The Sun.
London, England, 1836-02-18 00:00:00

CARLOW ELECTION.-PETITION

OF MR. VIGORS.

To the Hon. the Commons of the United Kingdom o
Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled.
The humble petition of Nicholas Aylward Vigors, of Ches•
ter-terrace, Regent's-park in the county of Middlesex
and of Old Leighlin, in the county of Carlow :
Showeth--That your petitioner is informed that peti.

tions have been presented to your Hon. House by certain
electors of th 6 county of Carlow, and by certain inhabitants
of Bath, complaining of alleged illegal, unconstitutional, and
corrupt conduct of your petitioner, in concert with Daniel
O'Connell, Esq., (a Member of your Hon. House), and
Alexander Raphael, and other individuals, and praying that
your Hon. House will be pleased to inquire strictly into
the circumstances thereof, and to bring to punishment all
persons whom your Hon. House may, on inquiry, deem
guilty of illegal or unconstitutional acts.

That your petitioner has read the copies of such petitions
in the printed votes of your Hon. House.
That your petitioner respectfully denies the truth of the
charges and imputations conveyed in these petitions, alleg-
ing illegal and unconstitutional conduct, both as respects
himself and the said Daniel O'Connell, and the independent
electors of the county of Carlow.

That the money transactions alluded to the said peti-
tions were, as your petitioner avers, and is advised, strictly
legal, constitutional, and honourable ; that the great majo-
rity of your Hon. House i 3 accustomed to make similar
money arrangements in respect to their seats in the Com-
mons' House, of Parliament.

`That the said Daniel O'Connell, Esq., at the request of
Alexander Raphael, and with the consent of your peti-
tioner, was the individual with whom the monies referred
to were lodged by mutual consent ; that the said Daniel
O'Connell duly and honourably accounted for such monies
with your petitioner, in no ways interfering with the ap-
propriation thereof—that no part of such monies was ille-
gally or unconstitutionally expended, and that your peti-
tioner was not, directly or indirectly, concerned, by him-
self or his agents, or partisans, in any malpractices what-
ever, in relation to the Representation of the said County
of Carlow, or in relation to the Commons' Committees
thereon.

That your petitioner and his family are extensive Pro•
testant landed proprietors in the counties of Carlow,
Queen's county, and Wexford, and that your petitioner re-
presented the county town of Carlow in Parliament in 1832,
1833, and 1834.

That your petitioner, on the dissolution of Parliament in
December, 1834, was an unsuccessful candidate for the bo-
rough of Carlow : but in June last your petitioner, on the
unseating of Messrs. Bruen and Kavanagh, was called upon
by the leading Reformers of the county to become a can-
didate for the representation of that county, and your pe-
titioner thereupon was a candidate, and was returned by
a majority of 57 votes.
That Alexander Raphael was returned at the same con-
test, in conjunction with your petitioner, by a majority of
56 votes.

That the said Henry Bruen and Thomas Kavanagh
were the candidates on the Tory, or " Conservative," in-
terest, opposed to your petitioner and the said Alexander
Raphael.

That the said Henry Bruen and Thomas Kavanagh, on
a petition of Carlow county electors against the return of
your petitioner and the said Alexander Raphael, were de-
clared by a Committee of your Hon. House, the members
for the said county, in lieu of your petitioner and the said
Alexander Raphael.
That your petitioner, by himself and his agents, is anxi-
ous to be rigidly examined at the bar of your Hon. House,
or by a Select Committee, on all matters without reserve
relating to all his said election matters, and without limita-
tion as to time or circumstance.
That your petitioner is anxious and willing to produce to
your Hon. House all accounts, papers, documents, vouchers,
and any other matters or things whatsoever, without re-
serve, directly or indirectly relating to elections or election
Committees of the county of Carlow, and directly or in-
directly relating to the matters in the said petitions, re-
flecting on the personal or political conduct of your peti-
tioner or other parties.

