The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-16 00:00:00

THE COURT.

According to the present arrangements, her Majesty, the
Prince Consort, and suite will return from the Continent
on the 31st inst.

The Queen will then take up her residence at Osborne,
where the Court will remain until the 6th proximo, and
then proceed to Buckingham Palace.
On the following day (7th September) the Queen, with the
Prince Consort and Royal Family and suite, will take their
departure for Leeds, on their way to Scotland.

The Court will return from Scotland and arrive at Wind-
sor Castle by the 15th October.

THE HON. W. F. CAMPBELL ON THE

BALLOT.

The following petition has been drawn up for the
Reformers of Jedburgh by the lion. W. F. Camp-
bell, with the aid of the Ballot Society :

"1. Showeth that, although your honourable house has
cautiously abstained from abstract resolutions on organic
change, and has never come to a division on the bills or
1852 and 1854, an impression has arisen that measures to
alter the Reform Act may soon assume a more practical
complexion than has hitherto belonged to them.
" 2. That to reject vote by ballot on the ground of leav-
ing settled and inviolate the act of 1832 is a very different
proposition from rejecting it when that act is about to be
exposed to general revision.
3. That while all the old considerations in favour of vote
by ballot retain their vigour and propriety, a new class
occurs for which it is not possible fur your honourable house
to be indifferent.

"4. That the seven general elections which have taken
piece since 1832 have given ample proofs of the coercion and
corruption to which the electors are exposed; that the exist-
ing laws are insufficient to restrain them ; that variousenaot-
ments have been applied without success; and that vote by
ballot is the only remedy which remains untried and unex-
hausted.

" 5. That in the event of your honourable house proceed-
ing to amend the act of 1832, two methods are before you—
the method of occasional reform, and that of final legislation.
That the method of occasional reform points to vote by bal-
lot as the change most fully sifted by discuszton, most tho-
roughly explained by all the lights which can apply to it,
and therefore most fit for practical adoption; that the method
of final legislation also points to the triumph of the only
means for giving freedom of election, since without that
triumph, perpetual struggle and uneasiness will deprive the
arrangements to be formed of repose as well as of stability.
"6. That the obvious and inevitable limits of any mea-
sure to alter and improve the Return Act are such as to
make it a doubtful policy in your honourable house to forego
so large a means of giving satisfaction and content as vote
by ballot would amount to.

"7. That the first of these limits arises from the foreign
policy established by Mr. Canning in 1822, and never since
abandoned, which, attempting to encourage the friends of
representative arrangements throughout Europe, requires
as its basis the integrity and dignity of your honourable
house, and forbids all changes of a tendency to lower it in
the eves of continental powers.
"8. That the second of these limits arises from the pre-
valent venality in boroughs unhappily disclosed from
time to time before committees of your honourable house,
and which tends to fetter your honourable house in the ex-
tension of the franchise to classes less opulent than those
who have it now, especially without some new restraint on
the venality alluded to.
"9. That the third of these limits arises from the fact
that your honourable house is at once a representative and
a deliberative body, and that many changes, such as annual
Parliaments and others which are likely to increase its re-
presentative efficiency, are no less clearly calculated to in-
jure its deliberative functions.

"10. That the fourth of these limits arises from the fact
that, since 1832 the middle classes have enjoyed the ruling
power in the State, and that various encroachments on the
franchise, designed for popular support, have an inevitable
tendency to transfer that power to the numerical majority.
" 11. Teat while nearly all the projected schemes to alter
the Reform Act are obnoxious to the limits we have stated,
the scheme of vote by ballot is not in any way affected by
them.
"12. That the objections generally urged against vote by
ballot, as well as the ideas which foster a resistance to it,
are such a', when fairly viewed, are found to be devoid of
substance and authority.
" 13. That it is not uncommon to allege a supposed respon-
sibility of the elector to the public, which vote by ballot
would destroy, whereas it is well known to your honourable
house that the elector does not owe a duty to the public,
except the duty of supporting the candidate be most ap-
proves of all the candidates prorssed to him, a duty the
existing law perpetually forces him to violate, and which
can never be fulfilled until a greater independence is esta-
blished.

" 14. That it is not uncommon to allege a suppose 4 ineffi-
cacy in vote by ballot for the object it pursues, while it is
clear tbat the suppopd inefficacy can never be proved until
vote by ballot has bee❑ tried ; and even if it could, it would
be no reason for denying the electors the utmost possible
security for freedom which laws or statesmanship can offer.
"15. That the idea which really animates resistance to
vote by ballot—namely, the idea that under such a system
the body of tenant-farmers would no longer vote with the
body of landowners—dues not rest upon a solid basis of ex-
perience or nature, and is contradicted by the fact that unity
of interests and unity of action are more often found to-
gether than ape.

" 16. That the prevalence of secret voting in cour's-
martial and in clubs, where the rules of honour are both up-
held and understood, is a sufficient answer to the prejudice
against it, as unknown to the institutions or hostile to the
manners of the country.
" 17. That looking back to the reception of the bills of
1852 and 1854, it may seem to your honourable house that no
changes, however violent, from which vote by ballot is ex-
cluded, are likely to insure the public sympathy and favour.
" 18. That of all the different courses open to your hon-
ourable house the most equivocal and hazardous would
appear to be an alteration of the franchise, in many places
more than doubling the number of electors, and altogether
changing the seat of power in the empire, while so
moderate a step as that of giving the greatest possible
amount of freedom to the act of 1832 is steadily avoided.
"19. That inasmuch as no credit will be given to the
good faith of those who contend that it is safe to enter on a
system of governing by numbers, while it is dangerous to
give the middle order the virtual exercise of their long-con-
ceded power the suspicion unavoidably occurs that new
rights of voting are intended to be neutralised, as the exist-
ing rights of voting have in practice been impaired.
" 20. That no position can be more derogatory, or more
fraught with risk to the leading statesmen of the country,
thee th appearance of trifling with the wants and feelings
of electors, refusing what ought to be conceded, and con-
ceding what it then becomes apparent, without the hope of
its being nugatory, would be persistingly refused.
" 21. We therefore pray your honourable house to render
vote by ballot the basis of your policy in amending the act
of 1832, and to grant your petitioners such other relief as
in your wisdom you may deem meet." 4

