The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-20 00:00:00

His

united to make up the requisite number.
second proposal, and, as he deems it, the mos
important, is that each voter should vote for bu

me member.

His chief reason for these suggestions, especially
the latter, is, that " a House of Commons so 'con-
stituted must of necessity completely and thoroughly
represent the nation which elected it." We fail,
however, to perceive how it must do so. It would,
as we think, puzzle the acutest electioneering agent
—a very COPPOCK himself, could he rise from the
dead—to drill his voters to the required duty,
while chance voting would assuredly give a chance
result. , It is easy to see, for instance, that one very
popular member, out of the six, might be returned
by an immense majority, while the whole remain-
ing five might actually be returned by small num-
bers for each, the total votes for them not equalling
these for the one popular member. We need not
,uppose all kinds of intermediate cases ; but unless
we have entirely miscalculated the working of the
scheme, it would be exceedingly likely to give the
majority of members to the minority of voters. This
is notoriously the case now, but it should
be remembered that it is quite possible, even
though the intention were the reverse. Mr.
BUCHANAN was shown by some of the American
journals to have been returned by a minority of
the electors through the system of double election
—a result surely not contemplated by the framers
of the constitution.

We need not remark, just now, on thi; plan of
equal electoral divisions, or, what amounts to the
same thing, divisions with representatives in pro-
portion to their population. Both boroughs of any
;standing, and counties, would, we apprehend, con-
tend earnestly for their electoral individUality. It

would be small consolation to the bodies which,
hitherto, have fought so many earnest party or
political battles, to be aborbed, like Indian Fakirs,
into the Deity of a perfect representative system,
and to lose their consciousness of separate exist-
ence. Any division, to be acceptable, must, we
are persuaded, retain substantially the ancient land-
marks. What we most strongly object to is any bou-
doir scheme for representing minorities. The idea
is, at least, tin-English. We are accustomed from
years of reason to bow to majorities. Our practical
minds comprehend the necessity, so difficult a thing
for Frenchmen, of submitting to the majority till we
have convinced it. We do this in every municipal
constituency, in every parish vestry, in every busi-
ness board, in every social club or society, and a
large portion, at least, of our Christian
churches do it in their ecclesiastical manage-
ment. It is, we believe, the only sound prin-
ciple. If a minority be large, and have a
thorough lgood cause, it is their bnsiness to
enlighten the majority, and thus take their place
by the best of all means—the diffusion of know-
ledge, and the spread of right convictions. If the
minority is small, though the task is longer, yet it
must be performed. The House of Commons is not
the only lecture room for political instructors; and
the minority too small to obtain a footing there,
must avail themselves of the press, the platform,
and the hustings, till they can return their men.
We have seen nothing yet which exalts the
proposal of minority members above a dilettante
fancy.

THE RETURN OF THE COURT TO WINDSOR.—
Her Majesty, his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, with
the Royal children and suite, left Osborne for Windsor
Castle this morning at ten o'clock, and travelled by the
South-Western and Great Western lines of railway, leaving
Gosport soon after eleven o'clock, and arriving at Basing-
stoke at half-past twelve ; thence they proceeded on the
Great Western line to Reading, arriving at Slough at 20
minutes past one, and Windsor at 25 minutes past one
o'clock, where her Majesty was received by a guard of
honour, composed of the Grenadier Guards, under the com-
mand of his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Sage
Weimar. An extra special train arrived at Windsor at half-
past two o 111/111 uospurt, viral the luggage, horses,
and carriages belonging to the Royal establishment.
The Countess de Lavradio has been confined to
her residence, Gloucester-place, since Tuesday last, by
slight indisposition,

The Duke of Devonshire is passing the season at
his seat, Holkar Hall, in Westmoreland, where his Grace is
entertaining a.select circle of visitors.

The Earl and Countess of Derby's party at
Knowsley has been broken up in consequence of the
lamented death of the Countess of Wilton. The hospita-
lities at Knowsley during the approaching festive season
have also been abandoned.

The Earl of Malmesburn who arrived in town
on Saturday, from visiting the Earl and Countess of Hard-
wicke, at Wimpole, and the Marquis and Marchioness of
Salisbury, at Hatfield, left Whitehall-gardens in the even-
ing to join the Countess of Malmesbury at Heron Court,
near Christchurch. •

The Earl and Countess of Yarborough are
shortly expected in town, from Brighton.
The Earl of Shelburne left Lansdowne House
on Friday, for Bowood.

