The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-27 00:00:00

[From the l'ilote.]

PAWS. JUNI: 23.
l'lte Emperor of Brazil on thr :10th April named the Mar.
Qum of Abrantra a Peer of the kingdom of Tortuga; theism*
rot:loam Is announced to 23 °Our Marquives, 40 Count% 13
Thahops, and to 7 others, viz. the Duke de Cadoval, President,
u.e Duke de Alaises, the Cardinal Petriareh,ffice•President, the
ArehbiaLop Primate of Adrianople, Elves, and Evora.

We observe in the Times of yesterday, what that jour-
nal denominates a full and accurate report of the Election
for the county of Durham, of which it hail before given an
unfair and curtailed account. We are not disposed to dis-
pute the well-earned reputation of the Times; but we
must do ourselves the justice to remind the journalist that
the report of Mr. LAMBTON's speech (the part to which
the Times referred) was given in our paper of Monday
Inc 19th inst. word for word as in the Time, of yesterday,
except the expression " much cheering," which we used in-
oesd of "immense cheering" in the commencement.

if we may judge from the language which some of the
sustteccssful Candidates at the Elections hare used, either
in the course of the proceeding,:, or since the termination
4Or the contests, there will be a greater number of disputed
returns on the present occasion, than at any Election which
loss taken place for a considerable period. Though we can-
not attach much weight to the complaints of the losing
pirties, tl.ere are some cues in which they seem likely to
vo tkr out a pretty strong case ; and it may he found rather
o.t:icult, perhaps, for some of the winners to make good
!:r c!aitns to the representation of the pl.iceo for which

they bare been returned. If half of what has been stated
about the Coventry Election can be made out by Messrs.
Moore and Eeetc c, there is no doubt that the House of
Commons will set aside the election of their opponents.
If fort: has actually been used—if the Sheriff has placed
himself, as has been said, at the head of a mob--if the
Returni:tg Officers have displayed so marked a partiality as
has been alleged ; not only would the election be void, but
we should think the Corporation and great part of the
Electors had been guilty of conduct, not less destruc-
tive of freedom of election than that which gave occa-
sion to the disfranchisement of Grampound, and we should
scarce hesitate in condemning, the guilty part of them
at least, to a similar fate. It is to be hoped, how-
ever, for the honour of the country in general, and for
that of Coventry in particular, that these charges will,
in the end, resolve themselves into the usual manoeuvres
of such contests, and that the excesses which have taken
place will be found to have been nothing but the ordinary
consequences of popular license; countenanced, perhaps,
(naturally enough) by the adherents of the respective Can-
didates, when displayed in favour of their own side of the
question. But while we indulge this hope—while we ex-
press our wishes and our expectations that the Corporation
will clear itself of so foul a stain—while we deprecate any
prejudgment of the question, and refuse decidedly to
publish any exparte statement on this subject, we con-
sider it due to the honour of the country, and absolutely
imperative on the Corporation themselves, if they have any
regard for their own character, or for that of their present
Representatives, to come fosward Men early date, to answer
the allegations of their opponents, and to remove, if possible,
the unfavourable impression which tke Public has received
concerning the successful Candidates. 'We may judge, by
the conduct of COOBETT at Preston, what hopes there would
be of preserving any degree of freedom of election under a
system of which such a man as that should be the artizare
This man, who has declaimed so much for freedom of elec-
tion, has placed himself there at the head of a mob, and
has at least countenanced proceedings which are infinitely
more inconsistent with freedom of election, than any of
those abuses against which he has been so long in the habit
of declaiming. inconveniencies there certainly are in our
plan of Elections—inconveniencies which are susceptible of
remedy, and which will no doubt in due time be remedied;
but the system which the Radical party have proposed
would be attended with inconveniencies of a still more
alarming nature ; and a better proof of tl:e fact could not
be given than by a reference to the Elections at Coventry
and Preston. While these have been the results of Elec- '
tions in which the populace have been left to themselves,
there are sotne in which it has been found necessary for the
civil authorities to call in the assistance of the military, for
the purpose of preventing the mob from employing phy-
sical force to overcome the opposition of the more respect-
able and peaceable part of the electors, who, though not
less numerous than those opposed to them, are less disposed
to have recourse to such measures, to maintain that in.
finence which their superior education and independence
ought to secure to them on such occasions. Some of the
Opposition Journals, however, have taken occasion from
this also to accuse Government of improper conduct. In
the farmer case, where no interference in the Elections had
taken place, these writers accuse Government of supine-
ness; in the latter, where they have actually interfered, in
cases where it was absolutely necessary, they exclaim
against their measure, also, as unconstitutional. A Morning
Paper has quoted a discourse of Lord M ssrt ens's, in
which he argued that the armed force should in no case be
allowed to interfere in Elections ; that all elections were
void in which such interference took place; and that the
law never supposed it possible that the civil force could he
overpowered, and therefore could never authorize the in-
troduction of the military. Lord MANSFIELD himself
evidently saw the weakness of his own argument; for,
whether the law supposes such a case or not, every one
knows that such a case may occur, and does often occur, at
many other periods besides that of a General Election. If
the Ic w does not provide for such a case, the law is im-
perfect; but the law does provide for well a case, as Lord
Nlewsei sell and the writer of the article in question must
have been well aware ; and the only question at present
must be, whether or not the circumstances of the different
cases justified the interference of the military. At Carlisle,
little doubt can be entertained on the subject; and at
Weymouth and other places, we have no doubt but suf-
ficient reasons will be given for the steps which have been
taken. To say that the tni:itary never can be called in, is
to affirm that a General Election is a legal state of anarchy.
The Journal alluded to affirms that the military arc not
under the command of the civil authorities. Now, even
admitting this to be the case, would it be the duty of a
statesman to allow all the consequences of the non-inter-
ference of the military to continue, without attempt-
ing a remedy ? Perhaps the armed gendarmerie of
France might be a more constitutional dessniption of
force ; perhaps the Magistrates ought to be made the com-
manders of such a force; perhaps it would be proper, in
short, to unite the powers of the officers of this military
force with those of the civil Magistrate. Some armed force
must be ready on such occasions, and an armed force,
whatever name it may assume, is essentially military. Is
our contemporary prepared to make any proposal of this
sort ? Reasoners on politics, when they attempt to blame
a measure, ought to point out the proper course to be
adopted instead of it ; they ought not to affirm that things
arc badly done, if they are not prepared to show how they
could have been done otherwise.—While we are on this
subject, we may just allude to the remarks and plea-
santries which some of the French periodieals have ha-
zarded on the proceedings at our General Election.
The idea of Electors living, travelling, &c. at the ex-
pense of Candidates—the tumults, the vulgar pleasantries,
the coarse squibs, the browbeating of such men as llewe—
the personalities which pass among the Candidates—the
forced humility and condesccnsionof the higher ranks to their
lowest inferiors—afford an inexhaustible subject for the dis-
play of their wit, and will not soon be forgotten on the
Elst side of the Channel. With all this, however, we are I
tint disposed to exchange our system for theirs; and though it
has its defects and its weak sides, we are satisfied that it is a'
system which may, perhaps, be improved in some slight
particulars, but which leaves us nothing to envy in other
countries, and which it would be well, perhaps, for France,
if its population had made sufficient advances hi constitu:
clonal knowledge to enable it to imitate us.

