The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-21 00:00:00

CANTERBURY ELECTION.

(From the Weekly Dispatch.)
The House of Commons, on Monday night, on the
motion of Mr. Ker Seymer (chairman of the committee
appointed to try the merits of the Canterbury petition,
which set forth that bribery and treating prevailed to a
great extent at the last election), agreed to an address
for a commission to inquire into the state of the borough.
From time immemorial bribery and treating have pre-_
vailed to an enormous extent in the ancient metropo-
litan city ; and this species of corruption has not been
confined to the Tory party, since what is called the
Liberal interest has done its best to win the elections
by the same dirty and dishonourable means. The
late Earl Darnley, when Lord Clifton, was plucked
as clean as a pigeon by his " dear friends," and at
length found himself obliged to retire from the repre-
sentation. Viscount Fordwich abandoned the repre-
sentation on similar grounds. The late Hon. R.
Watson, brother to the late Lord Sondes, notwith-
standing the long purse of the latter (a good-natured
benevolent nobleman), felt himself compelled to cut the
Liberals, after thanking them for their support. Those
individuals were all professed Reformers. It is impos-
sible to form a notion of the amount of money spent by
the Tory Mr. Lushington, but he or the Treasury must
have squandered thousands in order to maintain his
seat. In fact, there has not been a Tory representative
for twenty years past who has not been obliged to bleed
freely. It may be as well to look back to past elections.
In the general election of 1832 (December), the Hon.
Richard Watson and Viscount Fordwich were returned.
The former polled 834, and the latter 802 votes. One
John Tom, calling himself Sir William Courtenay, a
maniac, at this election, polled 375 votes. At the
general election in 1835 (January), Lord Albert Conyng-
ham and Mr. Frederick Villiers were returned. The
former polled 755 votes, and the latter 660. Mr.
Lushington was a candidate on the occasion, and se-
cured 658 votes ; and, •on petition, Mr. Lushington
was seated, Mr. Villiers having been declared unduly
elected. At the general election in August, 1837, one
Bradshaw, a Conservative, and Lord Albert Conyngham
were returned ; the former polled 761, and the latter
755 votes. There were two other candidates at this
election—H. P. Gipps, a Conservative, and Frederick
Villiers, a Liberal : the former received 751 votes, and
the latter 698. In February, 1841, Lord Conyngham,
on the ground of ill health, but, in truth, because he had
been alarmingly fleeced, accepted the Chiltern Hun-
dreds, and the Hon. G. Smythe was returned. There
were two other candidates, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Twisden
Hodges. Mr. Wilson, a Liberal, was so terribly plun-
dered that he quitted the city in disgust. On the death
of Mr. Bradshaw, in March, 1847, Lord Albert Conyng-
ham was again returned ; and at the general election,
on the 9th of August following, Lord Albert Conyngham
and Mr. Smythe were returned : the former polled 808,
and the latter 782 votes. There were two other candi-
dates—Mr. Vance, a Conservative, and Lord Clinton, of
the same way of thinking. These two unsuccessful candi-
dates polled, the former 643, and the latter 641 votes.
Lord Conyngham behaven like a trump on this occa-
sion. He came " down with the dust," " like a man."
In February, 1850, Lord Albert accepted the Chiltern
Hundreds, on becoming Lord Londesborough, and
Lieut.-Col. Romilly was elected in his stead. With the
last election, which gave rise to the recent inquiry, our
readers are familiar ; the candidates were Sir William
Somerville, Colonel Romilly, and Messrs. Gippe and
Johnstone ; the latter have been unseated on the score of
bribery through the agency of others, and a very pretty
exposure has taken place. The commission will
consist of W. F. Slade, T. C. Anstey, and W.
Burcham, Esqrs., and we had hoped the inquiry
would have gone back to the general election, in 1841,
because the parties who took a prominent part on
that occasion and subsequently, have not, to our
own knowledge, died out, nor has their residence been
disturbed. Unfortunately, however, the inquiry must
stop at the last election. There is a clause in the act of
Parliament, passed by the Lords, rendering it obliga-
tory
.on the part of the Commissioners, to confine
the inquiry to that particular period, '
because the
previous election, when Colonel Romilly was re-
turned without opposition, was a " pure one." A pure
election at Canterbury ! Was ever such a thing known ?
We could name parties who never move without being
paid for their services ; and we know that claims for
enormous sums of money sent in to Mr. Wilson for the
honour of being a candidate only, were from persons
who walk with a pretty high head at Canterbury. There
was some bustling conversation in the lobby of the
House of Commons last night on the matter of the peti-
tion, and the following list of persons who can give in-
formation as to the means by which election matters are
conducted was handed to Mr. Anstey

LIBERALS. TORIES.
Alderman Cooper. Mr. Pout.
Mr. G. Cooper. Mr. Holthuta.
Alderman Masters. Mr. Edward Southee.
Alderman Brent. Mr. Goodwin.
Mr. Rutter. Mr. Ward.
Mr. Claris. Mr. Williamson.
Mr. T. L. Burch. Mr. E. Homersham.
Mr. Welby. Mr. G. Smith.
Mr. C. Sharpe. Mr. Dombrain.
Mr. A. Engeham.
The inquiry will be of a most severe character ; and the
evidence will be published as soon after the commission
closes its labours as possible. The object of the inquiry
is not to disfranchise the city. It has no aim of that
kind in view ; but to furnish such data to the House as
shall enable it to correct an evil which has taken deep
root in Canterbury as in almost every other borough in
England.

THE WEATHER IN IRELAND.—The unseasonable
state of the weather is almost the general topic of the
day. The snow which ceased falling yesterday evening,
has been succeeded by an intense frost, and all appear.
ances of the spring season have completely vanished
under its blighting influence. The severity of the wea-
ther is generally complained of in the provincial popers,
and agricultural operations have been again, in many
districts, completely suspended. There is now scarcely
a doubt but that the ensuing will be one of the latest
harvests of the last quarter of a century. Such a con-
tinuous run of disastrous weather, commencing at the
close of last autumn and lasting up to this, the second
spring month, is almost without parallel even in this
variable climate.