The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-10 00:00:00

KING'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY.)

(Sittings in Banco.)
CRIMINAL INFORMATION.-THE KING V. WEEDON.

Sir W. FOLLETT had been instructed on behalf of a
gentleman named Blandy, to move for a rule to show cause
why a criminal information should not be filed against Mr.
John Weedon, a solicitor, residing in the borough of Read-
ing. The circumstances out of which the present applica-
tion arose were, as well as we could collect from the very
low tone and hurried manner in which the Learned Gentle-
man spoke, as follows :—Mr. Blandy was an Alderman under
the old Corporation, and while in that office took a lease
of a public-house called the Six Bells, he being at the time
a partner in a brewery. The house was at the time let on
a long lease at 141. a year, and the brewery concern took it
at a rent of 101., with a covenant to expend a certain sum
in repairs. There was another property, called the Weigh-
ing Engine House, of which Mr. Blandy also took a lease,
and the affidavits upon which the present application was
grounded, stated that when the Commissioners for enquiring
into Corporate Property came to Reading, Mr. Weedon
made a Charge before them of misconduct on the part of
the old Corporation in granting leases to the members of
the Corporation, and five different heads of charges were
made, two of which related to the leases granted as above ;
that a day was appointed by the Corporate Commissioners
for investigating these charges, and the result was that
they turned out to be unfounded ; that an extract from the
Report of the Commissioners was subsequently printed and
circulated through the town, to the effect that it had been
suggested to the Commissioners that much unjustifiable
partiality existed in the granting of leases ; that they had
felt it their duty to investigate the matter, and the Corpo-
ration having furnished all the particulars in order that the
property might be surveyed and valued, after a most mi-
nute enquiry they were satisfied that the charges were des-
titute of foundation. When the first election for Town
Councillors under the New Municipal Bill took place in
December, 1835, Mr. Blandy and Mr. Weedon were can-
didates, and several anonymous letters alluding to these
leases were circulated. Mr. Blandy was unsuccessful,
Mr. Weedon was elected ; and at the last election Mr.
Blandy was again a candidate. Oa the 31st October,
just precious to the election, an anonymous letter was
published in the Reading ilfercury, in which there were
several allusions to the former election. IA stated that only
one of the firm of Willis, Blandy, and Co. was now a candi-
date of Church ward, and that he (Mr. Blandy) must be
aware that his character and conduct as a tradesman had
never been questioned by the Reformers, but their objection
was to the large amount of borough property which he as
a Corporator had been a party in appropriating to the
use of its own members, and the deep interest he had in
the continuation of the licensing system. It further stated
that Mr. Blandy in his address to the electors had not enu-
merated among his claims to their support his having obtained
leases of the Six Bells public-house, and the Weighing Engine
House (although it was known to all that these charges
had been dismissed by the Corporate Commissioners), nor '
the part he had taken in transferring a certain public-
house to his compatriot Mr. Garrett (which charge had
been investigated before the Corporate Commissioners, and

irge and attached circle of private friends who may be tered on the table and the floor of the room.