i'd ii.r. ioddversary dinner of the Lewes and East Sussex Reform

A"' cittici,, cr1 IlItIrSitity, Mr. H. B. Curteis, who has usually been mi.oeg the W hies inclieing to Conservatism, declared, that '• he. LW: the OttA.N oh 6ussex. 50 %Tressed and :ntimidated, that they could not conscientiously discharge their duty ; " and he would new Fay, " that it was his determination henceforward, whether as a private gentleman or a Representative, to advocate the Ballot." The Brighton Herald says, that the company had been anxiously waiting for the conclusion of the sentence ; mid the instioit it was closed, they rose together and gave three vehement cheers and one cheer more. 31r. Curteis then added, that be found many of the old Whigs were now favourable to the Ballot ; and among them he would name Mr. Deni- son, The Ballot meeting at Stroud, on Monday week, received but slight notice in lust Spectatnr, because we bad no full report to refer to. In the Cheltenham Free Press, however, we find an account of the proceedings, and a report of the principal speeches. In supporting the resolution to petition Parliament fur the Ballot, Mr. Mountain mentioned several cases of intimidation and ill.treatiniriit of the elec- tors for voting conscientiously- " Now, gentlemen," said Mr. Mountain, " if you—all of yon—for it is not a party measure—if you wish to hold your farms, to retain your customers, keep your employment, and support your families, and without violating vour consciences, you must resort to the use of this. (Thre Mr. .Mountain intro. (heed one of 211r. Grate's ballot boxes, amidst a tremendous shout.) Yes, gentlemen, this is the voter's protection, and England's safeguard. • • • Gentlemen, the very act of canvassing is iutionidation. There go forth a host of persons comprising landlords, banker', lawyers, and tich customers: when they call on a tenant, the landlord leads the van, shakes his tenant by the hand nurse cordially, and speaks very kindly to him, and asks for the favour of his ynte for Mr. A., who is so very good a man that he is sure he won't refuse him. he poor tenant, n•ho would in reality sooner vote for the trensplotation of 3Ir. A. than that be should sit in PUthament, teplies, Yes, sir. Tilt; farce, or worse than farce, proceeds by the benker stepping forward when the voter is one who has overdrawn his account ; the lawyer if he has the voter's deeds, and so on. To put an end to this, anal to render the representation of the kingdom what all profess it ought to be—pure and flee, you most procure the Ballot as the remedy, and as the only remedy. One gentleman has soul, that Dot one in a thousand would atevt the Ballot ; eoril Moreton, who is niuch better authority, says that nine out of every ten pereons are desirous of having it."

Mr. J. C. Symotis insisted on the peculiar duty of the electors of Stroud to take the lead in demanding the Ballot- " Ile could appreciate the difficulties which might justify other places in sentlitig petitions for the Ballot to Pat liameut; unattended by the demonstration 0th public meeting: by hutch a course would not du for Strum). It icuet be Icy a public manffeetati ,,,,, originating with a loge, crowded, ;tud emu getic aseein- lily of the people, such us he now saw betide film, that au appeal fur the Ballot Inuet be made by the conetittiency of that noble lord, who, in all twitters affect. ir.t; tile dc.,!rerat Id/cities of Eugland, held predominant influence in the commits iif the Queeli. We, theret4e, un the authority of conitounicatious with suite the leading Reformers of the country, felt jlistifitli in tied:oink that a firm, re:idiotic., hut re.peet fill demand fur the protection of the Bellot front this bortiligh, influentially nil as it WI'S to the Home Secretary, might in it•elf even Meek II. iwa the barrier of that siiiti.l,tl opposition to the liallot, which the .... c. cl bithei to given. Strom! wae expected to take the loll in this l• ea. Inc..,,l to jult heel* in the limit rink—in the van it the people

• I • e• the proteetiell esecntial to lice flee exercise and maintenance

h NV., there it tieceeeity fin. new power to the te3:1Za• 1,1 bill ? ttere the 1111i!elliable t.uuctS eVilleileitig the iit.

