The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-15 00:00:00

CAMBRIDGE ELECTION.

CANIBRIEIOI, JUNE 13.
Up to a late hoar last tight. and from the early port of this
moroong, carriages of all kinds have kept pinning iato the town,
bricgiog with them voters from all parts. It Is expectel that the
muster of members will be much stronger than at any former
period, even after allowing for the prog.e•sive increase which for
same years has been taking place fro their numbers. Many. it Is
said, will come fotwatd to vote this time Cur hove neu-

,
I. I teat for years; indeed, three or fottr veteran gownsmen Itsve already
b-en pointed out t tae nJt having been seen in the halls of Alma
lister fur three twenty years pa.t.
At nine o'dock this morning the galleries of the Senate House
we-s thrown open to the public. and were soon filled with respect.
ahly-drsteed persons, who had been attracted from all parts by the
interest of the proceedings. shortly after Ties. he Mane, LL.D.
the Vice-Chimed:or. repaired to the House, front his resiJence fn
Catherine Hall, preceded by two effieent bearing silver maces. On
entet,ng the Sentare he took his twat bets era! two of the University
Procto-s, at a table which was placed on a platform at the further
end of the Hall. The Members immediately began to flock into the
Hall, all of them in their full robes, and for some minutes kept
pacing up and down, conversing with each other or with the Can.
&dates, eh.) were to be seen tooting about amongst thme During
this time the l'ice.Charcellor was busily engaged in conversation
with the Proctors, but in so low a tone of voice that it was impos-
iide to nee tin in the gallery what shoat. After some minutes
spent iu this way, he sent for the Candidates, and c:;intnunicated
something to then, to which they appeared to assent, and the busi-
ness was then commenced by ►he reading of the precept for electing
two Members, and the Act against bribery. These forms being
gone through, and a poll-clerk appointed, a few of the member',
came round the table to give their sores. The first who thus ad.
voiced was Nu Blackball, a non-resident member of Einent:e!
C 4fige, to whom the Vice-Chancellor, after saying something in
a itisp,r, handed an open hook, and front what followed the era.
tore of the previous consultations may. perhaps, be conjectured.
Mr. Blackball, taking the book in his left hard, and at the same
time a Testa rent in his right hand, began reading, with a loud
voice end much emphasis, the oath against bribery. The effect
era at n ahl tg. In an Instant the Members, ►o the amount of
about three o► four hundred, alto before had been 'wavered over all
parts of the Hall, hurried wear& the table, and formed in a det se
mass around it.
Meanwhile Mr. Blackball proceeded with the oath, ard o
tenting to the concluding mt.* "So help me Hod !" raised the
Testament to his lips, kissed it, and flung it on the Labia with con-
siderable force. Then looking at the poll-clerk, he Paid with vehe-
mence, " the Attorney.tiensral and Mr. Banker," a•id walked
sway. Other members advanewl to give their vo•es, and it soon
became apparent that It was intended to administer the oath to
every member who might present himself. Various reasons have
been assigned for this coarse, but, from what I can learn, it
should appear that two of the members had intimat d their intni .
tention to the Vice-Chance:Mr of demandieg the a Iminietration of
this oath, a • they were of opinion that the practice of paying the
expenses of the voters was an offence against both its spirit and
le,ter. After the first sensation produced by this novel demand
had subsided, the election proceeded with astonishing rapidity and
spirit. The mode ad .nted was for the voter to write ton a slip of
paper, In Latin, his name, degree, and tellege, the place (if non.
resident) at which he was hying, and the name of the Candidates
for whom be intended voting. This paper was given to the Vice•
Chancellor, the oath administered, and the vote then recorded.
It was understood that no official announcement of the state of
the poll maild like place till night, but as agents from the dlr.
ferent ('andiJates took note of iis progress, we are enabled to give
the following statement. Thus, at half-put one o'clock, the
numbers were
Copley . 1115 Ilankes - 122
Palmas:ea Lid I tioulbure . 11 4

