The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-10 00:00:00

ON THE SUSPENDED BOROUGHS.

TO THE EDITOR OT THE SUN.
Sin,—The readiness with which your pages are opened
to anything bearing on the interests of political reform,
induces me to think you will see the opportunity of doing
service by publishing the following remarks on the
subject of the suspended boroughs. If I apply to the
case with which I happen to be best acquainted, it will
not be contrary to any rule of philosophy that I am
aware of. It is for the concerned to inquire how far
the brick is a specimen of the house.
The borough with which I am acquainted is Hull.
In the evil days of English history, it was a city set upon
a bill. It afterwards lost caste, and for many years was
deep in the degradation of the times. At the Reform
Bill its character was retrieved ; in which I was art and
part to the extent of being laid down and robbed at the
door of the House of Commons, to the amount of many
thousand pounds. One useful result was, that the
taking up of freedoms by what were denominated the
"old freemen" was virtually abandoned on all sides,
there being no probability of profit in repayment of the
cost. Success of course had depended on the union of
what for shortness shall be called Whigs and Radicals.
If either of these terms is hereafter used in connexion
with disgraceful acts, I beg to protest against intending
any unjustifiable imputation ; and the great Whig body
has it always in its power to clear itself by actions of
any disreputable complicity.
Success on subsequent occasions depended on the
same union. A candidate appeared, who called himself
a Whig. He came to me of his own accord, and invited
me to enter into an engagement with him, that if any
dispute arose between our respective friends or followers,
the first who knew it should communicate with the
other, in order that ho might use his personal influence
to put it down. Of course so rational a treaty was im-
mediately ratified. The locality was Market Place East
flags, two-thirds of the way from the Whig hostelry
which was the Cross Keys, to mine which was the
Kingston. Like justices in an affiliation case, I love to
be particular.

Some short time afterwards a very paltry dispute
arose, which I could have settled in half an hour if the
compact with me had been kept. Some of my friends
spoke perhaps boastinely of their strength. Instead of
applying to me, the Whig candidate said to them, "What
is your strength? I hear you have a list. Show me
your list." The Radicals answered, that if they had a
list, it was only for themselves. The Whig replied, " I
know your list is only two hundred. Now I will go
and pay for two hundred new freedoms, and then I will
defy your list." And he went or sent accordingly, with
two hundred golden sovereigns at one time and a hun-
dred at another, and openly offered to buy any man his
freedom who would sign a promise to vote as a named
individual should direct. And the two hundred pro-
mises were produced accordingly. He thought to steal a
march on the Conservatives by going into the market
on the last day appointed for taking up freedoms. But
the Conservatives showed cause for demanding a week's
extension ; and so they had time to purchase as many as
they liked in turn. The Conservatives must be "
ble they were very wrong ;" but the deed was totally of
the Whig's inventing, originating, and setting in motion.
For authentication of all these operations on the market,
reference may be made to the reports of the commission-
ers, and the proceedings of a public meeting of the con-
stituency I called to take cognisance of the facts, and
which may be found in the Hull papers of about the 31st
of August, 1839.
In some very unbecoming correspondence with me
which was brought before this public meeting, the Whig
complained bitterly that my friends should have a list he
did not see. I wonder he did not complain there was
not a community of wives. And why did he do all the
damage to me and to the constituency which followed,
in the teeth of his volunteerrd engagement to communi-
cate with me! I could have put it all down by return
of post. To this act of his is owing all the misery and
defeat which followed, and it will not be the fault of
his supporters if it does not end in the disfranchisement
of the town.

Aud this was followed up. In Commissioner Flood's
report, lately laid on the table of the House of Commons,
I find the following passage :
" -- and it appears to me certain that it is to the un-
compromising opposition of Colonel Thompson to all impro-
per practices, and to his own (Mr. Clay's) acquiescence in
them anti belief that they were necessary to the success
either of himself or of any other candidate professing simi-
lar political opinions, that Mr. Clay alludes when declining
in January, 1847, to come forward as a candidate while
Hull is `hampered by Colonel Thompson, who makes it
impossible for any reformer to have a chance.'"—Commis-
sioner Flood's Report.
Here, then, because I refused to engage in practioes
which would justly have expelled me from the society o
gentlemen, and warranted the exertion of the summary
power residing in the Crown for the purification of the
Army List, I am found held up as the man who "ham-
pers Hull " and "makes it impossible for any reformer
to have a chance." These are your reformers ; I was in
the way, was I, as the man walking on one side the
street is in the way of the man upon the other This
cancels all condonations. If there is anybody in the
country who honestly uses the word Reform, there is
matter for him to think upon at leisure.

Thus then stands the actual case. The author
and originator of the town's disgrace and all the
mischief is unseated, as he ought to be, by a com-
mittee of the House of Commons. His friends stand
by him, and one association, I am sorry to say of the
working classes, declares he is "endeared to them by
ten thousand ties." I doubt whether it ever amounted
to ten thousand. The Whigs (or so they call themselves)
stick to him, and declare through their organ in the
press, that they will support nobody but his nominee.
I was asked if I would be that nominee, with an under-
standing to make way for the father of bribery when he
is re-eligible. And I replied—(it was a rugged speech,
but I hope no honest person was damaged by it)—that I
would as soon think of selling my daughter for a concu-
bine at New Orleans. The recommendation to this
pleasant succession comes endorsed from the 'Reform
Club. It is to help bribers out of the consequences of
their deeds that this institution rears its head in Pall
mall. I wonder an honourable profession, in which I
have a right to take some interest, should see its member
unwarned, putting himself into a bed which has been
qualified in the rough terms described.
If the other boroughs were looked into, the same
kind of things would be found ; and the public let-
sons from the whqle are many and important. I mu,
upon the unrepresented to wake out of al? Spa
ponder on the nonsense of the pretended _ ,
objecttaken against
keeping
the Parliamentary
mass e
s excluded
frwomithetheerea
fran-
chise. I invite the Ballot Society to tc double their
energies, and remember O'Connell" story, of the
man who had tried all ways of fattening his horse,
till he was asked "Did you everr
theot
country at large, I would suggest
who is who, and
judging them by their p
looking at the general case,ertnrand seeingmance.
All kinds of men
their are now upon trial. tyh ec °rand vr nt Ta
got)
nominee
will suffice.ißeei
s I will not
be a candidate till the
withdrawn.Theparties support him know very well they
cannot carry two.
Of
myownhich course,
Even if there was not written
"Decency
ambuscade.
forbids," they should not draw me into their
Yours very sincerely,
fewwords Briberym
T. PERRONET THOMPSON.
Eliot Vale, Blackheath, August 8, 1854.

DIS CH"
ER4 IN LIVREPOOL.--LIVIRPOOL, Aug. O.
—At the meeting of the Health Committee yesterday
the medical officer reported that there had been an in-
crease in the number of deaths by cholera. The deaths
had been 23 as compared with nine in the previous
week. They had been chiefly confined to the Irish die.
trict in the neighbourhood of Scotlo.nd•road.