The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-20 00:00:00

lation of his life would be, that thinking the interest of
the Monarchy were at stake, and that the strength of the
Constitution depended on bringing back the affections of
t!,e people which bad been lost—entertaining these opi-
nions, he said, it would ever he a proud reflection to him
that he had endeavoured to urge on the House a measure
without which the stability of the throne and of all the
institutions of the country would he shaken.—(Cheers.)

General GASCOYNE said, that he would confine
himself strictly to explanation. He had spoken to the
Noble Lord on the subject of the motion he had introduced,
end the opinion of that Noble Lord had been, that it would
not affect the principle of the Bill. Under this circum-
stance, he had conceived he was brand to persevere in the
motion.—(Loud cries of " Divide.")
Mr. MUNDAY said, that as he bad voted for the se-
cond reading of the Bill, and intended with great reluc-
tance to give his vote for the motion of the Gallant Gene-
ral—(Cheers)—he beeged to stet; that be did so because
the resolution had reference to the diminution of the num-
ber of English Members, a step in his opinion of most
fatal tendency, and not because he was against the prin-
ciple of Reform. He declared he did not act in this way
from any party motive, or from any wish to detain the
House from going into Committee (the voice of the Hon.
Member was here drowned amidst the moat tumultuous
cries of " Question, question.")
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL then rose, but was for
a lone time unable to obtain a hearing. He could assure
the House, that if they would favour him with a little in-
dulgence, he would trespass upon them but for a very
short time.—(Renewed uproar.)—He did really think
that any Hon. Member who stood in the relation which
be did to the House, the Government, and the country,
was entitled to an opportunity of explaining the principles
which regulated his condnct. The question was, whe-
ther the resolution was to be agreed to, which would pre-
vent the Committee from diminishing the numbers of the
House of Commons. Upon that point he should have to
make this simple observation, which he conceived would
he decisive of the course which the House ought to pur-
sue ; it was, that when they went into Committee, they
' would have the same power in their hands which they had
at present; but if, by adopting the proposition of the Gal-
lant General, they pledged themselves not to diminish the
uudeljers of that House, they might find the pledee exceed.
ingly inconvenient. Suppose, for example, they agreed to
certain disfranchisements, they might find considerable dif-
ficulty in filling up the vacancies which those disfranchise-
ments would necessarily create.—(Much impatience mani-
fested from several parts of the House.) He bad a solemn
and important duty to discharge, and he would not be de-
terred from discharging it by any manoeuvring, let it pro-
ceed from what quarter it might—on an occasion such as
that he was not to be cried down, or coughed down. Cla-
mour ont of doors had been spoken of, but if a continuance
of the interruption to which he was exposed were conti-
nued, he would not hesitate to call it clamour—he would
not hesitate to designate it as a measure to keep the House
from coming to a vote, and getting rid of the motion for
the present. Now supposing they succeeded in getting rid
of the measure in its present form, seed prevented a reduc-
tion of more than twenty Members, leaving the whole
number 638, they would still have left to them a variety
of perplexing considerations which might really prevent their
coming to a s .tiefactory conclusion upon the subject during
Cee present Session, and that result, in the hands of an
enemy, might be made the means of defeating the Bill. He
therefore conceived the friends of the measure could not adopt
a course more unwise and imprudent than to give the
sliglitek sanction to a proposition which should have the eff_
feet of embarrassing the operations of the Committee. Pos-
sibly the Gallant General, the Member for Liverpool, might
say to them, they might split Liverpool into several districts,
and give to each a representative, and so fill all the pos-
sible vacancies. That certainly might be a mode of dis-
posing of the measure ; but after what had recently oc-
curred in Liverpool, he should have little.difficulty in
affirming, that no More effectual means could be adopted
far defeating the measure than the adoption of any such
proposition.—(Cheets.)—Yes, it would defeat the mea-
sure, and the Hon. Gentleman opposite denied the obser-
vation, plainly avowing that he admitted its truth. He
wished to know was the Hon. Gentleman a friend to the
Bill ; did be propose the amendment in amity, and with
the view of doing the Bill a service? if so, he could in-
form him that nothing could be more calculated to do the
Rill an injury ; in fact nothing more calculated to defeat
the measure altogether ; there was certainly no proposi-
tion upon which the enemies of the Bill would dwell with
more pleasure. It bad been said that the present Bill was
a Coneesion made to public clamour. • He hoped he
