The Press. — London, England, 1858-02-06 00:00:00

THE PRESS, FEBRUARY 6, 1858. Rabat attWag 3itttiligtatt. His ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GENERAL COMMANDING ni-CIIIEF will hold a levee at the Horse Guards at ono o'clock on Wednesday next. Lista.-CoLoNst. PAULET SOMERSET has raised a 2nd battalion for the 7th Fusiliers, consisting of 1,00 men. The average height through the batta lion is 51t. 71in., and not a man has been enlisted below the height of sft. 7in. We should be glad to know why it is that, when Colonel Somerset can successfully fix his standard at 511. 7in., the Govern ment is compelled to lower theirs to sft. 3in. IRISH DRAGOON REGIMENTS.—The Dublin Gazette contains a notification, received by the Earl of Carlisle from the Waroffice, to the effect that of the two additional regiments of cavalry to be raised, one will be the sth Dragoons. The following is a copy of a letter addressed by the Secretary of State for War to his Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief, dated, War-office, Feb. I.:— sir,—l have the honour to acquaint your Royal High ness that her Majesty's Government have decided that two additional cavalry regiments shall be raised forthwith to meet the exigencies of her Majesty's service. Before this occasion the Queen has been graciously pleased to command that the order by which the sth Dragoons were struck out of the list of her Majesty's forces in 1799 shall be cancelled. The Queen is desirous of thus wiping away an unfortunate event now long gone by, and which it is time to consign to oblivion; and her Majesty wishes by this gracious act to give a public testimony of her sense of the loyalty and attachment of her Irish people. When your Royal Highness therefore takes her Majesty's pleasure upon this increase to the army you will suggest to her Majesty that the denomination of the two new regiments shall be the sth Royal Irish Regiment of Dra goons and the 18th Dragoons. In communicating to the army the restoration of the sth Dragoons to its place among the cavalry regiments of the line, her Majesty's Government trusts that your Royal Highness will duly impress upon the Queen's forces this act of her Majesty's grace and favour.---I have the honour to be, sir, your Royal Highness's most obedient, humble servant, PANMURE. The 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars) were disbanded in 1821, after a brilliant career in the Peninsula and at Waterloo. It was also an Irish Regiment, and was long known by the familiar name of Lord Drogheda's Light Horse, the regiment having been raised by the late venerable Marquis of Drogheda, who did not long survive the breaking up of his favourite corps. Many days, it may be safely pre• dieted, will not pass over before men will be found to recruit the ranks of the two new regiments of Irish Dragoons. General the Hon. Henry Murray, the present colonel in chief of the 14th Light Dra. goons,was lieutenant-colonel commanding the 19th Hussars at the period of their disbandment. The late Marquis of Londonderry commanded the old sth Dragoons when they were broken up nearly sixty years ago. The sth and the Scotch Grays were the only cavalry regiments who were permitted to wear the bearskin cap as a distinguishing headdress, the latter still retaining the uncomfortable honour. Tim MONUMENT to commemorate the deeds of the 55th, or Westmoreland Regiment, in the Russian war, which it was sometime ago decided to erect in the parish church of Kendal, has now been placed over the north-west door of that edifice. The colours earned by the regiment in the war are to be raised at the base of the memorial. THE NEWLY RAISED SECOND BATTALION OF THE 2D REGIMENT OF FOOT will proceed to Malta to replace the 71st Light Infantry, gone on to Bombay. REAR- ADMIRAL SIR S. LUSHINOTON, K.C.8., bas been appointed to the command of the Brazilian station, in the room of Vice-Admiral Wallis. Mr. A. W. L. Browne is appointed mate to the Raccoon. UPWARDS of 60,000 men (says the United Service Gazette) are required to complete the several regi ments of the hoe to their lull establishment. It seems evident that some more active measures must be adopted to obtain recruits than those usually sanc tioned. Information has been received at the Horse Guards that upwards of 6,000 sick and wounded soldiers will shortly be on their passage to England from India. Volunteering from the militia to the line appears to be almost a failure. Recruiting parties were sent to Aldershott, to enlist 3,000 men, but only 600 were obtained. THE ANNUAL DINNER