The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-13 00:00:00

111RIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Some important alterations in the Reform Bill
were announced last night by Lord John Russell
The most important of these alterations is the de-
termination not to reduce the number of Members.

" It was thought not desirable (Ire said) by many per.
tens who were favourable to the principle of the Bill, that
the Members of the House should be reduced in num-
ber. ,That subject bad been under the consideration of
the Government, and the Government was persuaded,
looliing at the whole subject, and toitnitling that a great
interest was felt in it, that the number ought not to be
reduced. Ile was not prepared to say that this was of
vital importance ; but the feeling of many Members of the
House being favourable to the number remaining the
same, the Government had been indtteed to relax in its
determination on that point." Sir Edward Sugden
having observed that "the resolution to alter the number
of Members from what was originally proposed, and to
retain the whole number, altered the whsle principle of
the Bill," Lord John Russell, in explanation, " denied
that any thing which had fallen from him could hear the
construction that Government had the slightest intention
to abandon any part of the principle of the Bill. What
he had said was this he found, ben the Bill was
in Committee, that the feeling of the House and the
country to be in favour of retaining the whole number of
its Members, he certainly should leave that question open
for consideration ; but be had at the same time distinctly
declared, that Government were determined not to alter
ether the schedule A. or the scherinle )3. in any manner
which could in the slightest degree compromise the prin-
oii4e of the measure which they had submitted to the House,"
The principle of the Bill, as far as we are able
to understand it, is, that the representation snots'()
be real, and not nominal or virtual, Sn the present
state of the representation, a comparatively small
number of individuals, through the machinery of
rotten and pocket beroughs, return e majority of
the Members of the Commons' Heesa. It is essen-
tial to a real representation, that the boroughs which
cannot exercise the franchise independently, should
be altogether disfranchised, and that too great a pro-
portion of the Members should not be returned by
the smaller boroughs not altogether disfranchised.
Schedule A. disfranchises entirely a large number of
small boroughs; and Schedule 8., partially disfran
chising a number of the boroughs, may be said to
constitute the parts of the 13ill in which tha prin-
ciple is embodied. Whether, in order to preserve
the number of representatives the same, as many
Members as are to be taken frem the boroughs totally
or partially disfranchised, shall be distributed among
the counties and populous places—or whether h part
of them only shall be so distributed, while the whole
number of Members in that Belisle shall be reduced
—is a question which does trot affect the principle
of the Bill. That is sufficiently provided for, by
allowing no places to return Members in which the
franchise cannot be exercised independently; and,
in providing,its apportioning the disposable represen-
tation, the property and population of the country
should, as far as possible, be the guide. We confess,
however, that though the retaining the number of
Members the same may not be a departure from the
principle of the Bill, it strikes us that the reduction of
the number would have been productive of considerable
advantage, in facilitating the dispatch of business.
The House is too numerous. When all the Mem-
bers attend, the House is more like an assembly of
the Atilt neat] Demos than a Legislative Body. At
present, indeed, except• tYft qut scions of peculiar in-
terest, the attendance is very partial. But then this
opens a door to management and intrigue in securing
a partial attendance. A real representation would
bring with it responsibility to constituents, and by
consequence a regular attendance. A Member re-
turned by his o.‘n interest., or the interest of his
friend, is accountable to himself or his friend; but a
Metnbtr returned by a real constituency must satisfy
both with regard to the nature of the votes he gives,
lend his attendance. We wish it could have been
found possible to reduce the Members of the House.
We can ‘asily understand why, as England is the
portion of the empire which contains, in proportion
