The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-12 00:00:00

ST. ALBAN'S ELECTION.

(From the 2l7orning Chionick.)
When, on Wednesday evening last, the 3(1 instant,
a writ was moved for St. Alban's to elect a Member
in the room of Mr. Glimaton, who had accepted the
Chiltern Hundreds, the Liberal party were taken
quite by surprise. The news reached St. Alban's on
Thursday morning, almost at the same moment that
Mr. B.njemin Bond CaLbell arrived there ; the
retiring address of Mr. Griinston being delivered to
all the electors at the same moment with Mr. Colbell's
address offering himself as a candidate. In the course
of that day the election was proclaimed for Monday,
being the very earliest day which it was possible to
name. '['he arrival of a new candidate at the in-
stant Mr. Grimston's retirement was announced,
the fixing of an election with such baste, and all the cir-
cumstances attendant upon the matter, showed the elec-
tors of St. Alban's that the seat was bargained for, sold,
and intended to be transferred behind their backs, and
without consulting them. Mr. Cabbell was not a popular
candidate at St. Alban's, he had been beaten thera it:1837,
and had not left any favourable remembrances behind him.
He commenced his canvass, and without an opponent
the field, gained the usual promises of support from the
rota ears of the Verutem family. The agents of that part}
held out, end gave the usual induce ments to
their lel'owerr, winch custom had sanctioned,
and without. which no Tory ever yet sat for St.
Alban's. Still, the unpopularity of their candidate, the
grewing dislike to the job proposed in tranaterring the
seat, and the attempts evidently made to prevent any
xe-eise of public opinion, weighed heavy upon the
Tories ; and at the close of their first day's canvas
they had only secured 120 votes out of 520. 00 that
evening, Lord Listowel arrived in St. Aibaa's, addressed
the electors, made a very favourable impression, end then
commenced his canvass. Hts frank gentlemanly man-
ners and conduct gained him friends in ail directions,
and, c vapled with the fact that he come to prevent
the Loroush being sold or transferred by any would-
be patron, m tde him the people's faveur:re. By Saturday
ni,aht he had gained two hundred and sixty-nine promises,
and lns election was safe, if Tery stratagems did not
come into ploy. Oa Saturday, Sunday, and Mon-
day, every trick was tried ; as much as ‘2,5/.
vote openly offered, even by pers:ins bol rffi•
cial stations in the borough ; large inducements
held out. to voters to break their promises or to ro
out of the way ; but all in vain. The Tories could
not reduce Lard L'ster.ci's number so as to give
them a chance. Oa Monday they knew they were
beaten ; mutual reproaches and quarrels ensued ; Mr.
Cabbell blamed Mr. Biagg, and Mr. Magi; retorted
upon Mr. Cabbell. Lord Grimston and Ing...s!re, with
A the Tory gentry, Caine to the rescue, but it was use•
less. The show of hands was iii favour of Lord Listo-
we!, and a poll was demanded for Mr. C,bbell.
Immediately after the show of hands, Lord Grimston
started for London. In five hours he returned, rod
joined the Tory party at the Verulam Arms. What
passed there be best knows ; but this is well known,
that a large party of hired bullies Gem Hertford were
that evening broufaht into St. Alban's.

At the opening of the poll on Tuesday, a delay of
nearly twenty minutes occurred before a vote could
be taken. There were no inkstands, no ink, no pens,
for the clerks. The Mayor then read a requisition
by electors to put the bribery oath, but no
deputies were appointed to administer it. When the
deputies were appointed one of them actually put the
returning officer's oath to the voters, until the 'error
was pointed cut and corrected. The I`,layer was
a strong Tory ; the town-clerk canvessed day by
day with Mr. Cabbell—knew the way to the
Tory voters' hearts better than any man in St.
Alban's, and yet, as the adviser to the Mayor, wit•
nessed all these things. From the very first, Lord
Listowel headed the poll. The delay of the bribery
oath did not answer, and some fresh contrivance
was required. At half-past ten an old half•idiot
freeman, named Adams, came to the poll, and
upon the bribery oath being tendered, handed
to the Mayor a paper containi ,g two five-pound
notes and two sovereigns, which he stated had been
given to him by the proposer of Lord Lis-
towel, to vote for Lord Listowel. Tne old man then
voted for Mr. Cabbell. The Mayor made a speech to
the populace, very indistinctly heard, and very imper-
fectly understood, commenting upon this atrocious act
of bribery, and for near half an hour the poll was almost
su,pended. It was then again taken up, and at the
close the majority of Lord Etitowei was declared to
be 47.

Now, so far from Adams having ever promised to
vote for Lord Listowel, the facts, man be
proved by the canvass-books, by the sheet of va-
riations, and by the testimony of several to whom
Adams did offer his vote, are, that he was entered in
the canvass books as a voter for Cabbell, that ho
was reckoned an opponent, and that being now, and
always, a Verulam voter, he was never thought of as
being likely to vote !or a Liberal. His hope of p.iy
lay on the other side. The whole affair was a stage
trick, got up to produce effect, and it signally failed,
although for tlic momeiit productive of service to the
Cahheltites. The money &as given hint by the Tories.
Let the Verulam party fairly show their sheet of ex-
penditure, and their list of promises at this elec-
tion—let them get back their notes of Me same
bank given by thent, as those which Adams produced
—let Mr. Bond Cabbell declare that he matte no
promises to voters, and his agents that they gave no
moncy—and we shall then believl their virtuous indig-
nation at the loss of a seat which they deemed so safe
as not to be worth consulting the electors upon its sale
or transfer.

There was gross bribery on the Tory side. ; it did not
succeed because the popular feeling was all against
them, nine out of ten—men, women, and children—
wishing success to Lord Listowel.
There are plenty of bribery cases against the Tory
party, infinitely worse than Mains's trumped up statfl-
mcnt, even if it were true.