The Sun.
London, England, 1819-03-31 00:00:00

COIINIVALL ASSIZES, 14Rc1124..

,dORaUPTION PRACTISED AT GRAMPOUND ELEC-

TI ON.

THE KING V. DEVONSHIRE.

This was the first of a series of indictments,
arising from the gross and notorious corruption
practised at Grampound .previous to the late
Election.

Mr. Serjeant Pam. stated the case of the pro?
secutot. The.case. was tineptestionably one of the
most serious that could route before .5 British
Jury, as it charged the defendant with a Crime of
Ore Most serious nature, and Qt the most inju-
rjoins tendency. Devposhire, the defsndaw, was
the parish eleik of. the Borough of Grampound,
and was charged with having received a sum of
money for his vote at the late elee:tion. The
teemed Serjeant kneve that he was speaking in a
le.rt of the kiogdow in which too•many persons
were to be found who considered this heinous
(mime with hitt, however torch persons
might akff,e9 in fleet it, there was nothiog more'
ev,di lit that. it went to sap the vitals of the
Coo:,titivioti, and p,ii•tin its sPriogs, The tans-.
11,61 n. which gave ri•ze to the preseitt indictment
mats, out tit.a piecOnet red arrangement to rel s
two Men.h,is to Parliament for the 80r0u21,, un-
der the Olderi-ce of corruption ;,..and to this ar.
tringimicur the defentfaut was a parry. This tart
onid be pi oeeil by. a rrsornnanted Hoare, art
Aiderotan of the Bort/ugh, es ho uas
_agent both
fen, the e,iirnh ptor aid te cot rope td. Ile wonid
torte to them, that no less than 45 nut. of about
fill wo•erS, which comprised the tvhOle of the
Electors of the Botoottrt-, entered into this eti-.
gagenturr,, aori received the eyages of their own in-
famy. Tue piincipal thecksgra.ceful trans-
actions it was fiis duty to lay before t hem,was Sir M..
Lopez, B:trt:, a man of immense wealth, who hall a
sear, or rather a palace, near Plymouth. He was a
3: ranger to Gnat:lpound; until he had reason., to
lidieve that he could get two of his friends re-
turned to Parliament for that borough. The Elec-
t Ors Of Grampoond were about 60, inclotting the
selperior anti inferior burgesses— Sir M. Lopez
b:, ad to secure a majority ; and he agreed with .as
person !tante(' William Hoare, one of the Alder-
melt of the,Borongli, as to the terms on which
such p majority was to he secured. llttare first
saw Sir M. Lopez in 1815, as the Deputy, of the
Electors for, the sale of ibe Borough. The stun'
of 501. was to be given to each voter ; and for this
Tint-pose, 20001. was received and distributed
amongst the Electors, in the proportion of 351. to
each of them. Forty,five out of sixty received
this bribe, under the semblance of a loan;
atterw4rds, not thinking the whges of their ini-
quity sctfiiciently liberal, turned round .and dis-
closed the bargain they had made. Ile should
prove the actual
.payment of these bribts, by Mr.
}hint, the -agent Of Sir M.-Lopez, who came to
Crampou,nd for_the avowed purpose of telieviug
the necessities Of, the voters. This_ liberality was
mOst ext:raordinary front one of. Sir M. Lopez's.
known character. But 'though the. Wtrottet was',
said to he as' rich as a Jew, it was most surpris-
ing, that he ;never thou-gilt of relieving.the dis-
tre,ses of arty of the inhabitants, but of the iTec-
tcp's only." He was aware that 'some of the wit-
nesso,. he .should call must be consideted in the
.ligßt of accomplices, and their unsupported testi-
niony most weigh very little ; but lie should be
able to support it by circumstances that would
satisfy the Jury of its nut]) ; and the Gentlemen
the
,other side might, it they pleased,produce
Mr. Hunt, tint: agent of Sir. Ai,Lopez, or his
clerk ; or they might produce the Baronet him-
self. He_shoold much like to see this most won-
derful personage in the witness box, who, travel!
led 60 ,miles, to !end 45 people,, whom lie had
never before seen, 35/. each, from pure beneko-
lenee Wonderful Sir M. Lopez. .
S.Vlr..John Elliot Fox-ptoduced some old writs'
prove that Grampound was an ancient borough,
and sent two Mernhers to Parliament.

