The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SU2

Sin,—lhe Whigs are again in power. How long they
will remain so depends on whether they will alter the fran-
chise or suffer the freemen to sell their votes to the Tories.
Thanks to Mr. Cobden, the counties will soon belong to the
Reformers, quite as much as the new boroughs do. In fact,
nothing remains for the Tories but the old boroughs like
this. The householders here, who are Reformers, have a re-
gular majority of between 300 and 400, and yet we return
two Conservatives. This is the case with most of the bo-
roughs where there are freemen, and ever will be. Mr. Hutt,
the best Member we ever had, was obliged to leave us with
his large majority of householders, and so was that excellent
man, Colonel Thompson. Indeed, the Colonel was actually
defeated by the Chartist freemen selling their votes to the
Tories. The freemen, and not the tenants at will, deprived
the Whigs of place, and will do it again if Lord John Ruasell
do not look to them. The question, I admit, is difficult, but
it must be grappled with. I believe the simplest qualifica-
tion will be household suffrage. Then only the worst of the
freemen would be deprived of the rights which they abuse to
their own detriment and that cf the rest of their country-
men, for the better and least corrupt sort are rate-payers.-1
am, Sir, &c. A REFORMER.
Hull, July 18th, 1846.

Small pox at the present moment prevails to a dread-
ful extent at Cette, a town on the borders of the Mediterra-
nean,e disease attacking both children and adults, in-
eludiL the
gthoe vaccinated, and has already produced great
mortality.
KIRKCUDBRIGHT.—The election took place on Friday.
Thomas Maitland, Esq., of Dundrennan, lately appointed
Solicitor-General of Scotland, was re- elected without oppo-
sition. Mr. P. M'Millan proposed Mr. Maitland. Provost
Martin, of Castle Douglas, seconded the nomination ; and
the sheriff, after calling for a show of hands, declared
Mr. Maitland, who subsequently returned thanks, duly
elected.
OXFoRD, JULY 18.—A vacancy in the representation
of this city being expected as a consequence of the lamentel
indisposition, absence, and other circumstances of AI:.
Maclean, a candidate has appeared in the person of Mr. Joh*
Ingram Lockhart, F.R.A.S., nephew of the late Recorder of
that name, and many years Member for this city. Mr. Lock-
hart, who is a thorough liberal in politics, is also known as
the translator of the interesting " Memoirs of Casbitto," from
the Spanish, and of Grobefend and other works on " Attica
and Athens," from the German.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE EASTERN COUNTIES
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday morning Messrs. Davis and Mashiter,
county magistrates, assembled at the Great Ilford gaol,
Essex, to investigate charges preferred by the Eastern
Counties Railway Company, against William Clane, engine-
driver; W illiam*Quenlin, stoker; Thos. Green, a signal man;
and henry Nicholson, an under foreman in the locomotive
department, for negligently causing the fearful accident on
the above line on Saturday afternoon, whereby many of the
lives of her Majesty's subjects had been seriously injured,
and placed in imminent danger. Captain Coddington, the
deputy government inspector of railways, was present watch-
ing the proceedings. On the part of the company, Mr.
Roney, the secretary; Mr. Samuels, resident engineer; Mr.
Scott, the superintendent of the line; and Mr. Widdecombe,
solicitor, attended. Mr. Rawlins, a solicitor of Romford,
appeared for the prisoners. After hearing evidence to the
effect of the statements already before the public, the magis-
trater decided upon committing the prisoners to the quarter
sessions for trial, and refused to take bail. _ _

RISE OF WAGES.—Mowers have been paid at the rate
of 4s. a day in this vicinity; that is to say, 3s. for their day's
work, and ls. allowed for beer.— Carmarthen Journal.
The llon. Major-General Sir Hercules Pakenham,
brother-in-law to the Duke of 'Wellington, will succeed, it is
said, the Hon. General Stuart in the Governorship of Malta.
The Greenwich and Fulham annual regattas are fired
for Monday next.
REMARKABLY Low TIDE.—The tide was so low ott
Sunday evening that several steamers got fast in the mud o
the river, and at the Chelsea pier three were aground at one
time. The steamer which left Battersea-bridge pier at eight
o'clock did not reach the Adelphi pier until after nine o'clock,
in consequence of the lowness of the tide. The river could
easily be walked across in many places.
OBSERVATORY AT HAVRE.—It is said that the Minis-
ter of Marine has decided on constructing an observatory at
I Havre, on the site now occupied by various mall buildings
j on the north jetty.