The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-23 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—Will you kindly insert the accompanying
letter on certain fallacies of the Times as regards
the Ballot, which the editor of that paper declines
to admit P—l am, &c.,

F. HENRY F. BERKELEY.
Victoria-square, Feb. 22.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—You have refused insertion in your paper
to letters of mine, addressed to you in perfect
courtesy and in the desire to correct certain mis-
statements which I found in your columns, and
when by the kindness of other editors the letters
which I had the honour to address to you appeared
in their papers, you answered my statements in
your own columns, thus evincing the fact that you
attached importance to communications to which
you denied a circulation. The fact is a contradic-
tion to your assertion in your leading article of
to-day, that consistently with space and time
yon were always ready to afford me a full and fair
hearing. I know too well the value of space in your
paper to attempt improperly to avail myself of it.
Will you allow me, then, to ask you, in reference
to a column and a quarter of ingenious wordiness in
to-day's Times, what one algument there is against
the ballot ? Are you prepared now to deny that
which you very recently asserted, that on secrecy
depends the independence of the press. One word
on your to-day's argument on the analogy of the
press and the ballot. The metaphysical essence
called a "newspaper" clearly is responsible so far
as the law of libel is a check upon the editor, as the
metaphysical essences called " St. Albans" and
" Sudbury" were responsible to the bribery laws and
were disfranchised : the difference is in the present
positions of the units of which those essences are
made up. Unless the individual writers in the press
were personally unknown, and therefore personally
irresponsible, if they were compelled to attach their
signatures to their articles, and so become respon-
sible for them, no pay which the Times could offer
would procure men of talent to undertake the ardu-
ous office. The liberty of the press would then receive
its death-blow, and that which is an Englishman's
distinctive pride and boast would depart for ever.
We have seen a remarkable instance of this in the
last day or two. Nearly every paper has had ano-
nymous articles against a recent scandalous legal
appointment. Professional newspapers, as well as
the ordinary press, have spoken out freely, because
the writers wrote secretly. Would there have been
the same outspoken burst of indignation had a
record been kept against every writer of the articles
he wrote on this point ? To the secrecy of the
press and its consequence—the independence o
the press—the country owes its deliverance from a
bad judge. Such is the fact as regards the writers
in newspapers. How different the position to
the elector ! He has as solemn a duty to perform,
but in the performance of that duty he is not
equally protected. At the present moment the
majority of electors do not perform that duty—they
are not permitted "to do their own voting;" while
secrecy protects your writers from that very malign
influence which you are determined to perpetuate
on the elector, and your writers consequently "do
their own writing." Say what you please, the two
cases are perfectly analogous. As for stabbing in
the dark, and secrecy producing evil deeds, and the
electoral ballot-box being a horror, why have you
not the same horror of all the other ballot-boxes ?
Parliamentary elections are almost the only viva
voce elections in this country, and parliamentary
electors are consequently almost the only electors
who suffer under intimidation. It may do very
well to bluster in a leading article about stabbing
in the dark, relying on the article taking effect on
thoughtless persons ; but who can the elector stab ?
What is the meaning of an elector stabbing some
imaginary person or persons r When an elector in
secret votes for the candidates Brown and Jones
and rejects Robinson, does he stab Robinson ? If
the elector voted in public, according to this, he
must stab some person ; and surely, since we are
to use your terms, it is much better that the elector
should stab Robinson with his vote in secrecy, if
it so please him, than be compelled, under a threat
of ruin, to stab Brown and Jones in public, and.
send Robinson to Parliament. I pass by that evi-
dent attempt to bully the man while you shun his
arguments which pervades your leading article on
the " Ballot Dinner." So far from taking umbrage,
I am pleased to see how very little lightning accom-
panies such an amount of thunder.

I am, &c.,

F. HENRY F. BERKELEY.
Victoria-square, February 18.

FINANCES OF WALLA CHIA.

A document of consider—able interest at the presen t
moment has just been made public : it is the report
of M. Cattardji, Minister of Finance of Wallachia,
to the Caimakanie, which has just resigned its
powers. From this statement it would appear that
if Prince Ghika and his supporters did not actually
use the public funds as a means of influencing in
their favour those whose votes might be serviceable
in the new elections, at any rate the late Hospodar
had no mind to smooth the financial path of his
successor, who takes office with an empty treasury
and a considerable amount of public debt ready
made to his hands.

The report reviews the financial operations from
the month of August, 1856, at which time the
Vestiaria had in its treasury £55,000. On the Ist
November last this was reduced to about £2,500,
exclusive of £16,000 belonging to the courts of law.
At the former period the sum of £66,743 was paid
in to the Vestiaria for the service of the nationa
debt, in pursuance of a vote of the General As-
sembly ; but not only has that amount disap-
peared, but also a further sum of £58,240, derived
from various sources, and in addition to this a de-
ficit is 'announced in the budget of some £62,000
more.