of the corps of Royal Engineers took place on Monday at the Freemasons' Tavern. The chair was filled by Sir John Burgoyne, G.C.8., Inspector-General of Fortifications, and the officers present included Lieutenant-General Sir Charles P_aaley, K.C.8., Major-Generals Sir Harry D. Jones, Governor of Sandhurst ; Lewes, C. 8.; Blanchard, C.B. ; Colonel Sandham, director of the field establishment at Chatham ; Colonel Walpole, Lieutenant-Colonels Frome, Yolland, Yorke, Dawson, Wynne, Owen, C. 8., Montague; Majors Keane, De Vane, Ewart, Jervolq, Nugent, Ravenhill ; Captains Scott, Grant, West= :cots, Vetch, Engineer t) Ad miralty Harbour Works, Hawkins, Hon. G. NVrottes ley, Fowke, &o. The only guests were Colonel Kleb mikoff, of the Russian Engineers, and Mr. W. H. Marriott, of the house of Cox and Co., the paymasters of the corps. LIEUTENANT•G£NERAL THOMAS ASHDURNHAM, who was originally appointed to the command of the ex• pedition to China, and was thence transferred to India, arrived in London on the 29th ult. by the overland mail from Calcutta. 135 that the old constitutional rule and principle by 'tallish majorities alone shall decide in party elections shall not be violated. Mr. EDMONDS proposed a resolution adopting the scheme of the London committee. Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, M.P., seconded the resolution, and made a good speech. The resolution was supported at length oy Mr. J. S. WRIGHT and others, and was eventually carried. The meeting closed with adopting a petition to Parliament urging immediate and extensive reforms SEVERAL OTHER REFORM MEETINGS have been held this week at Norwich, Gateshead, and Oldham. The most important meeting was that at Norwich. on which occasion the sitting members addressed the audience. Mr. Schneider, M.P., said he should only support the measure of Reform to be proposed. by Lord Palmerston if it were " a real and substan tial measure of reform," which the hon. member pre sently defined as a 51. franchise for cities and boroughs, and a 101. franchise for counties. Mr. Schneider touched upon one or two other points, such as the ballot and church-rates, upon which he expressed grave doubts as to the amount of reliance to be placed in Lord Palmerston for the abolition of the one or the establishment of the other. • Lord Bury, M.P., expressed precisely similar opinions. Both at Gateshead and Oldham resolutions embodying similar sentiments were carried. At Manchester, on Monday evening, a new Reform Association was inaugurated. Mr. George Wilson attended. A REFORM MEETING was also held at Holmfirth on Thursday week, in order to petition Parliament in favour of an extended measure of reform. A resolu tion declaring " that nothing less than household suffrage would be acceptable to the people " was carried with some little opposition ; an amendment having been put to the meeting in favour of " man hood sufferage." Not more than ten persons de clared for it; but it was stated by the supporters of the resolution that they steadfastly believed in the right of manhood suffrage, but they would accept household suffrage for the present. Resolutions, embodying the ballot, triennial parliaments, and an equal division of electoral districts, were carried amidst much cheering. It was also resolved that a petition embracing the resolutions be signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting; and that another, of a similar character, be signed by the in habitants generally ; and that Lord Goderich be requested to present both petitions to Parliament. IRISH LAW APPOINTMENTS. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—With reference to " The Irish law appoint ments," the following circumstances have not yet been brought before the public. Mr. Hatchell was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Insolvent Court on the death of Mr. Baldwin at Midsummer, 1854, the salary being 2,0001. per annum ; and he retired from office on his full salary for life on the Ist November, 1857, under the pro visions of " The Irish Bankrupt and Insolvent Act, 1857," having served threeyears and a quarter for an annuity of 2,0001. The above Act dissolved equally the old Courts of Bankruptcy and Insolvency, and constituted a new court, uniting both, and appointed Mr. Macan and Mr. Plunket, the former Commis sioners of Bankruptcy, the judges of the new court, at a salary of 2,0001. per annum each, their previous salaries being 1,5001. each. Respecting the retirement of these judges, it is specially enacted that if either of them retire before the Ist November, 