The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-23 00:00:00

STAFFORD BRIBERY BILL.

The Earl of RADNOR admitted that the present
measure was not accompanied, like those to which he had
just referred, by a proposition of disfranchisement ; out
he thought that their Lordships ought not on that account.
to reject it. The Bill was founded on the notoriety of
gross and abominable bribery existing Stafford. He
understood that at the last elction there were three candi-
dates fur the representation of that borough, and that the
return of one of the successfal candidates was petitioned
against on the alleg:iion of bribery. He had, however,
good reason for believing that this proceeding was a mere
ruse de guerre, fur the purpose of getting some portion of
the defeated candidates' expenses paid. He knew that, on
a former occ,sion, a gentleman who sorted for the repre-
sentation of Stafford with every prospect of success up to
the day before the election commenced,—having received
promises of support from more than two-thirds of the voters,
--waa, notwithstanding, defeated by an individual not at all
connected with the place. The reason of this was, that this
last gentleman spent 14,0001. in the election, while the
other candidate could only spare 6,5001 ; end it was ac-
tually a fact that the voters in the interest of the more
wealthy candidate went to the poll with bank-notes in
their bats; and taunted their opponents with receiving
only Birmingham counterfeits, while they got teal bank-
nots:s —(Hear.) A
petition was presented against the
succe sful candidate, but upon his agreeing to pay down
3,000/. alt further investigation was stilled. This having
occurred on a foimer occasion, he could not but think that
something of the came sort was intended on.the present

occasion. Be that as it might, after the presentation of
the petition now before !he other House, two gentlemen,
who 1-1.. d been engaged in the election, cared on Mr.
re, with whom the present Bill originated, and stated
that out of 526 elect,rs ,vho voted for one of the sucress-
ul candidat,s, 524 received brib-s of money. Those
gentlemen, in corroboration of their statements, pro
duced several !noney tickets which had been presented
to the vote's, and he held in his hand a further
ii.oof of the truth of their representation ; that was
nothing ehe than the poll l_nol; of the votes in fa-
vour of the successful candidate ; and he found only
two names on' of 526 to which the let era p. d.
were not attaehed. conceivedpi 0 that
t- at
fist
butt turnip, there.
tl'ot'tehe 'v
E beginninger
el'utdt?f the book
wntosiL h
n'fYe
found the word " pa.d"
writ'en in full, and in some parts of it the sums actually
paid—sometimes 101., at others 121, were enter.d..:
(Hear, hear.) This was such an abominab'e case of bri-
bery and corruption, that it behoved their Lord hips not
to refuse dealing with i ; and he could not help thinking
that they would not be acting wi-ely or with graciousne.s
',wards the 11-4u.,e of Commons if they did not assist in
eradicating this evil. Ile had documents in his possession
which stowed that all parties agreed upon the necessity
rooting out this system of corruption, and disfranchising
the borough.—(The Noble Earl here read certain resolu-
tions, ag,ead to by a number rf gentlemen in Stafford,
admitting the prevalence of the grossest system of bribery
in that borough ; and an extract from a letter written
hy the Mayor, who was Returning-officer of the borough,
in which it was stated that bribery had been so long prac-
tised in the place that it had almost assumed the character
of a prescriptive right. The letter concluded by stating
that the borough exhibited manifest symptoms of its politi-
cal death, and that the sooner it was dead and buried the
better, provided the cost was not great to the chief
mourners.—(Laughter.) The N,,ble Earl then moved the
second reading ,f the Bill.

Lord WYNFORD ohj..eted to this Bill, because it was
not like firmer Bills of a similar nature founded on an
inquiry previously instituted by the House of Commons.
They were asked by the Bill to declare that the borough
of Stafford was grossly corrupt. In his opini.,n the same
character might justly be given to nine-tenths of the
boroughs in England; and 11,t expected that this would be
the ca-e when the el, ctive franchise was given to that class
of persons to whom votes were of no value, unless they
were permitted to sell them. He always thought that the
effect of the Reform Bill would be to put up to sale the
repre-entation of the country, and that expectation had
been confirmed by what passed at the late election. The
Nohl,! and Learned Lord concluded by moving., that the
second reading of the Bill be postponed, and proposing an
amendment to the effect just mentioned.

