The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-10-08 00:00:00

THEATRES.

DRURT•LANE.
The opera of Guy Mannering was performed
last t4lit. It is a drama which, from the interest
of the story, the almost classic, but certainly
pleasurable recollections it excites, and the sweet
sod well-known music of which it is made the
vehicle, will ewer, while performed with even
moderate ability, be listened to with delight. It
had not iwen prodoced at this Theatre before.
and certainly the mode in which it toss got up last
rzbt reflects infinite credit on the pidgment. taste,
and liberality of Mr. ELLISTON. Ile scenery tors
bacdsome and appropriate. the characers eastolis..
rbciously, and when we mention the names ofMuss
17aam, Mrs. Mann, Mies PocEr. and Mr.
I;eattax. it will be believed there %Vila no d.ficieacy
of isl,ott in the musical deportment. Colonel Man-
library wax represented tastefully and vie-
enitlr, end the gips), scene was painted very well.
A el:eht delay in the conduct or the piece took
place in the course of the second act. Mi.. CUBIT?,
who Flayed one of the wry girls, 11411 a snag
in Ler part; she advanced and made an ettort, but
obliged to retire, observing, in a low voice,
" I cannot sing." There was a momentary appear-
ance of displeasure, but the gond humour of
the audience was immediately restored by Mr..
I;vssn's undertaking the song. Mr. Itusset.s.
made a sery satisfactory apology fur this ne.
currence when the curtails dropped. It had beets
occasioned by Miss ensures being seized wish a
very strife hoarseness, so suddenly that the Mana-
ger had notice of it but a very shed time before the
openinz of the doors. and the drama being new at
the theatre, it hail not been possible within the
tyre to procure a substitute. The address was
received with the greatest indulgence. Lucy lier-
Misg STEPHENS'S old port, was assigned to
CattEsv. This pre-occupation would, pro-
lw considered as unfavoureble to her reef-
lion.; but in truth. in oar judgment. and arguing
limn the feelings of the house, it operated but
lithe to her prejudice. There is in this Lady's
vik of acting and singing, anal et en in the ascents
I f iier voice, a striking resemblance to her prototype.
Her manner has she same softness, her language the
same sadness and plaintiveness ,which distinguish
Ass Stemma, and which so well become the
i!1-fated destitute git lin the original. Her voice is
sweet and powerful, rich and mellow, in no ordinary
s'egrer. Her execution of the air, .6 1)/1, slumber,
run Darling!" was extremely fine, displaying set,.
science. and experience. It was rnt busiss.
Les! ly applouded, and unanimously encored. Her
vast of the last song. " There's eat hick about Me
I 'sae," received equally gratifying in irks of ap-
probation, and equally merited them. Her recep-
tion, on the whole. was flattering as her most san-
guine friend could wish. Miss POVEY. as Julia
Manner*, fully sustained the reputation she
had gained on her debut. She personated the
thoughtless, giddy Julia, and assumed her
volatile manner with ability, and in the vocal
tequisites left nothing to ht. desired. She intro.
duced the sirs of " My Henry is gone !"
and " Sweet Helix!" the latter was encored. Miss
Potty will certainly be a great acquisition. The
Meg Merrill,* of Mrs. EGERTON displayed all ins
original excellence. Mr. lillaUAM, in Henry Der-
Irma, introduced a good deal of new music, and of
course in the same proportion rendered the charac-
ter mere attractive. I lie 1,111 music, particularly
" Lore's young dreams," " he list words of Alm-
wenn." sit Bauce's Address. " Scots Ws lane wi'
If bled," he gave with a force, simplicity, and
pathos, which made every heart thrill. Mr. Pew-
axe's Colonel Mouutering was by no means void of

dignity. determination, and 'feeling. Dominic
Sampson, the most amiable of pedant., was assigned
to Mr. °immix, and we undertaand that, from
some cause, he.hail but two days to ►tudy the part.
NVith this allowance. Mr. Chummy is entitled to
considerable praise. Htivcoriception of the charac-
ter was more on the model of Mr. Lisrun than
bits I'ARREN. He made the poor Scotch graduate
trey amusing. His performance produced peals
if mirth and applause almost every time he made
an entrance or an exit. Die Dittman. was sup.
portrd by it Mr. BUTLEIL, being his first appear.
since on this stage. His conception of the character
WM; very just ; he drenied it with jorignient, and
acted it very creditably, lir exhibited with great
success the effect of the honest farmer'. superstitious
awe of Meg Mereilier, contrasted with Ids natural
mini wonted intrepidity. The audience expressed
their apitrobation of .Ir. BUTLER strovgly. Dirk
llotteraick was eff: ctivrly t.ustattird by Mr. VINING.
The !tease was crowded to excess.