to its population, the gr, atest number of men in
circumstance's allotting them to dedicate their Ali-
ties to the public service, a little apprehension
should have been felt with regard to reduction in that
euarter,while an increase was to take place in Ireland
and Scotland. The fear is lest the weight of England
in the representation should be unduly reduced. The
other alterations are less essential, and, indeed, the
speeches of Lord Althorp and Lord John Russell
before the recess, when Sir R. Peel alluded to Tam-
worth, in some measure- prepared us for them.
There is a difficulty in ascertaining what the popu-
lation of the boroughs actually was in 1821. For
instance, a considerable part of Buckingham was not
included in the population returns. In Triiro there
haft also been an omission. When a borough and
pariah have the same name, it is not always easy to
draw the limits between the population of the
borough and the. rest of the parish in which it is in-
cluded. With all the anxiety of the Government
to obtain correct information as to the population of
boroughs, accuracy had not, in all casts, been pos.
bible. There , were four series of documents on
which the details of the Reform Bill could be framed
and corrected. First, there were the population re-
turns of 182! ; secondly, there were the corrections
which had been made in them, in consequence of
the answers to letters sent to evety city and borough,
specifically inquiring. if the limits of them were the
same as those given in the population returns ; '
thirdly, there were the memorials which had been
prcsented .to the Home Secretary, complaining of
the accuracy of the returns; and fourthly, there
were petitions presented to the House, relating to
the iimit or population of boroughs. To allow
boroughs to show that they ought,in accordance with
the rule laid down, namely, u certain population, not
to be either wholly or partially disfranchised, is hut
giving an equitable effect to the rule. The worst
part of the business will be the delay, to which it
can hardly fail to open a door. We can easily con-
ceive how several of the boroughs will boldly
exaggerate their numbers in order to gain time. Lord
John also intimated, that besides the alteration in
the wording of the Bill " in respect to three or four
points' Of no material importance as to the principle,
but of importance as to the practice, there would be
some alterations, which he would explain to the
Heuer on Monday ; but there were thre or four
points connected with the notices .which had , been
given of moving instructions to the Committee, and
which had been under the. consideration of the
Government. -The first' was as to freemen, and the
light of Voting•conferred by servitude." • This, we
suppose, is to meet the objection started to the .ex-
eluSion from the right of suffrage, of persons who
have entered into apprenticeships in borough where
servitude confers the franchise. Our readers will
see, then, that the essential character of the Bill will
not be departed from ; that the schedules A. and 8.,
es to which Mr. Joseph Parkes, of Birmingham, so
ably catechised the two Members for the county of
WerWiek, deeming these the main object, are to be
strictly adhered to. It is proper that this should be
correctly understood, and we can see from the
.use "lade of the announcement in the house
last night, that an unfair advantage will be taken
of the- change, by those .
who have ant interest in
misleading the Publie I question. In the course
of the discussion to which the announcement gave se,
.ome of the StOtelvmemtbers us
rise,
the convenient- themselves of
sa that..l e
great tisakrity of the s4tch, counties'erms?,C6. were against
the Reform Bill.t:ch
retuitrines,thlead'the
small number of individual& woo
or forty inetviduea present
Members. Thirty
county
..aessieg the freehold qualification io proptatys;rpl".
iority, meet and pass resolutiousagte„„Aeform
per
sandahis is modestly called a county meeting.. Thus,
;:flar instance, in the Aberdeen Chronicle, which ar-
"iitied'yesterday, there is an account of a meeting of.
the great and populous (populous • fur a 'Scotchi
Aberdein which -i
county) county of $ as far as num
; ht have been held shed
bers are concerned, mg
public-house. To our astonishment)
parlour of any
has
at several of these meetings the Reform Bill
ly.
been approved of—an instance of liberality high
praiseworthy. The disfranchised boroughs in Eng.
;
land are, no doubt, hostile to Reform, and the Scotch
freeholders are hostile to it for the same rei;son, Chad

