The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-05 00:00:00

HULL ELECTION.

Mr. LABOUCHERE then rose to move an address
to her Majesty, for a commission of inquiry into the
borough of Hull ; names of Commissioners to be proposed,
William Carpenter Rowe, Esq., Q.C., William Forsyth,
Esq., and W. Baliol Brett, Esq. The house would
remember flat the member returned for ' Hull
had been unseated on the ground of bribery and
treating, and since it came out in evidence that the cor-
ruption complained of had long prevailed in the borough,
the committee felt that there was no alternative but to
recommend the house to adopt a motion like this.
It was painful to him to have to make such a
motion as this in reference to so important a
place as Hull, one of the greatest shipping ports
of the country ; but neither the extent of its population
nor the position which it held in public estimate ought
to shield it from a proceeding of this nature, if the merits
of the case called for it. It appeared, then, that it had
been a practice for some years past to pay the free-
men of Hull for their votes at the rate of
30s. a-head. Several of the poor voters were also
bribed in smaller sums, and one of the witnesses exam-
ined before the committee stated that these latter were
far more troublesome to the candidate than the freemen,
because they did not know their price. (A. laugh.) In
addition to this, several voters were bribed with very
large sums, while it was clear that at most of the contested
elections a system of extensive treating always took place.
He therefore thought it was highly desirous that the
whole case should be inquired into by a commission on
the spot, and hence he had no hesitation in moving the
resolution of which he had given notice.
Mr. WALPOLE said he observed by the report of
the committee that the bribery appeared to have been
both extensive and systematic, and he could, therefore,
offer no opposition to the address, but he thought they
ought to postpone the nomination of the commission
until a future day.

Mr. LABOUCHERE did not think there was any
necessity for such delay.
After a few words from Mr. BANKES, the motion was
agreed to.
NORWICH ELECTION.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE had given notice of his
intention to call the attention of the house to the report
of the select committee appointed to inquire into the
withdrawal of the Norwich election petitions, and
to move that so much of the sessional order of
the 11th day of November last as requires that
all persons who will quesiion the return of any meta-
ber, do question the same within fourteen days
then next, be read ; and that the said order, so far

as the same relates to the last return of Members to
serve in Parliament for the city of Norwich, be sus-
pended ; it appearing to this house that the two peti-
tions of John Phillips, John Abel, Henry Hindes,
Peter Thomas Scott, and William Mackley, electors of
the said city, presented on the 22d day of November last,
complaining of an undue election and return of members
to serve in this present Parliament for the said city of
Norwich, were on the 14th day of February last, with-
out due authority, abandoned or withdrawn, whereupon
the order referring the same to the general committee of
elections was discharged, he begged leave to postpone
the motion until this day week, when the members of
the house would be more conversant with the evidence
bearing upon the subject.