tory of the Exchequer, with thousands of others, | History of Party-who since the same period were bribes for corrupting the tribunals of law, our Lord Chancellors and other judges, minor for evading punishments. The presents given isters of State and other officials; who were coloto Queen Elizabeth and to many of her prede- nial governors and judges? Let the history of cessors may be considered as bribes for royal party,-of elections,-of votes in Parliament, refavours-often for obtaining bare justice. veal the secrets of place and patronage! The most able and learned judges accepted bribes. How sorrowful is it to read in the history of our country that the father of modern philosophy-the great Bacon, one of the most able and learned of English judges-was charged with having, and that he even acknowledged to have, received large bribes. Bribery has not for a long period been either offered to, or accepted by the learned judges who preside over our tribunals of justice; but, in other respects, during the last century, corruption was almost universally practised. The Kings bought statesmen, clergymen, authors, and other public men. Walpole considered every man was, in some way, completely open to corruption. He no doubt acted on that perfidious system of temptation, to the fascinations of which we believe there were splendid and numerous exceptions. But the success of his own bribery and corruption almost justified his dictum, that all men had their price. How did the men vote who once sat for the sixty-six boroughs, which were annihilated by schedule A. and for those reduced to return only one member, instead of two members? Why they all, together with those elected by the eighty to one hundred still remaining rotten boroughs, were either place-men themselves, or they were the steady voters of either one or other of the two great parties who divided the politics of the country,or they were bribed, seduced, and corrupted, by the party in power, to desert the party out of power. Has the Reform Act cured the public corruption? No! it has scarcely moderated the bribery! the results of the last general election have placed on record a monstrous catalogue of black revelations,-of bribes, perjury, and corruption; of bribery and intimidation by Whigs, Tories, Peelites, Derbyites, and Irish Brigadists,-by officials, lawyers, and priests. In England and in Ireland, the bribery, corThe press has not only itself been often, though ruption and intimidation, were at very many not always, corrupted, but it has been used as an elections, conspicuous and shameless. From Scotengine of corruption and misrepresentation. Bri- land there was but one petition against a sitting bery and corruption were rife and systematic member, and that has failed. Scotland, the former during the government of the notorious Cabal rotten borough of the Butes and Dundases, has ministry of Charles II. Both were used as sys-not, at least in her parliamentary elections, tematic engines of power during the reigns of exhibited corruption since 1832-Scotland may Anne, and the four Georges. Pitt, Dundas, and have many other sins to atone for; but so far, Castlereagh, practised unscrupulous bribery in her representative independence has for twenty corrupting the three Kingdoms. years been maintained. Pitt had his inducements for bribing and corrupting the English constituencies. Dundas bribed and politically demoralized the whole of that (until after the Reform) one great Rotten Borough, known in history as the ancient kingdom of Scotland. Castlereagh and others corrupted the whole Irish Parliament; which however, was only elected by a fraction of the Irish, the qualified protestants. Well, how have Ireland and the Irish acted since 1832? Certainly not as if the nation were instructed or tempered for practical constitutional government! O'Connell was useful until after the Catholics were emancipated from political disabilities on account of religion,-afterwards he did not a little mischief. Can any one prove that he has left a trace of good for Ireland behind him? Can any one point out any practical good accomFox and the whole of the aristocratic Whigs, plished by the Pseudo Irish Patriots, called the bribed and corrupted the Prince of Wales. They Brigade? We believe not,-Ireland wants more made him a rebellious son and a debauchee. He than any other nation, the unity of her people as regent and king disavowed, shunned, and for practical usefulness-not unity for the purhated them. He indeed never loved any one. He poses of mere legislative and administrative obhad no affections but for those who ministered to struction. Her political priests are a scandal to his sensualities. their Church; not but that the Irish have just Kings and Lord Chancellors bribed even through complaints-not but that there is another Church the Church-men in holy orders received livings rich in revenues, and demanding reforms of evils from both, by the influence of party men with the which the great majority of the Irish people have Crown and the ministry. All official appointments the most just cause to complain of, as grievously were political, not impartial. The colonies, In- oppressive. Touching this Church, and some other dia, the revenue