The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-07-24 00:00:00

REGINA V. LEATHAII.

This was an information on the part of the Crown,
under the Corrupt Practices at Elections Act, charging
Mr. William Henry Leathern with corrupt and illegal
practices at the last election for Wakefield, at which be
was returned as member.
The Solicitor-General (Sir W. Atherton), Mr.
Overend, Q.C., Mr. Monk, Q.C., and Mr. Cleasby
appeared on behalf of the Crown; and Mr. Edward
James, Q.C., Mr. Mellish, and Mr. Quin for the defen-
dant.
The Solicitor-General, in opening the cam, said the
charge against the defendant was that he had knowingly
advanced money for the purpose of being applied to
bribe voters at the late Wekefield election. So early as
the month of January, 1859, it would be found that Mr.
Leathern had advanced no less a sum than i:590 for
election purposes to Mr. Wainwright, a solicitor at
Wakefield, to whom Mr. Leathern gave very large
authority. There was another gentleman. Mr. Thomas
Field Gilbert, also engaged by Mr. Leathern. At the
electiou in April, Mr. Leathern was a candidate. On
the fith of April Mr. Gilbert appeared u the ally of Mr.
Wainwright. He was not locally connected nor resident
in 11 aketirl.l, hilt was brought down for the purposes of
the de lion. Mr. Gilbert wax desired to take up his
ipiertere at Mr. Wainwright's house, where he had a
room assigned to him, ant where • great deal of business
was transacted. Mr. Gilbert deuritied himeelf as a
Parliamentary and election agent, and that he had pre-
viously been in the Ake of Mr. Coppoek. (Mr.
Leathern melded in the neighbourhood of Wakefield,
and was connected with a banking estaldishinent there.)
It would have been the most ordinary course that what
1111 l ney he rewired lie should have obtained from his
own bank. But lie provided very large funds at Messrs.
°emend and Gurney's, the money-lenders in London,
instead of drawing it out of his bank, and he wrote fur
obtained, through Mr. Weinwriglit, £l,OOO to Le
lent to him, to be sent in £3 and £lO dank of England
notes, in four packeges. to his agent, Mr. Weinwright,
who was a moneyed man, ter election purpose.. Mr.
Gurney, in compliance with that letter, sent on the 9th
of April 1:250, amid sublieimently two other sums of
1.1:10 before the 19th of April. Bat before the whole
was sent Mr. Leathern remested a further sum of
crom to be sent by Mr. Gurney: and on the 19th of
April the sum of £750 was Kent. On the :MI of April
Sits the elettion, and before that day • further sum of
CLOW was written for by Mt. Leathern, :naking
altogether ti,roo sent to Mr. Wainwright and
duly received by him. On the 19th of April, when
the rvio arrived at Mr. Wainwright's, Mr. Wain-
wright declined to open the packet, and intimated
lii Mr. Gilbert that lie had better open the packet, and
Mr. Gilbert received and opened that and the succeeding
remittances. 1110 whole of that sum went in the course
of the election. MA the question was, whether this was
with the knowledge of Mr. Leatliam. Mr. Wainwright
had supplied an account conimeneingasi out, as January
to Mr. Leathern of the whole of the advances made, and
it appeared that after the election other sums were
advanced by Mr. Leathern, making altogether £3,700,
lint one farthing of which was ever vouched by the
electi auditor.

Evidence baying been heard at considerable length,
the learned judge addreseed the jury, referring to the
statute which bore upon cases of this kind.
The jury retired. and his Lordship adjourned the
Court to the Judge's lodgings at? o'clock.
In about an hour the jury returned with a verdict of
Guilty. _ .

There remained yet seven other cases of this descrip-
tion to divose of, three against persons on the Liberal
si.le at Wakefield, and four against persons on the Con-
s. rvative side, awl two against persona implicated in
charges of bribery at the lieverley election.

" Lean well nice." "We don't get tea so good as
this in England," said a British resident in China, whilst
quaffiing the pare imfasioa in a Mandarin's verandah.
• No," replied the Grandee, " Chinamen send sorts
made better to look, than British Merchant much
pleased." Now this, though a f.ct, is not all ; the
practice of colouring the surface of to. for English sup-
ply in relorte.l to, mainly to eneole the Chinese tea-men
and others to imerease their pregits, for the eolouring
powders occasion the brown flavourless leaves to look
like the good. and min off at a full price without detec-
tion. florniman sod Cu.. London, knowing that the
British consumers would prefer tea perfectly pure, have
long imported it without powdered colou, (pa the leaf,
am ml continue, encouraged by the large demand, to sup-
ply it secured in packets. For list of Horn man's agents
who sell their pure taa in this locality, see advertisement
in this day'e papa.