Oct. 18th.—The following notice as to the Wandering Piper appears:—“The Wandering Piper, who has attracted so much notoriety, is expected to visit Yarmouth in the course of a very few days. He is of a rank in life which few suspect who are not acquainted with his private history. He was for a considerable time an officer in the Army, served under Sir John Moore and the Duke of Wellington, and sold his commission after the battle of Waterloo. His opponent is Count Bender, a French Nobleman, but educated in Scotland at the same school with the piper, and betwixt him a great friendship subsisted. They met in London in 1825, when a dispute arose between them concerning the hospitality of different nations, which ended in both parties finally agreeing, for the sum of £5,000, to travel in disguise, the one as a fiddler in France and Belgium, and the other (our hero) as a piper in Britain and Ireland, to subsist upon what the public might be pleased to give them unsolicited, and whoever should have most money in the end was to gain the prize. They both commenced their wanderings in the summer of 1825, but an uncle of the piper’s, who then held a high official situation, having got notice of the freak, put a stop to the proceedings before the end of three months; this gentleman, however, died in 1827, which left both parties free from restraint, in consequence of which they started in August, 1828, the one from Stonehaven, in Scotland, and the other from Calais, in France. This important campaign was only intended to last three years, and would have been finished before now had not the piper received a severe hurt from the upsetting of a stage coach in Ireland, which confined him for fifteen months—during which time there was a secession of hostilities on both sides. The piper during his illness lay at the house of Sir Thomas Butler, Bart., Ballintemple, county Carlow, where he met with the greatest kindness; indeed, the Irish, high and low, seem to have completely entered into the spirit of the undertaking. He was never allowed in any one instance to pay anything at the hotels where he put up, waiter, chambermaid, boots, and porter all refused to accept of any remuneration for their services, nay, the very beggar wished his ‘honour good luck and a safe journey,’ without laying him under further contribution. He says that he has been charged in all instances to the very utmost extent in England; we could have wished it had been otherwise, for the honour of our national character. During his rambles, it is said he had given £550 to different charities, that receipts for which are lodged for safety with John Stuart, Esq., of 19, Cleveland Row, Finsbury Square, London.”
Oct. 25th.—The wandering piper had begun his rounds and had lunched with the Mayor.
Nov. 8th—Electioneering partizanship was displaying itself. A “True Red Committee (composed of the lowest order of beer-loving Burgesses) had been formed” and Andrew Colville, Esq., had been requested to stand for the Borough in that interest.
Nov. 15th.—Mr. Colville had arrived in the Borough and addressed the electors from the “Star” balcony.
Dec. 6th.—Contains the following article:—
Tuesday last was a proud day for the friends of Reform, comprising as they do a vast majority of all ranks of our town’s-people. It having been announced by hand-bill the day previous that Col. Anson and Mr. Rumbold would arrive the following day, as early as the hour at noon, the Southtown Road was crowded with pedestrians and equestrians of all classes. Between twelve and one o’clock the entire body of the Political Union (full 400 strong) assembled at the Guardian Angel, with blue ribbons and their badges round their necks. The worthy candidates having arrived at the above inn, the procession began to move in the following order:—Two trumpeters on horseback; banner—Yarmouth Union of the Working Classes; flags—Union Jack, Royal Standard of England; ‘Universal Suffrage and Vote by Ballot’; ‘Short Parliaments and Liberty of the Press’; ‘The love of our Country leads us’; ‘Close Corporations abolished’; ‘Equal Laws and Equal Rights’; ‘United we stand, divided we fall’; banners of the King and Reform. Flags—‘Gorleston and Southtown Voters’; ‘Anson and Rumbold’; ‘Friends.’ Flags—‘The People’s Cause’; ‘The Poor Man’s Rights’; ‘Reduction of Taxation’; ‘Close Corporations Opened’; ‘Abolition of Slavery’; ‘Cheap Government and Equal Rights’; ‘The Liberty of the Press’; ‘Knowledge is Power’; ‘Civil and Religious Liberty’; ‘Freedom of Election.’ The procession, on entering the town by the Bridge, was welcomed by the exultant shouts of an innumerable concourse of expectant individuals, who had by this time lined the new Hall Quay, eager to witness the imposing spectacle. The blue pennons of numerous ships, ‘floating in the breeze,’ added not a little to the joyousness of the occasion. The procession moved on, adding to its numbers as it advanced along the Quay, up South Street, along King Street, down our beautiful Market Place, and back to the Committee Rooms, from the windows of which the assembled multitude (consisting certainly of not less than 5,000 persons) were addressed by Mr. Alderman Barth, Col. Anson, Mr. Rumbold, and J. Shelly, Esq. The weather was till towards noon rather showery; fortunately it then cleared up. Such, however, appeared to us the general enthusiasm, that it seemed as if no weather could have damped the universal feeling of delight, nor have abated the desire to witness the proceedings of this memorable day. Numbers of well-dressed females from the windows of the houses, as the procession passed along, were to be seen, with approving smiles, shaking blue flags, elegant banners, &c., &c., thus demonstrating their hearty participation in the high feeling of satisfaction which displayed itself all around. Too much praise cannot be given to Capt. Garson and Mr. Gamble for the judgment shown by them in marshalling the procession. Nor ought we to omit mentioning, in terms of high commendation, the excellent conduct of the Union on the occasion—conduct which was noticed in the evening at the King’s Head, by the Chairman (Mr. T. Hammond) making a very handsome acknowledgment of their services, and giving as a toast (which was drank with three times three and very general applause) ‘The Council of the Political Union.’ Surely, if it had been before possible for the Conservatives (as they improperly styled themselves) to have mistaken the feeling of the town, the proceedings of Tuesday last must have entirely undeceived them, and enabled them to see the utter hopelessness of a contest with our late excellent representatives. Monday next is the day of election, when we shall see whether these hardy and obstinate men are still determined to pull down certain ruin on their party.
On Thursday night Messrs. Anson and Rumbold, addressing their numerous friends from the balcony of the Crown and Anchor, were insulted by water thrown upon, and it is reported tiles at them, from a small red inn adjoining. This roused the indignation of the multitude, and the destruction of the windows was the consequence. A spirited youth resented still further indignity offered to his friends by springing from the balcony and seizing upon and destroying the enemy’s blood-red standard.
Dec. 15th.—The nomination took place at the “Tol-hall,” and after the Mayor had opened the proceedings, Col. Anson was nominated by William Barth, Esq., seconded by Mr. Thomas Clowes, Mr. Rumbold by John Shelly and John Brightwen, Esqs., and A. Colville, Esq., by John Lacon, Esq., and Mr. B. Gooch. The show of hands was in favour of Messrs. Anson and Rumbold. The poll for the first day was—
| Rumbold | 715 |
| Anson | 699 |
| Colville | 631 |
And at the close on the second day—
| Rumbold | 838 |
| Anson | 829 |
| Colville | 751 |