The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-22 00:00:00

Mr. PEA RCE said it might also reasonably be arked how a drunken
man could vote—(Laughter)—for he would have great difficulty in
finding the holes. When a blind person presented himself to vote,
some person in whom he could confide would be allowed to mark the
card for him.—(l-1-ear.)

Alderman TURNER moved--" That this meeting feels grateful to Mr.
Grote, the member for the city of London, for affording us this oppor-
tunity of testing the Ballot with our own eyes." He had be .m quite
satisfied long ago that without the Ballot the peace, good order, and
kind feeling of society, would be destroyed. He had been an attentive
observer of elections for the last thirty years, and had no faith in any
scheme but secret voting.
The Rev. W. HINCKS seconded the motion, which was then put and
carried with only one dissentient.
The meeting then quietly dispersed, after giving six loud cheers for
the Ballot.

LIBERTY OF TFIE PRESS IN
GREECE.

[This letter, it will be seen from the date, was written before
our correspondent could be aware of the dism;ssal of M. Rud-
hart. It is, however, an interesting illustration of the loss
which Greece is likely to sustain from the recal of the Bava-
rian Minister.]
ATHENS, DEC. 18.—In my last letter I made a sad mistake
respecting the law on the press, which while I was writing to
you, was issued from the government printing-office. I na-
turally supposed that the alterations and modifications which
the original law proposed by Mons. Rudhart had received
during . its progress through the Council of State would
have been respected and adopted by the King, especially
as a few days previous his Majesty had thought proper to
attach so much importance to the opinion of that body,
on the question concerning the stay of the Bavarian troops.
Far from such being the case, the alterations of the
council are rejected by his Majesty, and their modifica-
tions treat( d with contempt ; the law is published in nearly
the same form as when sent down to the council, and
amounts to an abolition of the liberty of the press, in the se-
verest form in which it can be well worded. Thus the King,
by the advice of Monsieur Rudhart, declares himself not only
independent of the sole shadow of a national body that is
allowed to exist in Greece, but he considers it advisable to
insult the members of that body by the haste with which their
counsel is rejected, and their protocols thrown in their faces.
Education, capacity, and experience, are generally consi-
dered the necessary qualifications of an Editor of a News-
paper ; and on these points Monsieur Rudhart agrees with
the rest of the world. He tells us (Art. 54, sec. 6), that an
Editor of a Newspaper must prove his knowledge of ancient
Greek, while an absolute King, or a Minister of State, we all
know, in Greece need know no language at all. He tells us
(sec. 4), that an idiot, or an incapable person, cannot be the
Editor of a Newspaper, when, God knows, we have experi-
enced that the same law does not stand good as to the abso-
lute Monarch and his Prime Minister; and he tells us (sec.
2), that the Editor must have the experience of a life of
twenty-five years at least, whilst Otho, God bless him, had
reached the full maturity of his intellects at eighteen, and
Rudhart. I am sure, must have been as clever a youthjat the
desk in Bavaria as the old man at the council-table in Greece.
There is another requisite of editorship, according to the new
Greek law, which it would perhaps puzzle some of the gentle-
men of the press at home to comply with. Monsieur Rudhart
declares that no man can possibly be allowed to publish a
newspaper but a landed proprietor, with an estate free from
debt and mortgage (sec. 7). This egregious nonsense re-
minds one of former acts of Bavarian legislation in Greece ;
but unfortunately there is too much wickedness mixed up
with the absurdity of the law on the press to allow of
one's feeling any inclination to laugh. Some idea may
be formed of the dangerous responsibility of an editor,
from the fact of Rudhart having had the greatest difficulty
in getting any one to accept the situation for the go-
vernment paper, the Courrier. He had the mortification of
being r(fused in several personal applications lie made to
Government employes; and when at last a poor devil of a
clerk accepted the honour, he was so unmercifully assailed by
his friends and acquaintances that he went next morning to
Rudhart and resigned, on which the Minister flew at him with
clenched fists, exclaiming, " Vous des un lathe, lathe, lathe !"
which had not the effect, however, of altering the other's de-
termination, and Rudhart had to look elsewhere. At last an
under clerk in the Council of State has been persuaded to ac-
cept the situation of responsible editor of the Courrier; but
this individual does not possess the qualifications so impe-
riously required by the law, and it is by false sales and false
documents that he is bolstered up as the man of straw that
covers Monsieur Rudhart's own stupidity, as made apparent to
the world by his printed compositions... Morning Chronicle.
TILE W

