The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-13 00:00:00

ENING, MARCH 18, lBB2.

dieting a bury punishment on the borough. It might
be said that the indemnity from punishment did net refer
to the borough in its corporate capacity, bat to the Witt-
duals admitting that they were guilty of bribes?. But it
was usual to construe the words of an act of esarmt in
their plain meaning; and they explicitly stets* that the
parties giving information should be indeMdfied heft all
gibs, penaltra,and disabilities whatsoever; bet flits wawa
eft be earned out if they were deprived of the traddee.
The bill now before the how* was one of the.. which bed
been brought forward, for the ostensible plume of pat= i
an end to bribery and corruption ; and he odd show
the three altogether would not effect the els)pat. Is ad'
reform dieeussions he had over heard, either it the harmer
out of it, be had heard any Miners =ado to what he
believed was the primary and principal mum of riftelitiee
—the extreme severity of the laws sgahot it, whereby they
had become inoperative. Ile could produce indium of
the fact, that those laws were inoperative. At the
last election for St Albans, where every we might
suppose there were abundant opportunities for carrying out
those laws, a bill had been issued, stating the penalties
incurred by giving or taking • bribe, and offering to
prosecute any case, free of expense, on evidence bid 1
supplied—the reward of 1,000/. or 6001. to below' to
the party producing the evidence. This bill was sign
I
• gentleman who, at the time of the election,
his services at 10 guineas a-clay ; and he offered these
services gratuitously to any one who, in that rich har-
vest of corruption, would voluntarily bring forward a
single offender. Yet, so inoperative wow the law, that not
a ungle man would sell his evidence, even for 6001.. Every
attempt at improvement, instead of 'seeking to render the
laws easier to be carried into effect, had iiicreased their
stringency, and nuide it impossible to carry them out. Dur-
ing the 13 months he had been in purgatory—(laughter)--
he had made • great many inquiries on the subject—he
knew very little of it before—and he found these laws were
so excessively strict, and the penalties so tremendous,thatit
was utterly impossible to carry them into effect. (Hear,
hear.) (It was impossible to carry out any oleo-
don consistently with the law. There were voters who
came from a distance ; and tho common rites of hospitality
were denied; they must not even have a glass of beer ; and
if the sitting member, or any one in his behalf, was proved
to have offered them any refreshment he would he unseated.
Were these laws literally carried into effect an agent would
be subject to accumulated penalties of about 160,0001., and
to an imprisonment of 300 or 400 years. (Inaghter.) That
Ike
was the literal interpretation which any lot a lawyer
would put upon the law. When cheeps was a capital
crime the majority of the offenders were padehed at
all, and those who were punished only IS dr manse
principle as St. Albans was to suffer now.
circuit the judges assembled sometimes, sad saliWolli
stealing has been rather common lately, we bell WNW km.
a few prisoners;" and, on account of this detraderits.
men suffered who never expected to be hanged st dL
(Laughter.) Owing to this stringency* custom had
prevalent at elections which had aoquirod the
of law. There were certain expenses which wise
illegal, but which, nevertheless, must be paid—not the
purest election in tho world could be conducted
without them—and yet, in the strict letter of the law, they
endangered the scat. Consequently it was necessary to
employ various agents. The genus ' parliamentary agent"'
comprised several species. Those who performed the
" awkward business " must be cunning, and ingenious, and
able, and have a contrivance in their hand to meet every
ease. They mot be indefatigable, fear nothing but defeat,
care for nothing but victory. They must sacrifice reser
thing to serve their principal ; sod while transac • Ihe
most objectionable business behind his back, they must
a smooth countenance when they come into his .
They. must make him believe that they were the=
sons in England to sanction bribery, and be able at the
same time to perpetrate the most unblushing bribery in the
most daring manner, and yet so as to shield themeless
from discovery ; for in some cues, the more openly a thing
was done, the leas likely was it to excite suspicion. The
house might imagine a committee room of which the
candidate knew nothing, and had heard nothing,
but where meetings took place between the agent
and the electors, when something like the following
dialogue passed. The agent said, " Well, Mr. Smith, how
do you do 1" holding up three fingers. (Laughter.) The
elector replied," Oh, I'm not well at all to-day." " In-
deed," said the agent, " I'm lorry to hear that ; what's
the matter with you 1" holding up five fingers. (Laugh-
ter.) " Oh," said the elector, " It's nettling ; I'm better
now, thank you." (Great laughter.) The agent then
winked • the elector looked out of the window. The ageat
placed dye sovereigns on the table ' • he then looked out at
the window. The elector came to the table, and when the
agent looked back the sovereigns were pee L hat he WNW
saw them taken. (Laughter). Then when ible eleMMeee
Mt to inquire into the election, the agent mom dose he had
never paid any ono any money, and the elector MIMI that
he had never bad any paid to him. No jpeeMille was
asked or given. The elector west sat tram the vent per-
fectly free to vote in any way ho pietas& Thus le was
not compromised in the slightest degree ; sad whirler per-
juring himself at all, he swore that he had not
been bribed. The five honourable gentlemen who had been
appointed to search their unfortunate colleague whispered
to each other—" This seems to have been cleverly ma-
naged, but there is no evidence." Upon which the learned
counsel for the sitting member stood up, and said—" I
leave it to you, gentlemen, if this is not • trumped up case.
They all swear that no money was paid or received. I
must call upon you to find that the petition was frivolous
