despotism, the very worst of all forms of government, awaits this unhappy, and afflicted nation. In the face of my Creator, and as I hope for mercy for abundance of human failings, 1 declare this to be my conscientious belief; and I trust that no temptation will ever lead me to any actions but what will accord with this belief. If I had valued a seat in parliament, I could very easily have obtained it; seats are at the present moment, for a very obvious reason, to be had at a low rate. Should you therefore fail in your exertions to return me for your representative, the chief concern which I shall teel will be more on your account than my own. Nor will your efforts be lost; your triumph will be great; the exemplary struggle of this remote and ever faithful" city will have considerable effect in the great cause of the constitution. Happy shall I be in the reflection that I have in any degree, however small, contributed to so great, so desirable an event.

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I am told that it is frequently observed by your enemies, that I shall gain the election, if I can trust to the promises which have been made to me. It is, my friends! a vulgar error to charge the people with fickleness: It is their leaders who are fickle, not they it is the impudent pretenders to patriotism, who mount into place by the ladder of reform, then kick it down, laugh at their deluded supporters, and console their reproaching conscience with some snug sinecure, or profitable birth. Trust you! my friends! why; I am fighting your cause, not my own; I have come forward by your express desire, twice repeated, and the very doubt which corruption casts upon your pledge, shows pretty clearly, that she knows ways and means of securing votes, which I scorn; and I fear already that she has been dabbling in her dirty work.

One of those minor squires, with whom your neighbourhood abounds, has, it is said, given it as his opinion, that I cannot possibly succeed because I will expend no money. This is certainly no great compliment to your virtue, and proves. if true,

* Cowper s lask Even the accession of numbers to the elective tranchise, which have been made within the last twelvemonth, will not be unattended with ultimate effect. Many poor men have thus obtained their birthright; they are thus taught to know its value and are raised in their own estimation. Corruption has no objection to extend the right of suffrage when it suits her purpose.

more than any words the necessity of that reform for which I have through life contended. The little squire is right; I do not mean to expend any money; I have therefore appointed neither counsel, nor attorney, nor agent. According to the constitution, it is your own concern, and who so fit to manage it as your selves?* If Mamon attempt to disgorge his coffers among you, or Belial to drown your intellects in wine, you must see that there is some reason for the atrocious deed, and whoever is the criminal he will be ashamed to own it. No man throws away his money for nothing: He that buys, will also sell"Rob me the Exchequer, Hal! the first thing thou dost ;”, But remember that "the bribed elector is a traitor to his ❝ country."

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One of your immaculate corporation has, I understand, laid a wager, that I shall not poll 300 votes; this is pretty bold, considering that the requisition to me received 321 signatures; but as the gentleman as thus shewn in what little estimation he holds your honor, I trust you will return the compliment by showing how little you value his judgment, and thus prove the old adage, "that a fool and his money are soon parted." I don't like corporate men betting; they have too great a stake in the contest, for depend upon it, when once we obtain a reform of parliament, the rights contained in your old charters of the Hennies, and John, will be fully restored to you, particularly that paramount right of electing your mayor, and corporation.

Frust you indeed! why; the chief fault I find in you is, that you place too great, not too little confidence in me, and this in crease in no small degree my difficulty in supporting that elevated station in your good opinion which I so undeservedly bold. I repeat that should any individual among you'repent of having affixed his signature to the requisition, he is at full liberty to bestow his suffrage as he pleases: I do not desire any compulsive votes, I desire only men in whose breasts the free spirit of the genuine Eng lish constitution breathes with ardent and uncontaminated purity.

Fellow-Citizens!-The glory of triumph now awaits you; obey the generous impulse; let that same spuit which animated your free-born ancestors to oppose the tyranny of the Normans,

* James Martin, Esq. represented Tewkesbura in nine parliaments His constituents always returned him free of expence, and he thought it his duty, in conformity to the constitution, to obey implicitly their instructions. OldBeld, iii. 491.

