The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-01 00:00:00

me, and I deposited my envelope. This was the
course adopted by every voter.
" When a large number of ballots had accumu-
lated in the ballot box, the town clerk in the pre-
sence of the officers and the people present, took
them out and assorted them. into different parcels,
as preparatory to the final count. At three p.m.
the town voted "to close the polls." . The ballots
were then all counted by the officers just men-
tioned, the result ascertained, and " declared in
open town meeting," as the law requires.
" Thus all the voter does is perfectly secret, while
all the officers do is open to general observation."
" Now, although by our present law in this
State, as I have before written you, the use of
envelopes is not compulsory *(as it ought to be) yet
such is the manifest convenience and propriety of
this mode of voting, that I did not see a single
ticket deposited in any other way.
" It has the unanimous approbation of all."
The Hon. W. Abbott Lawrence, Governor of
Rhode Island, says :
" In. New York, where I was born and passed
the greater part of my life, the envelope has never
been introduced ; but the ballots are required to be
so folded as to conceal their contents.

" Nothwithstanding the devices of different co-
loured paper, there never was, as far as I am in-
formed, any difficulty of eluding the supervision
of opponents, when a voter was desirous, from the
apprehending of offending an employer or from
any other cause, that the character of his vote
should not be known."

The Hon. Henry Dutton, late Governor of Con-
necticut, says :
"I have frequently presided at electors' meetings
and personally received the ballot, and I ,can assure
you that it is in the power of any elector to put in
a ballot, the character of which cannot be detected
by the presiding officer or any one else. Any
elector can, if he. pleases, put in a ballot written
upon clean white paper. If such a ballot is merely
doubled together it is impossible to discover what
it is. I have frequently known ballots doubled and
twisted, so that it was difficult to open them."
Mr. C. Willard, State Secretary of Vermont :
"It was the object of our law in relation to this
subject, and especially the provision to which you
refer in the statutes of the State (requiring the
votes to be on white paper and folded as in New
York) to enable all voters, in dependent circum-
stances, such as operatives in factories and hired
labourers generally, the opportunity of keeping
their political preferences from the knowledge of
their employers, and also to enable merchants and
shopkeepers, and others dependent on public patro-
nage for their support, an opportunity of voting
secretly, so as not to prejudice their trade."
Mr. Neal Dow, Mayor of Portland, State of
Maine, says :--

" The ballot is almost universal in this country,
entirely so in the free States, and `there is not a
man among us, who would for a moment entertain
the proposition to abandon it for the viva voce mode
of voting. So entirely has the conviction that the
ballot is the best mode of voting at elections, taken
possession of the public mind, that a proposition
to change it for the viva voce would be regarded
by us as absurd. The ballot is not neces-
sarily secret, but the voter can render it so if he
wishes to do it. Every voter, when he goes to the
hustings, unless he is known to be a man of settled
opinions and decided character, is presented with a
ballot of each of the parties as he passes along
towards the ballot box. If he wishes to cast a secret
ballot, he takes every one which is offered to him,
and puts that one which he prefers of the many
which he holds in his hand, into the box, and thus
eludes the vigilance of any who choose for any
reason to watch him."
Finally, the present Governor of Ohio State says
the method of voting by ballot was adopted by Ohio
from the practice of the older States of the Union.
To secure absolute independence to the voter in the
exercise of the right of suffrage was undoubtedly
the main object in its adoption—convenience was
also consulted.
I cannot hope you can give space for further ex-
tracts; indeed, I think enough has been given to
make good the proposition with which I set out. I
have limited my. observations and authorities to the
question of secrecy, but every other remark dis-
paraging the ballot in America made by your writer
of to-day I gainsay and deny.—l am, sir, yours
faithfully,

F. HENRY F. BERKELEY.
Victoria-square, S.W., Nov. 22,1858.

HER MAJESTY AT ALDERSHOT.

