The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-02 00:00:00

the Horso Guards of blinking the question, or of trying
the ex tont of the public endurance. We hope that
arrangements are only delayed which may rectify what at
present requires it, and may rem@ve the heartburning
vritieh continuos to exist. Much is this to be desired ;
both that " justice may ho done" to the injured parties, and
that those n•ho arc constantly carping at the Horse Guards
system, from factious and party motives, may not have the
support which they are at present deriving from a widely-
spread conviction that wrong has beeti done, and remains
unredres.sed ; while the wrong-doer maintains his state, and
continues his course with impunity.

EAST SURREY ELECTION.

MEETING OF MR. ALCOCK'S FRIENDS.

Yesterday evening a public meeting of the electors of
Bermondsey took place at the Leathcr.market Tavern, to
take measures to secure the return of Mr. Alcock. The
large room was crowded by the most influential Liberals of
the county. Soon after ecven o'clock the chaff: was taken
by Fe.tNcls BRUEN, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN having briefly stated the object of the
meeting,
Mr. VOUSLEY had a resolution to propose for the consi-
,..

(leration of the electors of E 4st Surrey. It was their duty
to return, as their reeresentatives, steady and consistent
Reformers—( Hear, hear)—men who did not advocate any
of tho,e violent principles of which the Tories professed
to be so much afraid.—( Hear, hear.) Sufficient materials
existed in the county to do that.—( Hear, hear.) If they
were satisfied with the principles of the candidate who now
came forward, he felt satisfied that there was enough of
public spirit, and a sufficient number of bona fide Re-
formers in the county to return Mr. Alcock to Parliament
as their representative.—(Cheers.) They were told the
Ballot was unnecessary ; but if Lord J. Russell had had
half the experience of canvassing at election:. for
Members of Parliament that he had, he would be convinced
that some such measure was necessary.—(Hear. hear.)
Hs should conclude by submitting for their consideration
the following resolution :—" That it is, in the opinion of
this meeting, incumbent on the electors of East Surrey, in
supplying the vacancy in their representation caused by
the death of Captain Alsager, to return to Parliament a
gentleman who gill support measures for the extension of
civil and religious freedom, and the promotion of the in-
terests of all classes of the community.—;_Lcui cheers.)
' Mr. CURLING seconded the resolution. He knew not
the cause of recent defeats, but he deeply deplored them.
Since they had lost 8.-iscoo they had been left to the
tender mercies of the Tories, who, he should say, were
the people's werst friends. The Tories had put for-
ward a gentleman who was deficient in ma:urity of years,
and who had not the advantage of sound experience.
lie spoke not without knowledge.—( Hear, hear, and cries
of " His mother's afraid to let him our," and continued
laughter.) He would do much hotter to be considered of
seven years hence.—( Hear, and laughter.) In the mean
time he would point to a gentleman whom the Liberal
electors of Surrey had met to support.—(Cheers.) Ile
came fore:aid determined to support her Majesty's Minis_
ters.—(Tremendous cheering.) When they considered
the successful results of their policy, both domestic and
foreign, he would say that they ought to be supported.—
( Continued applause.) Their opponents were working
like moles under ground ; but although there had been
fewer placards and less stir than he ever remembered be-
fore, and no pub is meetings, yet they had that day had the
hardihood to declare that they should carry the county by
a mejority of 600.—( Laughter.)
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
There being loud cries for Mr. Wood, the Hon. Member
Came forward.

BENJAMIN WOOD, Esq., M.P., said it unfortunately
happened that he was not an elector, and had no right to
address the meeting.—( Cries of " Yes, yes.") K,, came
there to sanction the principle of reform, by the humble
advocacy of which he had the honour to represent that
borough —(Cheers.) They had limited means in the
House of Commons. They wanted much to add to the
strength they now possessed. Every vote lost now was
almost more than ten would have been some time ago.
--(Hear, hear.) If they could only wit one from the
enemy's camp much would be gained.—( Hear, bear.)
'I hey were fighting the same cause at Walsall with every
prospect of success, and if two victories could be obtained
in so short a time, the advantage would necessarily be
great.—(Cheers.) There was another subject—he meant
the Poor-laws—on:vvhich the opinions of Mr. Alcock were
equally sound. The country was in au artificial state,
created entirely by the Corn-laws, which were alike inju-
rious both to individuals and to the community at large.—
( Cheers.) It was impossible to look on the bribery and
corruption prevalent at elections without being convinced
of the necessity of the Ballot.—( A voice, " The fran-
chise ") He (Mr. Wood) would include all householders.
He believed Mr. Alcock went further.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WILSON (the Anti-Corn-law delegate) moved the
following resolution :—" That Thomas Alcock, Esq.,
having come forward as the advocrte of the repeal of the
Corn-laws, and an alteration in the system of Church-
rates, and other liberal and enlightened measures, and
from his being a re;ident in the county and a large holder
of property in it, is well qualified to supply such vacancy,
and this meeting pledges itself to use their best endeavours
to secure his return."