COVENT-GARDEN.

The Cnome-King was produced a second time
I;nt night, and in an improved state that promises
Ion; reign. Some judicious curtailment* have
been mink which contribute greatly to the spirit
etreet of this splendid piece. The house dii.
played a full and elegant audience.

The French Journal. entitled Le Ceateur, deno-
minates the assembly at Carlsbad a Liberticide
Curoves..

Me. CARLlLE.—Yrstenlay Mr. CARLILE, the
bookseller, accompanied by a Gentkinaii from the
Once of Mr. MatmE, intruded •it the CrOWII
Office, for the purpose of reducing the Jury tip-
volot.-41 to try the Information hied opium hue by
leis Nlajesty's ArrnasfeT-GeNtntaL, for publishing
Nine's Age of Reason, when the following Gen-
wrre fixer) on to try the question at
Ste' Clack, Bread street; It. Dulchinwria, Clement's•larie;
Cronkr.l.latie; G. Hartry, Imerreuce.l3ne; T.
lent, Poultry Atl.rw Lowman, Buckley:bury ; Thurman
ir..lhain. Barge yard; William II ulTmau, Kiwi Arms•yard ;
Wm. Fa verner, le mass.st reei ; %V,n. A klemey, Tukrulauuse-
lud ; Richard Chambers, Dove.rorni; John Chill ipa, Cul.
lunasirart ; John Napier, Fenchurch-sireer ; Joseph Jelltru,
lam.; Julio Younger, Crescent ; Pailar, Jois-street ;
Daniel Ecitemein, College-hill.

CsitLti.E, the bookseller, of Fleet-street, has
not only ►ubi.atnrrd many nt the most eminent
Diviiira and Prekiellern reitg. ►ect+,
tint has waited nu the fligh l'ilest of tint Jews,. imd
mired hiin with a subpatna.
A few nights ago RA NDA LL. the boxer, after re-
terming home from a boozing' party, about half-seas
over, and feeling pleopy, wrist into lime back-kitchen
to take a dose, whither he wee 1.0111 alterwarda fob-
!lived by a su►picious•looking fillow who bad been
the tap-room : seeing that RANDALL wax asleep,
►tole his watch and wade ed.

To the EDITOR of The BRITISH PRESS.
n 1 Imo".

New York, July 27,1(119.
Bitt—its the people of Great Britain do not term to tin.
doestand election by balltit, as is practised in this country,
and as all men here agree ib the excellence of it, for the in.
formation of ma countrymen, I be leave, through the ate.
chum of your Paper, to make it plain to every capacity, in
connexion with a few introductory observations and con-
cluding remarks.
The State of New York is divided into counties, three
again into towns. Elections are held'in the cities by wants,
in other parts by towns. Member, of the House of Repre-
sent.itires ef the United Stairs are elected for Iwo years,
members of the State Legislature, Aldermen, &r. of this
city, for one year, so that we hare a regular annual election,
and it commences regularly on the last Tuesday of April,
and continues for three days successively, including the first.
When an election is about to take place in this country, for
example, in the city of New York, which is divided into ten
wards, turtling' are held, fur the purpose of nominating can.
didstes respectively. After they are agreed on, and they
having acrepte.l the nomination, they are pit on what is
called the ticket, to he napporte.l by their friehdo at the elec-
tion. If their are two large political particsin the country,
the other dies the same, in nominating their candidates.
The Corporation of the City of New York appoisits three
sithstantial frecliold. re, actsi illy residing in the want, to he
inspectors of election in I,llllle want, and the imperious ap.
pilot two or mire c impeteat el.cks of such election, each
of whom to keep a poll-kink or hat.

, _ ..„..
At tea o'clock forenoon, on the dud Tuesday of April, n
pall" of election is opened in each ward, and the inapeeiors
bare a Square bon, with a stifficient lock thereto, and large
agouti to hold all the ballots of the voters in the ward, with
• Mall hole in the lid or cover of the hex, sufficient only to
ortwiee each hallot,and through which all the ballots are put
into the Wt. Before the in•pertors receive any ballots,
they put& rly administer to each other, and severally take an
oath, to execute the tither of inspector well, faithfully, ho-
nestly, and impartially, and they alao administer 1111 appro•
rime oath to the clerks. Now observe particularly what
Bellows.

