The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-13 00:00:00

VEXATIOUS PROCEEDINGS UNDER

THE REFORM ACT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.

Sin,—Many representations have been made to you of
the imperfect state of the Reform Bill, which admits any
elector, or any person claiming to be an elector, to object
to every elector in the borough or county, and put him to
the trouble and expense of attending annually at the Bar-
rister's Court to protect his vote.
I have been a householder for thirty years in this parish,
in a house rated at 27.51. a year to the king's and parish
taxes, and yet I may be struck off the register if I should
be out of London, and unable to attend at the time of the
Registration Court. Surely it is incumbent on Parliament
to prevent such possible abuse, as that may be carried to an
extent to affect every election for the borough or county.
I enclose the notice which I have received of the objec-
tion to my vote for the borough, that you may give it pub-
licity, if not already done, to the vexatious interference
which is now allowed to take place with the suffrage, which
ought to be better protected.

I am, your obedient servant,
Bryanston-square, Sept. H. JOSEPH HUME.

" 57, Harley street, Cavendish-square,
" August 28, 1837.
" SIR,--I deem it to be my duty to apprise you that in
consequence of the refusal of the Marylebone Vestry, or its
officers at the Court-house, to produce the parish-books,
from which to ascertain the names of parties qualified to
vote for Representatives of this borough in Parliament, as
explained in the accompanying extract from the Times
newspaper, I have been under the disagreeable necessity of
objecting to your name on the overseers' list, in common
with a variety of others. At the same time, I beg to ap-
prise you, that should access to the books be obtained, and
the requisite information procured as to your qualification,
between this period and the holding of the Revising Barris-
ter's Court in October next, the objection will be with-
drawn. For this, and any other trouble which may be oc-
casioned to you, the fault will rest with those who ha►e the
controul of the parochial affairs, and not with, Sir, your
obedient Servant, WM. P. BODDY.

" P.S. Should you deem any communication on the
subject necessary, you will be pleased to address to me
above."

" THE MARYLEBONE VESTRY AGAIN.

"The Radical-ridden parish of Marylebone seems doomed
under its present rulers to perpetual disgrace.
" It may be remembered that last year, when the Con-
servative party were desirous of checking the overseers' (or,
rather, the vestry) list of voters, the rate-books were, by
some unaccountable accident, sent to the bookbinder's to be
bound up, instead of being, as they ought to have been, at

the Court-house at the very period when they were most
wanted. This became a subject of remonstrance. It caused
considerable annoyance to many of the electors, and greatly
inconvenienced the proceedings in the Revising Barrister's
Court. It was believed that this year a recurrence of such
disgraceful proceedings would not take place, but, strange
to say, the Radicals have been at their dirty work again.'
These men, it will be understood, actually wake out the
list of voters, although, for form's sake, it is signed by the
overseers. Not content with leaving out a large number
of respectable qualified voters, such, for instance, as these
in Portland-place (which compelled the Conservatives to
issue a public advertisement, calling upon all parties to
examine the lists, and see that their names were on), they
have again withheld the rate-books from examination as
to the disqualified parties whose names they themselves
have inserted. It having been understood that the Conser-
vative party would be permitted this year to examine the
books, they proceeded to do so, and bad examined them in
part. Upon their quitting the Court-house on Wednes-
day last, at the close of the hours of business, leaving a
great portion yet to be completed, it was understood that
they were to proceed with the examination on the follow-
ing morning.
"In the evening of the Wednesday it appears that a
clique, calling itself the 4 Committee of Management,' held
a meeting, at the fag end of which they passed a resolu-
tion, ordering the rate-books to be sent forthwith to the
bookbinder's.' Upon the parties applying the following
morning for the books for examination, as arranged, they
Were told they could not be furnished with them, as they
were at the bookbinder's. This was immediately com-
municated to Mr. Scadding, Secretary of the Loyal and
Cer...stitutional Association, who went directly to the
Court-house, where he received the same answer. He and
another rate-payer then formally demanded an inspection
of the books, and were referred to the bookbinder. Upon
going there, the bookbinder stated that he had received
directions not to show them to any one ; and upon
being asked who gave him such directions, he said he
was desired not to tell. He, however, offered to show
the books, or return them, upon receiving an order

from the Court-house. Upon this the parties returned
to the Court-house, where any order for inspection was
again refused. Mr. Scadding then made application to
one of the overseers, pointing out to him many inac-
curacies in the list, and informing him of the conse-
quences of its being inaccurately returned to the Re-
vising Barrister without the mean* of redress which the
Reform Act affords being given, and stated what had oc-
curred at the Court-house, and that the following day (Fri-
day, the 25th) was the last day for serving notices of objec-
tion. The overseer, naturally indignant at this conduct,
accompanied the parties with a •estryman to the Court-
house, where the books were refused, or access to them even

to the overseer or the vestryman. Mr. Scadding then gave
notice that he and other rate-payers would attend at the
Court-house on the following tnorning (Friday), to demand
an inspection of the books, and required their production,
and afterwards sent the following notice in writing to the
vestry clerk, the clerk of the Court-house, and the over-

seers :

" Take notice that I shall, as a rate-payer of the parish
of St. Marylebone, in the county of Middlesex, attend at
the Court-house of St. Marylebone, at ten o'clock in the
forenoon of to-morrow, Friday, the 25th day of August
instant, and repeat my application for an inspection of the
poor-rate books of the said parish for the year 1836, which
has this day been refused, and at such time and place I
hereby further give you notice, and require you to produce
the said books ; and if the same shall not be then produced,
and such inspection shall then be again refused or evaded,
legal proceedings will be adopted against you, and such
other party or parties as have been, or shall or may be,
aiding or abetting therein.—Your's, &c.,
" E. W. SCADDING.
" To Mr. James Hugo Greenwell, Mr. Henry Watts,
Mr. John Foster, and Mr. John Hallett.
" Dated the 24th day of August, 1837:
" On Friday morning, the 25th, the parties attended
at the Court-house, in pursuance of this notice, with seve-
ral other rate-payers, where they were met by the over-
seers, but a sturdy sullenness was still observed, and the
books again refused to the rate-payers and the overseers.
The consequence of this necessarily is, that all the
parties residing in the districts where the books have been
refused must be served with notices of objection, greatly
to their annoyance—greatly to the inconvenience of the
overseers, at an additional expense to the parish of publish-
ing a long, and in many instances useless, list of objections;
and all this to gratify the spleen, or something worse, of a
few mean-spirited and factious individuals.
" It is trusted that this abuse will not go unpunished,
but that the delinquents, their eiders and abettors, as ex-
pressed in the notice, will meet their due reward."—Vide
Times, Saturday, August 26, 1837.

The Scientific Congress of France opened their
Session for 1837 on the sth inst., in the grand saloon of the
Hotol do Ville Lit MO,Z.