The Sun.
London, England, 1826-06-29 00:00:00

SOMERSET....hcurcria, TUIESDAY, .lingit 27,

At the dose of the poll to-day the Under Sheriff declared the
numbers to be ste follow :
Dickinson
Lethbridge
Hunt

1,713 t

1,862
• 299

One of the poll-clerks, named Baker, gave in his account of the
state of the poll in a manner which showed great animus against
Mr. Hunt, of which the latter complained; and the High Shvilf
sharply reprimanded the clerls.., The man apologized, by stating
that he was only a schoolmaster, and would do so no more. The
Court was then adjourned to two o'clock to-morrow. Upon which
Mr. HUNT rose, and complained that the other candidates had
again turned their backs upon the freeholders in much the same
way as they did when petitions to Parliament were intrusted to
f their ears. At a meeting held at Wells in January, 1828, the
freeholders had petitioned for a reform of various abuses, and 1w
fhad now a copy of the petition, which he would resit to the
freeholders. (The petition Was then reed.) It complained of
thegreat distress to which the petitioners were reduced, and preyed
for a remission of taxation and a reform in Parliament. The petition
%.,as moved by him at Wells, as an amendment to one proposed b)
Mr. Henning, and seconded by Mr. Sandford; it was adopted at
a meeting composed of 8000 persons, and though Mr. Stuckey,
the very amiable and intellectual Sheriff of that period, had refused
to give it his sanction, as he ought to have done, it had been
signed, after the meeting, by about 7,000 persons. Out of from
8,000 to 10,000 persons who were at that meeting, no more than
27 held up their hands against the petition ; and no one could,
therefore, doubt that it expressed the sense of the county. Sir
Thomas had promised to give its prayer his support, excepting as
regarded the Judges' gaieties ; but instead of doing so, be had said
that although it was most numerously signed, he did not approve
of its prayer. Sir Thomas thus proved that he disregarded the
wishes of the county; and by this, and various other acts and
omissions, he had proved himself wholly unworthy to represent
the county. To petition was a privilege not denied to man
by his Creator; but such men as Sir Thomas, though them-
selves but on a level with their fellow-creatures, would pour
contempt upon their petitions, and deny them the consolation
of knowing that their complaints were properly brought
before the notice of those who could relieve them ; and yet,
though Sir Thomas Lethbridge had proved himself so im-
worthy of support, he was surrounded by the Magistrates, the
clergy, and the law)ers, and by the combined force of these men
brought to his aid, he could set the county at defiance. In proof
of this he could mention instances in which persons, lumest free-
holders, who gave him (Mr. Hunt) the preference, and promised
to come to vote for him, bad been induced to break their words by
the influence and intimidations of these several classes of persons,
who formed a masa of influence with which he feared it was of
little use to contend; and yet these were the persons who set
themselves up as patterns of morality and teachers of religion !
How could they expect to escape the exposure and the infamy
which properly attached to tuck a line of conduct? No sooner
did he state facts in relation to the conduct of these men, than up
got such a fellow as Vincent Stuckey and said, " It is a lie, it is a
d--.d lie." This was the answer he got to his statements about
what occurred in Ilehester gaol ; it was false, and be (Mr. Hunt)
was a MOSS malicious, wicked clog, for stating it. The robberies
in that prison, the cruelties and delinquencies of the gaoler, were
all unfounded, until he had an importunity of proving their truth,
when, though most fully substantiated, the delinquent was al-
lowed to go free. Since he last addressed the freeholders, be had
provided himself with a copy of the evidence adduced before
the Commissioners appointed to examine into the state of
Ilchester gaol. It would show how the county was robbed by the
gaoler. The magistrates had connived at these robberies, and they
had never endeavoured either to punish or to recover. soy thing
from that individual who had, through their neglect, robbed the
freeholders. A shop had been set up in the gaol for making shoes,
and the money for them, when made, war never accounted for.
Mr. White, the attorney for Bridle, the late gaoler, never gave the
!lightest answer to .the charge on behalf of his client. The head
master of the manufactory had told him, that quantities of shoes
were made for the magistrates, amongst others, and no account
was ever rendered of the receipts, nor could any return be obtained.
Sir John Aelsod,
who was a very good magistrate, and the only
one who had acted towards him (Mr. Hunt). like a gentleman, had
some of these shoes; and other persons without number were thus
supplied. Eight hundred pairs had been sent off in one week, but
no account of receipts could be found. The gaoler kept a very con.
vivid house, and amongst his pot-companions some of these Magi'.
trates were to he found. Articles of luxury—such as butter,
who had been the
wins, B,e,—were, on occasions of their visits, fetched from ' the
shops and inns, and charged to the county, being entered as charges ,
for inKiptaining the sick; whilst, in fact, they were consumed at
their drunken festivals, of which some of the Magistrates have
habit, not of going
beencltai
rhanuoillv
onf ttoheb eciptiaar.t.iteehtiro..
usesessiStiorons,Jaiorehwpn:lsAbicunltattntode,tahe
his
bed i n
to an inn or a friend's the
gaol; but whether he went there for the bed alone, he (Mr.
Hunt) could not say. Whilst such things were allowed, it was
no wonder that the expences of. the county were enormous; and I
the Magistrates had no right to complain if they were charged by
him with impropriety and ,gross negligence in the discharge of the
duties they owed to the county. Sir Thomas Lethbridge and
Mr. Dickinson were not only parts of this magistracy, but they
were its supporters in Parliament ; - they had always been so;
the time he nulgi
wee aerates,
in
gaol,
clergy,he saw
before
him;
and it was quite elear:that if they represented any body of pereonk
it
was
tim
ent freeholders of the county. one of the visiting magistrates at
and lawyers, and nut the independ-
and although Dr.