These figures appear small to Englishmen, accus-
tomed to deal with revenue and expenditure in
millions ; but they are large when applied to the
finances of a principality whose income was esti-
mated at about £275,000, and its expenditure at
about £220,000, including the tribute to the Porte.
The list of the extraordinary payments which
have brought about this state of the Wallaskian
finances is rather curious, and among them appear
the following items.
Compensation granted to the farmers of the re-
venue at Ibraila and Giurgevo, for losses arising
from the foreign occupation of 1853 and 1854, £17,150.
But these claims had already been rejected by the
administrative council of 1854-5, and as they have
not been sanctioned by any judicial decision, it
may be supposed that Prince Ghika looked for a
quid pro quo on the part of those to whom they
were paid. Three items, viz., " extraordinary mis-
sions. " divers supplementary expenses," and " in-
crease in the number of post-horses beyond those
specified in the contracts," absorb £6,586. " Furni-
ture for the houses occupied by the members of the
Commission of Organisation, £8,600," which was
resold for less than £2,000, while the hire and re-
pair of those houses cost £4,500, and sundry build-
ings purchased amount to £3,300 more. Clearly
the presence of the friends who were to endow the
Principalities with a constitution was almost as dis-
astrous to the finances as the foreign occupation,
considering the time each lasted ; for under this
latter head appears " compensation for hire and
repair of houses occupied by foreign troops,
£14,400," making, with the sum previously paid
on that account, above £31,000.

M. Cattardji hints pretty strongly that he has
little faith in the honesty of the above payments,
and winds up his report with four paragraphs. The
first sets forth the fact that all the treasuries of the
Vestiaria are empty, and that payments were made
out of the first cash that came to hand, irrespective
of its source, or legitimate destination. The second
states that since August, 1856, the Vestiaria has got
rid of more than £llO,OOO, although the revenues
had received an important increase from the con-
tracts for farming the state domains ; and that
under a proper system of finance the £llO,OOO
ought now to be in the treasury in cash, whereas
loans have been raised at 7 and 8 per cent. from
private individuals. Thirdly, the national debt is
not diminished, the £66 743 paid over for that pur-
pose having been otherwise dissipated. Finally, in
the course of two years and four months £47,400 has
been distributed by way of gratifications to various
individuals, some of whom have received from
£1,750 to £2,250, and to pay these sums not only
has the whole of the grain reserve been employed,
but £2,200 has been raised on that item in antics
pation, and £4,000 has been taken from the fund
of the frontier guards, which had hitherto been
h

eld sacred under all circumstances.
It will be somewhat curious to see how the new
Government sets about managing its finances, for
the above statement corroborates very strongly the
opinion uttered by a Moldavian Boyar on board
one of the Danube steamers. One of the passengers
asked him what he thought was the real "question
of the Principalities ?" He replied, " The question
is, who is to have the power of putting his hand
into the public purse ; we who are out think that
it ought to be our turn ; they who are in are not of
the same opinion." So Prince Ghika took care
leave no cash behind him on quitting (Aim

QUEEN -ANNE'S BOUNTY.—The receipts of the
Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty. for the year 1857
amounted to V 27,180 anti the dpibursements to £218,350 ;
£25,518 was paid for the purchase of tithe rentcharge,
houses, lands, and buildings ; £35,M3 for the erection of
resident houses and 39,489 was lent on mortgage to build
glebe-houses.

,

THIRD EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'clock.

LINCOLN RACES.

(THIS DAY).

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.]
THE TRIAL STAKES.
Dead heat between Lifeboat and the Speaker.

Six ran.
DECIDING HEAT.

Lifeboat
Speaker 2
BROCKLESBY STAKES.

Spicebox .
Lady Falconer
Buttercup
Fourteen ran.
CITY HANDICAP.

Mr. Sykes
Nosegay
Captain Wedderburn
Fifteen ran.
HANDICAP STEEPLECHASE.

__.
Tease ____ 1
Chance 2
Flatcatcher 3
Twelve ran.

LATEST BETTING.
LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE.
12 to 1 agat Jealousy (taken)

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THis DAY).
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a second time and ordered
to be committed :—Atlantic Telegraph Company (No. 2) ;
Indian and Australian Telegraph Company (No. 2) ; Liver-
pool Corporation Water ; Ilyfni Vale Railway; North
Staffordshire Railway; Sittingbourne and Sheerness Rail-
way (Working Arrangements, &c.) ; West End of London
and Crystal Palace Railway (No. 2).
WESTON-SUPER-MARE IMPROVEMENT AND