The new bill introduced to the Peers last night by
Lord CLANRI- CAIiDE, for the Disfranchisement of the old Stafford Burgesses, recites the " notorious and systematic bribery of the burgesses and freemen." This fact was indeed fully made out by the evidence given at the bar of the House of Lords ;—which proved, that in the five contested elections of 1826, 1830, 1831, 1832, and 1835, the sum of 36,9831. had been expended on the Stafford voters ; that in the three first elections, nearly all the constituency had been bribed ; and that in the last, not- withstanding the fear of impending disfranchisement, 190 had sold their votes to Captain GRONOW. Of the 850 freemen on the register, only 152 have not been proved to have taken bribes. We are glad, however. to find that only 16 of the new household constituency are among the corrupted ; so that there remains an untainted constituency of 600. This justifies the exemption of the householders from the operation of Lord CLas:nicatinh's new bill.
The following are its chief provisions. The bill limits the future constituency to the 101. franchise ; and as numbers of the latter class of electors are now enrolled as freemen, it provides that taxes may be paid on or before the 20th October next. Overseers are to prepare lists on the 31st ; claims and objections may be made to the 25th Novem- ber; time is given to publish the lists to the 15th December ; Barris- ters are to revise the lists between that day and the 25th January ; and the election for the present vacant seat is to take place on the last day of January 1837.
This measure will be some substitute for the lost bill ; and it must receive the support of Ministers, and of every honest Peer of all par- ties.
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