On the same evening poor Mr. Ferrand undertook the task,
for which he was certainly ill-fitted, of eliciting the history of the Hon. Richard Bethell's hopes in connection with the Leeds Bankruptcy Court, and he has continued his labours quite fruitlessly during the week. He only succeeded in eliciting that the former Bankruptcy Commissioner in Leeds, Mr. Wilde, was called upon to answer complaints of his proceedings, that his answers were not deemed satisfactory, and that it was intimated to him "from friendly motives" that if his health was bad, as alleged, he would do well to retire with a pension of 600/. a year, —which accordingly he did. Mr. Welch was then appointed (in July last) unconditionally by the Lord Chancellor, and Mr. Welch himself maintains that he was not then nor has becn since in precarious health. A man sometimes differs from his friend's as to the precariousness of his own hellth, and we happen to know that some of Mr. Welch's friends took a different view of it at the time. This appointment was made some months before the Hon. Richard Bethell's outlawry, which did not occur till Decem- ber. "The Lord Chancellor was afterwards urged to transfer Mr. Welch to London, and appoint Mr. Richard Bethell to Leeds, but he positively refused to do so." Mr. Bethell, it is admitted,
afterv aria went on a private visit to Mr. Welch to Leeds in February last, but he never attended the Bankruptcy Court, and is personally unknown to the officiate there. On the whole nothing, has come out to connect the Lori Chancellor with the Honourable Richard's hopes, whatever they may have been, with respect to the I cods Bankruptcy Court.
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