The Countess Dowager of Meath has left Cla.
ridge's Hotel, for Sermicotts, near Chichester.

Lord and Lady Olivia Ossulston have left Cla
ridge's Hotel, for ChiHingham Castle, near Alnwick.

Lord and Lady Worsley are at present in Rome,

Count and Countess de Flahault and Miss
Elphinstone de Flahault have left Coventry House on a
visit to the Marquis of Lansdowne, at Bowood.
The Hon. Mrs. Keith Falconer has left Farrance's
Hotel, Belgravia, for Brighton.

Sir Robert and Lady Emily Peel arrived in town
a few days since from Drayton Manor, Staffordshire, and
intend to go to Nice until the meeting •f Parliament.

Sir John and Lady 'Shelley have returned to
Maresfield Park from a tower of visits.

Mr. Alison, attache to her Majesty's Embassy a

tie Ottoman Porte, has arrived at the Brunswick Hotel.

On Saturday the marriage of Miss Fanny
Martin, daughter of Sir Samuel Martin, Knt., and one of
the Barons of her Majesty's Court of Exchequer, and grand-
daughter of the Chief Baron, with Edward M'Naughton,
son of Sir E. M'Naughton, was solemnised in the presence
of a distinguished circle at St. Peter's-church Eaton-
square, Pimlico.

With regard to the operas which are to happen
at Drury-lane, rumour mentions among other artists who
may take part in them, Madame Viardot, Mr. Sims
Reeves, and Signor Radia.

Mdlle. Victoire Balfe, the daughter of the most
popular of English composers, is engaged at the San Carl•
at Naples, as prima donna.

Mr. Edmund Glover, of Glasgow, long known in
connection with theatricals there, has just built a fine
theatre at Greenock, which is to be opened on the 27th of
this month.

Rumour asserts that Miss Amy Sedgwick will
probably succeed Mr. Charles Kean as the lessee of the.
Princess's Theatre. In the meanwhile, itis understood
that she will appear at the Haymarket shortly after Christ-
mas, in a new comedy by Mr. J. Palgrave Simpson.

•
We regret to announce the somewhat sudden
death of Mr. Frederick Neale, the stage manager of the
Pavilion Theatre, which took place on Saturday last, at his
house, Green-terrace, Whitechapel, after a brief illness. Mr.
Neale's name has now for twenty years past been prom -
nently before the public at the East-end of London in
connection with theatricals as a manager.
The colossal lion has arrived at the British
Museum. It is still in its case in the court-yard, and will
so remain (says the Atheneum) till the glass box for the
reception of this and other expected antiquities from the
East and Carthage is completed, and the noble front of the
Museum turned into the likeness of a tinker's street in
Whitechapel.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ON THE TEMPERANCE
MOVEMENT.-Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., the Attorney-
General, presided on Friday evening at the temperance
meeting, held in the Corn Exchange, Ipswich. In address-
ing the meeting, Sir Fitzroy said it was with great satis •
faction that he appeared to give his countenance and sup-
port to a movement which was making great—and he
hoped its friends would shortly be enabled to say, com-
pletely successful—progress among many classes of the
people. The movement was one in which he could not
but feel that the well-being, the happiness, and the best
and dearest interests, both temporal and eternal, of our
fellow-creatures were involved. His friend, the late Mr.
Baron Alderson, had declared his conviction, after
many years' experience at the bar and on the bench,
that four-fifths of the crimes committed in England
might be traced to intemperance ; and he (Sir F. Kelly)
was sure that if this degrading vice could be removed from
society a state of things would follow in which an amount
of innocence, virtue, and general happiness would prevail
such as no man would be sanguine enough to foretell. Ini-
pr2ssed with this belief, he had felt it a sacred duty, amidst
many other occupations which left him little time to attend
to such meetings, however important their objects might
be, to lend the temperance movement what' little aid he
could. He was not aware to what extent the movement
had succeeded in the county of Suffolk, but he rejoiced to
hear, from time to time, that the principles of temperance
were advancing, and were supported and practised to a con-
derable extent in the borough of Ipswich, (Applause.)