§ A Petition of Daniel Whittle Harvey, esq., was delivered in and read; setting forth,
§ "That, at the last election for the borough of Colchester, the petitioner, and also Robert Thornton and Hart Davis, esqrs. were candidates; and that a poll being duly demanded, the same was granted by the returning officer, and proceeded on accordingly; that" the said returning officer admitted many persons to vote, and entered their names in the poll-book For the said R. Thornton and H. Davis, who had no right or title to vote, and rejected the votes of many persons having right and title to vote, and who tendered them for the petitioner, and whose votes ought to have been received for the petitioner, and entered accordingly; and that the said It. Thornton and H. Davis, by themselves, their several and respective agents, did, after the teste of the writ of election, and at and during the said election, and before their election, give, present, and allow, to divers persons having votes in the said election, money, meat, drink, and entertainment, and provision, and make presents, gifts, rewards, and entertainments, and agreements, obligations, and engagements to give, and allow money, meat, drink, provision, presents, rewards, and entertainments, to and for such persons, and to and for the use and advantage, benefit, emolument, and profit and preferment of such persons, in order to be elected; and that the said R. Thornton and H. Davis, before and at and during the time of the said election, by themselves, their several and respective agents, friends, managers, and others on their behalf, were guilty of bribery and corruption, and corrupt practices, and that the said R. Thornton and H. Davis, before the said election, and at and during the same, by themselves, their several and respective agents, friends, managers, and others employed by them on their behalf, did, by gifts and by rewards, and by promises, agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, corrupt and procure divers persons to give their votes on the said election for them, the said R. Thornton and H. Davis, and to forbear to give their votes to the petitioner, by which said unlawful and corrupt practices of the said R. Thornton and H. Davis, their agents, friends, managers, and others, they the said R. Thornton and H. Davis obtained an apparent majority over the petitioner, 242 and procured themselves to be returned; and that, at the time of the said election and return, the said R. Thornton was not seised of, or entitled to, such an estate in law or equity as would enable him to be returned for the said borough, according to the statute of the 9th queen Anne, whereas the petitioner alleges that he had a majority of legal votes at the said election, and ought to have been returned; which said several corrupt practices of the said R. Thornton and H. Davis have been and are, to the manifest injury of the petitioner, and in violation of the freedom and purity of elections; and praying, that the premises may be taken into consideration, and that the House will declare that the petitioner was duly elected, and ought to have been returned to serve in parliament for the borough of Colchester, or give such other relief as to the House shall seem fit."
§ Ordered to be taken into consideration on the 18th February.