1864, he shall only be entitled to an annuity not exceeding two-thirds of his former salary, or 1,0001. per annum as a maximum ; and after that period to a like allowance on the increased salary, or 1,500/. per annum as a maximum. Mr. Macan has been already upwards of twenty years serving the public as a Commissioner of Bankruptcy, his appointment dating from the Ist September, 1836 ; and for this long period of faithful and efficient discharge of onerous duties he will obtain, if compelled by illness or other causes to resign before the end or 1864, only one-half the annuity granted to Mr. Hatchell. And the same remarks apply with nearly equal force to Mr. Plunket—a son, moreover, of the late illustrious Irish Chancellor. Wherefore this distinction between public ser vants ?—I am, sir, your obedient servant, A CONSTANT READER. Dublin, Jan. 28, 1858. THE ROYAL SOCIETY bus granted a sum of money to Mr. Robert Mallet, from the Government Grant Fund, to enable that gentleman to make researches into the phenomena of the recent earthquake in Italy. Mr. Mallet, who is provided with letters to tho Neapolitan Government, including some docu ments of importance from Cardinal Wiseman, left London on Tuesday week for the woe of the late disasters. - , FEBRUARY 6, 1858. THE PRESS, 135 Rabat an ptitt - ar11! 3itttiligtatt. ley, Fowke, Sce. The only guests were Col one l Kl e b. that the old constitutional rule and principle by whish mikoff, of the Russian Engineers, and Mr. W. H. majorities alone shall decide in party elections shall not Marriott, of the house of Cox and Co., the paymasters be violated. His ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GENERAL COMMANDING- of the corps. Mr. EDMONDS proposed a resolution adopting the IN-Cluse will hold a levee at the Horse Guards at LIEUTENANT-GENERAL THOMAS ASHBURN/IAM, who scheme of the London committee. .. Mr. SCIIOLEFIELD, M.P., seconded the resolution, was originally appointed to the command of the ex- ono o'clock on Wednesday next. pedition to China, and was themes transferred to and made a good speech. Lintrr.-CoLosten PAULET SOMERSET has raised a India, arrived in London on the 29th ult. by the The resolution was supported at length oy Mr. J. 2nd battalion for the 7th Fusiliers, consisting of overland mail from Calcutta. S. WRIGHT and others, and was eventually carried. 1,0(1 men. The average height through the batta- The meeting closed with adopting a petition to lion is 51t. 71in., and not a man has been enlisted REFORM MEETINGS. Parliament urging immediate and extensive reforms below the height of sft. 7in. We should be glad to A REFORM demonstration took place in the Birming- --, know why it is that, when Colonel Somerset can ham Town•hall on Tuesday, with the Mayor of the SEVERAL OTHER REFORM MEETINGS have been held successfully fix his standard at 511. the Govern- this week at Norwich, Gat es h ea d, an d Oldh am . went is compelled to lower theirs to sft. 3in. Borough in the chair. The hall was crowded. The The most important meeting was that at Norwich, Irwin DaaoooN REGIMENTS.—The Dublin Gazette Chairman, after a few prefatory observations, intro- on which occasion the sitting members addressed contains a notification, received by the Earl of duced Mr. Edmonds, Cleric of the Pease, who read the audience. Mr. Schneider, M.P., said he should Carlisle from the War•office, to the effect that of the a letter from Mr. J. Bright, M.P in reply to a only support the measure of eform to be proposed. two additional regiments of cavalry to be raised, , ', one will be the Stn Dragoons. The following is a circular of the society. Mr. Bright observed : by Lord Palmerston if it were " a real and substan- tial measure of reform," which the hon. member pre- copy of a letter addressed by the Secretary of State Twenty-five years ago the Tory party, and the Whigs gently defined as a Si. franchise for cities and for War to his Royal Highness the General almost as much so, were greatly afraid of an extension of boroughs, and a 101. franchise for counties. Mr. Commanding-in-Chief, dated, War-office, Feb. I.: the suffrage : now very few persons of any intelligence, Schneider touched upon one or two other points, positions made some time ago by the Governments of Lord even among the Conservatives, are afraid of it. The pro- Sir,—l have the honour to acquaint your Royal High- such as the ballot and church-rates, upon which be ness that her Majesty's Government have decided that John Russell and Lord Aberdeen showed clearly that expressed grave doubts as to the amount of