Lord ELLENBORdUGH should move, in order to
allow time to maturely consider how they might prove
the preamble of the Bill, that the second reading be
po:tponed till to-morrow.

The LORD CHANCELLOR thought that the course
propoeil by the Noble Baron was well worthy the con-
sideration of the House. He did not altogether agree with
his Noble and Learned Friend, in hiving this meter
referred to a secret committee, at which no person save
their Lordships and the witness under examination would
be present, the witnesses would be exempt from all chance
of prosecution ; for if their Lordships should he applied
to, eitlnT at the instance of the prosecutor or of the
Court before which the trial was to take p'ace, for
the production of the evidence taken before them,
and if their Lordships should consent to the pro-
duction of such evidence, that evidence being so
produced, must necessarily lead to the conviction of• the
parties who gave it. The chance was, however, small,
he admitted, that the production of such evidence would
either be asked for or permitted by their Lordships. He
might, therefore, agree wit'i his No,de and Learned Friend
that it would be a safe course to shape the investiga,ion as
he had recommended. His N ,ble and Learned Friend had
said that this Bill was a novelty. He admitted it to be a
novelty ; but his amendment, if carried, would he quite as
much of a novelty; for no such secret committee as that
for which his Nehle and Learned Friend was now contend-
ing had ever yet been appointed by their Lordships. To
satisfy themselves, therefore, and to see whether any other
and better mode of condoc:ing this inv..stigation could be
devised, the best course was to adopt the proposition
of the Noble Baron—to suspend the second reading.
for the present, and to let this matter stand over for
a day or two. In common fairness to the Reform
Bill, he thought that his Noble and Learned Friend
ought not to have said that the recent htibery
at Stkffoid had reference to that most salutary
measure, as be deemed it, the last Reform Bid.
The worst instanc,es of bribery ever known had taken
place before the last Reform 1341 was even heard of.
In jostification of that remark, lie would merely mention
an incident that had occurred some years ago in this very
borough of Stafford. Os one occasion its electors had
marched up to the hustings with cock ides of bank-notes
in their hats, thus giving an ostentatious proof of their
profligacy. II- rather thought the class of electors which
was most open to bribery was not of the creation of the
Reform Bill, but existed before it. He alluded to the
freemen who existed before the Reform Bill, and whose
rights
that
i wnaenre;
criersye rov; db themunder
borough
in
the
empire h eha d t
he 101. not heard
house-
holders—the creation of the Reform Bili—had 11:d them-
selves open to the charge of corruption. In conclusion,
he suggested that his Noble Friend should suspend his
mo ion, and his Learned Friend his amendment, for a few
days, and that they should then come down to the House
in a situation to perform th it duty to the country at
large, to the borough of Staff .rd, and to the House of
Commons, wnieh had sent up this Bill to their Lordships.
The debate was then adjourned till Friday next. The
House then adjourned.

SUPPRESSION OF THIS TRADES

POLITICAL. UNION.

(From the Dublin Freeman's Journal.)
BY THE LORD LIEUTENANT GENERAL AND GENERAL

GOVERNOR OF IRELAND.
A PROCLAMATION

ANGLESEA,

Whereas oy an Aot passed in the third year of his
M.ijesty's reign, intituled, " An Act for the more effectua
suppression of local disturbances and d ingerous associa-
tions in Ireland," it is, amongst other things enacted, that
it shall he lawful for the Lord Lieutenant, or other chief
governor or governors of Ireland, at any time after the
passing of the said Act, and from time to time, during
the continuance thereof, as occasion may require, by his or
their order, in writing, of which public notice shall be
given, to prohibit, or suppress, the meeting of any asso-
ciation, assembly, or body of persons, in Ireland, which
he or they shall deem to be dangerous to the public peace
or s %fey, or inconsistent with the due administration of
the I.w, and by the same, or any other order, also to
prohibit every or any adjourned, renewed, or utherwi-e
continued meeting of the same, or of any part thereof,
under any name, pretext, shift, or device, whatsoever.
And wh•reas a certain association, known by the name
of The N itional Trades' Political Union," has for some
time past existed, and s ill exists, in Ireland.

