NOTES OF THE MONTH. 113 



tably by their measures, they will institute inquiry into the return of 

 the Tory members for Liverpool and Norwich. Bribery has been as 

 notorious at these places, as at the most disgraceful periods of the 

 corrupt parliament. Neither means nor money have been spared at 

 these old kennels of the Conservatives. During the late regime, the 

 constituency of these places was so placed, as to make them virtually 

 rotten boroughs ; and the transfusion of new blood into their diseased 

 system, has not been sufficiently copious to eradicate the old standing 

 taint. In a word, the majority of freemen (!) at each place, have, 

 for many years, been bought and sold in droves, like horned beasts 

 as they are. The new constituency have not been strong enough to 

 make head against them. There are too many honest and upright 

 men in both places to allow of our casting a sweeping censure, which 

 the fact of returning such men as Sir James Scarlet and Lord Sandon 

 would prompt ; but it is necessary that the iniquity should be traced 

 to its proper source, that honest men should not be confounded with 

 rogues. Amongst the political novelties of the last month, a weekly 

 newspaper has appeared,* conducted upon the principles of the Ex- 

 aminer, and apparently not inferior in talent to that great master of 

 political fence. We allude to it, because it has drawn our attention, 

 in a very marked manner, to Sir James Scarlett and his qualifications 

 as a representative A file of the Morning Chronicle for June 23d, 

 1824, gives us the report of a crim. con. case " Johnstone v. Lord 

 Brudenel" where Mr. Scarlett admits that his lordly client is living 

 with the Plaintiff's wife. Mr. Scarlett then says, " The person 

 whom he had the HONOUR TO REPRESENT, was a nobleman of the 

 STRICTEST HONOUR, who approached the consideration of this painful 

 subject with every sentiment of regret." Now, admitting that a 

 lawyer is willing to represent every blackguard who pays him ten 

 Guineas, it does not follow that such sum obliges him to compromise 

 his private opinions with the public. When a man does so, we may 

 be sure they are genuine. Here we behold this Proteus the repre- 

 sentative, for the time being, of an adulterer, whom he considers an 

 honour to represent. Anon, he represents the people of Norwich ; 

 and the honest portion of them consider it a disgrace to be repre- 

 sented by him. Let us hope that a reformed House of Commons 

 will unseat such a representative as this. 



THE Duke of Newcastle has drawn a cheque on the people of 

 Newark for rather a heavy payment no less than two members of 

 parliament ! The draught has been paid, though the lash has been 

 applied to enforce the exaction. The electors, when canvassed by 

 Serjeant Wilde, told him that their independence at the last election 

 had nearly made them beggars they would willingly vote for him, 

 but they could not be turned from their homes to starve ! Here is 

 an undeniable argument for the Ballot, which the misguided Tories 

 thus force upon the nation. The blindness of these people exceeds 

 belief. But for the Reform Bill, of which the Duke of Newcastle 



* The Reflector. 

 M. No. 85. I 



