The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-29 00:00:00

Lord Durham, from Middlesex ; by the Duke of Devon-
shire, from Bakewell ; by Lord King, from D lintree,
Tewkesbury, and several other places:; and by the Marquis
of Lansdowne, from the Ward of Coleman-street, and from
Rochester.
The Duke of BUCKING HAM presented a petition
from a place in Bucks, for the repeal of the Poor Laws.
He thought it would be very convenient when Noble Lords
presented petitions on the subject of Reform, if they would
state whether they prayed generally for Reform, for some
sp-cific Reform, or for the ballot. He thought it would be
desirable to adopt the course pursued by the House of Com-
mons, namely, that of having a Committee appointed to
enquire into the petitions.
The Marquis of CLEVELAND, in answer to the Noble
Duke, would say that all the petitions lie had presented
were in favour of the Reform proposed by his Majesty's
Ministers.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE observed that his pe-
titions were of a similar nature.
Earl GREY could have no objection to the classification
of the petitions proposed by the Noble Duke. He had in
his hand a printed list of the petitions presented on this
subject, from which it appeared that previous to the Bill
being presented by Ministers, no less than 476 petitions
had been presented, and -148 since the Bill had been
brought forward had been laid on the table.
49 SUB-LETTING ACT.
Lord MELBOURNE postponed the committal of this
Bill till the first open day after the holydays.
46 •
I. f The Earl of WICKLOW wished to know what altera-
-6 6 0 Lions the Noble Viscount wished to make in the Bill.
9 • 6 0
0 Lord PLUNKEI T said that the object for postponing
'• A 8 the committal of the Bill was to see what alterations mall
O e 0 be made in it.
3 743 The LORD CHANCELLOR postponed the committal
6 it 6 of the Lunacy Bill till Monday, April 18.
01144-- - _ - KENT PETITION.
So. 11 .
O 0 The Eat' of WINCHILSEA presented a petition in fa-
your of the Ministerial plan of Reform from the county of
Kent, in county meeting assembled, where the High
Sheriff presided. It was only signed by the High Sheriff,
and could, of course, be received but as his petition ; but
it was agreed to at a numerous and respectable meeting of
the county, and might be fairly considered as expressing
the sense of the county. This was the only petition that
• had been signed by the High Sheriff where the meeting
was unanimous. In order to meet an objection stated by
a Noble Duke opposite, he moved that the prayer, which
seas very short, should be read. It was read accordingly,
and the prayer was to the effect that their Lordships would
concur in passing the measure in all its parts. The Noble
Earl, although he felt the inconvenience of incidentally
discussing the measure on the presenting of petitions, took
that opportunity of stating his cordial concurrence in the
measure ; and lie denied, both for himself and for the pe-
titioners, that there was anything revolutionary in it. He
maintained, in opposition to those who said that it was
revolutionary, that there was nothing revolutionary in it,
but the contrary. It detracted nothing from the genuine
prerogative of the Crown, nor from the just privileges of
that House, while it went to restore their just rights to the
people.

Return

Rid pe-
TO.

t gross
lection

hours
me the
serous
Is ever

)es not
ry) in-
didate

e 74s
e 71:•.

O 445,
e ?Ss.
e 755.
e 78s.
e
e 41s.
e 41s,
e 50s.

to 338.
c 318.
e .`29s.

hone.