BATHER, LONDON, JAN. 22.—The ther-
meter this dav, at noon, stood at 42 ; barometer, 29.80. The
wind charged to South last Eight, with thaw. To-day it is
South-east, with every prospect of the thaw continuing.
LITERATURE.—We are requested to state that
Mr. Bentley, of New Burlington-street, Publisher in Ordinary
to her Majesty, is preparing for immediate publication the fol-
lowing new works :—I. Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, the
Clown, edited by Charles Dickens, Esq. (" Boz"), 2 vols.,
post Bvo., with numerous characteristic illustrations by George
Cruikshank. 11. Damascus and Palmyra, a Journey to the
East; by Charles G. Addison, Esq., of the Inner Temple,
2 vols., Bvo., with numerous Engravings. 111. Narrative of
the Residence of the Three Persian Princes in London, in
1835 and 1836 ; with an Account of their Journey from Persia
and subsequent adventures ; by James Baillie Fraser, Esq ,
author of " The Persian Adventurer," &c., 2 vols., post Bvo.,
with Portraits. IV. Vienna and the Austrians, by Mrs.
Trollope, author of " Domestic Manners of the Americans,"
&c., 2 vols., Bvo., with fourteen engravings. V. Memoirs of
Sir William Knighton, Bart., G. C. H., Keeper of the Privy
Purse during the latter part of the reign of his Majesty George
the Fourth ; by Lady Knighton. To which are added nume-
rous letters from the most distinguished personages, &c., now
first published from the originals, 2 vols. Bvo., with a
Portrait. Mr. Bentley has also just published :—I. The
History- of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, by W.
H. Prescott, Esq., 3 vols., Bvo., with Portraits. 11. The
Life and Times of Louis the Fourteenth, by G. P.
R. James, Esq., author of " Darnley," " Idichelieu," &c.,
2 vols., Bvo., with numerous Portraits. 111. Excursions in
the Abruzzi and Northern Provinces of Naples, by the Hon.
Koppel Craven, 2 vols., Bvo., with engravings (245. ). IV.
The Second Edition, revised, with additions, of the Letters
and Works of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, edited by the
Right Hon. Lord Wharncliffe, 3 vols. Bvo., with numerous
portraits. V. The new and cheaper edition, in a neatly bound
pocket volume (price Os.) of the Naval Officer's Guide for
Preparing Ships for Sea.
1-10U3E OF COMNIONS.—Among the various fan-
ciful and expensive changes in the House of Commons is a
sort of iron grating to let in air from below, in the lobby of the
House, which ezcitrd many caustic remarks from different
Members Tuesday night. " What is this gridiron for ?" said Mr.
Wakley to one of the officers of the House. "To cook rump_
steaks, I suppose," was the reply. When two or three lion.
Members have broken their shins in rushing to divisions over
this slippery surface, the old floor will probably be restored,
and the country pay the piper.
The King, Louis Philippe, has directed 12,000 francs
from his privy purse to be distributed to the indigent inhabi-
tants of Paris in portions of firewood and soup. The Queen
has contributed 3,000 francs, the Duke of Orleans 6,000 francs,
and Madame Adelaide 3,000 francs, towards the same bene-
volent purpose.

MEETING ON THE BALLOT IN
YORK.