reliance two additional cavalry regiments shall be raised forthwith franchise extension is no longer the dread of the ariato- to be placed in Lord Palmerston for the abolition of to meet the exigencies of her Majesty's service. Before cratic and ruling class; and it is not unlikely that Lord the one or the establishment of the other. • Lord this occasion the Queen has been graciously pleased to Palmerston, if he produce a Reform Bill, will go a long Bury, M.P., expressed precisely similar (minions. command that the order by which the sth Dragoons were way in the direction in which we wish to go, so far as the Both at Gateshead and Oldham resolutions struck out of the list of her Majesty's forces in 1799 franchise is concerned. We can easily understand this. embodying similar sentiments were carried. shall be cancelled. The Queen is desirous of thus wiping The franchise itself gives no real power unless accum• away an unfortunate event now long gone by, and which it At Manchester, on Monday evening, a new Reform panied by the right, on the part of all the possessors of it, is time to consign to oblivion; and Majesty wishes by Association was inaugurated. Mr. George Wilson to elect something like an equal number of represents- this gracious act to give a publie testimony of her sense tives. I could easily frame a bill which would give attended. of the loyalty and attachment of her Irish people. When universal suffrage in its widest sense, and which would A REFORM MEETING was also held at Holm fi rth on your Royal Highness therefore takes her Majesty's confirm more strongly than ever the supremacy of the Thursday week, in order to petition Parliament in pleasure upon this increase to the army you will suggest English oligarchy over the English people. If your great favour of an extended measure of reform. A resolu- te her Majesty that the denomination of the two new city, with its great constituency, is only to send two men tion declaring " that nothing less than household regiments shall be the sth Royal Irish Regiment of Dra- to Parliament, whilst an equal population and property in suffrage would be acceptable to the people " was goons and the 18th Dragoons. In communicating to the some other part or parts of the kingdom is to send twenty carried with some little opposition ;an amendment army the restoration of the sth Dragoons to its place men to Parliament, then I say your extended franchise is having been put to the meeting in favour of " man- among the cavalry regiments of the line, her Majesty's of little avail. The man who can merely shout at the Government trusts that your Royal Highness will duly hustings, or contribute to the show of hands, is in reality hood sufferage." Not more than ten persons de- impress upon the Queen's forces this act of her Majesty's dared for it ; but it was stated by the supporters of in almost as good a position as the man who votes, if the grace and favour.—l have the honour to be, sir, your th e . resolution that they steadfastly believed in the value of votes is rendered so unequal, or is nearly de- Royal Highness's most obedient, humble servant, stroyed by the unequal distribution of representatives right of manhood suffrage, but they would accept PANMURE. among the whole body of electors. The Government and household suffrage for the present. Resolutions, The 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars) were disbanded the Parliament, even the House of Lords, will consent to embodying the ballot, triennial parliaments, and an in 1821, after a brilliant career in the Peninsula and a large increase of electors, and men who have not con- equal division of electoral districts, were carried at Waterloo. It was also an Irish Regiment, and sidered the subject fully will imagine they have gained amidst much cheering. It was also resolved that a was long known by the familiar name of Lord much by the concession. Lord Jobn Russell, in his many petition embracing the resolutions be signed by the Drogheda's Light Horse, the regiment having been speeches ona further ht m lf e t as o ure o x f t tf t o o rm o lge th ne e ra f lly, ihfinseot. chairman on behalf of the meeting ; and that e a u e d ar te , confines lttill , raised by the late venerable Marquis of Drogheda,ait n w e oul e d ha n ve added largely rane to' another, of a similar character, be signed by the in- who did not long survive the breaking up of his habitants generally; and that Lord Goderich be the number of electors throughout the kingdom, would favourite corps. Many days, it may be safely pre• have done