The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-24 00:00:00

ILLIAM surr AND TDB REFORM BILL•

(From the Newcastle Chromicle of this day.)
The topic of the day on the Tyne has been the
notice of amendment in the Franchise Bill given by :iir
William Hutt, whose name has for so mtny years b,en
ashodeted with the muse of reform. It war quite ones.
peeled, and occasioned great and natural surprise. That
sash • native should come from inch • quarter, was a
men et perplexity se well as of diseatisfactiou ; end
It is with mneh pismire that we mu now announce
its withdrawal. In a letter addressed to the editor of
the Gateshead Observer, the right honourable member
explains his coarse, and gracefully intimates his abandon-
ment of a rupees which, however much it may have COM-
mseded itself to his own mind, has not the approval of his
emstituents and the liberal party in the north. Sir
William writes to our contemporary :
" I was surprised to learn that my notice of amendment
to the Franchise Bill had excited so moth dissatisfaction
is Gateshead, and among the liberal party of the north,
I have always regarded redistribution of seats as essen-
tial to any satisfactory reform bill ; and though the
government measure had, as you know, my hearty sup-
port for what it contained, the omission of this subject
appeared to my mind a vary serious defect in it. I hoped
at eret that the (overawed, though separating two mat-
ters which are so closely connected with earth other, would
give the country an assurance that each in turn, and at
some given time, should be vigorously undertakes. When,
however, the Chancellor of the Exchequer aaeounced on
Monday last, se the deeleion of the government, that no
time would be fixed foe dealing with the seats, I con-
sidered that I was required, in the intends of reform, to
lake arm step for mantle( the emergency, and for assuring
as beet I meld, either that the two plane should move
on together, as I proposed, er that the government should
defining; mop themselves to the completion of their
own measure. lam quite convinced, though I will not now
enter on my reaeous, that if the difficulty of redistributing
seats be sot now boldly sad mocessfully encountered, this
important reform will be put off for years. However,
ending that my constituents and the liberal party, whose
sameurnsees I reckoned ow, sad whose support war essential
to my seams, are opposed to my course of action, I 01111
premed with it so further. When it is seen hereafter that
• great opportunity has berm thrown away, I shall have the
satiates:am of knowing I did my best to avert the evil.—
Believe me yours very truly, " WILLIAM RCM
" Gibsids, Gateshead, March 23."
This commendable decision is nothing more than might
have been expected from so approved a liberal as Sir
William Hutt. Finding that the course which be had
adopted, in the exercise of his independent judgment, and
"In the interests of reform," was unpopular in the
borough which he has so long represented, and also
among the liberals beyond its bounds, be has at
seas, and meat wisely, deferred to the opinion of hie
oonatilments sad his party :—an opinion which we
have shared from the dret, and which, after reading
Sir William's letter, we must still retain. We have heard,
indeed, but Gee judgment expressed on the subject—that the
ameadmest, which grieved the liberals and caused the con.
servitMvire to chuckle, was an error ; sad we are glad, there-
fore, that it has been promptly sad cheerfully corrected.
The nodes of amendment wee, in our judgment,
a grave mistake ; but it has scoempliabed, hap-
pily, • good result. It has brought out a wide
and warm expression of public feeling. It has
led to a sigalikant attestation of the anxiety
of the reformers of the north for the MOONS of
the Francais, Bill; and such • development of pope.
ler feeling affords, we think, an additional assuraue
of the moose' of the government measure of re.
form, Her Majesty's ministers will learn from this
little ineideat what they have to rely upon in the
country in their endeavours to carry their measure,
and will be emboldened in the prosecution of their
patriotic enterprise. It is an episode of good mem
in the movement for further reform, in whose
interests the right bee. member for Gateshead shaped his
oeuvre; and we tenet that, ere long, he will have the seta.
faction of seeing, not only the franchise extended, but that
redistribution of seats accomplished which is so impera-
tively required.

WEST WORCESTERSHIRE ELECTION.
(THIS DAY.)
___•_-

(n ammo Tamura.)

WORCESTER, Byrum/Kr NO/INIVO.

Mr. W. E. Dowdeswell was elected to-day, in
the room of the Hoe. Frederick Ligon, who hum), become
EPA Beauchamp.

