The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-11 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

The Middlesex May Sessions were held yesterday, at the
Ressior.s•house, Clerkenwell-green, before Mr. Sergeant Adams,
Chairman, and a full bench bf Magistrates.
The calendar presented a list or fifty-six prisoners, but none
of the charges were of a very serious character ; thirty-two are
cases of felony, and the remainder are of a trivial nature.
Helen Moore was indicted for stealing on the 6th instant, at
Edmonton, a Mackintosh cloak, the property of Mr. Wilson, a
Magistrate of the county.. It appeared that on Friday last Mr.
Wilson put up his horse and chaise at the Angel Inn, Edmonton,
leaving his cloak in the chaise. In the course of the afternoon the
cloak was missed, and subsequently found in the possession of
the prisoner. l{er defence was that it had been given to her by
an ostler at the Bell. This person, however, produced a wit-
ness who swore that be wets not out of the stable all the day. The
person accused by the prisoner, was examined, and his answer
were of a very unsatisfactory character.
The Jury, without hesitation, acquitted the prisoner.
The other cues were of the most trilling nature, and scarcely
worth occupying the time of the Court.

MONEY MARKET and CITY 'NEWS

FauX Tut: MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
TIMES.---The premium on gold at Paris is 10 per mille,
which, at the English Mint priue of 31. 17s. 100. per ounce for
standard gold, gives an exchange of 25 404, and the ex•
change at Paris on London at short being 25 573, it fnllows
that gold is 0.68 per cent. dearer in Lendon than in Paris.
By advises from Hamburgh the price of gold is 433 per
mark, which, at the English Mint price of 31. 17s. 101 id. per
ounce, gives an exchange of 13 9, and the exchange at Ham•
burgh on London at short being 13,11 A, it follows that gold
is 1.02 per cent. dearer in London than in Hatuburgh. This
calculation was, of course, made previous to the intelligence of
he conflagration.
The course of exchange at New York on London is 1063
per cent., and the par of exchange between England awl
America being 109 23-40 per cent., it follows that the ex-
change is 2412 per cent.- against England. But the quoted
exchange at New York being fur bills at 60. days' sight, the
interest must be deducted from the above difference.
SUN.—Some sales whirls were effected during the day ettillStd
a decline in the prices of the Brit WI Stocks ; Consols Witting oft
at 923 921/2 for Money, and 92i 923 for the Aterittnt ; India
Stock, 167, 168; Bank Stock, 248249; and Exchequer Dills,
33 40 premium.
In Foreign Securities business was principally cenfititA to
Dutch Bonds, the pricea of which were, fee the ptcts-tltlilL3- al!
per Cents., 5353%; the Five per Centre; Itll inq; Belgian,
102 103 ex-dividend; Danish. ; arid Brazilian, 673 683.
Railway Shares actierally were hotter, The last prices
were, London and Virmingham 90 92 ; Great Western,
`2S 29, and the Half Shares,
1414 143 ,rem. ; Birmingham
and Gloucester, 52 54 ; South Western, 63 IR • Go pett
63 64 ; North Midland. 65 (17, the tiew Spey, 32 33 ;
Eastern Counties, 9(1 974 ; 111491t*till, 114 12 ; the New
Shares, 93 10; and Brightoti 117); per share.
The quotation of Mtacitiali advanced upwards of one per
cent. !you the receipt bt the intelligence by the Clyde. 7he
invasion of TeXaS his proved to be, what it. was ,froin- the
first expected it "".std, in reality nothingthe hostile demcn-
strations havi-4
over the ' been confined to some Maratuling
the Government eicticditions
frontier, without
d• -
~Arect interfering.
The Exchanges generally were rather higher than on the
f rrmer post day. Paris Was a solitary exception, being 25f.
Mc.. 25f. s4v.; Amsterdam, 12 4%, 12 4i ; Rotterdam, 12 43
12.44 ; Antwerp, (2 41/s ; Frankfort, 151 a 153; Vienna,
9 52,•9 53 ; Lisbon, 53%; and Madrid, 36i.
On Ilamburgh sesicely a bill was negotiated, the intelli•
acme of the disa trolls fire there, at riving immediately before
'Chanl...e. It will be impossible, for some time to come, to ar-
rive at anything like a correct estimate of the damage caused
by this calamity, but this much is certain, that the amount far
exceeds what the shareholders in the various insurance offices
will be abli to pay ; and merchants here ante perfectly willing
"to get off with a mere scratch." The confusion appears to
have been so peat, that scarcely a letter is in London which
can afford information as to the probable extent of the ca.
hinitv ; and many who for years have never been without a mass
of correspondence by each packet, are now, for the first time,
without a single communication,
, COURSE OF EXCHANGE—(YESTERDAY.)
Amsterdam CF. 12 74IGibraltar .
Ditto, at sight
Rotterdam ...... ...2 U. 12 7Genoa 25 90
Antwerp
I 1 amburgh M.B. 14 0 IVenice 47
Allona:
Paris, 3 days' sight ... 25 70 Palermo, per oz. 120
Ditto, 3 months 25 95. Lisbon
Marseilles
Bourdeaux 25 95 Rio Janeiro 27
Frankfort on Maine... 1521 Bahia
l'etersburgh, 3Us ... 363 Buenos Ayres •
Berlin-- ............ 7 :New York, 21days sight 4bi