absolutely nothing to lessen the power of the requested to present both petitions to Parliament. dieted, will not pass over before men will be found order to which he belongs, and to increase that of the to recruit the ranks of the two new regiments of nation as distinguished from its privileged and aristocratic IRISII LAW APPOINTMENTS. Irish Dragoons. General the Hon. Henry Murray, class. It is not a matter of opinion or of any doubt that TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." the present colonel in chief of the 14th Light Dra. lam discussing. It is a question of fact and of arithme- goons,was lieutenant-colonel commanding the 18th tic, and therefore I wish to urge it strongly upon your Sir,—With reference to " The Irish law appoint- Hussars at the period of their disbandment. The .attention. th The contest of the question of Reform will be ments," the following circumstances have not yet • di t 'billion of the seats. Will the great boroug h been brought before the public. late Marquis of Londonderry commanded the old l o n f th e e Tower ari Hamlets, with its half million of populatiou, Mr. Hatchell was appointed Chief Commissioner sth Dragoons when they were broken up nearly be content to return only two members to Parliament ? of the Insolvent Court on the death of Mr. Baldwin sixty years ago. The sth and the Scotch Grays were Will Finsbury, will Marylebone, will Lambeth, and the at Midsummer, 1854, the salary being 2,0001. per the only cavalry regiments who were permitted to other London boroughs? Will Glasgow and Manchester, wear the bearskin cap as a distinguishing headdress, and Liverpool and Birmingham, and other leading cities annum ; and he retired from office on his full salary for life on the Ist November, 1857, under the pro- the latter still retaining the uncomfortable honour. of the United Kingdom, be content to dwarf themselves visions of " The Irish Bankr upt and Insolvent Act, TILE MONUMENT to commemorate the deeds of the politically to the size of boroughs whose whole population 1857," having served threeyears and a quarter for an 55th, or Westmoreland Regiment, in the Russian would scarcely people one of their inferior streets? Shall war, which it was sometime ago decided to erect in it be admitted that the mor e hlf together—the annuity of 2,0001. The above Act dissolved equally the parish church of Kendal, has now been placed .m ore they are industrious, s i ul n ,i e n n tel e l o ig ni en e t, and powerful the old Courts of Bankruptcy and Insolvency, and over the north-west door of that edifice. The colours 3 . n every other respect—the less shall be their iu uence constituted a new court, uniting both , and appointed in the government of their country? Mr. Macan and Mr. Plunket, the former Commis- atcarried by the regiment in the war are to be raised the base of the memorial. With regard to the ballot, Mr. Bright said : sioners of Bankruptcy, the judges of the new court, of , THE NEWLY RAISED SECOND BATTALION OF THE 2D The ballot is not so much a principle as a convenience. at a salary salaries being 2 1 000/. per annum each, their previous ,500/. each. REGIMENT or Foci will proceed to Malta to replace It does not bestow the franchise ;it only guarantees that Respecting the retirement of these judges, it is the 71st Light Infantry, gone on to Bombay. which the law has already conferred. A voter goes to the specially enacted that if either of them retire before REAR- ADMIRAI SIR S. LUSHINGTON, K.C.8., bas been poll in h a cab, t t because te itisessier and sometimes sa f er f o r through a n' excited crowd on foot, the Ist November, 1864, he shall only be entitled to appointed to the command of the Brazilian station, him , h t sh a o n uld e h a e r n u o g ebe allowe to vote by ballot to shelter an annuity not exceeding two-thirds of his former in the room of Vice-Admiral Wallis. Mr. A. W. L. him from the more serious annoyances he may be, and is salary, or 1,0001. per annum as a maximum ; and Browne is appointed mate to the Raccoon. now, often subjected to from the importunity or the after that period to a like allowance on the increased UPWARDS of 60,000 men (says the United Service threats of his landlord, his creditor, or his customer? salary, or 1,5001. per annum as a maximum. Gazette) are required to complete the several regt• When the 200 men now in the House of Commons who Mr. Macan has been already upwards of twenty ments of the line to their full establishment. It are obliged to support the ballot, or when 100 of them, or years serving the public as a