The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-25 00:00:00

for such conduct,---a fact which showed the enormity
of the system he wished to annihilate—said they were
forced to it by the opposite party, and that they bad
allowed that party thirty-six hours start before the y
began to bribe. They corrupted, he said, the great mass
of electors, for they were poor, and could not withstand
their offers. There was, however, equal bribery amongst
the 101. householders. An agent of the name of Cohen.
swore that he knew of some hundreds who had been
bribed, not one of whom received under Si. This witnes,
said, he had himself bribed upwards of 200 to vote for
Sir Arthur Chichester, and as an excuse said there was
no getting them to the poll at all without doing so. But
the evidence which spoke most emphatically to his mind
was that of the Rev. G. Cheine, a clergyman of the
Church of England, who swore that he gave 9501. to
Legge for the purpose of corruption : 500/. of which he
had obtained from the Conservative Society of Ireland, and
the rest he had borrowed on his account from Mr. Luke,
a hanker, at Ballast. " The impression on his mind,"
said the Rev. Gentleman, " was, that the election could
not be carried by any other means than bribery." After
such evidence, he (Mr. O'Connell) put it to the House
as a solemn duty, to act boldly and decidedly.—(The
Hon. Gentleman here went into some details, to show
that the evil could not be remedied by merely punishing
the poor freemen, as the ten-pound householders
could not, as a body, be trusted, and those who were
pure, were not sufficient to form a proper constituency.)
It might be said, that he who proposed this measure,
ought to suggest where the franchise would be advanta•
geously bestowed. That duty did not by right fall upon
him. He declined such responsibility, for many reasons.
One of them more particularly was on the score of deli-
cacy, differing, as he did, in his religious opinions from
those entertained by the inhabitants of that part of the
eountry.—(Hear.) Tne House would not, therefore,
think him wrong in disclaiming ali responsibility upon
that part of the question. The Hon. Gentleman con-
cluded, by moving a declaratory resolution as to the exist-
ence of gross bribery and corruption at the late election
for Carrickfergus.
Mr. F. SHAW said it would be uncandid in him not
to say that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had clearly
made mit a prima facie case, and he for one could not
think of opposing the motion.
Sir R. BATESON had a petition to present from this
borough, which, denied that the poor voters were bribed.
Mr. E. TENNANT contended that they ought not to
punish the many, for the faults of the few.
Lord ALTHORP said, after what had been adduced
by the Hon. and Learned Member for Dunlin, it would be
impossible for any one to disapprove of the mo ion he now
made. In giving his consent, however, to the introduc-
tion of the Bill, he must be consi lered as reset ving to
himself the right, in a future stage, to exempt any class
of persons who might be proved guiltless, and who were
sufficient to form a constituency, if the House should then
think it fitting to adopt a particular measure, instead of
resolving on a general disfranchisement; but at present he
certainly could not refuse his con: ent to the motion of the
Hon. and Learned Member.

The resolution was agreed to after a few wurds from
Mr. WYNN.

On the motion of Mr. O'CONNELL, leave was given
to bring in a Bill to disfranchise the borough of Carriel-
fergus, and the issue of a new writ was suspended until
Ist July.
Mr. O'CONNELL then gave notice that on Tuesday
week he would submit a motion to the House relative to
certain parties in withholding papers ordered by the Com-
mittee.

DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES.
The second reading of the Dramatic Performar.ces Bill
(a dropped order) was fixed for Thursday.
The other orders of the day having been gone through,
the House adjourned until Thursday next at a quarter
before two.