The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-03 00:00:00

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

The market opens quiet. Sales probably 6,000
or 7,000 bales.

The Power of Returning-officers at Elections.

The law which regulates the duties of returning-
officers in England, Scotland, and Ireland is some-
what anomalous. In England the fact of being
returning-officer is of itself no objection to a vote,
but a returning-officer has no second or casting
vote, and the practice when votes are equal is in
favour of a double return, or, if needs be, as in case
of a former election at Knaresborough, a treble re-
turn. A learned riter considers that if the votes
are equal it is a void election, but adds that " the
returning-officer may, without incurring censure,
return either all the candidates who have equal
numbers, or only one." But there is one case on
record where the returning-officer, finding the
numbers equal, declared if he possessed a cast-
ing vote he. gave it for Mr. W. When, how-
ever, the case came before the committee, the
second vote was given up without argument. In
Scotland, by 2 and 3 Wm. IV., sheriffs are di-
rected to make double returns if the votes are
equal ; while in Ireland, by 35 Geo. 111., the re-
turning officer is obliged to give a casting vote,
whether he is otherwise qualified or not, under a
penalty of £2,000. In England, therefore, a re-
turning officer may make a double return, in Scot-
land ought to do so, and iu Ireland is forbidden
under penalty to return two members. In Ireland,
therefore, the mayor may. in some cases, as return-
ing officer, return the candidate favourable to his
own or his party's views. The case of Helston,
which has just occurred, in which a Cornish may or
has invested himself with Irish privileges, and ar-
rogated to himself a casting vote, must shortly
come before the House, and we trust that some
notice will be taken of such a needless discrepancy
in the election laws of the two countries. At the
same time it will be a nice point to decide whether
the mayor has not violated a privilege of the House.
Still, in the case of Helston, the same telegram
which announces the state of the poll tells us that
the Liberals had only a colorable majority, which on
a scrutiny is likely to prove a true majority for their
opponents.—Morning Post.

The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up
to this date, are in round figures as under:—

1866. 1865.
Great Western ... £71,692 £71,199
North Western ... ... 120,478 111,692
South Western. ... 23,383 27,163
Brighton 20,074 22,649
Midland ... 50,383 45,895
South Eastern ... ... 22,260 22,384
Great Northern ... 38,028 37,004
Lancashire and Yorkshire ... 44,680 38,546
Bristol and Exeter ... 7,196 7,151
North Eastern 69,965 65,163
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln ... 20,899 18,231
Great Eastern ... 34,597 35,336
London, Chatham, and Dover ..... 9,703 9,018
These returns, when compared with those of the
corresponding period of last year, are in most in-
stances very satisfactory. On the Great
Western there is an increase of £493 ; on the
North Western of £8,786; Midland, £4,488 ;
Great Northern, £1,024; Lancashire and York-
shire, £6,134 ; Bristol and Exeter, £45 ; North
Eastern, £4,802 ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
coln, £2,668 ; and London, Chatham, and Dover,
£685 ; while the South Western shows a decrease
of £2,780; Brighton, £2,575 ; South Eastern,
£124 ; and the Great Eastern, £939.

LEGITIMATE TRADE IN AFRICA.—The factories of
Yelbana, in the Sherbro, and Sulymah, in the Gallinas
rivers, upon the West Coast of Africa, are now in full ope-
ration. The sites upon which these factories have been
erected were once the strongest holds of the slave trade,
and at the Gallinas, a few short years ago, a slave factory
existed, which has been completely destroyed by the exei-
tions of a Mr. Harris. The result of the establishment of
factories in the palm-oil, rice, and timber trades, has been
to create a marked change in the habits of the surrounding
tribes, who from a lawless state of existence have become
peaceable and civilised, and property now is quite safe in
their hands. The extension of legitimate trade upon the
African continent is the surest means of destroying the
iniquitous slave trade.
CHOLERA AMONGST FOREIGN EMIGRANTS IN
LlTERrom—Two emigrants, one a Dane (a female) and
the other a German (a male), who arrived early in the
week from Hull, and were staying at a lodging-house in
Hanover-street, Liverpool, were yesterday seized with
cholera. They were M once removed to the workhouse.
The local authorities are fully alive to the importance of
precautionary measures, which are all the more needed in
Liverpool, from the great number of German emigrants of
the lowest class constantly arriving.

NAVY ESTIMATES.—We understand that a sup-
plementary estimate is to be brought forward for repairing
the Chancellor of the Exchequer's boats, which he so has-
tily burnt the other day. The expense is likely to be heavy.
—The Owl.

FREE TRADE IN THE UNITED STATES.—An ad-
dress from the Free-Trade Association of London
to the American Free-Trade League, signed by Mr.
Richard Moore, the chairman, and Mr. Jno. Noble, the
secretary, has been forwarded to New York, by the City of
Paris, which sails this day (May 3d). The address
consists mainly of a resume of the financial policy of Great
Britain since 1842, especially as to its effects upon revenue
and trade, forming a short and comprehensive history
of the fiscal history of the period. In special relation to
tho United States it urges theinconsistency of Protective
duties with the Declaration of Independence, the necessity
of Free Trade, if a large revenue is to be required, and its
importance as a means of reorganising trade and industry
in the Southern and extending manufactures in the
Northern States.

PLYMOUTII, Wednesday.—The ship Goolwa, Cap-
tain Johnson, belonging, to Messrs. Anderson, Thomson,
and Co., of Billiter-court, from Port Augusta, Adelaide,
January 6, passed up Channel yesterday and landed a
small mail and one passenger here. Her cargo for London
includes 2,858 bales wool, 44 bales skins, 5,002 bags cop-
per ore, 40 pigs copper, 50 tons cobbing, 32 bales and 7G
bags Mimosa bark, 556 bags ground bark, 42 bales and 250
bags chopped ditto, and punch 7 leather, mohair, skins,
lid till.