The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-07 00:00:00

having given upwards of 200 notices to quit to.i enters
of property in Newark, and who declined to vote for
T. Sadler, Esq. at the late election. I big to
assure you that I appreciate very highly the honour
the electors of Newark have conferred upon me by
their invitation to attend the proposed meeting;
and it is scarcely necessary to add I shall with pride
and pleasure obey their call.
" I assure von, Sir, the deep intere4 I take in
the honour anti welfare of Newark induces me to
entertain very strong feelings respecting this very,
extraordinary proceeding.; but I admit ►t may he
.
thought the expression of them at present would te
premature. There may be some who suppose it to
be possible that, at the proposed meeting, the sere,'
ing of 200 notices to quit upon a class of persoeis
distinguishable from the other tenants only by their'
having refused to vote for his Grace's nominee at
the late election, may be accounted for on proper
grounds.
" While I shall not deny the existence of such a
possibility, I regret to say that the inference from
the facts at present known appears to be lament-
ably unfavourable to the character of the proceed.
ing; and should such inference prove to be correct,
no honest man can doubt that the attempt to
dis-
possess tenants of their houses, and probably with
them the means of support, because they have
conscientiously withheld or given a vote, is a 1, roes
abuse of power and property to the purpose of op-
pression, and a perversion of the law into an inst►u-
ment of cruelty and injustice, for punishing men for
performing the duties it
" Allow me to express my beat thanks to you
for your obliging communication, and to assure you
I remain, with respect and regard, your very
ful and obedient servant,

" ' THO. WILDE.

" Bowes, Southgate, Sept.
" The Meeting will recollect that his Grace the
Duke of Newcastle was written with reference to
complaints of an attempt on his part to controul the
electors by direct intimidation. By the expressions
contained in his Grace's reply, it therefore but too
clearly appears his Grace *holds the monstrous
opinion, that such a power is one of the inherent
sights of property, of which he cannot be donrived
so long as the laws of England are respected.'
" Under the circumstances of such an avowal, we
have thought it right to take all possible measures
to ascertain the nature and extent of the property
in favour of which his Grace makes such extraor-
dinary pretensions. •
" In the first place we find that the principal part
of the property of the Duke, by which he has been
enabled to controul the borough, consists of crown
lands, held upon lease from his Majesty's Commis-
sioners of Woods and Forests, under which, besides
about 50 houses and tenements within the town of
Newark, of different sizes and descriptions, besides
the Lordship of the manor, the fairs, markets, fishery,
and tolls cf bridges, his Grace possesses 960 acres,
one rood, 13 perches, crown land, commencing with
the castle, and passing down both sides of the river,
through Avesbam and Stoke, to Markham•bridge,
thence diverging into the Lordship of Farndon, and
continuing a circuit round the borders of the town-
ship, through the Lordship of Baldetton, over the
Beacon-hill, till it again reaches the river, thus form-
ing a girdle completely round. the town of the most •
fertile land, which, with the exception of two con-
siderable portions that are now let to influential fa-
milies, in the town, is divided out into closes of from
two to five acres each, and let out into one, two, or
three lots to different electors within the borough,
according to the extent of their influence and zeal
in promoting the political views of the Duke
within the borough ; a part of which closes are again
sub-let, creating a similar influence in favour of the
Duke's nominee. To such as are unacquainted with
the situation and circumstances of Newark, the ex-
traordinary pryer acquired by the Duke from pos-
session of these crown lands, would appear incre-
dible ; but their immediate contiguity to the densely
inhabited part of the town, renders a portion almost
indispensable to every merchant, tradesman, and
shopkeeper; particularly so where the staple pro-
ducts, as in Newark, are meal and malt. In regard,
therefore, to the possession of property so useful and
so valuable, the power created by the fear of losing
it on the one hand, and the desire of acquiring it on
the other, afford a powerful and almost irresistible
temptation to the prostitution of the elective fran-
chise, so long as the power of disposal is allowed to
remain in the hands of a nobleman, who, viewing .
the property of the Crown as if it were his own pa-
tereal estate, says Have I not.a right to do what
I will with mine own ?' and who considers the pri-
vilege of controlling elections one of the inherent
rights,' which belong to it. Within the circle or
belt of crown land surrounding the town as before
mentioned, the Duke of Newcastle possesses pro-
perty to some extent, consisting of both land and
houses. This property is held from year to year,
without leases, the tenants of which, upon an under-
standing which has grown up from communications
with the Duke's agents, that they would not be dis-
turbed in their occupations, have considerably im-
proved the property. The Duke by this means Inns
acquired the power of
integrity in voting, far greater than the usual and
wholesome influence which property can conifer.
" Having stated the description of property -for
which the Duke so triumphantly claims the right ot'.
doing what he will with his own,' we have
ceeded to see what was the degree of infloone4 it
conferred, and the principle by which be appears to
have been guided in applying this maxim upon the
present occasion.
" In the first place, such has been the overwhelm-
ing power created by tire fear of losing their respec-
tive portions of the crown land, that 136 of the
Duke's immediate tenants of that description of pro-
perty voted for the Duke's nominee, without taking
account of sub-lettings, the numbers of which we are
not enabled to ascertain in the short space allowed
for the making of our report. At the same time,
only four of such tenants had the courage to vote
for Mr. Serjeant Wilde, and each of them has been
rewarded for his integrity by the receipt of a notice
to quit. The principle on which his Grace the
Duke of Newcastle has exercised his supposed rights
in regard to his own private property, may be in.
ferred from two cases now before us, in both of
which the tenants hal expended more than the value
of the freehold upon substantial erections, for the
purposes of business, on the property, in the full re-
liance upon the honour of his Grace, and the assur-
ance of his agents, that their possession would not
be disturbed, and in the event of their quitting the
premises, that a suitable allowance would be made
for the improvements,—whereas these gentlemen
have both received notice to quit. In one of thee-a
cases, a rival tradesman is promised to be rews.„.dm
for voting for Mr. Sadler, by the possess;:or, of the
premises, so that he should have the atbeantnge of
his rival's shop and his customers; .7.rul the other
gentleman has but too much reason to believe that
the Duke is only waiting for the expiration of the
n mice to reward a more Omit disposition with the
full benefit of his refractory tenant's improvements.
In respect to the Duke's houses a Newark, the
rule by which he and his agents have given their
inherent tights of property,' as, without one single
exception,
ces shows
ab : ire
et
believe, too i)lainlY their definition of the
every tenant of the Drake
who voted for Mr. Serjeant Wilde has received
notices to quit; while not one of Mr. Sadler's, or
rather the Duke's voters, has received one.. Its
Lalderton Gate, where the Duke has several houses,
only one of the Duke's tenants voted for the Ser-
pent, and he has received a discharge. Not to.
weary the patience of the meeting by referring to
every street, we need only, observe, in -Clinton-