Star.
London, England, 1826-06-24 00:00:00

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

PRESTON ELECTION.
THURDAY Mamma.
The following is the copy of the protest which Capt.
Barrie pr-sented to the Mayor yesterday, and on which
the Mayor adjourned the Court:

" To Nicholas G:intshaw, Esq. Mayor, and Joseph Bray, jun.
nod William Nicholson, Esq. Bailiffs of the Borough of Prestos
in the County of Lancaster.
" in consequence of the vioknce and force which have been em-
ployed by the ..dherents of Mr. Wood and Mr. Cohbett, and by the
aniphl meat of which my voters have been, and are now, viokntly
assaulted, ind prevented from coming up to give their votes, I do
bereby solemnly protest against your further proceeding to take the
votes or tile Elector=, until peace and freedom of el,:ction be re-
and my vot•:rs be permitted to have free access to the hin-
ting. in order to give their votes. " Ruin! rsAmmt.
" Wednesday, 21st June,lB26, quarter before one o'clock."
We had n 1 speeches from the Candidates yesterday
ve.ittg. Cobbea's -and %Vood's friends again assembled
ris rp rising round the door of Cnts'lett's tally box
neat numbers. and qnite excluded the voters of their
typonen,. When the Court was opened, the Woodites
ushed on t'.e hustings, and filled Wood's and Cubbett's
tally boa; '
The Meeee—.Well, now I hope all is tight, allqitiet and peace-
foie ; if so, proceed to the poll.
One of Captain Barrio's agents rose, and handed to the Mayor
protest, simitartothe preceding wig.
.1131.Nlavott having declared the proceeding very
reasonable, the pollipg then corn,nenced ; and Cubbett's
men giving their second votes to Mr. Wood, the latter,
o' course. is polling two. and sometimes three votes to
nne of qpissain Barrie'.a.
In tbe.ecoarse of the morning some respectable friends
nt Captain lssrrie aPplieJ at Cobbetes door for entrance
to the hustings. and declined their intention, if admitted
' Co'nisetes tally boa. to give a vote for him.. They
were asked to whom they would give their second—to
Word ? No. They were instantly repelled with rode-
tics-, and menaced with violence, it they should dare to
Appro.!cii that do it again.

Carain Durk having learned the fact, stated it to the Mayor,
rad comphined again that the freedom of election was violated by
the obstructions thrown in the way of his votes when coming to
the hustings.
The MATOR--4I I were to interfere to obtain a safe and free ad-
mission for voiers at one daor, I must obtain it for them at all the
doors. If I were to throw open one, I must throw open all the
avenue—(Applause.)

The polling then commenced, and proceeded with
tolerable regularity till half past 11 o'clock. At that
hour one or Capt. Barrie's sets of voters marched from
his tally room towards the door of their tally box;
they, were preceded by music, and a standard repre-
tenting an anchor. The crowd who stood to guard
Cohhett's door took a liking to the handsome standard,
set up a yell, abandoned their own door, and rushed 'at
the C;ptain's anchor and voters. The Blues, unarmed
aud few, took to their heels, beaded by the flying
standard ; the Greens pursued them, overtook them,
and proceeded to knock them down with their short'
thick bludgeons. Cobbett'S rutfitns, in their eagerness
tor mischief, obstructed each other. The majority. of
the Captain's voters escaped into his door; among the
•tist the standard bearer, who appeared so extremely
itrniii,u-s to avoid the disgrace of losing his colours, and
4.lle.slight cirllateral inconvenience of getting a broken
"litvidi that he was the very first to dart into COvkr—the
foremost in the retreat. Tile Cobbettites and Woodites
then returned to Cobbett's door, after three cheers, and
ternised their watch and ward. A party of them, ;n
.neir fe ocious exultation, had the audacity to rush into
Vie Court-yard, where the hustings stand, and brandish
tbeir weapons in front of the polling booth, within view
the. Mayor. The Mayor ordered the constables to go
theM. The constables looked at their ferocious
i:,j,etlnae and thick staves, and then loaked at the
and then remained just where they were—abso•
I:nely awe I by the savage akSearance of the mob.
Ciptiutt Nix*, stated that the civil power was overawedthat
/A-voters Were prevented by force from coming to the poll, and
ocmanded the presence of the military for them.
• Mr. STANLEY made the same request, in his own name, and that
of Mr. Wood.

