The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-04 00:00:00

HEREFORD.

The committee appointed to try the merits of
the petition of Peter Warburton and others against the
return of Richard Haggailay, on the ground of bribery,
treating, and undue influence ; and the petition of Josiah
Rinabeck and others against the return of George Clive, on
similar grounds, met at 11 o'clock.
The committee consists of the following members:—
Admiral Duncombe (chairman), Mr. G. C. Bentinck,
the Hon. A. F. Egerton (South Lancashire), Mr. G.
Hodgkinson, and Mr. Arthur Russell (Tavistock). The
counsel for the petitioners are Mr. Serjeant Ballantine
and Mr. Macnamara ; and for the sitting members Mr.
W. H. Cooke, Q.C., Mr. Giffard, Q.C., and Mr. H.
Matthews.
The first petition proceeded with was that against Mr.
la
Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, in opening the case for the
petitioners, stated that Hereford was a borough, which,
since the passing of the Reform Bill, with one single
exception, about 20 years returned liberal members to
represent it in parliament. Taken in connection with this
fact the circumstances of the late election were somewhat
peculiar. Prior to the last election Colonel Clifford had
represented the borough for 15 years, and Mr. George
Clive succeeded his father in the representation in 1857.
In 1858, a solicitor named Garold became connected with
the Hereford Journal, a conservative paper, and had ever
since made strenuous efforts to resuscitate a con-
servative feeling in the borough which had hitherto
been comparatively extinct. Mr. Garold, when the disso-
lution occurred, brought down Mr. Baggallay, a well known
member of the legal profession, but entirely unknown in
Hereford, to contest the representation of the city. The
canvass of the liberal party was entirely satisfactory,
and there was no conception that their cause
was in the slightest danger until 2 o'clock on
the following day—an hour extremely critical when
bribery was going on—when it was found that
Mr. Baggallay was treading close upon the heels of the
liberal candidates. At the close of the poll the numbers
were :—Baggallay, 510 ; Clive, 499 ; Clifford, 483. He be-
lieved he should be able to show that this result was attri-
butable to the most unblushing and systematic bribery on
theculrt of Mr. Garold and his subordinate agents, the
r tariff being 101., half of which was paid in the shape
of earnest money, and the remainder after the vote was
recorded.
In reply to the Chairman,
Mr. Serjeant Ballantine said the allegations of treating
would not form a very important part of the case. What
he principally relied upon was the bribery.
Mr. James Robert Naylor produced the writ acid re-
turn, and the poll books for the last election.
Mr. John Bosley, mayor of Hereford, produced the
election accounts duly signed by the agents for election
expenses, and the appointment of Thomas William Garold
as agent for election expenses on the part of Mr. Bag-
tritliaY•
In cross-examination Mr. Healey stated that the number
of freemen in the borough had been rapidly decreasing of
late years, while the number of householders was increas-
ing. The population of Hereford was now between
14,000 and 15,000.
[Left sitting.]