might be permitted to say that there was not in that House
—not in the country, one man 1.1111 disposed to yield to
that degrading influence than he was. He would not go
one seep in obedience to it ; but at the same time, would
say, that the possible imputation of yielding to such an in-
fluence would not deter him from manfully avowing his
determination to support to the utmost that which he
thought was likely to carry into effect the long-cherished
and always unchanged opinions which had governed his
political conduct—would not deter him from labour-
ing to promote that which the country had received with
acclamations, awl which, if rejected, they would hear
of the reject'on with the deepest disappointment, and
which, if adopted, they would receive with rejoicings and
gratitude.—(Cheers.)—He was putting the matter hypo-
thetically, but it was an hypothesis which was supported
by pretty stout petitions—it was an hypothesis which did
not demand the clamour of " an infuriated multitude"
fa. its support, nor the aid of " a tyrannical press" for
its propagation. A Noble Lord had refarred to the fact,
that it had gone forth to the people, end been believed by
them, that the present Bill %mild neither give them food
or clothes--he believed there was no part of England,
with the exception of those districts which in the month
of November were disturbed, where such gross ignorance
prevailed. Suppose they were inquiring into any similar
cese, referring to a different body of persons, how would
they proceed ? Would they not proceed by inquiring into
particular acts of delinquency; and if it were agreed
that the House was not adequate to the discharge of
the duties which the Constitution imposed upon it,
what remained to he done but to reform it, and how
were the means of Reform to be devised except by in-
quiring into particular cases of delinquency? Much
Lad been said of intimidation.—(The uproar, which,
daring the greater part of the honourable and Learned
Gentieman's speech, was kept up with little intermis
%ion, here rose to a height which rendered him quite
inaudibly.)—He wag next understood to advert to an
observation of an Hon. Member opposite, that if the
present Government were not in a condition to carry on
the afiltira of the country themselves, they would at least
place these affairs in such a situation as that no other Ca-
binet could take their places; but that was language
which ought not to be held, and which certainly should
not have the effect of influencing the conduct of the pre-
sent Government. lie conceived that the vote of the pre-
sent night would lie decisive of the question of Reform.
It bad been said that the Duke of Wellington and Lord
Grey dictated to their respective partied.
Sir R. PEEL denied that lie had said that either of
those Noble Persons had assumed the office of dictator.
He merely sold that they were possessed of great autho-
rity. All he meant tg convey was, that they represented
the two extreme-, and between those there was no inter-
mediate opinion-.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL resumed, briefly ex-
plaining the view which he had taken of the observations
of the Right Hon. Baronet, proceeding to observe, that
Hon. Members on the other aide of the House might per-
bans attempt to form an Administration without the Duke
of Welting ton ; for, rafter his declarations, he could not,
again mutate efface with those who though against the
present measure, were favourable to a Reform of their
own devising ; and he could not help saying, that an
Administration formed of them without the Noble Duke,
would be like the performanee of the tragedy of Hainiet,
the part of Ilandet being ►eft out by particular desire.
(The noise and confusion again attaipipg a great height)—
Lord JOHN RUSSELL rose to claim a patient and
hnpartial hearing for his Hon. and Learned Friend ;
though the hour was late, it was not so late as they had
debated upon other occasions, and both lie and his Hon.
and Learned Friend would, he conceived, be entitled to a
hearing,
Tie ATTORNEY-GENERAL in continuation, went
on to say, that lion. Membera opposite made no propesi-
tion, lest, as they alleged, it would embarrass the Govern-
ment ; but calmly nothing could be more calculated to
create embarrassment than the course which they had
taken. He had net the slightest doubt that, Bonner or
later—and but a little sooner or later—this measure must
pass. It had been prepared! in integrity, with an honest
desire to remedy greaieting and acknowledged abuses, and
it had b. en dictated by necessity—the necessity of main-
taining the valued institutions of the country in their en-
tireness and purity. He lead co doubt that this diviaion
would decide tine fate of the Bill"; and he, fur one, should
be must happy to find himself by the aide of a Noble
Lord who addressed the House last night ; and who, con•
sistently with the tenor and opinions of his life, after the
question had been put, would be surrounded by the friends
of his youth.
himself
uJp.orthSeSaEttLetranA, lotch. otteght reluctant to
mobitru.nde
the part he hail taken, and that hienulstra.'dyet,t cot it g
upon this particular question, was compeller)no yett request spoken
the indulgence of Hunoureble Members r a few minutes,