The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-06 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY

after the Registration Courts were first opened, and
voters attended, with the zeal of newly-enfranchised
men, to substantiate their claims, the unlooked-for
annoyances of Lord Jous RUSSELL'S rate-paying
clauses especially, and many other littlenesses, created
unmeasured displeasure. It was soon believed, and
we fear too truly, that the aristocratic Whig Lord
had intentionally interposed all possible technicalities,
unessential to the merits of the case, in the way of the
claiming voter ; that he wished to secure at once the
aspect of a Liberal Bill, with the reality of a tolerably
Conservative one; and that, between his pocket
boroughs and his Registration Courts, he had reined
in, pretty tightly, the popular liberty which he
seemed to bestow. Since that time the Registration
nuisance has worked itself a smoother course, but it
has chiefly been by producing one effect adverted
to by our correspondent, that of unwilling-
ness to bear the trouble of attending ;
and it is for the most part respectable
men of the middle classes and upwards to
men of Mr. GROTE'S social standing, who will not
submit to what Mr. Low justly terms this "unbearable
annoyance." We have ourselves more than once,
like Mr. Low, been called upon to meet the most
frivolous objections to one vote, and while waiting to
do so seen votes struck off in large batches at a time,
upon the most trivial grounds. In one case a magis-
trate and about ten more respectable persons were
disfranchised, because the residence was described by
the name of the place, which every man, woman, and
child in the borough knew, and not by a name re-
cently put up, of which hardly any one was yet
aware. On one occasion the objection to our
own vote was, that the objector-general for the
borough, a penniless Tory man-of-all-work, bad seen
the shutters of the house closed at a time when, like
a large part of the neighbourhood, we had eseapd for
a week or two into the country. While waiting in court
on this and like cmasions we, too, could scarcely suppress
our indignation at the self-evident pretexts on which
we and others had been called away from our engage-
ments. In one instance nearly 300 objections of the
Mud ,NClt7 untdc. Thu ntunster uecmed Mat
the first was frivolous, and threatened to fine for every
similar one which was made. It was immediately
announced that all the others of that class were with-
drawn ! Surely the objector ought to have been fined
the ten shillings in each case, for the greater part of
the voters had already lost their time by coming to the
court. Unless the intention of the Reform Bill be
avowedly to strike off all possible of those who have
a right to a vote, we must hold with our respected
correspondent, that the Revising Barrister ought
to be forward to punish frivolous objections. In every
other court the benefit of a doubt is always given to
the accused, and informers are discouraged; and
Registration Courts ought rather to watch over the
substantial rights of her MAJESTY'S subjects, and to
discourage such informers as GOODHUGII, whose name
(for he seams to have shirked confronting the parties)
flourishes in our Tuesday's report of the Hammer-
smith Court. The class of persons employed as agents
or objectors are, indeed, frequently of a very un-
worthy character, and we have heard from them low
jokes and " insults," which we were surprised
the Barrister would tolerate, and certainly not
surprised that respectable persons should prefer to
escape. It is not indeed to be justified that persons
any way competent to vote should lose the privilege
by mere neglect, or even disgust with trumpery
objectors and the harassing technicalities of the
Reform Bill ; yet this is, we apprehend, the chief
cause why the public displeasure has been less loudly
expressed of late. Whoever brings in the next Re-
form Bill may be assured that a much simpler
Register—one furnishing incomparably less work for
the low tools of party spite, will be demanded by all
respectable people. Such a Register, the poor-
rate book of the parishes, or the collector's book, if

