A Proclamati On Saturday the 5th of Auguft, His Majeon for diffolu- fty in Council at Kensington, order'd a PROing the laft CLAMATION to be publifh'd, for diffalving Parliament, the (then) present Parliament, and declaring the and calling Calling of another; the Writs to bear Tefte on another. Thursday the 10th of this Inftant August, and to be returnable on Tuefday the 28th Day of November next. At the fame Time, another PROCLAMATION was figned, In order Proclamation to the Electing and Summoning the Sixteen Peers of for electing the Scotland, at the Royal Palace of Holy-Rood16 Peers of House in Edinburgh, on Wednesday the 20th Day of September next.

Scotland.

Before these two Proclamations came out, Great Conten- Intereft was made towards the approaching tion, Bribery, Elections in all Counties and Boroughs of England, and orruption with as much Application, Eagerness, and in Parliamen- Induftry, as was ever exerted on the like tary Elections. Occafions; and with more barefaced BRIBERY and Corruption than ever was known. Letter about This fcandalous Practife, being generally the fcandalous reported and believed to be fet on Foot and Practife of carried on by fome Monied Men in the City Stock-Job- of London, and the Stock-Jobbers in Exchangebing Electi- Alley, was wittily expofed in the following Letter.

ons.

SIR,

London, July 31. 1727. Bferving the other Day at the Door of one of our great Taverns, a Clufter of Brokers very bufy and full of Agitation, as they are used to be, when driving Bargains in the Alley, I crofs'd the Way, and ask'd one of them, whom I knew, what they were about? He whisper'd me (for a Broker always fpeaks in a Whisper) we are jobbing of Boroughs, now is your Time, they fell 20 per Cent. laft Night, buy quickly, for they'll be up again, I warrant you they'll rfe 40 per Cent, as foon as the Gentlemen from White's · come O! your Gamefters are the only Men, they value Money no more than Dirt; if you have a mind to buy, ftep in. I was no fooner got up Stairs, but a Jew accofts me,-What are you for, Sir, a Borough or a City? A Gentleman of your Figure would be

come

come a City or a County; name the Place you would be chofen for, there is not a Man in England fhall do your Bnfinefs cheaper or better than I. But, Sir, an• fwered I, you know not yet whether I am qualify'd or no, or what Party I am of. O! that's not a Farthing matter, I care not whether you are a Jacobite or a Republican, pay but accordingly, and for your Qualification, let me alone with it, you fhall hazard nothing but what you depofite, and I'll infure your

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Election.

I had a mind to fee how far this Farce would go, •fo nam'd a Borough not 50 Miles from London: At this my Jew took out his Pocket Book,and, with the fame • Gravity, as I remember Jonathan Wild us'd to confult his Lift, when you enquir'd for ftol'n Goods, run over feveral Names, then faid, No, Sir, you cannot have that; but I'll put you in for another, which is the fame Thing. On which I anfwer'd, Pray why cannot you put me in there? Have you no Intereft for that Borough? There's nothing in Intereft, fays he,my manner is to fend down my Emiffaries, I have of all kinds, Attorneys, Officers, Pimps, Wenches, Priefts, and fo forth. I chufe out fuch as are fittest. for the Place, and fend them down, they talk big, and promife vaft Sums, till they fet the People a madding, and drive away other Candidates for fear of Expence. Some little matter of Money they pay down as Earneft, promife a great deal more, and the matter is done. I never fail, my Agents are all ftanch, and will not ftick at a Lie or an Oath to execute their Commiffion. Then I put in a Word, If do fuch Wonders, pray, Sir, why can't you get me the Borough I mention'd? Becaufe, fays he, that's already difpos'd of. 1 fold it fome twelve Days ago, and fent down a trufty Parfon thither, for you must know, that's a High Church Borough, Sir Domini is a notable old Toaft, and tho' upwards of 65, a very Wag, one who looks demure, leers devoutly,fpeaks low and with Confideration, but is as fly and as fharp as a keen Heath Country Air can poffibly make him; here's a Letter I receiv'd from him, he has made a rare Progrefs, he fays he kept the whole Borough

you

drunk

The POLITICAL STATE Vol. XXXIV drunk for this Week paft, and has promis'd them→→ but the deel a Groat fhall they ever fee befides the • earnest Money.

I could bear no longer, but broke out, Sir, this is abufing the Clergy too much; do you imagine that, any one can ever believe that a Clergyman, a Man of Learning and Years, with one Foot in the Grave, • and whofe Thoughts must be Converfant with EterB nity, do you think, I fay, I can ever believe that ⚫ fuch a one fhould lead the People into Drunkenness, and Debauchery, and which is worfe, fhould deal,· in bribing them to fell their Country, and afterwards cheat them of their very Bribe ? I cannot believe one Word of what you fay; but he protèfted and "fwore it was even fo, faid he would fell me a Borough if I would make my Depofite, and I might depend he would fecure me a Seat in the next

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I was ftruck with horror at this bare-fac'd Proceeding, and told him there were fevere Laws for puni'fhing Corruption, at which he laugh'd, and I left the. Place; hoping they were only a Crew of Impudent. Wretches who endeavour'd to cheat unwary Men, by promifing them what they could never perform; But,upon Enquiry, I find it is too true; that there are Undertakers for Boroughs, &c. whofe Bufinefs. · it is to corrupt Freeholders, and returning Officers, and who make a gainful Trade of this Villany.

