The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-13 00:00:00

'ELECTION COMMITTEES.

(Continued from our First Edition of yesterday.)
LONGFORD ELECTION COMMITTEE.
The decision given this afternoon not to open the register,
disposes of 230 of the petitioner's objections.
Mr. Sergeant SPANKIE then proposed to strike of the vote
of Michael Reynolds, in class No. I, on the ground that he
was struck off the poll by the Committee in 1837, in respect
of the same qualitic4tion for which he was at present registered.
Mr. T/If.33TGER submitted that this was no objection what-
ever, and that as the name still remained on the register, the
vote must stand on the poll, according to tho decision already
come to by the Committee.
Mr. Sergeant SPANKIP, argued on the other side; and
Mr. Tn_ 3SICIER having replied, the room was cleared.
During the deliberation of the Committee, a messenger
announced that the Speaker was at prayers, and the Corn-
mittwe adjourned until eleven o'clock to-morrow morning,
without having given any decision.
The number of votes in the class now under consideration
is 82 ; and we understand, that should the vote of Michael
Reynolds be decided unfavourably to the petitioners, they will
have very little chance of breaking down the majority of the
sitting Members.

ROXBURGH COMMITTEE.
Examination of Mr. John Craigie, continued.—Witness
threatened to close the poll. When he was one time about
to adjourn the polling, the Magistrate claimed, that the right
to do so had vested in them in consequence of their agree-
ment with the Sheriff to keep the peace of the town. At
twenty minutes past three he received a communication from
seven magistrates of the county, which stated that they had
come to the resolution of not allowing any of the voters who
were at the Tower Inn, to leave it in consequence of the riot-
ing; he sent that paper to the Magistrates of the town, at the
same time requesting them to call upon the commander of the
troops to advance nearer the town ; he was promised an an-
swer in a few minutes ; he waited till five o'clock, and then
sent to say, that if he hal no answer be would in twenty mi-
nutes take such steps as he thought proper. Bailie Good-
fellow then came and asked him to go to the house of Mr.
Walter Wilson, in order to meet Lord Minto—he went, and
saw his Lordship and Admiral Elliot. Lord Minto
said he was sorry to hear that the military had been
brought to Denholna. The Magistrates were present,
and on hearing the opinion of his Lordship, and that
he (witness) was writing to the Marquis of Lothian
on the subject, they gave him a written answer to the effect
that nothing had occurred that day which warranted the calling,
in of the military, and that they expected they would be per-
fectly able to keep the peace of the town with the force at their
disposal. Witness said that notwithstanding all be had heard,
he considered the aid of the troops necessary, and that he
should write to the Marquis of Lothian for them. The Ma-
gistrate then said, " If the military approach the town, then
we consider that we have no farther responsibility ; it is against
our advice and wishes." Witness wrote to the Marquis of
Lothian, giving him an account of the occurrences of the day,
but before that letter could have reached his Lordship, witness
received a letter from him, inquiring into the state of things.
as he had received very contradictory accounts of the state
of the town. The servant who brought him that letter was
attacked, and witness made complaint of it to the Ma-
gistrates, and claimed protection for him. Bailie
Goodfellow, in answer, complained of the conduct of
the servant in first going to the Tower Inn on coming into
town, in place of waiting upon the Magistrates with his Lord-
ship's communication to them—he sent it from the Inn. The
Bailie took him to his own house, where the answer was
given him, and he bad no right to have gone back to the Inn.
The witness remained in the Tower Inn all night, there was
much confusion, and every pane of glass in the front was
broken, the moment a light was shown, there was an immedi-
ate shower of stones. That Inn was the one always used by
the Sheriff and the County Magistrates. Witness received a
letter next morning,: from the Marquis of Lothian, which stated
that he had ordered the troops to march nearer to the town.
When he went to the booth on the second day, he received a
notification from the electors confined in the Tower Inn and
other parts, stating that they had resolved that they could put
no faith in the protection promised them by the Magistrates,
and notifying that they would neither go to the poll, nor pre-
ened home, until they had a sufficient force provided for their
protection ; that document was signed' by 16 persons. Upon
this he saw Lord Minto, and, by the desire of his Lord-
ship, he offered to the gentlemen that his Lordship would
give them every protection in his power as a magistrate for
the county, and that he would go up with every individual of
them to the poll ; they declined the offer of his Lordship, and
adhered to their former notification. About the same time
seven of the electors, who bad voted the previous day, applied
for protection in order to return borne. At one o'clock the
Ma- - •- a letter, that he could not send the
;ness was not able to say that there
had not been compelled to adjourn
Id send them in as soon as the poll
cord every protection to the electors
'clock, at the request of the magis-
-2r of protection to the parties in the
Lord John Scott, they again refused
the third candidate, about the close
for a certificate that there had been
considerable argument, v.. itness gave
;at no obstruction had been placed
triting up to the booth that dap—.

