Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-11 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 1859

this,—the Nicaraguan government required that the
United 'States should piomise to prevent 'Military
expeditions from leaving--- this country -against
Nicaragua: To this the President objected, and
maintained that the laws of the United States were
to be executed by themselves, and to be repealed or
changed without being the subject of stipulation
with a foreign government. This has now been
got over, it is understood, by an amendinent providing
that the United States shall .engage to use due
vigilance and .all lawful means to prevent the
organisation of hostile parties in the States, intended
for the invasion
,of Nicaragua. Nicaragua, on the
other hand, engages to use the necessary forcetd
keep the transit route open ; but if at any time she
should fail to do so, the United. States have a right
to land troops to protect persons and property. • The
information from NiCaragua leaves no doubt that
the. British are acting in good faith, and are making
arrangements for surrendring the Bay Islands and
the Mosquito Protectorate. Altogether, therefore,
the aspect of affairs in that quarter is much im-
proved. I -know .there are rumours of a very
opposite effect to. this. " General Lamar," we are
told, "is coining, home; Sir William Gore Ouseley
has failed in the pacific views which he is supposed
to have entertained ; the Cass-Yrisarri treaty,. which
is the only convention that can place the vast
interests of the whole republic of trade on a' safe
foOting in those regions, still hangs fire.. The
Transit route is closed. American interests are
violated, and Anierican claims are insultingly -,ig-
nored," But this is an exaggerated statement of the
It is," I -believe, in a much more hopeful con-
thouh no donbt there may still be serious
difficulties in the way.

di t ion

Another diplomatic matter is,
.on other grounds,
.
exciting a still More lively interest, especially in
New' York. The Com Mission, which has 'been
appointed by the Emperor of Japan to exchange
ratifications of the new treaty with the United
States is already -en route for this country. Lieu-
tenant A. W. Ilabersham, of .the navy of the United
States, has been detached . from the Powhatan
steamer, and Will act as the escort to the Japanese
mission. It was arranged that the CommiSston
should be conveyed in one of the United States war
Steamers to Panama, and thence by the usual route
to New York, where they , are expected early in
June. " The arrival of this unique diplomatic corps,"
says a
,New York paper, will Create an immense
eXcitement among our mercurial population. ,It will
be especially interesting from the fact, that although
the practice of interchanging compliments between
independent nations by means of. envoys: had its
origin .ambng the Oriental nations, where it was
done With the greatest solemnity, pomp anti:dignity,
vet there have been .but few. , such . communica-
Eastern sovereigns and their
European cousins, whom theyhold to. be impertinent

lions between the

POOR LAW INQUIRY.

TAMPERING WITH - VOTING PAPERS AT
TOXTETH PARK.
. , . . . .
1- Yesterday, Mr. Mainwaring, poor law' inspector, held a
i commission of inquiry at the Public-offices, Park-road. for
the purpose of investigating the matter with regard to
tampering with the voting papers. ..There were present—
Messrs. H. S. Alpass (chairman to . the guardians), M. A.
Johns, J. D. Carter, J. Harrison, Joseph Wilson, John
Wilson, John Mois, Henry Layland, and S. Siddely. •
Mr. Aspinall, attorney, appeared on behalf of Messrs.
John Wilson and Henry Layland.
Mr. Wm. Cleaver was the' first witness examined, and
stated : I am clerk to the guardians, and the first election
of guardians for the township took place in July, 1857, on
an order of the Poor-law Board dated the -13th May: In
that order, which was directed to the overseers; and which
by article one directed them to appoint some fit and prciper
Person- its returning officer' Mr. Thomas Avison was
appointed as such. The first meeting of the' guar-
dians_ took place' on the 20th July. ' I being ap-
pointed clerk attended . the< meeting. I then
informed the guardians that the voting papers were in the
closet., in the waiting-room of the public offices. Hebanded
the key of the cloSet to the chairman of the Board of Guar-
dians, gr. Horsfall. The papers were not produced at the
meeting. The chairman then handed the key to me. There
is ' nothing on the • minutes respecting the voting .papers.
There 'is some provision in these orders respecting voting
papers. Article 22, to the effect that all the nomination
• and voting papers should be delivered :by the returning
, . officer ;to the guardians, at their first meeting. There is
nothing; . said about the custody of them. ' After the
• first meeting, I went the same day into the waiting
room. I saw that they were in the closet referred
to. I locked the door and kept the key in my possession.
The room is in the occupation of the overseers, and there is
a housekeeper, Mary Hunter, to whom the keys are
entrusted. To my knowledge, the overseers were not parties
to the papers being there. I don't know that they were
aware of their being there. Mr. Joseph Wilson, one of
overseers at the time, was also a guardian. I saw no more
of those papers all that year after the election of guardian 4,
• which election 1 conducted under an order, dated the 16th
• June, 1857. At the first meeting of the , second year's
• guardians, in Ainil.:.lBsB; I produced the nomination
papers, and I. informed the , guardians that I had
lodged the voting . papers in the - closet, as I
had, . done .", the:, previous year. I locked . them. in
the room, as , before. I next saw them When
.I received; information, of the closet having been
opened. I then came up to the office, and found that the
door of the closet was open ; that was on the 21st of March,

. ,
in this year. I referred to a bundle of the first election
papers; I found; -on examination, that some of the bundles
had been recently opened. I took possession of the papers
then, and kave had them under seal since. I made _a
report of the natter to the board of guardians, of which the
poor-law board has a copy.
Mr. Aspinall :. Will you allow that report to be read ?
Mr..Mainwaring : The report has already been published
in the newspapers. _
Aspinall : 'Yes, I know ; but we don't always look in
the papers for these things

The-report:was. then read. • '
Mr. Aspinall asked if he could,. ask Mr.• Cleaver a fete
questions, as he appeared for Mr. John Wilson and Mr.
Henry Lavland.-• • •

Mr. MalifwariAg said ho understood that there was a
gentleman present whO has been summoned as a witness,
and who was anxious to get away, and he would liear'him
first.

