The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-08 00:00:00

LONDON,
TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 8; 1831.

Lord ALTHORP gave notice last night, that on
Friday next he would bring forward his Financial

statement.

His Lordship also expressed his readiness to let
the edious Pension List take its chance of being
further cut down in the Committee. This honest
acknowledgment will improve the Committee's
ideas of " mercy"—if any such were entertained to-
wards persons who have hitherto exhibited so little
sense of shame.

The Paris Papers of Sunday announce that the
King of the FRENCH has positively refused the
Crown of Belgium for his son. This is as it
ought to be after his previous solemn declarations--
but still we have our doubts. There is coquetry in
politics as well as in love—and we shall not be sur-
prised to learn that another appeal—a last suppli-
cating effort—will prove too much for nerves already
smitten with ambition's last. Temptation is always
the more irresistible where the will is ready.'
The news from Poland in these Papers adds little
to our last accounts :

PA KIS, FEB. 6.—Nothing is spoken of to-day but the
election of the Duke de Nensours, and the refu•al of the
proffered Crown by the French Government. Much stress
is laid on the latter circumstance by the adherents of the
Ministry; because, as they contend, it proves the good
faith of France, and her sincere desire to preserve peace;
hut others pretend to see the affair in a different point of
view. The partisans of Government say that this is the
last " sacrifice" France will make.

• The only thing which we are inclined to credit in
the following extracts from German Papers is the
separation of Poland from Russia, and the declaration
of Polish independence. Indeed, we have heard that
the throne of Poland is declared vacant. if so, we
hope they will get a King without the assistance of
a Sovereign Congress, such as Belgium has had re-
course to :

ST. PI.TEASBURGH, JAN. 19.—Soon after the receipt
of the first news of the insurrection in Warsaw, the Em-
peror addressed special rescripts to the authorities in the
Governments adjoining the kingdom of Poland, with or_
ders to make known to the Governments under them the
events that had occurred, and to express the firm confi-
dence of his Majesty that the nobility and all the.
inhabi-
tants of those Governments would feel, in common with
all true sons of Russia, just indignation against the wicked
disturbers of the general tranquillity, and would not ne-
gl,et, under the present circumstances, to shew by acts
their loyalty as faithful subjects by implicitly submitting
to all the measures which the Government employ, by
strictly maintaining order and tranquillity, and by punctu-
ally fulfilling all the duties prescribed by the laws.
At the instance of the Minister of Finance an Imperial
Decree has been issued, by which all importation of goods
f
orrodmer st,hae n kingdom
i o nosf arPeolganivdenisnoptrothoibriecteeive prohibited till
lnfumrthoreer
certificates of origin from the Commissioners of the Wai-
wodeships and other authorities.
AVQSaURG, JAN. 31..—A private letter from Warsaw

