according to the command of the said writ; and how this my warrant shall be executed you shall make known to me immediately after the said Election made; so that I may certify the same, together with the said writ, and this precept return to our lord the king, in his Chancery forthwith. Hereof fail not. This is your warrant, given under the seal of my office, dated the one thousand seven hundred and day of R. S. & S. L. Sheriff. To be indorsed when returned. The execution of this precept appears in a certain schedule hereunto annexed, J. C. Esq. Bailiff. Borough of Notice of Election for a Borough. in the I, A. B. bailiff of the said borough, do hereby give notice that I shall proceed to the Election of two burgesses to serve in Parliament for the said borough, at the town hall of the said borough, on Thursday next, the 30th day of October, at nine o'clock in the forenoon. Dated this 26th day of October, 1806. A. B. [II.] PETITIONS. Petition complaining of the Admission of Voters who had received Relief within the Year, and others who had not paid the Rates, and of Bribery and Treating by the Sitting Member, with Notice thereof to the Electors. To the honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled. The humble Petition of A. B. of N Buildings, in the city of London, Esq. and of the several persons whose names are hereunto subscribed Electors of the Borough of Penryn, in the County of Cornwall, on behalf of themselves and others, claiming a right to vote for members to serve in Parliament for the said Borough. Sheweth, That all your petitioners, except your petitioner A. B. were, at and during the last Election of members to serve in this Parliament for the borough of Penryn, in the county of Cornwall, electors of the said borough, and had, and claim to have had a right to vote for members to serve in Parliament at the last Election for the said borough. That at the said Election, Sir C. H. bart. your petitioner A. B. and C. D. esq. were candidates to represent the said borough. That a poll being demanded, the same was granted and proceeded on, and S. S. gentleman, acted thereat as portreeve and returning officer. That at the said Election, divers persons who had received parish relief within twelve months before the said Election, and divers other persons who had not paid and were in arrears for their poor's rates, and divers other persons who had no legal right to vote, were allowed to vote for the said C. D. That the said C. D. by himself, his agents and managers, and by persons employed on his behalf, did, after the teste of the writ for the said Election, and at and during the said Election, and before his Election to serve in this present Parliament for the said borough of Penryn, give, present, and allow to various persons, having or claiming to have votes in the said Election, money, meat, drink, entertainments and promises, agreements, obligations and engagements to give and allow money, meat, drink, presents, rewards and entertainments, to and for such persons in order to be elected, and for being elected a member to serve in this present Parliament for the said borough of Penryn. That the said C. D. by himself, his agents, friends and managers, and by persons employed on his behalf, before and at, and during the time of the said Election, was guilty of open and extensive bribery and corrupt practices, in order to procure persons having or claiming to have a right to vote at the said Election, to vote for the said C. D. at the said Election, and to forbear to vote for the said A. B. and in order to procure the said C. D. to be returned to serve in this present Parliament for the said borough, and that the said bribery and corrupt practices of the said C. D. and of his agents, friends and managers, were open and notorious in the said borough, and well known to the electors. That the said C. D. by himself, his agents and managers, and by persons employed in his behalf, before and at, and during the time of the said Election, was guilty of various corrupt acts, and employed undue influence and other illegal and improper means, and gave and caused to be given divers sums of money, and gave and entered into, and caused to be made, given, and entered into, divers gifts, rewards, agreements and engagements, to several persons having and claiming to have a right to vote, in order to procure them to vote at the said Election for the said C. D., and to forbear to vote for your petitioner A. B., and in order to procure the said C. D. to be returned to serve in this present Parliament for the borough aforesaid. That the said C. D., by the said corrupt and illegal practices, was, and is wholly disabled and incapacitated, and ineligible to serve in Parliament for the said borough of Penryn, and the return of the said C. D. was, and is wholly null and void. That by the several illegal ways and means aforesaid, the said C. D. obtained a colourable majority of votes over your petitioner A. B., and procured himself to be returned to serve for the said borough, whereas your petitioner A. B. had a legal majority of votes at the said Election over the said C. D., and ought to have been returned to serve for the same. That due notice was publicly given at the proclamation of the said Election to the returning officer at the hustings where the poll was taken, and to, and in the presence and hearing of the electors of the said borough present at such Election, and before any elector had given his vote, that the said C. D. had been guilty of bribery, in order to his being elected to serve in Parliament for that borough, and that thereby he was disabled and incapacitated from serving in Parliament, and that whosoever should vote for the said C. D. after that notice would throw away his vote, and that the said notice was also publicly and distinctly given to each elector separately when he came up to give his vote at the said Election, and before he had given it; and that each elector was then distinctly told, that the said C. D. had been guilty of bribery, in order to procure his return at that Election, and that in consequence, any vote given for him would be thrown away. Which said several unlawful and corrupt acts of the said C. D., and other his friends, agents and managers, are contrary to the freedom of Election, in violation of the standing orders of your honourable House, and the