Star.
London, England, 1804-05-05 00:00:00

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cent cafe had not been made not to Jollity the meafure prepofed
by the Committee, bribery having been proved only &rattail io or
bo Electors.
Sir GEORGE CORNEWALL. defended the propofition of the
Committee,endrettatcd the erreumitanccs refire-bog the eleftion.
Mr. ROSE entered at confiderable length into the 9uelli, n, in
which he Mewed the propriety of retorting t., the method propofed,
as the osoft natural and conftitutional mode. He theta reviewed
the manner in which boroughs bad been treated in fwoilar cafes,
from the time of Charles 11. downward",noticing the diff.rent cafe,
of Stockbridge, Shoreham, Hindon, and Shattefbury. If ever there
was an inftadce that was peculiarly fhgrant, it was tht prefent.—
Two hundred eleelors had a ffembled at a public tavern, where
they received the money publicly. In &bloat every other cafe fare
regard to decency had been O,ewn; but here there was none; fo
that of 417 voters,' large majority were clearly bribed. Mr. Bent '
was an utter ftranver to the place, and bad ao fort of hope but by
dint of money. They had even carried a funeral procethon through
the town for the other candidate, becaufe he did not pay at the fame
rate.
Mr. FRANCIS was of a different opinion. He thought the Bill
did not go to em u% a proper mode of punilhment, fur it did not
take away the votes of the guilty perfous in future, but threw in a
numfer of other voters. It merely put the guilty into better corn-
pany, but didnot pun& them. He likewife thought it took away
the tights of the freemen of Ayklbury, as entailed by chance.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT raid, the mere ad of bribery difquali.
bed all thole who were found guilty. He then entered upon a de-
tail of the hiftory of the Borough, (hewing that at heft the right of
voting was veiled in a Corporate Body, which loft the right by
non-ufage, and the prefent meaftwe went only to a farther altera-
tion for a mifufe by corruption. The Bill was grounded on a re.
port of the Committee on the table, which would fully juilify it.
He thought tint the heft aofwer to be made to pretended:dor-
mers, was to thew them that the Houfc would Peek to prtferve or
reftore the purity of the repretentation, whenever furls flagrant
lnitances of corruption came before them. A former Member for
Arlethury bad faid,that he was under no obligations to AyLthury,
se he nee, r had a vete that he did not pay for; though Mr. Wile.
glad ollft tired, in favour of the omen, that they would all rather
sake his guinea than any other man', twenty !billings. There
wer • various modes of inflaenee. more honourable; other. nut lb.
Wool lees fathom and effential ferrite' gain a Gentleman a
claim, it was an honourable one; tut It was 'sadly d.fferent whae
'there was no other recommendation but the money ore reran wha
was an utter ftrangert it was of a very different defeription.
Mr. HURST (poke with eonllderable animation agalnft the
Bill Th.- fracchifes of a Borough relied on a chatter or immemo-
rial cite.; and tlsiffoufe could have no tight to talk them away,
but upon a lorfeltaretbm,did not by any means euift in the pre-
fent cafe. The Statute Mole, is cafes of Bribery, was fo thyme
that if enforced, it was intioffible for the offender to commit bin
Offence twice. He then expreffed his ailtobation of the mixed
nature of eurrepreketatioc.
Mr. ROSE captained.
Mr. LEE (pate in favour of the mature • but hoped tome
claufe weenci'be Infested for the purpoth of making a chittnetioo
between the innocent and the guilty.

Sir JOHN NEW I,OIIT explained.
The MASTER of the ROLLS (poke again* the Bill. The
principle on which this Bill was to proceed was different from that
in the cafe of Shoreham, where, by' means of a club, there was a
art of corporate capacity affumed by the Ficdtors ; but here the
offences were committed individually, and a minority only were
proved guilty. If it were a Bill of puuiihment, it proceeded on
very wrong grounds, fince the puniamient isinflidted fell upon the
innocent, who loft the value of their fuffrageo They who were
innocent had the foie right to return the Member. If a See, or
any other calamity, bad deftroyoi ohne* al the beaks in Aylef•
bury, and left but a (man portion of inhabitants, they would hare
the foie right ; and fo in cafe of a 'nonl contagion, thole who kept.
free from it, retained their rights ; they were not to fortsit for
others. Again, fuppofing that in the event of a trial, moff tiff th;
aecufed were acquitted, how would fuch a law appear? But fup-
pofing molt of them cunviiiited, it would be to them a comphte
disfranchifernent. • -
Mr. DTCIUNSON. Jun. fupported the till, on the ground that
Reprefentatim is a truft to be exercifcd for the public benefit, and
not like cattle or hay, to be coofidercd only as a private right and
a matter , advantage to an individual. He made a variety of
if-
lullrations or this principle, and concluded by declaring his appro-
Station of the tneafurr. . •
Mr. WINDHAM Paid. the Bin proceedeet be the idea that it
wee good to extend the hafts of the Riprefentation; a principle- of
which be was not lure. He did not quite agroowith the Learned
Gentleman in filing, that it was our regard for envoi rights that
anade us abftain from touching the Boroughs. He thought that it
was from tap, eiercy rasher, as if there were any great benefit to
be gained by Owen.; the Borough Conllitutions, their ancientnefs
would not be a fi.Ceicnt rt ',fon to their pmfervation. He then
approved the preterit praftlecti preference to any unt led (chores,
erd hoped the Houle would inci mix and confound judicial and le •
gleaner ARs, which only fpoiled caeh other. He then enhanced
bevel al Porovghs where corruption had prevailed at differ, t
Red had afterwards toted, and thougut that A );elbury could not
fo very di(ea(rd that tao fumigation, our any mode of fetter.,
tion, could cure It.
Mr. C. WYNNE (poke in favour of the Bill.
On the queftion tieing rut for the scaker's teeming the Chair,
the i.urr bees w, re, Ayes, 7a; None. 56—Majority, 16.
7-he Bill then went through the Committee, and the Huufe ad-
journed at (even o'clock.