That your petitioner humbly and respectfully represents
to your Hon. House that your Hon H`e annnt 6)11.,
out a full and. strict investigation into all nth‘e pecuhar cir-
cumstances of the Carlow election contests in the years
1832 and 1833.
That the circumstances and facts ,connected with such
elections will disclose a system of unexampled Tory perse-
cution of the electors, and of conspiracy against the freedom
and purity of election, without parallel in the records of
election fraud and oppression, and circumstances immedi-
ately bearing on the merits of the said petitions.
That the evidence before the Carlow Election Committee
of your Hon. House in May, 1835, was never printed, and
is generally unknown to your Hon. House.
That your petitioner begs leave to refer your Hon.
House to that evidence, and to the remarkable testimony
of the Rev. James Maher, of the borough of Carlow, before
the Select Committee of your Hon. House, appointed in
the last Session of Parliament, " to consider the most
effectual means of preventing bribery, corruption, and intimi-
dation in the election of members to serve in Parliament,"
your petitioner humbly averring that the said Rev. James
Maher is a gentleman of indisputable integrity, education,
intelligence, and local knowledge of Carlow county.

That during and subsequently to the last three con-

tested elections or the representation of the county of
Carlow, viz., in December, 1832, and in January and June,
183.5, the most scandalous corruption and inhuman intimi-
dation on the past of the Tory landlords and of a Peer of
Parliament have prevailed in the said county against ho-
nest and independent but poor electors ; that during the
last few years thousands of the Catholic tenantry and
ancient resident labouring families by political party spirit
and religious persecution have been expelled from their re-
sidences and lands, and Protestants substituted in their
place ; that hundreds of widows and orphans have been in-
cluded in this wicked and unchristian proscription and per-
secution ; that by the fear of similar persecutions numbers
of the electors have been coerced to give their votes for the
Tory candidates, who would have otherwise notoriously
supported the Reform candidates ; that persecution by the
cost and terror of distraints for rent and other legal pro-
cesses has been extensively resorted to for political and
party purposes ; and that appalling misery, dissension,
heartburnings, and all sorts of crime, have been, and still
are, the unhappy consequences of these illegal, unconstitu-
tional, and wicked proceedings.
That to inform your Honourable House of the exent of
these dreadful oppressions, partly perpetrated for political
and election purposes, your petitioner inserts the following
account of expelled and substituted families in parts of the
said county of Carlow—a public account never yet contra-
dicted as acts, though the motives have been questioned,

viz. :---

" In one parish, the parish of Dunleckney, there have been
ejected within the last few years, by three or four landlords,
178 families, amounting to 992 individuals, including 224 wi-
dows and orphans, namely—

" From the townlands Of Ballinkilten, the property of Vis-
count Beresford, where the system first commenced, there
were evicted at once 39 families, amounting to 205 individuals,
including 56 widows and orphans.
" From Ballyknocken, the property of the same Noble
Viscount, 7 families, amounting to 33 individuals, including
13 widows and orphans.
" From Slyguff, the property of the same, 9 families,
amounting to 64 individuals, including 13 widows and
orphans.

" From Clowater, by the same, 6 families, amounting to
29 individuals.
" Prim Clonegath, by the same, 25 families, amounting to
151 individuals, including 30 widows and orphans.
" Making a total of 86 families, amounting to 492 indivi-
duals,_ including 112 widows and orphans.
" From that part of Colonel Bruen's estate which is situated
in this parish the following number of families wore ex-
pelled :

. _
" From the townland of Ballyloughan 13 families, contain-
ing 63 individuals, including 8 widows and orphans.
" Bally tarsna, 19 families, containing 101 individuals, in-
cluding 21 widows and orphans.
" Knockthomas, 11 families, containing 53 individuals, in-
cluding 13 widows and orphans.
" Bohermore, 7 families, containing 45 individuals, includ-
ing 14 widows and orphans.
" Kildrina, 4 families, containing 22 individuals, including 6
widows and orphans-
Nufne,7/ § fßilics, containing 36 individuals,
" 1:111dtovvn, 2 families, containing i individuals, including
widow and orphans,
" Ballytegica, l Nay, containing 7 individuals, widow and
orphans.
4n0,c14114rd, 4 families, containing 18 individuals, includ-
ing ti widows and orphans.
ti Making a total of 00 families, COhtainin .4t71
g
including
8.2 widows and frptans.
of these townlands was not in the possession of Co-
lonel Bruen at the time the tenantry were ejected,
" From the townland of PallYwilliaPr*' 61/ prpperty of
Polonel Lato9cll,-,, Mr. tititipx agent, 16 families, containing
if§ ildiviclulis wouditin. IT widows And orphans,
•.