Now we, the Lord L,eutenant General and General
Governor of Ireland, deeming the said association, called
" The National Trades' Political Union," to be dangerous
to the pudic peace and safety, and inconsistent with the
due administration of the law, do, by this our order, in
writing, prohibit and suppress every meeting of the said
association, and we do further, by this cur order, prohibit
every, and any adjourned, renewed, or otherwise con-
tinued meeting of the said association, or any part thereof,
under any name, pretest, shift, or device whatsoever.
Given at his 11Iajsty's Castle of Dublin, the 17th day
of April, 1833.

By his Excellency's command,
WM. GOSSET.
God save the Kine.

THE WEA T weather has for
some !brie been extremely severe for this period, and un-
propitious to vegetation usually looked fur in the month of
April. The wind coining from the north-west has pro-
duced a coldness in the atmosphere suitable to winter. On
Friday afternoon the streets of this city were covered with
hail of considerable thickness, and repeated violent squalls
occurred, accompanied by heavy rains. This morning,
about half-pasteight, there was one truly awful, approach-
ing an hurricane, but its duration was limited, and its
course confined chiefly to the southern side of the city,
little of it having been expetiencel on the northern, by
the coaches, which shortly atter arrived from that direc-
tion.—Cork Chronicle of Monday.
HOW TO GET MARRIED.-A young
woman, named MARIA BENSON, residing at Swaffham, in
this county, lately charged a waggoner, named BvFotto,
with being the father of a child of which she all gal alit-
was enciente. BY7ORD absented himself from home, and
the child was sworn to him in his absence. on Friday
he was taken iran custody, and an investigation then took
place before the Magistrates, to whose surprise it turned
out that the girl was not, nor ever had been, in the con-
dition she represented. On being asked her reason fur her
conduct, she replied, with a simper, that she bad only
done it to get the young man to marry her. The Maos-
trate,' discharged the young man, and committed the lan-
guishing girl for trial oil a charge of perjury.—Gatnbridye
Press.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The House of Commons was occupied with the motion of
Attwood. If the currency members of that assembly
possessany talent, their extraordinary failure in debate, last
night, must be ascribed to a cause for which no talent
could compensate. Never, in Parliamentary history, do
we remember a motion brought fee ward with so little
ah;hiey, and supported with so slender a show of re +son.
In the speech of the Hon. Mover, which occupied nearly
• three hours and a half in the delivery, there was not a
single areument or a statement which had not been ad-
varmed, explained, or refuted, a thousand times before.
All that we could say of the Hon. Member was, that if
was not a convincing, he was a striking speaker ; and that,
judging; froM his manual vehemence, he must have made
deep impression on the table, if not on his audience.*
Lord Althnrp displ eyed his acknowledged, direct,
straight-forward understanding and manly sense, in de-
tecting the sophistry, demolishing the reasoning, and
resisting the propositions of the currency party. Seeing
how often the country had been before agitated by such
useless discussions, and being convinced that nothing but
rni,chief cou'd result from allowing any doubt to remain
any longer respecting the opinion of the fir+t reformed
Parliament on so momentous a question, his Lordship,
not satisfied with the order of the illy, or the previous
question, got rid of the original motion by introducing
as a substitute the following most salutary and necessary
resolution :—" That it is the opinion of this Hause that
any alteration in the monetary system of this country
which would have the effect of lowering the standard of
value is highly inexpedient." Never was answer more
triumphant than that of Lord Althorp, though none was
ever more plain and unpretending. His amendment was
seconded in an able speech by Mr. Grote, the city Member,
and a debate of souse length ensued, which was adjourned to
this day. We can not,ef course, antic•pate the precise numbers
who will support the original motion, but, judging from
the apparent feeling of the House, the currency minority
will not be formidable. It has been suggested that the
Spit eker should put the question, " Let the debtors say,
Aye," and " Let the creditors say, No ;" but as we cannot
suopo.e that debtors to any amount exist in the ILn.
Mouse, probably there may be no division at all. W 0
defer some intended remarks on the debate till to-morrow.
or the end of the discussion.— Times.
• A reporter, who had some curiosity and a few minutes to
spare, timed the Hon. Member's thumps upon the table, and
found that the Hon. Member inflicted no less than 200 knocks
in a quarter of an hour. At this rate Mr. Attwood must have
struck the table no less than 3,000 times in the course of his
speech. Few orators have ever before made so many hits in
so short a space of time—and the ‘' poorfu" preacher, who
'clanged the inside out of six Bibles in the course of a year's
preaching, was nothing to Mr. Attwood.

