The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-27 00:00:00

CHATHAM ELECTION, Ju 26.

Meettngs -of the candidates' friends were held on
Wednesday evening. That of Captain Byng, a very
full one, without, and that of Mr. Ching with closed
doors, for the purpose of making arrangements for
fighting the "hard fight" at the poll this day.
Mr. STONE, who WIIS called to the chair, said that
the business of the evening was of a very important
character. A report having been circulated that Go-
vernment influence was being exercised over those
persons employed in the Dock-yards who had votes to
dispose of, with a view of intimidating them in the full
exercise of them, he held in his hand a letter addressed
on the subject by the Lords of the Admiralty to Sir
James Gordon, Governor of the Dock-yards. (Cries
of " Hear, hear.") He would read the letter, which
ran thus :—" I am commanded by the Lords Com-
missioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you that their
lordships are anxious that no agthority whatever should
be used over the workmen in the Dock-yards, in re-
ference to the present election, and that no obstacle
should be thrown in the way of their free exercise of
the elective franchise. (Cheers;) They are, there-
fore, not to be employed during the two days of elec-
tion, but are to be employed at work on Saturday."
The letter was signed by their Lordship's secretary.
In consequence, the Chairman then proceeded to
remark, of the word " workmen" being only used in
the letter, he waited on Sir James Gordon, and in-
quired of him whether the " officers" of the dockyards
were not included in the meaning of their Lordships'
letter? Sir James's answer was that their Lordships
meant the restrictions undoubtedly to embrace both
officers and men, and that all persons under govern-
ment were to be at liberty during the poll to act as
they might think proper. ( Much cheering.) He
could give half a dozen instances of this kind of the
liberality of conduct exercised by Sir James Gordon
in 'connection with the present election. ( Hear.)
Capt. BYNO then presented himself, and said he had
just returned. from his friends at Brompton, some of
whom required some further explanation from him in
reference to the question put to him on the hustings on
the day of nomination, as to the manner in which he
would vote in the event of such another motion as that of
Mr. D. W. Harvey on the pension list being again
brought forward in Parliament? He had entered into
an explanation with them, and as he did not wish to
conceal any of his opinions from the electors, and to be
explicitly understood by the whole body of them and
by the public generally ( Hear, hear, and cheers), he
would now again state his opinion on the question to
the present meeting. His answer on the hustings was
that .he could not vote against the 'pension -hit if
brought forward hi the same shape as Mr. W. Harvey
had brought his motion forward. He ( Captain Byng)
would yield to no man in abhorrence of the pension
list as hitherto constituted ( Cheers), and, while he
lived he would endeavour to diminish its gross abuses,
and to prevent in future a recurrence of them. ( Re-
newed cheering.)

THE POLLING.

At an early hour this morning, Captain Byng's
band, preceded by his colours, and every man who at-
tended the meeting on the previous night, marched
'towards the scene of action, where, on their arrival,
they found, themselves anticipated by Mr. Ching's
friends, 3Q or 40 of whom had occupied the ground.
Mr. Ching therefore polled off the first man on his
side, but he was soon outstripped by Captain Byng,
in ose favour the state of the poll at ten o'clock,
was about nine a-head. At half past ten the declara-
tion was—
Byng l2O
Ching BB
Majority
At eleven o'clock the candidates were still polling
hard, and the declaration was—
Byng
Ching llO
giving Captain Byng an increased majority of 7, and
on the gross poll a majority of 39.
At half-past eleven, the gallant Captain was still
winning, and the contest was being desperately con-
tested ; the majority on the gross poll, at this moment,
was .53.

At twelve o'clock he was still outstripping his com-
petitor, whose friends were straining every nerve for
him.
At half-past one the contest was acquiring a greater
interest, and bets of from 501. to 5/. were laid in fa-
vour of Capt. Byng, the numbers then polled being—
Byng 207
Ching l4B
giving the Captain a majority of 59.
At two o'clock, the declaration was—
Byng . • 211
Ching 154
which reduced the Gallant Captain's majority by 2, in
the last half-hour.

At four o'clock, when the poll closed,
Mr. BALDOCK, the returning officer, said that it then
became his duty to announce to the electors that the
election had'closed, and that it had fallen on George
Stevens Byng, Esq. ( Cheers and hisses), Mr. Ching
having resigned further contesting the matter. The
final state of the day's poll, he continued, being for—
Captain Byng 262
Mr. Ching 192
Majority for Capt. Byng —7O
The announcement was received with cheers and
hisses.
The election then terminated.