30th year of Queen Elizabeth a charter was granted, but the government of the borough under this charter, whatever may be the reasons, is not attended to.
"Before the passing of Mr. Crewe's bill, the appointment of the representatives in parliament for this town was wholly in the treasury ; the number of voters was usually about twenty, (at present twelve) the whole of whom had places under, or were otherwise provided for by, government. The management and conduct of this faithful and well-disciplined corps of treasury auxiliaries was, for a long series of years, vested in Mr. Collier, who, in this situation, acquired a very princely fortune, whereby he was enabled to provide for five co-heiresses, his daughters, in a very handsome manner. Upon his death, Mr. Edward Milward (who had married a Miss Collier) succeeded to this post of agent to the treasury ; and by way of compensation for the proper discharge of his election duties, was appointed to the very lucrative office of surveyor-general of the riding officers ; from which post, about five years ago, he was removed by the board of customs, notwithstanding the whole interest and influence of the treasury was exerted to prevent his being displaced. (That this opposition between two such great powers may not appear strange to our readers, we think it necessary to inform them, that at this time the board of customs (owing to a change in administration) were in opposition to the lords of the treasury ; most of the commissioners, having been appointed under former administrations, felt no very great affection for the present. Mr. Henry Pelham, and Mr. Papillon, however, having been prevailed on to retire, the treasury have now regained the favourable opinion of that office. This loss was, however, made up to Milward, by the appointment of his son to the office of deputy comptroller of excise, who, on coming of age, was made a jurat ; but it was judged expedient to unite also in his person, in addition, the more lucrative office of town-clerk ; accordingly, Mr. Thatcher, the old town-clerk, was turned out of his place, to make room for this young gentleman. A trial in the court of King's Bench, between these two competitors for office, was the consequence ; when it was determined, that a jurat of the corporation of Hastings might be elected town-clerk ; but that the two offices are incompatible, and that the acceptance of the latter, though an inferior office, will vacate the former. He has since resigned the office of town-clerk, on getting his more valuable place in the excise, and is now again a jurat ; these two places, it is presumed, not being incompatible.
"It would be very difficult to pronounce, whether, at this time, the treasury, or Mr. Milward's interest in this borough, be the superior ; indeed, this point is not likely to be brought to a very speedy determination, as this gentleman invariably sides with the minister for the time being, whose appointees he returns to parliament upon very moderate terms and conditions, without making -