Load.
Load. •
Last. 4

atmeal.
S 5 38
10 44

13 44

Earl CAMDEN remarked that there was a grea
diversity of opinion in the county of Kent respecting the
measure, and expressed some doubt whether the Noble
Earl, as a Peer of Parliament, ought to give any opinion
at the meeting.
The Earl of WINCHILSEA had attended the meeting
as a freeholder of the county of Kent, and conceived that,
as such, he had a right to give an opinion on the measure.
If the Noble Marquis thought that there was a diversity
of opinion in the county as to the measure, he and those
who thought so so should have attended at the meeting,
that the subject might be there discussed.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE presented a petition from
the Mayor and Corporation of New Romney, in Kent,
against the Ministerial plan of Reform.
The Sugar Duties' Bill was read a third time and passed.
The Marquis of BUTE presented a petition from Cow-
bridge, in the county of Glamorgan, in favour of the Mi-
nisterial plan of Reform.
The Colonial Lands' Bill was, on the motion of Lord
GODERICH, read a second time, and ordered to be corn-
.
'flitted on the 18th of April.
REFORM MEASURE.
limitr Lord WHARNCLIFFE moved the order of the day
- • ,"" for summoning the Lords for this day for the discussion of
'• ; the Reform question. The order being read, his Lord-
Ho'26 0
2.6 0 ,hip'proceeded to observe, that he had new to move for.
_ certain papers and returns, in order to call their Lordships'
i 0 attention to a subject which, although it had for some time
) 5 0
) 0 almost engrossed the attention of all, had not as yet come
) '230 f, • regularly under the discussion of their Lordships' House.
) 57 0 lie had thought it his duty to give an early notice on this
,
a,. subject, thinking that the discussion on the second reading
would have terminated in the Commons sooner than it
did. When he saw that it went on from night to night
for seven nights, he withdrew his notice, and renewed it
again after the Bill had been read a second time in the
other House. This was tke state in which the question
now stood. He thought it very objectionable to be dis-
co ng the subject incidentally on the presenting peti-
ticas, and for that reason his object was now to bring the
matter before their Lordships on a specific motion. He
said this much by way of apology to their Lordships for
having at one time withdrawn his motion. He had
another observation to make, personal to himself. lie
stood in a similar situation to that of a Noble Friend of his,
who had stated that he had some connection with the
borough interest. He was perfectly ready to acknowledge
that he had some connection with one borough. It was a
connection arising out of, and incidental to, landed pro-
perty; and it was a connection which had lasted now up-
wards of one hundred years, and it was a connection
which he had no reason to be ashamed to avow ; but
in these days every man, on whom such a connection,
141 or supposed, could he fastened, was held out by
the public press to the country as not acting upon sound
and just principles, such as should govern the conduct
°f a man invested with so important a trust, but as being
Influenced with nothing but base and interested mo-
lly". To those who knew him it was unnecessary that
he should vindicate himself; but those who knew nothing
of him personally he would refer to the whole tenour of
his public life; and he would ask them to point out that
Part in it which would' warrant the suspicion that he
acted otherwise than on those principles which should be-
come one who had fur years represented the greatest
county in England? He did not that night address their
Lordships for the purpose of telling them that he was
°Pposed to all Reform, but for the purpose, amongst other
motives, of stating that he would agree to no Reform un-
less the necessity for it was proved. He might be told that
the country demanded the sacrifice : it might be so ; but
let it be:proved satisfactorilyjand conclusively that the coun-
try not only demanded Parliamentary Reform, but would be
content with nothing less than his Majesty's Government
PMpased to concede ; and he then, but not till then,
wcnild entertain the question with a view to its adjust-
ment. He feared, however, that it could be shown that
the necessity for a too extensive Reform had been insisted
I.°lll hy a great majority of the people, and he therefore felt
14t, in present circumstances, the House was placed in a
tiltuation of much difficulty; but, before he went further,
tie thought it right to observe, that he owed as little as
11,1 Y roan to Parliamentary influence. While in the other
;1-I°llse he sat for the greatest county in England, having
•,.!en freely and independently chosen ; and as to his seat
° that their Lordships' House, he owed it to the personal
favour of the Monarch, and to no result of Parliamentary
I.l,muenee. He thought it the more necessary to advert to
o
Is_Oa e circumstances, from the fact, that the public mind
s never so much excited on any subject as it was at the
Present moment on the subject of Reform, at a moment,
inwhen the Press was beating down every portion of that
nitence which had hitherto sustained the Constitution
add Government of this country—when the Press held
"Wu: every man as a traitor who happeneil to be in any
ay connected with any species of Parliamentary influ-
representing them as utterly unfit to pronounce an anlio upon one of the most important acts of legislation
that ever
influenced the fate of any country. That unfit-
nes, was
but a doctrine to which lie could not subscribe,
contended, on the contrary, that lie was as fit as any
an man could be to form an impartial judgment, and deliver
honest vote upon that momentous occasion. As to the
sentiment of the people with respect to Parliamentary Re-
ftohr l'
country
ewas not slow to admit that the feeling throughout
was strong upon the subject—nay, was irre-
sistible_ was impossible for any man to he so blind,
whatever might be his
rivate feelings, not to acknowledge
the strength of the sentiment
to which he alluded. He was
was aware that there had been
at
$ Party which held together
mertelyalbl
yti
tmheesagitation
coofu nt
ht rayt
question of Reform ; but then, within the last three or
four years, a material change had taken place—and at
every county meeting—indeed, in every assemblage where
speech could be made, or resolution adopted, there was a
cry raised for Parliamentary Reform,to which
almost

inirket,

np.
0 '2
o= t 2
0 2 k
0 2 0
►t I 245.

1
leatis. ..
IN (M
7s 0.1
2s Od

0 18. Id.
1 0
100 0
0 8
8 6
7 0
6 0
I '2

9s. 3d. f?
—Oats.
Bs. Od.
Oat;
,—Oats.
to 441.

)ats. 7s.
—Beef.

13. cwt.
0
% '
11
I. Os. Od

oaths!

those

aye cz
know—.•*'f
led and-
, it.elf
•for art
viouslg
an likes
telp
Lusiverk
ten the
rtant
Peelite.
depart:.

EIENKT
Nyzatt
R.DoN.*
FREE-
; Mr.

°use, of

Rodney,
oft.•
Eaughter
Esq., of
er, Esq.

T• Wil-

'Catfield.
;:ounk .1.
E.,q. of

AT