The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-14 00:00:00

We went, while in London, to Mr. Tucker, agent in the
City, of Stevenson and Tucker's, Son-cuurt, and we said
" Do you krisiwany party who wants a seat in parliament ?"
He considered, and said " Yes, I Oink I do." He told
us to call again, and said that if we came to him the next
morning he would probably have the right sort of party
ready. Mr. Webster and I accordingly remained in town
all night, and we went together next day to Mr. Tucker.
He said that he bud nut got the gentleman he had ex-
=(and I believe he meant Sir John Musgrove, the late
Mayor), but that he had another highly
respectable gentleman—Alderman Carden. Mr. Tucker
asked us what the price of the borough would
he, and he said lie hail heard it was rather an capon-
, sive concern. I said, " I don't know that; it's a mere milk
' score .ompared with sonic other places." After some con-
venation I told him that from I,SOOI. to 2,0004 was about
the range. We were then introduced to a friend of Alder-
man
Carden's, a Mr. l'ocuck. That gentleman took our
communication to the alderman, who was sitting at the Old
bailey. The alderman insisted on • requisition, or some-
thing of that kind, and it was aimed that we were to meet
him again in a few days. We did take up a requisition,
but it was nut autliciently numerously signed. We then
called a large meeting at the Turf, and it was there we first
got up the talk about the purity principle.
Mr. rhinn—You yourself suggested it, perhaps?
Mr. Blanks—No, not I. I adopted it merely because
then we had no chance of any other candidate. In fact, it
was the last extremity. I don't know exactly who origi-
nated the cry; but I believe it was some of those who
didn't vote with us; that is to say, some of those who voted
with Mr. Bell, and who said, at first, that they would vote
for a post if it only stood upon the purity principle.
Mr. Forsyth—Can't you remember who it was said
that ?

dr. Blanks—l think Mr. Lewis, the chemist, wss ono
of them. _ _ _

ph Mrrase . Forsyth—Did Mr. Lewis tell you why he used that
Mr. Blanks—l told him of it afterwards, but he denied
haviug used the phra.e. Imu coufident, however, he did.
Mr. Lewis said that Alderman Carden was nut of his
principles. Mr. Lewis meant that Mr. Carden was at first
suppesid to be a liberal, but he afterwards turned out to be
a thorough conservative.
Mr. l'hinn—l thought that purity was to be the only
priuciple, and that political creed was to have nothing to do
with it ? _
-

blr. Blanks—So it was; but Alderman Carden's poli-
tical character w.is asked at the meeting, and nobody
knew it. _ _

The witness went on to recapitulate and detail the cir-
cumstances attending the coming forward of Alderman Car-
den. " When I went to the alderman on the secoou occa-
sion it was merely WI a looker on. Nothing was said about
money, and did not make myself active in his favour be-
cause I found there was no money coming, and that, there•
fore, I had no interest in it. All I wanted was a candidate
who would act on my own principles.
Mr. Forsyth—What are your principles?
Mr. Illanks—To spend money on all legitimate expenses.
Mr. Fursyth.—You mean spending money with pub-
licans ?

---itirAllanka.—Well, I don't know. We all look to our
trade.

Mr. Furtyth.—ln fact you wanted to mako 201. out
of it.

Ur. Blanks.—l should have liked, at all events, to have
had the odd 301. clear. . _

Mr. Forsyth—You wanted also perhaps to make a claim
for your future services ?
Mr. Blanks—Yes. There are many little things passing
through the hands of a person is the position of an alder-
man iu the City of London which might as well go to his
friends as to others.
Mr. Forsyth—You said the expenses of standing for St.
Albans was a mere milk-score, compared with the cost of
othi r boroughs. What do -on mean ?
Mr. Blanks—Nell, in M'alilon, in Essex, for instance, I
think they spend more money at election tim a than they
do here. I took up the election here as a mere matter of
business. Very few in St. Albans don't move a bit at elec-
tion times; acid I went with the stream.
Mr. Fhb/a—But you went against the stream. Edwards
had all the money.
Mr. Blanks—Aye, he had the bag, and we wanted as
for ourselves. We would have fought Edwards on his own
principles.
Mr. rhinn—find you any agreement with Pocock or
Tucker as to the share they were to have of the inoney ?
Mr. Blanks—Oh, us. fhe money was to puss through
their hands, and they would have taken good care to look
after number one.

