The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-06-07 00:00:00

SOLTHS'4I2K ELECTION.

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Yesterday at one o'clock, being the time appointed
'oy the High Bailiff of the Borough of Southwark,
for the nomination of the Candidates to represent
the Borough in Parliament, the Right Hon. George
rierney and Sir Thomas Turton, attended by their
respedive friends, repaired to the Towu-hall otl St.
Margaret's Hill.

A-more inconvenient place for a popular meeting
cannot possibly be conceived. It was ton small to
have contained a twentieth part of the persons who
pressed for admittance. Add to this, when the doors
were thrown open for the public, not only every
seat but every part of the hall appeared to have
been filled by the friends of the Candidates ; the
pressure was so great that several persons fainted,
:rad were with difficulty got into the open air. These
circumstances render it impossible for us to give so
detailed an account of what passed as we otherwise
intended to have done.
When the Candidates made their entrance (an
effort of some difficulty) a scene ensued which would
have disgraced a bear garden ; a set of fellows, evi-
dently brought in for the purpose, assailed Mr. Tier-
ney with the most abusive language, while a more
numerous party applauded that Gentleman. Every
attempt to obtain silence was for a considerable
time in vain, but at length it was effeeted.
The Deputy of the High Bailiff having read the
precept, and gone through the preparatory forms,
Mr. ALCOC e, the 'Treasurer of the County, corn-
menced a speech, in which he enlarged upon the
:merits and talents of Mr. Tierney, and inferred the
ntegrity, zeal, and assiduity he had displayed in the
discharge of his parliamentary duty. The present
was an awful moment; the country was threatened
to be attacked by a powerful nation, at the head of
which was an ambitious ruler. It was therefore his
Majesty had thought it necessary to avail himself
of the assistance of men of known ability, and to
call them to his Counsels. No man by his conduet
' in Parliament had shewn himself more calculated
to give thet advice to his King which it was the
.duty of every loyal, independent, and patriotic sub.
jece, to offer than their late representative. He there-
fore begged leave to propose, as a proper objeet of I
their choice, his friend Mr. Tierney, now the Right
Honourable George Tierney. (Great aildasue fro,:
at party and hisses from another.)
One of the crowd exclaimed ; the Gentleman
r, who has just addressed you is the Treasurer of the
County, and the Gentleman who is going to address
you is the Treasurer of the Navy.
Mr. TIERNEY observed, that if Sir Thomas Tur-
ton's friends would not allow him to speak, perhaps
his friends, in their turn, would prevent their having
the pleasure of hearing Sir Thomas Turton.
Sir THOMAS TUR TON requested that each Candi-
date might be indulged with a patient hearing.
Mr. TI F.RNEY began by saying, that he now
stood forward for a fenirth time as a Candidate to re•
present the Borough of Southwark. On the three
former occasions, he had had the support of the
Eleetors, an honour which he should contemplate
with pride to the latest period of his life—at present
he appeared before them in a new situation. It had
pleased his Majesty to confer an high and honour-
able office upon him ; he was aware, that, with ma-
ny who had stood on the popular interest, it had
been considered that, by their acceptance of a place
under Government, they had forfeited their preten-
sions to its continuance. With regard to himself,
when he considered the motives which had induced •
him to accept the office of Treasurer of the Navy,
he felt himself perfectly at ease as to their approval
by his late Constituents. He was afraid to meet no
man upon the question of the consistency and pro.
priety of his conduct ; for, he was well assured, ,
he had, in no instance, and particularly in the last,
done any thing that merited the forfeiture of the
esteem and confidence of his former friends. Anxi-
ous to make them the first depositories of his good
fortune, he had, before he ventured to offer himself
as a candidate, convened a meeting of those who had
been most alive in promoting his former eleetion ;
he had felt it his duty first to consult them, and he
was happy to find; that the principles upon which
he accepted his office had not injured them in their
esteem ; he trusted that his acceptance of the office
of Treasurer of the Navy would only be considered
as affording him more extensive means of serving his
country ; and that, so far from operating as a reason
for the Eleetors of the Borough of Southwark with-
drawing their support, it would rather he an induce-
ment for their continuing it. (This speech was fol-
lowed by applause on one side, and disapprobation
on the other.)
Captain DUNC A N then rose to propose Sir TAO.
IRAS Tu R TON. He enlarged on his merits and the
services he had rendered the Borough, in his official
situation as a Magistrate. He described him as a
man of independent principles; and hoped the 'no-
mination of such a char after would be supported
by the suffrages of the Eleclore.
'the nomination having been seconded,
Sir Tri'l”.l3 TURTON addressed the Eleetors
He obser eed, that the Borough of Southwark had ,
ever made it its pride and boast to be represented by "
men AV1:0 were perfectly independent of Govern-
ment. He took a general review of Mr; Tieeney's
conduit, and the principles upon which he had been
considered a fit person to represent the Borough;
and he adverted to a book, formerly written by a
friend of Mr. Tierney's, in explanation of his ein-
ciples and conduet. Having quoted many passages
from it, he begged leave to ask, whether Mr. Tier-
ney could possibly be considered the character he
described ? Could he possibly pretend to say it was
in his power now to vote on any question with the
Opposition ? Could he sit in any part of the House
of Commons, except upon the Treasury Bench ; or,
could he vote otherwise than with the Minister ? He
considered that Mr. Tierney had forfeited all claim
to the favour of the EleCtors of 'Southwark, and' he
Crested, that, as that Gentleman had become an
apostate from the principle, he had once professed,
he had forfeited the title by which he had been re-
commended.
• Mr. TIERNEY replied maintained, that his
acceptance of the office of Treasurer of the Navy
did ant render him, in the snsallese'degree, Open-
dent upon the Minister. He had, as a good subjeet,
thought it his duty, at this momentous crisis, to
give his support to Ministers, whose conduit heap-
proved of. If their condua should, at any future
period, be deemed by him either improper or 'mon-
stitittioreal, he was at liberty to throw up his office,
and oppose them ' • ha was not to be considered like
the Gentheman who had proposed his oPponent,
once a Captain, always a Captain; lie was obliged

