XXXI. And whereas it is amongst other things enacted, by an Act paffed in the fecond year of the reign of his late Majefty King George the Second, intituled, An Act for the more effectual preventing bribery and corruption in the elections of members to Jerve in Parlia ment, That fuch votes fhall be deemed to be legal which have been fo declared by the last determination in the Houfe of Commons; which last determination concerning any county, fhire, city, borough, cinque port, or place, fhall be final to all intents and purposes whatever, any ufage to the contrary notwithstanding; be it enacted, That fo much of the faid Act as is above recited fhall be, and the fame is hereby repealed, in fo far only as the fame relates, or might be construed to relate, to any fuch determination to be made in the Houfe of Commons fubfequent to the paffing of this Act.

XXXII. And be it enacted, That all and every the rules, regulations, authorities, and powers, prefçribed or given by the aboverecited Acts, or by this Act, to felect committees for the trial of controverted elections or returns, fhall be in full force and effect with refpect to felect committees appointed by virtue of this Act for the trial of fuch queftion or questions of right as aforefaid, in as full and ample a manner as if the fame were herein repeated, and particularly and fpecially enacted, concerning fuch felect committees: Provided always, That the feveral rules and regulations herein-before enacted, by which certain perfons are directed to enter

into recognizances, and by which certain perfons are made liable to the payment of cofts, in the particular manner and in the feveral cafes herein before fpecified, fhall not be conftrued to apply to the cafe of any petition prefented in purfuance of this Act, and relating folely to any queftion or questions refpecting the right of election, or of chufing, nominating, or appointing a returning officer or returning officers.

XXXIII. And be it further enacted, That whenever it fhall happen that Parliament fhall be, prorogued while any felect committee fhall be fitting for the trial of any fuch petition as aforefaid, and before they fhall have reported to the House their determination thereon, fuch committee fhall not be diffolved by fuch prorogation; but fhall be thereby adjourned to twelve of the clock on the day immediately following that on which Parliament fhall meet again for the difpatch of bufinefs (Sundays, Good-Friday, and Christmas-Day, always excepted), and all former proceedings of the faid committee fhall remain and continue to be of the fame force and effect as if Parliament had not been fo prorogued; and fuch committee fhall meet on the day and hour to which it fhall be fo adjourned, and fhall thenceforward continue to fit from day to day, in the manner provided in the aboverecited Acts, and in this Act, until they fhall have reported to the House their determination on the merits of fuch petition.

Form of the Recognizance referred to in
this Alt.

BE it remembered, That on the

day of

in the year of our Lord before me

A. B. [Speaker of the House of Commons] or [one of his Majesty's juftices of the peace for the county of ] came C. D.

E. F. and J. G. and feverally acknowledged themselves to owe to our Sovereign Lord the King the following fums; that is to say, the faid C. D. the fum of two hundred pounds, and the faid E. F. and the faid J. G. the fum of one hundred pounds each, to be levied on their respective goods and chattels, lands and tenements, to the ufe of our faid Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and fucceffors, in cafe the faid C. D. fhall fail in performing the condition hereunto annexed.

The condition of this Recognizance is, that if the faid C. D. fhall duly appear before the House of Commons, at fuch time or times as fhall be fixed by the faid House for taking into confideration the petition figned by the faid C. D. complaining of an undue election or return for the

of

[Here fpecify the county, city, borough, or diftrict of burghs], or, complaining that no Return has been made for the faid [

] of [

within the time limited by Act of Parliament, or, that the return made for the

] of [

faid [ is not a return of a member or members according to the requifition of the writ, and fhall appear before any felect committee which Thall be appointed by the House of Commons for the trial of the fame, and fhall renew his faid petition in every fubfequent fellion of this prefent Parliament, until a select committee fhall have been appointed by the faid House for the trial of the fame, or until the fame fhall have been withdrawn by the permiffion of the said House; then this recognizance to be void, otherwife to be of full force and effect.

[D]