The public will he much disappointed with Mr. M.
Attwood's speech as the House evidently was. Af w
touches addressed to the landlords, with whom the far-
mers and agricultural labourers, for .he sake of decency,
were lumped, could hardly fail to be well received by the
owners of land : but on the whole it was an unsuccessful
effort. He succeeded in showing that the return to cash
payments was productive of great injury to individuals ;
but though all his arguments pointed to another deprecia-
tion, be did not show how the transference of property
from one el iss to another would aplrl to the national pros-
perity.. A bank restriction (fir a depreciation supp sea a
restriction) would raise the nominal value cf land, and
lower the value of the mortgages on it, so that landlords
would uunquestionably gain by depreciation. All
who owe more than others owe to them, would gain
by depreciation. But the loss woul I be ex..ctly
proportion to to the gain—as one bucket went d own
another would go up. The t ixes would, of course,
pr ss less heavily ; hut as 500 000 fundhol lers, besides
the civil servants of the stare, and our army and navy.
are receivers of taxes, their loss would not be a pure and
unmixed benefit to the nation. Lord Althorp at once
tsruied the course recommen.led, a course of confisca-
tion and robbery, and he was loudly cheered fry the House.
‘• The Hon. Member (said his Lordship) would restore
the Bank restriction system, so that everything on which
tee contracts of the country now depend, would be afloat.
He would place in the h Inds of a commercial body, the
power of saying what every man in the country should be
worth—be would enrich rote, hut impoverish another—
he would do that which must inevitably produce a state of
confusion, and what would be the effect of that confusion,
but a great increase of the very calamity he now deplores ?"
His Lordship observed, what all who remember the period
of the restriction know to be the fact, that the labour-
ing classes are the great sufferers from depreciation. In
%fact, we may say, that the far greater part of the prosperity
which some other classes (eel (luting a restriction, is at the
expense of the poor labourers. To the depreciation we wee
the accursed system of paying able•hodied workmen out o(
the poor-rates. The poor-rates increased fearfully during the
period of the depreciation; and we are inclined to think with
Lord Althorp. that if the paor-rates have in some cites
increased since the return to cash payments, a bad admi-
nistration of the poor laws has something to do with pro-
ducing this effect, because during the depreciation of the
currency, the poor. rates were regularly progressive all over
England ; whereas since the return to cash payments, the
increase has been in the South, and not in the North..
" How is it (said his Lordship) that while in the North
tyre poor laws have been a blessing, in the South they have
been an evil? And yet the momentary system is the same
in both places." His Lordship concluded with moving an
amendment, " That it is the opinion of the House that
any alteration of the monetary system of the country
which would have the effect of lowering the standard
of value, wou d be highly inexpedient." The an-
nouncement of this amendment was received with loud
cheering on all sides. Mr. Grote, who seconded the
am-ndrnent, took the bull by the horns, for he
questioned the first proposition of Mr. Attwood, on
which al his system was founded—the existence of
greater distress since than before the passing of Peel's
Bill. One fact stated by lion was not to be easily me.
—namely, that the average of bankruptcies of fourteen
years front 1819, was 1,765 per annum ; while for the
fourteen years from 1808 to ISIS it was 1,964, though
the number of traders was much greater now than at the
former period. Mr. Grote referred to the increased con-
sumption of tea, sugar, and other necessaries, in proof the
well-being of the country ; though he admitted that par-
ticular classes were suffering severely, as there always had
been in this great country partial distress and suffering.
There can be no doubt that for a while depreciation give•
a sort of unnatural vigour. While prices are rising every
man is eager to purchase, and money can be e tsily obtained.
But this vigour does not last long ; and in the mean time
the people with fixed incomes and the working classes
are subjected to great privations. The suffering of the
labourers during periods of depreciation was shown in an
able and masterly manner by Mr. l'oulett Thomson, to
whose speech we can only now refer our readers, but to
which we shall revert to-morrow. The debate was ad-
journed to this day.—Morning Chronicle.
Though Lord Althorp is naturally a man of candour, he
can sometimes fence with a political opponent or a poli-
tical question on the old Tory plan, and resort to the Tory
trick of evasion when his cause is too weak for direc•
argument. Take the instance of Mr. M. Attwood's
motion last night. That motion was simply for inquiry,
upon the undeniable ground of the existence of great and
increasing distress. In the course of his reasoning Mr.
Attwood explained his views of liar monetary system, ant!
the effect of the ruinous measure called " Peel's Bill,"
upon the whole financial and commercial operations of the
kingdom. His views upon those subj cis may be peculiar.
they may be even erroneous, but they formed no part re
his motion ; they were not even essential parts of his
argument; for they might be denied, controverted, and
scattered to the winds, without in the slightest degree affect-
ing the force of the main consideration—namely, the duo
tress which prevails from one end of the country to the
other, and which cannot be disputed by any man who has
head or heart enough to understand the symptom,
and workings of national or individual suffering
The speech of Lord Althorp, however, was di
rected to those comparatively unimportant topics in Mr.
Attwood's appeal, with scarcely an allusion to the rca
motion, or to the undeniable fact upon which its necessity
was founded. It is far from our wish to underrate any of
the arguments so powerfully inculcated by Mr. Attwood,
but we cannot consider it in any other light than as an
evasion of the question at issue to grapple with him a•
Lord Althorp and some others of his opponents did la,
night on his peculiar views of finance, omitting or slurring
over that which was the paramount consideration—the
actual state of the country. We repeat that the questio.
is whether the state of the country be or be not such as to
demand immediate inquiry, and that men, whose views
are the most opposed either as to the cause or the cure o
the existing evils, are equally bouud to vote for inquiry i
they can only agree in thinking that something ought to
be done. It is in vain to contend that the adoption
of Mr. Attwood's motion would he tantamount t,
the adoption of all his opinious on the monetary
prevalent
Saunf
sufficient
system. It would not pledge the House to any one of h;s
cpiirenenciptua inquiry needful.
ttaoio (i1ie,,,,,„ the,
ot reformedfo eathesene
aHri factso
,:t,1.?.
opinions upon any one subject exc.-pt that distress was
ofe
There Commonss
ponied debate. but we will not fothode such evil to the
country as to anticipate the loss of the motion. It it I.
an object with our representatives to be able to look thei•
constituents in the face, they cannot—we contend (or
they cannot—refuse to investigate the causes of the pre-

