The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

THE BALLOT LAW IN AU,STRALI.4.

A. copy of the electoral law of the colony of Vic-
toria as forwarded to England for the royal assent
appears in the shape of a Parliamentary paper just
isened, and in zccordance w th an address of the
House of Commons. The following clauses in this
measure refer to the vote by ballou, which has now
become the law in Victoria : •
Sec. XXXV. At every booth or poliiog place
there shill be one or more compartments or ballot
rooms provided- with ink and pens for the purpose
of enabling the elector to mark the ballot paper as
hereinafter provided, in which room no person
other than the returning officer or hi 4 deputy, the
poll clerk, and the scrutineers of the several candi-
dates to be appointed as heieinafier pi ovided., and
the electors who shall for that time be tendering
their votes shall be entitled to be present, and any
person other than such returning officer, Pell clerk,
scrutineers, and elec tors actuallyrecording their votes
who shall intrude into such room, shall be deemed
euilty of a misdemeanour. Provided always, that
it shall be lawful for the returning officer, and de-
puty returning officer, or poll clerk, to summon to
his assistance in such compartment or room any
member or members of the police force for the pur-
pose of preserving the public peace, quelling any
breach thereof that may have-arisen, and for re-
moving out of such room any person or persons who
may, in his opinion, be obstructing the polling or
wilfully violating auy of the provisions of this act.
XXXVI. The returning officer, or his deputy,
shall provide a locked box, of which he ehall keep
the key, with a cleft or opening in such box capable
of receiving the ballot-paper, and which box
shall stand upon the table at which the returning).e'-
officer, deputy returning-officer or poll-clerk, and
scrutineers preside. And each elector shall, having
previously satisfied as herein provided the return-
ing officer or his deputy that he is entitled to vote
at such election, then receive from the returning-
officer, or deputy returning-officer, or poll-clerk, a
ballot paper in the form in the schedule hereunto
annexed, marked (F), and which ballot paper shall
be signed on the back by the returning-officer with
,his name, and such elector shall in the compart-
ment or ba!lot room provided for the purpose,
strike out the names of such candidates as he dues
not intend to vote for, and shall forthwith fold up
the same in such manner as will conceal the names
of the candidates, and display that of the return-
ing-officer written upon thebacir," and deposit it in
the ballot box in the pre:eace of the returning-offi-
cer, or deputy returning-officer, or poll-clerk and
scrutineers ; and in case such elector shall be unable
to read or shall be blind he shall signify the same
to the returning officer or deputy returning-officer
or poll-clerk, who shall thereupon mark or strike
out the names of such candidates as thegelector may
designate, and no elector shall take out of such
room any such ballot paper either before or after
he has marked the same, and any elector willingly
infringing any of the provisions of this clause, or
obstructing the polling by any unnecessary delay
in performing any act within the ballot-room, shall
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour.
XXXVII. After the nomination of the several
candidates for the province or district shall have
taken place, the returning officer shall cause to be
printed a number of ballot-papers in the form (F),
which ballot papers he shall keep in his own cus-
tody, and before the day of polling he shall deliver
to each deputy returning officer such number of
ballot papers, signed by himself, as shall 'lee suffi-
cient for the electors who may poll at 'the booth or
polling place within such deputy's division ; and
he shall also sign a sufficient number of ballot
'papers for the electors who may poll at the booth
or polling place over which he shall himself pre-
side, and it shall be the duty of the returning offi-
cer, and deputy returning officer, to keep an exact
account of such signed ballot papers.
XXXVILL Before delivering the ballot paper to
the ,elector, as hereiobefore provided, the returning
officer, or deputy returning officer, or poll clerk,
shall write upon each ballot paper so delivered to
such elector the number corresponding to the num-
ber set opposite to the elector's name in the elec-
toral roll, and shall thereupon check or mark off
upon a certified copy of the electoral roll such
voter's name as having voted, and such numbers so
corresponding as aforesaid shall be sufficient prima
facie evidence of the identity of the electors whose
names shall appear on the roll, and of the fact of
their having voted at the election, at which such
ballot papers were delivered.

xxkix. The returning officer shall preside at
one polling-place within his province or district,
and shall appoint by writing under his hand a de-
puty or deputies or poll clerk to act for him and
preside at each of the other polling places or
booths appointed as aforesaid for taking the poll
for such province or district or any division there-
of respectively, and a poll clerk for each compart-
ment or ballot room when there are more than one.
XLl.—Each candidate may appoint one person
to be scrutineer at each booth, or polling place, and
in every compartment thereof at the election, and
every person so appointed scrutineer shall, upon
his appointment, make and subscribe the following
declaration in the presence of the returning officer,
or deputy returning officer :---