of January 25, affirms7that on the preceding day the se-
paration of Poland from Russia, and its entire independ-
ence, had been decreed.
BERLIN, JAN. 26.—The Duke of Mortemart entrusted
with an extraordinary mission from the King of the French
to the Emperor Nicholas, after having had the honour of
being invited to his Majesty's table, set out again the even-
ing before yesterday on his journey to St. Petersburgh.
It is since reported in all quarters, that the Duke
not only confirmed verbally the pacific intentions
of the French Government, but also affirmed, that it by
no means teas deficient in strength to keep in check
the two extreme minorities which with opposite
views desire war, and that his mission to St. Peters-
burgh did not in any manner tend to an interference of
France in the affairs of Poland. This news has a little
counteracted the bad impression which the late warlike
speeches in the French Chamber of Deputies had generally
made, and our funds, as well as the Russian, rose consider.
ably.
In Poland disunion and confusion seems to increase
every day. You will not wholly believe the accounts
given by the families who have fled, how melancholy the
state of affairs is, with what difficulty and pecuniary sa-
crifice they have escaped from all the frightful scenes,
10,000 Polish florins having been paid for a passport.
Let us only read the letter which the old experienced Nie-
meiwita (the Lafayette of the Poles as they call him) has
had printed and published, and we shall be convinced that
the Polish revolution was not a necessary event, but
the inconsiderate act of a few hot-headed indi-
viduals, and must therefore fail, whether blood
shall flow, or what every true friend of Po-
land must now wish, the melancholy affair arranged
by magnanimity on the one hand, and repentance
on the other; with repentance that they had not
the real elevation of soul openly to lay their grievances
before the throne, but instead of that had recourse to
perjury, conspiracy, assassination, and pillage to com-
mence the work of liberty, which in Poland was never
any thing more than the liberty of the Nobleman to
misuse at his pleasure his peasants and the Jews (citizens
there were none). When French and English Journals
speak of their sympathy with the Po!es, they are not to be
blamed for this, inasmuch as they arc acquainted only with
some accomplished and amiable travellers of that nation,
but have no notion of the nation itself, that is to say, of
the place of the great mass in the scale of civilization.
But if the greatest possible liberty is to be given
to nations before all civilization, we ask why the
English have not given a better example in their
Colonies, and even in the lonian Islands. On the other
hand, if a community of languages is to determine the
boundaries oi nations, the Russian and the Polish are but
branches of the same stock, whereas the inhabitants of
Strasburg and Paris speak two languages radically dif-
ferent from each. No nation becomes free till it is ripe
for freedom, and then only so far free as it is worthy of
freedom. Therefore, is the freedom of the French dif-
ferent from that of the English ; therefore do we, Prus•
sians, under a Government despotic in its form, enjoy a
high degree of freedom which is progressively increasing,
and therefore are the proclamations of the Emperor
Nicholas to the Poles, and the Duke of Cambridge to the
inhabitants of Gottingen, pretty nearly of the same tenor.

. .
Aucsautta, Fan.- I.—Public Journals have letters
from Vienna, of the 21st of January, which say—" M. de
Montbel, Ex-Minister of Charles X., who resides here,
has, in consequence of a summons sent to him from Paris,
given a declaration to M. Pasquier, President of the
Chamber of Peers, which, when it is published, will pro-
duce an extraordinary sensation.
VIENNA, JAN. 28.—Four per Cents. 791 ; Bank
Shares 1,032.

The following are extracts from Lisbon Gazettes
to the 29th of January :
Ltsnow, Jaw. 25.—His Majesty has been pleased to
appoint to the post of Governor. General of Macao, Major-
General Verissimo Ante Cardoso, Inspector-General of the
Cavalry, in which post he is succeeded by Major-General
Alvaro Xavier da Tonseca Coutinha Provoas, who
quits the Government of the province of Upper Beira.
LISBON, Jaw. 27.—We have just received positive in-
formation from London, of the 19th inst., of the failure
of the new attempt of the rebels, enemies to the tranquil-
lity to Portugal, to obtain funds for the pretended Govern-
ment of the island of Terceira, by trying to contract a
loan, which the good sense of the British merchants not
only did not listen to, but destroyed all hopes that they
might conceive of making a similar attempt in future. It
was resolved by the Committee of the Stock Exchange, by
14 votes to six, not to admit the loan undertaken by the
Regency of Terceira. The result is not only the refusal to
admit this proposed loan, but it extends to every other
that Brazil may attempt to negotiate without having first
paid bona fide the holders of the bonds of the loan which
Brazil took on itself by the treaty of 29th Aug., 1825.

We beg to direct the attention of the Borough-
mongers, and their robber-train the Pensioners, to
an article in this day's Sun, entitled YORKSHIRE
POLITICAL UNIONS. If these locusts of the State
entertain any doubt as to the cause of the national
distress, they will find a true but melancholy solu-
tion in that document. They will find more—they
will learn that spoliation has had its accursed day--
and that endurance has had its limit—that Britons
will no longer be insulted with the mockery of
" Freedom," while groaning under the basest
slavery,—that the people are become sensible
of their former folly, ignorance, and supine-
ness, and of their present experience, knowledge, and
collective power—that knowing and feeling all these
things they now put confidence in themselves, look-
ing for justice because it is their right—and freedom
because it is their inheritance. Knowledge is
power—a truth which even the Boroughmongers
believe and tremble, though " Reform" with them
can never come too late. But—

" 2Voiu's the day, and now's the hour!"

