The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-27 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 18157

Westminster—we would gladly think—yester-
[ay struck the keynote for the Liberal °oust-

uencies.

It was but reasonable that the first members of
the New Parliament, anywhere chosen, should be
colleagues in the represent ttion of the very
borough which is itself the seat of the Imperial
Legislature.

It was auspicious for the cause of the Reformers
that these two successful candidat-s, lading off
the Parliamentary procession of six bu►►dred and
,dd, should be—not merely Liberals, but Ultra-
Liberals—not merely Reformers, but Radical Re-

Formers ! Who are these men ?• What are their
principles ? What are their antecedents We
ll know them, and knowing, respect them--as
vas signally testified by the acclamations with which
thPyweregreeted on the hustings, and by the unani-
laity with which they were returned without the
shadow of a shade of opposition. They were Sir
D 5 LACY EveNs and Sir JoHN SHELLEY: and their
political opinions are in a manner identical in all
that
mainly tends to affect the intereAs of the
Commonwealth. Beth are in favour of the
Bdlot. Both are Free Traders. Both are for
the abolition of Church Rates. BAh are for an
,rnmediate Extension of the Suffrage. Sir DE
LACY EvANs advocates in general terms the En-
`'ranchisement of all large towns throughout the
United Kingdom. Sir JOHN SHELLEY is desirous
Of securing
the E'ective Franchise to all rate-
payers whatsoever. The former has in a great ,

This day some HINDRED AND FOURTEEN
BOROUGHS will be called on to elect their repre-
sentatives l What a topic might it furnish for a
declamation on the liberties of Albion ! A con-
tinental Socialist dreamer, or a prize essay writng
lad at college, or a minister in opposition, or a
minister in office, who wanted to glorify the pre_
sent lest the future should be better, could soon
fill a column or two in their respective styles on
" the splendid spectacle which all Europe may
well envy." What would a German, what would
an Austrian, what would as Italian, what
would a Frenchman give, to be as free as these
hundred and fourteen boroughs to choose legis-
lators who could practically choose the Execu-
tive Governments of their respective countries.
Yet, we ask Reformers all over the kingdom,
where is the borough in which they could not
improve the representation In the long list we
find constituencies as different in number and
character as those of Finsbury,. Manchester, or
Birmingham, and Thetford, Arundel, or Caine—
perfect independence, and absolute dependence ;
boroughs all alive with business ; and others,
whose one or two streets, except it may be on
market days, see few vehicles but the baker's
cart, or more probably his barrow driven by his
buy, and dragged by his dog. Intermediate is
every conceivable variety, but very few indeed in
which DOD'S magic word, INFLUENCE, will not be
one ingredient in their character.

We appeal to Reformers in each borough
where a nomination takes places to-day, could
you not improve your representation ? Improve
it, we mean, by some simple, common-sense
arrangements, with respect both to persons and
things. Du you not know, if your borough be
large enough, numerous persons who ought in all
reason to have votes at this election, who will not
have them ? Do you not know that many of the
present voters (and many who ought to be voters)
are afraid to vote as they would like ? And do
you not know how they might be enabled to vote,
so that in your borough they would incur no
one's displeasure.
Could not a committee of sensible men in your
borough soon sketch some plan by which every
man of intelligence and character, or every hou,,e-
holder, or every one who was not in the receipt
of the country's money in the shape of parish re-
lief, shonld ♦ote through his representative, on
the laws he must obey and the taxes he must
pay ; and could not any of you tal, in one word,
the way in which both new and old voters might
be delivered from the " Legion " of evil spirits
which now " possess" the constituencies? " se-
ven upclean spirits," worse some of them than the

old borough-mongers, have haunted the house
which the Reform Bill was sweep so clean.
But, name them all—landlords, large employers,
customers, bribers, bankers, mortgagees, lawyers,
and could you not exercise the whole hatch of
them by the awful word—BALLOT I

