The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-20 00:00:00

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LONDON,
WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 20, 1831.

Shortly after the House of Commons broke up
last night summonses were issued from the Foreign-
office, for holding a Cabinet Council this morp'ng,
at eleven o'clock. By half-past ten, however, all
the Ministers had assembled at the residence of
Earl GREY, in Downing-street. (The Council being
held there on account of the indisposition of Lord
HOLLAND, and the difficulty his Lordship would
have experienced in ascending the stairs at the
Foreign-office.) The Council remained in delibera-
tion up to two o'clock, when the Ministers left for
the purpose of attending his MAJESTY'S Levee, at
St. James's Palace.

During the sitting of the Cabinet Council this
morning Earl GREY left his colleagues two or three
times, and proceeded to St. James's Palace, where
his Lordship had an audience of the KING.

The Debate of last night on General GAS-
COYNE'S notable amendment will be reid with in_
tease interest. A more momentous one never 'yet
engaged the attention o f a British House of Com-
mons. We deeply deprecate its result. We fear
it will create a most alarming—indeed an unpiral-

leled—agitation, from one extremity of the king-
dom to the other.

Among the speakers who took part in this-trtethor-
able discussion, Mr. HAWKINS deserves to beSinkled
out for the masterly way in which he -canvassedtthe
great question. A happier union of sound reasoning
and impassioned eloquence, than the Hon. 'Nem-
be.r's speech developed, we never read. Its effect
ow the House was prodigious.
Mr. NORTII talked in his usual ranting stra;n about
the great danger to be apprehended by Church and
state from the passing of the Rebrin Mil. On
this point, we will just beg leave to ask alp Hon.
Member one question. Was thee ever yet an al-
teration, no matter how frivolous or how important,
projected in existing public institutions, which
was not met by its opponents by this stale old
clamour ? When the Test Acts passed the
I-louse of Commons, its enemies swore that it
would put Church and State in jeopardy. When
Catholic emancipation was carried, the cry was
precisely the same; the same also when
,the
Forgery Bill was under discussion ; and now, for at
-least the hundredth time, when the clamour is ab-
solutely worn out, Mr. NORTH steps lurch with an
abortive attempt to revive it. We envy not the in-
tellect of that man who can find no newer arguments
to
,urge against Reform, than those which have
been worn threadbare, and laid aside, by the op-
ponents of the Test Acts, the Emancipation, asd
the Forgery Bills.
Sir R. PEEL'S speech differed only from the gene-
rality of this wondrous statesman's orations, in the
absence of self-commendation and vows of indiffe-
rence to office. Singularly 'enough, he neither praised
himself, nor asserted his disinclination to return
to the cares and fatigues of Government. The
country, we suspect, will be in no hurry to put his
sincerity to the test.

The debate closed at five o'clock this morning, by
a majority against Ministers, and in favour of Ge-
neral GASCOYNE'S amendment, of eight ! A most
sieniflcant—and, under the circumstances, a most
ominous—silence followed the announcement of the
numbers. The anti-reformers could not muster
among them all a single cheer. Why was this? They
were thinking of more important matters. They
were anticipating, in dread and silence, what would
be the probable results of their disastrous triumph.

We have little doubt that the liberal and en-
lightened electors of Southwark will see the neces-
sity of instantly calling on Sir ROBERT WILSON to
surrender back into their bands the representation
of the borough. But if they desire to benefit the
cause of Reform, they must be speedy in their deter-
mination. Not an hour must be los•. To vacillate,
or procrastinate, at the present awful crisis, is to
peril the great question. The boroughmongers
must be taught that the people are deter-
mined on Reform, and will have it. Mean-
time events are fast hastening to their consum
minion. The parley is at an end between the friends
of liberty and its opponents. The great battle is
now b-gun between them. Timid and narrow-
minded men despair of success, while the more
enlightened and energetic pin their faith on the
justice of their cause, and resolve to conquer,

. We learn from the pirate correspondent, dated
April 16, of a morning cotemporary, that Paris has
been again in a state of agitation, in consequence of
some riots which the Government expected, and to
prevent which they made a prompt display of a vast
military force. This display, which. appears to have
been premature, produced the very effect it was
meant to prevent, and considerable crew& collected
in•many of the principal streets, c►ying out vocife-
rously for a Republic, as the only mewls of producing
skating tranquillity. By the lust accounts received
order was completely restored.

_ .
THE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

There are moderate arrivals of English Grain this week but
another large supply of foreign Wheat and Barley. The Wheat
trade is extremely heavy today, fine parcels alone support Mon-
day's prices. Barley tOr Malting is unaltered, grinding sorts are
cheaper. Beans and Pease are unvaried. Oats do not meet so
free a trade as on Monday, but are not cheaper. lu the flour
trade there is no alteration.

ARRIVALS.
- Wheat. Barley. Oats. I Flour.
English
Irish - - 85.5
Foreign

-- lats.