and there tendered their votes for the petitioner, and which votes ought to have been received and admitted on the poll taken at the said election, were nevertheless there rejected by the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, and by him refused to be admitted on the said poll; and that on the said 8th day of May last past, being the said day of election for two burgesses to serve in parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby, the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, did adjourn the poll, by which it was ascertained that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham and the petitioner had an equal number of votes; that before the recommencement of the

said poll an adjourned full court was holden for the further admission of freemen or burgesses to their freedom of the said borough, at which said adjourned court the said James Galland did wilfully and corruptly, partially and unlawfully, and of his own authority, admit to his freedom of the said borough a man who was not entitled thereto, and which the said James Galland was well acquainted was not entitled thereto, and whom he the said James Galland, the said mayor, with the majority of the said full court, in open court, had two or three times, but a few hours before the said adjournment, declared not to be entitled; and the said James Galland did partially and corruptly, unlawfully, and of his own authority, during the said adjournment of the said poll, and at the said adjourned full court, refuse to admit to their freedom of the said borough divers other persons who had legal right and title to be admitted, and although a few hours before the said adjournment took place they had been declared by the before-nen

tioned full court, upon a shew of hands and divisions, to have legal and just rights and titles to be admitted to their freedoms of the said borough of Great Grimsby, and to the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, had before declared his knowledge of their rights to such freedom, and his intention to grant it when they required it, and this in open defiance of the last decision of a committee of the house, and contrary to the long and established usage and customs of the said borough of Great Grimsby; and that on the said 8th day of May last past, 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, the said mayor and returning officer, did act most partially and corruptly at and during the taking of the said poll in adjourning the said poll, and at and after the recommencement of the said poll, when it was ascertained that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham and the petitioner had an equal number of votes, and that he then allowed a person to vote for the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, well knowing at the same time, that, by the constitution of the said borough, he was not entitled to vote, and whom a few hours previous, and before the state of the said poll was known, he the said James Galland, and the court, had refused his freedom, declaring that he was not entitled thereto; and although the petitioner had several votes tendered for him after such recommencement of the said poll that had before been declared by the said full court legally entitled, yet the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, after the state of the said poll was made

public, did refuse to allow, and of his own authority did partially resist, their being put upon the said poll for the petitioner, in order that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham might be returned a burgess to serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby; and that he the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, did most partially and corruptly, illegally, and of his own authority, close the said poll after the said adjournment, in a shorter period than he ought to have done, and particularly when he was acquainted, by counsel on behalf of the 'said petitioner, that he had a voter or voters coming forward to poll for the said petitioner, and who actually did so before the time limited, but the said James Galland, the said mayor and returning officer, had closed the said poll, and declared the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham duly elected a burgess to serve for the said borough of Great Grimsby, in this present parliament; and that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, by himself, his agents, managers, friends, and others on his behalf, before, at, and during the said election, and before, at, and during the poll taken during the said election, was guilty of the most notorious and open acts of bribery and corruption of the electors of the said borough that ever disgraced a British election, greater in magnitude than in any instance that ever preceded it in the annals of election, both as to the sums given and offered, and the numbers bribed and attempted to be so, in order to influence the said electors of the said borough to give their votes for him the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, and to refuse and forbear to give their

votes for the petitioner, and also of attempting and endeavouring to bribe and corrupt the voters of the said borough of Great Grimsby to give their votes for the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, and to refuse and forbear to give their votes for the petitioner, in order that he the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham might be returned a member to serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby; and that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham did, after the dissolution of the last parliament, and at and after the issuing of the writ for electing of the present parliament, and at and during the said election, by himself, his agents, friends, managers, and others, on his behalf, and at his cost and charge, give, present, and allow, to divers persons having, and claiming to have, voices in the said election, money, meat, drink, entertainment, and provision, and make presents, gifts, rewards, and entertainments, and promises, agreements, obligations, and engagements, to give and allow money, meat, drink, provisions, presents, rewards, and entertainments, to and for divers persons having voices in the said election, and to and for the use, advantage, benefit and emolument, profit and preferment, of such persons, in order to be elected, and for being elected, burgesses to serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby, in violation and defiance of the standing order and orders of the house, and of the laws and statutes of this kingdom, for preventing treating at elections of members of parliament, and particularly the acts of the 7th and 8th years of the reign of his late majesty king William the third, for preventing charge and expence in

elections of members to serve in parliament; and that the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, by himself, his agents, managers, and by other persons in his behalf, both before, and at and during the said election, did, by gifts and rewards, and by threats, promises, agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, corrupt and procure, and attempt and endeavour to corrupt and procure, divers persons, being electors of the said borough, to give their votes at the said election for him the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham, that he the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham might be elected and returned a member in this present parliament to serve for the said borough of Great Grimsby; and that he the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham also, by himself, his agents, managers, and by other persons in his behalf, both before, and at and during the said election, did, by gifts and rewards, and by threats, promises, agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, corrupt and procure, and attempt and endeavour to corrupt and procure, divers persons, being and claiming to be electors of the said borough of Great Grimsby, to refuse and forbear to give their votes at the said election for the petitioner, in order that he the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham might be elected and returned a member to serve in this present parliament for the said borough of Great Grimsby; and that, by the aforesaid means, and divers other illegal and corrupt practices, and by undue influence and interference, the said honourable Charles Anderson Pelham obtained a colourable majority over the petitioner of one vote, on the poll taken at the said election, on the said 8th day of May last past, and was ille