We ask the constituencies, then, in the name
of common sense, to pledge their members to au
honest extension of the suffrage, and an honest
protection of the voter. These are the reforms
first wanted. Income-t ix reform, Bank reform,
Church-rate reform, that is, abolition ; Civil Ser-
vice reform ; Secret Diplomacy, that is, despot
diplomacy reform ; Ecclesiastical Courts reform :
—name any reform you please, all will depend
on political emancipation of taxpayers and free-
dom of voting. The Administrative Reformers
themselves, who at first resented the introduction
of these questions as an intrusion, now see that
an electoral oligarchy, for the more part the slaves
of an aristocratic oligarchy, will never ottain Ad•
ministrative Reform.

We ask of the few independent boroughs to
remember " their brethren in bonds "—and of
those in bonds to make a bold and fearless effort
to break them for once—for this once—for if a
vigorous band of determined reformers be sent to
the House this time it will inaugurate a new era.
Neither Lord PALMERSTON nor Lord JOHN RUS-
SELL, nor any Premier professedly of the Liberal
pasty, will dare to split it again too soon, and
too saucily. They will be obliged to stake their
credit on some advance, and it will be great in
proportion to the ability and fitnines of the
borough members. The twelfth hour is come—
Freemen of England, do your duty !
But what shall we say to the poor Thetfords,
Arundels, Abingdons, Woodstocks, (tc ? Are
they to be asked to seal their own political doom ?
Our reply is, better lose themselves in an extended
County Franchise than live as now in political
shame. Better be free in a county than slaves in
a borough. They pine on in disgrace, as tie
kept boroughs of those who have undone them,
but we commend to their attention a slightly
altered, or adapted, version of GOLDSMITH'S welt-
known lines :

" When country boroughs stoop to folly,
And find too late that lords betray,
What charin can soothe their Inflancnoly,
What art can wash their guilt away ?

" The only art their guilt to cover,
To hide their shame from every eye,
To give repentance to their lover,
And wring his bosom, is—to die."
Yes, ye " unfortunate femalas" of the consti-
tuencies, self-immolation is your only means of
regaining political respect, the only means 4,f
showing that you have not lost your own appre-
ciation of political virtue, and the only step by
which you can punish as they deserve those who
gratify their lust of power reckless of your dis-
honour.
Let all the boroughs of England, then—small
as welt as great—remember that
,Eugland expects
each borough to do its duty.

We arepleased to see that Prussia and the dowry,
or annuity job, for the Princess Royal are not
forgotten. It has been already mentioned to
several candidates. Let it be mentioned to every
one. Some reasonable dowry we do not object
to. Let our princesses, while we have them, be
treated like princesses. What electors should
warn a candidate of is, that they will not endure
a large sum—PIPTY THOUSAND POUNDS—the in-
terest of a million of money at five per cent.—
has been talked of—beina "sent away year after
0
year to be spent on a Prussian husband, on the
Prussian slaves of Russia. We want our money
spent at home. We would rather give our prin-
cesses double here, than half the sum abroad.
Above all, we resent the th.ught of paying a
heavy annual sum to the Royal Family of Prus-
sia. A Prussian prince ought to be able to main-
tain his wife. We have English nobles in abun-
dance quite capable of dJing it, and we protest
against this country being saddled with the royal
pauperism of Germany. Let electors look to it.
We trust that the ruraour of fifty thousand pounds
per annum is a mere rumour. It would be fatal,
we believe, to the credit of a Minister to Jnake
such a proposal ; hut unless he could declare on
his honour that he was influenced by no unmen-
tionable suggestion, it would be much more fatal
to.the reputation of one whom, for our honoured
SOTEREIGN'S sake, we wish to stand well with the
nation.

