The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-07 00:00:00

CDRISTY 3r:
Wednesdays an

NSTRELS, St. James's Hall, E

B:aturdays, at 3 and 8 a]

PARIS,

PARLIAMENTARY- AND MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS.

The select committee appointed by the House of Com-
mons to inquire into the general question of parliamentary
and municipal elections held their first sitting on Tues-
day. The members elected to sit on this committee are
Sir M. H. Beach, Mr. Brand, Mr. Bright, Mr. Cross,
Mr. Dalglish, Mr. Edward Egerton, Mr. Fawcett, Mr.
Graves, Sir George Grey, Mr. Gathorne Hardy, the
Marquis of Harlington, Sir F. Renate, Mr. Staveley
Hill, Mr. Howes, Mr. Hunt, Mr. James, Mr.
Leatham, Mr. Locke, The O'Connor Don, Mr. Raikes,
Mr. Henry Smith, Mr. Villiers, and Mr.:Whitbread. The
Marquis of Harlington took the chair, and the first
witness called was Mr. Barber, the Mayor of Nottingham,
who said that in that borough, in connection with the
municipal elections, he believed one-third of the voters
were corrupt. A number of statistics which he
adduced went to spew tlat in one of the wards of the
borough, cut of 1,967 voters, 600 were open to bribes ;
in another ward, 500 out of 1,3:30 were susceptible to the
same influence ; in a third, °5O out of 639 ; in a fourth,
300 out of 1,008; in a fifth, 170 out of 678; in a sixth,
100 out of 582; and in a seventh, 582 out of 1,475. The
amounts paid were usually 3s. 6d. and 55., though some-
times they were much larger, and the bribery was a
matter of public notoriety ; so much so, indeed, that
many respectable persons refused to have anything to do
with the elections at all. The reception of bribes was not
confined to the lower classes, but if the amount offered
was deemed sufficiently large, the shopkeepers were quite
ready to take it. This system of bribery had been in
existence as long as the witness remembered. He did not
think that the bribery at municipal elections was intended
to have, or did have, any considerable effect upon the
parliamentary elections. In answer to Mr. Villiers, the
witness said that attempts had been made to stop the
system of bribery that existed, but they had generally
broken down before the elections were over. The money
for the bribes was paid by the candidates generally,
though, when the amount was large, it was sometimes
raised by subscription. The corruption in the borough
was on the increase, and, in the opinion of the
witness, money would carry any election, parliamentary
or municipal, in Nottingham. Replying to Mr. Hardy,
Mr. Barber stated that there were many instances in
which small shopkeepers had been content to receive 108.
for their votes. One remedy for the present evil
would be secret voting, if a system of secret
voting could be adopted, though probably more
would be done in the way of remedy if the
law could easily be put into operation to punish the
bribers and the bribed. To Mr. Fawcett the witness said
that a public prosecutor would be necessary to put the
law into motion against offenders. The remainder of the
sitting was occupied with the examination of other wit-
nesses from Nottingham, who confirmed the views
expressed by Mr. Barber. The committee will take
evidence from various boroughs and towns in England.

CENTRAL CHAJIBEI? OF AGRICULTURE,

cr4p,
COP tt eirtnirat

LIER MAJESTY.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, April 6.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice, left Wind•
sor Castle this morning at a quarter-past 11, and
arrived here shortly after 12.
Her Majesty, accompanied by Princess Louise,
visited St. Bartholomew's Hospital thiB afternoon.
Prince Leopold visited the Tower of London.

LATEST INTELL IGENC%

(REU"'ER'S TELEGRAIIS.)

DEATEI OF SIR E. CUSARD.

NEW YORK, April 7.
Sir Edward Cunard, Bart., died suddenly, frovi
heart disease, in New York, last evening, lie was
53 years of age, and a principal partner in the house
of Messrs. Cunard, Burns, and Maelvor, the steaur
ship owners.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, April s.—Three o'clock—The markei
closed as follows :-
1 per Cent. ...... 101 Bank Shares 2850
End of month... ltalian Fives 55 80
3 per Cent
End of month 7O 35 Mexican Loan 241
Jredit Mobilier
End of month... 275 Spanish Threes 32 50
Credit Foncier ...1487 50 Rome Debt
End of month... Deferred
Cash
NOrleans ..... ............................... 9481,
orthern ............................ ...... 1112}
Lyons and Mediterranean ............... 9'l;
Southern..... ................................. 613 i
EWestern ....................................... 595
Sastern ............
........................
ardinian
.....................
Austrian ..........
...........................
Lombard ....................
North of Spain Saragossa ..................
Boman ...................

511
C 631-
475

. ...................... 55

IRELAND.

• DUBLIN, Tuesday.
The Prince, accompanied by their Excellencieo
and a briViant party, left town to-day at 12 o'clock
for Punchestown.
His Royal Highness was cheered by the specte,"
ters, who lined the way to the terminus, and the
crowd there assembled. Ile was also warmly re-
ceived
on the course. The weather was unfavour-
able, and the attendance was not so large as last

The Prince of Wales's Cup was won by Fa'
:ullagh.

Cardinal Cullen was among the guests at the
(viceregal Lodge this evening.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-71tis Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
) INGENIOUS RolmElm—Joseph Ricketts, porter, in the
employ of Mr. Jabez Hughes, dealer in photograph/0
apparatus, 379, Oxford-street, and also Frederick Smith,
photographer, Now-street, Covent-garden, and brother-ill'
law of Ricketts, were brought before Mr. Tyrwhitt, the
former charged with stealing a quantity of property be"
longing to his employer, and the latter with receiving the
same with a guilty knowledge.
From the evidence it appeared that in consequence of
the prosecutor having lost a large quantity of property the
police were communicated with, and after watching the
premises several mornings the prisoner Ricketts was soli
by Mr. \Verge, manager to the prosecutor, and Police-coo"
stables Walker and Deechey, to go to the premises an
hour before his time, take down the shuttets by mewl°
of a pair of steps, go through the fanlight into the sholA
and after being there a quarter of an hour come back and
place a parcel behind the door. The officer then tool‘
Ricketts into custody, and on the way to the station be
threw away two keys which had been left safe in the shop
overnight by the manager. On the parcel being opened
it
was found to contain some of the prosecutor's property'•
Beechey then went to Smith's house, Smith being the
brother-in-law of Ricketts, and found there several articles
used iu the trade of a photographer, and which wore idea•
tified by the prosecutor as his property, and when Smith
was charged with receiving the things, he said he hay
purchased them four months' ago, but one of the articles,
a bottle of collodion, bore the prosecutor's mark.
After the depositions had been completed Mr Tyrwhitt
asked the prisoners whether they wished to state any'
thing.
Mr. Lewis Lewis, for the prisoners, said they would
reserve their defence.
Mr. Tyrwhitt committed them for trial.