The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-02 00:00:00

CITY OF LIMERICK ELECTION.

Sir T. BARING 1,t,•114:il up the Report or the
Srleel Committee un the Petition of T. Sluing
nice. E couivl-iiiong of the Election for the
City of Limerick. It t.t..tetl, that the Sitting
Member, the Ilou. J.4hu l'n•iitterttart Vereker, ap-
peared to have been (holy elected— but that the Pre
limn' of Mr. Rice was i,ot frivoloua or vexatious.

Mr. N. CALVERT thought it right, us s Member
of the Committee, to draw the attention of the
House to the circunistnoces under which the deci-
woo columned iii the Lt Tort hid liceu tome to.
The agent of the l'etihui:cr pi oilucrd the poll-
book before the Cut 1111 l girt —tlity called fur u poll
clerk, in older to reiily ccitatia sutra. He li.Ad uo

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orison to sllllpfille Iltnt 1;1.111 Pu'lijr,ti4V., 4,,..114.1 be
made; but in consequence of it, applied tor leave
to send over for the poll clerk, who was in
Dublin. The Committee world not grant
and so the l'etstoosses's csinse was lin.% The
determination was ou his opoostosto, awl
severe—in Cotoctliletiee of it, im
I: eland WAS to luck for iliktier Ihruerfoiwsre:.
with-
out bringing forward err ry ci,ik at
the deo moo, the expense of which wsnalsl Ise a!l.•sred
to be enormous., when. it was considered tll 4 poll

clerks. nut being persons in is very high Plate of
life. dispersed themselves iii different ways on the
condoms' of au electiuu. It the precedent were
to be followed. no one from Ireland would petition
in future; end it would become the interest of
every candidate to scenic the returning officer ur
his favour, as the election would ultimately depend
upon his discretion. lie 'should at present, how-
eve►, content himself with moving that the minutes
be laid before the I 1005....
Sir T. BARING said, the votes had not been
pro►ed by the best evidence the case would admit
of. Neither the poll dells nor Sheriff' had been
brought before the Committee. The only evidence
the person who had the pull book could give was,
that he had received it to ii sealed parcel from the
Town Clerk of Limerick, but of the content* of
which he knew nothing. lie would allow, however,
that the case was a very hard aisle oil the Irish Mem-
bers, said he should willingly go a great length in
allowing theut to authenticate votes in .11,1,111er :oafs-
tier. If the poll clerk of every barony was ob-
liged to attend. it might be necessary to bring over
rig:Reef) or twenty of them. lie should wit op-
pose the motion, but sin the contrary, give it every

pport.
Mr. S. Bouartz asked, whether the pnll book
had been produced by the person to whose custody
it had been intrusted?

Mr. WirsN was hostile to discussing in the
House a point decided on by a Committee, lint,
notwitlistatiding, he thought the correctness of their
decision questionable, and quoted two precedents
that seemed to impeach it.
ABERCRJMBY agreed with the last speaker,
that there was great ii.coliveilience in discussing the
question in that w y ; but every Gentleman much
versant in the practice of Courts of Justice, who
heard him, would allow that there never wan a
harder case—the der=sion was the more to be de-
precattl, because it would become a precedent, and
had indeed been urged in that light on a Coin-
inittee in which he sat. From all he had heard it
was kill utter perversion of the law, and entirely re-
pugiiiiit to reason and justice.
After some remarks from Mr. N. CALVERT,
which was not audible, the question was put and
agreed to.