The Sun.
London, England, 1822-02-01 00:00:00

Santo-Ladro and Villanueva, the other two,
surrounded on all side, succeeded, however,
n escaping into a':-:house on the French
territory safe from the pursuit (if. the Spanish
troops.

[PRIVATE CORRESPO:DENCV.]
A petition, addressed to the King, has been
circulated, 'in which .his Majesty is requested to
propose to the next Cortex several considerable
modifications in our political code. The police
are in search of the hawkers of this piece, and
several persons have been examined respecting it
by the Constitutional Alcaldes.

There is nothing new respecting the Ministry.
This state of uncertainty produces the worst
effects on the public mind; and affairs of conse-
quence are quite suspended. Among the per-
sons named for the Ministry are Senors Pizarro,
Ileredia, and several others ; but the King comes
to no decision, and in the mean time the Govern-
ment seems paralyzed.

All is quiet at Cadiz and Seville ; yet at the
moment when Jauregui was delivering up the
command to his successor, and concerting with
him what measures should be taken under such
critical circumstances, a large assemblage of the
inhabitants entered the Government House at
Cadiz, in order to (.-event him from resigning;
but he went in the midst of them, and,succeeded
in making them retire. Sonie holirs'afterwards,
the Authorities published a Proclamation, de-
claring their determination, in spite of the or-
derly disposition evinced by the town on this

occasion, to persevere. in their .remonstrances
against the Ministry, and that the Liberals of
Cadiz were resolved on resorting to arms if a
Ministry so universally disapproved were re-
tained.

'RUN, JA is expected that the French
Government will publish an account of the pro-
ceedings in the case of the two fugitive insurgent
leaders of Navarne, Santo-Ladron and Villa-
nueva, whom they would not allow the Spaniards
to take away from a house on the French ten i-
tory, in which they had taken refuge.
For the last three days- the Ex-Spanish Ge-
neral Quexada, who came from Paris, has been
at Bayonne. It is supposed he intended to put
himself at the head of the insurgents of Navarre,
but arrived too late.

LAW 1 N TELLIG ENCE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, JAN. 31.

THE KING V. HECTOR.
Mr. Hannrsom applied to the Court for a rule to shew cause
why a criminal information should not be filed against Mr.
Cornthwaite John Hector, Ste Ward of the Court Leet of the
Manor and Borough of Petersfleld, for misconduct, as such
Steward, at the election of the Mayor of that Borough, who is
the Returning Officer. The Learned Counsel said, that it was
well known that for a • considerable period the Borough had
been under the influence of a particular family—the family of
Mr. Jolliffe—that a member of that family had, of late years,
been invariably returned as one of the Representatives of the
Borough in Parliament, and that the other Member had been
returned under their influence.. A contest took place in 1818,
which gave rise to the agitation of a question upon the right of
Election, and there had been a subsequent contest at the last Ge
neral Election, when Mr. A tcheson and Col. Camac stood in op.
position to Mr. Jolliffe and Lord If otham ; and upon that contest
there was a petition to the. House of Commons which led to a deci-
sion on the right of voting. Fro% that decision there had been,
in the last sessions of Parliament, an appeal, when the first
decision was reversed, and a right established adverse to the in-
fluence which had existed in the family of Mr. Jolliffe. Under
these circumstances, it had become most important to the inha-
bitants of the Borough, that the returning officer should be
,legally and impartially elected, and he mentioned these circum-
stances to shew the relative situation of the parties. With re-
ference to the election of the Mayor, it would he in the recol-
lection of their Lordships, that repeated applications had been
made to the Court for permission to file quo warrant o informa-
tions against the persons who had filled that office. The first
was against a Mr. John Meeres, who had been elected in 1819,
by a jury of the Court Leet, noutteated and selected by Mr.
Hector, the Steward. After the filing of that information, Mr.
Aimee disclaimed his office, but at a Court Left, held under a
mandamus from the Court, he was again elected into the same
office by a jury selected in the same nianneras the former, and in
consequence their Lordships a second time allowed an information
in the nature of a aea warranty to be Bled against him, when he
again disclaimed. Another informatiorehad been filed against a
Mr. Chitty, who was the late Mayor, but from his delaying to
file his plea till a short time before the last Summer Assizes
for Hampshire, the parties were prevented bringing the case on
then, and it now stands for trial at the next 'Spring Assizes.
Their Lordships might perhaps remember, that the ground
upon which those informations proceeded was, that the Bailiff
had not been permitted to use his own discretion in the.selec-
tion of the Jurors, but that the Steward had nominated on the
precepts the persons whom he was to summon to serve on the
Leet Jury. In the present case, notice was given to Air. Hee-
' tor, that if he persisted in nominating the Jury, and in re-
maining with them after they had been charged and ordered to
retire to consider of their presentments, instead of permitting the
Jury to discuss them without the presence of any other person,
application would be made to their Lordships for permission to
file. criminal information against him. Notwithstanding this
notice, however, it appeared from the affidavits, that Mr. flee.
tor - had persisted in nominating -the Jury—Seat the Jurors,
prior to the meeting of the Court, had breakfasted with Mr. Jol-
liffe and afterwards walked in procession to • the Court House,
headed by him, the Reverend Mr. Jolliffe, his-brother, who
was afterwards elected Mayor, Sir G. Jolliffe, his son, and Mr.
Chitty, the late Mayoreed that When an objection was
made by one of the Jury to the eligibility of the Rev. Mr. Jot-.
Elle, on the ground of non-residence, and that he would not be
approved by the inhabitants, Mr. Hector interfered, and said
there was no objection to him, and that he : paid . rates and:
taxes, and he seemed out of - temper at the objection.aa
The affidavits also stated, that the Foreman 'of ' the 'Jury was
Mr. John Meeres, the person who had twice -disclaimed the'
office of Mayor, and that on the very day on which this transztc-.
tion took place, Mr. Jolliffe intimated.piehliedy
.that.bir Philip
Musgrave—
Mr. Justice BAYLEr—Was that in. the presence of Mr.
Hector ?