The MAY3R declared that the civil power was not
sufficient to preserve the peace. The freedom of elec-
tion had been violared by the violence of an armed mob
—an organized mob—a mob authorized by one of the
Candidates. Though compel dto break up the Court
yesterday by. the riotous conduct of the crowd, and
having in his possession depositions which would war-
rant hisnin-hringing.in the inikary, he did not wish to
introduce 'them this morning—he expected that the
good seas...lad good temper of his fellow-townsmen
wind return- He regretted the conduct of this day's
mob as twinhabitant of Preston:. 'He lia.f.done every
thing in.bia power to preserve the peace, and to give
j.htsce to every party: (" You have, you have.
He had tried every ordinary and quiet way of conduct-
ing the election. The civil power had been overawed in
its own right. He had ieceiv.d a requisition from three
01 the candidates to call in the military. He bad that
kind of force at hand, the strongest which the law
lallowed. They were within call. if the people would
not maintain the peace, be should suspend the polling,
and adj burn the Court until he had such force as could
sweet the irregularities of the authorized mob of rioters.
Here followed confusion, altercation, interruption. cri-
mination, lad recrimination. Several minutes pasted
L;:o:e order could be restored. The polling then pm-
:.:ejed. Several men covered with blood have passed
the fruits of Cobbett's mobs attack on the standard.
r.r-ritsr Tw person, attempted to make a
Yech !sous Cobbett's hustings in the course of the con-,
f ..io ; bite the MAYOR instan.ly interrupted him, and
You are a stranger, you are not an elector, nor
even an inhabitant of Preston. I kno v who you are ;
i have ohm tick! your disorderly conduct for several'
etys; too have no right to come on these hustings.
Y iu are a Clergyman ; your conduct is disgraceful to
iitsr profession, 'and the c*ise yuu support. It is in-
&scent in you to Mix up your sicred c.4lling with the
..):41y pass On; and foul tricks of an electioneering
Y .0 have disgi aced yourself and your friends ;
ca sliall-not say another word. Silence
Tlrr person spieling' overwhelmed by this animated address, and
'au further part iss the proceedings. lie is, or has been, a
:MAD Catholic.

::oishett *nas sold his banners. staffmen, band, com-
r free, Jerry-shops, and mob. to Wood. He is as
: .iious as a baited bull. He his not }'et been allowed
unnsuzzle the Givq which he feels at )esterdt)'s ad-
unbent. We shall have him tea: ing away in all Lis
;sit y this eveieing oath. hustings. %Ne have had some
otal ti.lfianiscis, and shall have more of it; but I es-
-1.e4,t, that at /be final cbse of t:he poll on Monday
v e shall tAtiObie to rat all we shall have killed.—
The Cailt%)lrc.ithe lower orders) have commenced taking
toe Te.t Oatltto-day. The se.pectable R .man Catlioacs
have cautiously sibst4ine..l limas auy iritettmeaCe with
the elect: on. Thor ate- not, frie ids pf Cohbett ;
b.ailley %Tears to be the liatticular favourite. -

s Thursday Eveniog, June 22, Half.past Four (14th nay.)
Day's Poll. Gross I.
Stanle . y . i 37 . . 1707
'
Wood . . 205 . .•
.1132
Barrie . • 135 . 96S
Cobbett - . 95 • . 747
•
SOMERSETSIIIRE.—Itexerrea, THURSDAY.
The polling is going on Very languidly with all the
candidates. Sir Thomas Lethbridge did not appear in
the Court-house, nor in the town, during the day ; nor
was his son, who accompanied him through the former
part of the content to the hustings each day, to be seen.
Mr. Dickinson wig at his post, and.was in con;tant con.
versation with some one or other of his lium.)le friends
' during the seven hours of polling. Mr. Hunt was in
and out of the Court-house and the polling booths very
frequently ; sometimes inquiring into the qualifications
Of the voters for the other candidates, and sometimes
giving directions to those who had undertaken to bring
up his troops, as to the future operations with respect to
the grand effort he has promised to make at the latter
end of next week.

At Ave o'clock the poll-tlerka exhibited their books to the High
Sheriff, who stated that the aggregate pulling was—.
Mr. Dickinson . . 1224,
Sir T. Lethbridge . . - . 3085
Mr. Hunt . . £36

Mr.Drocarsox said, he was as little disposed as any
man could be to return thanks for the sake of speaking;
he was in the habit of letting the poll speak for itself ;
but there was something so extraordinary in the occur-
rences of this contest, that he could not hely addressing
the worthy freeholders who had gathered t-sgether to
show their respect for him. (Cheers). He felt truly
,gratefurfor the honour they had done him that day.
M. Hu x r.— With your permission, Mr.f High Sheriff,
11l ask Mr. Dickinson a que:ti in beft.re I tank my
freeholders. You (to Mr. Dickinson) said yesterday,
Sir, that you were in possession of some paiticulars of
my private history, which particulars you threAtened
that you would use upon whatever occasion you thought
it expedient. Now I call npou you to nreption all those
p4rtirulars publicly, and not to keep them to yourself
until my back is turned. (Cheers and hisses). I am
prepared to answer any charge, whatever it may be,
this m-iment.