and vexatious." (Hear.) This was only one method in
which bribery was carried on. lie had heard of 16 or ie
guineas being given for a canary bird or a wanithergem.
(Laughter.) There is another method, which was mash
much more easy to practise without detection—that et
employing; people for various purposes, and paying them.
There were usually a great number of agents, spies,weretas
tics, and messengers, all retained for five or six weeks pre-
parstory to an election, and paid so much • week. Thais
were put down as legal charges, though almost the only
service these people performed was at the hustings or
polling booth. Some of the most important thus employed
were spies, whew duty it was to be looking about among
tho people on the other side, and to obtain informed=
as to what was going on ; and thus it was that
candidates knew of all the " awkward bedew"
going on on tho other side, but were kept in immure,
being surrounded by a halo of their supporters, of what was
done on their own. If one of the candidates happened to
be connected with an influential newspaper, which gave all
the tittle-tattler of the borough, it might readily be supposed
that all the slander of the other aids would appear in that
paper as fast as it was reported by the *pia, and would
thence be copied and embellished by other papers—rat
much to the advantage of the repetatkm of the Warmer;
candidate. The agents In those mei hareagls ammieed se
great an influence that they maid retataumm/mce paean whom
they wished, and it was smatter of no for wham
they acted. They obtained a great of information
with respect to the borough ; and, like the Spartan ber,
they would rather have their entrails ten than let kit
known that they carried • fox in their became. Bat= I
mightsometimes be caught tripping. They
become too venturesome from long impunity,
_and
might at last find • their way into prisons. Whoa
there their friends would know nothing of them.;
but yet men did not scruple to visit them with • view to
the next election, if there should be one. (Ikar, hear.)
One man was exhibited as an example before the world, if
he wee found out, whilst another, who was exactly guilty of
the same practises, walked into the house as bold as brass,
and s'ood us pure as if he had been to Rome, and received
absolution from the Foes himself. (Laughter.) What
was the effect of this system on the members, on the con-
stituents,
and on public opinion ? With respect to the
members, the course usually followed was this : Ho was
applied to by one of the "awkward" agents,and, in the first
instance,asked fora certain sum amain to tut tho borough.
This might be 1001., 3001., or 3001., sessediag to the apple-
tite of the agent. The agent, like a keteme-teller, could
not tell anything till his hand wee erased with iseley.
He wasneit asAnd kr SOW., 4001., or 4001. for legal es-
pmsea. Bat this was sot all. kw therm was a forth., yam to
bepaid 14 days after the masher had rhea his seat ,• sad,
as to how this money was expeadad. he was told that he
was not to ask any gnostical whatsoever. If the timber
said, he would not anneties bribery, mad that
he liked to have everything above-bard, the agent mita
that he would have nothing to do with bribery, bet that
there were two or three permits who divided the borough
amongst them, and if they did not get so much money they
could not divide the borough. He (Mr. Bell) was not se
old anger, he was not up to these tricks of the trade, ad
so ho fell into the trap. (Hear, hear.) The effect ea the
electors was quite as bad, it was perhaps even weer thee
the effect on the members. He looked upon an Meths
like a Christmas coming at an uncertain period. It made
them care little for the politics of the candidates. If you
ask an elector what party he belongs to, he will probably
tell you he goes with the "blues." If you ask him about
the corn laws he will tell you that he knows nothing about
them, though be will tell you he would rather get a loaf
at 6d. than at le. The effect on the public mind
was equally bad, for when people knew that mem-
bers got into that house by these means, it was
impowdble to respect laws made by such parties. The people
mart despise the house, and the laws pared by it, and con- ,
temn the hypocrisy with which corrupt practices were
branded by its members. Bribery was a disease exactly
like the small pox. (Laughter.) It was contagious—it left
a mark which continued us long as life itself—and the con-
tagion only operated where there was susceptibility to take
it. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) Now, the object should
be to infuse into the public mind a purer feeling on the
subject, to make it • disgrace either to bribe or to receive
bribes. It might be said that this was a utopian idea. But
even in St. Albans itself there were '2OO electors who had
not been impeached at all; and he believed that number
might be increased. No reform bill would cure the evil.
It was proved before tho St. Albans Commission that the
Reform Bill increased the bribery there. Ile did
not believe that even the ballot world cure the
evil, for the awkward ageat would still contrive
to know how much the agent would stead, and
the " man in the moon," ur " the man in the helmet," or
" the hole in the wall," would still continue to give bribes.
Ile believed, therefore, that even with the ballot end small
constituencies they would hove as much bribery as before.
(Hear, hear.) Then was a great deal of talk about St.
Albans bribery, as if other places were not just as bad.
Why, the briber,/ at St. Albans was but a milk score com-
pared with the bribery which took place in a large consti-
tuency in the metropolis, which he would not name. Let
them apply the proper cure to these things. Let them not
enjoin penalties for bribery which they knew would never
be inflicted, but Kt the penalties be such ns would be in-
Hided in every case of proved bribery. Let them get rid
of the trial by it committee of five member of that house,
who might ho as guilty of bribery themselves rot the party
whose cast they were trying, and let them instead issue a
commission, as in the case of St. Albans, and
punish the parties if they did not give tvi-