that was the fact ; but there was a moral obstruction, as
the parties at the inn, in his opinion, were very justly
afraid of coming up in consequence of the proceedings of the
previous day. At four o'clock he closed the poll under a pro-
test from Mr. Scott's agent ; he then found the Marquis of
Lothian had arrived with the troops—he was in the act of
waiting for them, but at the request of the Magistrate he had
stopped for a time, and at the same time he received a note
from Lord Minto, strongly objecting to the introduction of the
troops, as, in his opinion, it would be the most likely step to
lead to disturbances, and might give rise to very serious ca-
lamities. The troops, however, had arrived. Witness re-
mained in the town all night, and everything was perfectly quiet.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant MEREWETIIEL—Does not
recollect Mr. Elliott saying that all he wanted was an honest
certificate of the fact ; witness's opinions with respect to the
state of the town were formed on the representations that were
made to him from the Tower Inn ; he had previously deter-
mined in his own mind, if the Magistrates did not do their duty,
to call out the military in his character of Sheriff Depute, and
to read the Riot Act ; Bailie Goodfellow seemed very much
agitated and surprised at what had occurred, and appeared to
him most anxious that the peace of the town should be pre-
served from interruption ; he asked witness repeatedly to
look out, from where he was sitting in the booth, to
see that none of the voters were obstructed, which he occa-
sionally did. Saw a good deal of confusion and pressing, but
did not observe any of the voters obstructed. Carriages
going into the inn yard would be likely to break the line of
constables stationed at the booth. After the stopping of the
mail in the street, to which he had before alluded, there was a
vacant space from Armstrong's house to the booth, lined on
each side by the crowd, through which voters could have ap-
proached the poll. If any passage had been cut in the railings,
it would have altered the arrangements that had previously been
made for the convenience of the voters. Could not tell how
many of the electors whose names were appended to the re-
presentation which had been made to him from the Tower Inn,
polled afterwards. There were several justices of the peace
amongst them, any one of whom could have taken the
depositions of witnesses. Both the parties appeared most
anxious that the peace should be preserved, and the poll
secured from interruption. Neither of them, as well as
Ihe could recollect, wore any party colour. When witness
adjourned the poll, he intended it not as an adjournment under
the Act of Parliament, but merely as a temporary ad-
journment. Mr. Putt, the agent of Mr. Scott, and Major
Potts, are distinct persons. The Major is an elector in the
interest of Mr. Scott. On the second day of polling, the
poll commenced at eight o'clock. There was no rioting that
day. Mr. M'Connachy succeeded in polling, without the
slightest obstruction being offered him. In the conversation
which witness had with Lord Minto, his Lordship said, that
he cou!d and would protect the voters, and that the civil force,
was sufficient for this purpose. After the military were with-
drawn, na violence was offered to any of the electors.
Recollects Admiral Elliot coming up subsequently to him, and
offering his services to preserve the peace. His interference
was not however required, and witness did not apply to him.
Has no reason to suppose otherwise than that Lord Minto and
his family were anxious to preserve the peace. Recollects
Bailie Goodfellow being in the polling booth early on Friday,
and telling Mr. Scott's friends to bring up the voters.
To Mr. SMITH—In the conversation which witness had with
Admiral Elliott, the latter said that the riots were exaggerated,
and that such things were common at elections in England.
To Mr. Sergeant MEREVETHER.—The feeling of the
mob did not appear to be directed against any particular
voters, but against Mr. Scott's supporters generally.
To Mr. SMITIL—The determination which he had formed
in his mind as to the course he should pursue if the magi-
strates did not do their duty, was suggested by the conversa-
tion which he had heard at Mr. Stevenson's..
An elector of the name of Davidson was next produced,
and deposed that the night previous to the first day of poll-
ing, a party of men came to his house, broke his windows, and
told him "if he voted that would be the last night he had to live."
Polled, however, next day, and was attacked by the mob on
leaving the booth ; his clothes were torn off him, and he re-
ceived some slight bruises.
It being now four o'clock, it was announced that the Speaker
was at prayers, and the Committee adjourned to eleven o'clock
to•morrow morning. (this day.)

IPSWICH COMMITTEE.
It was agreed between the agents for the different parties
that the Tories should abandon their objection to Mr. Dicker-
ton, and that the vote of Mr. Whitby (in favour of Mr.
Tuffnell) should be struck off.

The Tories succeeded in striking off thc vote of Mr. Webb.
Mr. K,lly being now again in a majority of one,
The Liberals objected to the vote of Mr. N. Cobbold, which
was disallowed by the Committee.
At four o'clock the Committee adjourned till eleven o'clock
to-morrow (this day.)

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