The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-22 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

OsnonNE, April 21.,,
Her Majesty, with Princess Louise, Prince Leo-
pold, Princ(ms Beatrice, and Piince and Pr:nee's
Christian, arrived yesterday afternoon at half -Pas
6 o'clock.

The Queen, ac,:omptnied by Princess L'3lli°'
walked and drove in the grounds this inoruitg.

VOTE BY B.ILLOT.

Lest evening a meeting, convened by the Mell.°i
politan Ballot Society, was hel 1 in the Almici
Hall, for the purpose of promoting the adoption of
vote by ballot. Sir Henry Bulwer, M.P., occuPiet
on the
the chair. The following gentlemen were
platform :—Mr. Jacob Bright, M.P., Col. Frocl''
M.P., Professor Rogers, M.A., Lord Campbell, 31c'
Jelin Morley (late candidate for Blackburn), 3lc'
I),Avid Buchanan (late member of the Legi,lati"
Assembly of New South Wales), Mr. J. F. Bontein3l
C.C., Mr. John Richardson, C.C., Mr. Win. 1113°'
Mr. C. H. Elt, and Mr. C. A. Murray.
Sir HENRI, BULIVER, M.P., on taking the
said he was very happy to have been asked to Ore•
side over that meeting. He fresinned that tb°
compliment was paid to him on account of his
fidelity to the principle which they were all there
to advocate. (Cheers.) Though Le had a great
respect for all men who honestly changed the':
opinions, he would rather keep his opinions. It w 3,.
very agreeable to keep them when one found thet
the views he entertained in his youth, though
with a few, were participated in in his advancing
yeats by the many. (Cheers.) Tie remembered
that at the commencement of his political career
he said to himself, if he wished to be con-
sistent and successful Le ought to be just, be-
cause justice was always the same, and justice
was always triumphant. (Cheers.) Therefore be
was in favour, when there were very few with hint'
of the total abolition of the corn laws, because h°
thought it unjust to tax the poor man's food in
order to increase the rich man's rental. He was in
favour of altering the position of the Roman Calb°:
lies in Ireland, but he thought it was unjust to treat
as privileged and superior a body of 500,000 of his
fellow-countrymen when there were 4,500,000 who
did not possess the same privileges. (Cheers.) I.l°,
was in favour of vote by ballot, because be thought
it was unjust to give a man a vote without enabling
him to exercise it safely and conscientiously'
(Cheers.) He bad lived to see the corn
laws totally repealed. He had lived to so 3
innjolity of 118 members of the Horse of Cony
mons vote iu favour of !lacing men of all religious
on au equal footing—(loud cheers)—and lie hoped
to live to see vote by ballot established for the fu-
tune election of members of Parliament. (Cheers.)
Those men who were thoughtful would have ob-
served how, within the last 25 years, reason baj
been ripening, how exaggerated prejudices had he'll
disappearing, and how all opinions and all classes had
been, by a gradual but most certain process, corning
to one common centre. As soon as be took his seat
in the House of Commons he inspected the book
of notices to fled whether anybody had given n 0"
t:ce of a resolution o• 1 ill: subj.:et of the ballet,
and not having found such notice he -put down
his name for a resolution on that subject. (Cheers)
Almost immediately afterwards Mr. Berkeley, who
had moved many resolutions with reference to this
question, told him that he was desirous of doing so,
and lie (Sir Henry Bulwer) placed the matter en-
tirely in his hands. Not very long after, the G -
verntnent gave notice of a committee fur the pur-
pose of iuquiring lute all electoral matters, and in'
eluded vote by ballot in that inquiry. (Cheers.)
He was at that time absent from the (louse of
Commons, Laving to defend Lis seat against a
petition which proved unsuccessful. Almost
inediaely after his r.eurn to the House be
found that Mr. Leatham had. given notice
of a motion, which was to the effect
that the committee of which he had spoken shoul
be instructed to inquire into the various modes 01
voting by ballot. That did very well as a peg 00
which to hang a speech. Mr. Leatham delivered
vety able speech, but when it came to the practice'
question of voting upon his motion, there were many
objections. Its the first place, suppose they earl i
Mr. Leatham's motion, they did 'ma lug, because
the committee which had been appointed to in-
quire into the propriety of:, stablishiug election by
ballet was obligt d to inquire into the various modes
of voting by ballot. On the other hand, if Air'
Leatham's motion were lost, he (Sir Henry Bulv;er)
felt that it would be considered to be a general
failure of the cause of the ballot. Moreover, he
found that many Liberal members of the House of
Commons who were iu favour of the ballot were not
in favour of Mr. Leatham's motion. Therefore 11°
ventured to ask Mr. Leathern to withdraw Ili°
motion, as he had effected his purpose —namely,
the raising of a discussion upon the subject'
Leatham at once complied with his re-
quest. He was not in favour of having the queS.

tion of the ballot left in the hands of the Govern-
runt, because he thought, as he said in the House
of Commons, that the country had been in com-
mittee on this question, that it hal been so
much discussed by the people that we did not re:
quire the opinion of any committee Mr. Bruce might
appoint., to suggest what :should be done. But a
committee having been appointed, an opportunity
was afforded for shunting certain gentlemen from
one line of political opinion on to another lino
—from the line of opposition to the ballot to the
line iu favour of it. He thought the best course
to pursue was to let the committee make its re-
port. If that report were favourable, they'
would be able to effect the object they desired
with the aid of the Government. If that report
were unfavourable, why, then, they would effect
their object by the aid of public opinion. (Cheero
In the meantime it was thought expedient to hold
meetings of this kind, so that they might keep
public opinion alive, and be able, whatever hap-
pened, to nave the public behind them when they
came forward in the people's cause. (Cheers.) This
was one of the most important movements ever
made for the achievement of political liberty in this
country. (Cheers.)
&Professor MOULD RoGEns said there was great
reason for the friends of the Ballot to congratulate
themselves upon the progress their cause had made.
Mr. JACOB BRIGHT, M.P., said that although
lawyers, election agents, and the retailers of beer
and spirits might be very glad to have a genera
electi n, there was another class of persons in the
couutiy who regarded the approach of such an event
with far different feelings. On behalf of those per-
sons he demanded the Ballot.

Mr. BUCHANAN, formerly a member of the House
of Assembly in New South Wales, detailed the
working of the Ballot in Australia. It was often
urged that the Ballot was un-English ; but it W
never urged that bribery and corruption were un-
English. (Laughter and cheers.)

Lord CAMPBELL moved a vote of thanks to the
chairman, and observed that few deserved it rnoi e
than 11,2 He believed the question of the ballot
would soon be finally settled, and urge.] on the
meeting the necessity of cncouraging Sir H. Bulwer
at once to challenge Parliament ou the subject•
(Hear, hear.) He thought the question of the
ballot ought to be associated with his name in the
House cf Commons.

Mr. BONTEMS seconded the motion, and assured
the noble lord that his suggestion would be carried
into effect as soon as possible.
The CHAIRMAN having returned thanks, the pro-
ceedings terminated.