"An Heir.

"A single gentleman, member of an English university, disgusted at some family differences, is desirous of relinquishing his connections and changing his name. The advertiser, who is a gentleman of good education, affable manners, and pleasing address, submits the proposal to the consideration of the affluent, who have no issue. A full explanation will be entered into, and most respectable and satisfactory references given. Apply, etc."

Next is a paragraph from the Cambrian, quoted in the same Times—

"Remarkable Submarine Discovery.

"Among the occurrences which have been transmitted by tradition to our neighbours in Gower, is the account of the wreck of a homeward-bound Spanish galleon, laden with dollars, on Rhosily Sands, near the Wormshead, shortly after the conquest of South America by the Spaniards; that the crew, without giving information of the nature of her cargo, sold the wreck for a trifle to a Mr. Thomas, of Pitton, who, not being aware of the value of his purchase, or from some other cause, took no pains for her recovery, and that she shortly became completely embedded in the sands. Nevertheless, suspicion always existed in that part of the country that she must have had on board some valuable articles; and, about twenty-six years ago, in consequence of the sand having drifted very unusually, part of the wreck, in a very decayed state, became visible, and a great quantity of dollars, with some old iron and pewter, were then dug up from some depth in the sand. The late Mr. John Beynon, of Pitton, having failed to prove by any written document the purchase of the vessel by his ancestor (the above-named Mr. Thomas), Mr. Talbot, of Penrice Castle, the lord of the manor, became entitled to the property, but he generously refused to accept it; consequently, many of the inhabitants were much enriched by this fortuitous circumstance. The spot where the vessel struck being only open at four hours ebb-tide, and the sand having returned to its old quarters, the money-hunters were obliged to desist in their attempts, and all hope was abandoned of any further booty from that source. During the late gales, however, the sand having shifted again, the spot was once more resorted to, and the recovery of a very large quantity of dollars has been the result, some bearing the date of 1631, others further back. The circumstance has created a very peculiar interest in the neighbourhood; and, as it is not likely that the present lord of the manor, C. R. Talbot, Esq., will deviate from the precedent of his respected father, it is to be hoped that the neighbourhood, which is very poor, will be considerably benefited by this occurrence."

On March 19th the House of Commons passed a bill disenfranchising the Freemen of Liverpool for bribery at the late election, but it did not pass the Lords. Liverpool had formerly an unenviable notoriety for this sort of thing, and it is said that in 1830, when Messrs. Denison and Ewart contested the borough after the death of Mr. Huskisson, it cost each of the candidates over £40,000! The Times of February 26, 1834, in a leading article on this election, says—

"On this occasion, likewise, votes rose in price as the contest advanced, and towards its conclusion a single vote was sold for £80! Nearly every freeman who came to poll was bribed. The tickets given for enabling parties to claim payment from Mr. Denison's committee amounted to two thousand; and one of the witnesses having obtained these tickets, copied from them into a poll-book, against the name of each voter, the sum which had been paid him. The following is the analysis of the list of the other candidate, Mr. Ewart's voters, with their respective prices, as drawn up by his own law agent:—

600freemenreceived......£10andunder.
462""between...£10"£20
209"""...£20"£30
24"""...£30"£40
7"""...£40"£50
1""......£60
——
1303

"One circumstance which disgracefully distinguished the bribery practised on these two occasions, was the open, fearless, and shameless manner in which it was conducted. The respective parties advertised for supporters, and announced the price which they were ready to give for votes on the walls of their committee rooms. Tickets or tally-papers were openly distributed, which were as regularly paid. The ingenious conductors of the election had thus the merit of systemizing corruption—of making the sale of consciences a counting-house affair, with the proper assortment of promissory notes or poll-tickets and bags of gold, with cashiers, examiners, and controllers of account!

"Another most striking and most melancholy characteristic of the contest was not only the universality of corruption among the poorer freemen, but the height to which the tide rose among persons in better circumstances, whom, but for the levelling nature of the system and the gradual decay of the moral sense which it produces, the infamy ought not to have reached. It was mentioned by the treasurer of Mr. Ewart's committee that several 'respectable' persons received large sums of money. A retired brewer demanded £50; a captain in the militia received £35; three brothers, 'respectable men,' were paid £30 a-piece; a druggist and his father, both 'respectable men,' each received £20; and a 'respectable man,' worth £10,000, as he came early in the contest, was satisfied to pocket the paltry sum of £12!"