as lightly as possible on the working classes.
Such, gentlemen, is an outline of my political principles. I have therefore only to state that if it be your wish to find a representative who will fearlessly advocate such opinions, I shall have much pleasure in coming forward at any time provided. I am honoured by a public invitation; but if these opinions be not in accordance with your own, or if you imagine that your interests will be better represented by men whose political sentiments are less strong than mine, I must respectfully decline the honour of being a candidate. It remains therefore entirely with yourselves to decide whether I am to come forward or not."
Election of Frederick North and John Ashley Warre
Mr. Elphinstone had not long to wait for an invitation, nor did he hesitate to respond to the same, as promised, although he must have thought that his own election stood not in the front rank of probabilities. Ten days after the issue of Mr. Elphinstone's address - namely, on the 25th of April, a mandate was received from the Lord Warden to elect two barons to serve in Parliament; and four days later, the election took place, when Messrs. Frederick North and John Ashley Warre were declared to be returned by the votes of 11 jurats and 12 freemen. Through the same cause - that of the resignation of an unpopular Ministry - an election became necessary at Rye, and this was appointed to take place on the preceding day to the one at Hastings, but which commenced and terminated in a very different manner. Although in consequence of an untoward decision of a Parliamentary Committee in unseating Col. Evans and Benjamin Smith, on petition, those two gentlemen had left Rye to try their poitical fortunes elsewhere, the former gentleman was fetched from Preston just soon enough to be nominated once more, together with his late colleague, Mr. Benjamin Smith. They were pitted against the Corporation nominees, Messrs. Pusey and Pemberton, and as the magistrates anticipated a disturbance, they helped to realise the same by imprudently getting together a detachment of the Coastguard. The sight of these men, armed with their usual weapons, so exasperated the already large assembly outside of the Town Hall, that the people immediately broke down the iron rails and brandished them as pikes in the face of their threatened assailants. They also pulled up the large stones with which the streets were paved and kerbed and formed therewith a barricade. At this instant, the Mayor and his party entered the Town Hall, to commence the election, but such was the unrestrained uproar both at that time and throughout the remained of the day that the election could not be completed, and the business was adjourned to the following day. The anti-Corporation men had arranged not to vote on their old claim of having paid scot and lot, but on getting by persuasion as many as possible of the freemen to vote for the popular candidates, or to abstain from voting. Amidst the wildest confusion the first day closed with only twelve votes being recorded - three each for the Corporation nominees, for for Col. Evans and two for Mr. Smith. Night followed with no re-escalation of the turbulence and the magistrates finding themselves powerless to subdue the riotous spirits, yielded, on the day following tot the suggestion of a compromise, the result of which was the raising of Col. Evans' four votes to seven, and Mr. Pemberton's three votes to five. Thus Mr. Pusey and Mr. Smith retired with their
