THE ROTTEN BOROUGH OF PETERSFIELD, HANTS
To the editor of the evening mail
Sir,—Previous to the disfranchisement of the above notorious pocket borough, which has realised, it is said, from 50,000l. to 60,000l. to the family of the Jolliffe's, and is now represented by the two sons of the Rev. William Jolliffe, of the firm of Jolliffe and banks, bridge builders, the petition against whose return is this day to be balloted for in the House of Commons, on behalf of Lord Porchester and Mr Ogle, who on the last occasion came forward to rescue the place from the hands of the boroughmongers, Petersfield (to use the language of Lord Wynford when Mr Serjeant Best, MP for that Borough) was considered one of the safest places of the kind, and always commanded the highest price for seats in the market, as it was not necessary for the candidate ever to show his face, and, in fact, for half a century the inhabitants neither knew or ever saw the purchaser of the seat.
Considerable interest is excited by the circumstance of Colonel Jolliffe being served with the Speaker's warrant, to attend to give evidence of his own proceedings before the committee.
Having devoted much time, during the last 15 years, in my endeavours to root out corruption in this place, I am of course gratified to find it is in the list of those places to be deprived of corruption in the future. I remain, your constant reader,
A FREEHOLDER of PETERSFIELD