deuce. lie could bear testimony to the excellent man-
ner inwhich the St. Albans commissioners conducted that
inquiry, sad he respected them as a child respected his
father, who corrected him for not performing his duty.
(Laaghter.) A mouse was not more helpless before three
bell terriers, than a witness was before them. (Laughter.)
If one shoed him, the next was sure to whip him up, and
the third swallowed him. (Laughter.) Ile confessed that
if he had been a member of the committee which tried bib
eleetka, he should have found himself guilty; for, though
an attempt bad been made to bottle up the corruption, he
knew it was there, for he had smelt it. (. Hear, hear,"
and laughter.) He should use every exertion himself to
put down bribery and corruption, but this bill was not cal-
culated to effect that object. He should like to ace other
boroughs put to the same ordeal as St. Albans. The elec-
tors of that borough were told that they would not ho
punished for giving their evidence ; and though
it was true that no fines had been inflicted, yet
capital punishment was about to be inflicted, and
that was worse than a fine. (Hear, hear.) He claimed
indulgence, therefore, for his borough. It was in the mud,
and he was in the mud with it, but ho would never shrink
from performing his duty towards it. If. would now move
that the debate be adjourned ; he would not say for three
sr six months, though that would answer his purpose very
well, but simply that it bo adjourned, particularly as he
expected a petition from some electors of St. Albans on
the subject.
The amendment not haring been seconded fell to the
ground.
Mr. HUME said he could not refraie from thanking the
government for taking. up this bill, and was willing to take
it as an earnest, notwithstanding what they might do on
other subjects, that they would go further in the same di-
rection. (Hear, hear.) lie believed there were from 60
to 90 boroughs in the same category as St. Albans, and he
trusted that similar measures would he adopted towards
them. Ho believed that hid hon. friend did not desire to
violate the law, but was drawn in by the system which
prevailed. (Hear, hear )
Sir DE L. EVANS joined with his hon. friend in thank-
ing the government for persevering with this bill. Ile
thought that the hon. member for St. Albans was entitled
to some sympathy from the hones, when it was well known
that there were more experienced culprits who had escaped
detection. He therefore hoped that the government would
not stop at the borough of Bt. Albans, but apply a remedy
to boroughs of equal notoriety, and that they would assist
him in reference to the inquiry into Harwich.
The bill wee then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Friday.
PERSONAL ESTATES OF INTESTATES BILL.
On the motion of Mr. U.. 4. HAMILTON,
The house went into committee on this bill, Mr. Baillie
in the chair.
Clauses up to 4 were agreed to.
On clause 5
Mr. ANSTEY said he thought words of limitation ought
to be added to extend the righte of parties, by giving them
the option either of having remorse to this cheaper and
more expeditious remedy, uhe admitted it to be,orof having
recourse to a suit in equity, an action at law, or a bill of
right to the sovereign. Ile was the more anxious to press
this because there was no clause withdrawing from the
operation of the bill suits now pending against the crown,
and it was difficult to say what construction the judges
might put upon the bill.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL said there we. nothing in
Ike bill to interfere with the rights of parties. The latter
pert of the sixth clause declared that the money should be
pia late the Oftwelideted Fund in the first instance, and if
gm peep awn eillerwerdi establish his claim to the
Miff or say pert of it, he we. to get it out. (Hear.)
Sir C. WOOD confirmed the view taken by the Attorney-
General.
The clause was then agreed to, as were the remaining
einem and the bill pseud through committee.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
Mr. HUME gave notice that he would take an early op-
wtunity of asking the Secretary of State for the Home
Department whether he was prepared to carry out the re-
commendations of the temunesioners with regard to the

