The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-15 00:00:00

THE MAYO ELECTION.

The Committee on the Mayo Eleeion have de-
cided that Mr. George Henry Moore was not duly
elected, on account of the undue influence exerciteed
by his agents. The importance of this judgment
can hardly be overrated. The power of recent
legislation to put a stop to such practices as have
for years disgraced Irish elections is now est tblished.
The Committee declare " that undue influence and
spiritual intimidation prevailed to a considerable
extent at the last election for the county of Mayo,"
and that " the Rev. Peter Conway and the Rev.
Luke Ryan wee so prominently active that the
Committee deem it their duty to report t'ieir con-
duct to the house, in order that such steps may he
aken as may seem to the house to be proper and
necessary." It is to be hoped that the precedent
of this case will govern the decisions of all future
Committees, and that "spiritual intimidation"
may t4ke its place among the offences for which a
seat is furfe ted. Should the house be able to in-
flict any punishment on Fathers Conway and Ryan
for their gross abuse of their sacrel functions, we
shall rejoice extremely ; but, in any cas-, let it be
known that such transgressions will only bring
defeat on the parties whom they are intended to be-
friend. The great thing is to establish that such
iuterference and such terrorism as have been proved
against these Irish priests is illegal, and vitiates an
election. The present decision makes tltis point
no longer doubtful, and from this time we may
look for the abatement of a most scandalous evil.

It is generally admitted that bribery and intimi-
dation must be repressed with a strong hand.
Whatever strength there may be in the cry for the
Ballot arises from the fact that in bygone years,
and in some degree at present, men have been se-
duced or forced from the proper exercise of their
electoral privilege by influences which i. seemed
impossible to remove, an I which, therefore, it
was necessary to evade. But lately we find that
these abuses are becoming less and less. No one
can pretend that the late elections in the United
Kingdom did not represent molt accurately the
spirit of the country. We are living down bribery,
corruption, and intimidation. A landowner or an
employer of labour may use his power unfairly in
a few cases, but as a general rule the milt whose
opinions are most popular with the comti news,
obtains his seat. This is partly owing to improved
public morality, partly to the fear of public censure,
partly to the stringent legislation of the last few
years. Parliament has proceeded to cut the ground
from under the supporters of the Ballot by remov-
ing the abuses which caused men to look to secret
voting as their only hope. In the course which it
has commenced it will do right to continue until
all the traditional excesses of election time have
passed away. Now, when landlords and manufac-
turers are giving up their habits of interference,
when even Government abstains from forcing the
consciences of Dockyard labourers, the spiritual des-
pots of Ireland must also learn moderation. As
to Archbishop M'Hale's theory, that the vote of a
Catholic should be determined by the opinion of
his priest, it cannot be assented to for a moment.
Certainly, with any colloquy between shepherd and
sheep we have nothing to do. If every voter in
Mayo were to consult his parish priest or his bishop,
and willingly follow his advice, no ono would have
the right to interfere, or could prove any cause for
interference ; but when the clergyman seeks to
impose his wishes on unwilling laymen, when he
denounces future perdition to the ignorant, in
order to terrify them into compliance, still more
when directly or indirectly he threateas them with
popular vengeance or social excommunication, then
the country will interfere. It is decided that
" spiritual intimidation" comes within the meaning
of the term " undue influence," and, as undue in-
fluence unseats the candidate in whose favour it is
employed, the holy canvassers of the sister island
must learn what prudence they can. In the present
case it was proved that the priests made political
harangues from the altar ; that they threatened
damnation to the voters for Col. Higgins, denouncing
them collectively and by name ; that, on account of
these inflammatory speeches, many of the electors
were in danger of their lives, and that such arts
were mainly the cause of Mr. Moore's victory.
It is also known that two witnesses who deposed to
these facts before the committee have been se-
verely beaten since their return to Ireland, and
that one of them now lies in a precarious state. If
our election system is to be brought to anything
like freedom and purity, such doings must be put
down. To unseat an English member for employ-
ing too large a number of messengers at a few
shillings a bead, and to spare an Irish member
whose priestly agents had been guilty of intimida-
tion in its most atrocious form, would indeed be a
perversion of justice. So Mr. G. H. Moore must
bid adieu to Mayo, and be content to stand as a
warning for Catholic aspirants to political eminence.
—Times.

SIR COLIN CAMPBELL AND SIR

PATRICK GRANT:

The following letter has been addressed to the
Edttor of the Times:—

Sir,—The next mail to India will carry with it
numerous copies of the Times of this morning for
the officers of the army and for the civilians in that
country, The previous mail will have landed Sir
Colin Campbell at Calcutta. In your leading
article of this morning there are remarks upon that
officer which are likely to injure his military cha-
racter, and which will assuredly tend to indispose
the English in India towards him, and towards an
acquiescence in the policy which has sent him there
as Commander-in-Chief. Although Sir Colin
Campbell, to my regret, has left me behind, and I
am no loinger one of his staff, still I cannot remain
mute when I see a renewal of attempts to sap his
reputation, and, at the risk of exposing myself to
misconstruction and to hostility from a formidable
body of Company's officers, I beg to trouble you
with a few remarks upon this leading article.
There is an old adage abont comparisons, and it
is to be borne iu mind that I have not originated this
one. I believe those who are well acquainted with
the antecedents of Sir Patrick Grant and of Sir
Colin Campbell would not have thought it for the
advantage of the former that such a comparison
should have been made. The writer of the article
says—...