Vienna, effec. It. 3 M 9 55
Trieste, ditto 9 56
Madrid . .

'Philadelphia
,PRICES OF EULLION, PER or.
Foreign Gold, bare £3 17 9

Cadiz 36
Bilbao 36
Barcelona 36
36

Portugal Gold Com 3 17 5
New Doubloons 0 0 0
New Dollars...
!Silver in
..,, 0 4 11

ENGLISH BuLLs.—The Moniteur states that the
sale of Durham bulls, which was held at the Royal stables of
Pin last month, demonstrated the esteem in which that breed
of cattle, so justly prized in England, is beginning to be held in
France. The result of the sale proved that bulls of the Dur-
ham stock, bred in France, aro as much valued .as' those pro-
duced in England. Of 12 bulls which were sold, six imported
from England in 1841. were knocked down at 6,000 f. each, and
six produced at Pin sold for 6,900 f. each (240/. and 2761.).
One of the Wapiti Deer, which had been recently
purchased by her Majesty, and placed in the ?addocks at Cran-
beurne, died last week. The noble animal had been unwell
from a cold for some time, anti everyineani was resorted to to
save him, but without effect. - • -•

Lord BROUGHAM rose to bring the subject of bri- ;
bery at elections before their Lordships, it stthicet,lol had
before troubled' their bOt'dtilips Ho Was Milted
to •• • 1
celt the 'attention of their Lordships on that occasion
to the subject, as a Select Committee had been appointed -
in another place, for the purpose of . inquiring into
certain corrupt compromises that had been made •
with respeet to charges of bribery, A pin had be en
introduced itste that Hollth iirtiil
tad, Irvin there was then on their Lordships' table a Bill
ready to be read a second time ; but they both differed
from each other as widely as they possibly could. The
Noble Lord then took a review of the two Bills as sent
up from the other House. Their Lordships ,could not •
by possibility ha....6ivetk thieir the Bill
in the silage it was in when first presented. The Bill
introduced a year ago, was not introduced prospectively,
unlike that at present before their Lordships. The Bill
of last year provided that the witness was to tell all he
knew--.-the husband against the wife; anti oeti th cutiiiscl
to give up hit elirnt% low 511.0% a
sent Bill, Wolli lie passing into a law that which was eon-
tkary to the first principles, of English justice, that
et calling on' the counsel to divulge the secrets
of his client, and that agent not a party to the bribery
at all, but to whom the acts of bribery had been ten-
veyed, in order to the tkelleret,. fit iti'e the
This was tht ina'n Called upon by the Bill to
give- 'evidence. 'The absurd part of the Bill was,
that the witness, would be indemnified provided he con-
cealed nothing, but told the whole truth. This
was the most .absurd part of the Bill. Anything
more impossible for their Lordships- to give their
assent to never entered their Lordships Midst..
But if it be saki why did you not after the Bill more than
by lesvinr, out . three clauses, his answer was, that the
Bill came up •to the House on the eve of the dis-
solution, and that to make even the one. alteration it
was necessary to take it, not in Committee, but upon
bringing up the Report, for the aette
He, therefore., in triter to show that their Lordships
ware of all men in the world the last to countenance such
practices as had prevailed, and that they might show. the
utter want of foundation in the charge of which
he had spoken of their Lordships hat,int thrtitt-tt diffi-
culties in the way tit' providing a remedy—he urged them
to pass the Bill which he had proposed. He thought
it was the highest injustice to cast any reproach
upon those who, having petitioned for seats to
which they felt they Were entitled, had with •
draWn their petitions on the seats - being resigned.
The man who petitioned did so in his private capacity,
and was not bound to expose himself to the expense and
delay of a contested election in Committee, when his
adversary abandoned the seat to Mtn% life one
abhorred more than he did the corrupt Makes *hieh
had prevailed ; but it was the worst thing that could be
done for the cause of morality to• make exaggerated
charges ; for then the general sense of t4iiiiiltititf WriA
roused in favour of the treetttked patty n of a person who
was unjustly attached. He concluded by moving the
second reading of the Indemnity to Witnesses Bill. He was
confident that the Bill would greatly assist in putting an
end to the corruption which was universally admitted and
notorious, and to put down which nothing Mere *as neces-
sary. than the cordial co-operation of both Houses of Par-
liament. _ _