The motion was briefly seconded by Mr, DoNKtx, and
carried by acclamation.
Mr. ALCOCK then rose, and was received with reiterated
applause. It had been objected against him that he was
deficient in respect to the electors in not canvassing them
personally, but the fact was that he had attempted it the
' first morning, and finding that he could only sec six or
eight or ten electors at most, in a very few hours he had
given it up as impracticable, and determined to resort to
the much more candid and straightforward proceeding of
addressing the electors at public meetings. Mr. Wilson
had said but little, but much to the point. He (Mr.
Wilson) was the brother of the author of the best book on
the Corn-laws. His (Mr. Alcock's) attention was first
drawn to the work by the Earl of Clarendon in the House
of Lords. The Morning Post had ridiculed him for as-
serting that the price of corn would have been higher on
an average for the list twenty years if there had been no
Corn-laws, but his assertion was perfectly compatible with
common sense. Although it might have been higher on
an average, it would not have been so high within 12s. or
lbs., of what it was last year. His object was to prevent
excessive fluctuations. He was convinced there was no
measure more for the general good of the country than a
repeal of the Corn-laws.—( Hear, hear.) He was inclined
to remove those laws gradually, so as not to hurt any inte-
rest in the country.—( Hear, hear.) Wilson, to whose
work he had already alluded, recommended that it should
be done in this way. The plan that he recommended was
to fix the duty on corn at 10s. for the first year, and de-
crease it by Is. annually for five years, then to remain at
ss. per quarter for three years, and afterwards cease alto-
gether. In this view of the subject he entirely concurred.
A number of Chartists had by this time entered the
room, and by pressing the question as to the five points
of the Charter, in opposition to the wishes of the great
majority of the audience, they caused some confusion.
Respecting the first point of the Charter, namely, Universal
Suffrage, Mr. Alcock answered decidedly in the negative;
to the second—Vote by Ballot—he replied in the affirma-
tive ; to the third and fourth, namely Annual and Trien-
nial Parliaments, he also gave a decided negative. As to
the last, namely, no Property Qualification, the confusion
was too great to reply.
Mr. WILSON, after some time, succeeded in obtaining a
hearing. He proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman,
which, being carried by acclamation, the meeting broke up.

CANTERBURY ELECTION.

NOMINATION OF THE CANDIDATES.

CAN TERBERY, MONDAY.—Before daybreak this morning
the friends of both candidates were hastening from one
committee-room to another, for the purpose of making the
necessary preparations to escort Mr. Wilson and the Hon.
Mr. Smythe to the nomination, and about &ne o'clock the
colour-men and banner-bearers of each party assembled in
the High-street, opposite the Conservative Club commit-
tee-room and the King's Head Tavern, where Mr. Wil-
son's committee have been sitting. Shortly after ten the
Ccnservatives precceded in procession to the hustings,
which consisted of three waggons, appropriated to the re-
spective candidates and the Sheriff; and in the course
of twenty minutes they were followed by Mr. Wilson and
his party.
The Act against bribery and corruption having been
read, and the usual formalities gone through,
Mr. Alderman PLUMMER begged to propose John Wright
Henniker Wilson, Esq., as a tit and proper person to re-
present the City of Canterbury in the Commons House of
Parliament.—(Long continued cheering and hisses.)
Mr. Alderman COOPER seconded the nomination.
Mr. PARTRIDGE proposed the Hon. George Percy Sid.
ney Smythe. —( Loud cheering and disapprobation. ) Com-
bined with a feeling of loyalty to his §overeign, he enter-
tained a thorough knowledge of the measures best calcu
lated to maintain the dignity of the Crown, the rights of
the people, and the noble institutions of the country,—
(Cheers and dissent.)
Mr. BALDOCK seconded the nomination.
The SHERIFF then asked if any elector had any other
candidate to propose, and no answer being returned,
Mr. Wtssosi came forward, and was received with loud
and long-continued cheers and hisses. Fortunately for
them the result of this election did not depend, as in many
instances elsewhere, upon the comparative wealth of the
candidates, but the struggle involved the cause of the Blue
party in opposition to the Tories; and the present contest
was of still more importance, as it was the cause of the
Queen, of loyalty, and of independence, against disloyalty.
Tory oppression—(The remainder of the sentence was
drowned in an uproar.) They were all aware of the means
that had been resorted to, to intimidate and deter the
i
electors from supporting the Reform interest, and he could
now say, after the experience of a long canvass, f he
was a sceptic before, he was now convinced of the neces-
sity of the Ballot, in order to protect the liberties. of
the people, and enable them to exercise the electiviiefran-
chisehad conscientiously.—(Cheers and hisses.)
used
u Tot ng
coerce
opposed to the
Cries of
f
n
act, if it had
bftin-
stancesheeeeeinivnogwtsei"rth.' ..ifieentitsheoe out
eedsauersevtnepiarnpahflodl t'ponafoci fnetfhupbeblrai dn?aconi
conscience.—(
heart-burning
ahoucrifsset:pl
liv.iiiclisualeicnegse, he would have
onlyNo'oencouCreadndincheoenVind
considered it his duty to have brought that isolated in
before Parliament, as he was' of opinion that
alone should be a sufficient ground for inducing the
Legislature to grant the people the protection of the
Ballot.—( Cheers and hisses.) One argument W. 15, that
the Ballot was un- English ; but nothing could he
called un-English that would have the effect of an im-
proved state of things, and of affording additional
security to the honest and conscientious voter.--(llear.)
Another argument was, that the Ballot was impracticable,
and that it would not conduce to secret voting and protec
tion ; but this applied rather more to the mechanical con-
struction of the ballot-box than to anything else. That ar-
gument was easily refuted by the model of a ballot-boa,
which ho should be happy
to show and explain to Mr.
Smythe.—( Hear, hear, and lauAliter.) Another cause of
strong complaint on his part was the coercion and ill-dis-
guised influence that had been exercised by those connected
with she cathedral,— (Hisao and cries of " No, no.") lie