I' Public opinion, not only of India, lout of this coun-
try, points to Sir Patrick Grant as just the man for the
occasion, and possessed of the very experience, temper,
and otner qualities for dealing with the native soldiers.
It certainly seems much be regretted that any mere
etiquette or other formality should make it necessary to
supersede him (Sir P. Grant), perhaps at the moment of
success, or while carrying out plans of which he ;Ilene is
fully master. Sir Colin Campbell, though a brave and
good soldier, and without a superior in command of a
brigade, has never yet bad even the opportunies of show-
ing those powers of combination necessary for the sup
pression of a wide-spread mutiny—perhaps for there
conquest of an immense empire. Here, then, weir. 3
qualities which we seem to be throwing away."
I should wish to be int-armed on what occasion
Sir Patrick Grant ever commanded evena, 000 men
against an enemy in the field, or when he sup-
pressed any mutiny. Sir Patrick Grant is an
officer of Sepoys—not only of Sepoye, but of Ben-
gal Sepoys. Unless he be totally free from the pre-
judices of that class of officers, he is, so far, as un-
suitable a person as could have been placed in
command during the present emergency. The
'universal feeling of these officers has been an un-
bounded admiration of the Bengal Sepoy, that is,
of the high caste Sepoy, in a single regiment of
whom these will be frequently found 400 priests,
etelnvesse.preljli
judsicaedsmoirf caatisoten
hthasanbtne
carried
dituns
to say nothing of others scarcely less imbued with
eeehms an extent that it has scarcely
israa.puprdsearreedd even
now, when these Brahmins have
officers and their wives and children. Sir Patrick
Grant was Lord Gough's Adjutant-General, and
from his position on the Staff he was necessarily his
Lordship's
principal advis'r during the many ques-
tionable battles on the Sutlei and in the Punjab.
But 1 believe he held no separate command.
It may be stated that it is a mistake to assert
that Sir Colin Campbell is only " without a supe-
rior in command of a brigade," for he c,ommanded.
at Lahore and at Peshawur, and manoeuvred in the
field against a fierce enemy, in many affairs where
he was alone responsible, a force of five or six bat-
teries of artillery, as many cavalry regiments, and
14 battalions of infantry. In these affairs he
, was
1
constantly successful. At one period he ;,'td the
command of more than 50,000 men of alt arms.
Her Majesty's army in India will hail his arrival
as they would a large accession to the ft rce. The
hard-working and intelligent officers will know
that they will be appreciated and upheld ; the idle
and ignorant will believe and tremble. I deny the
justice of the statement that public opinion agrees
to your eulogies on Sir Patrick Grant at the expense
of Sir Colin Campbell, and I wait with confidence
for a very different andwell-pronounced award from
that public opinion, which was once misled, when
Sir Colin Campbell shall have held his command
for six months.

I have the honour to be, Sir, your
obedient servant,
A. C. STERLING, Lieutenant-Colonel.
3, South-place, Knightsbridge, S.W., July 14.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT•

HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at five o'clock.
The Doke of MONTROSE presented a petition from
place in Scotland against the Oaths Bill.
EDUCATION IN THE ARMY.
The Earl of HA.RDWICSE begged to ask the noble
lord the Secretary at War whether any new plan had
been determined upon for the education of candidates
for admission to the army, and if so, whether there would
be any objection to lay the document containing the
alterations on the table of the house ?
Lord PANIMURE said the question would involve
a very long explanation if he were to enter into details.
Re begged to inform the noble lord that the edu-
cation of the officers of the army was placed
under the superintendence of the Commander-in-
Chief, assisted by a council of three general
officers. That council had made its first report,
in which he entirely concurred, and as soon as it bad re-
ceived the approval of her Majesty, it would be laid upon
the table of the boa-e.
The Earl of HARDWICKE asked if it was intended
to make any alterations in the schools at Woolwich and

Sandhurst?
Lord PANMURE said it was intended to continuo
the two schools as far as possible on the same footing,
but as far as possible to render them more efficient for
the object for which they were established.
On the motion of Lord REDESDA.LE, the following
bills were read a second time :—Otl'y and Skipton Road,
East Somerset Railway, Mallow and Fermoy and Great
Southern and Western Railway, Great Northern and
Western of Ireland Extension Railway, Miiland Great
Western Railway of Ireland, and Giustiniani's Naturali-

motion.
On the motion of Lord REDESDALE the following bills
were read a third time and passed :—Banff and Macduff
and Tarriff Extension Railway ; Cork and Youghal
Railway ; Stockton New Gas, and Stockton Gas
Consumers ; Banff, Portroy, and Stathisla Railway ;
City of Glasgow and Suburban (as amended) ;
ford and Essendine Railway (as amended) ; Briton
Ferry and Victoria (London) Docks.

