The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-01 00:00:00

THE VOTE 13Y BALLOT.

At a crowded and enthusiastic meeting of Reformers,
held on Thursday, at Swansea, in favour of the ballot,
Mr. H. H. Viv:an, M.P. for Truro, delivered the fol-
lowing able speech in support of the right of the con-
stituencies to the piivilege of exercising, the franchise in
secret :

Mr. H. H. VIVIAN, M.P., then came forward, and
remarked that he appeared before the meeting in rather
an anomalous position, because he would seem to them as
though he were a petitioner to himself. The object of the
meeting was to petition the House of Commons in favour
of the adoption of vote by ballot. Now, being himself a
member of the House of Commons, it was somewhat
anomalous that he should present himself before them.
He would therefore state that he did not take part in
the meeting in the character of a petitioner, but that he
attended at the request of the gentlemen concerned in
convening the meeting. He attended by the expressed
desire of those who were desirous that the attention of
the country generally should be aroused to the impor-
tance of this question. The moment he received an in-
timation that his presence was desired, he did not hesi-
tate. (Cheers.) And he would tell tuem that he fat
very strongly in reference to this question. It had been
stated that opinions formed late in life, if they allowed
him to use that expression in reference to himself—(a
laugh)—what he meant was, that mature opinions,
formed from growing conviction, had often a stronger
hold upon the mind than those in which a-person: had
been born and brought up. He could not exactly say
that he had not been brought up to believe in the ballot;
but he admitted that he had not, under a certain period,
turned his attention to the subject, and therefore, he had
no strong opinions one way or the other. But the mo-
ment he touched an election—the moment he had any-

thing practically to do with it—he became convinced Of
the necessity of adopting the protection to the voter,

