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

Reform. They would have been put in pos-
session only of the poison. The antidote
they would have been left to find out for
themselves. The LoRD CHANCELLOR exposed this
manoeuvre with his usual caustic felicity, and, the
discussion being persevered in, brought forward
Lord PLUNKETT, who, in allusion to the much
vaunted " working well" of the old representative
system, shrewdly observed, that such well-working
was the growth of happy accidents and lucky
chances, but that it was monstrous to insist that the
British nation should be left longer indebted for its
success to the chapter of accidents. Lord BROUGHAM
spoke at length on the same side of the
question. He advocated the expediency of Re-
form; he proved that it could no longer be delayed
with safety to the Constitution; that in short, things
were come to such a pass that no Government
could go on longer without it. The old stale
argument of the boroughmongers, that the Re-
formers were split into countless sects and
divisions, and that consequently no measure
could be brought forward that would give them en•
tire satisfaction, the Noble and Learned Lord can-
vassed with infinite sprit. He completely turned
the tables on the boroughmongers, by proving, be-
yend the possibility of contradiction, that they
themselves were at present in the very same pre-
dicament in which the Reformers once stood ; that
it was the former who were now divided, the
latter had become unanimous on the great ques-
tion. From this he inferred that the measure
which could produce such unanimity; which
could reckon among its advocates men of all
parties and shades of parties—with the excep-
tion of the boroughmongers, whose interests wee
opposed to it—must be the one, and no other, best
calculated to ensure the continuance of good iv-
vernment, the preservation of social order, and the
general happiness of the community.
On this point we cordially agree with the Noble
and Learned Lord. The Reform Bill now in pro-
gress through the House of Commons is the one,
and the only one, likely to be productive of good.
It has hit the bull's eye. It is adapted to the vary-

ing interest of all parties, and exhibits proofs of a
sagacity and flexibility that no other Ministerial
measure ever yet surpassed. It must, therefore, be
carried as it now stands ; for the people have fully
and irrevocably made up their minds to accept " the
Bill—the whole Bill—and nothing but the Bill."

We close our comments with the Noble and
Learned Lord's illustrations of the boroughmonger-
ing i.y.tem, than which nothing can be more con-
clusive. They are tria juncta in uno ; fact, argu-
ment, and sarcasm combined.—" What did their
Lordships think of a man who, to get rid of his
debts, bought a.acct-in Parliament for three months ?
what did they think of a man who by so purchasing
a seat, got out a prison, and being out of prison
went abroad ; and when abroad vacated his seat so
that another Member might come in, while the
gentleman who had gone abroad never found his way
back again ?—(Hear and laughter.) He need
not tell them that this had happened. But what
did they think of this next case which he was about
to narrate to them. A man,' continued the Noble
and Learned Lord, ' bought a borough, say for
40,000/. or 60,0001.-1 say bought a borough, be-
cause that is the phrase,—but your Lordships know,
that what is really bought is the power of deciding
upon peace and war, upon all affairs of commerce, upon
Parliamentary Reform, upon the amount of taxation;
in a word, uponall the great and vital questions where-
ever the prosperity, perhaps the very existence of the
empire depends. This, my Lords, is the meaning of
buying .a
borough.—(Hear, and laughter.) Well,
but in the case of which I am speaking, all the

money was not to be paid down at once—perhaps
it was not convenient ; and so it being agreed that
the prompt should be at six months, there was to
be discount, of course; and what do your Lordships
suppose the discount was? Money, perhaps. Oh
no, my Lords; the simple men out of doors, and
particularly those on the Stock Exchange, would
have answered, simpletons as they are, money ;
but in this case the discount was not money,
but a man.—(Hear, hear, hear, and laughter )
Yes, it was said to the purchaser, You shall
have a term; you shall go out for a time, and an-

other'shall go in ; and so the affair shall go on, and
the discount be taken until the time for the prompt

comes.'—(lienr, and much laughter.) Now this I
am credibly informed is a fact ; and your Lordships
think it a very laughable matter. But why is it
so ? It is laughable only on account of the gross
and flagrant incongruity of it ; and the incongruity
consists in a man having been the representative of
five per cent. on 40,000/. or 50,000/. for a few
months, instead of being, what he ought to have
been, a representative of the people.—(Hear, and
much laughter.)"

During the discussion last night ill the House
of Lords, when Lord WHARNCLIFFE had con-
cluded his speech against the Reform Bill, the
ex-Ministers, apprehensive, probably, of the effect
of the replies on the part of the. Lord CHAN-
CELLOR and Lord PLUNKETT, left the House in
considerable numbers. Lord ELLENBOROUGU, how-
ever, with some of the Ex-Ministers, still lingered, and
was discovered listening behind the curtain to the
masterly and unanswerable observations of Lord
BROUGHAM. One would suppose the " tame ele-
phant" had lately had enough of curtain lectures !

Our city correspondent states that the Russian
army is in a most deplorable condition, in conse-
quence of the unusual inclemency of the weather.
He says also, that--" Accounts from the borders of
Poland state, that the most important news was the
revolution in Podolia. Two Nobles presented
themselves a few days since in the town of
Umau, with two hundred cavalry. On their ap-
proach the Nobility rose en masse, and soon assem-
bled 15,000 cavalry. This army has advanced to
Haminies, the capital of Podolia, where they dis-
armed a regiment of Russian infantry. The news of
this march has probably caused General KREUTZ to
retreat, for fear of being cut off."

The Paris Express revives the report that the
Austrians have entered Bologna, and add, that the
intelligenc9 has been communicated to Govern-
ment :by a telegraphic despatch. The same
authority observes that the entire of the Swiss
cantons are fully prepared ; their corps orga-
nized ; and that their army will not be less than
60,000 men—a fact which must force the diffe-
rent Powers to respect the neutrality of Switzerland.