departments, the army, the navy, real, not imaginary Irish grievances, we will were all under subservience to political bribery speak at another time-in a separate article. But and corruption. The judicial benches were do bribery, intimidation, and corruption prevail at bribes, greedily sought after by, and scarcely the Irish elections? Certainly! If the secret were ever given to any but to political partisan lawyers. revealed of the seat in the north of Ireland, which Who and what were our Archbishops, Bishops, was transferred by a pretended Liberal to a member Deans, Prebends, Canons? Who and what were of Lord Derby's Government, it would in all the Peers created since the first years of the probability prove the sale of a whole constituency by a retiring (?) member, to a minister in power. | after, be as renowned for its immorality and corIntimidation, riots, and the authority of the ruption, as it was anciently for its pilgrimages priests, were however far more conspicuous and and its miracles. It would truly require many a quite as disgraceful as bribery, during the last saint and many a miracle to render Canterbury general election in Ireland. immaculate. Well, let us turn to England? We do believe that even during the whole administration of Walpole, the Minister who actually salaried Members, there never was more corrupt bribery and intimidation than during the last General Election. There were not merely two or three W. B.'s and A. S.'s, there were legions of such; but they were understrappercriminals. A digest of the evidence on the Derby, Canterbury, Chatham, and Plymouth election petitions, would indeed form a curious volume-a memorial of Derbyite recklessness and electioneering corruption. Liverpool, if we mistake not, will prove still more profligate. Who were Mr. Forbes Mackenzie's committec-men? Did any one draw a check for ten thousand pounds, to corrupt? no, but to bribe the always corrupt freemen of the old slave-trading port. Was there a man with a fat purse, who was led to hope that he would be created a baronet? Was his lady amused by the Halls of Knowsley "looming in the distance" for her reception? We will say no more, but wait to hear the revelations that will assuredly be made before the Committee on the last Liverpool elections. The Canterbury revelations are, however, at present, the most glaring. Poor Lady Conyngham did not, however, either by her tears, or her money, succeed in returning her son-in-law for the city of St. Augustine and St. Thomas à'Becket. The archiepiscopal city may, indeed, now and herc Bribery and corruption will, no doubt, continue to be practised. There will still be a thousand ways to bribe and corrupt, aye, and to intimidate too! The Tories have notoriously practised these means-the Whigs have done so all have done so, in degree. But none have beat the Derbyites. In their political sport they have been as reckless off the turf, as they have in their racing and betting on the turf. If we cannot prevent, can we moderate bribery, intimidation, and corruption? The Ballot may prevent intimidation-not bribery, consequently not corruption. Extension of the Suffrage may, in some degree, abate bribery-Universal Suffrage would not! Will stringent laws and heavy penalties prevent bribery? Experience tells us no! The only really extensive, though not perfect remedy, would be to have no mere borough representatives at all. Let each county include all the towns-let the whole population of the county and towns, for example, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lanarkshire, each return their fair share of Members. Let there be none of those vendible voters—miscalled freemen. Let each qualified elector, in town or county, have as many votes as the whole number of Members for the county, including its towns; and this plan would, in a great degree, prevent bribery and corruption. Let the voters have the Ballot, also, to prevent intimidation. LEAVES FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. THE FLYING HORSE. A TALE OF CASHMERE. Canto the Second. "There's something in a flying horse !"— A "gushing young thing," And snug in your waistcoat the guinea gold ring. At the clinching "amen," from your knees to your toes, And the gushing young creature was blowing its nose, And seized the small waist of your horrified bride; T'was noon by the sun, Ere, gloomy and dun, Rose out of the sea; "Now, harkee to me, Young gal!" the nigger began : "Dat howlin's quite horrid, and 'taint no good! Don't holler, they say, till you're out of the wood, Wal now-of all woods dat I ever come near She could not speak-she only sprung "Wat's dis?" the filthy negro cried; Trot back to your farmin' Down yonder's the last where you'd make people hear, 'Cause, look you, I'm goin' to whip her a sarmin ; 'Cause nobody lived there-never! Dere's nothin' but monkies and green cockatoos, You can 'splain it all clear to 'em, 'course if you choose, It's plum in the middle I mean to pitch, In her neat little wig-wam of hickory-switch, With nothin' to do De honey-moon through, But fondle him nicely, and tell him how true She loves him all down from de crown to de shoe! De little buzz-bee Live top of de tree, Me scramble to fetch her down honey for