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT, Aug. 15.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.
ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTELLIGENCE.
ARRIVED.—The Cecile, schooner, 190, the .Marquis of
Conyngham, from the Channel Islauds; the Columbine,
schooner, 72 tons, Capt. R. 11. Smith-Barry, R.N. from
the Channel Islands; the Eugenie, schooner, 92, Richard
Frankland, Esq., from Cherbourg and the Channel Islands.
Mr. Frankland was appointed by the Sailing Committee of
tue Royal Yacht Squadron to time the yachts which sailed
for the Emperor's Cup. The following is the return made
by that gentleman on his arrival this morning :

H. M. S.
Alason, 248 tons, Joseph Weld, Esq.
Zara, 152, the Earl of Wilton
Shark, 175, William Curling, Esq.
Clayniore, 130, the Hon. Hercules Rowley 1 29 32
Arrow, 102, Thomas Chamberlayne, Esq.
Ursuline, 112, Lord Londesborough
There is a large fleet of yachts in the Roads. Almost the
whole of the yachts of the squadron having returned from
•
Cherbourg.
DEPARTIRE OF THE COMMODORE AND VICE-COX.
MODORE.—The Zara and Capricorn took their departure
from Cowes this afternoon for Plymouth. The wind being
dead ahead,the Capricorn took the Zara in tow, and steatned
to the westward.

The Dream, George Bentick, Esq., proceeded to the
eastward.

The American ship Abby Langdon, Capt. Hall, with rice,
for Antwerp, went on shore at low water on Thursday morn:
ing, off Compton, at the back of the Wight. There was a
thick fog, and very little wind. The captain felt confident
that the ship would float off at highwater, but she did not,
and though the wind was right off the laud on Saturday,
things grew worse, and about 2,000 bags of rice were taken
out of her in barges. Had this been done on Thursday, or
even on Friday, things might have been different, but there
is now (Sunday) a strong wind from the westward, and the
ship has 19 feet water in her, and the whole of her cargo
(1,700 tons) will be lost, and probably the ship.
COWES REGATTA.—The committee for conducting the
town regatta meet next week, to fix the days and arrange
the number of matches :,.nd prizes, &c. The Cherbourgletes
has caused this regatta:to be delayed till September. Her
Majesty does not return from Germany until the 31st inst.,
and as the Royal Family are generally present in the Royal
yacht, the earliest day that could be fixed is the 2d Sept.

GEN. PEEL AND lIIS CIGAR.—On a recent visit of
the Secretary of State for War to Woolwich Arsenal an
incident occurred of an amusing nature. One of the strictest
rules of the establi-hment in every department is the prohi-
bition of smoking. Gen. Peel was engaged in conversation
with Capt. Boxer,Supes intendent of the Royal Laboratories,
and was at the same enjoying a cigar. The circumstance not
escape the eye of Police-constable Westerdale 205 R, who
stepped up and informed the Secretary at War " That he
must be so kind as to take that cigar from his mouth."
Gen. Peel instantly complied, and extinguished the cigar
under his foot. The policeman, on being informed of the
position of the visitor, made an apology, but was compli-
mented by the gallant general for; his zealous performance
of duty.
TIIE BRISTOL ASSIZES.—There are 42 cases on
the cause list, says the Bristol Times of Saturday, 15 of
them for special juries; so that if they all come on, we may
expect to have the pleasure of Mr. Baron Channell's cosi-
pany for two or three weeks, to say nothing of the numer-
ous members of the bar. We are likely to resemble the
miller who prayed for water, and was drowned—we peti-
tioned for a second assizes, and have got it; and the turtle
and council dinners are so good that, by a fortunate chance,
we have foreigncases and remands enough to glut the greatest
lover of law. The old Bristol parish clubs used to elect what
they called a " taster," whose duty it was to visit all the
taverns in the district, and report upon the quality of the beer
brewed at each. Where the tap was best the club sat down
and consumed it, and never stirred until they sounded all the
barrels. The judge and counsel are going through the same
process: the dinners at the Council- house, which the city
supplies and must supply, are excellent, we therefore, do not
think the cause list will be finished until the last victim in.
Niblet's turtle-house is slaughtered, unlessindeed our worthy
mayor and the presiding judae should both declare off through
dyspepsia, before Rea v. London and North-Western-Rail-
way comes off. " Hard work for the head, my lord," said a
London alderman to Mr. Justice Maule, atter a long sitting
trying felonies at Guildhall. "I don't know about the
head," (pot)] the justice; "bat it is very hard for the
seat." Some 20 days' session in this hot weather, with as
many dinners to be eaten, ought to make a vacancy in the
bench. Amongst the cases for special juries are Yescombe
v. Walter S vage Lander, expected to be amusing; and a
breach of promise case, in which the plaintiff is a young
lady, daughter of a fishmonger at Sherbourne, and the de-
fendant an M.P. These are 800 letters in this case, and the
endearing correspondence is so voluminous that it is printed
in a book. The care if Chick v. Parnell is also on the cause
list.