seconded, as that appeal had been by the honourable and learned gentleman. He certainly had, in the first communication with his right honourable colleague, on the subject of becoming a member of the Committee, declined the proposition, on account of the numerous official avocations which pressed upon him, and occupied nearly the whole of his time. He could assure both the honourable members who had appealed to him, and the House generally, that it was not for want of the most anxious desire on the part of his right honourable colleague, that he did not form part of the Committee. Having, however, for many years of his life, devoted the whole of his time to the public service, so far as his health and strength would permit, he was now willing, if it were in accordance with the feelings of the House, to attend the Committee occasionally, and give so much of his assistance to it, as his health would allow, with all the zeal and ability he possessed. On this, as on all other occasions, he yielded to the expressed wish of the representatives of the people.

Mr. Huskisson's name was accordingly added to the list of the committee.

MR. HUSKISSON'S EXPLANATION OF HIS CONDUCT, IN ITS CONNECTION WITH THE DISSOLUTION OF THE LATE, AND THE FORMATION OF THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION.

1

February 18.

On the premature death of Mr. Canning, and the consequent formation of Lord Goderich's ministry, Mr. Huskisson, in September 1827, succeeded the noble lord as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies; and on the sudden dissolution of this administration in January, he was induced to retain the situation in the new administration formed by the Duke of Wellington. Upon the meeting of Parliament, an early opportunity was found for requiring an ex

VOL. III.

planation respecting the dissolution of the late ministry, and the establishment of the present. Lord Normanby having this day called the attention of the House to the subject,

Mr. Secretary HUSKISSON rose, and spoke to the following effect:-*

Sir, from whatever motives the noble lord may have felt it his duty to make the observations which he has now offered to the House, I beg to return him my very sincere thanks for the manly, straight-forward part which he has performed. He has made upon me that call which I had been assured, day after day, from the hour of my return to this House, was purposely reserved to have been made upon me last Friday. The causes which led to a change in the intentions of those who had expressed their determination to produce from me an explanation of my conduct, whatever may have been my disappointment at such a change, it was not-it is not-for me to surmise; but the noble lord may rest assured, that the contrast between his open appeal and the sort of proceeding on Friday night, especially seeing the use which has since been made of it, will not speedily be effaced from my recollection.

Although I greatly rejoice that an opportunity is this evening afforded me of entering upon an explanation of my conduct, in its connection with the dissolution of the late, and the formation of the present, Administration, I certainly offer myself to your notice under feelings of greater anxiety and embarrassment than I ever before experienced in rising to address this House.

If no other interest attached itself to the transactions, to which I am about to advert, than the protection of my own character and personal honour, from the known indulgence of the House to all its members, under similar circumstances, I should confidently appeal to it; but, Sir, the

public character of a public man, and especially when that man is honoured by his Sovereign with the management of one of the highest offices in the state, is not an individual interest: it becomes a public interest. On that ground alone I venture to claim the kind attention of the House, persuaded that it will be afforded me by every man of right feeling, however much he may be opposed to me in the honourable warfare of general or party politics.

Before I proceed further, I find it necessary to state,— and I do it in the most positive and unqualified manner,— that neither directly, or indirectly, have I had any communication, of any sort, with any one of my colleagues in the present Administration, in respect to any thing which I may be reported to have said at Liverpool, or which they, or any of them, or any other person, may have been reported to have said elsewhere, nor in respect to any thing which I may have to say to-night. I trust that honourable members will bear this declaration in mind, during the whole course of what I may have to address to them, and consequently consider that for any thing which may fall from me this evening, I, and I alone, am responsible.

My reason for shunning any such communication has not been want of confidence, or cordial feeling on my part, or any doubt of a reciprocal feeling on the part of the noble Duke at the head of the administration, and of my right honourable friend near me; but to avoid the possibility of its being supposed that we had, as it is called, compared notes, that we had concerted and rehearsed together our respective parts. This shyness and reserve may possibly have been mistaken by my noble and honourable friends; but it was a course in which, however inconvenient, I was resolved, until after this explanation, to persevere.

Mr. Secretary Peel.

I shall now proceed, Sir, to that part of my conduct which has reference to the late Administration; and as I wish to trespass upon the time of the House as shortly as possible, I shall pass over every thing which occurred when, upon my return to England at the end of August, I became a member of that Administration, and begin my statement at that period, when the name of Lord Althorp was first mentioned to me, in reference to the Finance Committee. One single observation, however, I am anxious to make before I proceed to that narrative, and it is this-That I verily believe, from the first moment I became a member of Lord Goderich's Government, up to the hour of its dissolution, that it was impossible for any minister at the head of affairs to maintain a more implicit confidence, and a more friendly, unreserved intercourse towards a colleague, than my noble friend manifested towards me. I am quite certain, that if any thing material was, at any time, done by him without my knowledge, it was the effect of accident, of unintentional oversight, and never from design, or for the purpose of concealment. From my noble friend I received the most frank and unbounded confidence. He had no reserve towards me,-no secrets which he wished to keep from me.

Having discharged this debt of justice and friendship to my noble friend, I now proceed to the facts of the case.

At a late hour of the evening of the 10th of November, I received, in the country, the account which had reached the Admiralty that morning of the unexpected affair of Navarin. The next day I came to town. A few days after my arrival, my noble friend Lord Goderich, while talking with me one morning at his office, upon general business, casually stated in conversation, that my right honourable friend, the then Master of the Mint,* had sug

• Mr. Tierney.

gested to him, that it might be exceedingly desirable to ask Lord Althorp, whether he would be disposed to undertake the office of Chairman of the intended Finance Committee. My noble friend further told me, that he had had a good deal of conversation with my right honourable friend, in the course of which my noble friend had stated, that from long habits of personal esteem and friendship for the noble member for Northamptonshire, he should be very glad to make use of that noble lord's talents for business in any capacity; but that, as the subjects to which the attention of the committee were to be directed were so connected with this House, he wished rather to consult those members of the administration who had seats in it. My noble friend did not ask me my opinion upon the subject. He merely stated, what had passed between himself and my right honourable friend, the then Master of the Mint; and added, that he considered that the talents and the inclination for business of the noble member for Northamptonshire, must render him well qualified for the situation of chairman of the Committee of Finance. I expressed my doubts on that point; not as to the fitness of the noble member for Northamptonshire for being placed on the committee, for it was impossible that there could be any difference of opinion between my noble friend and myself on that point, but I expressed my doubts, how far the industry and talents of the noble member for Northamptonshire, great as every one acknowledged them to be, had been especially directed to such objects as would qualify him for presiding over a Committee of that nature. To this observation my noble friend replied, "Turn the matter over in your mind;" and so the conversation between us ended. And here I beg to observe, that my noble friend did not state to me whether or not he had made a similar communication to any other members of the administration; nor did he desire