One of the most striking features in the Reform
question is the immense quantity of talent that its
discussion has been every where the means of de-
veloping. It has stung into a sort of indignant acti-
vity all the beet energies of the count ry,which had been
previously sunk " full fathom five" in torpor. At
Durham—at Lincoln—in the North of Ireland—of
Wales—and more particularly throughout Scotland,
we have read speeches on this great question which
would reflect no discredit on the most eloquent and
practised debaters in either House of Parliament.
The speech of Mr. CUTIIBERT RIPPON at the late
Durham county meeting—a report of which appears
in The Sun of to-day—is one of those efforts which do
honour to the national intellect. It is essentially
English in its earnestness and candour; English in
the full vein of sound sense that pervades it; Eng-
lish in its simple—natural—straight-forward elo-
quence. Under a better representative system this
speech would doubtless have speedily introduced
Mr. RIPPON into the House of Commons: but as
that House is at present constituted, it can only
operate to his exclusion. It is not native ability,
but ability of a certain caste of character
that attaches itself to the interests of a particular
party, that can now hope for success in political life.
Even BURKE himself, notwithstanding his unrivalled
prophetic sagacity, met with comparative failure until
he" to party gave up what was meant for mankind."
In a short time, however, we may expect to see, in-
deed we must see, these errors of the representa-
tive system removed ; and the monopoly of the
Boroughmongers—who, whether Whig or Tory,
take care to keep down all but their own
set—wholly arid fur ever abolished. Let
the people have fair play, and we do not
fear the issue. The House of Commons
will then become the representative as well
of the intellect, as of the political wants of the
country, and a general stimulus will be given to ta-
lent and perseverance, by the fact that they will
meet with proper encouragement. At present, mo-
nopoly ruins.every thing. Church—State—Law--

ok.

the Army and the Navy, are each and all trampled
down beneath the feet of this hydra-headed mon-
ster, which. Reform can only destroy!

One of the greatest obstacles to Parliamentary
Reform,has always been the difficulty of getting
Reformers to 'agree upon any principle which shall
materially extend the right of voting, without en-
dangering the security of property. Our existence
as a civilised and populous nation depends upon the
conjoint operation of labour and capital. Without
the constant appliances of labour we should all of
us starve, without the aid of capital one-half of our
present numbers would be starved, and the re-
mainder be miserable. Property as well as popu-
lation, therefore, must be regarded in every altera-
tion in the powers of Government. But property
requires especial protection, because the possession
of it, by foul means as well as fair, is the great ob-
ject of human contention. If universal suffrage
were adopted without some effective counterpoise,
it is but too evident it would lead to universal
anarchy, civil war, and famine. There would be
seven voters without property for one who had any.
The seven would outvote the one, and return Mem-
bers who would recommend themselves to their con-
stituents by an " Agrarian law" for an equal dis-
tribution of property. This the ewner of property
would naturally resist. If the levellers in the end
prevailed, and an equal distribution were to take
place, famine must be the immediate consequence,
because fora while there would be no poverty, and
without poverty there would be no hard labour, and
without hard labour we could neither procure food,
fuel, aor clothing.
Every plan for extending the right of suffrage has
been met by the objection that the proper influence
of property would be thereby lost, or rather out-
balanced. This difficulty, however, seems to be
effectually met by the new principle of representa-
tion recommended by Mr. BARBER BEAUMONT in
his pamphlet, of which we have just seen a second
edition. In this he proposes that the country should
be divided into electoral circles of 60,000 souls
each ; that every educated man of good character,
and who supports his family without parochial as-
sistance, shall be entitled to a vote. That the voting
shall take place in parishes; that those who shall
enjoy an income of 101. a year, from property only,
may, if they think fir, reserve their votes; that
when those who have voted in respect to population
have voted, those who remain to vote in respect to
property shall be entitled to an equal number of
votes. For instance, if out of 8,000 voters 7,000
voted in respect to population, and 1,000 remained
to vote in respect to income from property, the
1,000 men of property should have 7,000 votes as
well as the 7,000 men without it, or upon an average
seven votes each. The number of votes of the
property class, however, to follow the relative
amounts of their income, as far as not exceeding
5,0001. a year." It is assumed," says Mr. BEAUMONT,
" that self-interest is the prevailing bias among per-
" sons of properly, as well as among working peo-
" plc ; but yet that there are many, among both
" high and low, who are enlightened, just, and pub-
" tic-spirited, and who, when called on to perform a
" public duty, will do so conscientiously, although it
" may not favour their particular interests. If,
" therefore, the working people, and the people of
" properly, have each an equal number of votes, the
" self-interested of EACH will be equally poised ;
" but then the votes of the enlightened, just, and
" public-spirited of BOTH classes, will turn the
" beans, and secure a just decision. * * * *
" Upon this principle of voting, it is submit-
" ted that the rich could not return a candidate
" against the interested of the working class, with-
" out the concurrence of the enlightened, just, and
" public-spirited of both classes ; nor the working
" class, in like manner, return one against the in-
" terested of the rich, without the same concur-
" rence ; in short, that the self-interested and nar-
" row-minded of the people of property, as well as
"of the working people, would neutralize each
" other, and the election would be carried by the
" votes of the wise and good of both classes."

