The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-10 00:00:00

BETTING LISTS.

Mr. STANFORD wished to is.k the Secretary for
the Home Department if his attention had been drawn to
the rapid increase of a species of low gambling houses in
all parts of the metropolis, styled " betting houses," with
a view to any legislative remedy ?
Mr. Secretary WALPOLE said his attention had
been called to the subject, but he was 'not prepared to
state yet whether Government was disposed to interfere
in the matter.—(Hear. hear.)
THE UNIVERSITY COMMISSION.

Lord J. RUSSELL wished to know when the report
of the University Commission would be laid on the
table?.
Mr. Secretary WALPOLE said it was in the hands of
the printer, and it would be laid before the House imme-
diately.—(Hear, hear.)
- NEW SEATS.
The orders of the day having been gone through pro
forma,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then
moved for leave to bring in a Bill to assign the seats
forfeited by - the disfranchisement of the boroughs of
Sudbury and St. Albans. He said that when he as-
sumed his seat, utter his election, he stated to the
House, in reply to the Honourable Member for
Wolverhampton, the general policy of the Government,
and the coarse they intended to pursue for the dispatch
of the business before the House. He stated then, that
though it was the intention of the Government to
counsel her Majesty to dissolve the present Parlia-
ment, they were not prepared to give that advice
until those measures were paned which the exigency
of the publio service required, or which the Government
considered of paramount importance. He did not men-
tion all the necessary measures which would be brought
in, but he stated there were three of paramount
importance : Ist—one with reference to the internal
detente of the country; second, another to carry into
effect the recommendations for a reform in Chancery;
and lastly, he added that the Government intended,
when the Bill for the disfranchisement of St. Albans
passed, they would ask the House to com-
plete the constitutional number which formed .the
aggregate of the House of Commons. Ho confessed he
was surprised and individually pained to hear it in:-
sinuated that in proposing this Bill he had taken the
House by surprise, and committed, he would not say a
breach of trust, though that accusation had met his eye, but
tampered with that honourable understanding which ex-
isted between the Government and the House. He was
not conscious of having acted in any other
then a perfectly straightforward manner. He
trusted this explanation would acquit him of
any charge inconsistent with his position,
as a Minister.—(Hear, hear.) The Government
thought it was highly expedient that the seats vacated
should be filled up before the dissolution. Honourable ;
Members opposite might ask what particular rcc
there was in the number of 658 Wbers era?
Ito confessed he would be somewhat perple
the cabalistic charge as to that fixer'`ed to defend
foundation of all arrangements, 1):- number. The
prescription crested by ~wenr, consisted iu
by custom. Preseripti
exP:srietsee and sanctioned
portent element of .
---(ves was the most im-
thou gh he did not 'thesis and progress and
_
Ys_eta to any principle of superstition,
he was of opinion that the time had not arrived when
prescription c
extra:ea 'Alfa be lightly treated by the house of
Commons. The violation of prescription was an element
of distue'eance—it led to discontent, offered a premium of
gent prejudices, and invited men to Ilex irdous
objects and schemer, and were it for no other reason
'shun these he would warn the House against that which
was becoming a continuous and systematic deficiency in
the aggregate number of the Members of the House.
If the Government followed their own inclinations he
hardly knew a subject which they might not more pro-
perly evade than the present, which was essentially in-
vidious. Thee did not propose this measure to lengthen
the duration of Parliement, but because they consi-
dered it of great importance that the constitutional
number of. Members should be completed before the
gissolation.—(Hear, bear.) The impending dissolution,
instead of being a reason against the Bill, was the
strongest argument in favour of making some ar-
rangement. That unfortunate jealousy existing be-
tween town and country, gave rise to a tendency
to consider whether oeher elements for forming a consti-
tuency might not be devised than those which had hitherto
formed the elements of the electoral body. Many plans
for that purpose had been suggested, which were en-
titled to very great respeot. The Hon. Member for
Malden had given notice of a motion for apportioning
two seats to the University of London. That pro-
position would not give rise to any prejudice in his
enind, but on the contrary excited his interest
and sympathy. He could not but aemire the idea of
permitting science and learning to exercise the popular
suffrage? but when the question was examined, the diffi-
culties in the way were not inconsiderable. The plan,
however, was so plauseble to the reason and captivating
to the imagination, that he could easily understand its
exciting the public interest and receiving the public ap-
probation. The Royal Society, for instance, woo a very
ancient institution; it was founded by a king, and
had been compoded of some of the ' greatest
men England have ever produced, and of whom
their fellow-subjects were moat proud. Though he ad-
mitted the great attainments of this eminent body, he
thought the elements of which it was composed
would not be conducive to a proper representation.
—(Hear.) If such a principle were carried out
there was no reason why it should not be extended to
the zoological, geological, ethnological, and other similar
societies.—(Laughter.) In fact, they would place it in
the power of any body of men who gave themselves a
scientific name to claim the franchiee.—(Hear, hear.)
The difficulties were too great to be contended against.
He did not wish to impugn or to trench on the privileges
of those societies, but if they looked at their constitution,
they would find that they weregenerally self:elected bodies
They had also considered the claim of the London Uni-
veiled there to entitle it to the concession. It was not
versity, and they did not find that the circumstance pre-
it must therefore be passed by.
justify the claim, and .
yet folly developed. nor was it sufficiently extensive to
Another oroposition which had been made to them was
to concede one Member to the four inns of Court.
No doubt the Members of the five Inns of Court would
make up a considerable constituency. Their Members
occupied .
a conspicuous position in history, and many o
them had often found their way into Parliamerl

