The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-02 00:00:00

THE LEEK.

Mr. C. W. WY NN made his appearance on the Trea-
sury Bench at a quarter before five, and created a
roar of laughter throughout the House, from the circum-
stance of having the whole front of his bat covered with a
leek, which he wore in commemoration of this being St.
David's day:\

Among the Peers who crowded into the Bids galleries,
were, the Doke of NorfQlk, Lord Darnley, Earl of Albr-

REFORM MEASURE.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL took hie sera on the Treasury
trench at five 'ninnies before ►it, and was loudly cheered
from various parts of the house. Shortly atrrrw•ards
he wag called upon by the Speaker, but the confusion was
el great that he could not proceed.
The SPEAKER having heard a Member camplain
that his place had been taken by another in his
absence, said he could only observe that Honourable
Members must be aware that seats which had been occu-
pied by Hon. Members, were considered as kept for them
in their absence, when they had retired to prayers and
until they were displaced by a division of the House.
Ile wished alas to observe that when he came down
at three o'clock to-day, he never in his life had seen
the House so lii i ; and that when the ,House came to
the ballot the papers stuck ❑p on the hack of
the seats were infinitely more numerous than he had
ever behi Hear, hear, hear.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL again attempted to proceer',
but was unable.

The SPEAKER said he heard the complaint re-
newed, to which he could only repeat the observa-
tion he had already made in reply, but it might
require the consideration of the House whether
when lion. Members bad tetired to prayers, and h id been
sent for by the Serjeaut at Arms; with the mace, re-
quiring their presence at the ballot, and had not
appeared in the House, their seats were ere:tally to be
considered as kept. After a short pause the Speaker
again called upon
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, His Lordship having pre•
sented himself ()nee mote on the floor, and silence having
been obtained, thus proceeded.— Sir, I rise with feelings
of the greatest anxiety to bring forward a question of
unparalleled interest, which is likewise a question
of unparalleled difficulty, nor is my apprehension in the
casions I have Lreught this question before the
least removed by the reflection that on former or-
eonsidesation of the House; for if on the other occa-
sions I have invited the attention of the two ROMP,
of Parliament to this cousideration, it has been
Upon toy own responsibility, and involving no
one in the failure of time attempt with my-.
self, though I have been often completely gratified
by partial succees. But, Sir, the measure I have now to
bring forward, is a measure not of mine, but of the Go-
vernmeet of the countryin whose name I appear—(Hear)
—the deliberate measure of a whole Cabinet, unanimous
upon this sulsject, and resolved to place their measure
before this House in redemption of their pledge to
their Sovereign, to Parliament, and to time crsontry.
—(Loud cheers.) It i•, therefore, with greet anxiety
that 1 venture to explain their intentiems to the
House upon a subject, the interest of which is known by-
the crowded audience which is assenbled here, but still
more by the sleep anxiety which is felt by millions
out of this House—(Hear, hear, hear)_millions I say,
who look with anxiety—who luck with hope—who look
with expec-aeion—to the result of this dey'a deliberations.
—(Cheers.)—Sir, I ans sure it is nut necessary that
I should say any more to do away with a notion, widen
an Ike. and Learns- I Member opposite endeavoured. ter
spread, that this question nut being firelight forwaett by a,
Mernlwr of the Cabinet was not the measure of toe:
King's Ministers —( Hear, hear.)--1 am sure the H„uset
will be convinced that what I am going te, propose is the
measure which the King's Ministers have, determined upon.
—(Cheers.)—The meaeure itself wee rosined by the Noble
Lord who isat the presen t time at the. head of the Government
he formed it in his own mind—l.te communicated it to
colleagues—it was communiwtted to me, anti I have ever
since been consulting, either severally or eellectively, with:
the Members of hie Majesty's Cabinet up n it.—
(Cheers.) I only wish that the Noble. Lord himself NOV)
is at the head of his M rjesty'a Government, could have been
permitted by any law or Act ofParliament to have explained
► this measure to the House in hie own proper person ; but its
that is impossible, I trust that the House will favour
me with its indulgence while I endeavour to per-
form this task, I am afraid very inadequately,.
but I am sure, with a sincere and earnest desire that our
efforts may be attended with succerse—(flear.) Sir, much
cavil has been raised upon an ezeression of the Noble Lord,
whom I have alluded to, that he would endeaye„r