afforded by ballot. --(Hear, hear.) He had thus be-
come a stanch and decided advocate to the ballot,
and he believed he would so continue as long as he
lived. At least some very strong argument must be
adduced to convince him to the contrary. Experience
had taught him that Parliament was not a reflex of the
opinions of the constituency. His first experience had
been gained in connexion with the constituency of that
county. The meeting was aware that. prior to the last
general election a strong feeling prevailed, and a general
opinion was expressed in favour of starting a liberal and
free trade candidate for the county,. From a very
kindly feeling on the part of numerous friends, it was in-
mated to him that it was thought desirable that the
battle should be fought in his person. His feeling
was against disturbing the peace of the county unless he
believed there existed a fair prospect of success. With the
view of ascertaining this, his friends and himself spent
nearly a month in analysing the state of the register.
He found that the most convenient plan was to
arrange all the voters under certain sections, show-
ing what influences they were subject to. The
question was not—" How does this man think ?
What are his convictions on politi cal subjects ?"
Nothing of the kind. The first question--:" Whose tenant
is the man ? Whom does he work under ?" (Hear.) It
was found/that he was a tenant under my Lord So-
and-so, or Mr. This-ortthat, or that he: was employed
by Sir This-or-that, or Mr. So-and-so, 'vho had a cer-
tain number of men' employed at their establishments.
Thus the electors were arr'anged—in fact regularly
scheduled—under certain influences, by which, as he
was informed, it could be pretty well predicted how
they would have voted in case of a contest. He (Mr.
H. Vivian) thought it a very absurd thing that a few
gentlemen should meet in a hall, and by comparing
among each other, lists of influences, decide how the
election was to go. If there happened. to be a small
remnant of independent men they would soon be
swamped by such means as this. 'Thus the con-
stituency was practically reduced • from hundreds to
tens. In reference to the county election he had,
therefore, arrived at the conclusion, • that if they
wanted to spend a ' few thousands, it would be
better to devote it to any other ptupose—to erect
schools, build a monument, or anything else—ra-
ther than in beer-drinking and the purchase of
flags. After some further observations, Mr. Vivian
alluded to those voters employed in their copper works.
Their electoral privileges had never been interfered with.
None of the agents or workmen were caked how they
meant to vote. In illustration, of the necessity for the
ballot, he would refer to another epoch in his life. His
previous experience had.given him an ide a that he should
like to be in Parliament. So he told his friends that he
would be obliged by their informing hi in, if they met
with anything which they thought would suit him.
(A laugh.) In the course of time sever'ai things
were offered to him. (Loud laughter.) Amongst these
was St. Ives. It was a constituency labouring under
thraldrom. Among them were a great many very
jolly fellows. He (Mr. Vivian) had been invited to en-
deavour to extricate them out of their difficulties. He
had an interview with the leader of tin; Reform Asso-
ciation, who certainly depicted matters in very
glowing and favourable terms. This visit formed a
little era in his life. It had given him a. little practice
in appearing before the public meetings. Prior to that
he had felt somewhat nervous. (A laugh.) He felt as
he had the other day, when attempting to address the
House of Commons, the blush rushing to the head, as
though he were going to have a fit of apoplexy—
(laughter)—as a medical man would say—the pulse beat-
ing at about 150 degrees. His later experience at St.
Ives enabled him to get over such matters. Down he
went to this horough, which had been most severely
contested at the various elections taking place during the
last 30 or 40 years. These contests did not 'lnvolve any
principles, bnt they were personal contests, and therefore
conducted in a more acrimonious spirit. _Both the candi-
dates were Conservatives. Prior to the Reform Bill the
town existed as a distinct borough within itself uncon-
nected with any portion of the adjoining rural district.
However, the Reform Bill added the rural district! to
the borough, and this portion of country was principally
in the hands of two parties. One was a large landed
proprietor, and the other was possessed of extensive
mines. A time arrived when both wanted a seat in Par-
liament. Then, in addition to the retainers of these gen-
tlemen, was the town party—who were enabled to turn
the scale either way as between the other two parties.
A large number of the voters were not ten poUnd house-
holders, but they derived their franchise from an ancient
right or custom. This last mentioned class of voters
were very uncertain—(a laugh)—that is (hesitatingly)
they were open to conviction. (Much laughter:) At
the period he canvassed them he found that a portion of
the electors had been turned out of this mine for dis-
obedience at former elections, and their condition was
very miserable. They often had to travel 20 or 30 miles
for work. Such being their circumstances they were
in a good state of discipline. (Laughter.) He found
that in one of these districts the name of one gentle-
man was invariably referred to, while in the other that
of the second gentleman was predominant. In the
agricultural districts few or none of the tenants held'
leases. They were tenants from year to year. They
were, therefore, in a most perfect state of discipline.—
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) There was, in addition, a
body of independent men who voted as they liked, 'but
they were insufficient in number to carry the election.
Well, after proceeding some time with the canvass, he
(Mr. Vivian) told them that it would be very absurd to
go on, as it would be better to devote the time, labour,
and money, to some other purpose. However, the ex-
perience he had gained during that epoch of his life had
been of great service to him. It was not often so favour-
:4)le a chance presented itself. The people in this
borough never thought of such a thing as voting against
their masters. Such an idea had never occurred to them.
All these circumstances, greatly served to strengthen his
conviction in favour of the ballot. (Cheers.) Although
he did not do the thing well in speech making, yet
he would be glad to attend on all occasions, and give
tvery assistance in his power in supporting the cause of
he ballot. (Hear, hear.) He had become sincerely
convinced that the House of Commons, as it is at pre-
sent formed, did not represent the independent consti-
tuency of this country. Many men who were fully con-
versant with the misdeeds to which he had called their
attention, were notwithstanding of opinion that, on the
whole, the present system worked satisfactorily. One
favourite argument by them was that all great measures
in which the people generally had taken an interest had
been carried under the present system. True, but they
were carried by means which it would be very desirable
to avoid. They were carried by a general convulsion of
society—(hear, hear)—by constant and vigorous agita-
tion; and by a great pressure of public feeling brought
to bear upon the upper classes. (Hear, hear.) He
(Mr. Vivian) did not believe that such long continued
agitation would have been necessary had the ballot been
the law of the land. (Hear.) Had the constituency been
enabled to record their opinions honestly in favour or
against certain measures it would have been unneces-
sary to adopt other measures. They remember the
period when the Reform Bill was in agitation. The
whole country was in a state of the greatest agitation
and turmoil. In point of fact all business had been sus-
pended. Carried it eventually was, but under the old
system of voting it could never have been carried without
the agitation. Had the ballot been law, members would
be elected who would have anticipated public opinion,
and of themselves carried out these necessary measures
of reform. Again, let them look at the repeal of the corn
laws. He '(Mr. Vivian) thought that important event
had been brought about by a combination of the most
fortuitous circumstances in the world. He admitted that
at some period the question must have been carried,
under any circumstances. He (Mr. Vivian) was at the
time in communication with several friends, members of
Parliament, and it was a great question at the time whe-
ther Sir Robert Peel, with all his influence, and with
the powerful assistance rendered him by the Liberal
party, could carry the measure. And no doubt they re-
membered that that great statesman himself was in a
most fearful agitation at the time, having been bled,
cupped, &c. It was, after all, a surprising thing that the
meakire was carried. Now, had the ballot been in opera-
tion, and had the House of Commons been a fair reflex of
the constituency, the measure would have been carried
as soon as the country had been fairly convinced of its
expediency, without all this excitement and 'agitation.
They did not know so much of the effect and influence
of coercion in a populous district like Swansea ;

