The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-21 00:00:00

TIIR Np;;EsS. FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 1849,

There is a curious story
.in Worcestershire and
S-affordahite, that Mr. Rennie lett Kidderminster in
consequence of private information that he was
" bold" by some of his priueipal supporters. Any-
thine, however atrocious, may be believed about
Kidderminster; but we are biund to say that cur
inquiries in the town give us no reason to conclude
that there is any stronger foundation for this
rumour than the circumstance of Mr. Rennie's
having suddenly and somewhat mysteriously with-
drawn. His friends, thus left in the lureh, procured
a candidate to take his place, in the person of Mr.
Samson Ricardo. This gentlyeaso, of course, came
forward tinder all the disadvantage of being late in
the field. His friends, however, made up for this de-
ficiency by authorising a lavish expenditure of money.
In three or four days 3,0001. was expended, princi-
pally amongst the publicans. Mr. Gndeon, to whom,
as au expectant barrister, election in 1841 was poli-
tical life or death, made corresponding exertions, and
incurred corresponding expenses. Mr. Godson's cal-
culations of success, huwevt r, ware on this cccasio*
over confident. At the poll, Mr. Ricardo took the lead,
and kept it. At 2 o'clock he WU cani.do ably ahead,
and there was every appearance of his winning easily.
It was at this period of the day that the Godsm
putt' began bribing. They paid 3.51., 401., even 60/.
for a vote, to men well known not to be worth 61. On
previous occasions the bribery had been covert : at this
time is was open and avowed. The bribes were paid
in gold and tome, and Mr. Godson is said to have
given the money with his own hands to the parties
who administered the bribes on his behalf. C3oping,
drugging, and abduction of Toter* were also resorted
to. Anything indeed more scandalous than was this
election it is impoesible to conceive. The town had
now reached the lowest pit of electioneering degra-
dation, and its due reward would have been complete

IRFA.AND.

Donors, Dec 19
The people are b g ti• in::: to ern tneir eyes to Ore
true nature of the protect' *rf inivemeut. They
only want opportu i to • spree, their epieioes—
circumstances to esti tnem forth—and it would soon
be perceived how well they naderstand the selfish agi-
tation of the reek-rents g, hrefc, sod. Low ruined
landlords. The pch-ular journals are beginuitg to
speak out more plainly. 'file people themselves would
do so mnet effectually it on, e aroused from the apathy
into which national calm ties of the moat depress-
ing kind have sunk tto tn. The first symptom
of an awakening spi•it was manifested at
a county meeting held in Longford the day
before yesterday. The m. clang was called by the
p.otectiooiats to petition against free trade, and was
pretided over by the high sheriff. The landlords
thought they had it all their own way, and that they
could ride roughshod over the peciple as they acre
wont to do in the weed e.d times—the times teat
were very good indeed for them, but in-initxly worse
in every respect than the ',recent for the people for
whom they express so much sympathy. Seine
popular orators boldly expressed their opinions,
and it was soon seen that the whole
bulk of the meeting—all, in fact, but the
little knot of cres- fallen advocates of high
rents, who sneaked off when they saw hoe
things were going—was opposed to the landlord-
interest, dear bread, and nigh rent object of .he
requisitionists. The Mail says the " priests alio the
rabble" crried the day. I: would be better, no
doubt, were priests to refrain from mixing in any
political matters, but when they do it is wel! to find
them on the right sole, and, in Ireland at least, we
generally see them surrounded on such occasion" by
the bulk of the p epulation. Au account of tee meet-
ing from a correspondent of the Evening Mail, is the
only one which has reached town ; it is as follows:
Oar meeting, thongs to the exertions of the priests, turned
cut the contrary of what was suucipated—their reirtrances
having packed the building with the lowest rabble.
The
fir.t rtsoltition spinet tree trade was met by an amendment
without any refereccs to that subject, and stating the eases
of agricultural distreas to be high rents, and eel tug upon the
tandiords to reduce them. A Mr. Fleming proposal it, and it
was 'poses to by Father fet*Gaven is a violent speech, in
"Bich be denounced the landlords as the reuse of the pre-
mani to which the country is reeioced. The Chair-
(the Ruth Sheriti) retosed to put tLe amenement, as
not being relevant to the object or the meeting, as :-
pressed in the requisition and the r. solution; this tireut;ht
on such an uproar that Mr. Sleator moved the sheriff to
dieriive the meetrig, which was seconded by Captain
Musters; upon which the sheriff left the chair,
wnen every gentlem,n, except Mr. Fox and Major
Blacken, len the court. A peewit named Mullin, a shop-
keeper in Balymation, was called to the chair, when the
meeting passed resolutions of a most inflammable na-
ture. the priests throughout were the commeodants and
luglemen.