Coode was poll-clerk at the late election.
Ile produeed the poll-book, from which it ap-
pealed, that 57 elect Ors voted at thelast election.
The candidate's were John Innis, Ebenezer Collet,
John Teed, Alexander Robertson, and Benjamin
Shaw, Esqrs., and Win. Allen, gentleman. Mr.
Lillis and Mr:-Robertson were retuned. Mr.
Te'etl krnanded that the bribery oath should be
administered. The th fend;,nt wa's about to take
the oath, and had the book in his hand for that
purpose, when an uproar commenced, in conse-
quence of tlae oath being, put, and, Mr. Teed con-
sented to withdraw it. Mr. Allen afterwards pro-
pored to adminisier the oath ;. but .he was assault.
ed by the electins for- so doing, and was very
,roughly hatyiled.by them.
.I.oare is an Alderman of the,.Boyough
•of Grampoond. Tice dafendant is Clerk of the
Parish in consequeoce of some communications
ssittiess had with Sir M. Lopez, there were sesta-
ria.meet ino of the freemen of Grampound. -.Wit-
ness ,ssr Sir M. Lopez at the Commercial Inn„
Plymouth, ort the 2d of Febnol ry, 1816, and went
wit,t-him to:dr. Hunt's, Sir M. Lopez's solicitor.
111r..1-Junt was then in Court. He returned the
Clay atter this meeting. to Grampound, and saw the
freemen, amongst whom was' the detenda.nt. Wit-
ness told them that Mr. Hunt was coming down
to assist them with what had .been 'agreed 0n..--
It was agie d between witness, Sir M. Lopez,
and Mr. Hunt, that 2,0001. shguld- be lent 'to. the
freemen of.Grampound,,it 40'.0f them could be
pot to give their support to fthe„Banmet. There
are about sixty voters rift the Borough. Mr.
Emit C3IiIC dOW.II to, meet the vokrs in pur-
suance of ibis agreerneut, in the middle of Fe-
bruary, 1816: Witness told the voterssthat'Nfr.
Bunt vas , coming down,, and the defendant
amongst the rest. Only about, nor 25 freemen
suet Mr. Hunt ; and, atter staying about three
hours„ be went away without giving . them any
money. Mr. Hunt came afterwards, and about 40
or 45 of tie free Men met Wm.:, The_ defendant
was amongst them. Witness went to meet lir.
Hunt by aple)intment, at St. Austell, but .did. not
return tv,th to Grampound, as witness went
to Tregtory.hcfore he came to crampound. lie
fom:d Mr. I-Lint at Lir.,Brown's Inn, and shout
40 of Electors were in the house; the defet:
dant was- an.oeast them. Mr. Hunt was in the
—eining•rooni up stars, and is, to

Mr. Hunt would do noticing-uniil witne came
Mr. Rowe, rMr..Hunt's clerk, and Sonnet Grog-
gun were in the room with Mr. Hunt; when wit-,
tress cattle. • Witness told -Mr. Hunt that the free-
men expected to borrow 50/. -each. Mr. Limn.
sAid there were expences to be deducted out,o(the
2000/., and therefore they could only receive. 351.
each. Witness told the freemen of. Allis. The
defendant was one of:them. They Were not pleas-
ed at the proposal, and kwere to: take
less than 501. each, hot at length they,consented,
and went into the Too) to fir. Hunt, one by one.
Abinit 40 voters went in to Mr. Hunt. intiiis-way.
The-defendant was nne of theft. Sir M. Lopez
came down after, and saw the freemen. Mr. Shaw
and Mr. Collet, the friends of Sir M. Lopez, did
not succeed at the Election.

The witne” -underwent a long eross-ekconina.
lion by Mr. Eastum He admitted that he bad
burr owedtmoney of different persons who had been
candidates for the h,orongh. He voted for Mr.
Shaw and Mr. Teed at the last election. :He in-
tended to vote for Nlr. Collet when he went into
the 1)411 ; hut Tted banded him a hit of Raper,
wilt vote for me, written on it, and in consequence
he changed his mind, and voted frir Mr. Teed.
Mr. Teed, his son, and Mr. Lamb, Mr. Tecd's
spi;eitor came lo_ witness's house at Grampntind
after the election, and sf.eing witness looking for
a particular letters Mr. Lamb desired to be per-
mitted to look• for it. He promised ft: rctuin the
letters
,thaz evening, but he had* not returned
them yet
Edward Hoare, a freeman of Grampound, con-
.firmed his btoPher's testimony, as to the, visit of
Mr. Hunt to Grampound.
,When witness Went
into the-room to Mr: Hunt, lie was asked if he
want-pd to borroiv.a little money as well as the
rest Z. lle said he.(Fd. -

John Teed,Esq. was a Candidate for the Bo-
rough of Grampound az the last election, but
did not succeed ; ire is now• a petitioner. The
election took place on the 22d:of June last,: Wit-
ness was at Grampound in the May before, when
he had a meetitn with the voters. About 40 per-
sons attended, and amongst them the dcfeodant.
The Electors generally stated that they bad .lad
money of Sir M. Lopez to vote for him. and were
not satisked, as they had ,not bad- enoneh. The
deferid'ant said be would not vote for Sir M. Lo-
pez, Unlesi.ite had mm e money. Witness 'saw
.the defendant two or three days before the last
election, and asked him what he meant to do
about the money he had had of Sir M. Lopez ?=--.
The defendant flew into .a rage, and said, if he
did not: vote for Sir M. or his friends, he would
return the money: The defendant said .he had
hail 251 fin his cross examination. he said the
voters at the meeting which took place in May
last, wished him to pty the money they had had
' of Sir' M. Lopez, hut the witness tentsed to do so.
—All the indictments respecting Gramnonnd en-
tered in the cause paper, Were proceeded in:at the
desire of the witness.

