ELECTION EXPENDITURE 65 



distributed amongst them by the borough agent. 

 They were then satisfied with the golden news, 

 chose the opposition candidates, and received their 

 cash ! That same year at Aylesbury the two 

 gentlemen who had brought the money down to pay 

 those who voted for Messrs. Halifax and Wrightson, 

 the successful candidates, from some misunder- 

 standing refused to pay the cash, and were mobbed 

 by a crowd who would not allow them to proceed 

 to London. Two days afterwards those who 

 voted for these gentlemen received twelve guineas 

 each, but the young voters were refused money by 

 either party, which embittered them vastly. Many 

 of the bills for ribbons, or favours, as they were 

 called, and publicans' accounts were disputed ; some 

 were paid one half, some a quarter, and some 

 nothing, to punish them for making such exorbitant 

 charges. 



I have elsewhere given some account of the Bucks 

 election in 1784. I there stated that the Hon. 

 T. Grenvilleand Sir John Aubrey were elected. Lord 

 Verney being in a minority of only twenty-four after a 

 fourteen days' poll. I find that the latter petitioned 

 against the return ; but Sir John Aubrey, and 

 friends who were in the Government, managed to 

 adjourn the petition for more than two years, when 

 Lord Verney was compelled from want of means to 

 abandon the action. The petition was alleged to 

 have cost Sir John Aubrey nearly 50,000/. A 

 great mob attacked the ' George' inn, Mr. Grenville's 

 head-quarters ; they also, on the first day of the poll. 



