CITT OF WORCESTER. 375

was elected. At the general election of 1818 he was again elected, with Colonel Davies, a staunch Whig, but it was not till after a seven days' civil war and the most desperate fighting on behalf of Sir W. Duff Gordon, the losing candidate. In 1820 both sitting Members were again returned, but at the general election of 1826, Mr. Robinson, a London merchant, of independent principles, Mr. Griffiths, of Thorngrove, a Church-and-King man, and the aforesaid Colonel Davies, were the candidates; and after six days' polling Mr. Griffiths lost the election and £8,000. The entire sum spent in that contest was £25,000! Colonel Davies and Mr. Robinson were returned without opposition in 1830; ditto in 1831; ditto in 1832; but in 1835 Mr. Bailey, a great ironmaster and Conservative, made his first appearance and was elected with Mr. Robinson, Colonel Davies losing his seat by a minority of one! Party feeling now ran very high, and at the general election of 1837 Mr. Robinson made way for Bailey and Davies. The Colonel, who had gallantly fought the Liberal cause in Worcester for many years, finally retired in 1841, and was succeeded by the Liberal Sir Thomas Wilde; his colleague being Mr. Bailey, who had likewise spent immense sums in support of Conservatism and in private charities. Perhaps no man in England was ever more "fleeced" than poor Mr. Bailey. At the last-named contest Mr. Hardy (of the Worcester firm of Hardy and Padmore, ironfounders) stood forward as a candidate on extreme Radical principles, and announced his determination "never to allow a Tory to walk over the course;" and he obtained no fewer than 875 votes. Sir Thomas Wilde being promoted in 1846, Sir Denis Le Marchant took his seat; but at the general election of the 'following year Mr. Bailey and Sir Denis retired, and Messrs. Ricardo (L.) and Rufford (C.) were elected, Mr. Hardy again going to the poll, and obtaining 930 votes. Mr. Rufford subsequently became a bankrupt, and then the Liberals achieved a great victory by returning both their men - Ricardo and Laslett. This continued for some years, till Mr. Laslett retired, avowedly not liking the dictation