Mr. Thomas Rogers was then called, but it was found
that his evidence must be taken at a later period, as• they
had not come to that portion of the inquiry to Which it had
reference.

Mr. Cleaver, in answer to Mr. Aspinall said, he was ap-
pointed clerk to the guardians on 20th July, 1857, or
thereabouts. His appointment was confirmed by the Poor-
law hoard, about two months after his appointment. The
reason of it being so long was in consequence of a corres-.
pondence between Mr. John Wilson and the Poor-law
board. The letter which Mr. Wilson wrote was in effect
objecting to the appointment. The voting, papers were
given into his custody before the confirmation of his
appointment. The key of the closet was given to
him ..at the first meeting of the board. The
room in which they were then assembled was 'part of the
public-offices, rented by the overseers of the poor. The
guardians paid no rent or other expenses in connection with
the building. The room containing the cloSet was nsed.as
' a waiting-room, and was also the property of the overseers.
He went to the room on the 21st March, and the key of
the. ORM nos in his pocket. The door of the waiting-
-o°m cm, LII.
overseers (Air. Johns), who accompanied me, went for a
locksMith; and got the lock picked. That was about
twelve o'clock in the day. I kept this key
till about two weeks since, and it was then
given to Mr. 'Barnett. I had no other key belonging to
these premises but it. The chairman gave me no instruc-
tions not to let anybody see these papers, and I do not
remember having done so. I certainly never let any one
examine them. When the key was handed to me it never
occurred to me to look at the papers to see what was given me
to take care of, but when I looked into the closet and locked
the door I saw sufficiently to know that they were voting
papers. Mr. Potts, the pay-clerk, in March last, first
informed. me of the voting papers having been examined,
and the closet opened. He did not say that the papers
had been taken away altogether. Mr. Potts is not here that
I am aware of, but he might be on the premises.
Mr. Aspinall : I suppose, Mr. CleaVer, you would have
had him here if he knew anything about this matter ?
Mr. Cleaver : Pardon me, sir, but I did not suggest
one witness ; I am sure the guardians will bear me out in
that statement.
Mr. Mainwaring : Mr. Aspinall. Nobody is charged with
anything, and I am here to investigate this matter, with
your assistance, and I have no doubt we will get on very
well.

Mr. Potts was then sent for.
Examination continued: Mr. Potts did not accompany
me, but Mr. Johns, Mr. Pickup, and Mr. Siddely were wit
me. I met them betwixt my office and this place, and they
stated they were 'coming to.my office on this business. Mr,
Pickup is now an overseer, and might have been in
embryo then. I did not forbid him to be present at the
examination.. He called upon Mrs. Hunter, the house-
keeper, on our arrival here, and enquired for the. Vey of
the waiting room, and she had not got it. The outer door
was locked when we arrived, but the overseers were up
stairs, We questioned Mr-Barnett as to where the keys
were, and he said he' believed Mr. Layland had one;
and Mr. Joseph Wilson the -other. I did not get either
of these
..keys. Mr. Barnett went to Mr. Wilson for
the key, and before he returned Mr. Johns had get a leek-
smith, and when he was told that Mr. WilSon refused to
give the key, he gave directions to have the lock picked,
and it was bile. I considered thyself the custodian of the
papers, and thought I had full power to make enquiry into
the matter. I. had not resolved on anything at the time,
but to take possession of the papers. I did not examine
the lock of the closet door, nor any one to my knowledge.
I don't know that it has been locked since.
Mr. Aspinall Why did ycu not examine the lock,
lily. Cleaver, was there any blood on the key that
made you nervous. ? (Lang-liter) No. the key was in
my pocket at the time. Ido not know that Mrs. Hunter
had a duplicate of that key. I saw by the dust on the
papers that they had been opened. When I put the papers
in there, in 1857, there was nothing in the closet but a box
of cl6thes, belonging to a former assistant overseer. I took
the papers to my office, at Elliot-street, when I found the
closet had been broken. The papers were produced at a
special committee of the guardians, on the 25th March,
and some of the bundles were examined. I have not
examined the. papers to see whether any of them were
missing, neither did the guardians. I can swear that some of
the bundles: had been opened. Ido not think that, because
I was personally aggreived, that that was the sole canse of
this investigation ; and I do not feel the responsibility of
this investigation as being mine. lam here as a witness
only. Mr. Holden is solicitor to this board of guardians,
or at Least he was to the last board. The uresentboard are
at liberty to select whe they please to conduct` their legal
business. He is not to be hero as a witness. Ido not
know that he could have given any evidence in his private
character. I cannot say that the voting papers of 1858
were disturbed.
Mary Hunter was then sworn. She said: lam a widow,
and live at the Public-offices, Toxteth-park, and employed
by the overseers to clean. I recollect, on the 19th of Marcia
last, hearing footsteps in the waiting room, and went up.
I met Mr. John Wilson and Mr. Leyland coming out at
the door. / said I thought the door of the waiting room
was locked, and Mr. Layland said, so it was when we went
up-stairs, and when we came down it was open. He• asked
me if 1 bad a key of the door leading out of the passage into
the waiting-room, and they asked me if I had more than
one, and I gave them the two keys belonging to, the d
They locked the door and took the keys a' ay. In the
evening of the same day I saw Mr. Joseph Wilson, a
guardian, and also an overseer, take OA key ott ilia