laws and statutes of the realm, for preventing bribery and corruption in the election of members to serve in Parliament, and have rendered the election and return of the said C. D. wholly null and void, and that notice of such conduct and practices having been duly given as above to the returning officer, and to the electors, and being well known in the said borough, your petitioner A. B. was duly elected, and ought to have been returned at such Election to serve in Parliament for the said borough of Penryn. Your petitioner therefore humbly prays this honourable House to take the premises into consideration, and to declare the said Election and return of the said C. D. wholly null and void, and that your petitioner A. B. was duly elected, and ought to have been returned to serve in Parliament for the said borough of Penryn, or that this honourable House will afford your petitioners such further and other relief in the premises as to this honourable House shall seem fit. Irish Petition, upon a Vacancy, complaining of the Rejection of Votes of qualified Freeholders, and the Admission of those of unregistered Freeholders, unqualified Roman Catholics, and other incompetent Persons. Sheweth, To &c. The humble petition of That a vacancy having occurred in the representation of Writ. the county of in consequence of C. D. Esq. &c. the usual writ was in due form issued and directed to the sheriff of the said county, commanding him to proceed to the election of a knight of the shire for the said county, in the room of the said C. D, esq. That the high sheriff of the said county, in obedience to the said writ, did on, &c. proceed to the election of a member to serve in the present Parliament, in the room of the said C. D. esq. That your petitioner and C. D. were the only candidates who presented themselves, and a poll being demanded in the usual manner for each candidate, the said sheriff appointed deputies, and allotted booths for the several baronies, and proceeded to poll the county, and continued to do so from day to day, until the day of following, when the said sheriff declared the majority to be in favour of the said C. D.; and the said C. D. was thereupon returned by the said sheriff as duly elected. That the said majority in favour of the said C. D. was but a colourable majority, and was procured by undue, illegal, and unconstitutional means; and that during the said Election, many persons who were freeholders of the said county, and who had legally registered their freeholds, and were duly and legally in every respect qualified to vote on the said Election, came upon the hustings and tendered their votes to the sheriff and his deputies, and declared their intention to vote for your petitioner, and yet their votes were rejected by the sheriff, contrary to law; and that many other freeholders who were in like manner duly registered and qualified to vote, and who would have voted for your petitioner, were prevented by the abovementioned illegal decisions from tendering their votes at the said Election, That several persons were admitted to poll by the said sheriff for the said C. D. and counted on the poll in his favour, who were not entitled to vote at the said Election, they not being registered according to the acts and statutes now in force, for the registry of freeholds at any general quarter sessions of the peace for the said county, nor at any legal adjournment thereof, and several appearing to be registered in one barony, when the lands out of which they voted lay in another, and several who, though they appeared to be regularly registered, had in fact, at the holders votes admitted. date of the registry, no freehold in the lands out of which they appear to be registered. Unregistered That several persons were admitted to poll by the said and non-free sheriff for the said C. D. who, though they professed the Roman Catholic religion, and were in fact Roman Catholics, had not qualified themselves according to law before the teste of the writ for holding the said Election, by taking the oaths prescribed by law, and subscribing the same with the required additions. That during the said Election, a great number of persons who had not otherwise duly registered their freeholds, according to law, as also many persons who from various legal disabilities were incompetent to vote for any candidate at the said Election, were permitted by the said sheriff and his deputies to vote for the said C. D. contrary to law; and that if the said votes which were illegally received had been rejected, and if the said votes which were illegally rejected had been received, your petitioner would have had a decided majority of legal votes over the said C. D., and would therefore have been entitled to have been returned at the said Election as a representative in Parliament for the said county; and that several undue and illegal practices were resorted to on the said Election, by the said C. D. or his agents and friends to procure votes for the said C. D., and to cause him to be returned by the said sheriff. That by the above and other undue means, and by many illegal and erroneous decisions of the sheriff and his deputies, during the said poll, the said C. D. obtained a colourable majority, and was returned to serve in Parliament for the said county, in open violation of the law and freedom of Election, and to the great prejudice of petitioner, who had upon the said Election, as he submits it will appear upon a fair scrutiny of the poll, a great majority of the good and legal votes, and ought therefore to have been returned as the member for the said county; whereupon he submits, that the said C. D. is incapacitated to serve in Parliament for the said county upon the said return, and that his said election and return were illegal and void. Your petitioner therefore humbly prays, that the said C. D. may be declared not duly elected, and that your petitioner may be declared duly elected, and may be substituted in the place of the said C. D. to take his seat as one of the knights to represent the said county in Parliament, and that this honourable House will grant such further relief to your petitioner as the merits of his case may require. Sheweth, Supplemental Petition. That since your petitioner complained to this honourable House of the election of for the boroughs and others, in Scotland, your petitioner of |