The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-03-30 00:00:00

P.4ELLIM EN rARY FOR3L

halt may he satisfactory to our readers to know
sorttething of the witisre of the work on Pernommen-
tory B'eform, for which Mr. Bentham received the
amok* of the West 11l i t niter Meeting on 31imilay
Nat, vie here present them with a sketch of the
!eliding features of it. The " 'Kin" is of colon-
&rattle length, tHlting. up, with the introduction
and notes, three bomber, and thirty pages octavo.
To this is added a Catechism. in question and ins-
sliver. comprising in a short view its principal heads;
and it is from this that *e have chiefly, hut not
altogether, extracted the fotlowing luminary.
After enforcing, in the introductory chapters, the
conceived necessity of Mulled Reform, grotioded
en the principles now avowed, and the measures
dictated by them, as Gagging Bills—suspension
of the Habeas Corpus Act—interdiction of all com-
munication between edam and luau fur the purposes
of complaint or remedy...-nod,. above all, the gar-
risoning Franc! with British soldiers. with the view
tin Mr. B.'s opinion) of keeping out good goversi-
ineut. and keeping lip a stainliiig army. And
after pointing out the causer of these and all other
political mischiefs, in the ascendancy of the monar-
chical and aristocratical interests, Mr. B. proceeds
to lay down, in his conception, the sole remedy for
the disease, in the principle of denweratical ascen-
dancy. This is tier general description of the end,
Paibanseutary Reform in general the means.
The several particular ends ancillary to the ge-
neral one. are—l. Securing in the highest possible
degree on the part of members the several endow-
ments or elements of aptilittle necessary to lit them
fur the due discharge of such their trust. These
endowments consist in, 1. appropriate probity* ;
g. appropriate intellectual aptitude; 3. appropriate
active talent f. 11. Removing, or reducing to the
smallest possible amount, the inconveniences at-
tentlenton elections. 111. Removing, or reducing
to the smallest possible amount. the incouveuierices
attendant ou election judicature.
The mewls that promise to be most conducive to
the accomplishmeut of the above several ends are,
for the first—

1. Exclusion of placensen, in general. from the
right of sitting in the House iu the quality of omen-
bers entitled to vote.
2. Seating in the House official persons, named
by the King, from each deportment (into which
the whole soil is supposed to be divided), without
right of voting. hut with right of speech and 'no-
tion—subject at all times to restriction or interdic-
tion by the House.
3. Elections frequently, anunally renewed,
with power to the King to ordain a fresh election
at any time.
4. • Speeches (made in the House) correctly,
completely. and usahentieally taken down, and re-
gularly and promptly published.
5. Constancy, punctuality, and universality of
attendance secured.

The means for the attainment of the 2d and 3d
ends are—

6. and 7. Unifo►mly enlarging the number of the
voters in each electoral district, by determiiiing
each elector's title to be, payment made to 4 cer-
tain amount to certain tares.
8. Entire seeresy of voting, when it is performed
by delivery of the voting paper.
9. To ensure which, and as much of it as is prac-
ticable, when the •oting is by transmission; the
voting paper must contain an insurmountably strong
promise of secresy, signed by the voter, in writing.
This rule, therefore, excludes from the elective
fraaehise all who cannot write their names.
10. Establishing a certain ratio betaveen the seats
for territory, and the seats formulation. For ex-
' ample : if the whole number be 600, of these let
two-thirds (400) be for the former, one-third (1100)
for the latter.

H. To form the territorial electoral districts, the
whole soil of Great Britain and Ireland is to he
divided into (say 400) electoral districts, as nearly
equal as is consistent with convenience resulting
front local circumstances ; Ime Member lobe chosen

'for each.
14. The population electoral districts are to he
composed of certain towns, the population of which
amounts to a certain number of souls, or upward.. ;
each tows to fill one or more seats, in proportion to
its number, ; but, in such sort, that the whole
number of seats thus filled does not exceed 200.

13. For the orals correopooding to these popu-
lation distiicts, voting otherwise than in the must
surely secret mode, viz, by delivery, need nut be
udinitte4. . .