Coniston had not treatedhirn with much consideratinn or courtesy
when he had been under lock and key--
Dr. CoorseoN.—ln the situation in which you were placed
I treated you as a gentleman; and if you• had been my neereat re-
lation, 1, in the situation 1 filled at the time, could not have treat-
ed you with greater kindness.
fluzer-1 dare say Dr. Coulston remembers eneninif into
toy room one day, end professing, as he does now, his, wish to
render MC any service, asking me a question or two. I thought
they we► c put in a very queer and ewkward manner, and hating
en eye-tooth in toy head, I observed that the door was not shut
close ; I went to it, a►nd who should I see there listening but the
turnkey ? I asked him how he could think of placing each a fel.
low as that to listen to our conversation ?
Dr. Con Lsros was about to make some observation, when—.
tIuNT proceeded... 4 assured you tl►en, Dr. Coniston,
and 1 assure you now, that you never did your duty as a
Christian Minister anti a Magistrate, in not going round to visit
the prisoners, and to inspect the gaol, without having such a lurk-
ing fellow as a turnkey with you. I say you should have looked
at every part of the gaol when such a man was not resent ; for,
as a man of intelligence and knowledge of the world, you must
here known that a man ilarkott complein of any grievance when
aunt person MO present. You know that ninety-nine out. oft
hundred prisoners would not dare. to open their lips, in the way
of complaint, before the turnkey! You were told by the Com-
missioners that it was your ditty to go round alone, and to inquire
of the prisoners when in a eituation iu which they might speak the
truth.

