The Express.
London, England, 1849-05-29 00:00:00

OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM

ASHBURTON.

A very curious quaint old edifice is the market-
place at Asbburton. You may have read of it or
admired it in prints; it is scarcely likely that you
have the benefit of its personal acquaintance, seeing
the remote region in which it is located. Very em-
blematic is it of the town of which it is the principal
edifice, and the solitary adornment. Exceedingly
tumble down and rotten is the whole place, generally
and politically. Judging from its present state of
rapid decline and decadence, another half century
will suffice for its oblivion.
Ashburton, at the time of the Reform Bill, was a
borough the whip thought it well to preserve. Prior
to 1830 its constituency had consisted of the Burgage
holders of lands and tenements within the limits of
the borough, in which the lord of the manor was
Lord Clinton, and the principal proprietor Sir Law-
rence Palk. These two personages divided the re-
presentation between them, the latter obtaining a seat
for himself, and the former exercising his influence
far his father-in-law, Mr. W. S. Ponta, a whip
At this period of the towns history there
was a considerable cloth manufactory in the bo-
rough, and there being a strong feeling in favour
of reform, one of the largest manufacturers deter-
mined to try the possibility of throwing out the tory
representative. Colonel Torrens was brought down
to accomplish this object. He succeeded at the elec-
tion in 1831, when the numbers were—for Poyntz,
74 ; Torrene, 47; Palk, 41.
Had the town been tory, the whiga would pro-
lbably have put it in Schedule A, as they did
other places of greater consideration. But as
a Whig borough, they permitted it to retain
the advantage of returnirg a single representa-
tive to parliament. Its members made some fight
to save both seats. Colonel Torrens insisted that
Ashburton vas "tie principal seat of a manufacturing
population." Mr. Poyntz submitted that the import-
ance of the town had been very much under-esti-
mated. He argued that in the population returns of
1841 the manor of Holsinger had been omitted,
which would give the place a considerable addition to
its then estimated population of 3,400. These argu-
ments did not rescue the place from partial, but they
saved it from total, disfranchisement. The census of
1831 gave the population of the parish of Ashburton
at 4,001, and it took its place last but four in the list
of English be roughs preserved from Schedule A.
There is no one more acute in the House of Com-
mons than Lord John Russell. As a Devonshire
member at that time, he, no doubt, had some local
knowledge of Ashburton. It is curious to remark that
in the debates about Ashburton, at the period of the
Reform Bill, Lord John hit the blot respecting this
borough, but refrained from following up the
blow. When the members for Ashburton were
talking loudly about the increase of the bo-
rough, Lord John quietly observed that " itseemed
somewhat unaccountable that the population should
have increased so greatly, with such little additi...n to
the house property of the place." It was very remark-
able. Was it ignorance of the facts, or a desire not to
be hard upon his friends, that induced Lord John to
say no more?
The legend goes that the town of Ashburton was
Bayed from the total disfranchisement which must