TH><EE O'CLOCI.
Attarney-General • 214 I 114,,kes
Palmerston 15: Ooulburn

- 145
- 132

---
At three o'cloek the Senate adjourned till five, when the polling
recommenced. and continued without anything particular occurring
up to nine,"when an extraordinary scene ensued, wli ich amid the burs
that throughout prevailed below we learnt originated as follows. A
gentleman advanced to give his vote, and on the Proctor tendering
the oath, appm'cd t r the Vice-Chancellor whether or not he was
bound to take it. The Vice-Chancellor was understood to reply in
the affirmative upon which he declared that he was insulted by the
tend:ring of the oath. An immense shouting of ". Hear, hear;
you are, you are!" immediately followed, both from the galle-
ries and from the body of the hall. Ilusinesa wan suspended ;
the Vici42hancellor quitted his chair, and walked into the body of
the hall ; upon wider some gentleman got upon the table, and de-
clarzel that he had never been insulted in his life till this day, when
they had required him to take the bribery oath. Another gen-
tlem to cad, the voters had been treated most smorlaloualy--worse
than if they had belonged to the most corrupt borough in the
kingdom. The very suspicion that the oath implieti was a most
gross instet. Several now began to speak at once—all, however,
against the raetice ; till at last a general cry of " Poll, poll," was
'nadir; and ri ence being obtained, the Vice-Chancellor resumed his
seat, and the polling re.cuminenced, but without any administra-
tion of the obnoxious bribery oath. From this time business wan
on with astonishing raridity, till ten o'clock, at which hour the
polog was adjni:ved till the next tuoruitsg. At this time the
numbers were as follow :

Copley . 328 1 Pankes 223
Palmerston 237 Gou'burn 203
CAMBRIDGE, WEDNESDAY MORNING, JuNE 14.
The administration of the bribery oath, and the uproar to which
it last night gave rise, have prodUced an astonishing sensation in
t iis town, especially as it is known to have been levelled against
Mae non-residents, who, it was supposed, would, as usual, stipu.
late for their expenses. No instance for years had before occurred
of this oath being tendered. and it is unt.enitood that even now it
was not at the desire or with the concurrence of any of the prime!.
pal resident members, but was solely brought about by two out.
voters, who immediately on the business being opened, went up to
the Vice-Chaucellor and insisted that the oath should be taken.
The names of these gentlemen I have lizard mentioned, but, as the
information might possibly be inaccurate, I do not feel myself war-
ranted in commumeaung them. ( The names are contielendy said
to be Painter and Bryan.) It is understood they left this place im-
mediately after the polling had been re-commenced. without
the accompaniment of the detested °eh. It is di !knit to
give any correct account of the cone of last night, from the
great noise that prevailed, and the number of persons who
were speaking together. The imperfect manner in which
the hall was lighted may have further tended to augment
the uproar, by inducing many to joiu therein, who, had they
not lowa non it would be scarcely pos ible amid the tumult and
the darkness to distinguish them, would probably have remained
silent. It appears the great body of members assembled in
the town had trom the first been indignant at the introduction of
the oath, which they considend to be a direct impeachment of their
character and honour as a learned Indy ; end there was no doubt
eat they wamed oily an opportunity to give vent to dub' feelingi
on the subect. Tata was at lam afforded them. A gentleman
refused taking the oath, on the ground that it implied a suspici.m
of his honour. A cry of " Scandalous, shameful, disgraceful, the
oath ought never to have been tendered," burst from all parts of
the hall, and was echoed hack by the galleries. The Chancellor
quitted his seat, and walked away. !Maness was suspended. One
gendenisn got upon the table am: suhlressed the Members, and, as far
as could be ascertained amidst the t. oroar, he was understood to any
that he never hail felt himself !suited till that day. The proposers:of
the oath ought to be ashamed of attentive& They had insulted
the University in the most gross menur. It was treating them
worse than rat they were members of the most corrupt borough in
the kingdom, for even in such a plies no one w 'tild tSiuic of
proposing the oath indiscriminately, but would confine it to the
persons against whom a fair suspicion existed. This address was
received with thunders of app'atise, on the subsiding of which,
other members expressed thews -Ives to the same effect At Itst a
general cry arose for the resumption of hollow ; to which die Vice.