Dr. Cont,sim.—Witenever went to ice your did to *

Magistrate, and I waited on you to know if you had any thing to
say to nit ; but when 1 went to other prisoners, I always said
I will take down what you say, and you shall see me is the visit-
ing Magistrate's room.
Mr. lioxr.—After the very manly way in which you have
stood up to defend yourself, Dr. Couleton, perhaps I ought to
apologize to you for mentioning your name in the way I did.
should be sorry to say any thing personally offensive to you.
Dr. Cour.sTme----1 never had the least animosity towards you in
my life, nor have I now.
Mr. HUNT then proceeded to state the hardship endured by the
prisoners in the gaol, particularly as respected a man of the name
of Hill, who, having been put in prison for Bbl., being a balance
due to the Government, had been kept there 16 years, and making
up his mind to stay there for life, had actually made his will.
that men's case had been inquired into, and properly represented
to Government he would have been released, and the freeholder*
of the county Would have been saved 15/. per 11111111111, the **pence
of his support for lei years. A petition was presented on his behalf
by Mr. Grey Bennet, to Parliament ; Mr. Dickinson got up in the
House and said, if not in words, to the effect, that it was all a lie,. that
he was one of the visiting Magistrates,that they were all most honour-
able and amiable men (and so they.. were, no doubt, unless when they
got too much wine, as they did at Mr. Phelips's, the other night.)
The consequence was, the petitioner failed, and Continued another
six years in prison, when another petition was presented by
Whig. Mr.- Dickinson being also a Whig, the petition was in
courtesy shown to him, and he declared it to he all false; that
there never was a better gaoler, never wiser or more kind-hauted
magistrates. What was the consequence, hut that the gentleman
declined to present the petition, and returned it, stating that he
found from Mr. Dickinson that he had been imposed upon, and
the man remained in confinement until he (Mr. Hunt) took up
hie cause ; .and Mr. Dickinson's double knocks not satisfying him,
that and other circumstances led to an inquiry, which terminated
in the appointment of a. commission to inquire into the state of
Beheater gaol. Mr. Dickinson and Sir Thomas Lethbridge
would never have obtained any such commission. They did not
trouble themselves about it, and the abuses would have One
on to this day, if no other person had exerted himself. It
was therefore clear, that although the magistrates, the clergy, and
the lawyer., had their advocates in Parliantentb the yeomen had
no representatives, for their keiliugs and interest had been alto-
gether disregarded. Mr. Hunt then went on to detail numerous
eases of hardship•to which lie and others had been exposed, and
whits's he laid to the account of the magistrates, protected as they
had 'been from all inquiry and control by their menthera. .4mongle
other things, Mr. Hunt stated that he was told by tine of two lay-
men—(he would not say whether Mr. Phelips or Mr. Harming,
who were, with three clergymen, the visiting magistrates sit the

time)—that they had been beaten by the par;ons an a point eon.
eerning himself.
Rev. Mr. Timms rriu, to deny that whilst he was visiting
magistrate any such circumstances occurred. It was not out
of disrespect to Mr. Hunt, hut to his nwn character and those
around' him, that he interrupted Mr. Hunt, to deprecate the
couree he was pursuing from day to day of attacking the ma •
gistnites, and exposing them to unmerited obloquy. Relying
on tar well-known reputation for protection, they had not

thought it worth while to repel these attaeke ; but being parson•
'ally referred to, he would say that all the charges Mr. Huot has
made had been thoroughly i►►vestigated, end that by enemies; for

he would contend that those men in the House of Commons ware
enemies who attended to exparte statements, and sent them forth
to the world. The character of those magistrates had been left
unstained by reproach, and all around them reposed that confidence
in their love of justice and honour which they felt they were
entitled to claim from them. Mr. Hunt had no right to make
charge against Dr. Coniston, and when he stood up to defend
himself, to think that an apology would he initisfactoty, he ought
`to know that they were well-founded, or not to make them. If
'Mr. Bunt would make any specific charges, he was ready to meet
them.

Mr. HUNT said, that he had never nude a charge which wain°.
Substantiated, and that would 'ppm from the printed report of the
'Commissioners. That was made upon oath, and would prove that
all he had stated, about both Hillier, himself, and the visiting Me-
gistrates, was strictly true. He had charged Dr. Coniston, and
that young man's father, with inflicting torture upon a prisoner;
all that he had amid about them had been established by the most
convincing proofs ; and those who examined the evidence would
find that he was fully borne out. What could be a greater proof of
the impropriety of their conduct than the Secretary of State send-
bag down an order in the very teeth of all their orders, and even
'without consulting with them, or allowing them to be the medium
of its execution ? After this, Mr. Dickinson and others had be-
corn, extremely polite and kind, but it was 'ton late ; for he knew
thefull
G well,,l.4lu:tat
Government.
nothingwi,Aeydid
ti
ntoot tchoennitinbuuettotoithaiteolt
irnnemulitai!iionn and
in-
jury upon him, because they had no longer the power. As for the
gentlemen tvho had interrupted him, he bad come to him in the
first instance as a fox-hunter rather than a parson and a Magia-
trate, booted and spurred like a jockey : and when he had shown.
him water which the prisoners were supplied with, that had
passed through the sewers, he said it WAS fitfur culinary porposti.

