The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-15 00:00:00

wr tin or 14:1.

KIDDERAIINSTER ELECTION.
OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM.
(From the Derby Reporter.)
The Liberals of Dell.l3,slatv as well as ourselves
will have felt an interest in the late Kidderminster
election, not certainly on account of its political im-
portance, nor of the previous electioneering character
of the borough. We had heard of Kidderminster
as a Tory borough and as a corrupt borough ; and
both characters it eminently deserved. Nevertheless
a pure and earnest Liberal party exists there,
and when the recent vacancy occurred in the repre-
sentation, several circumstances induced them to
make a strong effort o rescue the borough from
Toryism and from corruption. First, the Tory party
brought forward two candidates, and though one of
them withdrew a fortnight before the election, a sec-
tion of his supporters continued to the last moment
strong negative efforts to prevent the return of
the other. Secondly, recent Parliamentary decisions
made it reasonable to suppose that corruption
might appear too dangerous even to those who were
inclined to practise it. Thirdly, the Liberals were
cheered by having secured the assistance of a public
man, whom every section of their body was eager to
support. On this latter circumstance our interest
in the contest hinged. It proposed to restore to the
House of Commons a man locally known to us,
identified with many of our political struggles, and
never sparing of himself either here or elsewhere
when an adequate public object was presented to
his view. Our interest in Mr. Gisborne led us to
take somewhat unusual pains in ascertaining the
particulars of the struggle in which he was engaged,
and some facts which we have collected, and which
are very illustrative of the state of single-handed
boroughs in general, may be interesting to our
readers, notwithstanding our disappointment. We find
ourselves, however, somewhat hampered by per-
ceiving from Mr. Gisborne's farewell address, that
he is strongly urged to assist the inhabitants in a
petition to avoid the return. A " lis pendens" exacts
from us some reserve. Mr. Gisborne does not encou-
rage the idea of petitioning, treating the matter as
one of mere political expediency. He does not doubt
the result of the petition, but says that in the event
of Mr. Best's disqualification, the two sections of the
Tory party would agree on a candidate, and would
" in a legitimate election defeat any Liberal."
The borough of Kidderminster extends beyond the
limits of the town, and is supposed to contain about
20,000 inhabitants. It furnishes an actual con-
stituency of 480 voters. House-rent, or at least
the rating of houses, is low in Kidderminster. The
constituency includes neither operatives nor artizans,
nor shopkeepers, except in a few of the prin-
cipal thoroughfares. Street after street furnishes
no voters except publicans and beerhouse keepers (of
whom one-fourth of the constituency consists), unless
it happens to contain the residence of a clergyman, a
lawyer, or a doctor. The electors will be accurately
classed as follows
Ist—Tories
About 40 of these are inclined to further
the electioneering objects of the great
proprietor in Kidderminster and its
vicinity, whose agent resides within two
miles of the town.
2d—lndependent Liberals .. 2lO
A few of each of the above designations
have at previous elections been acces-
sible to argument, when it has taken the
shape of 1001. or upwards a vote.
Such traffic has been very open in
Kidderminster. Names and sums are
" familiar words " in the mouths of
those who have been interested in for-
mer contests.
3d—Electors whom Mr. Gisborne in his
farewell address designates as "loose
fish, whose votes are determined by no
political principle"
On these materials the contest which has just tenni:
nated was founded, and the chance of the Libera
depended-Ist, on the declared intention of at lead'
thirty of the Tories to remain neutral ; and, 2d,
on the influence of the non-electors, who by a vast
majority identified themselves with his cause. No
one, however, who had been versed in Kidderminster
elections supposed that this influence could prevail
against direct pecuniary payments. On the present
occasion the independent voters came freely to the
pull, and at noon the numbers were—
Gisborne 172 Best
AT HALF-PAST ONE.
Gisborne lB9 Best ........ 171
Up to this time very few of the loose fish had polled,
but at half-past three thirty of them had recorded
their votes for Mr. Best. The numbers then were—
Best, 212, Gisborne, 200. Six Liberals, who were
only willing to vote if they could turn the election,
remained unpolled. Our correspondent left the town
before any official declaration of the poll was made,
but the numbers must have been within two or three
on each side of those which we have stated. We
abstain from making public more definite particulars
of which we are cognizant, for the reason which we
have already stated. Quite independently of personal
feeling, we appeal to all reasonable supporters of a
representative system and ask—whether the case of
the borough of Kidderminster, which is very illus-
trative of the state of small boroughs, with a few
honourable exceptions, does not call for Parliamentary

reform ?

