The Sun.
London, England, 1822-04-26 00:00:00

[MORNING POST.)

Lord John Russell's motion on Reform came
before ihe. Manse of Commons last night. We
are not aware upon what treaty of alliance, offen-
sive and defensive, among the Opposition, the
sovereignty of this measure has been ceded into
the hands of the Noble Lord, and- the abdica-
tion of Mr. Lambtou obtained from. his Radical
usurpation. This much, however, is certain, that
lchat has been. lost in violence has been gained
induration. Last night Lord John Russell rose
at six o'clock, and continued speaking until a
quarter- past nine, having, in the space of more
than three hours, strained carefully all the
curious things which he has hitherto been able
to collect, into a Reform speech of very flimsy
consistency. The main point with which he
started was, that in the course of the last thirty
years a most extraordinary change has taken
place in the condition of the people of this coun-
try, as to wealth and knowledge. Our readers
will doubtless anticipate, that for the purpose of
urging Reforin on this ground, the change must.
have been greatly for the worse, that the Noble
Lord proved our wealth, knowledge, and re-
sources of every kind have woefully deteriorated
in the above interval. The fact is exactly the re-
verse. To spew that Reform is indispensable, he
has gathered an immense heap of circumstances,
incontrovertibly demonstrating that since the
year 1790 the wealth, commerce, knowledge„
and power of the ,country have increased in-
finitely beyond any precedent, perhaps, in the
history of the world. But how did it escape
his Lordship's notice that he has thus, we may
.say, settled for ever the question of Reform, and
satisfied any reasonable. man of its being abso-
lutely unnecessary"? When we have the best
possible eviJences of the best of good Govern-
ment—the only obtainable tests of living under
the wisest form of Constitution—we are at a loss
to conceive a more egregious instance of folly,
titan wantonly to change its essential character-
istie. We refer our readers to the curious par-
ticulars from which Lord John Russell has de-
duced our amazing advancement in every, respect
for the last thirty years, and then ask fearlessly
if they are not the best eulogium which could be
pronounced upon that system which renders

England at once the envy and admiration of the

universe ?

[TILE TIMES.]
An official article from the Berlin Slate Ga-
zette, of the 16th inst., confirms in their whole
extent those assurances by which we, on autho-
rity no less solid than if it had been official, have
more than once within the last month endeavoured
to guard the public credulity against a succes-
sion of impostures and fabrications, assuming the
character of direct intelligence from Constan-
tinople and Vienna. When it was said by others
that the Russian Ultimatum had been rejected,
we warned the readers of The Times against
prematurely believing what we considered a
more than suspicious fact. When it was posi-
tively, nay angrily, asserted that all diplo-
matic intercourse had ceased, and that war
was hourly expected, we. again remonstrated
against too eager an admission of tales so
easily thrown into circulation, confessing the
future possibility of such unfortunate results,
but utterly denying the sufficiency of the evi-
dence adduced for them. It appears that we
were justified in our cautions. The State Gazette
of Prussia declares that the far-famed Note to
the European Ministers, alleged, as the public
know very well, to have been delivered by the
Reis-Effendi on the 3d ult., was the " invention
of some mercantile house," to serve its own
gambling purposes. The Austrian Observer an-
nounces likewise, that it has been authorised to
describe the warlike reports which have been
circulated for some weeks, aS " meriting no cre-
dit whatever." Having done our own part to-
wards preventing imposition, and saving thou-
sands of individuals from ruin, we can only
lament that equal efforts were not made in other
quarters at an earlier period than this.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
Lord John Russell brought forward his pro-
mised motion in the House of Commons last night,
for a -Reform in the Representation of the people
in Parliament. 'Vile great importance of the
subject, the deep ititerest which it has excited in
every part of the country, with the distinguished
talents, the extensive learning, and the high rank
of the Nobleman who had undertaken the task of
• submitting the question to the House, drew toge-
ther a large assembly of Members. Lord John
Russell's speech presented an able exposition of
the subject. It was replete with constitutional
learning, and was distinguished alike by deep
research and the judicious application of recogniz-
ed principles,established in other ti mes,to the pre-
sent though altered circumstances of the country.
He came prepared to offer a plan of Reform, and
thus encountered the old objection of the enemies
of Reform, that the Reformers confined them-
selves to vague propositions, in which was to be
found nothing definite or. positive. Lord John
Russell's motion was in the form of -a Resolution,
pledging the House to an earnest consideration
of the expediency of a Reform, and should this
motion be carried, it was his intention to move
for leave to bring in a Bill for placing his plan in-
proper form before the Hotise. The Noble
Lord reminded ;the 'House that Lord 'Chat-
ham's scheme of Reform • contemplated an
addition of one hundred Members to. the
representation of Great Britain, and that a similar
project was successively approved by Mr. Pitt and
Mr. Fox, with this distinction between the two
latter, that the former would give the whole of
this increase to the representation of the coun-
ties, while the latter preferred giving it to the
great towns. 1r increase of 100 Members in
the House of Cbrnmons has actually been since
effected by means of the Union with Ireland,
and this circumstance was noticed by Lord John
Russell as casting some difficulty in his way in
pursuing a similar scheme of Reform. This diffi-
culty, however, he proposed to obviate by strik-
ing away •100 Members from the representation
of the small Boroughs, and giving an equal num-
ber to places of greater importance. Of this
number,.:6o Members should be chosen by coun-
lies, and: 40 by large towns. The Noble Lord's
first Resolution was strongly opposed by the
Ministers, • and on a division was rejected : the
numbers being, for the motion 164—against it
269 'Majority 105. . •

[MORNING HERALD.]

The discussion in the Douse of Commons on
Wednesday was more remarkable for its length
than its importance; and if there 'be any matter
for surprise in the result, it is that the minority
was even so numerous as it proVed. It is one
question, whether Mr. Hunt's case was one which
called for the interference of Parliament ;---and
another, whether, his confinement should be
shortened or alleviated. The career of Mr. Hunt
has been mischievous in the extieme ; and there
is nothing in his character—neither imbecility nor
enthusiasm—to palliate the wounds he has inflicted
upon the public peace, or his being the main
cause of the sacrifice of more than one wretch's
life, by his inflammatory but artful practices—
always contriving, but in one instance, to keep
himself at a secure distance from the desperate
situation of his duped victims. He is, in fact, the
last man who should be the object of public in-
terest or support. In his whole career there is
not a trait of generosity, daring, or real public
spirit—not an approach to any one virtue of a dema-
gogue. Nothing but blindness, bad taste,or insince-
rity, could account for his being patronized by per-
sons of any party deserving to.be so.called in this
country. But it is another matter whether the
Administration would not have done well in alle-
viating his punishment. The Report upon the
state of the gaol proves that he suffered hardships
beyond the contemplation of the law,—from the
conduct of the late keeper—and, indeed, also
from the differences of opinion between. the
county authorities. For this he was entitled
to reparation, either by remitting some portion
of the time of his confinement, or by his re-
moval to a place where his health and comforts
should suffer less. Perhaps also, his being an
object of Ministerial grace, at his own solicita-
tion, would disarm him of much of his incendiary
means. It would. send him foith a humiliated
petitioner—not a martyr to what he will call the
public cause. In. CQIICIUSIQII, his case did not
call for the consideration of Parliament, but it
does. for that of :Ministers.