•
"I, A. 8., a scrutineer appointed by C. D., a
candidate at the election of a member to serve in
the Legislative Council (or in the Legislative As-
sembly, as the case may he) for X., do hereby
solemnly declare that I will faithfully assist at such
election, and that I will not attempt to ascertain
for whom any elector shall vote, neither will I by
any word or action directly or indirectly aid in the
discovery of the same unless in answer to any ques-
tion which I am legally bound to answer, or in
compliance with the provisions of this act."
SCHEDULE F.
BALLOT PAPER—FORIA.
Province (or district) of [here insert name of pro-
vince or district].
Candidates' names (here arranged alphabetically)
—William.Brown, Henry Smith, Charles Stevens,
John Thompson. The voter is to strike out the
name or names of the candidate or candidates for
.whome he does not intend to vote by drawing a line
through the same with a pen.
He must be careful not to leave uncancelled more
names then are capable of being returned for the
province or district in which he votes, namely (here
insert number), names, otherwise his ballot-paper
will be invalid.

If he cannot read he may require the returning
officer or deputy returning officer to strike out for
him suchlnarne or names as be may designate.
The"ballot-paper so marked by or for the voter is
to be dropped by him into the ballot box.

The voter is not to be permitted to take his bal-
lot paper out of the ballot room or polling booth.

LETTER FROM SIR JOHN BO WRING.

( From the Western Times.)
We last week published an extract from a letter re•
ceived by a lady in Exeter, from Hong Kong, in which
there was a very touching account of the poisonings,
and a hymn of thanksgiving composed by Sir John Bow -
ring, and sung in the service which had been offered up
to the Almighty, in gratitude for his sparing mercy.
We regretted to have to issue that noble effusion with-
out the opportunity of offering some remarks on it ; but
the excitement of the pending election forbade it.
We know Sir John to be a man of the purest benevo-
lence—a lover of peace from his youth upwards, full of
the noblest and loftiest aspirations for humanity. We
have felt that he must necessarily be right in this ques-
tion, whatever aspect it may bear; and the following
letter, received by an Exeter friend of the right bon.
gentleman's wi,l show that the same prinCiples which
won him favour iu the eyes of the public still animate
his judgment, and direct his councils whilst clothed with
the responsibility of office :
" Government-house, Hong Kong, 15th Feb., 1857.
"My dear Sir,—l receiveregularly the Western Times, and
thank you for sending it. Now and then I get a Devonian
here to interest himself in it. At present we have here
Captain Fortesque, who commands the Barracouta, and
excellent service ho has done. The vessel is the terror of
the enemy.
" No doubt you,have heard of the attempt to poison the
European resident of the colony. No one of my family
escaped, and I had several guests, all of whom eat of the
poisoned bread. Lady B. suffered much, some of the
arsenic having got into her lungs. I hope my life has been
preserved for some purposes useful to icy country and to
mankind. It is a perplexing position to know that a price
is set on our heads, that our servants cannot be trusted,
that a premium is offered to any incendiary who will set
fire to our dwellings to any murderer who will poison or
destroy us. Yet re try to possess our souls in peace, and
I have the fullest persuasion that all which is taking place
is co-operant to good—to great and permanent good.
"If my life and health be preserved, and I still am
honoured with the confidence which is placed in me, I
trust to render a good account of my stewardship.ire
have many grievances to redress, and I will try to redress
them; many securities to obtain, and I mean to obtain
thew. lam sure we shall be accompanied by.the good
wishes of good men. With kind regards to those who re-
member,

" My dear Sir, most faithfullyd jouyzioußrso,wßlNG.,,

DESPATCH OF THE A USTRALIAN MAILS.--This day,
the mails for %Vest and South Au,tralis, Victoria, Met-
bourne, New South Wales, Sydney, Van Diemen's
Land, Hobart Town, and New Zealant', will be made
up and despatched by the contract mail steam-packet
Etna, via Southampton and the Isthmus of Suez. An
additional despatch will take place via Marseilles, on
the evening of the 16th inst.
MAIL FOR THE CAPE OF GOOD 110PIL—ACCIDENT TO
THE TRANSlT.—yesterday, by command of the Post-
master-genera!, notice was issued at the Chief Office,
St. llilartin's-le Grand, that in consequence of the accident
to the Transit, the mails on board for the Caps of Good
Hope would be tran a iir ped on beard her Majesty's
steamer Himalaya, to sail from Portsmouth on the
arrival, of the post from London on the evening of the
15th inst. Supplementary mails will also be despatched
for the Cape of Good Hope by the Himalaya. All
newspapers and letters must be specially addressed "By
her Majesty's steamer Himalaya. '