PRICE OF CANDLES.
fhe price of Store Candles, in the retail shops, is as follows
l'andles,per doz. 7s. old. to 84. Od. Moulds, per dozen -9s.

C 'AL MARK.

Per Ton. S. d.
Chester 14 4)
Kist rerey
Elebhurn Main Ifi 0
4olywell 17 0
Kenton West 15 6
,oath ffolywell 13
antiel4).
West Hartley 17 0
Walls End Brown's„....—. 15 6
W:411 • Ent Callerton .. 13 6
Walls End Gosforth IS 6
Walls End Heaton l7 6
Walls End Hilda 16 3
Ditto Killingworth
Ditto Northumberland 17 8
Walls End Perkins &Co 16 6
Ships arrived since

Per Ton.

Walk End Riddell's
Walls End Walker --.ls
Walls End Hetton --.
Walla End Ly0n5.,...,,.,,,,,, 17
W. E. Russell's Hetton_ 19
Walk End Stewart';..,,.._ 19
Walk End Gordon..._ 17
W. E South Durham.. 10
Walls End Tees --.. 19
Llangennech Coal., 20
Merthyr
Silkstone Field and Co.— 15
Stone Coal Trimsaran -- 19
Stone Coal Milford Vein— 30
Walls End Elgin 15
last market.day, 20.

NEWCASTLE CORN MARKET-April2o,.

_
New. Old.
kVite:t, Northumberland 40s 5t5....... —s —s.'
Norfolk and SLIM)Ik 50s. fiOs
lierwick and Scotch 18s. 53s
Foreign —s. —s.
Rye, Norfolk and Suffolk als. 38.
Foreign :Vs. 35s
Barley, Malting, Norfolk and Suffolk... 2,35. 32s
Grinding and Feeding "Os. 244.
Halt, Norfolk and Suffolk .50s. Stis
Beans, Small -e. .....8 s. 28s.
' Tick —s. —s. 2ss. Ws.
Pease, White 15s. 3tls —s. .....A.
Gray its 30s _6, ....11.
Oats, Northumberland, Potatoc ...... ...Ills 21s
--- Feed IN !Ss
Foreign ....5. —s
Flour, Fine (per sack) -a. ....41

