The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-22 00:00:00

RYE ELECTION.

Sir J. PAKINGTON reported to the house the re-
solution unanimously adopted by the committee on this
election. It stated, that it appeared from the evidence
taken before the committee that, from 1832 to 1852 in-
clusive, Mr. Jeremiah Smith, of Springfield-house, near
Rye, had exercised great influence at all the elections
for the borough ; that his influence was created and ob-
tained by a system of lending money to voters, varying
from 7001. to 21. or 31., according to the different
situation and necessities of each, and that this system
had prevailed to a very great extent ; that by docu-
ments presented to the committee it appeared that from
1832 to 1837 Mr. Smith had corruptly lent money to
different:parties to the amount of 8,2001., and he had
himself stated that in 1837 loans of this nature
were outstanding to the extent of 15,0001., and
he added that these advances were made by the
instructions of Major Curteis, then the member for the
borough. The resolution then went on to say that there
were strong grounds for believing that that system of
loans for political objects had been continued by Mr.
Smith, though on a less extensive scale up to the last
election in 1852, and that demands for payment orinterest
were generally made by him previous to an election. [lt
had been admitted by the agent of Mr. Mackinnon that
Mr. Mackinnon paid 2,0301. into the bank previous to
the last election, and that nearly the whole was spent in
the election, and that 1,233/. of it had,been expended
in treating at twenty-four public-houses, of which
a list bad been furnished. The committee were of
opinion that no direct act of bribery had been found
against Mr., Pomfret, and it appeared that his
expenses during the contest only amounted to 1301.
The report concluded by stating that the committee did
not think it necessary to recommend any further in-
quiry, because the ;practices existing at the elections at
Rye had been sufficiently established before them ; but
they desired to call the especial attention of the house
to the system of corrupt loans. They thought it
most important that a remedy for this mode of
corruption should, if possible, be included in future
legislation as it was fatal to the freedom of elections,
and more enduring and less costly than ordinary
bribery. (Hear.)
ACCELERATION OF MAILS TO THE NORTH.
Mr. D. SEYMOUR asked the Secretary of the Trea-
sury, whether his attention had been called to the fact,
that, under recent postal alterations connected with the
transmission of mails to the north of England, no ac-
celeration has taken place in the delivery of the day
mails from the south at Sunderland, while the northern
mail from Sunderland must now be despatched four
hours earlier. _ _ _

Mr. WILSON said his attention had been called to
the fact, and arrangements were now being made for a
further acceleration of these particular mails.

LEGACY DUTIES.

Mr. STAPLETON asked the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer whether it was his intention to make persons
who succeed to property under the shifting clause of a
settlement, by which one property shifts from them on
their succeeding to another, pay the duty to be imposed
on succession on the whole value of the property to
which they succeed, or merely on so much thereof as
may be in excess of the value of the property which
shifts from them ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it
was necessary, in order to keep within the rules of the
house, to draw up his resolutions in a very general
form ; but what his intentions were would be stated
more explicitly and minutely in the bill which he should
introduce. It would be inconvenient, however, at pre-
sent to state what those intentions were.