Imi+. %IA art +bac,. nemn +r :o am all a rtrinailfn A TCIII .1 /1 .1,

all the tradesmen depended upon the custom of the sur-
rounding farmers, and where both tradesmen and farmers
were completely under the influence of a few landed pro-
prietors—why, they could not expect people to vote
against their own interests. With respect to the efficacy
of the ballot in doing away witd bribery, a variety of
opinions were entertained. There might be some room
for doubt whether it would effectually do away with
bribery. Many were of opinion that it would. But he
was convinced that it would entirely do away with co-
cercion. If they adopted the ballot, he believed it would
be necessary to do away with canvassing. It would be
necessary to make it a penal offence. He did not mean
that it should be made a felony, but that it should be an
offence to which a severe penalty would be attached.
(Hear, hear-) They could thus protect parties in-
fluenced by intimidation. Of course, if a man chose to
proclaim to the world how he voted, that could not be
helped, and if he injured himself by doing so, it was his
own affair. As to the observation frequently made that
voting by ballot was un-English, why that was a simple
piece of absurdity. They were not obliged to publish all
their opinions and all their transactions in the ordinary
affairs of life. Why should they be obliged to do so in
the choice of a representative, especially when, by means
of secrecy, they did away with serious moral evils.
(Hear.) They were every day engaged in agairs in which
concealment was perfectly necessary. He likewise,fully
agreed in the opinion that an extension of the frauds*
would be of very little, if any, utility, unless such a
measure ware accompanied by the ballot. If a ten
pound househOldertwa,s liable to intimidation or bribery,
a more needtra*n would be the more liable in propor-
tion to the scantiness of his means. The poorer a man
was the more liable he would be to coercion or bribery.
(Hear, hear.) In many boroughs a large number of the
present electors voted under the influence of coercion,
and if they were not coerced, they were bribed. He
therefore very much doubted the expediency of extending
the franchise under the present system of voting. If it
were done, they must largely increase the area of many
of the constituencies, but very little good would be done
unless they protected the voter. (Hear, hear.) He could
not say that he would be prepared to support in Parlia-
ment an extension of the suffrage to a lower class of
voters, unless such a measure were accompanied by the
ballot. This was, however, one of those difficult subjects
which required further eonsideration. He did not be-
lieve that the adoption of the ballot would cause organic
changes in the constitution of the country, or that it
would tend in the slightest degree injuriously to effect
our existing institutions, or that the balance of power
would be disturbed. The wheels of Government would
roll on quite as well, at any rate, as they now did, and
whereas they now railed eccentrically, they would then
do so more smoothly. (Hear.) Feeling that the pre-
sent system of voting at elections was pregnant with in-
famy and injustice, he was fully prepared to support the
ballot. (Loud cheering.) After thanking the audience
for the attention which they had given to his observa-
tions, Mr. Vivian resumed his seat amidst applause.

