The Reform " banquet" at Sheffield, on Thursday evening, attracted
more persons of both sexes than the Music Hall would hold. Tea, cof- fee, cakes, and fruit, constituted the substantial portion of the repast ; and these being disposed of, the chairman, Mr. Alderman Hoolu, gave the one single toast of the night—" The Queen ; God bless her." Richard Cobden, "the great apostle of Free-trade," was then announced to make a speech. Instead of toasts, resolutions were proposed, seconded, and carried : in this ways Mr. Cobden, Lord Goderich, Mr. John Cheet- ham, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Bright, Mr. Kershaw, Mr. Hadfield, Mr. F. Crossley, and Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, all Members of Parliament, stated their opinions on electoral reform. They were not exactly agreed as to the extent of the required franchise reform, but none would be afraid of a very large extension of the list of voters. Mr. Cobden mentioned a million. Mr. Bright added, why not two millions, when they were about it ? Lord Goderich said he was looking over an analysis of the House of Commons the other day : some were described as lawyers, some as sons of Peers, some as country gentlemen : at the bottom of the list was the representatives of labour, and opposite to that stood an "0." "The time is come," he said, " when it is our bounden duty to concede the rights which these classes want, which other classes have won." (Continued cheering.) Neither was a redistribution of Members nor the Ballot for- gotten. Speaking of the latter, Mr. Cobden said, he had lately been to
Oxford, and he found that, although the ballot was so often denounced as un-English, all their proceedings, except the election of Parliamentary representatives, were decided by it.
" Ohl" exclaimed Mr. Cobden, "if I were about fifteen years younger, I would go through the country, and I would say, 'Let us vote as they vote at Oxford.' (Cheers and laughter.) What I mean by vote by ballot is this —that there shall be no record kept of how a person votes : that is vote by ballot."
The resolutions agreed to declare the satisfaction of the meeting at the expressed intention of Government to bring forward a Reform Bill ; that electoral power must be redistributed, corrupt boroughs abolished, and the number of representatives to the large towns and populous districts increased ; and that votes shall be taken by ballot.
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