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Having no Access to great Men, and confequently no opportunity to inform them of this Matter, I defire, Sir, you would publish it in your Paper, and then perhaps it may come into the Hands of our Superiors; and they, no doubt, affoon as they are acquainted with it, will put a Stop to the growing Evil, and we fhall fee the felling of our Boroughs as feverely punifh'd, as the debafing of our Coin.

This corrupt Practice will not only deprive honest Men of their Natural Interefts in Elections, but may be of terrible Confequence to the Government itself. Every one knows that the Destruction of the Roman Commonwealth was brought about by making the Suffrages of the People venal; and that Lewis XI.

by bribing the States of Burgundy, fwallow'd up that Dutchy, and annex'd it to the Crown of France. The indulging a Traffick of this Nature will instruct Foreign Princes, at what Price they may disturb the Peace of our Country. And had it been known when Philip II. of Spain, or Lewis XIVth. of France, were in their Grandeur, England had now been neither a Proteftant nor a free Country. What the one • could not compass by his vaft Armada at Sea, nor the other by a Land Army of 400,000 Men, might have been effected by no very great Sum of Money, diftributed among our Mercenary Wretches. can we be secure, if that high Affembly, which fhould be the Bulwark of our Rights and Freedom, " may be fill'd by fuch Men as are devoted to a Foreign Interest; whenever our Enemies abroad fhall think • fit to depofit (to fpeak in Broker's Language) but as much Money, as it would coft them to take a fingle Town, or carry on the ordinary Operations of one Campaign.'

Nor

The ELECTIONS began, on Tuesday * the 15th of Auguft, with that for the City and Liberties of Westminfter, where the Lord Charles Cavendish, fecond Son to his Grace, the Duke of Devonshire, and William Clayton Efq; one of the Lords of the Treafury, being put up, and fupported by the Court Intereft, no Competitors appeared against them, and fo they were chofen without Oppofition: From hence many were apt to imagine, that the Old Members and Courtiers would be eleted wherever they flood; but it foon appear'd, that they were mistaken, for by "the end of this Month, among the Members return'd at the Crown Office, there were above one Hundred New ones.

Great Complaints were made of Riots and Disorders committed at the Elections for Lincoln, Glocefter, Salisbury, Cirencester, Wells, Northampton, and feveral other Places, particularly at the Election for the County of Middlefex, of which the following Account was publifh'd, in a Weekly Journal, viz.

X

* Further Obfervations on Elections.

SIR,

Aug. 26. 1727.

"Among the many violent Proceedings carried on

in the prefent Elections for Senators, the following deferves publick Notice, that the World may fee, what Sort of Spirit thofe Men are of, who, with Heat, Virulence and Rage, affert the Doctrine of MODERATION, and, with Clubs and Stones in their Hands, declaim against RIOTS and REBELLIONS.

At the Election for the County of Middlefex, Four Candidates appeared, viz. The Hon. Lord Pager and Mr. Barker, fupported by one Intereft; The Hon. Mr. Bertie and Mr. Alderman Child, by another. The Sheriffs being Judges of the Poll, I must observe the · Partiality of Sir JL (one of them) who refufed to permit Mr. Alderman Parfons, who came to < vote for Mr. Bertie and Mr. Child, to enter into the Booth, tho' he was told, at the fame time, that he was in Danger of his Life, amongst the Mob, who had given him feveral Blows. But when Alderman Thompson appear'd, the fame Sheriff order'd the Door of the Booth to be open'd for him, and all who ⚫ would vote for Lord Pt and Mr. By to

enter.

• The Mob I mention'd, chiefly confifted of about a Hundred, which,we hear, can be prov'd to be hired the Night before the Election, by an Agent of Mr. Br's, at 5 s. each, at an Alehoufe, where Samples of their Clubs were produced; and that Mr. B might fecure thofe Gentry from Defertion, they were to march to Turnham Green (the Place of Rendezvous) the Moning of the Election Day, to receive their Pav, which they did; and from thence proceeded to Brentford, where they committed great. Diforders.

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It can be likewife prov'd,we hear, that Mr.By was not confined to Land Forces only for that the Capt. ' of certain Man of War went by water to Brentford, and there landed a great Number of his Ship's Crew, which, he faid, were there delivered for the Service of Mr. B -r.

• Mr.