The National Register.
London, England, 1817-01-27 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

stet! living in the house. A small subscription has been
o•'ened for their relief ; the;► ere very Hanle depresved."
B:ich was the solitary Cafe oat of two thousand four !ton-
do-en, which was chosen for the extinguishing of a public-
!toast:.

117:rT!YG OF DELEG.ITES FOR REFORM.

A Mt!etina of Delesates front various Petitioning 'lollies
in treat Britain, for Itr farm in Parliament, was on Wednes-
day It: Id e i the Crown and Anchor. 'file Assembly collected
at IN ti'el.tek, a:,.1 the coils portion of the time was employed
in receiAng Ow testimonial of delegation. Mr. linnt and
Vir‘Nsls.. s :wing, with Mr. Cobbett, the I)clegates flout
1i •r aiwili r, receie tal the son N of the Count re Delegate-.
::•••.jor t ar:ght. oa the motion of Mr. Itunt,being called
to chair, it wits stated that Mr. Jones llurd,•tt was in at-
tentii;!ce no Cleft Commit,ce with a communication from Le
Hanstr.!..m Chili. A deputation of two members introduced
Mr. J. Bartlett, Nho briefly stated, that he and the Major
were dirtied at a meeting of the Hampden Club, on the nth
of tit!! present. month, to lay before the assembled delegates
at. the telitiatting bodies of the country in favour of reform,
the heads of it bill for that measre, whieli it was intended
in March next to I.ty before the whole body of that society.
picvtonsly to its being to Parliament. The pro
jected bill had recognized three material principles—tat,
That the Moose of Commons should be elected he house-
holders, that the comities and Citit a should be divided into
electoral ilistrict4, each district returning one member, ac-
cording to its population; and that the elections should be
a iiiii pal.

Major Cartwright &mowed, his own personal opinion was,
that being a man suhiected to 101111111”04 or to misery, accord-
ing to the system of Government under which he lived, ought
to he the only qualification for the election of the represen.
tative. Practicability had still its merits; acil the term
householder, in the aetail of the hill, would 1).• made to em.
hrace cottager, occupiers of lionsem, whether thee paid rates
or 1101 j the itatabitaats of Hats, us they were styled in Eilita•
lough, and chaniaers iu the 11111% of Cott S nod Colleges.
The division of an 'election into two period had, in his Mind,
great grounds of reemunicailetion. The day of nomination
would afford constituents ample opportunity of sifting the
character and talents, and former conduct of the represents-,
Live: but the Accood period for voting in districts wool(' ilk-.
sipatc those charges of immorality, drunkenness, and confu-
sion, 110 W so frequ.mtly exemplified in septennial t Icetions..
A body of resolutions were then read, the first related to
thanks to the !latupilen Club for their communication.
Mr. Coblimt said, that as the resolution then stood, lie
could not give it his assmit, Ile was at the same time most
willing to support or to propose the thanks of that meeting
to the gentlemen mopOsing the 110101:11,11011 that waited mum
them from that e' üb. t)f the cleft itself, with some most re•
speetable r‘ceptions. lie would say, Chet it consisted of de-
termined enemies of reform, who had already given a proof
of their treason to that cause by heating up for disunion ( hear ,
h,•ar).
_ _

. ,
\lr. Hunt seconder' the requisition, as amended by Mr.
CiMbett, it was carried
Olt the second rc•nlutinn, fin• ree..iving the otitiiite of the
proposed bill rutin the ilsaipilett Club, on the stiggestion ot
fir. Cobbett, all reference to the dicta+ hot Or proposal of any
other institution was omitted. The iesolotion embracing the
three main principles of reform lie would propose! omitting
:ittogether all reference to the Hampden Club. There was
not, if it were possible to collect them, a hotly of ►he dirtiest
scavenge!. in Lugland th it he ruald more sincerely despise
than that very society ill its collective capacity. There
were amongst them Well fur whom, in private and public life,
he mast ever entertain the highest regard—they had the
honour certainly of having Sir Francis Burdett, Mr. June.•
Burdett, that sound patriot Mr. Hallett, of tterkshire, and
mid Major Cartwright; and from that pure source, though
tiquette called it the rtrommentlation of the club generally,
the projected heads of the Rubins Bill sprung. Were lie to
consult hi' own personal •pinion, and coill,; that opinion hose
the certainty of soccess, the exercise of elective rights to
Englishmen should have no limit, from rank in life or acci-
dental possession of house or occupancy. term univer-
sal suffrage was a figure of rlietoitc—it was similar to phrase•
so often used in °Mill:try CMS vel•Sation. The moldier in
householders in I.:riglaild was calculated at two in.liions.
Surely it was impossible to thiak that such a pottion of the
population could be bribed. Fathers, occupiers of hous-s,
may have a son or two without Votes, but their interests
would he safe in the elective right of the parent, in other
eases of the near relative. Let the meeting next consider
against whom the limit world most probably operate. 1,
would operate piiticipally against the immediate dependent,
against farmers servants, livery servants, soldiers and pall•
pers residing in parish wswlehomes. second proposition
in the liesolutiou re ferret' 4o annual elections.

Mr. limit felt considerable reluctance in differing on the
point of the electit rt extension from worthy friend
iC Mimi°, but Jton ever the majority shoold decide, to that
opinion lie would submit. 11e must t'evl it his duty to inov..,
as au amendment, that the limit of voting at der tion. should
ae•extendail to all lonsaeholders uu 1 men oho e 21 years or
age, who had lodge,! three months in the parish.
The Amendment \I r. Hunt then put, and approved
by a majorit% —it being the expressed opinion of a number
of Comm) Delegates, that they %tore instructed to vote fur
iteprisentation cmckistent with tax.:tioil.
(in the itocoltition respecting the ballot, which was op-
posed by Alf. 4;obbett, as tendit.; to render the peopie of
England sneaking, -cowardly, and hypocrites, Mr. limit de-
oared his dclermivation,to press it.
'f he motion iii 1.411, out Or the ballot was carried by a majo-
rity of ten.
Mr. Mitchell, delegate for Manchester, sopporten by Hie
Country Delegates, in opposition to many observation', that
it were best not to press it, urged a resolution—That pro-
:surly ouglit to form no part of a Member of Parliaments
ipialifications; virtue and tateuts were sufficient. A propo-
sition to this effect was also carried by it considerable na.jority.
The l'hanks were then tow il to major Cartwright.