keform deprives Atm oTantottorriand over Govern-
ment patronage. The 'Scotch counties, in the fair,
=erase of the weird, in the prop( rtion of ttnety=itine
;n a hundred, are favourable to the Miniserial plan
of Reform. The corrupt ,att?.!
.Vobing Scotch oli-
garchy are hostile to i. *Mr. Keith Douglas said,
" that the which the Reform Bill had
excited in Scotland was both general and powerful,
anti would have, he was afraid, very inconretlifi.nt
consequences." Inconvenient to whom 1' to the
jobbing oligarchy. As thef,tecotthMth people who,
when once they nt.ic. atlytht.r.g. into their heads, ge-
nerally stick to it., we would not advise The dishp-
pointin:g them of the Reform, 'on whin" they have
set their heart. That mithr, indeed, have very se-
rious consequences, tube particularly as the spirit
actuating tirefil would be shared by their neighbours.
It is much easier to raise the devil thin to get tid
of him.—Morning Chioniek.

The coune7 see, by our Parliamentary re•
port, that Lord John Russell has announced it tie
he intention of his Majesty's Misil=2ter's to propose
a considerable departtrre ftoin the scheme of Reform
which has beet) -:tUbmitted to the House of Com-
mon?, To the plan, as first stated, the nation has,
we may well say unanimously, given its entire. and
cordial, and most grateful msent. tltt it the entire;
of the country have resterl, and tie-ettse of that noble
prospectus of our future representative system, and
for the sake of it alone, the confidence of the people
of En:land has been reposed in Lord Grey's admi-
histration with a breadth and fttllees:e or generosity
which no other Governffiht Within memory has ever
enjeyed. Fretri The beginning the independent press
has creled for the Bill—and nothing but the Bill.
The people of England have joined us in calling
upon those Members of Parliament on whin, ns its
delegates, the nation had any to pass Me
Bill, presented by Lord John itussell. At small
matters of detail) inVolving only such modifications
of the original arrangements as local convenience and
still less at such as particular equity bight require,
we should have no thought of murmuring. 'Never.
tlieless, with a ',lew to the firm support and con-
tintestitb of that national reliance on the consistency
of his Majesty's Ministers, deprived of which
they never will be able to carry any Reform
hatever in the face of the great borough con-,
federacy, or indeed to retain office at all, we think it
right ts% ekpress our regret at any symptoms of yield-
ing on a point of certainly no mean importance. If
we rightly understand Lord John Russell, the Ca-
binet are content to surrender the point of reducing
the number of the members of the House, "if there
should turn out to be a strong feeling upon it in the
House." Why, of course, there will and must be
a strong feeling. Of course every unit by which
the muster-roll of the House may be augmented
affords one additional chance of being again returned,
to every individual at present a sitting member.
We did n'ot believe, when the Bill for Reform was
brought forward, that the King's Ministets were so
exclusively anxious to consult " the feelings of the
House," or so easily satisfied as to those of the
British nation. However, we grant one proposition
to Lord John Russell, and acknowledge that the
alteration now referred to does not affect the essen-
tial principles of the Bill : it merely leads, and that
of necessity, to a more close and solicitous obser-
vation by the people, of the conduct of Ministers
Frith regard to its future stages. It is: but candid
to declare at once, that if Lord Grey's Cabinet
falter but for one moment in their allegiance to
" the Bill" of Reform, we would not guarantee
their power for a second moment, nor the re-
demption of their character by the Whig party in an
hundred years to come. But we readily allow that
they have not furnished sufficient cause for such an
apprehension. If we .were disposed to be merry on
a grave question, or at the expense of those who
have heretofore deserved well of the country, we
might take pleasure in holding op 'to notice the
attempt of the Duke of Northumberland to dictate-to
his northern tenantry what opinions they shall ex-
press upon the great measure of Reform. In truth,
tit e regret sincerely this gross miscalculation of the
nature of public opinion, and of the duties which
freemen owe their country. We regret it the more
because the Duke of Northumberland's kind treat-
ment of his tenantry has been such as to create for
his Grace a powerful influence over the feebnis end•
actions of a numerous body of men, whose signatures
affixed to Anti-Reform petitions may thus serve to
throw a false colour upon those documents, and to
persuade people unacquainted with the fact that the
sentiments submitted through such a medium to
Parliament are those of the individuals professing
them, instead of being those of the Duke of
Northumberland alone. It ought to be manifest
to his Grace or his advisers, that if he can on
this occasion prevail upon his tenantry to prefer
his wishes to their own On the- Reform question,
and thereby to incur the general disapprobation of
their countrymen, the same ascendancy which he
now exercises to procure petitions to Parliament
will, after the passing of the Reform Bill, be equally
successful in canvassing among the same tenants,
then, by virtue of their leases on the Northumber-
land property. prow oted into electors, for their votes
in favour of whatever candidates may enjoy his
Grace's countenance and good-will. This is not the
only case in which the tendency of the measure to
serve the general interests of Property against no
property seems to have been wholly lost sight of.
The following is the circular-a/hided 'to :

• (ctacutita..)""
" The Duke's, Commissioners send to Mr: for
his own and the signatures of the tenants of his bailiwick,
counterparts of addresses to the King and the two Houses
of Parliament, in respeCt to the present Reform Bill; the
originals of which his Grace has signed, snd in the pro-
motion of which his Lordship-desires activity may be used,
as a return is expected in a few days; trusting that all
persons connected with him will join in the prayer of the
petitions, which their neighbours also should have an op-
portunity of signing if they think fit. The Duke requires
the names of tenants who do not sign, and hopes that they
will not embark rashly in politics if they wish to place
confidence in his opinons, which can only be truly learnt
through his Commissioners:
" Commissioners'-office, Alnwick-castle,
April 5."

• :(Times.)

