The Sun.
London, England, 1831-06-28 00:00:00

THE REFORM BILL.

We have received a copy *of the " Bill to amend the
representation :ofstbe people in England and Wales," in-
troduced by Lord John Russell on Saturday.
In the new schednle A, ;he number of boroughs to teas
retaining Members has been reduced from, 60 to 57. The
following places, which stood formerly in the schedule se
masked, have been transferred to schedule E
rough, Buckingham, Malmesbury, Okeltampton, and
Reigate; while Downton and St. Germaine, which stood
in the former Bill in schedule B, and were to be allowed
one Member each, have been transferred to schedule A of
the iufproved Bill.
Schedule B also presents some alterations and amend-
ments :—Five boroughs, those already named, have been
saved from tot-al disfranchisement, and two which before•
stared in this schedule, also already named, have gone to
schedule A. The following places, nine in number, are
to be allowed to return the fall complement of Members,
instead of one each only, as in the former arrangement :
Leominster, Morpeth, Northallerton, Penryn, Sandwich
(these two List named have been transferred to schedul,
E, returning Members jointly with other places, Penryn
with Falmouth, and Sandwich with Deal and Weimer),
Tamworth, Truro, Westbury, and Wycombe.
In schedule C, which includes the newly-created bo-
roughs to return two Members each, the only alteration
is, that Halifax has been transferred to schedule D, and
instead of two, as at first intended, will return only one
Member.
Schedule D has some new places introduced, which are
to return one Member each : they are-1. Bury town-
ship, Lancashire; 2. Oldham parish, Lancashire; 3.
Rochdale, including the township of Spotlind, Lancashire;
4. Salford, including the townships of Salford, Pendleton,
seal Boughton, Lancashire ; 5. Stoke-upon-Trent, in-
cluding the townships of Lorigton and Lane-end, Fenton
Culvert, Fenton Vivian, Penkhull and Boothen, Shelton,
Hanley, Bursdem, with the vill of Rushton Grange, and
the hamlet of Sneyd, Tunstall Court, Chell, and Oldcott,
S:affordshire ; 6. Wakefield township, Yorkshire; and
7. 'Whitby, including the townships of Whitby and Rue-
warp, Yorkshire.
In schedule E, as already mentioned, Penryn and Sand-
wich have been introduced.
In schedule F, which regulates the places that are to
share in the representation of the Welsh boroughs, the
alterations are—Amlwch and Llangefri, new places, share
with Beaumaris ; Criccieth shares along with the four
places previously named, with Carnarvon ; St. Asaph, in
addition to six other places previously named, shares with
Flint ; Milford Haven has been transferred from Haver-
fordwest to Pembioke, and Presteigne has been added to
Radnor.
Schedule G, called in the present Bill schedule F, con-
tains the list of counties, of cities, and towns, which are
to be included in the adjoining counties for county elec-
tions. The following new places have been added to the
schedule :—Carmarthen, in Carmarthenshire; Haverford.
west, in Pembrokeshire; Lincoln, in the parts of Lind-
sey, Lincolnshire; London, in Middlesex ; Bristol is not
in the schedule, although in the former one ; but a spe-
cific clause (the 15th) in the Act declares, that for the
like purpose the county of Gloucester shall include that
part of Bristol on the Gloucestershire side of the Avon,
and Somersetshire that part on the Somserset side of the
same river.
RETtlaattsrc OFFICERS.--Msnehaeeter, the Borough-
reeve and other Constables ; Birmingham, the two Bailiffs
of the town ; Leeds, the Mayor ; Sheffield, the Master
Cutler ; Wolverhampton, Constable of the Manor of the
Deanery ; Brighton, Constable of the Hundred of Whales-
bone; Bolton-le-Moors, the I3oroughreere; Kidderminster,
the Bailiff; Kendal, the Mayor ; Macclesfield, the Mayor ;
Salford, the Boroughreeve; Stockport, the Mayor; Wal-
led', the Mayor ; in the other new boroughs the High
Sheriff of the county shall, within two monthsof the pass-
ing of the Act, and every successive year, in the first week
of March, nominate in writing the returning officer for
each borough, churchwardens or overseers excepted, and
the returning officer, during his year, to be ineligible to
these offices.
Berk., Bucks, Cambridge, Dorsetehire, Herefordshire,
Heron and Oxon, to have each three county Members ;
and Glamorganshire two, instead of one, as at present.
Clause 16 enacts the right of voting in counties as ex-
tended to copyholders and leaseholders, the change is
giving it to leaseholders of 501. for seven years.
The trustee and mortgagee in actual possession may vote,
notwithstanding such trust or mortgage.
No person is to -vote in a county election for a house,
or land with a house, which confers the right of voting in
in a borough.
Freeholds need not be assessed to the land-tax to give a
right to voting.
Nu person is to vote for county Members unless be shall
have been in possession and duly registered for six months,
except in case of property coming by descent, marriage, or
marriage-settlement, divise, or promotion to a benefice.
The right of voting in boroughs to be enjoyed by occu-
piers of houses, with or wi:hout land, held under the
same landlord, assessed to the house duty or poor's rate at
101., or rented at 10/., or of the annual value of 101.
No vote to be acquired by a tenant, if his rent is ply-
able more frequently than once in every half year, or if
Lis landlord compounds fur the poor rates; but where,
;seder any local Act, the landlord is liable for the rates, the
tenant may chains to pay the rates, and thus acquire a vote.
Section 23 enacts the appointment of Parliamentary
Commissioners (in the former Act it was left to the Privy
Council) to divide the counties and fix the places for holding
the elections. Other Commissioners to declare the boun-
daries of the cities and boroughs, and to have the power of
incorporating adjacent townships or parishes.
The Commissioners are to annex adjoining travnehil s,
&c. to cities and boroughs (except those in schedule " A")
containing fewer than 300 houses rated at 10/.
The right of voting for Shoreham, Cricklade, Ayles-
bury, and East Rettord, to be in persons having qualifica-
tions in the adjacent districts, as well as in these boroughs,
the rights of the present electors being reserved during their
life- time.
The other alterations in the Bill are merely of regula-
tion. Annexed to the Bill are forms of affidavits, notices
of objection, and other matters of form connected with
the operation of the Act.