The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-18 00:00:00

ism of SALLIIST, one of the most philosophic among
the classic historians, as he was certainly the most
sententious. Let us look with confidence upon
the efficacy of this criterion. Interest, not less
than humanity, calls for the continuance of amity
between the two most powerful and enlightened
of the civilised races of Christendom.

If the value of our new judicial courts, as the
Election Committees term themselves, is to be
tested by the effect of their sentences, they cannot
be rated very highly. The established practice of
picking pockets under the gallows is very fairly
-urged as an argument, pro tante, by the opponents
of capital punishment. So far from deterring men
from crime, it affords them, say they, an oppor-
tunity for committing it. Most certain it is that
the Blackburn Committee, and the Lancaster
Committee too, if report be correct, have only
furnished the electors of those boroughs, by unseat-
ing their members, with fresh occasions for repeat-
ing old practices. Political gratitude is proverbi-
ally at par with Spanish or Mississippi credit, but
Blackburn appears in unusual haste to evince that
it had not even a spark of that quality. Having
got its writ by a kind of special good luck, and
having enjoyed the honour (to save Mr. GLAD-
STONE'S consistency) of throwing Bridgnorth
again into the " charitable " embraces of the
WHITMORES, it forthwith proceeds to prove itself
Blackburn still, and Blackburn with a witness !
Bands of ruffians, hired from adjacent towns, in
addition to a very adequate supply of the same
electioneering agency in the borough itself ; the
grossest violence at the poll ; carrying off voters ;
brutal and literally bloody attacks upon them ; the
reading of the Riot Act ; the calling in of the mili-
tary ; and a whole day of savage riot and violence.
Such were the first performances of a borough
just liberated from the clutches of Parliamentary
justice. And all this being hardly enough to do
justice to the kindness of Parliamentary friends,
they must even have another grand riot on a sub-
sequent day, to take wild vengeance on the vic-
torious party. By way of contrast, Bridgnorth
admitted a Member with most edifying resignation.
It is clear that the family boroughs are the
boroughs for exemplifying the meeker Christian
virtues. They obey well the injunction to "be
subject to the higher powers." We cannot say
that we have heard from our " own correspondent"
at Lankester ; but one, at least, of our paternity
who has reports that " extensive" bribery pre-
vailed. Surely, however, so old a Member as Mr.
GREENE would scarcely incur the likelihood of a
vulgar pun upon his name, by laying himself open
to an election petition. Time will show. Taken
altogether, the elections just over prove most pain-
fully the incurableness of constituencies which
have sold their virtue. They prove, too, that if
they are to be preserved as constituencies, not
only must the most condign punishment be
inflicted on every agent who treats, bribes, in-
timidates, or employs hired ruffians, but the very
nerves of the corrupt or brutal agency must be
cut by the Ballot. Above all things, it ought to
be made highly penal to employ, as was done at
Windsor, Blackburn, Clitheroe, and elsewhere, a
hired force. He who begins it necessitates others
doing it. If violence is apprehended, let the
magistrates be applied to, and special constables
sworn. Every election where roughs, lambs, or
stickmen are hired, should be ipso facto void. It
should be made the interest of both parties to
refuse such aid.
The facts brought out before the Election Com-
mittees continue to present the same disgusting
aspect. Vulgar bribery and treating are plainly
the weights which turn the scale in too many
constituencies. Tynemouth and Taunton have
furnished some disgraceful revelations in the very
few facts necessary to be proved for unseating a
Member. At the former place treating appears
to have been systematic even for fifteen months
previous to the election. At Taunton, a carpenter,
virtuous in intention, received 21. for a gimlet
which cost him aid. ; he carried it about for a
fortnight, purposing to return it, but only verified
the old experience of the deceitfulness of Mammon.
Another, who, sitting between two canvassers at
the back-room table of a public-house, found
five sovereigns done up in a piece of paper—
a sum
.which he considered " stunning "
fortified by the higher , :virtue of his wife,
actually did return the money, and voted as
a freeman. A charming fact this, for the advo-
cates of female suffrage. Let ARISTOPHANES of
old, and his modern threepenny substitute, laugh
at the strong-minded women as they will, a few
Mrs. MOUNTSTEPHENS in these delinquent boroughs
would save our " glorious-constitution" doctors a
world of trouble. Dartmouth although Sir
Tilos. HERBERT, by some convenient legal imper-
fection we suppose in the evidence, retains his
seat—does not appear to have been immaculate.
Really the gallant and veteran Admiral deserved
to win. He spent 5001. on his 146 supporters,
though " he did not know, sailor-like, how it was
expended ;" but best of all, his brother sailor,
Captain CARNEGIE, like a true British tar, came
to his aid. H. M. steam-frigate Barracouta
steamed into the little port of Dartmouth, ordered
thither by some propitious invisible power and
naval jollity, no doubt operated very success-
fully on the electoral opinions of the Dartmouth
voters. Even the Mrs. MOUNTSTEPBENS of Dart-
mouth may have found blue jackets more eloquent
than sovereigns. Who sent such a novelty as a
steam-frigate to Dartmouth Election, Sir Trios.
HERBERT, though a Lord of the Admiralty,
could not divine. The Committee called for
no evidence to enlighten him. Thirty navvies,
" a rough lot," at 14s. per day ; 600 men
altogether, hired by Sir THOMAS, and brought
into the town ; men so drunk at the poll
that the Mayor could hardly take their votes ;
one of them " kissing his thumb" instead of the
book, to evade the bribery oath. These are

Dartmouth facts for next year's Reform R

Still more so is the case of BRooKING, the agent,
intimidating GEORGE H. GRANT, mason, by
threatening him with the loss of Sir H. SEALE'S

work, and by withholding part of his bill, unless
he would vote for HERBERT. "It was the coercion
BROOKING used towards him—he meant the coer-
cion to work, for BROOKING could put as much as
1001. a-year in his way, and he had a young
family of six children to provide for." Let every
Member of Parliament who is a father, think of
GEORGE HILL GRANT, mason, and his six children,
when he has to vote on the motion for the
Ballot.

One pleasing new fact we gladly record in Par-
liament. Mr. WALPOLE will bring in a Bill against
treating ; he will include it amongst the subjects
into which the-Commissioners are to inquire. An-
other, that Ministers were left in a large minorityin
the case of Clitheroe, byMr. DISRAELI, the Liberals,
and the honest Conservativei, on including treat-
ing and violence amongst the " corrupt prac-
tices " for which a Commission ought to issue.

One painful fact has also come to light, the corn.

plete and systematic .subversion of the indepen-
dence of the Borough of Rye by a system of
loans, ranging from 11., 21., 201., 50/:, and even

A practice dating nearly from the time

of the Reform Bill.

We would earnestly invite public attention to
the report of the meeting of the joint Committees
of the Perth and Inverness, and Inverness and
Elgin Railway Companies. It will appear that
the prospects of these interesting and important
undertakings are very auspicious, and that we
may pow look forward to their speedy realisation.
The mere traffic of the district would unquestionably
render the speculation very remunerative to those
embarking their capital therein. But there is a
still greater inducement not merely to the inha-
bitants but oven to strangers. It will open up
the most romantic and beautiful districts hitherto
only accessible to pedestrians, to the more luxuri-
ous and wealthy tourists—those who wish to
carry with them all the comforts and appliances
to which they have been too long accustomed to
relinquish without a considerable effort. Even
the Duke of ATHOLL has recognised the propriety
of the movement ; for, notwithstanding his
Grace's almost morbid anxiety for privacy, and
his well-understood desire that there should
not ape any railway through Atholl, he has de-