§ MR. MORRISONsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been directed to the following passages in the Report of the Totnes Election Commission:—
1. While we were sitting John Heath, who had been the principal briber on the Conservative side since 1857, who, when examined as a witness before us, gave evidence the falsehood of which he afterwards admitted, who was accused by two witnesses of subornation of perjury, and who was under the imputation of being, with others, unable to account for the distribution over £1,200, was not only re-elected a member of the town council, but was, during the next week, offered the mayoralty of the town. 2. We find that a sum of over £3,700 passed into the hands of persons engaged in directly bribing voters, and that £2,450 has been accounted for as thus distributed, while of the remainder no account has been given to us. The persons who ought to give such account are Mr. Edmonds, Mr. J. Heath, and their inferior agents. It was alleged before us by John Heath, and considerable time was taken up in searching into the truth of the allegation, that this money had been in truth placed in the hands of an unknown stranger, and that he must account for the deficiency, but after considering all the evidence taken before us, the contradictory statements made, and the falsehoods told by John Heath and other of the witnesses, who swore to the existence of such a stranger, and the final avowal of two of these witnesses that they had invented the story of being paid by a stranger at John Heath's instigation, we much doubt whether there was any such person as the stranger at all, or if there were, whether had he been called he could have accounted for all the deficient money. 726 3. We think it right to report to Your Majesty that the following witnesses made statements on oath before us, the falsehood of which was afterwards either acknowledged by themselves or made plain to us in the course of the subsequent inquiry:—John Heath, senior, George Griffis, Thomas Blank, Henry Crawford, Richard Norrish, Thomas Gillham, William Satchwell, Robert Harris, Jubal Bartlett, Nicholas Manning, John S. Screach, junior, and Frederick Evens. Thomas Jacob Searle confessed himself guilty of subornation of perjury in trying to prevent witnesses from telling the truth before us; and John Heath, senior, was accused by two witnesses, and Samuel Parnell was also accused, of the same offence;and, if it is the intention of the Government to take any criminal proceedings against the said John Heath, senior, or others, for perjury or subornation of perjury?
§ MR. WALPOLEreplied that the Law Officers of the Crown had been directed by the Home Office to inquire into the cases mentioned by the hon. Gentleman, with a view to ascertain what proceedings should be taken with respect to them.