The Sun.
London, England, 1804-12-18 00:00:00

MIDDLESIiIX ELECTION.

The late decisions on this sidle& which are'deeply
interestine to all who value ithe.genoioe Freedom of
Eleaion, and the true Principles Of the Constitution,
induce n mike an.Extraa from a .Wot k, entitle,'
A 'I...ETTA(' TO THP. FP.iIHOLDPIItS Nin)Dl..E.
sit; shich the tiubjed ie, fully and fairly ca.,..
vassesl. The whole proceedings 'of that memorable
event are detailed with .perpicuity and 'candour,
and the reasoning, built upon solid fans, is cleat, 10..
gical, and decisive: The Author, has not put his
name to •the Work ; Gtit from the spirit and
,vigour
with which it is written, as 'well as the patriotic
zeal in Which,it obviously originated, we are led 'to
conceive that it comes fri,m a Gentleman to whom
the Public have been often indebted' for:Works.of
teal political wisdom an'! reaitude.

46 Another class of Voters for Sir Francis Bur-
deft, to whose services the Baronet is MOO in
debted, were found, upon inquiry, teats by„trade,
shoemakers ; a wide which .containat particularly
among the journeymen emphiyed in' it, a larger'
ptoportion of disaffetted characters than any other.
in the Kingdom ; acid which is 'chiefly indebted for
that most disgraceful distinCtion to its connexion•
with Citizen Hardy, the Secretary of the Cortes.
pooding Society, who was indeed- acqiiitted in the
year 1794., of High Treason, brit the perusal of
whose trlal will convince any one, that the So_
riety, of which he was the Secretary, was ereaged
in a Treasonable Conspiracy,- founded on French
it'?volutionary Principles, for the overthrow of the•
Constitution. Of the journeymen shoemakers;
tavernl voted for Sir Francis Burdett in the early
part of the gleftion ; and there being reason to
suapeft that sa (Mich larger number would.beem.
ployed on the same service, petatins .who had an
extensive acquaintaoce with that description of
artizant, were engaged in deteCting them when
they
,came to vote. But before this expedient was
tried several of the sons of Crispin had adually
polled, and some of them several times over. •
t. The shoemakers who voted for Sir Francis
Purderr were chief!), persons who are known by
the denorninstien of i‘air.makers.7 These aye de.,
seriers fro driferent Regiments of the Militia and
the,Army of Reserve, in whiCh they have SUCCe9'...
sively enlisted tor the take of bounties. They have
ritisuined the foregoing appellation; in allusion to
their'rrade ; fnf each persori obtaining to bounty
in the manner -above- described, significantly
said to have male ea' pair, and hence the labourer
, in that occupaii in is denominated. a,.'pair.maikee,
To Meet such Voters, Serjento from the, Militia
Regiments were provided, • who: tletetted many
when they came to poll, 'and whose appearance, it
May fairly be presumed,'prevented many more horn
she wing, thernselOes' it ilie l'itist:itigs. • The 'Police.
officers Were also very useful in detecting the
pairrik+kers, many' of whom had fieei broUght
by them, as 'deserters, before' the Magist'ra'tes,-
One of he Constables' 'belonging to 'the Office at
Bdiv.:strier, had in two days ',taken up no fewer
thin nineteen deserters, of' the above 'description,
from Colonel, Cameron's Regiment. This Con.
stable being One day within the place before the
Hustings, allotted' to Voters, saw a man in black
knocking at the door of• the Hustings, which he
required to be opened for the admission of fur
Freeholders to *poll ; the Constable, turning about,'
immediately recognized (host Freeholders to be
pair. makers ; and upon Ms looking thejn full in
the face, rasher significantly, they renounced their
. franchise, and Withdrew very exyeditiously' froM
the place of polling.
66 One of the pair.makers, more hardy•thari the
rest, ventured when objeeted to, to untlergo.art-ex.
amiriation before the Sheriff, Mr. MAinwaring's
Counsel, Mr. Couithorpe, in consequence of in.
formation which he had feteived from a Srrjeant,
gave this man a history 'of his nial.pradices, 'and
specified several egithents froirtiwhich he had de.
serted. The pretended Voter had, however, the
effiontery to brave alt, this, and to insist on his
right to poll ; a right which 'the Sheriff told him,
he might exerei,e if Ite pleased. Mr.Cciultliiirpe.,;
however,, confident in the authenticity of his in-
formation, told him, that, notwithstanding such pee..
Mission, he would not venture to avail himself of
it. This prediction was at-tit:lly verified ; for no
sooner was' this Voter out of rile 'Sheriff', box, than,
instead of going to poll, he took to his heels, and: in
moment was our of sight,
66 It should not escape-notice, thatthe fitllitions
Voters who appeared for Sir Francis Burdett were
Susceptible of 'a variety of distinftions, in resped of
the 'eharatier which they assumed, as well as
of that Whieh belonged to them in their own right.
Some came ro trifle for property which they de.
dared to he freehold, bur which-was 'not'so,.Of
this class "were those who have excited no at.
tentibn,•iinderthe ilentimination of Spice Islanders ;
a description of whose pretended title was gikn by
Thointon; in his excellent speech at the Free.
masons' 'Tavern. The local knowledge of the in.
ape tors was exceedingly useful in deteEting the
Voters for fictitious Freeholds, and in" deterring
them when objedett to from, appearing before the .
Sheriff.* : and in Finsbury bivision only, on the
first day of 'the.Eleetian, upwards of ten persons
were thus induced to abandon their claim to vote..