Mr. BARBER BEAUMONT is a staunch advocate for
voting by ballot, but only if it accompany a
scheme which provides for the safety of property.
Speaking of the undue influence exercised over in-
feriors at elections, he says, " under the present
" system, however, this influence cannot be altogether
" disregarded with safety. If electors might vote,
" away from the eye of their superiors, the people
" without property would so out-number those who
" possess it, as to endanger the security of property
" by the characters they might return; and this
" danger would, of course, increase with an extension
"of the elective fianchise. The Government has,
" therefore, always esideavoured to increase the
" power and patronage of persons with property,
" so as to strengthen their influence over persons
" without property, whose numerical force,in voting,
" might otherwise be dangerous. But the means
" have been covert, oblique, and ungenial. We
" now find, to our cost, that they have NOT worked
" well. The object of the present plan of Reform
" is to get rid of all sinister privileges and influence,
" and openly and fairly to secure to property its
," full weight in choosing representatives ; and, this
" being done, to allow men to vote conscientiously."
Mr. BEAUMONT then gives a detail of the mode
of conducting elections on his principle. He com-
bats the arguments that may be raised against it,
maintains that it is practicable and easy of execu-
tion, that it provides the best security for property,
at the same time that it " would leave the public
" without any change to desire, seeing that the
" elective franchise would be extended to the whole
" of the respectable part of the working class
" equally with persons of property; and, lastly,
" would leave the anarchical, dishonest, dissolute,
" and desperate, without a pretext whereon to
" excite the public mind, and disturb the peace of
" society."

The principle thus elicited, we believe, is entirely
novel, but it is not the less entitled to attention on
that account, particularly as all former plans have
been unsatisfactory. The plan is the production of
a gentleman of much experience, unconnected, we
believe, with party politics, and it is at the present
time a very acceptable addition to this class of poli-
tical information.

ROYAL A UTOG RA PH S.—The Correspond-
ence of Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, about to appear immediately,
will contain fac-similes of upwards of ono hundred Auto-
graphs of illustrious persons ; among othrrs, those of the
Emperor JOSEPH, the Empress CATimutur, the Emperor
PAUL, the Emperor ALEXANDER, GEORGE 111., STANIS-
LACS King of Poland, FREDERICK WILLIAM King of
Prussia, GUSTAVUS 111. King of Sweden, CHARLES JEAN
(BEasanorrz) King of Sweden, FREDERICK IV. King
of Denmark, &c, interspersed with entertaining anecdotes.