to frame such a measure as must satisfy the
mind, without at the same time endangerir, the
' settled institutions of the country. Do you meter), sae,
one party, by the settled institutions of the country,
the close and rotten boroughs ? I think we will ebow in rise
course of the explanation we are about to Make, that it et,
not the close and rotten boroughs which were by
—(Pear, hear, and:
elt e
unds e
ytctoillueeed r
sip!
i)s.
et
ti
et untdmri rah:
osa
to
sf
esttathli catoniuiden t
' the public 'lliad
p tsty ? I low.
.:tcheleid institutions of toe
country? mind yon must.
%-itllout e nldta
sortn g
di nog e
shake the settled institutions of the country--ellear,
hear.) Sir, lave are of the reverse opinion ; beearxe
in attemisting to quiet the public mind, it is not firers-
Nary that we should bring into danger those settled in-
stitutions.—(Hear, hear.) We are of opinion t'aat
those institutions, resting as they have heretofore done, sin
the confidence and lore of Englishmen, must eon_
tinue to rest on the very same jeanaatia,,,
and while we discard the notion of complying with extra
vagant and violent demands, we at the same arid' to place
such a measure before the House as every reasonable
man, both in and out of the House, and in the country,
may be satisfied with, if it should pass • into a law..
We wish to place ourselves, therefore. between the tem,
hostile parties; neither agreein,s with the big-eater! on:
time one hand, that no Reform is necessary, nor with:
the fanaticism of others, that only some particular
kind of Reform can by any weans be satistee_
tory to the people or wholesome, but placing ourselveff•
between the two, and taking what I hope to be a fisrtu
and steadfast ground between the abuse we wish to attend!
and the convulsion which we hops to avert.—(Ckeers.
It is not necessary certainly that on this occasion 1 %hauls(
' go over the grounds which have so frequent
been gone over in stating the arguments in favours
of a change of the state of the representation int
Parliarnept; but I certainly think it due to the Howe
that I should state shortlT the principal growth
WI which reformers rest their claims.—(Hear, hear.).
0I t wver itl Ihr
gte n r u
n,eces i
swsiaLiry n
which
nu
vteh is occasion,
fmiue frequently
thatbefor I should
ebeensu
tedi
as arguments in favour of a change in the state of the re-
presentetiem ; but it is due to the House [hut 1 should state-
ehertiy the points ou which Reformeri rest their ca,tc. Ir.l
the fast place, then, the ancient Constitution of our coun -
try declares that no man %hall ba taxed for the support of
the State, who has net consented, by himself or his repre-
seatetive, to the imposition of these taxes. The well-known
statute, Da Tallagio non concedendo, ret cued the-
same language, and, although some historical doubts bath
-been thrown upon it, its legal meaning had never teen dis-
puted. It included " all the freemen of the land," and:
provided that each county should send to the Commutes
of the Realm two Knights, each city two Butesessee,
and each borough two Members,. Thus about a;
hundeed places sent representatives, and some thirty or
forty others occasionally enjoyed the privilege, but it wat,,
discontinued or revived as they rose or fell in the seek or
wealth and importance. Thus, no doubt, at that early.
period the House of Commons did represent the people of
England: there is no doubt, likewise, that the house of
Commons, as it now subsists, without entering into the.
history of the altreations it has frcen titne to time under-
gone, does reit represent the peeple of Engle:l.l.-4 Bea,.
htar i
f 4 ani:::e lo.okto
ered by
the es
a feat
r loud
dtn of r h
cries
io of
"i
gNrt., ) Thee.
lure, 11 eforet
have, right in their favour. Then, if we consider
whitis reasonable, we shall find a similar result. It
will be impossible to keep the Constitutient of the House
a
ipiarseeennot;_o—(fHtelaie Same r, hear,l lirear.) We have
heard—as
of this country—.
that in wealth it is unparalleled--in civilization mini-.
vaitee....ranted—analin freedom unequalled in the history a the,
empires of the wo11,1; and suppose a foreigner, will as,
quainted with these facts, weie told that in this tnuat
it
exists
why at
wealthy, most civilized, and most free country, the repre-
sentatives of the people, the guardians of her liberties,.
were chosen only every six years, would he not be very.
curious anti very anxious to hear in what way that opera-
tion was performed by which this great amid wise nation.
selected the Members who were to represent them, and,
upon whom depended their fortunes and their tights
Would not such a foreigner be much astonished if he were
taken to a green mound and informed that it,s,:n.%.t:v.,
Members to the British Parliament e—itclose:
iVernbers to.
a stone wall, and told. that ahoi, iewntere
w....
the Perliamenf—or,.
atf
tdokii
nto me
!park, without the vestige ofdwelling,