Burdett, Sir F., his schemes of reform, 344, 345; committed for contempt, 443; re- sists the warrant, 457; apprehended by force, 458; his actions for redress, ib. Burgage tenure, the franchise, 280. Burke, Mr., his scheme of economic reform,
44, 203, 219; drew up the prince's reply to Pitt's scheme of a regency, 155; his proposal for sale of the crown lands, 215; for reduction of pension list, 218; op- posed parliamentary reform, 341; his ideal of representation, 390; opposed Wilkes's expulsion, 401; his remark on the opposition made to the punishment of the reporters, 426; on pledges to con- stituents, 452; the character of his ora- tory, 492.
Bute, county, the franchise of, prior to re- form, 302.
Bute, Earl of, his unconstitutional instruc- tions to George III., 9; aids his personal interference in government, 16; his rapid rise, 18; becomes premier, 19; arbitrary conduct, ib.; and parliamentary bribery, 320, 321; his fall, 22; secret influence over the King, 22, 27, 29; retired from court, 24.
election proceedings, 405, 411; defended his conduct in the cabinet, 408; opinion on popular addresses to the crown, 470, Campbell, Lord, his opinion on life peer- ages, 250.
Canning, Mr., his conduct regarding the Catholic question, 81, 95; in office, 95, 116; overtures to, from the court, 106; declined to support George IV. against his Queen, 110, 113, n.; character of his oratory, 495.
Carlton House, the cost of, 213. Carmarthen, Marquess of, proscribed for opposition to court policy, 46. Caroline, Queen (of George IV.), the pro- ceedings against her, 109; the Divorce Bill, 111; withdrawn, 112. Catholic Emancipation, opposed by George III., 79, 92; by George IV., 115; the measure carried, 116; a plea for parlia mentary reform, 349.
Cavendish, Lord J., his motion on the Ame rican war, 48.
Cavendish, Sir H., reported the Commons'
debates (1768-1774), 417, n. Chancellor, Lord. See Great Seal, the. Charles I., alienated the crown lands, 193. Charles II., wasted crown revenues reco- vered at his accession, 194; misappro- priated army grants, 197; bribery at ele tions, and of members, commenced under, 282, 318.
Charlotte, Princess, question as to the guar dianship of, 230.
Charlotte, Queen (of George III.), accepted the resolutions for a regency, 157, 180. Chatham, Earl of, in office at accession of George III., 11; his retirement, 17; re fusal to resume office, 23, 27; his de- meanour as a courtier, 34; formed an administration, ib.; endeavoured to break up parties, ib.; ill health, 36; retired from office, 37; his statement as to the influence of the crown, 38; received over tures from Lord North, 41; approved the Grenville Act, 310; advocated parlia mentary reform, 333; favoured triennial parliaments, 375; his opposition to the proceedings against Wilkes, 394, 405; his bill to reverse the proceedings, 410; his resolution, 411; moved addresses to dis- solve parliament, 410, 412, 469; con- demned the King's answer to the city address, 410; strangers excluded during his speeches, ib., 417; supported popular addresses to the crown, 470; his opinion on the exclusive rights of the Commons over taxation, 482; his position as an orator, 490, 501.
Chippenham election petition, Walpole dis- placed from office by vote upon, 308. Civil list, the, of the crown, 197; settlement of, on accession of George III., 198; charges, debts, and pensions thereon, 198 -221; charges removed therefrom, 207, 208; Civil List Acts, of 1782, 206; of 1816, 207; regulation of the civil list, 206- 209; no debts upon, during the last three reigns, 209. See also Pensions from the Crown.
Clerke, Sir P. J., his Contractors' Bill, 328. Coalition Ministry, the, the formation of, 54. Cockburn, Lord, his description of Scotch elections, 302.
Coke, Lady Mary, admired by the Duke of York, 224.
Coke, Lord, an authority for life peerages,
Coke, Mr., moved a resolution hostile to the Pitt ministry, 67. Commission, the, for opening parliament during incapacity of George III., ques- tions arising thereupon, 157, 161, 180; the form of such commission, 181; his inability to sign a commission for proro- gation, 175; and for holding assizes, 159. Commissions to inquire into bribery at elections, 371.
Commons, House of, position of, at accession
of George III., 3, 279; instances of his personal interference with, 24, 31, 39, 57, 91; debate thereon, 44, 59, 65; resistance of the house to Pitt's first ministry, 62; resolutions against a dissolution, 63, 470; against the issue of money unappropriated by parliament, 64; against the recent changes in the ministry, 66; resolutions to be laid before George III., 67; resolution against interference by the Lords, 68; comments on this contest, 71; debates on the pledge required of the Grenville ministry, 93; action of the Commons as regards a regency, 144-190; doubts re- specting the issue of new writs during George III.'s incapacity, 149; the election of a speaker during the King's incapacity, 154; the vote to authorise the use of the great seal, 157, 180; the address on the King's recovery, 160; the relations be- tween the two houses of Parliament, 259; the composition of the house since the re- volution, 277; its dependence and corrup- tion, ib.; defects in the representation, 278; nomination boroughs, 279-305; ill-defined rights of election, 280; number of small boroughs, 281; influence of peers in the house, 282, 305; bribery at elec- tions, 282; since reform, 366; at the
general elections of 1761, 284; of 1768, 286; sale of boroughs, 285-292; gross cases of bribery, 288; bribery supported by George III., 289, 292; crown and go- vernment influence over boroughs, 15, 293; revenue officers disfranchised, 295; majority of members nominated, 305; trial of election petitions, 307; by com- mittee of privileges, 307; at the bar of the house, 308; the Grenville Act, 309; corruption of members, 312-329; by places and pensions, 312; measures to disqualify placemen and pensioners, 315; number of, in parliament, 316; judges disqualified, 317; bribes to members, 318-327; under Lord Bute, 320; the shop at the pay-office, 321; apology for refusing a bribe, 322; bribes by loans and lotteries, 323; by contracts, 327; parliamentary corruption considered, 329; the reform movement, 333-366; ef- forts to repeal the Septennial Act, 375; vote by ballot, 378; qualification Acts, 381; proceedings at elections improved, 382; later measures of reform, 383; re- lation of the Commons to crown, law, and people, 392-489; contests on ques- tions of privilege, 392; the proceedings against Wilkes, 393; his expulsion, 396; his expulsion for libel on Lord Weymouth, 400; his re-elections declared void, 403, 404; Luttrell seated by the house, 404; motions upon the Middlesex election pro- ceedings, 405; the house address the King condemning the city address, 409; the resolution against Wilkes expunged, 413; exclusion of strangers from debates, 415, 435; the exclusion of ladies, 436, n.; the lords excluded from the Commons, 418; contest with the printers, the, touch- ing the publication of debates (1771), 420, 425; and with the city authorities, 429; report of debates permitted, 434; reporters' and strangers' galleries, 439; publication of division lists, ib.; strangers present at divisions, 441; pub- licity given to committee proceedings, ib. ; to parliamentary papers, 442; freedom of comment upon parliament, 443; early petitions to parliament, 444; commence- ment of the modern system of petitioning, 446; debates on, restrained, 451; pledges of members to their constituents, 452; discontinuance of certain privileges, 455; to servants, ib.; of prisoners kneeling at the bar, 456; privilege and the courts of law, 456-464; case of Sir F. Burdett, 457; Stockdale and Howard's actions, 460; commit Stockdale and his agents,
« PreviousContinue » |