The Express.
London, England, 1858-03-19 00:00:00

GALWAY FREEMBN.

Mr. G. CLI VE, in moving for leave to bring in a bill for
the disfranchisement of the freemen of the city of Galway,
said that during the investigation over which he presided
the witnesses folly and fairly admitted the corrupt practices
which prevailed in the boron h. They did not deny or
make apology for those practices, but looked upon the money
given to them as merely a proper remuneration for lost time.
The charter, which woe given to Galway by Charles 11.,
conferred the rights of freemen on the trades and (Mermen
residents of Galway on the payment of 20e. At that time
20e. wee more than it was in these days. The act of George 1.
called the Galway Act, took away the condition of the
payment of 20.., but required that the freemen should be
Protestants. The Irish Rdorm Act, however, did away with
this, and the consequence was that almost every person who
had a residence in Galway could claim the franchise. There
were 1,080 electors in Galway, of whom about one half were
freemen. Of the remaining half 60 or 70 were freeholders or
leaseholders, and 4.50 were 81. occupiers. It followed, therefore,
that if the freemen were corrupt the constituency fell entirely
into their power. The commissioner. did not carry back their
inquiries before 1317, there having been no contest in that
year, bat they stated that there was ample reason for believ-
ing that bribery had prevailed extensively prior to that year.
In 1852 and 1857 there were contests, in both of which there
was great competition; in fact at those elections 250—0 r
' nearly half the entirebody—of the freemen were proved before
the commissioners to have been bribed. Formerly the duty
of deciding who should be on the freemen's roll rested with
the mayor, but It now devolved upon a person appointed for
the purpose by the Lord-Lieutenant. That person at the
present time was a very respectable man, but be was not
armed with any of the requisite powers to enable him to
institute an efficient inquiry ; end the result might be easily
imagined. The freemen were chiefly persons of a very hum-
ble rank of life; and the commissioners reported that for
some time previous to an election industrial employments
in the neighbourhood nearly all ceased. In 1862
there were three candidates—Lord Dunkelliii, Mr.
Martin Blake, and Mr. O'Flaherty. Two thousand
pounds were spent by Lord Dunkellin's supporter', and
1,2001. by those of Mr. Martin Blake, without, there was
reason to think, the knowledge or approval of the candidata
themselves. In 1857 a gentleman came forward, but the de-
mends that were made upon him were such that he said "the
Bank of Ireland itself could not stand Galway," and retired.
The amount impended at this election was also very consider-
able. He (Mr. Clive) had nothing farther to add, except on
the score of precedent ; but if in the case of Great Yarmouth
the freemen had been disfranchised because bribery had been
proved against fourteen of them before an election com-
mittee (for there was no oommimion), be thought he had
made out ample grounds for the bill which he now moved
ter leave to bring in. (Cheers.)
Sir T. BURKE thought it right to second the motion,
because at an earlier part of the evening en extraordinary,
petition bad been presented by the hon. member for Sheffield,
mwhich an attack was made upon a noble lord in another
place, for which he (the hon. baronet) could assure the how
there was no ground whatever. Ilia (the hon. baronet's)
noble friend ((Lord Dunkellin) wan then In Calcutta, and his
father (the Marquis of Cleariar6e) wrote to him (Sir T.
Burke) making hint to canvass the town, and see if there was
any chance for hiseion ? He did so • end he did not receive
the promise o; two respectable tradesmen for Lord Dun-
kellin. He wrote and told Lord Claericarde how the case
stood, end he bad had no further intercourse with the noble
maratie, who wrote back to his steward, sad said: " What-
ever money Sir Thomas Burke spends la Galway, you will
me repaid to him." (Hoare of Laughter.) He (Sir Thomas
Bake) was neither ashamed nor 'bald of anything he had
done. It wee, in face, ens of the most extraordinary cease
ever brought forward of purity of election. (Renewed
, laughter.) It Wag %kg vat a mow; hispend thg hod