THE CASE OF CRUELTY IN THE GREENWICH UNION.—
Yesterday Mr. Carter concluded the inquest on the body
of John Gaywood, aged six years, whose barbarous
treatment by a nurse lately created so much public hor-
ror. It will be remembered that at the last sittings of
the Central Criminal Court, the woman Oldham, who is
about 50 years of age, and was an inmate of the union,
was tried for assaulting the child by placing a piece of
red hot coal in the palm of its right hand, and keeping
it there for some five or six minutes, for which offence
she was sentenced by the Common Serjeant to 14 days'
imprisonment. Sometime elapsed ere the cruel act was
communicated to the authorities, and medical aid was
afforded the little sufferer. • A few days after the trial an
unfavourable change took place in his state; he gradually
pined away, and died. After nearly an hour's absence,
the jury returned into court, and the foreman announced
that their verdict was, that the deceased had died from
water on the brain, accelerated by the injury inflicted by
the nurse, Mary Ann Oldham. Coroner—That, gentle-
men amounts to a verdict of manslaughter ;is that your
verdict ? Foreman—lt is. The coroner then issued his
warrant for the committal of the woman Oldham to
Newgate, and bound over the witnesses to appear at the
trial.

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—Last Saturday
the family of Mr. W. H. Hart, East India mer-
chant, residing at 7, Gloucester-place, Hyde-park-
gardens were thrown into the most fearful state of
terror from the following tragical occurrence. Between
7 and 8, a.m., Mary Mitchell, the cook, finding that
Marian Griffi, the housemaid, did not make her
appearance, went to her bed-room' when she found
her rather agitated, and she also heard a smothered
noise in Griffin's box, which induced her to approach
it for the purpose of ascertaining whence the noise
originated ; but Griffin endeavoured to prevent her.
The cook, however, seeing a pair of scissors
smeared with blood, lying near the box, she insisted
upon opening the box, where she found a newly
born infant alive, and bathed in blood, which
issued from a wound in its throat, that extended
from ear to ear. She instantly rushed down stairs
and gave the alarm, when Messrs. Pollock and
Galiando, surgeons, were instantly sent for. Upon
those gentlemen entering Griffin's room, they found the
unfortunate woman in the act of cutting her own throat
with the scissors. Having disarmed her, they applied
the necessary remedies to her wound, and then so se-
cured her that she could not repeat her suicidal attempt.
After which they turned their attention to the infant,
whom they found in a moribund state, the wound being
of so extensive a nature, that upon the body being raised
the head fell backwards. Singular to say, although
death is inevitable, life still lingers in the body. There
is no doubt that the wound was inflicted on the infant
with the same scissors with which the mother attempted
to cut her own throat. The mother, who hitherto bore
an irreproachable character, bad been only two months
in Mr. Hart's service. Last evening she was removed
to the infirmary, where she remains under the surveil-
lance of the police.

TELE JEW MONEY-LENDER—Beware of him, young
men at the Universities, or young men just emancipated
from academic control. Beware of him, half-pay cap-
tains, country clergymen, unprotected females, and all
others of the Queen's lieges who have not gained that
kind of experience which stockbrokers and detective
police officers can acquire. You may despise the half-
educated, infirm little atom who smooths down the bill,
and complacently dips the pen for you in the ink to save
you all unnecessary trouble, but in his vocation he is a
giant, while you are but simpletons and dwarfs. Little
Moses will prove too strong for you in the end. His
grasp is on you, and you cannot escape him if you would
fly to the four corners of the earth. Lord Campbell and
his fourteen yoke-fellows of justice are little Moses' paid
agents. The French army and the British navy are there
to enforce his claims. The electric fluid at his bidding
will follow you from the' Pole to the Equator. From
the moment you have signed your name to that bit of
paper which he crumples up in his pocket, you are
'Moses' own—his , property—his Uncle Tom—his mere
chattel and thing. Beware of him, we say, and do not
match your inexperience against his abundant know-
ledge. He has only two or three facts at the utmost to
remember, and upon these his memory never plays him
a trick. There is the bill,—there proof of your signa-
ture—there a witness to the fact that the security was
passed into his hands for a valuable consideration, and
the inevitable result is " judgment with speedy execu-
tion." We earnestly entreat any one who maybe hesi-
tating on the brink of the abyss to spend but a trifling
sum for the advice of any competent person who has
been in the habit of conducting bill causes, either for the
plaintiff or the defendant, and he will soon find that
within the whole range of legal experience there is no
testimony so simple, or so impossible to be shaken on
croils-examination, as that of a tortuous bill-holder.—
Times.