• Mr. HsnaisoN—Yes, my Lard, Mr. Hector was present
the whole time. He (Mr. Jollife) intimated that Sir Richard
Musgrave, one -of the present Members for the Borough, in-
tended to vacate his seat, and that he should immediately pro-
pose his nephew, Sir George Jolliffe, the son of the Reverend
Mr. Jolliffe, the present Mayor.—l am aware that your Lord-
ships will never interfere in mere election questions, but I ap-
prehend it is of the utmost importance that this Court should
guard the legal Institutions of . the Country from being made
the instruments of corrupt influence in boroughs to serve the
private purposes of individuals ;:and I conceive that in all
cases of this kind which come before your Lordships might
mention the recent case of the Mayor of Chester, in support
of this opinion) it is your peculiar province to interfere and
to visit.every attempt to pervert legal establishments for such
ends, with its due and proper punishment. In this case, your
Lordships will perceive that it is most important that those
who have established their right should have the chance which
the Law gives them by the election of a fair and impartial Re-
turning Officer, who is to decide opon the exercise of ihat
right. I ipon these grounds, I submit that lam intitled to the
ride against AIL Hector. tis impossible •to suppose that lie
was ignorant he was doing wrong. The affidavits state, that
he is not only the Steward of Mr. Jolljffe's Court Leet, but
the active agent and adviser of that Gentleman in every one of
the contests in the Borough, and that lie appeared as his agent,
and was examined as his witness, before the Committee of the
House of Commons.

Mr. Justice BAYLEY—Had that mode of proceeding ever
been decided to be illegal ?
Mr. HARRISON—It has never been decided, because, by
successive disclaimers of the Mayor, it •has never come to
trial ; but, if your Lordships will allow me, I will observe that
the grounds upon which motions of this sort are founded, rest
upon the mo:ivc of the party who is charged wit; i any particu-
lar act. In the case of the late Mr. Jollitfe, the father of the
present Member, he did that which was considered incorrect,
and he was made the subject of a criminal prosecution. It was
for distributing a printed paper in the town of Kingston with
a view to influence a jury with reference to a trial respecting
tile elzction of Overseers of the Poor, which perhaps might