The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-23 00:00:00

THE B.ALLOI.--MEETING IN THE 011 Y.

A preliminary meeting was held yesterday at the
London Tavern, the object being the organisation of a
society for the purpose of diffusing information• on the
subject of the ballot, and generally of influencing publics
opinion in favour of that mode of voting. Several
members of Parliament and other influential reformers
were present. The chair was taken by
Mr. H. BERKELEY, M.P. for Bristol, who explained
the object of the, meeting to be the formation of a society
to carry out the great measure of vote by ballot. Their
object was simply to disseminate truth, and to inform
the minds of the various classes in the kingdom on the
subject of the ballot—a subject respecting which a great
deal of dust was just now being thrown in the eyes of
the people. (Cheers.) Existing legislation might be
sufficient to counteract bribery and corruption, but it
was impossible to legislate against intimidation. (Hear.)
For instance, the landlord could intimidate his tenant and
the customer his tradesman, without stating any reason,
and thus the mischief would be done without the
possibility of obtaining a remedy. Tin existence of this
intimidation was acknowledged and deplored in eloquent
terms by Lord John Russell and Sir James Graham, and
therefore the only thing they had to consider was the
remedy, which remedy was, in his @pinion, the ballot,
and nothing but the ballot. (Cheers.) Their object
then was not rivalry to any other reform association, not
obstruction to any other plan of reform, but rimply the
furtherance of the ballot, without which all other reforms
would be comparatively useless. (Hear, hear.) The
chairman concluded iwith a warm compliment o Mr.
Grote, the father of the movement.
Mr. WIGRAM CRAWFORD moved the first resolution,
the purport of which was that the prevalence of bribery
and corruption at elections rendered the adoption of the
ballot imperatively necessary.
Mr. W. H. GORE LANGTON, M.P., seconded the re-
solution, promising his strenuous support in Parliament
to the ballot whenever it should he brought forward by
his colleague in the chair.
Carried unanimously:
Lord D. STUART moved the next resolution, declaring
that no extension of the franchise would be effectual
without the ballot. He had great pleasure in moving
that resolution, because it embodied his own opinion, and
he was quite sure it would soon be the opinion of the
general public.
Mr. PHINN, M.P., seconded the resolution.
Carried unanimously.
Other resolutions of a formal character were then
passed, and thanks having been voted to the chairman,
the meeting terminated.

1 HE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON
AND NORTH-WESTERN RAIL WA Y.

Mr. Wakley held a lengthened inquest yesterday at
the Adelaide Tavern, Chalk Farm, on Charles Powel,
aged 35, and, George Anderson, aged 36, who were killed
in the Primrose-hill tunnel last Saturday morning. John
Long, railway police-constable, said that the deceased
men were employed in the coal shed at Kilburn for the
last five years ; and during that period he, as the guard
at the tunnel, saw them pass through the tunnel every
day. Saturday morning, at half-past six, witness gave
them a light to pass through the tunnel. They took the
centre part between the up and down lino, as two trains
were expected at that hour. The path which the men
took was six feet wide, and was the usual course for
persons to take. In case of two trains running
through the tunnel, the rule was that persons then
passing along the middle space between the two
rails should he down on their faces until the
trains passed. Witness often did so. Soon after the
passing of the trains through the tunnel, witness was in-
formed of the fatal accident. Strangers were not allowed
to pass along the line, but witness did not conceive that
deceased were strangers. William Arnold, fireman of 33
engine, stated that his engine was attached to the goods
train on the morning in question, and that while it was
passing through the tunnel lie thought he heard a hailoa,
and soon afterwards felt as if the engine was passing over
something. The train was brought as quickly as pos-
sible to a stand still, and witness, alighting, found Powel
fastened by the leg between the splasher and the wheel,
but alive and sensible. Anderson was lying dead under
the tender. Not a moment was lost in conveying Powel
i to the University College Hospital, where he died soon
after his admission. On passing through the tunnel, the
train went•at the rate of seven or eight miles• an hour.
Wm. Pilby, driver of the down train, said that just as the
awful occurrence took place, he saw one of the deceased
parties with a lantern in his hand in the tunnel, but so
bewildered was deceased that he appeared not to know
where he was going, and it was the merest chance pre-
vented witness's train from going over him. George
Cox, a navvy, stated that the deceased person passed
him in the tunnel, and spoke to him. Shortly afterwards
the two trains passed through, when he fell upon his
face until the trains passed him. The jury, after a brief
deliberation, returned a verdict of accidental death, to
which they appended the following observations :—" 1.
That two trains should not be allowed to pass at the
same time through a tunnel. 2. That the speed of trains
while passing through a tunnel should not exceed six
miles an hour. 3. That none but persons in the company's
employ be allowed to walk through a tunnel." Super-
intendent Beresford promised to communicate the wishes
of the jury to the directors.