e. omit; power of the People ? II id tett the he:mini inajori- e-e i ; dwiralled from teet to 20: Nail the Alinieterr . r se Wee the facts; or erre they n e

lot -I:h:lent to ei c.

lit. 11.,11 plopiwsittl to Lord Julio Reasell, ere the ne: I 1. w cc,i.vd at the infutuation of \Whig opponeets of the

1: that the People may be again agit,:tell, witlemt recourse to the ev weir to protein: the Ileihrut Bel ; ;.t.(1 the we may so recover

• e.. ei .1. I tleity the fact, aud oppugn the prieciple. It is vaetly civil I, rleli it halopendent, to cry Agitati: ii, lgiheion, agleam:I I.• .• dee, 1. h do they apple...I:Ile the saeriticee—the el lid and costly savii. .e.ii egitatieu umet be attended fii.iii the pour and the delve. I I. iv,: witneeseti enough, tlurieg an active canvass, ici more than sae

• • the ceutity at this last election, to be well :chile to estimate the injury a

'c ci, ii generally sustains, ay and inflicts u; on his wife and children whea hie vote is given to a Alinieterial or Liberal candidate. If the Government will come fia•ward and adopt the Bailut, and give earneet to the People that there is a refuge at lianti—a !mime:lent eliield Irina oppreseion—whieh shall he worth struggling Mr, I doubt But that it will prove a eulficimit etimulus to the effective energy sod coutage of the People. But if the tiovermileut doggedly refuse it defence to the weakness of theme whom they call on to eight against the crowd power of oppression—if they continue to exact sacral:Ts, while they withhold protection—if they expect the People to do evety thing for them, whilst they elu healing fur the People—then will another appeal to the country inake their position far worse than it now is. they who relive: the Sick means ot effectually defeating the Tories, will be held as befriending the Tories, and as every but as bad as 'honk's themselves. Agitation without a Goveltiment pro. inise of the Ballot is petite anti delusory. Let those ask who will of the puor man to sacrifice himself and his family for the mere sake of keepiiig the Whigs in office: I for one will nut-1 for one cannot rind it iu my cutlecience to do so; and I speak as one of millions in the same mind, and pledged to the same resolve." ( Vehement and long-continued cheer iny.) [31alk this, Lord ..ohn : as an opponent of the Ballot, your election for Stroud is as uncertain as for South Devonshire.] " Wits it politic, was it wise," continued Mr. Symons, " to make the preservatioii. of the commonest constitutional rights dependent upon periodicul Nota- tion? "

" We are arrived at such a pitch, that, positively, unless the People are

goaded to the verge of rebellion, there can be no majority for good government in Parliament. Is this agitation good for contmerce? Is it good for trade? is it in the interest of peace and even of morality? I am opposed to agitation, to excitement, and to turbulence. I wish to see the course of just legislation regulated by reason, and cotiperative with peace, quietness, and order. use Ballot will effect this : without the Ballot we have but a choice between vio- lence or slavery. I wish to see elections made contests of principles instead of of contests of purses—trials of judgment instead of appeals to debauchery. The increase of the demoralization caused by the present system of elections is gigantic. The means used well bespeak the purposes intended, and the ends to he answered : they who try to buy you with their gold, will sell you in return. — they who try to debauch you with drink, seek to profit by your demoralizatioa, that they may the easier oppress and enslave you. The Ballot ought to be at vueattil above all by the religious party in this country ; it is the etfecovuelw.ca to the appalling iucrease of nutuurality iii the laud iuduced by each electieu.

It was resolved that Mr. Poulett Scrope be requested to present the petition to the House of Commons, and that Lord John Russell be re- quested to support it.