Mr. TURING again rose to explain and vindicate himself end
he other Magistrates, and asked Mr. Hunt to allow him to read
he evidence.

Mr. Hittur offered to give the report to the High Sheriff and to
Mr. Thring, to read, but Mr: Thring then declined to reed it, and
the Sheriff thought it irrelevant ; the parties coming to high worth,
end great agitation prevailing, the Sheriff said that the nut was
adjourned, and, with his officers and many gentlemen, Withdrew.
Mr. Hun remained, and read extracts Mint the evidence, wbich
teemed fully to confirm his previous statements.

WESTMORLAND.--(Foustrn DAT.)

Arrt.tsv, lifoxpAy, Ji.942 t 4,

Polling went nn spiritedly and uninterruptedly throughout the
day. In the early part the adeautsge lay with the Blues; hut
about noon, the immense exertions which their opponent, 'We
In a particular booth, turned the fortune of the day- f`irsithir
party abates in confidence, and ,they affeet to he ecousirtted with
each other's strength to a man. Party.spirit rune so high, that
a man is proscribed by oos party if he is seen speaking to An ad-
herent of the other..
A sensation was produced upon the Blues, and more partictr.
,
laxly the persona friends of Mr. 'Brouflhaa4 by the arrival of the,
Courier here this morning, which contained a report, affe4'liall
to be a true account, of the epreehee delivered here on Thursday
lad. In the report of colonel, I.ovrther's 'speech, diet Gentle--
man is made to express hintsalf in a way which Mr, Brougham
could not avoid c„,,,aideting as offensive to himvand rumour;
hays been ntioot. all day, that be consequence AA this statement
In the Courier., hostile messages had been delivered, and . en.
plAnatione demanded and conceded between Mr. Brougham, Mr.
Wharton, and Colonel Lowther ; but as these matters have bleett
touched upon in a public manner by thus gentlemen themselves,
I refer you to their speeches as the most authentic reptutotation

of the affair. It tlll,y be interesting to sorbs readtrs, See the
progress which ea'4 of the candidates makes in the several wards
of this county, And I therefore send you the state of the polling by
wards, for once, as Mr. B. alludes to it in his speech :
(Monday) Lord Lowther. Mr. Brougham. Col. Lowther.
East Ward 97 - 10 - 96
West Wert - '7B 43 - 16
Kends 'Ward - 65 - 111 - 58
LonAdale Ward - 62 - 11 - 63