His Excellency the Belgian Minister and Madame
Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge which will be followed by
Van de Weyer will give a grand dinner, to-morrow even-
leg, to
and the itrb
eRo y a l
Princess
an evening party.
His Excellency Mr. Buchanan, the British Minister at
the Court of Copenhagen, has . arrived in town on tem-
porary leave of absence.
The Duke of Rutland has left London for Belvoir
Castle. Lord John Manners has Also left town to join
the noble duke at Belvoir.
The E4rl Spencer and C -buntsss are entertaining a die,
tinguished circle at their country seat.
opened the saloons of Cneshatri House
The Countes, Chrepto witub, wife of h;R Excellency the
Russian Minister,
on Wednesday evenir.g for the fir-t time since the late
rupture between this country and Russia. The company
present to pay their respects to the new representative
of the Muscovite court embraced the leading members
of the diploo•otic and aristocratic world.
The Thames Tunnel was visited yesterday by the Per-
sian Ambassador, attended by Captain H. 131,,a5e Lynch,
IN. The party was conducted through the tunnel by
Mr. Mason, the company's superintendent, who ex-
plained the working of the shield and mode of constrnct-

ing the tunnel. The ambassador expressed himself much
pleased at his visit.

CITY OP LONDON —The following curious handbill
was issued yesterday :—Citizens and non electors of the
City of London, on Friday nszt, at 12 o'clock, the elec-
tors of the City of London will exercise their suffrages
in the choice of men to represent their interests. Let
every citizen who is not on the voters' register attend at
the saute hour in Smithfield, there to give his vote for
the people's candidates, J. B. Leno, P. Henriette, J.
Nash, and N. Stiles. The above named candidates are
consistent advocates of the People's Charter, viz., man-
hood suffrage, equal electoral district, no property qua-
lification, annual parliaments, payment of members, and
vote by ballot. Non-electors attend and do your duty."
Tnere appeari to be no opposition at this ex,,ra legal elec-
tion,' and the reasons for recording votes are not there-
fore very evident.
COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.— ih the Court' of Com-
msn Council, yesterday, Sir W. Maguay again called
attention, as he had already done in the Court of Alder-
men, to the charges aeainst himself personally, con-
tained in a newspaper paragraph relating to the judg-
ment of a leg el tribunal at Brus-el+ upon the affair of the
Grand Lux-enhourg Railway Company, which were
lately, on the motion of Mr. Blake, referred bY the Coin-
won Council to investigation by the lsw officers of the
corviration. Sir W. Magnay complais ed that three
"scandalous and libellous' charges bad been brough
against him in his absence, without giving him notice,
or enabling him
claimed any personal feeling the matter, anf said his
to offer explauati,me. Mr. Blake dire
only object was to re.,cure the perfect respectability end
undoubted reputation of every member of be c p-,n-
-tion. The City solicitor said the chairman of the coin-
initble of Aldermen had applied to him for copies of the
official d:tcuinente which he was to obtein from the
Belgian Court. He was directed to furnish them. Mr
H. L. Taylor suggested that the court should comple
with Sir W.Magnay's request to have the investigation
extended, to a.certain the fade of the transact on.
GALLANT RESCUE OF A FOREIGN SHIPWRECKED
CPEW. —l3,r wick, Wednesday, Marsh 25.-1 am guel ro
say that th'e Berwisk life-boat, which belongs to the
Royal Nations' Life-boat Institution, was instrumen-
tal, on Sunday last,
in re.mung the crew of five men
been the schooner Heinrich Gerdes, from Rostock to
Leith, which, during the heavy gale that prevailed
on this coast on that day, was stranded on Spittal
Point. The service was severe, but gallantly per-
f •rtned, it being dark, a heavy sea, and a hail-
etorm prevailing, One of the shipwrecked crew was
washed overboard, but was soon saved by 'nestle of the
life-boat's life buoy. A few months ago this same life-
boat also rescued the crew of six hands from a foreign
vessel, the Provence, of Norway. This life-boat is on
Mr. Peake's plan, and was buil.; by the Messrs. Forest,
of Limehouse. She has not long been on this importate,
station, but on beth occasions when her tterr ice. have
been required, her admirable sea qualities have elicited
the admiration of her crew and of all who witnessed
their noble exertions.