A society has been framed at Cirencester, called the "Ballot Union," for the purpose of procuring the Ballot, and, for the present, nothing else. The Members believe that Registration Clubs without the Ballot are useless, and that there is already a sufficient number of registered Liberals, if they dared to vote as they liked. It is therefore a part of the declaration, signed by each member of the Association, "to cease to agitate any other grievance until the Ballot be obtained." A petition to Parliament, numerously signed, will be presented early in the session; and circulars have been sent to many of the Liberal Alen.). hers, requesting them to support its prayer. The answer of Mr. Jervis, the new Member for Bridport, merits attention— ...Whitehall Place. 21st October 1837- "sir -I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of a circular, emanating from an association called the Cirencester Ballot Union, of which 1 perceive you are the Seerelary, requesting me to give my support to a petition in favour of the Ballot, ii I'll' the Association in question intend to present at the meeting of Parliament. " The step which the lassociators are thus taking is, in my humble opinion. the best end wisest which under existing circumstances they can possibly take. I applaud them tor it ; and 1 trust the example thus set by the honest Liberals of Cirencester (for none but dishonest, that is, lukewarm Liberals, who are in fact nothing hat Tories in disguise, are opposed to the Ballot) will be extensively followed. It wants but a simultaneous movement on the part of the Liberals throughout the Kingdom to secure the attainineut of this great national object-for national it is in every point of siew-without which, 1 feel convinced, we shell ere long be in the power of that imulent and selfish faction whfchu it was thought the Reform Bill, with all its acknow- ledged errors and imperfections. had crushed for mei-. Vain hope! the snake is scotched only, out killed. A little more, and but a little more, apathy and intliffi,rennee on the part of the Reformers of England, (for Ireland and Seotland are wide awake.) and we shall be again sunk. though not, 1 trust, irretrievably, in the abyss of Toryism, tram whence we have but just escaped. ..TiisaVe us from a consummation so much to be dreaded by all true friends of civil aed religious freedom, our only hope now is in the Ballot ; unless, indeed, those in- genious and well-menoing persons who are opposed to its introduction, as not likely to attain the end we aim at, namely, the protection of the indigent alai dependent Toter, will be kind enough to point out a plan which is mere likely to be effectual for that purpose. Let them but du so, and I, for one, shall gladly and thankfully take aevantage of their suggestion. Our object is the same ; let us not quarrel :Mout the means of effecting it. Till they have something better, however, to propuse, 1 shall,

with all due deference to their superior wisdom, llll e a firm friend to the Ballot. " 'folding these opinions, therefore,-opinions, which in spite of the insolent frowns

ef office. are now, I am happy to say, shared in by a wry large portion of the elective bely,-the Reformers of Cirencester may be assured that toy feeble endeavours Shall net be wanting, when the time comes, to assist in carrying a measure, of the paramount necessity of which the events of every fresh election :MOM us the most couvincine and irrefragable proofs; on which, perhaps not merely our welfare, but our very existence 54 a free people, depends ; and which all but those who are interested in perpetuating the abuses of the present system of open Toting, %kith all its inevitable and ilegiading Zum:equences, most wish to see triumphantly carried.

"lu the mean time, let the Reformers of Cirencester calmly and systematically pur- sue the course they have adopted. Let them moreover (but wit hont hating One jot of their honourable sod praiseworthy exertions to obtain the one great desideratum, ho rit y of election) take this for their consolation-a consolation iu ii Melt all true Reformers ina mid must participate-that the principle of secret Toting is fast gaining ground in the country, and must ere long be conceded. " I have the honour to remain, Sir, your very obedient servant,

Swyxri..11 Jeners."

At a meeting of the North Warwickshire Tories, at Nuneaton, on Monday, Sir Eardley Wilmot delivered a speech, highly satisfactory to the meeting, and sufficient to stamp Lim as a member of the Conser- vative party.

On Thursday week, the clergy of Sheffield got together a large meeting in the Music-hall of Sheffield, on the subject of National Education, and endeavoured to pass a series of illiberal resolutions ; but the great tnajority took part against the parsons, Nvho with difficulty obtained permission to speak a few sentences, and retired from the meeting signally discomfited.