HORRIBLE FATE OF A BOAT'S CREVir.—Letters received
at Lloyd's report a most shocking catastrophe having
happened on the Great West Hoyle Bank, off the Che-
shire coast, near the mouth of tho Dee, to six mariners
who had gone to examine a vessel which had been
wrecked upon the shoal in the course of Sunday last.
Reaching the edge of the sand, which extended many
miles in circumference, the ill-fated men had secured
their boat by fastening the painter round the boat-hook,
which they threw into the sand. Like those of the
Goodwin, they are hard and dry when the tide is out, in
which state of apparent security they found them on
landing. Having gone to the spot where the wreck lay,
they were about returning, when they were not a little
alarmed at observing the boat adrift, and the tide ra-
pidly covering the sand. One account states that some
boatmen a considerable distance off observed the un-
happy fellows rushing about holding up handkerchiefs
and other things in the hope of attracting attention.
None came, however, and in little more than an hour
the sea swept over the entire range of the bank,and the
r
poor fellows thus miserably perished.

EMIGRATION OF WATERMEN.—Last week no less than
eleven viatermen of Greenwich emigrated to Australia..
This number, it is expected, will very shortly be consi-
derably increased, as much activity prevails among that
body to better their condition, which has of late years
deteriorated in remuneration. Most of them were young
men, just served their apprenticeship, who had been at-
tracted thither by the high wages being now paid to that
class in Australia.—Kentish Mercury.

THE FRENCI* EMPRESS.—A gentleman in this city
(Glasgow), who was for many years very intimate with
Mr. Kirkpatrick, of Malaga, the grandfather of Na-
poleon's affianced bride, informs us that the current re-
ports respecting the family are, in some particulars, in-
correct. Mr. Thomas Kirkpatrick was the Swedish
consul at Malaga, and not the British. Mrs. Kirk-
patrick was a Swedish lady by birth, but her parents
were British, and she was universally allowed to have
been the handsomest lady in Malaga. A sister of Mrs.
Kirkpatrick's married Lieutenant-Colonel G. Thomson,
of the Royal Engineers. Mr. Kirpatrick had several
children, one of whom married the second son of a
Spanish duke, who, on the death of his elder brother,
succeeded to the family honours, and is the father of the
French Empress. It thus appears that, except through
her father, there is no Spanish blood in her veins ; and
this will account for her fair complexion and blue eyes.
. _ltret,47) RritiAh. Daily Mail.

" His body is buried in peace,
But his name liveth evermore"—

or rather, we fancy, a moment or two before those
words resounded under the dome of the sacred edi-
fice, for if we recollect rightly they were not sung
until after the coffin and bier (both visible of course
and that very conspicuously, too, in the picture)
had descended through the pavement. The effect
of the mingled gaslight and daylight is wonderfully
reproduced in the painting—the effect of which is
naturally very gorgeous, from the blending of all
those brilliant tints by which the scene was varie-
gated.