Commissioner of seems evident that some more active measures must when fifty of' them, are in earnest, and tell the Government Bankruptcy, his appointment dating from the Ist be adopted to obtain recruits than those usually sane- they are resolved to have it, and t that th ey tb l will d l s eav f e any th September, 1836 ; and for this 100 period of faithful tioned. Information has been received at the Horse Gov l e is rum ee e s nt tha t t be w'll notgr s a i n de i t of in the house,e lan then, and and e ffi cient discharge of onerous duties he will Guards that upwards of 6,MX) sick and wounded Philistines noetntill opposite the ballot be conceded'. I obtain, if compelled by illness or other causes to soldiers will shortly be on their passage to England p robably not till then, will the ballot be conceded . I obtain, if compelled by illness or other causes to soldiers wilL shortly be on their passage to England dread to think of the consequences of the wide extension resign before the end of 1864, only one-half the from India. Volunteering from the militia to the of the suffrage in our manufacturing districts, should it be annuity granted to Mr. Hatchell. And the same line appears to be almost a failure. Recruiting obtained without the ballot; it will tempt employers of remarks apply with nearly equal force to Mr. parties were sent to Aldershott, to enlist 3,000 men, labour to a hateful tyranny, and it will doom multitudes of Plunket—a son, moreover, of the late illustrious but only 600 were obtained, the employed, I fear, to a not less hateful condition of politi- Irish Chancellor. THE ANNUAL DINNER of the corps of Royal Engineers Wherefore this distinction between public ser- cal degradation. took place on Monday at the Freemasons' Tavern. In conclusion, Mr. Bright warned his hearers against vents ?—I am, sir, your obedient servant, The chair was filled by Sir John Burgoyne, G.C.8., the pitfalls in their path : A CONSTANT READER. Inspector-General of Fortifications, and the officers Your cause is not in the hands of friends. Your forces Dublin, Jan. 28, 1858. present included Lieutenant-General Sir Charles in the parliamentary field are commanded by men taken Pasley, K.C.8., Major-Generals Sir Harry D. Jones, from or chosen by your constant and natural opponents, THE ROYAL SOCIETY has granted a sum of money K-C.B.owe...Governor of Sandhurst ; Lewes, C.B. ; and th e y lead them not for yo ur pu r pos e but for th e ir ow. Blanch ard, C.B. ;Colonel Sandham, director of the I beseech y ou to watch well what is proposed, and what is to Mr. Robert Mallet, from the Government Grant Fund, to enable that gentleman to make researches done, be the nature great or small ; let it be honest in field establi s h men t a t Ch a th am ; Colonel W a lp o l e , into the phenomena of the recent earthquake in p t. Include as many as you can in the right of the Lieutenant-Colonels Frome, Yolland, Yorke, Dawson, f e r ve n r c y hise ,• insist upon such o f o Commove fairly distribution s eats , as shall Italy. Mr. Mallet, who is provided with letters to Wynne, Owen, C. 8., Montague ; Majors Keane, De a the House y to the industry, th e the Neapolitan Government, including some docu- Verie, Ewart, Jervo;s, Nugent, Ravenhill ;Captainsa t give property, the intelligence, and the population of the ments of importance from Cardinal Wiseman, left Scott, Grant, Wesim . cot t, V e t c h, Engineer t i Ad- country; demand the ballot, and as the undeniable right of London on Tuesday week for the woo of the late miralty Harbour Works, Hawkins, Hon. G. Wrottes- every man who is called to the poll, and take special care disasters. 47 REFORM MEETINGS. A REFORM demonstration took place in the Birming ham Town•hall on Tuesday, with the Mayor of the Borough in the chair. The hall was crowded. The Chairman, after a few prefatory observations, intro duced Mr. Edmonds, Cleric of the Peac , .., who read a letter from Mr. J. Bright, M.P., in reply to a circular of the society. Mr. Bright observed : Twenty-five years ago the Tory party, and the Whigs almost WI much so, were greatly afraid of an extension of the suffrage : now very few persons of any intelligence, even among the Conservatives, are afraid of it. The pro positions made some time ago by the Governments of Lord John Russell and Lord Aberdeen showed clearly that franchise extension is no longer the dread of the aristo cratic and ruling class; and it is not unlikely that Lord Palmerston, if he proince a Reform Bill, will go a long way in the direction in which we wish to go, so far as the