The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-07 00:00:00

OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM

DOVER.—(CoNeeenen.)
Some time about the middle of the last century
here pot into the port of Dover a Danish brig, the
011/110 of which mans lost to
.public knowledge.
Whether slur pat in for cargo or in stress of weather,
or to repair damage, or from what other cause, we an
equally at a loss to sy, nor do, s it, that we know e 4
greatly matter. When this brig sailed spin she left
behind her, by saiselianoe or accident, a sailor boy,
whose name was Fedor. Communication with farewell
part was not, in those days, so frequent u at
present, and the poor boy, thus left behind,
rename an object of companion to the town.
Being a sharp active lad he was not long in finding
service. A gentleman named Minet, a merchant and
banker at Dover, took him into his employ. Finding
him deserving he brought him up ani gave him a
decent education. In course of time he berme use-
ful to him in his busicess; it followed, as a proper
consequence, that ere long his master conferred on
him a share of it. Thus raised to an independent
position it only remaiced for Mr. Fector to improve
it. Able and industrious, he was not long in
doing so. He became a man of good posi-
tion. Min Minet, his old master's daughter,
conferred on him her band, end when he died he left
to his son, Pet er Feats, the inheritance of a prosperous
provincial bank, and a reputation of which his descen-
dant might be justly pr.nd.
Mr. Peter Fedor carried on steadily and success-
fully for a great number cf years the business which
his father had bequeathed him, and his lot fell in
times the circumstances of which he was enabled
rto turn to his advantage. At the outbreak of
Se first French revolution, the noble!, and others
who were striving to fly from France, sent over
to England their plate, and jewels, and
everything they were enabled to convert,
with instructions to deposit them in the nearest
bask. Fsctor'a bank was the establishment
which at that time was the best known in Dover, and
it was there, for the most pert. that the deposits of
the refugees were made. Of *se deposit", it is
said and believed that a very large proportion
remained entirely unclaimed.
But at Dover, in the war times, there were,
other ways of nuking money, of which a capi-
talist could avail himself with no small advan-
tage. The government in those days were ac-
customed to contract for the equipment of a class
of armed vessels, which were employed in pro-
tecting British shipping in the Channel from the
attacks of foreign privateers. The vessels thus con-
tracted for, ought to have been, properly speaking,
sufficiently manned and equipped to fight a foreigner.
But the whole system of government contracts was
an evasion. The majority. of these vessels were any-
thing but fitte.d or furnished for en engagement.
Fighting, however much it might be the interc.t of a
government, was by no means the interest of
a contractor. What he wanted was to keep
his vessel as free from damage as possible,
in order to avoid repairs, and to man her with as few
men as ponible in order to avoid wages. When
these vessels went out on duty they consequently toile
the fee est possible number of handy, ant steered the
safest possible coarse. They would dodge about the
coast, end occasionally such a thing might be heard
of as their pouncing upon a poor French fishing-
boat, or other vessel of small size, but very rarely in-
deed did any one ever hear of their having signaleed
themselves by any brave or faring exploit. Once a
year these vessels were mustered in the Dr wnsfor in-
spection, and then alone were they pro-
vided with a proper complement of ham de. On
such occasions a crew composed of very able-bodied
landsmen were hired for the day at a couple of
shillings or half-a-crown, and parsed off as the navi-
gators of the ship. For many years this system was
carried on to a gnat extent, and a very large amount of
public money was squandered in it . As a " govern-
ment contractor" for arm. d vessels Mr. Peter
Feats is said to have acquired no small addition to
Cis property.
Mr. Fector's influence in Dover was always consi-
derable. Oldfleld said, many years ago, " Mr. Peter
lector has the best interest of any indi•edual in the
place, always siding with the government ; but the
popular interest estwinas utbeXerrit to
town has atthtesa:inne
atimbititnen-
of Mr. Fectoistbat some member of his family should
represent Dover, and when the general election came
in 1835, he brought oat hie son, Mr. John Minot
Feeler, hoping that,: as a townsman, he wuuld come
in with the general assent of the inhabitants.
The whips at Dover owed an old grudge to Sir
John Rae Reid, and they thought that this would be
an excellent opportunity of supplawirg him by a man
more acceptable to the conservatives themselves.
They made little doubt of being able to carry their
I own candidate, Mr. Rice, a gentleman held in high
estimation, and well qualified, as they believed,
to perform he duties of their representative.
Accordingly, on the morning of the poll a
large number of liberals split their votes with Mr.
Fector. They would seem to have done so without
taking du procreation that the compliment was re-
tuned. At three o'clock Mr. Fector was made safe,
Mr. Rice being next him on the poll, with the tory
at his heels. Only a few votes were wanted to turn
the seals for either party. At this critical moment
an agent on the hustings in the interest of Mr. Fec.or
turned round to the liberals and said, " Look, oar man
is safe ; now I will Des what can be done for Sir
John
Within a few minutes afterwards a number of
voters came to the poll to split for Reid and
Fector, and Mr. Rice found himself defeated. The
numbers at the close were, for Fector, 908 ; Reid,
782 ; Rice, 761. To all the candidates this contest
was expensive. As usual, a large amount was ex-
pended in flags and bands of music. Public-houses
were also opened in the interest of each candidate,
and head-money was paid at the rate of a pound a
vote to all the electors who chose to claim it. No
proof exists of direct bribery on either side, though
accusations were bandied about freely enough.
Mr. Rice's friends, upon finding the resit of this
contest, were extremely wroth and savage. They de-
clared that they were "sold:" that Fector owed his
election entirely to their split votes, and they deter-
mined on retaliation at the earliest available oppor-
tunity. That opportunity presented itself in 1837,
at the election consequent upon the death of the late
King. The same candidates presented themselves.
Mr. Rica's friends, very much to their credit, deter-
mined en this ciscamon that the battle should be
fought as fair as possible without direct corruption.
There were personal as well as political reasons for
this decision. Mr. Rice was not a rich man,
and his private friends were anxious to do
everything in their power to avoid ratting him
to expense. But whatever the motive, the act Heel(
was creditable. The liberals proved the position
that with a good candidate it was quite pueblo to
carry their man, without corruption. At the poll the
numbers were, for Rice 864, Reid 829, Fedor 742 •
the last candidate polling some 180 less than he bad
dose on the preceding occasion, which tested the ex-
tent of the assistance he ea that ocarion had derived
-45 Mr. Rice's friends.

