The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-19 00:00:00

pocket for the general expenses. I have never re- '
ceived anything for my services. I was
employed
here 57 days, and, exclusive of money out of pocket,
my claim is pretty nearly £2OO. Mr. Wainwright
came to me not very lbng after the election and
raked for an account, and I said I was perfectly
ready to go into accounts, but my advice to him
was, if he expected to be examined before the com-
mittee the less he knew the better. I am aware,
from reading Mr. Leatham's evidence in the papers,
that he says £2,500 came down from Overend and
Gurney's ; but £2,000 is all that I ever received,
and I think there must be some mistake. All the
money which I paid out for bribes was before the
election, so that if any of the bribes were delayed
it was in the hands of the under agents. I never
heard Mr. Wainwright mention any sum as the
limit placed on him by his principal. That is an
unmitigated lie of Godfrey Noble's. Parties en-
gaged in electioneering matters in London now,
When they meet with any lie bigger than another
call it a " Noble." (Laughter.) Noble's state-
ment, too, that he saw notes and gold in my pos-
session is another lie. The first time I saw him was
in the presence of the hon. member for Hudders-
field, Mr. E. A. Leatham ; and when he went away
I said to Wainwright, " I don't know what ground
you have for confidence in that man, but in my
mind lie is not to be trusted—l think him a scoun-
drel." I was therefore particularly cautious not to
do anything before him. Hinchliffe, too, is another
ofithe same stamp. He says I gave him £7O, but
the fact is I gave £9O, and much of the money
which I gave him for voters did not reach their
hands. He lies, too, in saying that I authorised
him to keep the £2O given to Wainwright if he
could get it back. I gave him no such authority.
Mr. Willes—Do you know whether there was
any person on the other side engaged in a similar
way to yourself ?

Mr. Gilbert—l was told frequently of a myste-
rious stranger being at work on the other side, but
I don't know who he was, nor have I any suspi-
cion. I know there were very experienced tacti-
cians at work on the other side, and the only won-
der to me is, seeing the high prices paid on the
other side, that we succeeded at all. I wish to say
in conclusion, with reference to the insinuations of
dishonesty which have been thrown out, that they
do not apply to me at all. Apart from my love of
truth and honesty, it is my intention to be
honest to ttiy employers. I came to Wake-
field with an unsullied reputation as a Parliamen-
tary agent; and but for some few acquaintances I
have made here, I regret deeply that I ever set my
foot in it. I have never been engaged in bribery
before, except, perhaps, what I may call legitimate
bribery. I have been engaged in many county
contests, and I have known villages in which the
inhabitants have been split into different parties—
Liberals and Conservatives. The Conservatives
have been taken care of by the clergyman or the
landlord, but there has been nobody to look after
the Liberals, and I have felt it quite legitimate to
find them a good breakfast and give them half a
crown for their day's wages. That is the only kind
of bribery I have ever been engaged in before this
Wakefield affair.

Mr. Joseph Brear, maltster (one of the Conserva-
tive agents, and to judge from the evidence of for-
mer witnesses, their chief bribery agent), was next
called. He .said—l canvassed for Mr. Charles-
worth at the last election. I suppoEe you have
heard, gentlemen, that I did a little of the " amia-
ble" during the election? (Laughter.)
Mr. Sergeant Pigott—Well, such a suspicion has
been breathed against you.
Mr. Brear—So, to save you trouble, I have drawn
up a list, as far as I can recollect, of those to whom
I " tipped the ready" during the election. I
gave Robert Beaumont £25 ; Alexander Brady,
£3O; Charles Brady, £3O; William Cass, £3O; Mi-
chael Cox, £25; E. Owen, £5O; Benjamin John-
son, £2O ; George Perkins, either £35 or £4O ; J.
H. Steed, £2O; William Warrener, £35; William
Wells, £4O ; Gifford, £3O; Joseph Briggs, £l5;
William Newsom, £l5 ; J. Beaumont, £2O or £25 ;
Mr. Williamson, £l5; Mrs. Dunhill, £lO. I also
gave Archibald Crowther £2OO to deal out among
his friends; George Moore, £35; " a man un-
known," £530. (Laughter.)
Mr. Sergeant Pigott—What name did he go by?
_ _

Mr. Brear—l never heard his name. Mr. Thos.
Alder brought him down to my house one evening
in the election week. He sat down, and we had
some talk about the election, from which I came to
the conclusion that he was one of the right sort. I
met him next morning, when he told me he could
secure about a dozen voters, and I gave him £250.
The next dayl met him again and gave him another
£250. I did not make many offers that were not
successful. I did certainly offer money to other
people, but it was mostly " chaff." They got more
chaff than money, did that lot. (Laughter.) For
instance, one day I met a man in the street who
drives an omnibus to Leeds. He was struggling
along with two bony horses, and I asked him how
he meant to vote. He said ho was going against
us, and I said, " What a fool you must be ; I'm in
a position to buy you four gray horses, new sets of
harness, and a bran new omnibus"—(laughter)—
but he drove on and would have nothing to guy to
me. I went, too, into the house of a man named
Mitchell, a customer of mine, who is a voter. I sat
down and called for a glass of beer, and seeing a
clock hanging up against the wall, I said, " What
a pretty clock that is." " Yes," said Mitchell, but
is a rare bad 'un. " Oh," said I, "I can soon cure
it ; it wants greasing—£2s a wheel would soon cure
it." (Laughtei.) L must say, however, it was
more fun than anything else. I don't think he
would have taken a shilling from either party. He
is as decent a man as any in the town.
The witness was under examination when our
parcel left.