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The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria cover

The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria

Chapter 353: MEETING OF THE NEW PARLIAMENT.
By Edward Farr
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About This Book

The volume traces British political, parliamentary, and military developments from the accession of George III through the early nineteenth century, chronicling changes of ministry and cabinet, debates over colonial taxation and the American conflict, parliamentary controversies involving figures such as Wilkes and Warren Hastings, questions of Catholic relief and slave-trade abolition, and responses to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, including major naval and continental campaigns, the union with Ireland, and domestic legislation on finance, civil liberties, and parliamentary reform.

MEETING OF THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

The meeting of the new parliament took place on the 18th of May. In his speech, the king expressed great satisfaction at meeting the house at this time, after having recurred, in so important a moment, to the sense of his people; and recommended to their most serious consideration the framing of suitable provisions for the good government of our possessions in the East Indies. The addresses in both houses contained strong expressions of gratitude to the king for having dissolved the late parliament; and amendments to omit these expressions, on the ground of unanimity, were negatived by large majorities. The attention of the house was first directed to the conduct of the high-bailiff of Westminister, in refusing to make the return in favour of Fox; and he was directed to attend at the bar of the house to defend his conduct. In his defence, he said, that having ground to suspect the validity of many votes, taken in the course of a poll of six weeks’ duration, he had granted a scrutiny, and that he could not make the return till this scrutiny terminated. Counsel was heard on both sides as to the legality of his conduct; and after long pleadings, it was moved and carried, that “the high-bailiff do proceed in the scrutiny with all possible dispatch,” thereby justifying the unwarrantable step he had taken. The principle of party spirit prevailed over a sense of justice, for the scrutiny of an election is nothing more than a revision of the poll itself, and if such revision cannot be completed before the period at which the writ is returnable, he is bound by his office and oath to make the return agreeably to the poll as actually taken. So the counsel on the side of Fox argued; but the justice of the house was set aside by the spirit of party, if not revenge.