THE BUDGET.—We are very much indebted
to the public-spirited proprietor of The Sun daily Even.
ing Paper, who last night favoured us with a copy of his
journal by special express, containing the speech of the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER on bringing forward
the Budget. We instantly published the particulars in
handbills, which were extensively circulated in the mar-
ket on its commencement, and throughout the town and
neighb ,urhood by seven o'clock this morning. We are
sorry to observe the announcement that the public had so
little to expect, gave general dissatisf,ctinn. That out of
an annual taxation of 46 millions, payable in a gold cur-
rency, Lord ALTHORP, in his bounty, proposes to relieve
the admitted distresses of the country by a remission of cer-
tain taxes t the amount of 1,349,0001., and his Lordship is
only enabled to make this reduction in the forlorn " hope"
there will be an excess of income over the expenditure in the
current year to cover that amount. The taxes required to
be repealed, according to the demands of the people, ex-
pressed in their petitions and at all their public meetings,
are the malt, hop, soap, house, and window duties,
amounting to about ten millions. Lord ALTHORP asks
them to be satisfied with the repeal of the taxes upon tiles,
a small reduction upon advertisements, marine insurances,
a modicum of the assessed taxes, and a proportion of capon
and soap duties, to the amount of 1,349,000/. This
Budget may spread satisfaction amongst the tax-eaters, the
idoers, and the people of the Consolidated Pool ; but it
must and will spread disappointment and dismay amongst
the decaying landlords and their drooping tenantry, the
industrious but half-ruined merchants, shopkeepers, and
mechanics, and the already starving ag•icultural and
manufacturing population. But, above all, if this is in-
deed the only relict from taxation the people are to obtain
from a reformed Parliament, how, and where, and when
ire all these parties to seek and obtain that real redress
of grievances to which they are so justly entitled, and
which was supposed the inevitable result of a Whig
Ministry and a reformed Parliament.—Reading Mercury.
THE DIS-UNITED SERVICE JOURNALS.
—This is a glorious time for the great Half:paid—there
are no less than four periodicals devoted peculiarly to the
services ashore and afloat, besides other indirect ch innels
(as the Metropolitan) for milit ry and naval communi-
cation. " Adventures"—" Autobiographies"—"Personal
Narratives"—" Recollections" " Reminiscences"—and
" Sketches" of all sorts, are in great r. quest. There is
scarcely a drummer but gets his ten guineas a sheet from
the magazines, or his penny-a-line from the newspapers.
The very trumpeter forgets to " blow his own trumpet,"
fir be is writing "an article" for Mr. CoLzuxN. The
Corporal' holds forth on corpora/ punishment, and the
Quarter master—though not a quarter master of his sub.
ject—" takes up his pen to inform us." As for the coins•
mis-ioned officers, they are positively at a premium.
T sir warlike blades are worked up into Perryian p
Files o' newspapers take place of files of men. Hostile
Columns, guiltless of blood, are arrayed in typograpeical
opposit 00, and martial adversaries blow one another up in
powderless Magazines. There is scarcely a man who
has ever smelt gunpowder who does not now fight his
battles o'er again." As for ourselves, we are as familiar
with every event of the Peninsular War es with the I4st
Marylebone election, and we are become no sapient in nau-
tical affairs, that we are retie), to supplant Admiral Sae-
roams at a moment', notice—nay, if my Lord Geer
should make it a personal favour, we will nut hesitate to
tike the command of the combined squadrons in tee Me-
,iiteraneao.—The Town.

prising
IHnisthempaajreissthy,sof
s_iievarriiosnitirn,FseSiaucnineodrlkLciotiine,
there: i;a1:(1,
1 500 acres, and a population of 500
clergyman,au re-
sLietatia,:rn.ttnßoifaehptoritpb.,y.
rat
c:a
curate
eAw divine
hßou service
ves
ian is
aoesarwlyo
nip ei
off.--Poor
once
BASTAAD, ~ just arrived from Mats• r
tttg
revers sail of the line, anti lotty tiatispuct.,
in Vie Alediterranean,
Falmouth Pucka.