Henry. Teed, and John Godfrey Teed, sons erf
the last witness, confirmed the statement of Mr.
Teed, as to what passed between hi:n and, the
defendant in the street at Gtamponnd.

Mr. ADAM addressed the Jury on behlif of the
defendant.

Mr. Justice 131t57, charged the Jury, who im-
mediately found the defendant—Guilty.

TfTE RING V. SIR M. LOPEZ, CART.

A Special Jury was summoned in this case, but
orris One Gentlrmnn, J. D. Brown, Es 4: attended.
The,evidence adduced was the same ,as ti-tat given
on the trial of the BarOnet at the Devon Assizes.—
The Jury, without hesitation,'retorned a verdict
of Guilty.
Tvventy-!wo persons,, all freemen and electors
of Gramponnd, were severally found guilty of
bribery, all of them having taken 351. from Mr.
Hunt, the agent of Sir M. Lopez. Marthias•
Watts was acquitted, as it appeared that he got
his 351. in Devousitile, and therefpre could not be
indicted for the offence in Cornwall; and 'Hobert
Ford was acquitted. in consequen6! of the absence
of a witness, who could- not be found when .he.
was wanted. His Lordship said be was the more
willing to give this man thebe-ilefit 44 the absence
of the' witness, as he appeared to he the only per-
son that showed a conscience' at Gr iinpotind, be
lia%ing contrived to make off when the- Bribe,ry
Oath was tendered to him. His Lordship ob-
served, that *whatever might be the case in Other
places, he hoped they wourd be able to check i-
bery at Grampound.
The' defendants will be brought np for judg-
metit in the Court of King's Bench, should they
not make their peace with the prosecutor in the
meant time.

PENRYN ELECTION.

SW NN V. SOtvELL.

Mr. Serjeant PELL stated the case. tTr was an
action brought by the plaintiff,. the late Member
.for Penryn, to recover from the defendant, who
is a mabster and an elector of that borough, the
sum of 2001. with interest, which he had lent the
defendant in 1805,-and for which he held his note
of hand. ,

The ,d,c,fendant preached first, that. he did not owe
the ,money and secondly, that the debt came
der ihe statute. of limitations. The plaintiff was a
Gentleman well known at Penryn, aitchunch had
been lately heard of his connexion with that place.
It appeared that he bad beenin the habit of be-
friending the.inhabitants.of that town, by lending
or givingthem,sums of money. Whatever might lie
said of the gilts, it was bitt reasonable that the
loans should be repaid ; and lie was about to call
in some of his advances to the people of Penryn
The defendant had at onetime been the frie,tud of
The plaintiff; and so long back as the year 1805,
borrowed, of him the sum of 2001. Now, how-
ever, that friends Lip haul been dissolved, and, as
%NHS reaspnable, 11;0 plaiutiff wished to have his
money. This tbe defendant was unwilling to pay,
and came before them to get free of ,his obliga-
tion. This hie could not do ; and ivbeiNre had
laid before them the evidence he had to produce,
he had no_doubt of obtaining their verdict.
The defendant's signature to the no:e of band
was proved by Nicholas Bucket. The note .was
payable in London, with interest, and wAs given
in cons,eqttence, ut the,plaintiff's acceptattee of
the defendant's bill.

kienly ,Dunbfort; knows the Otfendaut, who

- \

jive's at Penryn. In the montli of)lify list, die
witness went with the plaintiff, Mr. Swann, to
the defendant's house, to demand payment of a
n(je of hand for 2001. The defendant was not at
borne when they 'called; but Came to them soon
after. Mr. Swann took, out themote and demanded
-payment-of it from the defetu saying, " You
know your own hand-writing, do yon not ?"--
The defendant said, " You owe the a great
deal more nioney, and I have a set-off against it."
Mr: Swann replied, " Furnish your account ; for
I should be sorry to swear to a Oebt, owed you
any money ;" and added, " it yon dOnot pay me,
I shall _put your note in the bands of my solicitor."
'file defendant said, " Do as- you pleaie, I will
defend it." _

Three other witnesses for the plaintiff swore to
he defendant's acknnu ledgment of the debt
_within
the-litn:ted time: and two (the son and daughter
of the defendant) who werepresent at the 'alleged
conversation, positively denied such acknow-
ledgment.
. The JUDGE, after cornmentimT, left the decision
with the Jury, who found a vercirici for the plainfig,