The Earl of WICKLOW said the Noble and Learned
Lord ought to have given notice of his motion. He (the
Earl of Wicklow) perfectly agreed in the principle of
the Bill, his objection to it was on n point of form.
Lord BROUGHAM said he did not think that any
notice was necessary.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that all difficulty
would be obviated if the Noble Lord would consent to
postpone his motion till to-morrow, and take the discus-
sion in the. Committee.

The Earl of WICKLOW said, that whethet it *n§ it
matter of form or only a custom of courtesy to give no-
tice, he thought the custom ought to be adhered to.
LordBROUGHAM was understood to assent to the
proposal of the Noble and Learned Lord on the Wool-
sack.
Earl FITZWILLIAM presented petitions from Hud-
dersfield and other places against the Income-taX.
Lord MELBOURNE presectedt a petition from Aber-
deen, praying for, the abolition of Church patronage in
Scotland.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a number of
petitions against any alteration in the tariff.
Lord CLIFFORD (of Chudlcigh) presented petitions
from Somerset and other places, complaining at Roman
Catholic grievances in the,armY and navy. The Noble
LOrd said that he should withdraw his mo-
tion of which he had given notice, for a Com-
mittee to inquire into the treatment of certain
Roman Catholics in the . presidency of Madras.
The Noble Lord proceeded to state his reasons for with-
drawing his motion. It was not for the purpose of
advocating any certain . class • which had induced
him to bring it forward, but one motive was,
that the House should be put in possession
of information not possessed by the House
prior to the 23d of September ; and another reason
was, that he wished to vindicate the memory
of a Noble Friend of his upon whom aspersions totally
without foundation had been cast. In withdrawing
his motion. he wished it to be understood that
he had not at all changed his opinion
as to this subject, for he still believed that if the system
was continued it would much endanger her Majesty's
dominions in the East. llaving.lurnt from. the pub-
lic prints, that her Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects in
Madras, were to receive the attention of her Majesty's
Government in another place, 1w thoughtit was unneces-
sary to persevere in his motion for a Committee, as he
felt perfectly confident that all the good would arise to
the parties concerned, by the subject being left to her
Majesty's Government, and would result from the Com-
mittee. He had not withdrawn his motion from any
personal Interest of his own. He withdrew his motion,
because he believed that every attention would be paid to
it by her Majesty's Government, and he therefore
thought it his duty to retire. He concluded by moving
that the motion he had placed on the books be rescinded.
Lord • FITZGERALD said he should not follow the
Noble Lord at any length, as he had withdrawn his
motion, but had he persevered in- his motion, he (Lord
Fitzgerald). would have found great difficulty in acceding
to it, inasmuch as it, would be a perversion of the
functions of their Lordship's House. The answers to the ad -
ttrestes sent by the Noble Lord, the Governor-General of
India, to the Presidencies had not been received in England.
The Noble Lord might have received information, be-
cause he had some correspondents in India. Perhaps lie
could depend upon but this information was unknown
to the House. He (Lord Fitzgerald) thought, upon the
imperfect information they possessed on the important
question of India, the very character. of the inquiries
suggested by the Noble Lord, to be made by this Com-
mittee would render it almost powerless, and he thought
the Noble Lord had exercised a sound discretion in with-
drawing his motion, as the Noble Lord had stated it was
the intention of her Majesty's Government to inquire
into the whole of the case. That inquiry would, he
hoped,' be conducted with the utmost impartiality, for
h:! believed that great regard ought to be had to the
• interests of those reel k, removed, as they were, so far
Man the ,Imperial Government. •
After a few words from Lord Clifford an] Lcr..l Fitz-
gerald, in explanation, the subject dropped.
The House then adjourned.

