The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-12 00:00:00

X 32,271,315 /
BANKING DLPARTMENT.

Proprietors'Capi-
tal £14,553,000
Rest
Public Deposits
(including Ex-
chequer, Sav-
ings' Banks,
Commissioners
of National
Debt, and Div.
Accounts 4,728,715
Other Deposits 17,491,957
Seven Days and
other Bills 472,765

Governmt. Seen-
rities(including
Dead Weight
Annuity) ....114,026,537
Other Securities 16,514,757
Notes 8,938,630
Gold and Silver
Coin ... 1,137,225

£40,614,149
GEORI

.C 40,614,143
E FORBES, Chief C ashier.

T ESTMINSTER LLEC7 lON PETITION.

TIIIS DAY.

The inquiry into this case commenced to-day, at 10
o'clock, in tho Westminster Sessions Court, before Mr.
Baron Martin.

petiCou is that of Mr. James Boale, who charges
Mr. Smith with being guilty, through his agents, of brihery
and treating. _ _

Mr. F. Stephen opened the case for the petitioners. Ho
said the ground of complaint against Mr. Smith, as at t.
forth in the petition, was, that he had been guilty, by
his agents, of bribery and treating. The expenses in-
curred by Mr. Smith in 1865, when he was a candidate
for the representation of Westminster, amounted to
£5,000, whilst his expenses on the occasion of the last
election were, according to tho official return, no less
than £8,909 17s. 7d. Of the constituency of Westminster
which numbered about 18,000, 7,648 votes were recorded

for Mr. Smith, thus leaving on an average the sum of £l.
3s. 3d. as the expense of each voter. The expenses o
Captain Grosvenor and Mr. Stuart Mill on the occasion of
the last election were only £2,300. It appersthait
sa
sum of £6,500 was expended under the four following
items, viz., central committee expenses,
16305.
s.
3d.
agents, £1,747 19s. ; and for advertising, lld. district committee expenses,.tng
£6,599 1,4
sji
voOunfbtelic7
sum of £6,500, no less than £2,500T was
bare
either
was a sum of noB9 2s.
for or imperfectly .vouched for.
s 6
not
been vouched
bBed(
wlhicchoutilidereeawllorecoolonulyrabf°lor
vouchers. lu t
John's the sum
sf,cun.amely, those of St. eorge.
was expended, and those expenses
lwoshsatthahne £(ll,2le2b6lesaPessrn.wo6dacir.d'counse )
improperly Touched for. One of the
for, or had been
Henry Mr. enryEdwards. Ou
have tnfot£l3e,
itemsKnig Knightsbridge, and
part of this man Edwards, who was a farmer at St.
Athlebans,
ho (Mr. Stephen) did not hesitate to say that he
convicted and professional briber. One of tilt,
was a eawndasS2o9 to
principal supporters of Mr. Smith at the last election
was the Hon. Mr. Grimston, who resided at Watford,
which was not a great distance from St. Albans, and
Edwards and that gentleman had been seen together
on several occasions. Mr. Stephens then proceeded
to refer to the cases of colourable treating, and men-
tioned the names of several persons who were pain
7s. a week for exhibiting a board with Mr. Smith's
electioneering address pasted on it, outside their
shop doors. The sum of £209 had been expended
in this way, and ho should be able to prove that Edwards
had committed bribery by colourable payments to those per-
sons. There were three cases of treating, the first of which
was at a public-house called the Merlin's Cave, where, at
a meeting held in support of Mr. Smith's canvass every.
body present partook of drink without paying for it.
That was followed by a more serious transaction in the
course of a few days. Mr. Smith went personally to the
Merlin's Cave, held a meeting, and addressed a considerable
number of persona. At that meeting not only did every,
body have what he pleased, but Mr. Smith went to Mr.
Walker, the proprietor of the house, and after a short
conversation between them, a quantity of champagne
made its appearance, for which no person paid, and of
which every person, including Mr. Smith, partook. After
some further observations, Mr. Stephen proceeded to call
his witnesses.

ROYAL Scomm ACADEMY.—On Wednesday
Mr. Hugh Cameron end Mr. R. T. Ross were elected
Academicians, in room of the late Mr. John Stevens and
!gr. IV. B. Johnstone.