CITY, 51oynty EvrxiNG.

So trifling were the transactions in the English Funds to-day,
that it proved almost a holiday. The only quotations were 79ii,
and confined to a few bargains. The Four per Cents of-1828, 94.
In Scrip and other Stock no transactions. Exchequer Bills and
India Bonds Bs. to I Is. premium. There was more activity hi the
Foreign Market, occasioned by some heavy sales of Mexican Bonds
which caused an iirmethate decline of 3 per cent. in those securi-
ties; they subsequently rallied, and left uf' in an improved con.
dition C•dombinn and other South American Securities were
not affected by the rumours afloat against the Mexican. The only
transactions in 31ir.e Shares hate been in the Brazilian, at 2 and I
discount.

THE BRITISH PRESS.

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RTI ES.
Lady Warburton gave a grand entertainment yesterday, at her house In
Albemarle-street, to their Royal Hiphoesses the Doke and Duchess of
Gloucester, the Marchione 94 of Cholmondeley and Lady Charlotte Sey-
moor, Lord and Lady Grey, Mrs. P. Bold, Mr. Dickson, ?sc. In the
evening her Ladyship had o grand assembly.
The Marquis of Lansdown entertained a distinguished party at dinner
yesterday, at Lao-'clown House, Berkeley-square.
Countess Cowper has Issued cards of Invitation for a root on Thursday
nest, at her house in Little Maddox street, Hanover-square.
General Otway had a dinner party yesterday, at his house In Devon-
shire place.
Dowager Lady Bromley entertained a select party of fashionable. yes-
terday, at her house in Berkeley-square.
Mrs. Nisbet entertained a large party at dinner yesterday, at her house
in Portman-square.
MOVEMENTS.
The Duke of Bedford arrived in town yesterday, from the seat of the
Earl of Essex, Ca.hiobury Pork.
The Earl and Countess Spencer left the seat of the Earl of Essex, Ca-
shlointry Park, yesterday, for their seat in the Isle of Wight.
Sir Thomas Ormsby, Bart. arrived in town yesterday, from his seat, near
Colchester.
Lady Charlotte Onslow left town yesterday, for Guildford, Surrey.
William Hale, K-q. and the Hon. Mrs. Hale and family left town yes-
terday, fur their seat, King's Warden, Ilerts.
Lady Halford has left town, for her seat, Westow Hall, Leicestershire.
William Markham, Esq. arrived yn-Aerday at his house in Prince's-
street, Hanover-square, from Yorkshire.
Risht Honourable Thomas Grenville arrived in town yesterday, '
from Drupmore.
B. D. Cooke, Esq. arrived In town yesterday, frem Doncaster.
The Earl and Countess of Falmouth arrived yesterday at their house In
St. Joules's-square, from their scat, Tregothnm. Cornwall.
Arrivals at Fe.don's New Hotel, St. James's- :—Captain Beres-
ford, from a tour; T. R. Kemp, Esq. from his seat, Deal Park, Sussex.
Departure. tram the Pslteney Hotel, Albemarle-street:—The Earl of
Fife, for his seat in Scotland; Captain and Mrs. Dillon, for Paris; Wm.
Hunter, Esq. for Cheltenham.
Slr Philip and Lady Gray Egerton and family left the St. George's
Hotel, Albemarle-street, yesterday, on a tour.
Lord Charles Fiteruy has left Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley-square, for his
seat In Suffolk.