(On the 11th of May, 1809, Mr. Maddocks made a charge against Mr. Perceval and lord Castlereagh, relative to the selling of a seat in Parliament to Mr. Quentin Dick, and to the influence exercised with Mr. Dick, as to his voting upon the recent important question.) Mr. Maddocks in the course of his speech said:—“I affirm, then, that Mr. Dick _purchased a seat in the House of Commons_ for the borough of Cashel, through the agency of the Hon. Henry Wellesley, who acted for, and on behalf of, the Treasury; that upon a _recent question_ of the last importance, when Mr. Dick had determined to vote according to his conscience, the noble lord, Castlereagh, did intimate to that gentleman the necessity of either his _voting with the government, or resigning his seat in that house_: and that Mr. Dick, sooner than vote against principle, did make choice of the latter alternative, and vacate his seat accordingly. To this transaction I charge the right honourable gentleman, _Mr. Perceval, as being privy and having connived at it_. This I will ENGAGE TO PROVE BY WITNESSES AT YOUR BAR, if the House will give me leave to call them.” Mr. Perceval argued against receiving the charge at all, putting it to the House, “_whether_ AT SUCH A TIME _it would be wise to warrant such species of charges as merely introductory to the agitation of the great question of reform, he left it to the House to determine_: but as far as he might be allowed to judge, he rather thought that it would be more consistent with what was due from him to the House and to the public, _if he_ FOR THE PRESENT _declined putting in the plea_ (he could so conscientiously put in) _until that House had come to a determination on the propriety of entertaining that charge or not_.” The House voted _not_ to entertain the charge, and Mr. Ponsonby and others declared, in the course of the debate, that such transactions ought not to be inquired into, because they “were notorious,” and had become “as glaring as the noon-day sun.” Now let the younger Mr. Perceval grapple with this historian and public writer, whose opinions he has invoked, whose “_true English spirit and feeling_” he has eulogised. Let him grapple with these extracts from his works, which, however, are but a tithe of the charges Mr. Cobbett has brought against his father. For my part, I have given my proofs, and reasons, and authorities, and am entitled to assert, that my public character of Mr. Perceval, the minister, is, historically, “_fair, just, and true_.” HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THE PENINSULA. HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR. BOOK XVII. CHAPTER I. [Sidenote: 1812.]