Mr. STUART WORTLEY said, he rose to /resell
a remarkable petition. It was from nearly 300 muslin
spinners and manufacturers in the West Riding of the
county of York, They stated that the children in
their employ at present laboured twelve hours a day of
Matta lahOtir; besides two hours a day for meals. They
stated that there was fin tieceesity whatever for such
long hours in these factories. They concluded by say-
ing that such a state of things made them reduce the
wacres of their operatives, and they prayed the House to
tha. hours of labour to ten hours a day for chil-
&bit libtWeefi 15 and 14 yearq of age.
NOTTINGHAM AttCTIOI4I.
Mr. PHILIP HOWARD, in rising to mote the issue
of a new writ for the election of a Member to serve in
this present Parliament for the tewn of Nottingham, in
the kothn q lr Kleopse de Hochepied Larpent, who has
accepted the oitice of Statiiilifd of the Chiltern Hundreds,
said that with neither political party in Nottingham had
he the least connexion, bnt it was with great alarm that
he sew thabt full and populous town was about to be
depiiired of ille littlefito of representation, and deprived
of those benefits without proof of delinquency. He
begged leave, therefore, to move that Mr. *utter should
issue a writ for the election of a Member to serve for the
bototigh of Ilottiogbam in that House.
Mr. ROEBUCK cominefieed ift a -very low tone ofvoice
He was understood to say that he believed the reason for
the suspension of the issue of • a new writ for
the iltatiqh of Nottingham, was on account of
6tifflitit firMties which prevailed there,
and he believed that if the Jag hatl been fully
examined before the Select Committee they would hate
recommended the House not to issue a writ.—(Hear,
hear.) He had .no desire to say more on the case than
he had already said, but lie would ask the House whe-
ther, if they were to suspend the issue of a writ, this
was not a case in which such ['course ought to be pursued?
Charges had been brought against the town, against one
of the Hon, Gelitletneti who had accepted the Chiltern
Hundreds/ and against the present Member. The House
was now about to inquire 'into those transactions, foul as
he asserted them to be, and he entreated the House
gravely to consider whether, under those circumstances,
they would sanction the immediate issuing of a writ. It had
been -Stated the tion.issultig of a writ might be looked
tiftoli wt till itiffingettittt of the liberties of the people.
But he did not regard it In that light, The town had
been already. .disgraced by its own proceedings, and
tiiidtai thb tiirblimitaricei he should object to the motion
before the flag.
Mr. GODSON thought that the Wfii gftitifd tie issued.
It was stated by his Hon. and Learned Friend dig *Mat
her for Bath, that a corrupt-bargain had been entered into
between the Member for Nottingham and a third party,
but that was not an offence on the part of the electors t
and he did not think that under those circumstances they
should be deprived of the privileges of the Constitution. if
the louse was to inquire into such a subject they might
as well do away with Election Committees altogether.
The constituency of Nottingham ought not to be pre-
judiced by what was done by parties in London, sup-
posing that anything had been done, and he would
therefore -support the motion,
Mr. WARD said that the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man was at least consistent in the course he was pur-
suing,"for he had taken the opportunity of moving
for the writ at a late hour, as if he were conscious
that he had not quite so good a case as he had
in Southampton—(Cheersas otherwise he did no
chink he would have moved that the writ should issue at
the hour of one o'clock in the morning.---(Cheers.)
His Honourable Friend (Mr. Howard) had at least
taken a more manly course, because •he moved
for it in the light of dav, though he (Mr. Ward) thought
he had not shown much judgment in moving for it.—
(Hear, hear.) He regretted that such a motion should
have originated on those benches.—(Loud cheers.) If the
House of Commons had determined on taking the course
best qualified to lower its character in the estimation of
the country, it would be by doing that which his
Honourable Friend . pressed upon them. If the
House, after determining one day that there were.
grounds, not of inquiry into the existence of certain
compromises, as was said by the Honourable and
Learned Member for Kidderminster, but for an inquiry
into gross bribery, alleged to have been committed at
the last Nottingham election, in which the constituency
was said to be implicated—if tho House was now to
decide that a writ was to issue without an investigation
into the fact, what would the country say ? They
held out hopes, and they made their fulfilment im-
possible.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") The Committee
which was to be appointed ought to have instructions to
proceed with the Nottingham case first, because the facts
might be instantly ascertained, and the writ ought
to be suspended as short a time as possible.
But if the facts were proved, as he thought they
would be, he doubted whether the writ for Nottingham
would ever issue ; but until the facts were proved,- he
should give his direct negative to the motion.
. Sir B. PEEL said, that having been asked a question
last night with regard to the issuing of the writ for the
town of Nottingham, he ventured to advise that
it would be better for some one to give notice
of his intention to move it, and the Hon. Gentleman had
taken the course he ventured to recommend. If they
adopted no proceedings in the case, there could be no
sufficient justification for the refusal of the
(Hear, hear.) But proceedings having taken place, the
ease was• altered. 'rhe seat of the Hon. Member for
Nottingham having been declared valid, and the next
day having accepted the Chiltern Hundreds, that was
cited as a strong proof of the necessity for inquiry ; and
he confessed that the. House, having determined to insti-
tute the inquiry, he thought it would be inconsistent
not to proceed with the inquiry in the first instance.
At the same time the suspension of a writ was a matter
cf great importance, and they were bound to interpose
as short an interval us possible.: Upon the whole, how-
Alrer, he was of opinion, although lie would admit the
subject was not free from doubt, that it would be the
least inconsistent course they could adopt to suspend
the issuing of- the writ for the present—(Cheers) —and
therefore he should vote fur the issuing of the writ being
for the present suspended,—(Cheers.)
• Sir R. INGLIS was one of those who thought that
public opinion would not much longer allow that that
House or its Committees should be permitted to decide