management of the British Museum.
The house adjourned at half-pact seven.

My Court.

OSBORNE, FRIDAY.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert, with the royal
children, walked, and rode yesterday in the gardens and park
at Osborne.

Mr. Glyn, M.P. and Mr. Swift, as a deputation from the
London and North Western Railway Company, had an in-
terview yesterday with the Right Hon. J. W. Henley and
Lord Colchester, at the railway department of the Dpard of
Trade, on the gunge qnestion.
Thu Earl of Loudly's, Lord President of her Majesty's
Frivy Council, will give a cabinet dinner on Wednesday
next, at his residence, on Carlton-house terrace.
Viscount Hill had an interview yesterday with Mr. Se-
cretary Walpole, at the Home•office.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer returned to town last
evening from attending:his election.
A deputation from railway companies against the British
Electric Telegraph Company had an interview with the Right
Hon. J. W. Henley, yesterday, at the railway department
of the Board of Trade. The deputation consisted of Capt.
Tyndale and Mr. B. Oliveira, from the Oxford, Worcester
and Wolverhampton Railway Company; Mr. Stable, from
the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Com-
pany; Mr. Ricardo and Mr. Dicey, from the North Staf-
fordshire Railway Company; Mr. Venable', Mr. M'Gregor,
and Mr. Freeman, from the South Eastern Railway Com-
pany; Mr. Coates, from the Railway Clearing House;
and Mr. Bidder.
Despatches were sent from the Colonialciffiee yesterday to
the governors of the North American provinces.