Mr. DICEINS3W—Mr. High Sheriff, I did say that I
was in possession of some information rel.:tive to the
public and primate character of Mr. Hon% And I said
also that I should reserse that informationjor any
occasion on which I might be attacked. as I had been
attacked at Bridgewater. I think I may say that lam
in possession of the whole history of that gentleman's
pubtic..and private character ; but I wish hires most dig-
tinctly to understand that I shall, in usi rg th'ose docu.
ments, exercise my own discretion.—(Cheers and kisses )
At the same time I distinctly deny that I contemplated
charging hint behind his back.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Misr —.Freeholders and Ladies who do us the
honour of coming amongst us! I am heartily sorry that
our friend Mr. Dickinson has nothing better to do, no
more useful labour to occupy him, than to pry into the
private transactions of any man—(Cheers and groans.)
11 I very much regret that he has not been so much occu-
pied in attending to your business or his own, as to tender
it inconvenient for him to employ himself in the un•
worthy occupation of listening to the dirty tales of
those creattu es who surround him—(Applause and hisses)
I dare him to produce anything against me. He kuows
my history, he says. He may know it; it has been long
before the public—l have. written it myself—(Hit:es.)
To be sure, I may have given it a little colouring—
(Laughter.) But, .Gentlemen, I wiote it under circum-
stances which may he alluded to for my apology:—
I again dare Mr. Dickinson to bring forward his
charges. It is unmanly, it is ungentlemanly to Ilse
threats: Let us hear what he has raked up in lis
r‘spectable search after priv.te frailties. Let him do
this at once, or sit down with the imputation upon
him, that he is himself the fabricator of the history of
which he speaks—(Cheering and hissing). With the
exception of that pitiful threat, Mr. Dickinson con-
ducted himself in a most unexceptionably manner,'and
he now repeats the threat. CA Freeholder : You called
for it, Hunt—you dog, jou called for it). I called for
the charges, not f-r the threat—(Cheers). .1 am ready
to hear what he h.s to say. Here I am, and here I
shall be with you, tii:ntlenten, for a fortnight—(Laugh•
ter and discordant noises). lam glad to pmeive that
the effect of this information upon you is difFreat horn
that which is produced upon Sir T. Lethbridge, whose
lip quivered the moment it broke upr n his ear—
' (Tumult, and cries of "He is absent.-) I told Sir T
Lethbridge that 1 owed him and his brother Magi—
ciliates something that I would pay off to them some
day or other, for their kindness to me in the gaol.—
Ay, The day of reckoning is now c me. Sir Thomas
appealed ,to my humanity last night, for not conti-
nuing the poll ; but I hope my ears may be cut off, and
nailed to the gates of that prison in which I was incar-
cerated so long, if ever I move from this place whilst
the law allows me to remain here—(Laughter and cheers
and hisses).. The freeholders are allowed fifteen days
every seven years to express their opinions. There is
not a freeholder in the county who shall not have the
opportunity, and I only regret that they have not forty
days, the limit of my so;ttary imprisonment, to give
vent to those opinions and feelings—(Cheers and hisses:
the former greatly pteduntinant). I !Intik it will be a
difficult thing fur my wuithy antagonist, the Baronet,
to gather together his scaitere.d forces, and I ant glad
that Mr. Dickinson is satisfied with hi. 257 votes,
although the number is not a third of what Ire polled
at the last election.
Mr. Sumer —Ay, but then he had to contend with a gentleman.
Mr. HUNT said there had been nu more than 1,300 votes polled
between the Whig and the Tory.
A Freeholder— Why do you not poll the rest yourself?
Mr. !limy said, because he had not the power of exercising one
atom of unjust influence over the freeholders; 256 honest men bad
done him the honour to come up for hint.
Mr. STUCICILY said, he considered those persons who had voted
for Mr. Hunt disgraced themselves. " The man," said Mr.
Stuckey, " has abilities I admit ; hut the idea of his tepresentivg
this county—good Goo! how could such a thing enter his head ?
I ant ashamed to think flit. Ile might creep into Parliament for
a rotten borough, but to represent this great county—good Gott!
it is the greatest absurdity !"
Mr. Herr—l'll try it, however, my jockey.—(Loud lataghte,..)
lir. STWALZT—The longer you go oil, the further you'll be be-
hind. Every man will bring disgrace upon himself who votes fur
you.
Mr: I-IcNv—One word. Mr. Sheriff: My friend Mr. Stuckey
says he is ashamed. Look at him. Why, he has no more shame
in his countenance than one of his own coal-barges.—(l.aughter.)
bin. Sreccer gave three cheers fur time two old insmbers, and
three cheers fur the Sheriff.
Mr. WARKIIX, the Solicitor, gave three cheers for Mr. Stuckey,
and three groans for Mr. hunt.
The Court then adjourned.
The moment Mr. blunt went outside lie addressed the crowd,
I and proposed three groans for Mr. Warren and the ten of the attor-
nies. The groans were 19ud and long.