In answer to other questions,
Mr. Blanks said—l heard nothing of purity when Alder-
man Carden was first put up. And it was my opinion that
if the aiderman had come on the gruund without pledging
himself to anything like that, we should have beaten Ed-
wards and Bell. I asked Alderman Carden several times
when he cams down whether he meant to win hie election
or to lose it. Be said he would like very much to win it if
he could. Then, said I, you must do as others do, and
come out with the blunt. I didn't mince the matter. He
replied that he was pledged to the contrary and couldn't do
so, hut that if he hadn't pledgkd himself it would ho a dif-
ferent thing. As it wa-, he said, he wouldn't give a shilling
for a hundred votes.
Mr. Plains—lie didn't say that exactly, I suppose. He
didn't say that if he hadn't pledged himself he would posi-
tively have spent money ?
Mr. Blanks—Nut quite; but from what he did say I in-
ferred so, that is kiwi'', that the question would have been
open if be hadn't been pledged.
Mr. l'hinn—Did you tell Mr. Low that he ought to
spend money ?
Mr. Blanks—Of course I did. But Mr. Low was so
prveious jealous on the alderman's character that he
wouldn't hear of it. I cannot say who first started the
purity principle. It emanated from sense of us " Puritans,"
as we are now called.
Mr. Forsyth—The proposition of purity must have come
upon you suddenly, eh ?
Mr. Blanks—Well, it was rather a shock to my feelings.
Mr. Forith—You didn't like it ?
Mr. Blanks—l thought it no go. But I didn't like after-
wards to run away from the alderman, having engaged my-
self like to him.
Mr. Phinn—What do you think you could have brought
the alderman in for ? 4,000,?
Mr. Blanks—Aye, less than that.
Mr. Forsyth-- there in a story about your having made
a bet with the alderman on the subject.
Mr. Blanks—Yes; I offered to bet him that he would
win.
. .

Mr. rhino—How much ?

Mr. Blanks-1 would have taken him for 1,000/.
Mr. Forsyth—But suppow you had loot, and that he had
not beeu returned titer taking your het, what would you
have dune . . _ . .

ware.

"—why I wouldn't have paid him, of

Mr. Forsyth—Something has been said as M your having
settled in St. Albans fur the mere purpose of acting at elec-
tions. Is that true ?

Mr. Blanks—No, that is not true. I came here to get a
living.
There was great laughter in the court throughout this
must extraordinary series of question uud answer.
Ilefore the adjournment of :he court,
Mr. Slade, fur himself and for his learned colleagues,
acknowledged, in a must marked manner, the courtesy
which had been extended to the commissioners by tbo
mayor and corporation of St. Allmon. The inquiry (said
Mr. Slade) has so far been most satisfactory iu its com-
pleteness, and we are bound to state that we have received
every possible facility from all parties.

In our report of Friday's proceedings we did an unin-
tentional constructive injustice to Mr. Lewis, druggist, of
St. Albans. A witness was made to say that one liarri,, an
apprentice to Mr. Lewin, had received Si. fur the purpose
of handing it over to his ma-ter as a bribe. The statement
was that guns promised for the ,if. the vote of one of Mr.
Lewis's man-servants.

AND CLERICAL.

CAMBRIDGE, Nov. 12.—.%t a congregation holden
this day the following degrees were conferred: M.A.—
Allen Trevelyun Cooper, Trinity College, Compounder;
and George Palmer Lockwood. Trinity College, Com-
pounder. ll.A.—'lhomus Richard Maynard, Quetne Col-
lege ; Thomas Whitwell Rogers, St. Johns, Compounder;
and William Spottiswoode, NIA., of Balliol College, Ox-
ford was admitted ad rumelem.

REPREsENTATION op BRISTOL.—It is said that
the liberals of Bristol hare some notion of uniting with the
Hon. F. H. Berkeley, Mr. Frederick Peel, as a candidate
for the representation of that city.—Cliellenhaw Examstwe.
THE LATE CHARGE AGAINST A MERCILtNT AT
BRISTOL —The magistrates were engaged for the greater
part of Wednesday in hearing the charge preferred against
Mr. Juhu Gilben, jun., fur having casks in his possession,which it was alleged had been stolen from Messrs. (hay, of
Bath, and after a patient investigation they dismissed the
charge.
Bttirlsu AND AMERICAN STEAM NAVIGATION
GoMrANS.—Yesterday the Master Sir George Ruse, after a
long argument by Mr. Roxburgh on the part of ?dr. But-
en, the official manager. placed on the list of contributo-
ries the names of age assignees of Mr. Sully, a holder of
forty shares, on the ground that the directors bad no autho-
rity to release either him or others trout the consequences of
his signature to the deed fur shares, by reason of any sub-
sequent conditions. They might have a remedy in equity
against the directors, but could nut claim a release as be-
tween themselves and their co•contributories. The decision
applies to the position of a class of shareholders in the
company.