the income-tax b.) extended to incomes of 50/. and
upwrrds (as Mr. B.umes report suggests), would
furnish exactly. Either Register would include the
ten-pound householder, and nearly any other class ;
and if the paying clauses were struck out, as they
certainly ought to be, when every collector hes
stringent legal means of recovery, then the scope for
the myrmidons of party zeal would he limited indeed.
We know that the Revising Barristers are, as a
body, highly respectable gentlemen ; yet we cannot
but also think that, as a body, they are far too lenient
with objectors, and not sufficiently watchful to save
the time, and feelings too, of the voters. They should
bear in mind, if we may allude to another common
maxim in criminal cases, better have 100 voters too
many, then disfranchise one honest voter. We, of
course, refer to cases where votes have been once
established, and where the too many we speak of
means only, too many, judged by a merely technical
standard. Let the Barrister determine to err, if he do
so, on the side of enfranchisement, and let him not
hesitate to fine freely. He ought to throw upon the
objector, before the latter enters court, the trouble of
inquiring into the truth of his surmises. As an
instance, where an objection wes ma de in
our own case that the party was re-
moved, because the shutters were temporarily
closed, the objector should have Len compelled to fur-
nish evidence of reasonable inquiry of neighbours or
others, if he washed to escape the fine ; and in the
case mentioned by Mr. Low, to have proved reason-
able examination as to the gentleman's being really
dead, instead of being tolerated in an unbecoming
joke. For such mere guesses as these persons ought
not to be dragged from their homes or their business,
at the pleasure of informers against the franchise.
In the meantime we strongly advise all parties so
harassed, to press firmly on the Covrt the import-
ance of carrying out the Act for punishing petti-
fogging informeions against voters. If the public
vigorously suste'n the Banisters in inflicting fines,
they must themselves prefer to be saved the time
which they are so often called upon to waste.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
The Government have received the following tele
graphic dispatches :

_
" Carcassonne, Oct. 4, Six A.:31,
" The journey of the Prince from Narbonne to Car-
cassonne has taken place in the midst of enthusiastic
cries of Vive l'Emperour !' The entry into Car-
casonno was triumphant. His Highness is in good
health."

" Toulouse, Oct. 4, Three P.M.
" The Ptinca Pre3ident has just arrived. Ile is re-
ceived with the utmost enthusiasm and cries, a thousand
times repeated, of Vive l'Empereur!"'
At Montpellier, on the evening of the Ist the
PRINCE PRESIDENT went to a second ball in the Rid-
ing School. The persons attending it were chiefly of
the working class. On entering it. the PRINCE WE 9
greeted with numerous cries of " Vive l'Empereur !"
and intermingled with them were some cries of "Vive
l'amnistie !" The PRINCE remarked them, but said
nothing, and took his seat on an estrade. After a
moment he rose to depart, and as he was descend-
ing the steps, the same cries were repeated. The
PRINCE stopped, and in a calm and firm voice said::
hear cries of Vive l'amnistie !' The amnesty
is more in my heart than your mouths. If you desire
it, render yourselves worthy of it by your prudence
and your patriotism." These words were received by
a shout of " Vive l'Empereur !" and flowers were
thrown to the PRINCE as he returned to his carriage.
The following appears in the Moniteur :
" After the long and interesting visit which the Prince
made to Fort Napoleon, at Toulon, ho returned late to
the village of La Seyne, and there entered his boat to
return to Toulon. The sun had cat, the evening was
cool, and those who accompanied him sought to protect
him from the cold. Ile, however, found another means
of keeping himself warm; he told one of the rowers to
remove from his seat, and he took his oar and began
rowing ksieassnmoladtsahiilsorn,obleleavisniuigrthliacitbyo, ndata'scrcehwarfimileed
with his skill. "d
with
e like
enthusiasm

This paragraph tends to disprove lan anecdote told
by Mr.JERDAN, in his interesting reeolections, of
his having been in a boat with Prince Louis on the
Thames, who, essaying to row, caught a multitude
of what are technically termed " crabs."
General of Division Count DE GOLSTEIN dropped
down _ dead on Monday ev, Sing, at the Verpailles
Railway station. He was sixty-five years of age.
There is a curious report to the effect that the most
distinguished of the Perisian journals will, as soon as
the press shall be submitted to the expected Imperial
law, transfer itself to London.
A letter from Nismes, of the 30th ult., says—
The" most frightful crime was committed this morn-
ing, at Uzes (Gard), on the person of N. de Drtnmartin,
the mayor of that town. At the moment when he wee
about to set out, accompanied by his son, for Nismes, to
be present at the reception of the hince, four men
armed came up to him, and one of them discharged a
pistol point blank at his breast, and another at his head.
His death was instantaneous. This horrible assasination
has spread consternation and indignation throughout.the
whole place."
of the at, nye that ‘i the ex.
A letter from Brliges,