Genealogical Table of the Bonaparte Family.
Effingham Wilson.
Nothing could be better timed than the interest-
ing genealogical table here given of the imperial
family founded by the great Napoleon. It cannot,
naturally enough, but command the attention of
the more curious and intelligent at this time, so
soon after the restoration of the Empire in the
person of the third Napoleon, immediately on'the
eve of his Majesty's marriage with Eugenie, and
so brief an interval before their united coro-
nation. Beginning with Charles Marie Dona-
pa and, his wife Letitia née Ritaolino,?4,ha ,t‘
records the names of their eight child/ran,—
Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, -Plli7a, Louis, Pau-
line, Caroline, and, , Jerome—now the sole sur-
vivor. From these branch off the' different
descendants. Joseph's twoaugt. tars—one only,
still living, married to hef cousin, the Prince,
di Canino. Napoleon's only 'sou—dead. Lucien's
eleven children and their offspring. Eliza's two
children. Louis's three children—all princes, the
third, the only survivor, being now the Emperor
Napoleon 111. Pauline having no offspring—
Caroline four—and Jerome three, of whom only
two are now surviving, namely, the Princess Demi-
doff, and the heir to the Empire (on the death of his
father the ex-King) Prince Napoleon. The Canino
Family, numbering nine children in all, are enu-
merated as the offspring of the marriage of Lucien's
eldest son and Joseph's eldest daughter. Lucien's
second daughter (Christina Egypta) is mentioned as
having married Lord Dudley Stuart, and Lucien's
third daughter (Letitia) as having married the
Right Hon. Thomas Wyse, now the Britisk Minis-
ter at Athens. In the record of the result of this
marriage, under the head of the Bonaparte- Wyse
Family, we notice the only blunder in this genea-
logical table of the Imperial house of Napoleon.
It is an important blunder, however, and one that
the publisher, Mr. Effingham Wilson, ought to see
rectified (if only in simple justice) in the event
of any republication. The mistake is simply this :
that five children are given as the offspring of the
marriage of Lucien Bonaparte's daughter, Letitia,
with the Right Hon. Thomas Wyse—the only
children by that marriage being, in fact, two,
namely, Alfred Napoleon Bonaparte and William
Bonaparte--the other three, Marie,
.Adeline, and
Louis, having no right or title to the name of
Wyse ; the eldest of them having been born, in
truth, long after their mother had been divorced
from her husband. Tho rectification of this error
we commend to the attention of Mr. Wilson the
publisher. In one corner of the Genealogical
Table there have been appropriately introduced
the names of the six children of the brother of the
Queen Hortense (mother of the present Emperor),
the Prince Eugene Beauharuais.
Portrait of Lord Palmerston. Paul and Dominic

Colnaghi.
Every one of the admirers of Lord Palmerston,
those at least among them who can afford to pur-
chase so splendid an engraving, will regard with
some degree of thankfulness the skill displayed by
the practised graver of Samuel Cousins in copying
the portrait of that eminent statesman from the
original painting by John Partridge.. That noble
work of art, it will be remembered, was produced
under remarkable and rather uncommon circum-
stances circumstances in the highest degree
honourable to all the parties associated with each
other in the transaction, but peculiarly in regard
to the illustrious Minister of State whose linen-
ments are therein represented. It cannot be for-
gotten that the portrait was taken for a number of
independent members of the House of Commons,
to be presented by them to the Viscountess Pal-
merston, as the most graceful mark of the
feelings entertained by the donors towards her
distinguished husband—feelings which on the occa-
sion of the actual presentation were declared by
Colonel Freestun, as the spokesman of the Com-
mittee, to be those of the deepest respect and the
highest admiration. There is, consequently, a
peculiar interest associated with this among all the
various likenesses ever published of the Noble Lord,
her Majesty's principal Secretary of State (it almost
seems like a mistake to write it) for the Home De-
partment. The incident to which the plate owes
its existence, is of itself a sufficient evidence of the
genius and achievements of the statesman, and of
their full and cordial appreciation by some of the
most intelligent of his contemporaries. That inci-
dent marked the homage, remember, of no mere
" party following," but of a group of members whose
political position proved them to be in every
respect thoroughly independent. It was an ad-
mirable choice the selection of Mr. Partridge
as the artist—a fact sufficiently proved by the really
extraordinary merit of the production. All the
accessories in the picture are naturally and grace-
fully introduced from the marble bust of Canning
in the back-ground to the blue books littered on
the carpet. The Noble Lord, dressed in evening
costume, with a star and ribband, is standing near
a table in his library—the table being appropriately,
covered with despatches and other official docu-
ments. The resemblance is something surprisingly
good—giving with all imaginable accuracy, not only
the comeliness of feature, but the intellectual ex-
pression and dignified bearing of the statesman.

Portrait of Richard Cobden, M.P. Ackermann.
An unpretending, and, in some respects meritori-
ous, lithographic portrait of the honourable gentle-
man, the member for the West Riding of York-
shire, has recently been published by Mr. Acker-
mann. Drawn on stone by J. H. Lynch, the like-
ness has been taken by the artist from one of
Mayan's most successful daguerreotypes. We
have said that the portrait, strictly as a portrait,
is, to our thinking, only "in some respects," meri-
torious. It does not seem to us to have done full
justice to the original. The features are true to
the life, but' we miss the character, or, as it is
called so very absurdly because so very vaguely,
the expression of the countenance.