STATE OF INDIA.

Earl GRANVILLE said, in accordance with the
promise given list night, be now rose to communicate
all the information the Government had received from
India. The intelliger.ce was contained in several
telegraphic despatches, and contained no new facts be-
yond those published in the newspapersto•day. The noble
earl then read a number of despatches containing pre
cisely the same intelligence as that which will be found
in another part of The Sun.
ALE HOUSES LICENSING BILL.
Lord RAVENSWORTLI moved the second reading
of this bill, which was to alter the present mode of
granting licenses to houses for the sale of ale and beer.
Lord WENSLEYDALE objected to the bill,and moved
that it be read a second time that day six months. He
thought the tribunal it proposed to establisb, for the
granting and supervision of licenses, would not be as
efficient as that already in existence.
The hill was understood to be read a second time.
IRISH REPRESENTATIVE PEERS BILL.

Lord~REDESDALE mcved the second reading
of this bill, which was to place Irish peers upon the same
footing as Scotch peers.
The bill was read a second time.
CROWDED DWELLINGS PREVENTION BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
JOINT STOCK COMPANIES BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved the second
reading of this hill, which was to give the creditors
of an insolvent liint-stock company power to
take proper steps against those who were liable
to pay for the !nap 3Set of creating a comnon fund out of
which the creditors might be paid in full, provided there
was a sum raised sufficient to do so. If not, then the
debts were to be paid off proportionably.
Lord MONTEAGLE complained that the bill would
operate unjustly towards judgment creditors in Irelwld,
as it would destroy that priority which their judgments
gave them.
Lord WENSLEYDALE was understood to support
the bill.
L ird St. LEONARDS said thelrcreditors of joint.
stooks in Ireland ought to be placed on the same footing
as creditors of kiint-stock banks in England, as far as
their rights were concerned. In Eng'and the creditors
could make a bank bankrupt, but they could not do so
in Ireland.
The bill was then read a second time.
REGISTRATION OF LONG LEASES
(SCOTLAND) BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
TRANSPORT SHIPS.

The Earl of HARD WICKE rose to call the attention
of the house to the hiring of tonnage for the transport
service of the Government. The last year of the war as
much as five millions sterling was voted, and for the pre-
vious year three millions. In the last war the number of
hired transports was 118. The Government took up the
tonnage semi:times by the gross tonnage and sometimes
by the register tonnage. By the first method the public
lost one-third, because they paid for what they did not
get. Out of the 118 vessels, 24 were hired according to
their gross tonnage. The remainder were hired by regis-
ter. The 24 vessels wets 39,800 tons, and the gross
amount paid for these vessels was 92,0001. per mouth,
while those which had been hired by register tonnage,
taking the same number of vessel 4, cost 63,000/. per
month. Therefore the country had lost on those 24 ves-
sels 30,0001. per month. He bad brought this case fel.-
ware to chow the necessity of hiring ships by register
tonnage.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said he could not
give any any information upon the subject, as it was
one entirely within the province of the eletmiralty. He
would, however, make inquiries at the Admiralty, and
let the noble lord know the result.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH impressed upon the
Government the necessity of hiring good sailing vessali
for the conveyance of troops to India.
Lord PANMURE said the ships that had been hired
were all clippers, as he was informed by the chairman of
the East India Company.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE was somewhat alarmed
to hear that there was a divided authority in this matt<.r,
because he learnt from the noble lord that the East India
Company bad the can trol of these transports. He thougnt
the entire and sole control ought to be in the hands of
the Secretary for War.
The Eartof ELLENBOROUGH said the East India
Company paid for the ships, and of course they provided
tbem.
Lord PANMURE—That has always been the case.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INDIA.

The Elrl of HARDWICKE asked if any arrange-
ments had been made for facilitating the postal arrange-
ments for India ? The illustrious wan who governed
Franod would, he was convinced, do fnythiug that could
conduce to our canvenienco►. All the railways of France
were in the hands of the Government. The mails to
India were detained 24 hours at Mar,eill?s, and he would
be glad to know if any steps had been taken to prevent
that delay ?
The Duke of ARGYLL said the noble lord had con-
siderably overrated the delay which took place. He was
happy to inform his noble fricnd that in Feb. last the
Frtnch Government had male an arrangement for expe
diting the mails, which arrangement was to forward the
mails if they arrived in the day time by an express train.
The India mail arm ived at 11 o'clock last night, and
20,000 letters were delivered by the early delivery the
next morning.
The house then adjourned.