AN ELEGY, WRITTEN IN A LONDON

CHURCHYARD.

irf A TRADESMAN IN THE VICINITY.
(From Punch.)
The sexton tolls the knell till parting day,
The latest funeral train has paid its f€e,
The mourners homeward take their dreary way,
And leave the scene to Typhus and to me.
Now fades the crowded graveyard on the sight,
But all, its air who scent, their nostrils hold,
Save where the beadle drones, contented quite,
And drowsy mutes their arms in slumber fold.

Save where, bard by yon soot-incrusted tower,
A Reverend Man does o'er his port complain,
Of such as would, by sanitary power,
Invade his ancient customary gain.
Beneath those at id mounds, that dead wall's shade,
Where grows no turf above the mouldering heap,
All in their narrow cells together laid,
The former people of the parish sleep.
The queasy call of sewage-breathing morn,
The ox, urg'd bellowing to the butcher's shed,
The crowd's loud clamouring at his threatening born,
No more shall rouse them from their loathly bed.
For, them no more the chamber-light shall burn,
The busy doctor ply his daily care,
i Nor children to their sire from school return,

And climb his knees the dreaded pest to share.

Good folks, impute not to their friends the fault,
If memory o'er their bones no tombstone raise;
W here there lie d( zens huddled in one vault,
No art can mark the spot where each decays.
No doubt, in this revolting place are laid,
Hearts lately pregnant with infectious fire;
Hands, by whose grasp contagion was conveyed,
As sure as electricity by wire.
Full many a gas of direst power unclean,
The dark o'erpeopled graves of London bear,

Full many a poison, born to kill unseen,
And spread its rankness in the neighbouring air.
Some district surgeon, that with dauntless breast
The epidemic 'mongst the poor withstood,
Some brave, humane physician here may rest,
Some curate, martyrs to infected blood.
To some doom'd breast the noxious vapour flies,
Some luckless lung the deadly reek inspires,
Ev'n from the tomb morbific fumes arise,
Ev'n in men's ashes live Disorder's fires.
For thee, who, shock'd to see th' unhoured dead,
Dost in these lines their shameful plight relate;
If, chance, by sanitary musings led,
Some graveyard-gleaner shall inquire thy fate.
Haply some muddle-beaded clerk will say,
We used to see him at the peep of d..wn.
Shaping with hasty strokes his beard away,
Whene'er his window-curtains were uutirawn.
There would he stand o'erlooking yonder shed,
That hides those relics from the public eye,
And watch what we were doing with the dead,
And count the funerals daily going by.
One morn we miss'd him in the 'custom'd shop;
Behind the counter where he used to be,
Another serv'd; nor at his early chop,
Nor at the " Cock." nor at the " Cheese," was he,
The next, by special wish, with small array,
To Kensal-green we saw our neighbour borne,
Thither go read (if thou canst read) the lay
With which a chum his headstone did adorn.

THE EPITAPH.
Here rest with decency the bones in earth,
Of one to Comfort and to Health unknown,
Miasma ever plagued his humble hearth,
And Scarlatina mark'd him for her own.
Long was his illness, tedious, and severe,
Ilard by a Loudon churchyard dwelt our friend;
He followed to the grave a neighbour's bier,
He met thereby ('twas what he felted) his end.
No longer seek Corruption to enclose
Within the places of mankind's abode;
But far from cities let our dust repose,
Where daisies blossom on the verdant clod.

The daughter of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton
is the wife of a laborious and exemplary clergyman, the
Rev. Philip Ward, who holds the small vicarage of Ten-
terden, and has eight children.
SINGULAR ACCIDENT.—On Thursday, two lads,
employed at the Messrs. Fisher's factory, Radford, were
looking out of the window at the clock, which is situ-
ated just above it. As they could not stretch themselves
far enough out to see the clock, one of them gut on the
other's back; and while leaning against the window
frame, it gave way, and both lads were precipitated into
the yard below, a distance of two stories. Concussion
of the brain in both cases was the result, and they were
removed to the hospital in an insensible state.—Notting-
ham Journal.