on ottestioniof election law. He would not attempt to
do that indirectly which he had failed the other evening
in doing directly. He could not consent to accede
to the motion of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman
for muspendint,- the issue of the writ, unless the
Honourable and . Learned • Gentleman could pro-
duce a preset cut. He (Sir Robert Inglis) ventured
to assert that there was 119 instance of the issue
of a writ having been suspended, unless upon the
Report of a Committee. In all the instances in which
the issue of a writ had been suspended, a Committee had
reported the existence of bribery in the borough,- and in
Members themsellnvesthheatiprebseeennt
many ingances the
solely.„t onsay
thatthe
instance the T earned Member for Bath—
authority of the Hon. • ,".thing disrespect-
(r:rh :,:hatit:et,l??aetnionism prliecsatteedd..
fulto the lion. mid Learned Member, VlTleml;, m
low as he considered the authority of an ElectiOn-‘:_,
mittee, he still considered the Report of. such a Com=-
mitteebetter- than the unsupported testimony
of any. Honourable Alember.-41-Icar, hear.) Unless
the Honourable MeMber could produce a precedent,
he (Sir R. Inglis) would certainly not consent to the
• suspension of the issue of the writ. He would not enter
into further discussion on the subject, but content him.
self-with stating-his determination to oppose the motion
of the Hon. Member for Bath, unless he could produce
some precedent of the issuing, of a writ having been'
suspended under similar circumstances.
Mr. 'WYNN felt considerable hesitation and doubt on
this subject. He thought that a locutory instruction
ought to be given to the Committee to prOceed in the
first instance with the Nottingham case, and that they
should have the power to report from time to time upon
that case, before thdy entered upon any other.
Mr. C. WOOD said, that the Right Hon. Gentleman
who had just sat down, had expressed the very sentiments
on this subject which he (Mr. C. Wood) felt, and the
Right Hon. Gentleman had done so in a manner that
left it unnecessary for. him (Mr. C. Wood) to say more
upon it. He thought that the objection taken by the
Hon. Gentleman opposite (Sir R. IL Inglis) was taken a
day after the fair. It was true that.thelll9oll agreed to