(From Lot NW' Gazelle.)
LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S OFFICE, MARCH 2. No-
tice is hereby given that her Majesty will hold a levee at
St. James's Palace, on Wednesday, 24th March instant, at
2 o'clock.
LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S OFFICE, MARCH 2.—No-
tice is hereby given that her Majesty will hold a drawing-
room, at St. James's Palace, on Thursday, the Ist of April
next, at 2 o'clock.
OSBORNE, MARCH 11.—His Royal Highness
Prince Albert has been pleased to appoint William Drage
Montagu (commonly called Viscount Mandeville) to be
Lord of the Bedchamber to his Royal Highness, Tice the
Viscount Clifdca, res*ned.
CROWN•OFFICE, MARCH 12.—Members returned
to serve in this present parliment :—College of the Holy
Trinity of Dublin : Joseph Napier, Esq., LL.D., her Ma-
jesty's Attorney General for Ireland. Portarlington
Lieut.-Col. Francis Plunket Duane, of Brittas, in the
Queen's County, Clerk of tho Ordnance. Yorkshire, East
Riding : The lion. Arthur Duncombe, of Kilnwick Percy,
One of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Dorset-
t/air° : The Right lion. George Henke', of Studland, in the
said county of Dorset, her Majesty's Judge Advocate-
General. Rises, Northern Division The Right Hon.
William lieresford, her Majesty's Secretary-at-fit ar. Ox-
fordshire : The 'tight Hon. Joseph Warner Ilenley, Presi-
dent of the Committee of Privy Council for Trede and
Plantations. Enniskillen : James Whiteside, Esq., her
IdAjesty's Solicitor-General for Ireland.
MMIIISSIONS SIGNED BY THE LORD LIEUTENANT
OP LANCASH las.—Francis Dukinfield Palmer Astley, Esq.,
to be deputy-lieutenant.

MELTON MOWERAT AND THE MINISTRY.—Tho
sporting metropolis probably never presented a more dreary
and chilling appearance in " the season" than it does at
this time. Generally after Christmas there is an accession
to the ranks, but this year it is not so. Tho cause of the
company being now so remarkably small is attributed solely
to the elevation to power of the Earl of Derby, and the
consequent appointment of some Meltonians to high offices
in the state. Tho Comptroller of the Household, the Vice-
Chamberlain, and tho Clerk Marshal have been appointed
from here ; and, if appearances warrant a supposition, it is
probable that the future ambassador at one of the great con
tinectal courts will bo found in the person of a nobleman
who has made Melton Mowbray his tome. All these, and
the peculiar circumstances contingent upon the shadow e
events, bare been the main cause of the " lull" in this town.
—Stamford Mercury.

Intelligence reached Southampton yesterday that
Captain Austin, the Arctic voyager, has been appointed
Admiralty superintendent of mail packets at Southampton.
The salary is 6001. a year. Admiral Corry, the late superin-
tendent, is preparing to leave Southampton.

FATAL ACCIDENT TO A LADY OF TlTLE.—Yes-
beaky about soon an accident occurred to the lady of Sir
Edward Graham, of Esk, which unfortunately termi-
nated fataUy. Her ladyship was in the act of calling upon
a friend, residing at ho. 23, Metropolitan-buildings, Old
St. Pancras-road, and having ascertained that her friend
was absent from home, she was retracing her steps down the
stone staircase, when she missed her footing, and fell vio-
lently into the passage, her head at the time coming in con-
tact with the door of an apartment, situated at the foot of
the stairs. Mr. C. Candland, the collector of the rents, was
immediately on the spot, and despatched messengers to three
medical gentlemen, each of whom, it appeared, was out, it
then being their visiting hours. Mr. Candland, fearing
delay, removed her to the Free Hospital, Gray's Inn-road,
where the house surgeon made an examination, and per
that life was extinct, her ladyship having dislocated
her neck. Her ladyship was 30 years of age, and at the
occurrence of the accident was accompanied by her son,
aged 7 years.
Tra: SOUTIIAMIPTON RIFLE CORPS have selected
their practice ground, having contracted for a shed similar
Ito those used by the Swiss Rifle Clubs, and the targets are
about to be erected in them. Many persons are willing to
pay tho subscriion of a guinea annually and purchase a
rifle without josaing the corps. A bugler late of the 00th
Rifles has been engaged to take charge of the shed, targets,
&c. Many persons also are willing to subscribe in order to'
support the club without intending to practise. Mr. Bas-
sett, the honorary secretary to the corps, has received
numerJus communications from other clubs, by which it
apps ars rifle corps arc rapidly forming throughout the
country. T. W. Fleming, Eur., of Stoneham-park, near
Southampton, has taken the greatest interest in the forma-
tion of the Southampton Rifle Corps, and is affording it
most valuable assistance.