The only notices with regard to the Reform
Bill which now amid in the parliamentary paper
for the 12th of April. the day on which the &cooed
reading of the government bill will be moved, is that by
Earl Grosvenor and one by Mr. Darby Griffith. The latter
gentlemen inhale to move, " That in or.. of any lowering
of the freuehise below the present standard, it would be
expedient that • plurality of votes should be conferred
upon the superior daises of voters in inch proportion as
woold be calculated to redress the numerical preponderance
of a single dass over the great msjority of the property,
education, and intelligence of the country, which a mere
unqualified extmaion of the franchise would otherwise be
likely to effect."
Some thirty members of the Prussian liberal party
—mostly deputies—have opened. subscription for the benefit
of sufferers is the constitutional struggle between crown
and parliament. The proceed' are chiefly intended to sup-
port liberals deposed from office. and to assist that novel
elan of martyr who by the PrIIIIIi4II government have
been added to the loos-closed catalogued self-immolated
victims of power—newspaper editors.
THE ROYAL LODGE, WINDSOR GILEAT PARE.—
Their Royal Highness.' the Prime and Princess of Wala
will occupy the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park for
some little tines this summer. Under the direction of the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests the various apart-
mente in the building are being altered to snit the require-
meets of the prince sad princess, while six apartments in
• wing of Cumberland Lodge, where General and Ludy
Mary Hood are residing, are to Is prepared for their royal
highness's suite. The Prince and Princess of Wales will
reside at the lodge during the Ascot summer meeting.
lairaitanT AND SCIENTIFIC MEATINOS FOR THE
Wank—Maeda y, _ Actuaries, at 7, "Coestructioo of
Tables by Method of Differences," Mr. Gray ; Architects,
at 8; Geographical. at Bg, "Recent Travels between
Kashmir and Russian Frontier," Sir H. O. Rawliosoo.
Tuesday. Uatillitorove at 8, " Permanent Way," Mr. Wil-
liams ; Ethnological, at 8, "Invention, /se of Writing
Materials," Kr. Orawfurd ; "On Mr. Crawford's Paper osi
Rose,' Profaner Dadabhe Nsorji. Wednesday, Zoologi-
cal, at 81, " Anatomy of Lentureeda," Dr. Murie and Mr.
St. G. Minot ; " Birds Collected on till Ucayli," Mess.
Selater and Salvin ; Archesological Association, at Bg.
Thursday, Chemical, at 8, Anuiversary.—Athemaima.
THE Ancnsowalcar. Commerna —A programme
of the Archisological Congress in London has been ar-
rested by the Institute. The Queen is announced as
patron, the Prince of Wales as honorary president, the
the Marquis Camden as working president. Four storied"
will be opened Antiquities, over which Si,
John Lubbock will preside ; Antiquities, with Mr.
Birch ; Arzhitecture, with Mr. Berate'. 1 Hope ; History,
with the Dean of Westminster. The opening meeting will
be held in the Guildhall, and Buirlingtou-house will pro-
bably be the bead-quarters. Windsor, Westminster
Abbey, end the Tower will be the chief objects visited
and described ; but some of the numbs, will visit Hamp-
ton-court under the guidance of Mr. Scharf, and Walt-
ham Abbey with Mr. Freeman. Profnesor Phillips is
likely to take an active part in the section of Primaeval
Antiquities. It is finally srruipd that Dean Stanley,
Professor Willis, and Mr. Gilbert Scott are to describe
Westminster Abbey, while Mr. G. T. Clark and Mr. Hep-
worth Dixon into elucidate the military and general his-
tory of the Tower. Ne special museum will be formed,
but (militia will be offered the members for stelae every-
thing in the lute of their stadia at the Society of Anti-
quaries, the British Museum, sad South Kensington.
The Trustees in whom the presentation to the
Rectory of St. Martin's, Birmingham, is placed, have
offered it to the Rev. Edward Garbett, A., Incumbent
of Christ Chunk, Sabha& It is not yet known whether
he will accept R.
Nsw ROYALTY TirgAritn. —Kiss M. Oliver has
takes this theatre, and will open it on Saturday, the 31st
Inst., with a new dramatic oempasy. A new extravaganza
will form part of the epeeist entertaiessent. Mr. Nowlin,
will be acting.manager, sod Mr. Maims', of Drury-lane,
staina-manager.
Dears or MIL O. K. COOPER, OF CAMBIUMS
—lt is oar painful duty this week to record the death of
Mr. 01111181,11 Hairy Cooper, F.S.A., town sleek of this
borough, who expired at his readiest, Jesus-
on Wednesday Met, after an illness of several
weeks' duration. During the pieeest year death has
bees busy wawa( our celebrities. Wlthie a brief
Estwe ham had to aware the loss of Mr. Ohas. Finch
, ear prineipal townsman ; sets. Dr. Wbewell, the
anew-mad of the animosity ; and now our exoelleet town
clerk, she master-mild of the town, has succumbed to a
disease 'Mak froatte first attack, allowed bet 1 the hope
d mamma. sesoosay.—Casabridge Indepese.dis.