The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-31 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

PLYMOUTH, MAY 30.—The ship Blackwall passed up
channel during the night. Left Melbourne on the 25th
of February. Made her passage in ninety-four days.
Brings 67,000 ounces of gold. Gold found in as great
abundance as ever, and at the diggings things in general
are getting better. The Bombay was to leave Melbourne
two days after the Blackwall, with a great quantity of
gold on board.

LIVERPOOL ELECTION COMMITTEE.
(A' Full Report will be found in our Second Page.]

The committee met at eleven o'clock this morning, for
proceeding with the petition against the return of Mr.
Turner and Mr. Mackenzie ; all the counsel engaged in
the case were present. Mr. Sergeant Kinglake opened
the case as one of bribery and treating, and in a speech
two hours-long, described the circumstances under which
it was sought to void the election. He detailed cases of
bribery, shewing that, in many instances, freemen had
received sums of ss. each for their votes. He also de-
scribed the means adopted of bringing up voters, and
concluded that they disclosed an organised system incon-
sistent with the idea that the election was pure. He
mentioned\ names of parties by whom several sums of ss.
had been paid, and argued that if these circumstances
were proved to the satisfaction of the committee they
would have-no other alternative than to unseat the pre-
sent members.
Mr. William Rathbone, jun., one of the petitioners
against the return, was, after formal evidence from the
Crown-office, the first witness in cross-examination. He
said he had had some conversation with Mr. Bold, in re-
lation to the Petition being withdrawn, on the condition
of one seat being given up, so that the members might be
Turner and Cardwell.
Mr. Ronald, the other petitioner, stated that this was
the first time he had heard anything of a compromise,
and he had only consented to sign the petition on the
understanding that it should be prosecuted.
On a witness, named Dodds, being about to be called
to support the allegation of bribery,. it was objected to by
Mr. Smero4.for sitting members,. that he was not suffi-
ciently identified by the list which had been put in of
cases of bribery, as there were two Dodds upon the elec-
tion, and that the lists, as put in, did not vie with the
committee's own resolution.
A good deal of argument having taken place on this
question,. the room was cleared for the committee to
deliberate.
When parties were called in, the CHAIRMAN said the
committee had passed a resolution, to the effect that the
counsel for the sitting members should now state the
names of all the voters on the list alleged to have been
bribed, as to whom they requited further information,
and that the agent for the petitioners should identify such
parties by the register before the rising of the committee,
and that no such votes should be inquired into before
Wednesday next, (to-morrow.)
Felix M`Levy, a freeman, was next called. He had
received ss, for loss of his day'S work at the election.
Robert Cook was next called. There were three men
of this name called, alleged to have been bribed, and the
committee resolved that this.was a case which must be
identified under the above resolution.
Two or three others who had. voted for the sitting mem-
bers, and received 55., were then examined, and the com-
mittee adjourned till to-morrow.