(From the Yorkthireman.)
On Thursday evening a numerous meeting of the citizens took place
in the Merchants' Hal', Fossgate, to discuss the vote by Ballot, and to
inspect a model of Mr. Grote's Ballot-box, which had been forwarded
by the member for the City of London to Mr. R. Pearce. Men of all
parties were present, but the meeting was characterised by the most
admirable suppression of party feeling.
Alderman MEEK (late Lord Mayor of York) having taken the chair,
pursuant to previous announcement, stated that the meeting was
convened in consequence of Mr. Pearce having received a Ballot-box
from Mr. Grote, one of the Members for the City of London. He did
not look on the vote by Ballot as a party question ; it was one in which
both Whigs and Tories were interested, as attempts were made by
both parties to influence the voters. It had been said that property
was the basis on which enfraanchisement ought to be founded, and he
would admit it fir the sake of the argument ; it was the only qualifica-
tion they had, with the exception of freemen. Now, a man of pro-
perty ought •to have weight and influence in the state. A man
of 20,000/. a year—and there were many such in this country—
had a large stake in society, perhaps he had 100 tenants, 50 of whom
were occupying to the value of 501. a-year and upwards, and would be
entitled to vote for the Knights of the Shire. The proprietor having
a very large stake iii the country, the law had provided, if his property
lay in each of the three ridings, that he should have a vote fur six Mem.
bets of Parliament. His tenants probably resided only in one riding,
but each of them would have some stake, for occupiers of 501. a-year
rental and upwards must havea capital of from 4001. to 1,0004, and some
more. He hesitated not to say such men were as firmly attached to the
institutions and the liberties of their country as their landlord, with his
20,000/. a-year ; and that they ought to be enabled to give a free, un-
biassed, unprejudiced, and uncontrolled vote for the individuals they
wished to send to Parliament. In the case of a tradesman who had a
number of journeymen, they were to a certain extent dependent upon him
for work ; it was the master's interest to have good workmen, and when
he lehaved well to them they would behave well to him; but he had no
right to interfere with their franchise. The men rendered their labour
in return for their wages; consequently they stood on an equal footing
—the master owed the journeyman nothing, the journeyman the master
nothing ; but each owed the other civility and kindness ; and where the
master used improper influence, and required his men to vote contrary
to the dictates of their consciences, he acted inconsistently.—(Applause.)
To prevent this was thegreat object of the Ballot. To vote by Ballot it
must put an end to canvassing.—(Loud applause') With these remarks
he begged to introduce Mr. Pearce to the meeting —(Applause.)
Mr. PEARCE was received with applause. He would ask, whether,
under the present system, the nation could express, boldly and fully,
its feelings on any given subject. He thought not.—(Cheers.) It was
notorious that bribery, intimidation, and undue influence were practised
to a great extent, and so long as these were practised, they could not
have a full and free representation in the House of Commons. The
uppenents of the Ballot said it was impossible to produce any plan by
which votes could be taken secretly. The box he was about to present
to them had been invented by Mr. Grote; had been exhibited in various
public meetings at Manchester, Leeds, Wakefield, Liverpool, and in
various divisions of the metropolis; it had been canvassed through the
medium of thepublic press, and undergone frequent examinations, but
had never yet been found ineffective. The vote by Ballot existed
at present in two great nations. In France it had the effect of
returning to the Chamber of Deputies men of spirit and in-
dependence, and had been found to answer admirably. The
principal objection to the Ballot was that it was un-English ;
but that was entirely groundless. It was not so modern a thing
as people imagined ; it had been practised here by the Romans ;
and nearly 200 years ago a Bill for legalising it had been brought into
the House of Commons by a person named Henry Nevill, when ten
Members voted in its favour. Since that time (1659) it had prevailed
in every newsroom and club in the kingdom, and in several parishes;
the Directors of the Bank of England and the Governors of the East
India Company were chosen by ballot.
A person in the crowd asked how a blind man could vote by the
ballot.box ?