from Mr.
It may, with reference to these two contests, be
a fair subject of observation that when Mr.
for was returned at the head of the poll,
the torn* were in office, and, when Mr. Rio, sup-
planted him, his Mends the whip had also sup-
planted their opponents. With so much patronage as
there is to be disposed of at Dover it is not unnatural
that there should be a body of electors always reedy
to vote for the candidate who is likely to have men
to give away. In 1841, when Sir Robert Peel was
expend immediately to snood to office, the Dover
constituency obviously acted upon what they thonOt
would be beet for their own interests. Besides Bn
John Rae Reid and Mr. Rice, two other candidates,
on that occasion, took the Seld. One of
them was Mr. Serjeant Halonnbe, who came
down to take advantage of the chapter of
accidents: the other was Mr. Galloway, the comma
councilman, who was induced to come forward by a
small body of radials in Dover, and who expected
to obtain assistance from the friends of Mr. Rios.
The party who imported that gentleman were not,
however, anxious to give Mr. Galloway or any ens
else a hold upon the town. aril they declined to coma-
tenon°, his pretensions, upon the ground that be bad
no pod cense at outing Sir John Rehi,
and that the epees of his gig to a P°ll
would be lorovlcua to Mr. Rios and the in-1
Snow of the reformers. On the part of a
section ia Dover than was °namable murmuring
with respect to then pants, but Mr. Galloway's
Mende proved n=noel4 so mall that it was im-