It is sufficiently difficult to prevent over zealous committee men and agents from compromising their candidate during the election; but, if he is to be retrospectively responsible for all their previous acts, I venture to say that no candidate can expect to hold his seat against a petition. Were the retrospective responsibility introduced into the procedure of courts of law no man would be safe. I might, sir, to-morrow have the advantage of making your acquaintance. Some days later I might take a servant whom you had formerly employed. Ought I to be hung if it were subsequently shown that you and the servant had murdered some one last January in London, while I was in Italy? Were I still a member of the Legislature, I should myself point out the necessity of a reform in the composition of election {80} committees. As an elector of Westminster, I shall, through my representative, Capt. Grosvenor, present a petition to the House of Commons praying that some alteration be made in the present system, and that a properly qualified judge be added to every committee to explain the elementary principles of jurisprudence to well-intentioned gentlemen who know nothing about them.[3]--I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, H. LABOUCHERE. A number of extremely interesting letters appeared in the _Times_, on the subject of the New Windsor Election Petition, one other, only, of which I shall quote, as it puts the case for Mr. Labouchere and his colleagues in a perfectly clear light. It runs as follows: SIR,--My name having prominently appeared in the proceeding before the Election Committee in this case, and in communications made to you by Sir Henry Hoare and Mr. Labouchere, complaining of the decision of the committee, I trust you will not refuse me an opportunity of corroborating their statements. I may say, as a prelude, that the agents had the most distinct directions to do nothing in contradiction of the statutes relating to the election of members to serve in Parliament, and I proved, in evidence, my written instructions to that effect. Sir Henry Hoare and Mr. Labouchere, being aware that Mr. Flower had retired by reason of his belief that he had been compromised by his agents, were most anxious to avoid becoming in any way identified with their proceedings; and, as regards the public houses, which had been taken on his behalf, the late members entirely repudiated, both personally, and through me, having anything whatever to do with them. No one had authority to hire committee rooms but Mr. Last, the head agent at Windsor, and no complaint is made in the Committee's Report in respect of the nine houses engaged by him. Not a shilling has, to my knowledge or belief, been paid, or promised on account, of what I may, for brevity, call "Mr. Flower's public houses"; so that, in fact, these houses were {81} neither hired by, paid for, nor used by the late members or their agents.