hat there should be no more
bribery at elections. At the last election at Tankerville, and, as he
feared, at some former elections, there had been manifest bribery. It
would be for the jury to decide whether Mr. Browborough himself had
been so connected with the acts of his agents as to be himself within
the reach of the law. If it were found that he had brought himself
within the reach of the law, the jury would no doubt say so, and in
such case would do great service to the cause of purity; but if Mr.
Browborough had not been personally cognisant of what his agents
had done, then the jury would be bound to acquit him. A man was not
necessarily guilty of bribery in the eye of the law because bribery
had been committed, even though the bribery so committed had been
sufficiently proved to deprive him of the seat which he would
otherwise have enjoyed. Nothing could be clearer than the manner in
which Sir Gregory explained it all to the jury; nothing more eloquent
than his denunciations against bribery in general; nothing more mild
than his allegations against Mr. Browborough individually.

In regard to the evidence Sir Gregory, with his two assistants, went
through his work manfully. The evidence was given,--not to the same
length as at Tankerville before the Commissioners,--but really to
the same effect. But yet the record of the evidence as given in the
newspapers seemed to be altogether different. At Tankerville there
had been an indignant and sometimes an indiscreet zeal which had
communicated itself to the whole proceedings. The general flavour
of the trial at Durham was one of good-humoured raillery. Mr.
Browborough's counsel in cross-examining the witnesses for the
prosecution displayed none of that righteous wrath,--wrath righteous
on behalf of injured innocence,--which is so common with gentlemen
employed in the defence of criminals; but bowed and simpered, and
nodded at Sir Gregory in a manner that was quite pleasant to behold.
Nobody scolded anybody. There was no roaring of barristers, no
clenching of fists and kicking up of dust, no threats, no allusions
to witnesses' oaths. A considerable amount of gentle fun was poked
at the witnesses by the defending counsel, but not in a manner to
give any pain. Gentlemen who acknowledged to have received seventeen
shillings and sixpence for their votes at the last election were
asked how they had invested their money. Allusions were made to their
wives, and a large amoun