caused the opposition. (Laughter.) What was done he
would briefly narrate. He had canvassed for Lord Dun-
kellin. Mr. O'Flaherty was also there, and so were Mr.
Blake, a lawyer, and Colonel French. Colonel French was
the first person to retire ; and on the Friday before the nomi-
nation Mr. Blake followed. The field was thus left open,
and there was not a single shilling forthcoming to spend. That
caused a great stir in the town of ClalwttY. (Laughterj
They were determined to get a candidate. 'They telegraph
to London, and Colonel French strived on the Sunday even-
ing, to hie (Sir T. Burke's) utter astonishment. (Great
laughter.) They bad no conception that Colonel French
would come to the poet. (Renewed laughter.) A list of the
freemen was brought to us annulmmuly, showing 321 for
Colonel French, 310 fur Lord Dunkellin, and 184 for Mr.
I;)•Flaherty. The freemen asked him (Sir Thomas) what he
'would give. " Nothing," was his reply. (Laughter.) He
'did not deny that he had pledged lumself
_tiot
to interfere with the other candidates. EM whole
and sole anxiety was for his noble relative, end he
,did not care for the others. (Loud laughter.) He
was determined that the noble lord should be at the- head
of the poll. What was he to do? (Laughter.) He sent
over to Mr. O'Flalterty's committee and said—. If you poll
me a hundred votes before ten there ia 2501. for you." (Loud
laughter.) Hon. gentlemen would remember what a hard
case it was. (Lau hter.) Bat was there any petition
against Lord ? The commianion, it was tins, was
belied, and he (Sir T. Burke) was summoned to Galway to
give evidence before three learned gentlemen, and a mere =-
hour he never spent in his life. (Roars of laughter.)
realtred fur the sake of the poor freemen themselves, who,
he did not think got 2s. in the pound of the monev—(re-
sewed merriment)—he hoped even for their sakes that the
house would allow the bill to be brought in.
Lord LOVAINE, as one of the Galway election committee,
and as the member who had moved for the commission, cor-
dially supported the motion.
Colonel FRENCH objected to the measure, on the ground
that the 16 and 16 Vic, held out a promise of immunity to
those witnesses who made a full disclosure before election
oommitteep. Most of the freemen who had been bribed had
been examined, and if therefore, they passed the bill, they
would break faith with them. The whole subject of the
franchise would be dealt with no:tees/don, and there wee thus
no necessity for hasty legislation.
Mr. MAGUIRE said he had no personal political interest
in this bill, but he thought theyonght to punish the corruptor
as well as the corrupted. He believed that the rich man
who gave the bribe was as guilty before God and mai as
the wretched individual who received it. (Hear, hoer.) The
bill was unfair and unjust. It was a one.sided bill. It was
not difficult to account for the anxiety to get rid of the free-
men. An hon. gentleman was known te ave bad his eye
on tho borough for some time, and if this bill passed the
Whig party might have another vote to support some in-coming
minister. If the house agreed with him that the party who
gave the bribe was equally guilty se the receiver' he would
ask the virtuous chairman of this inexorable committee
what he had to say to the conduct of Dr. Brown, the Pro-
tester at the Queen's College, who for the basest motives bad
made himself the conduit pipe of corruption—(lattighter)—
and did the dirty work of his party, although from his posi-
tion he was bound to give the example of neutrality ? No
money was paid without his stamp. The agent gave the
ticket; the voter then went to a certain place, and put his
hand through a hole in the wall ; but whether the money was
2e. or 61. it was not paid unless the ticket bore the stamp of
Dr. Brown. Motives of delicacy would prevent him from re-
ferring to the seconder of the motion. The hon. baronet might
have left the Lai to some other person. He represented him-
self as the friend of the freemen . if he was, they might well
say, save us from our friends. The freemen and the in-
habitants by their petition asked for equal justice. It
appeared from the report that two magistrates, Mr. Hirst and
Mr. O'Flabetty, and also Mr. Carter and Dr. Brown, had
been guilty of bribery. Were these men to get off soot-free,
and the poor ignorant voters alone to suffer ? There were
600 freemen in the city: of these 128 were new men, who
had no share in the transaction. In point of fact only 180
were guilty ; the rest were perfectly innocent. The freemen
in Ireland were looked on with a distaste (which he shared)
by a certain party, because their poverty laid them open to
oorruption ; but they were now promised a Reform Bill
let them wait for that. They need not be in such a desperate
hurry to show their virtue. Even if they were,
let it not be one-sided virtue, tolerant to broad-
cloth but Inexorable to rags. When the bill came on
for a second reading he would be prepared with such facts as
would bring shame on the =mouton of the bill, unless they
were
weii as the bribed. prepared to insert the names of the bribers in the NB air

After some discussion, In which Mr. V. Seymour, Mr. B.
Hope, Mr. Arm, and Mr. Fitzgerald participated,
The HOME SECRETARY observed that the character
of the hone. was deeply concerned in the question. He
thought it quite right to bring in the bill, remembering in
their future dealings with it that they must deal out equal
justice, and not 'Was the low while leaving high offenders
=method.

The motion was agreed to, and leave given to bring in the
bill.
THE BRITISH BANK.
Mr. BRADY, in moving for a return of the expenses
attendant on the proseemion of the Royal British Bank
directors, expressed dissatisfaction at the punishment
awarded to the directors for what Lord Campbell had cha-
raoteriaed as an infamous mime.

the accounts had not yet
been received ; when they were they should be produce&
After a conversation on the subject of the scale of allow-
ances to witnesses in which Mr. Crawford, Mr. Walpole,
Mr. Wilson, Mr. Henley, and other members took part, the
motion was withdrawn.