The long•promised Royal visit to Aldershot was
made yesterday, and, as might naturally have been
expected from the state of the weather, no manoeu-
vres or evolutions of any kind were attempted with
the troops, and the whole affair was of the most
ordinary description. The regiments in camp
paraded before their huts at 9 o'clock. The weather
was cold, raw, and threatening, and the violent
gusts of wind that swept across the common
derived an additional keenness from the dampness
of the ground and the large dark pools of rain that
covered the heath in all directions, making it look
blacker, and, if possible, more inhospitable thart.
ever. The programme of the day's proceedings
was simply this—that her Majesty was expe.zted
to be at Frimley-green at 11, and the trooDs, in
heavy marching order, were to move thither in
columds of brigades and pass in review before
her. The march for Frimley-green, some four
or five miles distant from Alderstot, commenced
soon after 9 o'clock. All the troops were in full
uniform and in heavy marching order, with haver-
sacks and water bottles, exextly as on an ordinary
march when on active service. Every regiment
looked well, and came in at the close of the day's
march apparently as steadily, briskly, and light on
their feet as when the work began. The first bri-
gade, under the command of Lord William Paulet,
consisted of one field battery, with its usual ammu-
nition train, the 2d battalion of the 13th, the 36th,
Ist Staffordshire Militia, and North Cork Rifles.
The 2d brigade, under General Lawrence, was com-
posed of the 9th Foot, East Kent Militia, West
York Rifles, Oxfordshire Militia, one field battery,
and a detachment of Royal Engineers. The 3d
brigade, under General Spencer, consisted' of a field
battery of artillery, the 47th Regiment, Stirling-
shire Militia, North Down Rifle Militia, and a de-
tachment of the Military Train. The Cavalry Bri-
gade was, as usual, under General Lawrenson, but
only consisted of one troop of Horse Artillery, with
the 4th Dragoon Guards and 10th Hussars. The
-whole force was commanded by Lieut.-General
Knollys. The brigades marched down the Farn-
borough-road, through Farnborough, and along the
road to Frimley and Frimley-green.
At this spot her Majesty arrived a few minutes
after 11 o'clock in an open carriage and four. The
Princess Alice accompanied her mother, and the
suite comprised the Duchess of Manchester
and the Hon. Mary Bulteel. His Royal High-
ness the Prince Consort wore the undress
uniform of a Field Marshal and rode by the side of
the carriage. Also, on horseback, and in attendance
on the Prince, were Lord Charles Fitzroy and.
Colonel the Hon. A. Hardinge, with the Master of
the Household. The illustrious party drew up at
the corner ofFrimley-green, and immediately after-
wards, making a detour round the Green, the troops
began to march past her Majesty. It was, in fact,
only a march past, and was unaccompanied by
ceremonial of any kind, the colours not even being
taken out of their cases. This movement in long
columns necessarily occupied a very considerable
time, and during the greater -part of it her Majesty
stood, up in her carriage to witness it. As the
regiments filed off they moved straight back to.
camp, only marching by a cross road which brougM
them out near the new hotel, at the north caniP•
at this point the Royal party, who had driven front
Frimley in the meanwhile, again stationed Vain'
selves, so that a second time the force pasfAed in
review before her Majesty. The Royal cortege then
at once proceeded to the Pavilion and partook ,
lunch, returning after a brief stay to Windsor. The
men, as we have said, seemed in the whole course
of this march to be unusually freen and active;
yet in spite of this satisfactory state things, of
cannot refrain from suggesting a change in the
present order of the equipment, which we are cet"
tain would render the unpr,pular heavy marching
order far less irksome to the men than it now is.
The soldier's knapsack, as most of our readers may
know, is a hard wooeten case covered with water-
proof, aad therefore totally impervious to the -wet.
Yet, strange to say, this is strapped, close to the
soldier's back, while the greatcoat, which is not
waterproof, is put outside it, and exposed to all th°
rain whenever it comes. The change of putting'
the coat next to the wearer and the hard water"
proof knapsack on the outside is one that would
involve no outlay of any kind, while, in addition t°
keeping the coat dry, the alteration would be of the
greatest advantage and comfort to the men on _
march as affording them the utmost freedom. in the
movements of their bodies, whereas now they are
cramped by being strapped to the clums'iest back'
board that ever was invented. At all events, -.t
simple an alteration is worth a trial . Recently le
was rumoured in camp that the trc,ops were to 1)
taught to kill their own meat awl. make their 01%,0
,
bread. These new duties wrsold be confessedly
most valuable improvements ',ll our camp econol
but as yet the matter seems merely a rumour, Oa
one which we are almost afraid we must class a niot
that most improbable class of stories known
" camp shaves."

RECORDERSHIP OF NEWCASTLE-lINDER-LT.Nac-
Tho Recordership of the borough of Newcastle-ury der-LYrae
has been conferred upon T. C. Sneyd Kynner sley; E°q''
barrister-at-law, stipendiary magistrate of Biru dngham•