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animate you too to oppose a much worse, because a more subtle tyranny, the tyranny of arbitrary taxation, imposed upon a spirited, and free people by a corrupt, a desperate, and a plundering borough oligarchy. But in proportion to the glorious result of victory, so is the arduousness of the contest: the foes of the constitutional rights of the people are maddened almost to desperation: it is no longer a struggle between the in--and the outfaction; it is a struggle of freedom against slavery; of intellect against barbarism; of property against plunder. Shew your selves worthy of this great, this glorious, this ultimate effort; the conflict is at hand; the signal is raised; the triumph of the English constitution is reserved for you by the voice of your country.

As to myself, I desire only the suffrages of freemen in the cause of civil and religious liberty. In that cause have I lived; in that cause have I acted; in that cause will I die.

Your friend, and the friend of the genuine,
Unadulterated English Constitution,

THOMAS NORTHMORE.

Cleve, June, 1818.

To the Gentlemen, Clergy, Freemen, & Freeholders of the City of Exeter.

GENTLEMEN,

Confident of the steady principles of loyalty by which you are governed in the choice of your representatives in parliament, I must return my most sincere and grateful thanks to those gentlemen who honored me with the offers of their support.

Prevented from paying my personal respects to every individual elector, by the necessary attention to the duties of the office I lately had the honor to fill in the county of Cornwall, and convinced of the advantage produced to the other gentlemen who have offered themselves as candidates by the more active canvass they have had it in their power to make, I feel it my duty to relinquish at present the offer of my service; declaring at the same time, that if at any future period I should be so fortunate as to be

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the object of your choice, I will endeavour by a conscientious discharge of the very imperative duties such a situation would impose, and by a faithful attention to and support of the loyal citizens of Exeter, to merit the appointment to so honorable a situation. I have the honour to be, GENTLEMEN,

Your most obedient

And very obliged humble servant,

Exeter, June 12th, 1818.

W. A. HARRIS.

That oppressive and corrupt influence, which has ever endeavoured to destroy the independence of the electors of this city, has just made an ultimate and vicious effort.

We have received certain information, that MR. NEWMAN and MR. COURTENAY (by their agents) have agreed to join their interests, in order, if they can, to make short work with us, the friends of MR. NORTHMORE. We do not know in what light you may look upon this transaction; but one thing is clear, that the Whig and Tory factions are resolved to crush our independence by their usual, however unnatural, coalition; and are using their utmost efforts to reduce this ancient capital of the West of England to the degraded state of a rotten borough

You will consider how far this coalition of a man for whom you may have promised to vote, with one whom you perhaps meant to oppose, vitiates your engagement. We would not insinuate any thing to induce one man to go unfairly from his word; but if you have given a promise to one candidate, under the implied condition of his opposing another, and he Instead of opposing joins with that candidate, your promise is null, and void in the eyes of reason nd justice.

We recommend the contents of this letter to your notice, and that you will call to mind how honorable is OUR CAUSE. Let but all who have professed themselves its Friends, be firm and zealous, and in spite of THREATS and OPPRESSIONS, and VILE TEMPTATIONS, and UNNATURAL COALITIONS, it shall ultimately triumph.

Committee, for, Election of

Exeter, June 15, 1818.

T. NORTHMORE, Esq.

To the Worthy and Independent Electors
of the City of Exeter.

GENTLEMEN,

Having seen a letter, signed by the " committee for election of T. Northmore, Esq." in which it is asserted that Mr. Newman and Mr. Courtenay, (by their agents) have agreed to join their interest, in order, if they can, to make short work with us, the friends of Mr. Northmore;" and as it may be expected that I should, in direct terms, repel this attack, I beg leave to deny the truth of this assertion.

1 have the honor to be,
GENTLEMEN,

Your faithful and obedient servant,

R. W. NEWMAN.

Exeter, 15th June, 1818.

Electors of Exeter.

In defiance of the opposition, justifiable and unjustifiable, that has been made against us, we are arrived at the eve of the contest, with every prospect of success.

The election of MR. NORTHMORE, fellow-citizens, is within your reach. A majority of your voices is in his favor, and if you withstand the assaults of

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