Three important Election Committees have been sitting, though the House
was adjourned. First, the Dublin ; whose labours were virtually closed on Thursday, by the House s sanction of the Committee's resolution to appoint a Commission to examine into the facts of the case in Dublin. Secondly, the Ipswich; whose meetings have been suspended till the 18th of May, in consequence of the illness of Mr. P. M. STEWART, the Chairman, and the un- avoidable absence of another member. Previously, however, to their adjournment, the Ipswich Committee passed the three following resolutions.
"Resolved, That bribery and corruption did exist and were practised at the late election for the borough of Ipswich, but no illegal acts have been established against the sitting Members. "That A. B. Cook, John Dasent, and John Pilgrim, were guilty of bribery at the late election. " That Cook, Pilgrim Bond, and Clamp, have absconded for the purpose of avoiding the service of the Speaker's warrant."
The petitioners have demanded a scrutiny of votes; which we suppose will be gone into, though it is clear from the facts stated, in the above resolutions that the election should be declared void. The Members petitioned against cannot be decreed incapable of sitting in the present Parliament, as the acts of bribery have not been brought home to them ; and perhaps the result of the scrutiny may be the replacing of the Tory by the Liberal can- didates; but at all events, the bribery practised should annul the
election of the former.
Thirdly, the Committee on the Cork election have not been idle:
It may be in the recollection of our readers, that the sitting Mem- bers, Colonel CiverrEarosi and Mr. LINCESTER, owed their return to the votes of between two and three hundred non-residents, whose right to vote for Cork had been affirmed by Baron PENNE- FATHER, in direct opposition to one of the clearest provisions of the Reform Act. These persons were nicknamed "Baron Penne- father's Bucks." The wrong decision of the Baron had been overruled by the Judges of the Irish Exchequer Chamber ; and among them by the Baron himself, who admitted his mistake; but the names of the voters were retained on the register, and they gave the majority to CitarrEitrox and LEYCESTER. The Committee decided that these names should be struck off; and this had the effect of giving a majority of 169 to the petitioning candidates, Mr. CALLAGHAN and Dr. BALnwiar. The counsel for the sitting Members then objected to a vast number of the votes given for the petitioners; and requested a commission, simi- lar to the Dublin one, for inquiring into the facts on the spot. They had, however, given no regular notice of their intention to apply for a commission, and the Committee refused to grant it. Several minor points have also been decided against the sitting Members by the Committee, and there is a fair prospect of unseat- ing them.
