The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-18 00:00:00

this and repinings at that, and amid the din and
IFEBOAT SERVICES.—During the storms
boats of the National Litebeat distraction of the hour,. some wise individuals were
ustitultot hnehpaayset I:vaerdl4B:24
our coasts. The Institution ptheersaelnsos eirxopmen 19 'sa3dld 14s. sd.
different wrecks on
vehemently asserting that England stood less
in life same period on lifeboat establishments,
chance in case of an invasion, and that our
granting £1,569 as rewards for saving 69 shipnwrecked per-
sons by its lifeboats, and other means. fleets. were unprepared, and our armies were
The Committee of the Institution earnestly
m toP Pr
re meet t then
insufficient for our defence, and, above
continued heavy demands on the enablestitution's 110 lifeboat
establishments.
all, that our population were unskilled in military
Contributions are received, by Messrs Willis and co.,
matters, and could thus render no real or efficient
Herries and Co., Coutts and Co., and by all the London and
Richard
country bankers ; and by the Secretary,phi. Lewis , Esq.,
at the Institution, 14, John-street, Adel
aid in times of peril. All this tirade of gloomy
prognostications and sinister reflection is now hap-
pily silenced, and the saturnine reflections of the
captious and the critical are brought to a conclusion
by the triumphant establishment of a Volunteer
Institution, and the energy and enthusiasm which
have fostered its growth and nurtured its power.
Without offending foreign nations we can now look
on with indifference at their coup d'etats and start-
ling panoramic changes, secure that, so far as we are
concerned, the shock will not affect us, nor the evil
influence be felt to any great degree. Notwith-
standing the acknowledged truth of this it is still
satisfactory to see that periodical celebrations
take place. The scene at Brighton yesterday was
of the most animated description, and all the ar-
rangements were admirably made, and there were
but few contretemps to mar the success or spoil the
pleasures of the day. It is a great satisfaction that
the Easter Monday Reviews should go on with such
regularity for so many years. It shows that the
feeling is a deep-rooted one which thus permits its
continuance, and that no mere suggestions of com-
fort and convenience are suffered to stand in the
way of the prosecution of the self-imposed task. It
was very sagaciously predicated by some persons
that it was only an evanescent excitement which
kept up the first displays, and that as time went on
a marked decadence would be observable in the
alteration of these anniversary rejoicings, until
the whole affair quietly lapsed into oblivion.
A more striking contradiction to these seemingly
plausible prophecies could not have been given than
that which was furnished by the appearance of the
Downs at Brighton yesterday. The animated
assemblage and brilliant display fully justified the
statements of those who have declared that the
Volunteers are making progress in the right direc-
tion, and that of late they have increased in
efficiency. The eagerness displayed by the towns-
people. to do honour to the affair was very signifi-
cant, and, from early in the morning, when they
assembled in hundreds to give the Volunteers a
welcome on their arrival, through the whole of the
brilliant and exciting day until its successful close,
their Sympathy was apparent and their admiration
unbounded. Brighton may well regard it as an honour
to be chosen for the scene of so interesting an
exhibition ; but few places could be so appropriate,
and nowhere is there a better place presented as the
theatre of such a display than the glorious
South Downs. Twenty years ago it would never
have been believed that an English town would fur-
nish such a spectacle as that presented by Brighton
yesterday, but time works wonders, and this last
wonder of transforming a nation of shopkeepers
into martial defenders of their country may be
reckoned as one of the chief advantages that modern
days have witnessed. The twenty special trains
that took the Volunteers arrived at an early hour,
which gave the several corps time to rest before the
actual business of the day commenced. It cannot
be said that anything was left undone by those
who had charge of the arrangements, or by those
in command, that could at all 'conduce to the
comfort of the troops, and while perfect order and
regularity required rhroughout the proceedings the
convenience of those who had to undergo such great
exertions was duly studied and provided for. An
ample space of time was allowed for rest and re-
freshment between the period of arriving in Brighton
and that of assembling upon the field for operations.
This was a very good idea, and thereby much of
that over-haste and over-fatigue was prevented
which cause so much distress and disaster upon many
of these exciting occasions. We may fairly con-
gratulate those whose skill and foresight brought
the arrangements of yesterday to such perfection,
and they must have received their best reward in
the satisfactory issue of the affair. It is something
of which to be justly proud that such a display
should be made of the powers of our Volunteers. It
exhibits the undertaking in the most satisfactory
light to ourselves, and it speaks trumpet-tongued to
surrounding nations. " Defence, not defiance," is
their motto, but they hold themselves in readiness
against all attacks that may assail the rights of their
native land. To use the words of the poet, they
" stand a wall of fire around their much-loved isle,"
and evenat this culminating epoch of their success we
may add that they deAerve recognition and regard
more from their constancy under the difficulties of
their outset than: for their assiduity in perfecting
themselves, and the skill they have displayed in
attaining to such perfection in their art.

THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE,
Managers. Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING, Shakespere's Play of HENRY THE
EIGHTH, te mioating with the fall of Wolsey. !Aims.
Pheli s, Walter Lacy ; Miss Atk nson.
After which. on a scale of gre it splendour, Milton's Mask
of COMUS : Messrs. Walter Lacy, t% iibye Cooper, Henri
Drayton, Miss rOOIC, Miss Augusta Thomson, and Mrs. H.
Irezin.

THEATRE-ROYAL,
Lessee, Mr. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, MY WIFE'S MOTHER. Mr. Chip-
pendale; Miss N. Moore, Miss Snowdon, Miss F. Wright, &c.
Atter which, THE WOMAN IN MAUVE. Mess's.
Sothern, Compton, Howe, Farren, Braid, &c ; Mesdames
Stuart, Lovell, Buckstone, age.
And EASY SHAVING. Miss Louise Keeley, Miss F.
Wright ; Mesas. Clark, Gordon, Rogers, &c.
To commence at 7.

NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI
:sole erupriwtor and Manager. air. B. W ebster.

TO-NIGHT, THE LOVE CHASE. Wi'drake (his origi-
nal character), Mr. B. Webster. Messrs. Billin,gton, Ashley,
Stephenson. Widow Green ,22d time), -Mrs. Stirling; Con-
stance (22d time), Miss Henrietta Simms; Lydia (her 22d
appearance), Miss Sophie Young.
After which, 7th time, a new Extravaganza, entitled
PAN; or, The Loves of Echo and Narcissus. Messrs. J. L.
Toole, Paul Bedford, a J. Smith, H. homer, Miss Woolgar,
Miss K. Kelly, Miss Lillian Bruce, and Miss A. Seam,n.
To conclude with THE STEEPLECHASE; or, In the
Pigskin. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford
.; Miss K. Kelly.

A very vigorous onslaught has just been made on
old prejudices and selfish interests on behalf of a
substantial and much-needed reform. It may indeed
appear at the present crisis to be a very forlornhope,
but we know that the most difficult positions have
Ibeen carried by the force of daring and determina-
tion. The leader of this " Column of Attack" *
certainly does not want for courage or resolution.
His views are most decided; his charge upon the
enemy shows undaunted spirit, and he takes care to
support his cause by vigorous and practical logic.
The subject of the little pamphlet before us is the old
and well-worn question of the Ballot, with which the
writer shows himself to be well acquainted. His
valour is indeed sometimes greater than his dis-
cretion in the manner of his attack. He is inclined
to rely too much on emphasis and style instead of
depending on the plain common sense of the matter,
but notwithstanding any such deficiencies, which
are not perhaps to be wondered at in a soldier who
belongs rather to the volunteers than to the regular
ranks, there are a good many home truths in his
statement which our Reformers would do well to
listen to. Our venerable Premier he regards as
the worst foe of the Ballot, and he takes some
trouble to confute his argument about the vote
being a trust which should be openly fulfilled.
Our advocate says very justly that the Con-
stitution requires in fulfilment of this trust
that the vote before everything should
be given honestly. Roguery, he declares, may
be openly bold as well as secretly skilful, and
a vote is far more likely "to be honest in secret
than to be honest openly, where it can be got for a
consideration." The trust reposed by the Consti-
tution in the electors is the honesty and not the
boldness of the vote, and this trust the Ballot will
enable them to fulfil, shich, in a great preponder-
ance of cases, they cannot do at present, owing to
the pressure of the landlords, employers, or others
who have a direct or indirect influence over them.
As for the argument that the Ballot would enable a
man who owed everything to his landlord to vote
against him after he had obtained all the favours he
wanted, the writer observes, with reason, that such
favours should never have been granted with an eye
to the vote, and if a voter cannot do what he thinks
best both for the Constitution and forhis landlord, he
ought, as an honest elector, to give the public duty
the preference. As for the argument that the

* "A. Column of Attack on behalf of the Ballot," by a
soldier of the People. 1865.