The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-08 00:00:00

REPRESENTATION OF BODMIN.

Considerable excitement was created at Bodmin
on Tuesday by the announcement that one of the
m embers for the borough, the Hon. Edward
Frederick Leveson Gower, had resigned his seat
and accepted an invitation to be nominated for
Sutherlandshire, which constituency is now vacant
by the succession of his relative, the Marquis of
Stafford, to the dukedom of Sutherland. During the
course of the afternoon Mr. Edward W. Cox, of
the Western Circuit, and recorder of Falmouth,
Penryn, and Helston, telegraphed to Bodmin that
he would be a candidate for the vacant seat.
Mr. Cox unsuccessfully contested Tewkes-
bury as a moderate Conservative of 1857, but
he obtained only 25 votes on that occasion. He
has also, we believe, offered himself to the electors
of Taunton, in which town he has been a resident.
It was rumoured in Bodmin on Tuesday night that
Mr. John Tremayne, of Heligan, who appeared as
a candidate at the last general election, but retired
without going to poll, would come forward. The
fact that Mr. Tremayne—whose father was for many
years representative in the Conservative interest for
the Eastern Division of Cornwall, has recently
allied himself to the family of Lord Vivian, who is
a Whig, will, it is thought, give him a fair
chance of being returned. The electors favourable
to the return of this gentleman believe that there
is little doubt of his complying with a memorial
that may be presented to him to contest the seat,
inasmuch as at the last election he declared that lie
would try his fortune on another occasion. The
Hon. Captain Vivian, who unsuccessfully contested
Truro at the last general election, and who also
put out an address to the electors of Bodmin, is
likewise spoken of as a candidate. There is certain
to be no lack of applicants for the vacant place,
Bodmin being one of those boroughs of convenient
size which are always looked upon with favour
by the aspirant to Parliamentary honours.
In addition to the candidates who will be
likely to appear as connected with the neigh-
bouring estates, there is a probability that
the promoters of the ballot will send a champion to
fight their battle in what has always been a favou-
rite constituency of theirs. Mr. Wyld, the sitting
member, is a well known supporter of their views ;
and at a former election Mr. Whitehurst put forth
an address to the electors in behalf of the same
cause. At the election for 1859 the poll showed 215
votes for the Hon. E. F. Leveson Gower, 193 votes
for Dr. Wm. Michell, and 167 for Mr. James Wyld.
Subsequently, a petition having been preferred
against Dr. Michell for undue influence, that gen-
tleman accepted the Chiltern Hundredsin the fol-
lowing August, and Mr. Wyld was then elected
without a division. The population of Bodmin is
6,337, and the registered electors 398, mcluding six
freemen.— Western Morning News.

The Hon. E. L. Gower, in a letter to a contem-
porary, denies having any intention of resigning
his seat.

THE LATE SIR WILLIAM NAPIER.—Mr. George
E. Adams, sculptor, has received an order from the com-
mittee to execute a colossal marble statue of the late General
Sir W. Napier, K.C.8., to be placed in St. Paul's Cathe-
dral, as a pendant to the one he erected in that place to his
brother, the late General Sir J. Napier.
ANOTHER REFUSAL OF AN OATH.—At the
West Kent quarter sessions just held, a man named John
Bigg attended to prosecute a girl for stealing a shawl.
Previous to being sworn Mr. Ribton, counsel for the pri •
soner, inquired of the prosecutor whether he believed in
the existence of a God. The prosecutor replied that he
believed in the existence of some unknown power or being
that governs the universe. Mr. Ribton then inquired if he
(prosecutor) believed in future rewards and punishments,
the answer elicited being that he could not conscientiously
believe in the existence of an avenging being, and there-
fore did not believe in a future state of punishment. Upon
this Mr. Ribton submitted the prosecutor's evidence could
not be received, and the court concurring, the accused was
`ordered to be discharged.