ELECTION COMMITTEES.
Mr. ROEBUCK rose to move for a Bill to indemnify
those parties who should give evidence before the Read-
ing, Nottingham, Harwich, Lewes, and Falmouth Com-
mittees.
Sir V. BLAKE said, that when the Committee was
appointed, he would move, " That it be an instruction
to the Committee of Privileges, to be appointed on the
motion of the Honourable and Learned Member for
Bath, to inquire and report whether the tenants of
Lords of Parliament and of spiritual persons are not,
by the Act 12 Richard 11., c. 12, exempted from the
payment :of the expenses of Knights in Parliament—
(Laughter)—upon the principle that such tenants
were, by the law and usage of Parliament, inca-
pacitated from exercising the elective franchise. To
report whether the said Act, and also the Act of
23 Henry VI., c. 10, for levying the wages of knights of
the Parliament of England, or either of the said Acts,
are not still in force and unrepealed.—(Laughter.) Also
to report whethet annual Parliaments and universal
sufffttge ever formed a practical ingredient of the Par-
liamentary representation, by means of which authentic
information thus cemainnicated, parties feeling them-
selves aggrieved will necessarily avoid the mixing up
of vitel and fundamental principles—(Great laughter)--
of shortening the duration of Parliament and extending
the franchise with matter unknown to the ancient land-
marks of the Constitution, which may be insidiously
introduced into their petitions to this House by
designing persons, in order to prevent any aoncession,
lest such concession should have the effect of appeasing
the public mind, and of averting an incurable breach
between the Parliament and the people."
SAVINGS BANKS.
Mr. HUME postponed the motion of which he had
given notice, respecting Savings Banks, till the 2d of June.
MAYNOOTH COLLEGE—PRIVILEGE.
Mr. SHIEL said that he perceived the Hon. and Gal-
lant Officer opposite had presented a petition this evening
from Liverpool, very numerously signed, with regard to
the College of Maynooth. The petition was couched in
very strong language, which it:!luced him to read it, and
he observed that the names were written in
the same hand. It was wrong to attach
names to a petition without the authbif.v of
those whose signatures were attached. He thei:efote.
wished to know whether the attention of the Hon. and
GAlitn;; Officer ,had been directed to the names,
and whether-tn;.o
ames attached to the petition were ap-
..of those. who signed it 2,
pended by the stuthiitn;
Sir HOWARD DOLTGLL-424 begged leave "to say
that the petition was put into his ham.; on coming into
the House, and he had not time tt; scrutinise
the names. But there was the petition itself, and
be recommended the Right Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman to leek over the names himself.—(Cries of
" Oh, oh 1") His (Mr. Shiers) well known acuteness
and ability made him much more competent to execute
that task than he (Sir IL Douglas).—(" Oh, oh 1")
But he knew there was a strong feeling in Liverpool on
the subject. •
Mr. SHIEL then gave notice that he would to-morrow
move that the petition be referred to the Committee of
Privilege, for the purpose of ascertaining and reporting
to the House whether there was not a breach of privilege
apparent in the form of the petition.—(Hear.)
BRIBERY AT ELECTIONS.
Lord J. RUSSELL gave notice that he would on Friday
move fur leave to bring in a Bill for preventing bribery
and corruption at elections.
SUDBURY ELECTION.
Mr. REDINGTON rose to move for leave to bring
in a Bill to exclude the borough of Sudbury from
sending burgesses to Parliarnent.i(There prevailed great
noise and confusion in the House owing to Members
leaving their places at the commencement of the Hon.
Member's speech.) He said he had to chll the attention
of the House to another chapter in the history of corrup-
tion.— (Continued interruption.) He hoped he should be
able to arrest the attention of the House, and that the
Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel) would not disregard the
question, because it was brought forward by one so humble
as himself, and who so long breathed the impure air of a
Southampton Election Committee. Ile was well aware that
of all privileges, the franchise was the most important,
and that it was one which ought not lightly to
be taken away. But at the same time time that he re-
garded it in that light, he always thought it was due to
those who honestly exercised their right, to protect their
suffrage from being neutralised or nullified by those
who used theirs corruptly.—(Hear. hear.) It was
with that view the House had always marked its dis-
pleasure at corruption on the part of a Member, or of a
constituency. Ile thought he should be able to show
that the case to which was now calling the atten-
tion of the House was one which ought to
be marked with the greatest severity. It was
true that even after Election Committees had
recommended the disfranchisement of a bo-
rough, the. , House had always been unwilling
to take. away the franchise, without having
first ascertained all the facts in the fullest
manner, and the Report of the Election Com-
mittee had been referred to a Select Committee.
Not many years ago a measure had been brought in by
the Noble Lord, the Member for the City of London, fur
the repression of bribery at elections. In the debate on that
Bill thellight Hon.Baranet, the Member for Tamworth—
and he (Mr. Redington) would not wish for a more ar-
dent advocate for the suppression of bribery than the
Right Hon. Baronet—in that debate the Right Hon.
Baronet had said that what the House would require in
every instance of bribery, before prOceeding to a measure of
disfranchisement, would be to be well satisfied of the exist-
ence of the fact, and that the evidence required would be
such as should not only be satisfactory to this House, but
to the other House of Parliament also. The Right Hon.
Baronet had also stated that in his opinion the Committee
fbr the conducing of any investigation on such questions
ought to be nominated by the Speaker ; and that a Bill
founded upon the Report of the Committee, should be
sent up to the other House of Parliament. In the ease
of the borough of Sudbury, all these conditions had been
almost literally complied with. The Committee had
been nominated under the provisions of the Right Hon.
Baronet's own measure for the trial of controverted
elections, "so that it might .be said to have been
nominated by the Speaker, who appointed the Corn-
mitten of Selection by which the Election Committee
was chosen. Ile would now proceed briefly to narrate
to the blouse the circumstances which had occurred at

