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

me, and I deposited my envelope. This was ti ie
course adopted by every voter.
" When a large number of ballots had accurr Lu-
lated in the ba:lot box, the town clerk in the p re-
sence of the oflivers and the people present, tt.hok
them out and as3orted them into different parcels,
a 3 preparatory to the final count. At three p.m.
the town voted "to close the polls." The ballot;
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 yak`Tr does is perfectly secret, whil e
all the officers do is oven 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 conve.rnence 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 the envelope has never
been introduced ; but the ballots are required to be
so folded as to conceal their ontents.
" 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 frequentlypresided at electors' meetings
and personally received the ballot, and I can assure
you that it is in the power of any elector to put iv,
1, ballot, the character of which cannot be detectei 1
by • the presiding officer or any one else. Any-
electCr, can,
if he pleases, put in a ballot written.-
upon o,:,an white paper. If such a ballot is merely
doubled tu
:geth er it is impossible to discover what
it is. I hav,l frequently known ballots doubled and
twisted, so that it was difficult to open them."
Mr. C. Wiliam', State Secretary of Vermont
"It was the object of our law in relation to this
subject, and espeeia.lly 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, tb.e opportunity of keeping
their political preferences from the knowledge of
their employers, and also to enable merchants and
' shopkeepers, and others deinendent on public patro-
nage for their support, an opportunity of voting
secretly, so as not to prejudi, c'e 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 m oment 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 th e parties as he passes along
towards the ballotbo2l. If he wishes to cast a secret
'allot, he takes every • one which is offered to him,
and puts that one which he prefers of the many
which he holds in his h, Ind, into the box, and thus
eludes the vigilance of any who choose for any
reason to watch him."
Finally, the present Go vernor of Ohio State says
the method of voting by bai/ot was adopted by Ohio
from the practice of the States of the Union.
To secure absolute independen% le 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 spac e for further ex-
tracts; indeed, I think enough has been given to
make good the proposition with which 1 set out. I
have limited my observations and authorities to the
question of secrecy, but every other rem ark dis-
paraging the ballot in America mat le by your writer
of to-day I gainsay and deny.-- -I am, sir, yours
faithfully,

F. HENRY F. BERK ELEY.
Victoria-square, S.W., Nov. 22,185.3.

HER MAJESTY AT ALDE2,S7I OT.

The long•promised Royal visit to Aldevs hot was
made yesterday, and, as might naturally h ive been
expected from the state of the weather, no mancell"
vres or evolutions of any kind were attempt .ed with
the troops, and the whole affair was of t he most
ordinary description. The regiments ii r camp
paraded before their huts at 9 o'clock. The weather
was cold, raw, and threatening, 'and the violent
gusts of wind that swept lieroSg the common
derived an additional keenness from the d unpness
of the ground and the large dark po&s of r aM that
covered the heath in all directions, nw,kim ; it look
blacker, and, if possible, more inhospitable than
ever. The programme of the day's p romedings_
was simply this—that her Majesty was uxpeeted
to be at Frimley-green at 11, and the l'roops, in
heavy marching order, were to move ti. tither in
columds of brigades and pass in revie' V' before
her. The march for Frimley-green, soi ne four
or five miles distant from Aldershot, con imenced
soon after 9 o'clock. All the troops were in full
uniform and in heavy marching order, witl i haver-
sacks and water bottles, exactly as on an c
march when on active service. Every r egiment
looked well, and came in at the close of f he 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, f 36th,
Ist Staffordshire Militia, and North Cork Rifles.
The 2d brigade, under General Lawrence, was com-
posed of the 9th Foot, East Kent MiliOn, 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, k
shire Militia, North Down Rifle Militia, and a dc-
tachment.of the Military Train. The Cave dry Bri-
gade was, as usual, under General LawrereiOn, 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
Manchester
comprised the Duchess of anchester
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 ker carriage to witness it. As the
regiments filed off they moved straight back to
camp, only marching by a cross road which brought
them out near the new hotel, at the north camP•
at this point the Royal party, who had driven from
Frimley in the meanwhile, again stationed theta'
selves, so that a second time the force passed is
review before her Majesty. The Royal cortege then
at once proceeded to the Pavilion and partook of
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 fresh and active ;
yet in spite of this satisfactory state of things, We
cannot refrain from suggesting a change in the
present order of the equipment, which we are cer-
tain would render the unpopular heavy marching
order far less irksome to the men than it now is.
The soldier's knapsack, as most of our readers map
know, is a hard wooden case covered with water-
proof, and therefore totally impervious to the wet.
Yet, strange to say, this is strapped closq to the
soldier's back, while the greatcoat, which is not
waterproof, is put outside it, and exposed to all the
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 kiwi, while, in addition to
keeping the coat dry, the alteration would be of the
greatest advantage and comfort to the men on a
march as afibrding them the utmost freedom in the
movements of their bodies, whereas now they are
cramped by being strapped to- the clumsiest back"
board that ever was invented. At all events, so
simple an alteration is worth a trial. Recently rt
was rumoured in camp that the troops were to be
taught to kill their own meat and make their own
bread. These new duties would be confessedly
most valuable improvements in our camp economy;
but as yet the matter seems merely a rumour, and
one which we are almost afraid we must class among
that most improbable class of stories known OS
" camp shaves." .

RECORDERSHIP OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LyME.---
The Recordership of the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyin°
has been conferred upon T. C. Sneyd Kynnersley, ESq•?
barrister-at-law, stipendiary utazigstratg vi Dirmiusinvi