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to remain Treasurer of the Nary, if he found his
Mesty's Ministers deviating from that line of con-
duet, which was consonant to the principles it had
always been his pride to profess ; if he should here-
after find them losing sight of those patriotic prin-
ciples by which they at present seemed to be aau-
ated, he should feel it his duty to withdraw his sup-
port from them as much as he now felt it his clu.ty.
to give them his support, in the noble strugle in
which they were embarked against the common
foe.
Sir TaoM4ITVRTON said, that Mr. 'limey had
formerly professed himself the Chanioion of Peace
and Parliamentary Reform, but lie had now come
forward as the Champion of War, for, as Treasurer
of the Navy, he must necessarily have an intere.t in
the continuance of the war ; and he doubted not
but he would soon come forward as the Champion
of Corruption.
Mr. TIERNEY raid, that it was easy for him to
reply to:this illiberal insinuation. With regaid to
the office of Treasurer of the Navy, an Ald of Par-
liament had passed by which the salary of that office
was fixed ; it was the same in peace a in wit.; and
as he had to pay his taxes out of his •Jary, he had
as much interest in peace, as the worthy Baronet, or
any other gentleman in the country. On the sub-
jed of Parliamentary Reform, he was :is sanguine
as ever he had been ; butt he desired it tc be dis-
tinaly understood, that he neither now was, nor
ever had been, a friend to the chimerical idea of
universal suffrage—that degree of Parliamentary
Reform, which the best friends of the country
thought necessary, it should ever be his wish to
promote. He therefore felt himself justified in say-
ing, that he should be as happy as ever to march
under the banners of peace and reform.
Upon the shew of hands, the majority was consi-
derably in favor of Mr. Tierney.
The elelors and non-eleaors dispersed, and the
Candidates proceeded to.their respeitive committee
rooms, to prepare, by previous canvas, for the elec-
tion, which commences this morning.