All other things being arranged, and in your place,suppose
Bit Francis Burdett, Lord Cochrane, or any number, to be
nominated by the one party, awl haul accepted Ike noinjila.
61011, a voter comes forward who is going to vote fur them
lb.fore he leaves his house, he simply writes on • small
piece of paper, in • urat form (or lie can gi t plenty of
printed ballots if he please), Sir Francis Burdett, Lord
Cochrane, the one name under the other, but you will parli•
rularly observe, that the voter done not write Ate own name
oa Ike lallest Or paper ticket, and hay.ng folded or closet it
to conceal the contents, and without sealing it, be comes to
the poll, and if he is well known to be a qualified slater—
and the qualification here is on • very !void principle, but
it is nut universal suffrage—be immediately and opeuly de-
livers the ballot to the inspectors, 1010, without opening, or
suffering it to be inspected, puts it into the box, through
the hole in the lid of it in his presence, and the voter's lIIIIIIC
is taken down in the poll books or lists, by all the clerks,
and he goes •way about his business, perhaps without
speaking a single word, and the whole operation may be
dune in many cases, in one or two minutes, at the same time
he is at liberty to tell every person he sees, inspectors and all,
who lie is going to vote fur, or who he has voted fur, still
he must vote by ballot. No person is obliged to vote except
he pleases, end a peroon may vote fur any man he chooses,
if he g.ves him leave.

If any dispute arises about the qualification of any voter,
the inspectors settle it instantly, by turning up the assessors
or collectors books which lie before them, to are if be has
paid assessed taxes, or tender a certain oath to bias as the
case may be. Other voters come forward in the same man-
ner till sun-set, when the pull is shut, and the clerks books
or poll lists are carefully compared in the presence of the
inspectors, after which Use box is opened, and the pull books
or lists put into it and again locked, and the key delivered
to one of the inspectors, itud the seal or seals of the in-
spectors pot upon the box, so as to cover the hole its the
&c. mid kept in safety till ten o'clock next morning,
when it is again opened in presence of the and so on
for three days, including the first, when the pull is finally
shut, and the election terminates. Such is the operation
and simplicity of election by ballot.
The inspectors thru open the box, and count over the
ballots unopened, which should be equal to the number of
names in the poll-book or lists. Should it ever happen, by
mistake, that there were more ballots thou name., the ex-
cess would be impartially drawn omit unopened and destroy-
ed: for Ole number of ballots and the number of voters un
the poll hooks or lists must be exactly equal. The inspec-
tors then proceed to canvass sad estimate the ballots, and
should they find two ur more ballots folded or rolled up to-
gether, none of them are estimated, but thrown away, soul
the voter thereby loses his vote; and they set down in writ-
ing the names of the several Candidates voted for at the
election, with the number of voles, in words at full length,
given fur such candidates, and they certify and subscribe a
statement or certificate to time Clerk of the County, and a like
certificate to the Clerk of time Town, to be by them entered
of record, in a book kept for that purpose. The poll-books or
lists are destroyed after giving the certificate. The Clerk of
the County, within a certain time, delivers a transcript cer-
tified by hum, of all such certificates by bun received, to the
fieceetrily of State, who enters the same certificate in a book
kept for that purpose in said Secretary's office, and who. in
conjunction with the Surveyor-General, Attorney. Genera I,
Comptroller, and Treasurer, canvasses, estimstes, and err-
itfies the aggregate amount, or whole number of votes given
for the respective candidates voted for, and determines upon
the persons duly elected, and enters the same certificate ro a
book kept for that purpose in said Secretary's office. And
they further send a copy of the certificate to the persons
elected, and a like nue to the House of Representatives or
the Congress of the United States; and a copy uf said cer-
tificate is also pubtislieul in the newspapers. The above
plait of election is very simple, and the longer it is prac-
tised, the more it is approved of by men of all pieties, as
all the Members of the State Legislature, Alermen, Assist-
ant Aldermen, Assessors, Collectors, Constables, Office-
bearers in patriotic aud benevolent associations, &c. Ste. in
this city, ore all elected by ballut ; in the two last cases the
person who presides takes off his hat, turn, it up, and re-
etillls the ballots from the members present in the crown of
it, without taking down their names, and after reading lime
ballots and marking them off, pronounces who has most
votes for office.bearer.

By the above plan also a person can vote conscientiously,
as he uu:ht alwapt to do, without fear or dread of come.
queue's from the wealthy or powerful in society, in cases of
a differs II Ce of opium), fur even well.ilispused good men will
sometimes differ to opinion as to who are beat qualified to
conduct national ur local aff4irs.

