Star.
London, England, 1830-12-02 00:00:00

BOROUGH OF MARLBOROUGH.

Select Committee of the House of Commons for the purpose of trying
the petitions of Sir Alexander 'inlet, Ban. and John Mirehouse,
Req. complaining of the Election fur the Borough of Marlborough.—
Friday, Nov. 26, 1830.
Sir Robert Peel, Bart. Chairman.
Mr. J. H. Cole Mr. W. T. Peel
Mr. G. R. Robinson Mr. Foley
Sir John Wrottealey Sir M. W. Ridley
Mr. B. L. Lister The Earl of Ruston
Mr. D. S. Hugel&le Lord Killeen
Counsel for the Petitioners—Mr. Harrison, K.C. Mr. Set jeant Mere.
wether, and Mr. Telford.
For the Sitting Membas—Mr. Addam and 31r. Rogers.
After the petition had been read, the case was opened by Mr.
Harrison, who, in his address to the Court, which was of consider-
ble length, entered into its merits, from which it appeared that from
time immemorial the town of Marlborough possessed the privi.
ley of returning members to Parliament, and that charters end pri.
vllegus were from time to time granted them, but which bad since
been considerably diminished by the encroachments made upon them
by the corporate bodies; this body consisted at present of about II
persons. The town in 1821, deducting houses not applicable to eke-
d= Malmo, contained about 400. Scene of these 11 was tenants
to a noble lord in the neighbourhoods but the corporation Is more ef..l
factually in the hands of Mr. Merryman, a solicitor of the place, andl
his family. The party who conceived they had a right of voting
offered their votes, but were refused admission ; and so far was these
exclusive rights carried, that the candidates were compelled to propose
themselves.

The last determination as to the panda in whom the right et voting
was vested, appeared by a decision of the House in 1717. The in-
which led to it began in 1718, and from that determinadon the
right was vested in the mayor and burgesses of the borough only. The
Learned Gentleman then went into the definition of the point es to the
term burgess, or burgher, and cited many ancient authorities to prove
that it meant the inhabitants or householders, who paid the taxes, of
any town or city where they might reside ; therefore the um of the
term burgess could not mean to give the rights to a particular or self.
elected class, but to the householders of the town generally, who paid
the taxes, Az. These points were urged in order to give authority to
the prayers forming this peculiar ease.
In 1585 the Queen's trained bend was formed in Marlborough, when
274 men were enrolled for military service, but the burgesses were only
72. In 1601,there appeared on the muster-roll 345, which would produce
100 burgesses, or men capable of paying the usual payments. In the
list he had, it appeared that in 1524 the mayor and council consisted of
21, the burgesses 54; in 1532 the mayor and council consisted of 24,1
'the burgesses 57; in 1614 the mayor and council consisted of 16, the
burgesses 75; and in 1740, the burgesses of 12. The list came down to
a very late period, showing the gradual reduction in the number of
common burgesses.
A number of old documents and witnesses were produced, for the
purpose of proving that the rig of vedng lay in the general body of
the burgess or inhabitant householders paying the customary town pay-
ments, and not the select body under the head of the mayor and corn.
mon council, and it was strongly amended, on the part of the petition-
ers, that the Charter of incorporation not taking place till the time of
Queen Elisabeth, and which Omar embodied all- the former ones, the
previous rights could not be superseded by it, and Charters are in ge-
neral granted for the purpose of rather increasing than diminishing ex-
isting
On the other hand it was very ably contended by Mr. Annex sad
Mr. Ronnie, for the sitting members, that as the whole question lay
on the definition of the term burgess, as alluding to the party who bad
a right of voting, and as thedecision 0f1717 was that on width they had
to wooed themselves, that that term could only be applicable to such as
had been properly admitted and sworn as of the body or the mayor and
council, or select burgesses, and not on the general and indefinite term
given it by the other party, and quoted a variety acmes, and produced
a great body of evidence, to prove their point.
The immense mass of evidence produced, and the length of the ann.
menu upon it, protracted the decision for four days: but after the
reply of Mr. Hanalsow, who laboured hard to prove the term burgess
in his favour, soon alter three o'clock the committee came to the fol.
lowing decision :
That having considered the written statement, of the petitioners and
the sitting members, they decide that—
The sitting members are duly elected, and that the petition is neither
Ifrivolous nor vexatious.

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6

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

OXPORDSBIRL

BANIUST, Nov. 29.Witilei finTiWitTng our fire belt have rung,
which has caused groat alarm. My people are all gone out, but have
not made out anything of • Are. Boum say it was to call the special
constables out, as the bringing the Banbury and Blozham troop into
the town to-day has caused a great deal of I have just heard
it lsl machine at fillthorp which is is fire.

BEDFORDSHIRE.
BIOGLIEWADE, Nov. 29.—A fire was in the parish of Eaton lut
night, at t3torrydon's; the farm was destroyed : the person who occu-
pied it Willi* acting overseer ; no doubt it was set os die. Part of the
property was saved.
AMPTIMILL.—EIeven stacks. consisting of hay, clover, beans, wheat,
dte. together with all the outbuildings auached to the premises of Mt.
Benson, of Wotton Palings, were, at six-recto& on the evening of Sa-
turday, destroyed by fire. The farm-houle was preserved, and the cattle
restored in safety.

H UNTINODO NS DIU.
ALcowarev, Rottritrouotistrtet, Iftr.2ll.—Tbe country in
this part' la is a very perturbed state. MO* d these as Mar bandied
persons have saallmbled aid done vest damage to the assehinery. The
constables andaids number of respectable tamers have in cap.
tot`dtfg thirty of the meeedesperete, whe affetsanitittea for re-ezarol-
nada.
SwitTimemow...-beaday even* a poly ethorn forty to fifty nun
assembled in the village of liewn)und. &leapt I • the threshing.
mashiess without molestation. Oo aw*y erasing a party of about
foot hundred commenced Ode we& tkpframidri Mt other MI
do weighbewhipod of Upeeal•Almallevyt dfJtJ tiler w'Mak they Wit
contributious at the farm-houses. They proceeded on to Duckworth,
where they sawed and broke to pieces two thrashing.machines, and