The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-24 00:00:00

TRW 'SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY:' EVENING'

;rty, and its consequences, with which they

the povi

came in contact was due to the Corn-laws; but, un-

happily, it cannot be difficult for any person, be he

- -
minister or who he may, to tell of the moral mis-
chiefs produced by our present system of taking
votes at our Parliamentary elections. They are
open to every observer. They too often appeal in
disgusting forms to our senses. And knowledge of

hem we must have, unless we be entire recluses.
:n addition to all its possible political bearings,

;he Ballot is pre-eminently a moral question, and

Lt was therefore most fitting to ask the moral and

spiritual police of the kingdom to assemble and

express their views.

Not a great many, to be sure, came—little exer-
tion had been made, and large meetings of such a
kind are not to be assembled without great effort

and preconcerted organisation ; but many reverend
gentlemen of various denominations did .come, and
very conclusive was the testimony borne by them,
as men honestly concerned to see their flocks

maintain an electoral conduct consistent with their

religions character. One gentleman, a minister o:
superior intelligence, a Wesleyan minister, re
marked that always, for weeks after an election,
many of his people hung down their heads when
they met him. On the approach of an election he
had always preached a sermon, without the
slightest indication of political bias, pointing
out in plain language the moral responsibilities
of electors the obligation they were under to
vote in accordance with their political convic-
tions, be they which way they might. But he,
from personal acquaintance with his flock, well
knew what those convictions were ; yet, after all
his warnings,:many of them violatedtheir convictions,
so strong were the temptations brought to bear
upon them, and they could not for some time after
comfortably look in the face the man who had
been their moral monitor and guide. He was
strongly of opinion that every man ought to have
the moral courage to do his duty and accept any
consequences; but he had had such ample proof
that even the better class of men were often want-
ing in such moral strength, that he felt it right
to remember the duty pointed out in the Lord's
prayer itself, and to save men from temptation.
He earnestly demanded the Ballot as the only con-
ceivable means of preserving men from the tempta-
tion to degrade themselves even in their own eyes
by violating their conscience.
Another minister had had an agricultural con-
gregation. Many tenant farmers were amongst
them. He was a Nonconformist, and Nonconfor-
mists were almost to a man advocates of Liberal
principles ; yet he had the pain of seeing at every
election the members of his church, whose views
he knew so well, compelled, without daring to
hesitate, to give their vote for the Tory candidate.
He expressed some fear, whether after all, even
under the Ballot, the tyrant landlord would not
make them promise to vote for his candidate, when
they would be too much men of their word not to
keep it, or if they did not, they would be guilty
of lying. He was reminded that now they falsified
their convictions, and therefore acted and voted a
lie ; they would not therefore be really worse if
they told one. But, still better, it was pointed
out what witnesses from Australia had stated
that one of the. unlooked-for good results of
the Ballot there was, that it made the exaction
of promises dangerous. When the law had dis-
tinctly given the elector the privilege of secrecy, it
was thought to be so disgraceful to extort in any
way a declaration of a man's intention, that the re
sentment created by such unfairness would imperil
the candidate's election. As under the Ballot the
aggrieved could take their revenge without danger,
canvassing, except by public meetings and other
fair and open means, had become quite unpopular.
One intelligent member from a rural district re-
marked on the pain it had frequently given him to
see the tenants on the large estates around him all
voting according to these landed divisions. He
knew there were great diversities of opinion among
them, yet in one district belonging to Lord
all the tenants voted for the Tory. In the next,
separated but by a road or a fence, all were voting
for the Whig candidate. The sight was, to him,
one of the most degrading and dishonourable con-
ceivable. And he knew of nothing but the Bal-
lot which gave a chance of these electors rising to
the dignity of men.
We trust this meeting is but the precursor of
one of the same kind at which a much larger num-
ber of ministers shall be assembled. It is a ques-
tion for them quite as much as was Slavery, the
Corn-laws, or Catholic Emancipation, in all
of which they took an active part. Politics, as
such, are not their special vocation, though they
have quite as good a right as other men to hold
and to enforce their political opinions. But the
Ballot is not properly a question of party politics.
All partiesprofess to hold that voting ought to be, as
the law says, " free:and indifferent ;" the friends of
the Ballot merely contend that it will best secure
that object. It certainly does not tell well for old
Whiggism and Toryism that they are opposed so
bitterly to what ntitst give the voter his legal right•
They do not, however, deny the right, but perversely
refuse to let the question be tried in any way,
whether the Ballot will secure it or not. It is
impossible, therefore, to avoid the conviction that
Whigs and Tories are at heart the enemies of inde-
pendent voting.

WIN Dsor., April 23.—Since the departure of the
Court from Windsor her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent has been residing at FrognKze. The health of the
royal duchess, we are happy to say, is perfectly re-esta-
blished. Her royal highness takes her daily walks in the
beautiful grounds attached to the Lodge, as well as car-
riage airings in the Great Park. To-morrow (Tuesday) her
Royal Highness will proceed to Buckingham Palace on a
visit to her Majesty for about ten days.

The Duchess of Galiera has left the St. George's
Hotel.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Ailesbury havo
arrived in town from Savernake Lodge, Wilts, for the

season.

The Earl of Galloway has taken a residence in
Eaton-place for the season.

The Earl and Countess of Craven come to town
to-day from Ashdowne-park, Berks, for a few days.
The Earl and Countess of Winchelsea have left
the St. George's Hotel.

The Countess of Rothes has arrived at 16, Here-
ford-street, Park -lane, from Leslie-house, Fifeshire.
The Countess and Madlle. Nicholas Schevsky
have left the Brunswick llotel, Jermyn-street, for Pa is.
Lord and Lady Feversham have arrived at their
residence in Great . umberland• place from Duncombe Park,
Yorkshire.

Lord Southampton returned to the Pavilion
Hotel, Folkestone, en Saturday.

Lord and Lady Tredegar and family have arrived
at their residence in Portman-square from Tredegar Park
Monmouthshire.

Lord and Lady de Lisle and Dudley have left
the St. George's Hotel.
Lady Churchhill has arrived at the St. George's
Hotel.
Lady Florence Paget has left the St. Georgo's
llotel.
We are sorry to hear of the death of Lieut -
General Home Home, which occurred during the night of
Saturday very suddenly. The gallant officer was appa-
rently in perfect health on the evening of that day, but was
found dead in his bed yesterday morning. General Home
formerly served in the Guards, and within the last few
months was appointed to the colonelcy of the 56th Regi-
ment, which is rendered vacant by his decease.
The following appointments have been made in
connection with Lord Elgin's mission to China :—Lieut.-
Colonel H. H. Crealock, Military Secretary; Mr. 11. B.
Loch, Private Secretary ; the Hon. J. F. Stuart Wortley,
First Attache ; the Hon. T. J. Howell Thurlow, Second
Attache.

2'HE THEATRES.

LYCEUM.

Sir William Don appeared here last evening in
his favourite character of the interminable waiter
in the farce of " Whitebait at Greenwich." Sir
William is not less droll in his proceedings
than in his appearance, and those who relish
a hearty laugh would do well to see him. He
belongs to that rare class of beings that " seen,
become a part of sight;" and though it might
be going rather too far to describe him, in the
words of the poet, as " the morning star of me-
mory," he is beyondidoubt a most erratic and fan
tastic luminary, who, once viewed, haunts both
vision and memory with an effect decidedly provo-
cative of mirth.