The dismissal of Mr. Foot and other persons who voted
against Mr. Tanen at the last election for Devonport, has been much talked about this week, and been the subject of a correspondence in the newspapers. After Sir Hussey 'Vivian had, in the House of Commons. disclahned all interference in the proceedings, for himself and his colleagues of the Ordnance Department, Mr. Dawson sent a letter to the Times on Wednesday, stating the cases of Mr Foot and two other persons, as follows- " Mr. Foot was dismissed after fifty-five years' servieo. ivithout even the courtesy of a reply to two letters addressed by him I,. Mr. Ilignett, requesting to know the came of his dismissal : and who was am.■,:nt..; thi6. eonscientious
gentleman, who says that he has a right to choos.. ids :yents ? Mr. Gram, the conlitIcntial agent of Mr. Tanen at the ele.et:oa, :.11k1:::oroover. a e011vey- ancer—not is soPeitor—one who is disabled by law to Jet e, i sulieltor, and Ivho is obliged to employ a deputy to perform the busimas of t he board. Is the public interest benefited by such a :whet:on ? " Mr. Coleman, who has been printer to the Board of Ordnarce some thirty years, has also been distnissed from the employment without ceremony. And lastly, a mart named Undertlown, with a sick wife and a large family, has been removed from Devoaport to Woolwich, to his utter ruin, being obliged to sell all that he possessed to meet the expense of his removal.
" All these persons committed the unpardonable sin, ia the eyes of the Ord.. =nee, of voting for me at the election : threats were openly uttered against them at the time ; and. notwithstanding all the attempted excuses. it must be evklent to every unprejutikol mind that the dismissal (ur. thne flu mimic by the same rhpartewet, alter a contested election, in winch they voted apinst the orders of their unscrupulous masters, was not the effect ef chance, but of a predetermined intention to mark with official rengeanceo...ry man who voted and acted with the independence of an honest English elector. Such is the impression at Devonport."
Sir Hussey Vivian wrote to Mr. Dawson, that he considered his let- ter as "written almost wholly for the purpose of giving offenee.- and calling upon Mr. Dawson to say distinctly whether he denied the. "truth of the statement" made by hint in the House of Cammons, and to whom did he mean to apply time term " unsermmlous leasti..-rs.- Mr. Dawson replied, that he did not deny the truth of any thiliz Sir Hussey asserted respecting himself, but he had a right to complain of Mr. Foot's dismissal by a sub'ordinate officer of the Ordnance department, without previously informing the head of the department. As to the query about " unscrupulous masters," it applied to those persons, who- ever they were, by whose orders the parties at Devonpovt were dis- missed. He disclaimed all intention of giving offence. but reserved the right of giving an unpnlateable opinion on the condtwt of a public functionary. Sir Hussey Vivian was not satisfied. Ile still complaineti that Mr. Dawson had stated that to be true witieh Sir I lussey had dis- tinctly declared to be untrue. in the House of Commons. Mr. Dawson wrote again, declaring that he never donlecul Sir ilassey's assertions, or intended to offer him personal dier,..speer_ " The ease is Three persons. Me,srs. Foot. Collnan. and l'nder- down, have been dismissed from their situmions under thc Ordnance depart- ment.
" You state that Mr. Foot was dismissed solely by the iastrnmentality of Mr. llignett. I have no hesitation it) saying that your explanation e onerates You person :Illy from any share in the transactions. and that the hat shileSS and impropriety of the act rests with Mr. llignett.
" With respect to Messrs Colman and I. mleraown, their r1111,11:C•1:Ippearit to have beeil ordered Ity some persons immedatclyhi tho depart- ment : who they may be I know not : I :most. howev,T.
puling the act to you, that the act itself of visiting upoe vellgcanee, deserved the deserIption given in my first letter. me. Its being all Unscrupulous exercise of pon
Sir aussey said he would not pres the ditferenee between them. lie was now satistied no persomd offence was intended ; but Mr. Dawson was in error on some points. .Messrs. Foot were not employed directly by the Ordnanee, being only agents of the Solicitor- " Mr. Colman, I admit, had bc.to employed occasionally to print for the Ord- nance. This employment has ceased—not because he voted for you, hut because it was thought right more equally to distribute anv little patronage of this sort. Ile is still, I am informed. the printer to the AZhniralty : he there- fure can have no reason to complaiu of persecution.
"In respect to Underdown, you are entirely mistaken as to his case. Be has not been dismissed, but merely removed from one boy to another, in con- sequence of the death of a sailor ; and this was done on the official application of Captain Seedy, the Superintendent at Woolwich." Here the correspondence closed.
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