It is also a powerful check on bribery and corraption, be-
cause if any person was so foolish as to attempt to bribe
souther to vote fur certain candidates, the latter might
amuse him, and take all the money lie amused to give (ad-
milliug he was to escape the punishment of the law), and
vote as he originally intended notwithstanding, for so per-
NM can oblige anuil.er to shine his ballot, or tell Who lie is
going to vote for, except be please, it is even considered very
impolite and impudent to ask the question. la short, it is
the must independent, systematic, correct, and bushiesmlike
way of conducting an election that I know of ; and the elec-
tions lace are all tooducted with great quietness, order, and
dispatch, for there is no encouragement and satisfaction for
the idle and disorderly to gather 111 crowds and atop at the
poll, to see who people vote fur, sad to raise mobs. Voting
vtua voce, or by the voice, as is practised in Eliglainl, is
very had way, as it leads to bribery and enamor 'rook-
tom ss, !smith, and disorder, anal a servility to the wealthy
and powerful to society, lac self-interest, or to serve pre-
sent purposes. Fur example, a banker. or monied man,
who discounts bills, 14 a very isillueutial man in, any
country. We shall suppose he is extremely desirous
to promote the electimi of a friend or retails person;
merchants, manufact islets, mechanic*, and every use
who depends un regular discounts frost him most vote
as he tells or wishes them, otherwise what is the conse-
quence ?—Ns name lICOMMISOdatiOII I.le discusei, but become
baiikrupt, and shut up shop whets you please for him.
Farmers must rota as their landlords tell or wish them,
otherwise what is the comequence?—Pay their routs 'on the
tetru.day, tied act strictly up to the letter of the tack with.

out arrey. DiTcudoinfs., on prra04s in place and power
Ast ng vote, as thrir pairono tell or wish them, ollstrwisie
Atha/ ks Off conectstrence I—No natwe patenting"- lad 611001,
Lout nitre place to others that are more obedient into the
bargain, and all these inAnetieed in their tnen on other's in
some way or other obligated to them, down in the loweet
orders in society; fur they or their agents could easily be
at the poll, to see how their elependaass acrid. Election by
ballot °lmages all these duffle's hies, for •lihough they attend-
col the pofl from morning till night it would answer no pwr-
pose whatever. Voting by • signed ballot is very ohjeetion-
able, as it leash to iimieressary and injuritsua exposure.
Although 'elm inOttence of one man over another in this
country jos nothing in comparison to what it Is in treat
Britain, I am told 6y intelligent and diercrsiing mess, that
voting Tiro roe. would never do here, and from what I are,
bear, and know. I fully believe it, as it wauld he attended
• with similar lamentable consequences as it is in that
country; hut if election by ballot, as is practised in thia
country, was adopted in Geist Kitain, I believe you would
never artist see such disgraceful scenes as Gave been wit-
nessed at tte elections of Il'estminater, Liverpool; end 4,0,,.(
plate, in England, fur I ant abundantly well cosivhscril that
the people of Great Britain are as capable if fueling
themselves wish propriety on such occasions, at the poldof
election, as the American, are.

I am, Str, your obedient Srerant.
A enutisn SUBJECT.
The Moore is taken front the Lite of Elections, and from
my own art ail observation at oar late election, for the mile
and express purpose of beiog able to give you as accurate
sectAint, and I shall be exceedinzly gratified if you will in-
Bert it vet batim in your Paper (which I ►egularly saw when
Was at hotbr), as it is of great intimirtanee in a country
where there are popular virtuous. I have enclosed you a
few real Hultots, to give you ocular demonstration. In
Susie places the election is finished in one day, instead of
three, as is the ease in this city.
If ever pm obtain >t fair representation of the people of
Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament, In the orrsent state
of society, if it is not in connexion with election i bal-
lot as is practised in this country, you oily depend on it, it
will not answer the people's expetlstion. Excuse the Won-
ders iu cupytng,as it was dune hurriedly.

THE LATE FORGERY
ON THE DRONTHEIM BANK.

Mr. It. Scott, Enginver, No. 302, Strand, the
ingenious Artist who bO4 exhibited some exquisite
specimens of elaborate Engraving for preventing
the Forgery of Bank of England Notes, has just
received from the loyal Government of Norway a
very valuable gold box, upon which is seta magni-
ficent antique cameo, accompanied the following
letter from the Swedish A inhasiador --
"41, Lower Grosvenoestrret, October 4. 1810.
" Strt-1n transmitting to you, by miler of the Royal On.
verninent of Norway, a gold box, as a testimony of the deep
sense it entertains of the handeome manlier in which von
deteett d and !nought to el 41 linnoil-nient the forgery at-
tempted ou the Royal Bank of Drouthrim, 1 am happy
not only in being on this occasion chosen to express its
gratitude, but at the same time to have an oppnriantly of
assuring you that my own is, if possible, still greater.
" STIERNELD.
4. Mr. R. Scott, Engraver, 302, Strand."