On the motion of Mr. WALPOLE, the select committee
upon
ed. the London Corporation Regulation Bill was nomi-
nat

Lord RAYNHAM obtained leave to bring in a bill to
amend the Act 17th and 18th Victoria, cep. 60, for the more
effectual prevention of cruelty to animals.
Tho Cambridge University Matriculation and Degrees Bill
was read a second time.

Other bills were advanced a stage, and the house ad-
journed at half-peat 12 o'clock.

BOY AL NATIONAL LIPE-BOAT INSTITUTION.
—o—
the annual general meeting of the
friends of this institution was held at the London Tavern,
Vice-Admiral the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, HA., pre-
sident of the society, in the chair. A those present
were Rear-Admiral the Right Hon. Earl Tal , •Me
Charles Rowley, Sir George Tyler ; Admiral Bowles, C.8.d.8.;
Captain the Hon. F. Maude, R.N. •; G. F. Young, Req.
Captain Ryder, R.N. ; Magas* Esq. • Captain Wash-
;
ington, R.N., F.R.S.; William James Garitett, Rse,.. M.P.
John Pepys, Esq.; R. W. Crawford, Eeq , M.P. ; Edmund
Pepya, Esq. ; A. Boetefeur, Esq.; G. Hibbert, Esq. ; Gate-
ral C. Dixon; Thomas Baring, Req., M.P. ; Thomas Chap-
man, Esq., F.R.S.; William Cotton, Esq., F.A.S. ; Cat
Lambert Perrott ; Admiral Bullock; Captain Ship erd,
H.C.S. • G. L,vall, Eeq., M.P. • James Peaks, Req. ; Cap-
tain &divan, R.N., C. 8.; Captain Robertson, R.N.
The noble CHAIRMAN expressed his great satisfaction at
the success which had attended, during the peat year, the
operations of the institution.
Venous romolutions pledging the meeting to renewed exer-
tions on behalf of the truly benevolent and national objects of
the institution, and thanking the Board of Trade, the Coast
Guard, end the Local Life-boat committees for their valuable
00-operation with the society, were afterwards moved and
seconded by Lord Talbot, Captain Shepherd, T. Chttpmen,
Eaq , Montagu Gore, Esq., Captain the Hon. F. Maude,
R.N., 'f. N. Hunt, Esq., T. Baring, Esq., M.P., and G.
Lys'', Esq., M.P.
The venal complimentary vote of thanks having been
given to the noble duke, and the same having been acknow-
ledged, the proceedings, which were of an unusually interest-
ing character, closed.

THE ACCIDENT TO Ma. BASS, M.P.—The Derby
Reporter of this day gives the following account of the un-
fortunate accident to Mr. Bass, M.P., in the hunting-field :
"On Tuesday lest, Mr. )(spoil Ingram's hounds met at
Kedleston. There was a kegs field, and amonpt the red
costa present was our member, Mr. Bar. The hounds
broke oover in the park, and Mr. Bars and others followed
them down a fleid at the back of Weston schools. Mr.
Bass was riding his horse at a low fence out of deep ground,
when the animal got the instant it should have
risen, and plunging forward fell with great violence, pitching
him eight or ten yards forward. The horse struggled out of
the bog snd galloped over Mr. Bass, striking him on the jaw,
but the principal mischief was the fall on his head, which. in
Mr. Basis own words, almost drove his neck into his
shoulders.' Mr. Bass lay senseless where he fell, blood
from the nostrils, and it was at first thought that ha
I:agilintead. The hounds were immediately whipped off, and
Mr. Meynell Ingram and the gentlemen of the hunt returned
to the spot where the accident occurred, and every resistance
was rendered by Mr. Borough, jun., surgeon, of Derby, and
others. A sofa was obtained and all was dons by Mr. Bo-
rough that could be done in the case. Lord Scarsdale seat
to the hall for his carriage, and immediately deepatebed
a messenger to Mr. Oiaboena, of Derby, to meet Mr. MOO at
the King's Head Hotel, and a telegraphic message was east
to Mr. lime's family tarpon, Mr. Tomlinson, of Burton-on-
Treat. About twenty or twenty-five minutes:lifter the otout.
fence, consclotumees was restored to Mr. Bees, who, bowie
remained very unwell, though every one present was Pod to
find that he waa not so seriously Wend as was at to
imagined. Mr. Holden, Aston, acoompenied Mr. Bess in
Lrd Scarsdale's carriage to the King's Heed, Derby, r.
thatßoro he wmh folloiowbtigricoonveredboresbacin
thek. atm...We ere
"baSjib.t"°l6i74
proceed to his residence at Briley Lodge. He SIN"
very bad night, but it affords us much Osmium to ansonnos
that yesterday be was so much better as to be able to leave
' the house. Thin tarement will be s
"atisfactory to a larp
of anxious and Inquiring fril66.
The public will learn with'regret that Mr. John
Tvirsother,ezrf eokmdony kevez
hula
cased
wedltorialto
oldcasiotepertmenedtwoLtbeit.