The Sun.
London, England, 1819-11-19 00:00:00

ron, rtiz SUN.

PE I ERSFIELD.

tending to forward it to the Editor of any
Newspaper with which their Coffee-ItoOm
was furnished. I found that "'FHB SUN" had
thrown its rays on the town; and therefore should
you, Sir, think the insertion of a Copy of the
Speech admissible in your columns, I shall be
amply rewarded for my communication, and rest
in hope that I may at least have drawn attention
to a subject interesting to the country at large,
and enabled some of your intelligent and loyal
Correspondents either to eoufiim or refute the
imputations allegetl against the Borough of
terslield. 1

VIATOII.

COPY of the SPEECH of the Late EDWARD GIBBON,
Esq. on the DAY of ELECTION of MEMBERS to serve
in PARLIAMENT for the BOROUGH of PETERSFIELD,

ill the Year, 1761.

GENT appear here in a Situation very different
from my Expectations; I hoped to have stood here the "Isscr-
ler of our Cononon Independency. I can only lament with
you a Yoke it is impossible for us to shake off! !"!

The most considerable pint of the still remaining Inde-
pendent Freeholders of this Borough addressed themselves
some time ago to my Father, as a Gentleman, whose past
conduct had deserved their n•terin;and.desired he would offer
himself a Caodnltte. They were justly provoked with so
many Noininations, with the .I.lockery of If:dee:ions, where
Gentlemen were returned for the Borough, who hardly knew
in what Cuunty it we.i siluat,ll ! !!

ably Fat tier accept, d their offer with thanks, hut soon after-
wards (I fear out of an ill grounded-partiality) desired they
would translcr the Honour of their Choice iipon ►ne. I had
satisfaction of receiving that Mark of their Approba-
tion.-

From that time I bad the greatest reason to hope for Suc-
cess. //-71/ceni Threats, without Promises, by no Methods
Is/could bitesh to acknowledge in thus place, I could without
presumption promise myself the Majority of the nt st. Lillie-
pendvnt Freeholders in opposition to that UNKNOWN Can-
didate, with wtio,iE Nhnit we are but JUST made ac-
quainted ! !

One flan disappointed all these hopes: a man who after
every Engagement which could bird a Gentleman, or an Ho-
nest Man, infamously abandoned me. This treachery, and
the consequences it bath had, leaves me nothing else to do,
than to express my most grateful sense of my Obligations to
my Friends, Obligations unconnected with Success, and
which (were every nobler P:inziple wanting) my Pride would
never suffer me to forget. •

Had I succeeded, I should have used my utmost endeavours
to have acted op to the great Tiust reposed in me. I should
have considered a Seat in Parliament neither as a Title of
Honour, nor as an Instrument of Profit, but a laborious and
important Duty, to which the greatest Parts, joined to the
severest application, are scarcely equal. I should have en-
deaeourcd to follow the path of:lluderationand Impartialit ; ,
Loyal to say K og ,cat tout Servility, Zealous for my County
without ruction, attached to the general welfare of Great
Britain,J.mt Out inattentive to the particular Interests of the
Borough I had the houocr to repreient.

Excluded front I his agreeable Prospect, I must confine my
Ambition within the Duties of a Private Life : and I Gape
my behaviour as a Man, and a neighbouring Gentleman, will
never make My Friends repent their - having thought In e
worthy of an high( r Character.

litcnAnnsoN, GoonLucx, ai,d Co. respectfully
, acquaint the Public, that the next Day of Draw-
ing will be the 9th of December, whet, two spore
20,0001. Money and Consul Prizes will be drawn,•.
and 'the eliai;ce of Four tnore oil that Day.--
ItiCHARDSON, CrooBLUCK, anti Co. sold last Lot-
tery No. 710, a pity! of 36,0001. Consols, ,and
No 709, a I', ize of 5001.-in whole Ticket, ; and
it the present Lottery No. 4396,-6. Prize of 4001
Consols, in a whole Ticket. and No. 9396, :a
of 4001. .Consols, in Sh. Ares. Tickets and
Shares are on Sale at their Offices, Bank
inl4s , Cornbill, and Charing Cross.
-The Persian A InbassAdor anti suite mired in
from Scotland on-Monday last w4ie
Excellency slept, and left that city the
folluty-
ing day, for Mount. Stewart, the seat of the Mar-
quess of LONDONDERIIY, whence he will proceed
on a visit to tire AI orquels of Dowtmluut, at
Hillsborough.

. DTs, EDITOR—Oa juhrtiey to the Isle of
Wight a few days !incr. 1 regted it 9 small town

called Pttersfiekt, not fAt. from Portsmootii,

known for its antiquity and celebrity in hett.A•
times. During the few hours 1 rem3itted there,
I sauntered about the toun, and on pissing
a Bookseller's shop in the iligh-street, my at-.
tention was caught by a !lated paper hanging

in the ‘rimb,w, having the tr,,rds " fnE SPERCI-r!

con4piello..s letteis abole it. I was fri)m

curiosity induced to lead it, and tumid it to he
the ,Speech tuf no less an eminent man than
EDWARD GIBBON, the Histinian, who contested
the Election for Members to serve in Parliament
for that florongh many years ago. enclose 14
copy of this sante Paper, which may serve to indicate
the bribery. corruption, and tyrannical nsnrpmion
of the elective franchise of the independent Free-
holders that must have been exercised at that time.

f, as insinuated, I hope by Radicals only, the

sau►e system prevails at the present time, not
only in Peterslield, but in several neighbouring
Boroughs, surely the cry for Reform, which has
been raised in so many places, is not frivolous or
unreasonable, but seems to claim attention•equal to
the importance of the .demand. I understood also,
whilst I was in that town, that a paragraph bad ap-
peared in THE Se N alluding to a'' Borough,lo which
the second Member had been seen but twice during
the space of sixty years" !! ! Some said '' tl►e
cap fitted" their freeholders ! Having obtain.
ed Tug SPEECH I et turn
ed to the Inn, in-