where they had rendered the country great
service, but there wen. a prejudice which he did not
share against the two common appearances of lawyers
in the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.)
It therefore would not do for Government to propose
allotting one of these seats to the ions of court,
and he pas:sed on to the next source, and
obtaining a constituency.--(Hear, hear.) Government
visaed to complete the constitutional number of the
House, before the pending election, and having devoted
their anxiona attention to the subject, and consi-
dered all the claims that had been urged upon them,
they earnf4 e.t last to look about them for the best

elements of a new constituency.—(Hear, hear.) Wdl,.
then, the result they arrived at was that the claims of
the West Riding of Yorkshire was paramount over all
others—(Eleer, hear)—and they proposed that two of
these vacant seats . should be conferred upon
the West Riding of Yorkshire.—(Hear, hear.)
It was proposed to divide •the West Ruling of York-
shire into two divisions, each of which should be repre-
sented by two members. There were ten bun-
reds or wapentakes in the West Riding, some
Of which contained a greater number if popula-
tion than othere, and it was on that account

impossible to subdivide the Riding according to that
rule, as it was equally impossible to divide it according
to the existing polling districts selected by the keel
magistracy.—(llear, hear.) It was, therefore, pro-
I posed to take the simple and intelligible divi-
sion marked out by the boundary of the Midland
Railway.—(Hear, hear.) All the districts on the south-
east of the railway would bo called the southern divi-
sion of the west riding, and the northeast the northern
division of the west riding.—Gear, hear.) The effect
of this would be to give 17,965 electors to the northern,
and 18,785 electors to the Southern Division of the
Weit Rining.—([sear, hear.) Leeds would thus remain
the election town of the Northern Division, while Wake-
field would still continue the election town of the Sou•
thern Livision.—(Bear, hear.) In making this proposal
Government had no sinister motive to serve, but they
were anxious to appropriate these seats in the manner
best adapted to promote the general interest of the
country, and if the House should adopt the
principle of this first proposal they would be quite
ready to discuss in Comm:etee the best and
fairest means of carrying it out.—(Hear, hear.)
He would remind the Rouse that the question which
they had to consider now was not a large measure
of Parliamentary reform, but an apportinment
of certain vacant sent',, with a due
observance of all existing arrang'-ments with
reference to the franchise. Taking as a test of the re-
lative claims :of different places to representa-
tion, the degree of representation which
they at present possessed, he found
among most corsiderable constituencies, he found
the city of Westminster with a constituency
of 14,800 and a population of 241,000 Liver-
pool constituency 17,400 and a poula•ion of 376,000,
Lambeth, 18,000 constituency, 251,000 population.
Finsbury, con,tituency 20 000, and population 323,000.
Merelebone. 19,700 constituency, and a population of
370,000. The city of London with a constituency
of 20,700, and a population of 127,000. The Tower
Hamlets a constituency of 23,000, and a population ex
ceding 560,000 ; Manchester with a constituency Of
13.900,and a population of 316,000; andSouthLancaslaire
with a constituency of 21,650, and a population of
560,000, each of these places being represented by
two Members. Taking everything into consideration,
her Majesty's Government had 'determined to apportion
these two seats to the southern division of the county of
Lancaster. This southern division consisted of
two hundreds—the hundred of Salford; with
a constituency of 12,000, and the hundred
of West Derby, with a constituency of 9,500. Each of
these hundreds would for the future, it was proposed,
return two. Members, making 4 for the whole division,
Mr. GLADSTONE rose to move the postponement
of the consideration of this question uatil a futuro
session.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)