302

Gross Poll- - 861 - 74.0
These numbers were declared about four o'clock
Loan LOWTHER said that the intense heat of the sun made
it necessary for him to ask an indUlgerice of them which 'they had
tint before refused him—namely the liberty of keeping on his hat.
(Cheeta.)-r--Ils had been given to expect that the third candidate
would hank hr4ught• his forces to the poll this day in such num-
bers et thince the' majority tog leant one-half. He was aware
that The eloquence ond ingenuity of the honourable gentleman to
whom he was evposed would convert his majority into a minority.
..-"(Lailglifi*.'')The East nod'West, Kendal and Lonsdale Wards
*mild be>itnocked about until the candidate had brought himself
and all those wards to a most admirable state Of arithmetical cot,-
f44tati.--(Latighing.)—The Honourable Gentleman had on
'Saturday amused them with a description of some premises which
he had seen. "Glass windows ought not to throw stones," and
he had' heard of establishments where there ..was accommo—
dation for more than votera.—(Cheers, and great uproar.)—He
was aware that many rhetoricalllourislies would he put forth to
prove this day's majority a minority, but he hoped they woull
remain firm to their purpose.—(Cheera:).:-He again thanked
them, and concluded by saying that it they did not relax from
the exertions with which they began, be had not the slightest
doubt of ultimate success.—(Cheers.)
Colonel Lovrenta came forwai ii, but was so assailed by hisses,
that not a word of what lie attempted to say could be heard.
Mr. Bnoterirrast appealed to them to hear the Colonel, as
it
WA% most important that he should hear what he had to say.
Mr. Ws-atrium earnestly entreated them for Mr. Brougham's
sake, to let the Colonel he heard.
Colonel Ltivernen again attempted to speak, hut wholly with-
out success. He said that if they would not hear him, he could
not help it. Ile again cordially thanked them, and hoped for a
continuance of that support which they had alteady given him.—
(Cheers and hisses.)
Mr. 11nonoiast --The Candidate who first addressed them
expressed his great, or as he his agreeable surplice, at tip&
ing himself not much out-voted by us to-day, which he expected
from oor repreSentations of Saturday evening. But we find that
hie majority has come down from thirty-seven, which it was on
Saturday evening, to twenty-five, which it is to-day.-7-(Cheers.)
—Now, gentlemen, have you soy curiosity to know how things
went on to-day.—(eries of " Yes;") in what quarter,
or in what ward this majority of twenty-five lies? Do you re-
member where it lay last week—need I tell you ?' Guess". }fid-
dle me riddle-4A loud laugh, accompanied by a cry of " moun-
tebank.")-=lii which of the wards do you think (mushrooms and
colliers) this majority has been had?' why, in LonSdalc, where
they have run up a majority of tifty4our, we polling tl are only
eleven, while they polled sixty-five;' but though they have had
the majority there, we' have had it all the three other booths,
tortiority of twentv-nine upon this dny's
kf I could only tell--if `I could calunlate with the !lame certainty
tor to-morrow and Wednesday', as I could to-day and for last Sa-
turday, how many' of the mushrOoM votes they would bring in,
I might make a shrewd guess as to whit the polling would
lie on those days. I 'should like tit know how many such
votes tot those eight and thirty, which one gentleman of this
county made out of one estate—(cry of tile), or at least by
one deed, or deeds of one date—they mein to bring forward.—
(Here a person in the crowd called nut "Lord Thanet.")—A
good man there says it is my Lord Thanet who bas done so. I
tell him that Lord Thanet has not made one voter of that descrip-
tion, and more than that, I tell the person who cries that out,

