the cash was immediately forthcoming. In one
such case, a witness stated, "A young
man was desirous of taking up his freedom.
I spoke to Mr. Wreghitt about him, and
fetched his uncle, and his uncle pledged his
word that he (the apprentice) would
support them if they would take up his
freedom. The uncle was a, man of property, and
promised me ten shillings if I would get
the two pounds ten from Wreghitt. I was
present when the money was given to the
uncle." From this it will be seen that the
infection of corruption with which the
borough reeked was not confined to
mechanics with two-and-twenty shillings a
week. Men of property, well-to-do tradesmen,
Tom, Dick, and Harry, middle-class and
lower class, almost all Beverley in fact,
seethed in the great pot of bribery which
head-cook Wreghitt kept continually
simmering, to overflow in a genial stream of
sovereigns at such times as Beverley should
be called upon to send a member, or two, as
the case might be, to represent her in the
pure atmosphere of the House of Commons.
With the modesty of true genius the
mainspring and head of this gigantic system of
corruption disclaims the whole credit of
having invented it. It was but the continuation
of a thing long known before in Beverley.
But he is obliged to add that before
he took matters in hand Conservatism in
Beverley was nearly extinct;" therefore, as
far as it exists here now, I must have a
certain amount of the credit or blame, as it
may be."

The money required for these operations
was supplied, the Commissioners say, by
Major Edwards alone, up to the general
election of 1859. From that year to 1868
his colleagues in the representation of
Beverley shared the expenses (and the
results of the expenditure) with him, and,
indeed, the gentlemen in question fully
admitted the fact.

So far we have dealt with bribery on the
Conservative side. It is not for a moment
to be supposed that the occupants of
the Liberal glasshouse can afford to throw
any stones. It does not appear that
their general tactics savoured so much of
systematic corruption as those of their
opponents, but then it must be borne in
mind that agents gifted with the
Napoleonic qualities of the major's energetic
draper are unfortunately rare. But when a
parliamentary election was actually in
progress, bribery went on as merrily among
the Liberals as among the Conservatives.
In 1859 there was a contest, and an utter
stranger to the town, entirely undistinguished
in public life, was put up against
the Conservatives. This gentleman spent
fifteen hundred pounds in bribery, and so
well were his arguments appreciated that
at the close of the election he was found to
be at the head of the poll, the redoubtable
major having to be content with the position
of junior member, and the second
Conservative being nowhere. Somebody,
however, had the impudence to challenge
the return of the Liberal, and a committee
of the House of Commons not only
unseated him, but ordered sundry
prosecutions for bribery. The major kept his seat
(he had been petitioned against also), as
the committee found that, although corrupt
practices had prevailed on his side, they
had been committed without his sanction,
or that of his agents. This election took
place in April, and it is a curious
circumstance that, in addition to the amount of
expenses submitted to the election auditor,
another bill of upwards of two hundred
pounds was sent in to the Conservative
candidates in September. In 1860 a new
writ was issued, and another "merry little
mill," as sporting newspapers say, took
place for the vacant seat. The defeated
Conservative candidate at the preceding
election was one of the parties engaged
in this contest, and was this time successful
by a majority of a hundred and twenty-one,
notwithstanding that the Liberals spent
thirteen hundred and seventy pounds.
This money was distributed by a stranger
to Beverley, it being dangerous to
entrust anybody known in Beverley with
the management of the bribery business,
as the prosecutions for bribery ordered
by the House of Commons were still
pending. This stranger was introduced
to the borough by Mr. Walters, the
gentleman who had headed the poll at
the previous election, and had afterwards
been unseated, and was known as "the
man with the hairy cap." This hirsute
individual passed his time on the polling
day in a room at the Pack Horse Inn,
where he occupied himself until a late hour
in paying voters two pounds a head, and
bribed, the Commissioners think, about
four-fifths of the four hundred and seventy-
three electors who voted the Liberal
"ticket." But the Conservatives carried
too many guns. Not only had they the
advantage of all the general bribery that
had been going on in the town since
August, 1857, but to make assurance doubly
sure they brought a barrister down
from London with a bag of sovereigns in his
pocket. This legal luminary handed the