Sir William Molesworth has been invited to a public dinner
of the Working Men's Association in Leeds, on the "2.6th instant. In reply to the invitation, Sir William wrote as follows- .. Though it would ba excessively inconvenient for me, for various reasons, to lease ton U. st.t if it be the wish of a e9nsideraile number of my friends that 1 should do so, fur the purpose of attending a public meeting, I will untr.oubtedly comply with their wishes. Allow me.however, to remark on one subject—uamely, the propriety of follow. hill the example of the Westminster meeting in petitioning for au Extension of the 1.■uffrane, and not specitically for Universal Suffrage. I, fur one. ant convinced that sr oner or later we shall obtain Universal Suffrage. I shall he delighted alien that eriol does arrive; but meanwhite, I will accept any extension of the suffrage, because 1 is an extension of popubtr rights. At the present moment, the more numerous the meeting can be, and the mole numerous the signatures, the greater effect it will pro. duce. If sou consult with other gentlemen, and they will send me the general willies of my supporters with regard to this subject, I will hasten to comply with them."
Mr. Prentice, the intelligent editor of the Manchester Times, has been following the example of M. Weir of Glasgow. At a numerous meeting of Liberals in Wigan, on Tuesday, he delivered an eloquent and cogent speech in favour of the Ballot ; answering one objection ufter another, till he came to the last, respecting the want of machinery for the secret vote—which he "knocked down" at once, by exhibiting Mr. Grote's Ballot-box, amidst the cheers of the meeting. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Prentice, and a petition for the Ballot agreed to.
At Stockport, Ashton, and Bolton, as well as in Wigan, the friends of the Ballot are astir ; and it is hoped that Mr. Grote's motion on the Lath of February will be backed by a petition from Manchester signed by 25,000 persons at the fewest.
About fifteen hundred Reformers of Bath assembled in the Guild. ball on Monday, and passed resolutions in favour of the versa! Suffrage, and Short Parliaments. Among the spec kers, were General Napier, Colonel Napier, and Mr. Henry Hohl ouse. We regret that the late hour at which we received the country papers this morning, prevents our making any extracts from the full r. port of the proceedings in the Bath Guardian. The speeches seem to have been very spirited, and the meeting unanimous.
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