tea:Here-dis a good place To light from our race; Now missy-give Sambo a kiss on de face." Indignant from the horse's back The proud young Princess sprang, "Come! none of dem 'ere tricks of court, The ruffian said:-" dere's time enough; Ha! wat dat sound? dat nebber come 'Pears like a screamer cotched in gum; Was yet, as well the Child could read, For I have heard and count for true, Where strangers touch so seldom? She want's it most precious, I reckon I'll break her in raal judicious:- "Oh, you do!" said the King-" so do I with my knife, So look out a-head!" With a crack and a squash To grass went the ravisher yelping "O gosh!" He kicked up his heels and he turned up his eyes, And in short, as they say in the Tragedy, [dies.] Alas, now I think of it,-Horace declares Bad people should always be killed below-stairs: And that ever, for fear the discerning should criticise, Rank blood you should carefully curtain from Pity's her stays, And tried, but in vain, her sweet eyelids to raise, Quite baffled conjecture. At last, in despair, Your skeleton's picked and your tripe's in a bottle!" A broad and royal chamber, As if one smile to win; A bower of plumes and gold She stirs not, though the sunbeams, now, Their clear and gay reveillée flinging; To loose their clamorous tongues to-day:- On bended knees present their duty, 'You'll meet him in the Peacock Hall!" "Meet whom?" she asks, "whose halls are these? One mortal wink the livelong night; Each time exclaiming, Hold me tight! Ah! what a husband, ma'am, he'll make!" What bondage is rhyme! Why just here I'd lay down A large sum of money-to wit half a crown, To be loose for five minutes and tell you in prose To "will you, or won't you? a nod or a noddle!" Began to munch ribbon, kid gloves, and stay-laces, state Of one he'd been pleased to select as a mate. He bled her, he cupped her,-blue bottles and red But signally failed the young lady to tame; To jail went the College;-their ears were all clipped, 料 -"The discipline's rough, but the fault is your own," Said the king, "I must raise your professional tone." As a final resource, he bade Heralds proclaim, Through all the wide land, in his Majesty's name, "Volunteers to the front! Any bold amateur, Who fancies he's able the Princess to cure, May drop in and do it. In case of success, Her weight in pure gold will but faintly express Our sense of his merit. In case he should mull it, We shall weigh him himself-with a rope round his gullet." "But how about the luckless Prince?" say; I hear some reader From youth's bright hopes debarred; I'll tell you. On first Of terms that in Bow Street are voted unlawful, In those days, you should know, climb, Or, may be, indulged in a heart-broken moan For Albion's white cliffs on the beach at Boulogn At present our troubles are sorely increased, When each travelled monkey tells tales of the East. the In short, it was everywhere quite understood, A tourist, as such, could be after no good; I'll simply allude to the scrapes of Lord Bateman, For which, vide passim, the life of that great man. A pilgrim passed freely, and so did a pedlar, But every one else was a "spy" or a "meddler." Our hero accordingly purchased a "pack,”— Brushed his hat the wrong way, turned his shitcollars back, Put a pipe in his mouth and his gloves in his pocket, And went to a general dealer's to stock it. Because, if he does, he'll get more than enough; Where lay a stout Indiaman bound for Cathay;- Or flourishing shoreward, their hats of tarpaulin ;- fall in With her whom I seek! I'll at once volunteer; He did. Says the mate, "You young shaver, avast! You must mind how you haul or you'll fetch down the mast! You sleek whipper-snapper, why what good are you? No matter, go for'ard! we're short of our crew. If you don't pull your pound, lad, you'll dance at the gangway," He added, and swore a good deal in a slang way, Some weeks had gone by since that fine afternoon, The mate had his eyelids blown clean inside out, The Prince, who instinctively snatched up his pack, With outrages perfectly painful to dwell on ;— Your foot's in Japan!" They shouted, "Ah! get it away if you can! They led the wretched youth away "Now, stranger, hast thou aught to say: Our laws are death to those who land It seems they caught you on the strand A Pedlar by the powers! Unstrap his pack From off his back, And what the wares may be That brought him thus We'll very quickly see! Ha! snuff and tobacco:-a smuggler, I'll swear! Rouge, thimbles, pins, tweezers--hem! dyes for tho hair! "If that be your object, the King's Proclamation Albeit the Prince was puzzled sore, He wisely answered, "Done; I don't see how to steer." The palace gates are gained at last, I come to work a cure," said he; A very friendly man, Was but a simple plan, But came off one by one: Your head will hang to-morrow morning;- And there's the lady, on the floor! 66 Fly Doctor!" cried the Princess-"fly! I can't be cured! it's vain to try! Hence, pounder, with your pills and pack I'm mad-I know it! quack, quack, quack! Don't stay, I charge you on your life! I'll never be the monster's wife! What, linger still? . . . . Good gracious, yes! I know him in his pedlar's dress! My darling Prince! I am so glad! In tearing from such scenes the veil; |