the last election for Sudbury. The nomination took
place on a Monday, and the election on the Tuesday follow-
ing. Up to six o'clock on the preceding Sunday night,
neither of the candidates who were returned had made
their appearance in the borough. One arrived on the
Sunday evening and the other on the Monday morning,
and within 36 hours after their arrival they were both re-
turned as the Members for Sudbury. ,In some cases of
bribery certain corrup t individuals were employed,and they
Quit., ivoured to tempt othe:-s into corruption. In:lSudbury
.1)11 necessity to have recourse to mach there"was It openly in the market.
mea-
sures. •The' 11.,::?s were boogl
There were the htiStings and ',two public-hovises, and
the stream of corruption eould bir tTaced uninteiTuptedly
from the one to the other during. the whole ..election.
He would now endeavour to show ,how many of the
voters of Sudbury appeared to have dt, ted in t} sis man-
ner. One of the first witnesses examined wa.l a con-
stable of the borough of Sudbury. Oa the ;,-morning
of the polling this man stated that he saw \ a great
number of people run ,up to the hustings ; that he saw
also as many as two hundred electors come fi •om the
Black Boy, go up to the hustings, and vote for :the late
-Members. Now, what took place at that inn ? Why,
the number of persons there was so great that' Vie stairs
'nearly broke down, and'when the parties were asked what
they wanted, they said they were going for their ',money.
'He thought after this the House would e ntertain
but little doubt what the course adopt. td had
been. That with respect to the Swam, Inn,
j )the money was handed out to the electors
at that place by a person who had not yet been dis-
covered, because nothing more was seen of him, than his
hands. The same crowd of people surro-anded that
. -