have followed the exposure of its real condition bythe
accident of the census of 1831 being tekcn inf iir time.
The parish is very extensive, and trcops of g'pries,
showmen, rope dancers, and vagabonds of all descrip-
lions, were lurking within its boundaries, and were
enumerated amongst its " resident population." This
was probably the Manor of Haleanger," on which
one of the members laid 53 mueh strew. The gipsies
gave Ashburton a representative in the Common,
House of Parliament. Their charter was as effectual
u that of King Edward I.
In the first refermed parliament, Lamely, fiom
1832 to 1e35, Mr. Peyntz sat for the town without
opposition. In the latter year he resigned Ashburton
to sit for Midhuret, and was succeeded by Mr.
Charles Lushingtoa. Mr. Lushington, who had a
family friendship with an influential solicitor in
Ashburton, was opposed by Mr. Henley Palmer, the
city merchant. The estetituency at the time was
185. Of these IGO were polled, Mr. Lushington
wineing by 89, to Mr. Palmer's 71.
In 1837, Mr. Palmer stood for the city of London,
and a Mr. Litton Browne C5lllO down to Ashburton.
He was a barrister, resident at Norwich, where he had
been chairman of Scarlett and Stormont's committee,
at the infamous election of 1835. The Aehbortou tories,
following the example of the people of Totness, had
made emu" Heaney voterie" in the preceding year, and
though the same thing had been done by the liberals,
and the constituency thereby augmented, Mr. Lush-
ington ha 1 a narrow squeak for the era+, the numb re
being for Lushington 98, Browne 87. At both these
contests a good deal of money was spent in treating;
more, probably, upon the tory side than on the liberal.
Probably Mr. Lushington'e dislike of such practices,
and his inability to spend the large sum which seemed
likely to be required fcr such purposes, combined with
his very bad state of health to induce his retirement
from the representation in 1841.
In that year it was expected that Mr. Horsley
Palmer would again take the field. He did not do so,
but his partner, Mr. Mackillop, came down and can-
vassed the constituency. It was thought necessary
to meet Mr. hlackillop with a not less wealthy and
influential candidate. Mesas. Palmer, Menkillop,
and Co. are Esst India merchants, so the Ashburton
people met them with another firm, Messrs. Jardine,
Matheson, end Co, trading with Hong-Kong, Cum-
singmoon, Shaeghae, and all sorts of places in China.
The late Mr. David Jardine was the memberofthisfirm
selected to oppose Mr. Mackillop,.and these two gen-
tlemen fought the place upon principles of the most
extensive liberality. The 3,300 inhabitants acquired
on this occasion a full appreciation of what is meant
by civic hospitality and oriental wealth. They proved
themselves, under such influences, almost insatiable.
The more they gut the more they wanted. The tory
party have the reputation of having commenced the
corrupt practices on this occasion by offering compa-
ratively very small inducements early in the can-
tut. The recipients to sooner got all they
could from them, - than they went over to
'he other side, made a full disclosure and got double.
With a due sense of moral principle, they then went
back to "their own party," as they called it, and re-
melted firm to their colours, until they bad got as much
more as they could extract out of them, when they
instantly went over a second time, in a state of
extreme dissatisfaction, to the Whigs. This sort
of oscillating process was repeated very. frequently,
until at last trick began to be met by trick. When
votes had risen to a great price, the parties began to
take some security, by paying in bills. Some time after
the election a tremendous to-do was made by one of
" the free and independent" about a document of this
sort in his possession, professing to have been given
" for value received" on the day of election, and to
represent a sum of 501., payable two months after
date. On a minute scrutiny of the document, how-
ever, it appeared to be only legally recoverable two
months after death, and consequently the elector was
put out of court.
The practices at this election reached their height
on the night before the nomination. It was then
fund by Mr. Mack lbp's friends that he could not
'marbly win, if it was possible to win at all, without
an expenditure of a van considerable additional
amount in bribery. Mr. vary
in consequence
drove over to Exeter on a little private business;
and from Exeter he went to London, from whence
he did not return.

Mr. Jardine unexpectedly found himself unopposed
at the nomination. But he had raid dearly for his
whistle. His expenditure upon this occasion is esti-
mated at more than 4,0001.; the tory party dropped
nearly. 2,0001. This is at the rate of 30s. per
heed for every man, woman, and child in the place,
including the bedridden and infants in arms.
In 1843 Mr. Jardine died, Mr. James Matheson,
his partner, came down to the town immediately. The I
tories sent up for Mr. Horsley Palmer or Mr. I
MaerciEop. The latt-r gentleman " reepectfullr de-
dined ;" the former " would be very happy to sot tor'
the borough if elected, but regretted that his other
avocat:ons precluded the possibility of his personally
entering upon the contest." Shrewd men of the
world are Mears. Palmer, Mackillop, Dent, and'
Company.
There wag great vexation at Ashburton when it
was found to be imp ossible to get up a contest upon
bribery. It was consequently determined to get up an
nppo.ition upon " principle." The tories put Mr
Horsley Palmer in nomination, and as there was
nothing to be Reined in particular by voting ether
way, they got 96 electors to plump for kim ! You