14. lllconformity with, and under the restrictions
of, rules six rind seven, aliens 'night be admitted,
and even females:,
'rite remainder of the Catechism is devoted to
the exposition or the ways in which the several
means above mentioned are conducive to their
spective direct ends, and of their collateral good
effects.
It is scarcely necessary to observe, that in offering
the above outline to view, we do not pledge ourselves
to any particular opinions on the subject. It may
probably he the employment of another hour to
chew how far our own views of it coincide with our
author's, and wherein they differ.
• This signifies correctness of judgment.
Dexterity iu introducing motions, &c.

On Wednesday last a highly respectable com-
pany of Gentlemen (forts-aix in nuinticr), assent-
bled at the in Southampton, to cele-
brate the election of Wit. CIIAMBEALAYNE.
to be Member in Parliament for thit town and
county. Froues' LOVE BEiILFOIID, Esq. was itt
the Chair. • •• '"

Lord ASIITOWN, Sir WM. CAMPION DE CRrs•
PIGMY. Bart. and Admin►l Cucitstmo, have de-
clared themselves csondirhates I'.•r Southampton mud
county, at the eissuing'Geaser.l Election, and have
begun uu active cutivass.

Sir W. fluattuuotts, M.P. for Colchester. hay-
ing been invited by the Independent Electors d
Taunton. to otfrr himself at the rn g election as
one of the representatives of that "Wrong'', com-
menced his Vanua}‘ on Tuesday emir 1111 l re-
ception lie bus expeririocral has been of a nature to
justify a confident belief that Sir W t.i.isst will
not hr thsappoti.tcd 1u his txpectation?.

11'.11',1L CUM' itIIZTLIL.

[rualu PA lITICO LA Ri.l

On IVednesdav host sr Court Martial was held on
board his itiniryty's t.hip Qaren Char/aye, for the
trial or Cilitoin .lams Arthur Xliarray (nephew In
the Duke of Athol), late Captain or hi. Majesty's
ship Spey, on charges brought against Nato by
Rear-Admiral Plampiii, Coininsistler.in-Chitf lit
St. Helena, imputing to him disobedience of orders
of the Rear-Admiral. elated Ifith of August, IHI7,
in lint it%!•ilitilig his Majesty's late ship Alia,
■t the Island of Ascension, with stores and pin.
visions, iu consegitesice of which she was obliged
to go to the Island of Tri4uni de Cunha, I
there VIMI I OSi and slat, for distressing the island
of Ascension. in not rel►rvinri the garrison with
as much of his provisions as lie could spare ; and
likewise appropriating some plunks slid nails to the
use of his own ship which he ought to have landed at
Ascension. trite Members of the Court were—Sir
Arelsilialil Dickson, Dirt. President ; Captains
James Richard ()acres, William Forking %Vise,
C.B. Edmund Boger, and Thomas Richard
Toker. Many of the officers of the Spey, C.uptsin
Jones, of the late ✓+rlia, and Captain Roberts,
late commanding at the Island of Ascension,
were called as witnesses for the prosecution. Cap-
tain Murray was defended by T. A. Mud l i 11l Esq.
who made a most eloquent, able, and impressive
address to the Court, culling Admiral Sir Pulteney
Malcolm, late Commander-n►-Chief at St. Helena,
and another witness, for the defence.

S►r Pulteney Malcol►u. who preceded Admiral
Planipiii. iu coiu►naud at St. Helena, proved he
had previou►ly given Captain Nltirray a full dis-
cretion as to the expenditure of stores for his own
ship, and bore the most honourable teptimony to his
character. declaring *lilt he had himself prothoted
him f the rank of Cominatider to that of Post
Captain, iu consequence of his uniformly excellent
conduct.

The Court immediately delivered their sentence,
that the charges were not proved, and that they
most fully acquitted Captain Murray; and Sir
Archibald Dickson. on handing him his sword. de-
clared he bad great pleasure in resturiug it under
circumstances so creditable to I ' .

Much interest was excited by this t►ial, and there
was in consequence II very crowded Cou►t. Several
Admirals and Captain', and the Right Honourable
George Canning, were: present during almost the
whole of the proceedings, and were all gratified by
the result.