Chancellor yielded ; sad havin 7-eatee—
g agum ken his scat at the table
numerous votes were tendered and recetaived, without any furthe;
mention of the bribery oath.
At eight o'clock this morning the polling recommenced, with the
flame fin myrtle. as before, with the exception that the bribery oath
was no longer required. The business, boweve., proceeded very lan-
guidly for the .it few hours, there being but few unpolleti vote's
in the town. About twelve o'clock, however, the bustle increased,
and it is probable when the London calcite* arrive the polling
will become as brisk as yesterday. The gaieties were adman
empty during the wester part of this morning.
The follow ing was the state of the p 41 at one o'cleck
Copley . . 433 I Ilan ken - 2211
Palmerston - 303 241
As the question of paying the expens..et has become highly im-
patient horn the proceedings of yesterday, and as it is possible it
may m
be made the subject of Parliaatemary4ppeal, the following
ri paculara ay be acceptable:—
The recommend 'than to the Caedhlates, signed by 102 of the re.
silent member*, and inserted in the Cambridge Chronicle about
• month back, was in the following wore,:
" A very general tepee:ain't of regret having manifested itself
emetic the members of the University at the practice of out-voters
receiving their expenses from the respective candidates for whom
they rota ; the undersigned 31embers of the Senate recommend
that this pract;ce should net be renewed at the ensuing Election."
This wax followeJ by a pamphlet, .ntitled " Remarks upon the
Payment of the Exit' name to the Out-voters, in a Letter to the
Vice-Chencellor, by the Bev. John Lamb. Master of Corpus
Clarinet Co:lege, and the Its. J. S. Ilenelow, Prefessor of Botany."
In this letter it k hinted that the Vice-Chancellor via favourable
to the cause day adVat teed, but that font " the delicacy of his
a tuation, as returning facer, and his determined impartiality, he
would not publicly sanction any meaenre that mieht be considered
as even indirectly influencing the preceedings of the next election."
The following iestances arc cited, to prove the necessity of a re-
form of the system :
" A manner of the Senate (not s poor man) modestly demanded,
and was paid the expe us, aof his journey, together with those in-
curesil by a week's eaterminment of his wife and family at an
hotel."
" A Gentleman front Lincolnshire, who came to Cambridge at
I the last election is his men carriage Pier: words are Italicised in
the pamphlet 1, leult den ended and received payment for the ex-
penses of posing lure and back again after the contest was over."
An tenni mous reply has just appeared to this letter, in which it is
argued that, but for the pa) ing of the expenses, many non-residents in
p eeeesion of livings or curacies would be unable to exercise their
privilege of voting, and that the consequence would be, the rest.
deer-curers would obtain an undue influence, and be able to regu-
late the ejections at their discretion. The charge of bribery is also
retorted ; it being, it is said, "perfectly notorious that two of the
resident members of the Senate expect preferment from some one
of the candidates, as a reward for their services."
In conclusion, the signers of the Recommendation are advised by
the writer, " if they really are anxious about the expenses which
are incurred by the C nlidates, to appropritee part of the expenses
for keeping names upon the boards (which vary from two to four
pounds a year), and which ge into their pockets, to liquidate
them."

EXTRACT OP A LETTER, DATED CAMBRIDGE, JUNE 14.
It is thought lioulbum's stock of vote', is nearly exhausted. At
the beginning of the business, two of the electors called upon the
l'ice-Chancellor to see the bribery oath adminktered to all the non-
resident voters. This they were entitled to call for, according to the
Act of Parliament; but it created a great deal of indignation, and
many who were required tlid so under strong protestations of the in-
sult offered for the first time to the University. Same of the non-
resident voters elan, on the other hand, said, if this was insisted on
from them, it ought to be exacted from the residents, and accord-
ingly it was for some time taken by both ; but in the evening, so
much was said about it, that the two who insisted were obliged to
abandon their point and retire, and the poll preceded till ten at
night in quiet.
I rather suspect these gentlemen (who are said to be two young
lawyers, though their names are not known as such, viz. Brand and
Payntcr) thought that it was bribery to have the expenses of tra-
velling paid, and had heard it rumoured that any of the Candidates
were willing to pay travelling expenses. I believe it has been de-
termined by the House that b.itea fide conveyance may be afforded at
the expense of the Candidate, and this was their mistake. Probs.
bly this business will be a god deal exaggerated in these times of
dearth of news, but this was about the true bearing.