ORDERS, &c.

RELATING TO

CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS.

Orders of the House of Commons, among those repeated at the Commencement of every Ses

sion.

Ordered, That all persons who will question within what any returns of members to serve in parliament, time petitions for any county, city, borough, or place in Great returns for Britain, do question the same within fourteen places in Great days next, and so within fourteen days next presented, after any new return shall be brought in.

Britain to be

respecting re

Ordered, That all persons who will question within what any returns of members to serve in parliament time petitions for Ireland, do question the same by presenting turns for places a petition to this house within fourteen days in Ireland, and next, and so within fourteen days next after any sented. new return shall have been brought into the office of the clerk of the crown of Great Britain, or by lodging a petition in the office of the clerk of the crown in Ireland, within fourteen days next, and so within fourteen days next after any new return shall have been brought into the said office of the clerk of the crown in Great Britain.

Steps to be

taken by clerk of crown in Ireland when petition lodg

ed;

Ordered, That when any such petition shall have been lodged in the said office of the clerk of the crown in Ireland, within the time before limited, the said clerk shall forthwith make a copy thereof, to be preserved in the said office, and immediately thereupon shall transmit such original petition (in the method used in conveying returns of writs) to the speaker of the house of commons, to be by him laid beWhen no peti- fore the house: and that in case no such petition tion lodged. shall have been lodged in the said office within the time before limited, the said clerk of the crown shall forthwith transmit a certificate in the like manner to the speaker of the house of commons, signed by himself, or his deputy, specifying the time when such return was made, and that no such petition had been lodged in his office previous to the date of such certifi-`

Members re

or more places,

when to make

their election.

cate.

Ordered, That all members, who are returned turned for two for two or more places in any part of the united kingdom, do make their election by this day three weeks for which of the places they will serve, provided there be no question upon the return for that place; and if any thing shall come in question touching the return or election of any member, he is to withdraw during the time the matter is in debate; and that all members returned upon double returns, do withdraw till their returns are determined.

Members to ing questions

as to their re

turn, &c.

PETITIONS, &c.

RELATING TO

CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS (a).

Petition of a Candidate for an English Borough, complaining of the Admission of some Persons to the Freedom of the Borough, and of the Rejection of others; of the improper Admission and Rejection of Votes; of Partiality in the Returning Officer, and a premature Close of the Poll; of Bribery and Treating in the Sitting Member; and claiming the Right to have been returned.

To the hon. the commons of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in parliament assembled,

The humble petition of H. L.
Sheweth,

THAT at the last general election for two burgesses to serve in this present parliament for the borough of Great Grimsby, in the county of Lincoln, William Ellice, esquire, the honour

(a) The precedents of petitions have been selected as containing the most various matter, and therefore as most likely to be useful. The author has been careful to insert no petition, whereupon

the petitioner did not succeed, presuming of course that every objection would be made by the parties interested in doing so, and therefore those which follow have been considered unobjectionable. gg

able Charles Anderson Pelham, the honourable George Anderson Pelham, and the petitioner, were candidates; and that, on the 7th day of May last past, being the day previous to the day of the said election, a full court for the admission of freemen of the said borough was holden, of the mayor, aldermen, common councilmen, and burgesses, of the said borough, which was continued and holden, by adjournment, to and on the morning of the 8th day of May last past, and further continued and holden, by adjournment, to and on the afternoon of the said 8th day of May last past, being the said day of election for two burgesses to serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby; at which said full court, and at the adjournments thereof, James Galland, esquire, the mayor and returning officer of the said borough, did partially and corruptly, unlawfully, and of his own authority, and contrary to the decision of the majority of the said full court, then and there admit certain persons to their freedom of the said borough who were not legally entitled thereto, and did refuse to submit to the consideration and judgment of the said full court, and at the adjournments thereof, the rights of such persons to be admitted freemen or burgesses of the said borough, which by the last decision of a committee of the house, and by the constitution and usage of the said borough, he ought to have done; and that the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer of the said borough, did also partially, corruptly, and of his own authority, and contrary to the judgment of the said full court, refuse to admit certain other persons who were legally entitled to be, and claimed at the said full court and adjournment thereof to be, admitted bur

gesses of the said borough, to their freedom therein; and did also refuse to submit to the said full court, and the adjournments thereof, the rights of such persons to be admitted to their freedom of the said borough, and which by the constitution and usage of the said borough he ought to have done; and that the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, at and during the said full court, and the said adjournments thereof, did act partially and corruptly in the execution of his said office, and of his own authority did admit 'divers persons to their freedom of the said borough who were not legally entitled to be admitted thereto; and that divers other persons who had good right and title, and at the said full court, and adjournments thereof, legally claimed to be admitted to their freedom of the said borough, he did refuse to admit, and they were not admitted to their freedom of the said borough; and that, on the said 8th day of May, being the day of the said election for two burgesses to serve in parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby, the said James Galland, esquire, the said mayor and returning officer of the said borough, did at the said election receive the votes of divers paupers, non-resident or foreign freemen, honorary freemen, burgesses not rated or paying rates, freemen not having rateable property, and divers others not legally entitled, and having no right to vote at the said election; that the votes of the said persons, which ought to have been rejected, were received on the poll by the said mayor for the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham; and that the votes of divers other persons, who had good right and title to vote at the said election, and who then