The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-04 00:00:00

THE REGISTRATIONS.

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MIDDI.EsEX.

yerterday, Mr. Sltadvrtil, the barrister appointed I
weirs the hats of voters for the county of Middlesex,
armed his court at the White Horse, Uxbridge, and pro-
tected with the districts of Cowley, Ileretleld, Hayes, Hit-
usgent. lekenham. Heewood. ltuislip, L'abridge, and
West Draper
TM objections en both sides amount to upwards of a
tlruswel, wad then arc numerous claims urged by both the
pa p,lttiesl rink, , but a new feature in these proceed
mg* • has arisen item the operation c f the act passed in the
lest wool of parhemeat, which was introduced by the
soils lord the member for the county, which limits the
woo polling to oue day. The Registration of Voters
Jai, the 6th and 7th of Viet., e. 18 sec. 36, enabled voters
sot nsidest in the county to poll, upon application to the
bnrutter, at say broth which might be must convenient to
themselves ; and it also enabled voters resident in the
county to poll at the booths more imme•liately adjacent to
meteors residences, irrespectively of the situation of the
property fur which they vote. Thus privilege has not hi-
therto been !se need to any great extent; but now that
tie new act for limiting the pulling to one day comes into
fon it sill be found to be an extremely important and
sa.a:ary provision, and hence it is that there were yesterday
a west somber of these new claims to be allowed to vote
at the most convenient and proximate polling places.
31r. T. A. Jones appeared for the conservatives; Mr. W.
U. Janus, as hithetto, represented the Middlesex Register-
teen Odin; mad Merin. Le Breton and Davies represented
n w registration society, supported by a section of the
hie ral party in the county.
Upon the Revising Barrister taking his seat, a gentle-
man from the (Mee of the Clerk of the Peace produced the
lists of voters and new claimants for the barrister to revise.
Mr. Joan said that before these lists were received he
was salines to call the attention of the revising barrister
to • preliminary objection shish he felt it to be his daty to
Inge upon the court. The 47th section of the Registration
of Voters' Act provided that after the revision of the lists
of voters by the barrister, the clerk of the peace should
prat and publish a copy of the said lists. The clerk of the
peace was further bound to sign and deliver the same into the
hands ut the sheriff of the county, as they had been revised
by the barrister during his previous revision, in October,
on or before the let day of December. He had reason to
know thatthis provision of the statute had not been complied
swab, and that, in fact, there had bees ao register " printed,
sureed, sad published," as prescribed by the leatato. surd
at the earliest the 18th January, 1863. The offset of this
roc-compliance with the act would be sot eel, to disfran-
this* 13,000 voters, and to give them ground of action
against the clerk of the peace, but he spprebendod that it
would have rendered necessary the poising of a special act
of parliamoct in the event of an election having takes
place between the Ist December, 18-52, and the 18th
Jaunty, 1533.
The Revising Barrister--Two copies of the register have
beta forwarded to me by the clerk of the peace, and I pre-
sume that the law bas been complied with until the con-
trary has been proved. It would not be reasonable to sup-
pose that a few days' delay should vitiate the entice register.
I must assume it to be correct until it is proved not to be so.
Mr. Jones said then he should propose to ask the clerk of
the peace whether the lists hail been printed, signed, and
published at the date which the set prescribed.
The Clerk of the Peace—l do not feel that lam bound to
answer that question.
Mr. doses peened that he should be sworn, as be had
reason to know that an action-at-law had been commenced
against the Clerk of the Peace for his lacks, in this respect.
Ile was anxious to raise this objection at the present stage
of the proceedings, as it possibly might come hereafter
before a committee of the House of Common.. His object
was to secure that, in such an event, his locus standi should
be reeogaised by the parliamentary committee.
The Revising Barrister said that, although the act re-
quired the lists to be signed and delivered ea or before the
Ist day of December, it did not say that a few days' delay
would cause them to be null and void. Hs had no doubt
in his own mind of their being in full force. (To the Clerk
of the Peace)—When were the lists published ?
The Clerk of the Peace—l admit that there was a delay
of at lent a month, in consequence of the printer failing to
supply the proofs at the proper period.
The Revising Barrister said he had no doubt, so far as
his province went, that the lists were sufficient for him to
act upon.

Mr. Jones repeated his belief that in the event of any
voters' names being struck off in consequence of the negli-
gence of the clerk of tke peace there would be good ground
of action on their part against that official.

Mr. James conelured in this mew. The Lists were then
utmost!, and the business of the revision was proceeded
with.

The only cue of interest erase in the parish of Bluefield,
which showed in its result, how small an amount of
property suffices in some instances, to confer the county
franchise.

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Meters. John Neat, Charles Neat, and Albert Neat, seve-
rally claimed to be placed upon the register in respect of
'4a freehold rent charge of 40s. per annum, secured open
and issuing out of two freehold °setae@ and gardens in the
pariah of Hanfleld."
Mr. A. Neat, in order to prove the chins, deposed that
the cottages wen let at 2s. a week each, that they were the
property of his father, and that his collector collected "all
the rent be could get for them." Witness had always
received for his share after the rats he had usentioned.
Mr. James contended that this was not a sufficient qsa-1
lification ; for though undoubtedly 4s. a week gave lor. 88.1
as the annual value, yet there were charges upon these
cottages, in the shape of poor. rates, highways, and semen,
which would go to diminish that amount. Another im-
portant element was, that the upsets in such comes were
of a nugatory character, and that when property was let in
this manner to weekly tenants, it was clearly a very different
thing to property let to substantial residents at an anneal
rental. It appeared that these cottages were rated to the
poor at only 30s. a year each, and he urged that they were
not of 'efficient value to give three root charges of 40s.
each, and thus three votes "issuing out of the property."
The Revising Banister said that he was not at all dis-
posed to favour claims of this deolription, but these cottages
were let at two shillings a week each, which gave ten
pound eight per aanam, and that wee evidently ample,
although there might be rates to defray, to pay a rent
charge of ii poasds a year, or three rent charges of forty
'Wings each, which amounted to the same thin The
clams, therefore, would be allowed.
Mr. Jams observed the. the Morn. Neat were certainly
very fortunate men to get their county votes oat of weak a
property. He bad no doubt they should hear of a rent
charge on a wheelbarrow next. (A laugh.)
The result of the day's revision was, that the liberals,
through Mr. James, sustained fourteen objections, and
the conservatives eleven. Several new claims were also
allowed on both sides.
The new associstioa did not appear to have served any
notices of objection upon the overseen, and therefore
thew representatives were not is a position to sustain any.