that,-at the election of 1835, bribery had been carried 1
on in the borough to an unprecedented extent ; and he
added that he believed that if the sum given in bribes
was divided among the whole constituency, it would
amount to between 301. and 351. to each elector.
There was another remark which he wished to make, though
not exactly pertinent to the subject. Were the electors of
Sudbury friends to the system of voting by ballot? Not at all.
At the election of 1835, the brother clone of the candidates, in
recommending his brother to the voters of Sudbury, said that
he was a friend to voting by ballot, in order that bribery might
be put an end to. The assembled electors met that announce-
ment by a cry of "No ballot, no ballot !" They saw at once
what would be the effect of the vote by ballot. A party being
asked what sort were the elections of 1837, said that they were
very poor—that there was no money expended on either side,
and that that was owing to there being four candidates in the
field. Such was the picture which the Report before the
House enabled him to give of former elections at Sudbury.
Was the system to continue, in which 200 voters on one side
were proved to be bribed at every election? One witness ex-
amined before the Committee acknowledged that he always
voted for whichever side paid him mos and that on each oc-
casion he took the bribery oath. Th xt witness who came
mos
forward, was a man of the name of Be He had never before
exercised the franchise, and he had ved an extra sum of
41. for his vote. Charles King, anot t •oter, stated that he
had received 61., but that they were r travelling expenses.
With regard to the last election, there was a man who came
More the Committee, named Nicholas Cross, who stated that
he had been offered 701. for his vote; and that in his opinion
the voters had made a regular market of the election. Having
thus briefly stated to the House what had occurred at the last
election—having shown that the last election for the borough of
Sudbury was one at which, in the wards of the Committee, a
gross, systematic, and extensive system of bribery was carried on
—he would merely add that the Committee, before whom these
facts were investigated, was appointed in the very manner in
which the Right. Hon. Baronet himself said it ought to be
formed ; and he would say that:a Committee of that kind, not
having been selected by chance, but chosen with the utmost
care, their Report ought to be attended to. That Committee
could not resist the strong facts which were presented to their
minds, and they came, to the unanimous decision that gross
bribery had prevailed. The Right Hon. Gentleman said that
he wished to aid the Noble Lord in his object for the sup-
pression of bribery, and to make an example of those com-
mitting it. That was the very course he (Mr. Redington)
asked the House to pursue now. On other occasions of cor-
ruption various courses had been pursued : sometimes it had been
proposed to incorporate that with the neighbouring borough ;
but he did not think it would be fair to extend so much vice
into the midst of virtue. He thought, however, that there
was no other course than that which he proposed to the House.
If that measure were not adopted he was sure that all that they
had said—all that they had been doing—all that they had at-
tempted on the subject, would be rendered nugatory. He was
satisfied if they did not punish this borough that all their re-
solutions against bribery would be believed to be idle and in.
consistent ; and he was sure if they did not adopt the sugges-
tions of their own Committee, they would feel that that House,
instead of assisting them to put an end to bribery, were se-
cretly and silently throwing a cloak over proceedings so unjust
and reprehensible.
Colonel 'RUSHBROOKE, in the present unrepresented
state of the borough of Sudbury, trusted that, as the repre-
sentative of that division of the connty in which the borough
was situated, he might be permitted to say a few words in fa-
vour of that unfortunate borough. The corruption extended
only to one portion of the constituency—the freemen—a body
for the preservation of which he had voted in conjunction with
the majority of that House, and he could only say he was
sorry they had made so bad use of their privileges.—(Opposi-
tion cheers.) That body, however, was a diminishing one,
and, ere long, would be extinct. There was not a more re-
spectable body existing than the bulk of the constituency
of the borough ; they were above the suspicion of
venality, and he hoped that when the Bill should be in-
troduced the House would give the question its calm considera-
tion, and would recollect that it was one class only of the
voters vt hieh had been disgraced by these practices. He trusted
they would net let the innocent suffer with the guilty, but
would temper justice with mercy.
The motion was then agreed to, and
Mr. G. HARCOURT and Mr. SHIEL were ordered to
bring in the Bill