LAIV INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF KINGS BENCH, GUILDHALL, Jext 6.
Siaings before Lord ELL EN BOROUGH.
SHIT H V. SLEIGH.
This was an action upon the statute of bribery, to
recover of the Defendant the penalty of 500 pounds
for taking a bribe to give his vote at the Durham
election.

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The Plaintiff was Sir HENRY VANE TEMPEST'S
coach-maker, and the Defendant

ana tne 'Mena., a breeches-mazer,
strolling player and fiddler, residing at Chippen-
ham. The fans of the case were briefly thus :—Dur-
ing the election which took place at Durham, in
which Mr. Taylor and Mr. Wharton were candi-
dates, the Defendant was solicited, as being a free-
man of the above city, to give his vote in favor of
Mr. Wharton. In reply to the request he returned
a written answer, stating, that he was willing to give
his vote upon certain conditions, namely, to have
301. given him before he left his place of residence,
and 301. when he-arrived at Durham ; out of which
601. he agreed to defray the expences he should
necessarily incur during his journey there and back.
The terms were acceded to, and in addition to the
601. he was made a present of a fiddle, of the value
of 301. for which further consideration he engaged
to perform upon the instrument according to the
best of his musical abilities, and to take -his wife
with him to join her vocal powers, during the time
the denim lasted.
The whole of the arrangement was strictly at-
tended to; the Defendant, accompanied by his wife,
proceeded to Durham, where he gave his vote; and,
during the five days he remained in that city, he
was festively employ/1A with his fiddle, and his wife
in singing, to pronto, the mirth of the party who
voted for Mr. Wharton. On his return to Chippen-
ham, he incautiously explained the manner in which
he had been passing the time while away ; men-
tioned the money he had been paid ; and sheered a
copy of the letter that was wrote when he proposed
the terms already stated ; in consequence of which
this anion was brought.
The Defendant's Counsel would not admit that a
bribe had been taken, and contended that the money
which had been given was scarcely sufficient to de-
fray the travelling expences during a journey of not
less than 700 miles.
Lord EL LENBo n ouou said, that to ascertain whe-
ther bribery had been used, it was necessary to enter
into a calculation as to the expences which a person
must be at, during a journey from Chippenhani to
Durham and back. It was a distance of seven hun-
dred miles; and if the common charge of travelling
ia a post-chaise, viz. eighteen pence per mile, was
allowed, that sum would amount to 521. 10s. ,• there
then remained (of the 601.) 71. 10s. which he con-
ceived to be barely enough to account for other
charges which the Defendant must incur in the
course of the time he was employed to give his vote.
With respect to the musical instrument which had
been given, the service performed upon the same,
and the songs sung by the wile of the Defendant,
plight account for the fnll value of it. If, therefore,
the Jury were satisfied that the money given did not
appear to be more than was necessary to defray the
expence of going to vote, they had only to consider
whether the money had been taken for that pur-
pose ; if they thought it had not, they would find a
verdkl for the Plaintiff; if it appeared to them it
had, they must decide in favour of the Defendant.—
Verdict for the Defendant.
SKELTON V. COOD.
This was an anion to recover a compensation for
damages for an assault. -
The Plaintiff lived at Waltharnstow, where the
Defendant also dealt in horses. It appeared from
the statement of Mr. GA RRo w, that the parties were
in company together at a club kept at a public horse,
the Duke's Head, in the above town : the Defen-
dant, after having been sleeping on the table, sud-
denly rose up and commenced a dispute with the
landlord of the house, and threw a pot of beer in
his face. On the Plaintiff's getting up in order to pre-
vent t1:::m from fighting, Cood struck him a violent
blow over the head with a pewter not, which occa-
sioned him to fall down dreadfully wounded, in
which situation the Defendant had the inhumanity
to drag him out of the house into the middle of the
road, where he left him.
The evidence called, proved however that the
Plaintiff had taken hold of the Defendant's arm, and
that the whole was a public house quarrel, in con-.
4:tence which the assault could not be proved,
he Plaintiff was uonsuited.

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