that he Wows It is well ea I do. But I will tell you who it is,
if you twee any curiosity le know the name—it is Colonel Bol-
ton.setCries Of " should not have mentioned his
sseerie, if one'of 'yhti had nut named Lord Monet. This infor-
station I had from friends of mine, who were in the booth—for I
was not there myself, and by them I was assured that 41110:11 titles
as those I have spoken of had been adduced in support of the free-
holds. I have been also told that a Rey. Clergyman has had a traffic
of this sort going on; and though Ida 'mushroom Snit is not so good
as that of my friend Col. Belton's, yet it prOducsa a good crop for
the size of it.-e-(Latighter.)—Now, whit it can he which makes
the Rev. Gentlemen tot up his property, and plant it with mush-
rooms, I cannot understand.—(A cry front the Yellows of " To
isppoae Poperel—Very well ; hut whether he expects to get
wily of the loaves and fishes to, eat with his ketchup, I cannot
tall.—(Loud laughter,)—As to. Colonel Bolton, I eau guess a
reason for his conduct. He and I have had the misfortune, as
we always have had, to differ widely upon many important
questions; and his connection with the West Indies has had a
great effect in warping his opinion, which would have been other-
wise souder, upon the great questions of African Slavery and
the Slave Trade, to the abolition of :which I have devoted the
greatest part of my poblic life. Ido believe that, but for these
connections, the Colonel's opinions upon these great questions
would have been lees warped, and that he would have been more
favourable to my standing for this county, if his prejudices and
his peculiar situation did not prompt him to ,contend and fight
against it...((1055.),-(3entleMen, I may regret this, as un-
doubtedly I do ; and I should be more happy to have his support
than be met by his opposition ; but I now declare that I would
rather encounter his forty-seven mushroom votes—nay, if they
had been seven times that number, than abate one iota of that in-
terminable hostility:which you and I wage with regard to Negro
Slavery.---(Loud cheers.)
At this momenta post-chaise with sonic yellow freeholders very
imprudently drove into the crowd, which consisted almost entirely
of Blues, and caused great =fusion. Some of the rabble struck
the horses, as if they would make these poor brutes responsible for
the interruption ; hut at length the driver was prevailed upon to
turn back, and give no more disturbance. Lord Molyneux, who
was in the crowd, very humanely interfered to save the poor
horses from the blows which were falling upon them, and
.took
the trouble to take them by the heed, and turn them himself.
Mr. B. continued—l would rather a hundred times over en-
esaunter the opposition of the Rev. Clergyman to whom I have
alluded, even if his mushroom votes were tenfold what they are,
than abate a single iota of the zeal and constancy with which I
have defended, do defend, and ever will defend, the cause of civil
and religious liberty, and equal rights to all chows of my fellow-
subjects. I atrs' obliged before retiring to state to you a circum-
stance which .I feel an imperious necessity of shortly and plainly
mentioning before I leave these hustings. Now, on Thursday, at the
nomination, I listened with the greateet attentionto the speeches of the
gallant Col. and his Noble brother.--(here there was some disturb-
&nee in the crowd, but Mr. 'B.' said, "he is no 'friend of mine who
now interrupts me, front whatever purpose or feeling he may do so,
whilst lam making this statement.") I was confident in my
own mind, from what I hail heard the gallant Colonel say that he
had said nothing which one gentleman might net say of another,
either in his 4(1141(.1, or presence. But there name to Appleby
this morning a London newspaper called the Courier (a cry of,
" a good paper,") in which there is an account purporting or
pretending to he a report'of what the Colonel said on Thursday.
—( Here a. person in the crowd raised his voice to such a pitch as
to drown Ow of any our else, by crying out " D—n the
Cotteiern—which mare Mr. Brougham appeal to him by saying
" Yon have not heard what I have just 'aid," which had
the effect of quieting 1611'0—Upon reading this report in
the newspaper in question, I found it necessary to request
my friend, Mr. Strickland, -to wait upon the gallant Colonel
fur the purpose of asking him whether or not he had used
the word; imputed to hint--not that T had heard such words,
or believed he used them, hut as he spoke in the latter part
' of the day, when I did not distinctly hear him, he might
have used them—l wished to have the matter set right.
upon him, and Colonel Lowther, in
My friend accordingly waited
the most correct, and proper way, 'denied that he had ever used
the wordy imputed 'to him in that most offensive, and I am sow
warranted in ,saying, that most false report, which affected to make
him say thatsve
which km did (tot Ally. What the Colonel stated that
he had 044 entirely aireed with what I niyself knew he did say, in
Which there cats nothing ; and the Coll,oen.teilonlitkwelwiss
added-L-ihat the tali I' the ipeieh in the paper in i
un
addition by the newpaper itself I have thought fit to state thus
much, because this publication: haa,been, no doubt, got tip by some
persons elsewhine (for no Westmorland man would be capable of
s of misrepresentation, and with a
doing such things) for purpose.
Without further alludiog to the
trnirattnitstatesi6litieediabvllieutt iays tillitfougntihQtnfit to tall your attention to as it
was important that 1 should set myself, right with you and appeal
to you who heard ,the: Gallant Colonels speech,- and who can
bear witnesa with me to the Amfairnoto with which this statement
in the newellaPir has been i;Abricated.for Beverley, WAS now
Wharton, who was lately Member
but gm a way to
coming far
Warti ti oddrowthe freeholders,
Col. Lowruzui. who said-,
in reply to w
B ham), I have only
h has been iktatedy
only
the Hon. Member. for Winchelsea (Mr. r at.
oug
th
nenns_nn
whatsay did on Cie hustings on e
to say, that Lee, ,raence....(Hear
question, was said In the lion. sew