franchise is concerned. We can easily understand this. The franchise itself gives no real power unless accom panied by the right, on the part of all the possessors of it, to elect some►hing like an equal number of representa tives. I could easily frame a bill which would give universal suffrage in its widest sense, and which would confirm more strongly than ever the supremacy of the English oligarchy over the English people. If your great city, with its great constituency, is only to send two men to Parliament, whilst an equal population and property in some other part or parts of the kingdom is to send twenty men to Parliament, then I say your extended franchise is of little avail. The man who can merely about at the hustings, or contribute to the show of hands, is in reality in almost as good a position as the man who votes, if the value of votes is rendered so unequal, or is nearly de stroyed by the unequal distribution of representatives among the whole body of electors. The Government and the Parliament, even the House of Lords, will consent to a large increase of electors, and men who have not con sidered the subject fully will imagine they have gained much by the concession. Lord John Russell, in his many speeches on a further measure of Reform, generally, if not always, confines himself to an extension of the franchise ; and his last bill, although it would have added largely to the number of electors throughout the kingdom, would have done absolutely nothing to lessen the power of the order to which he belongs, and to increase that of the nation as distinguished from its privileged and aristocratic class. It is not a matter of opinion or of any doubt that lam discussing. It is a question of fact and of arithme tic, and therefore I wish to urge it strongly upon your attention. The contest of the question of Reform will be in the distribution of the seats. Will the great borough of the Tower Hamlets, with its half million of population, be content to return only two members to Parliament? Will Finsbury, will Marylebone, will Lambeth, and the other London boroughs? Will Glasgow and Manchester, and Liverpool and Birmingham, and other leading cities of the United Kingdom, be content to dwarf themselves politically to the size of boroughs whose whole population would scarcely people one of their inferior streets? Shall it be admitted that the more men come together—the more they are industrious, skilful, intelligent, and powerful in every other respect—the less shall be their influence in the government of their country? With regard to the ballot, Mr. Bright said : The ballot is not so much a principle as a convenience. It does not bestow the franchise ; it only guarantees that which the law has already conferred. A voter goes to the poll in a cab, because it is easier, and sometimes safer for him, than to struggle through an excited crowd on foot. Why should he not be allowed to vote by ballot to shelter him from the more serious annoyances he may be, and is now, often subjected to from the importunity or the threats of his landlord, his creditor, or his customer? When the 200 men now in the House of Commons who are obliged to support the ballot, or when 100 of them, or when fifty of them, are in earnest, and tell the Government they are resolved to have it, and that they will leave any Government that will not grant it in the lands of the Philistines on the opposite side of the house, then, and probably not till then, will the ballot be conceded. I dread to think of the consequences of the wide extension of the suffrage in our manufacturing districts, should it be obtained without the ballot; it will tempt employers of labour to a hateful tyranny, and it will doom multitudes of the employed, I fear, to a not less hateful condition of politi cal degradation. In conclusion, Mr. Bright warned his hearers against the pitfalls in their path : Your cause is not in the hands of friends. Your forces in the parliamentary field are commanded by men taken from or chosen by your constant and natural opponents, and they lead them not for your purpose but for their own. I beseech you to watch well what is proposed, and what is done, be the nature great or small; let it be honest in every part. Include as many as you can in the right of the franchise ; insist upon such a distribution of seats as shall give the House of Commons fairly to the industry, the property, the intelligence, and the population of the country ; demand the ballot, and as the undeniable right of every man who is called to the poll, and take special care