We do hope that,, in the event of the success of
theßeform Bill, the good sense and independent
spirit of the people of this. country will not tolerate
the dictation of such things •-as self-constituted Is&
cieties, to select and recommend eandidates.for their
adoption. This would .be Only: to exchange the
domination of the boroughmongera for another soft
of domination, 'pretty ' nearly as injurious'. to the
freedom of election. Nothing, indeed, can be too
absurd, or extravagant,' not to he made a subject of
" subscription" new-:-days; but it would surpass
all ordinary bounds of the ridiculous in conduct, if
the people were to take excessive trouble to get rid
of the venal influence of One set of persons merely
to place themselves, tinder that of others. It." Pat-
liamentary candidate Societies" should succeed in
the metropolis, we should soon expect to see, in
every town having the right of returning representa-
tives, a register-office for candidates opened, where
every body of electors may be suited, according to-
their taste, with candidates, and, perhaps, on as com-
paratively " cheap and liberal" terms as families are I
supplied by ether register-Offices with all sorts of
servants. To be sure, in this way, one of the great
objections to Reform will be removed ; we mean
that which arises out of the Apprehension that the co-
lonial, commercial, and some ot her interestiwill not be
sufficientlyrepresented in aParliament depending solely
upon popular representation, and admitting no.per-
sons.through the wickets of close boroughs,
which
hitherto afforded, by means of a golden key, such a
convenient mode of access to East or West Indian
aspirants, to Parliamentary honours. Much appre-
their .
I,t,,ttntiori has naked lyeen'entertained and expres.•ed
lest such-persons, and other whose money may be '
approach to theirvgerrs'
their.bt‘ly •merit, shall able be
oroc
green-morocco'
!smeaatk:of oSotd.
Stephen's' Chapel through'
popular Suffrage; but, by making
broad gateVray of
[5, a bargain with a
" i'arlimnetitary candidate offi'
ce. avid having their
names Only registered, they may find their.waY into
the Senate with as much facility is if the close bo-

„.
roughs, and their seisalit 'tl.7la freights for estimating
the pecuniary merits of candidates, had not been
sweat away. Depots, containing patterns "ef Par-
liamentary. candidates of all sorts and sizes of intel-
lect, eloquence, or industry, would form a new
branch of internal trade. There, by selecting the
models recommended to thirsts thr, VeiSple
.Who 'exer,
cise the elective ft.'ail'ettise, iii evely place and dig-
triet, May be saved 'the. most. tilitiblessme part of
their duty as electors--that of thinking for them-
selves iri the Choice of repilesentative. It is to be
hoped thtt the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the
deficiency of his budget, may consider them a fl•ter
subject of taxation than tra.n4fers of stack or steam-
boats; and thus the supplying Members to Parlia-
ment mai beCcine a source of revenue to the Crown,
as well as a s 'urce of profit to the enterprising spe-
culators in that species of political merchandize. But
then we may be asked wiry rot, in that r.'Sse, let the
rotten boroughs Ars' corporations remain,
whir t: *'mould, no doubt, do things on as cheap terms,
and furnish as good and sound an article to the
” collective wisdom," and even pay a tax for the
privileges of the monopoly ? To that we can give ho
answer.—Morning Ilcrtifd.
The tact or the insurrection having spread into
the province of Lithuania has been confirmed by all
the latest accounts from the North of Europe re-
ceived to last night: Thie Accestion to the patriot
cause is off th greatest importance, and, it is
ttiought, may exercise, in the result, a greater influ-
ence upon the fate of Poland than any event which
has yet occurred during the present struggle, not
even excepting the glorious victories of the last days
of March. The holes have been from the first
looltieg towards that quarter with wistful eyes, and
the Provisional Government found nothing se dis•
piriting or .so disappointing to their calculations as
the coldness with which their invitations to frater-
nity were received by their Lithuanian brethren.
Every effort has been tried to produce an impulse
in, and it was a rosin object of all the intrepid
Dwernicki's movements to. approach the desired
province.' There seems to be no,doubt but that the
long-expected sympathy has been at last excited.
The Prussian journals and letters state that Wilna,
the capital, had completely thrown off the Russian
yoke, and that a Provisional Government had been
already organized. The fruits of this movement in
the rear of the army of General Diebitsch must
soon make themselves manifest. In other respects
the troops of General Diebitsch are represented as
being reduced to the most deplorable condition.
They were lying in the fields half-starved and
harrassed incessantly by the armed Polish peasantry.
The letters from Prussia state that the Cossacks
were flying into the territories of that Power for
protection. It appears that General Skrzynecki was
engaged in trying to effect some accommodation
with General D:ebitsch up to within a few days of
his setting out to attack the enemy, but that the
negociations were broken off by the Russian Com-
mander insisting upon unconditional submission.(
This alte:native was fortunately rejected, and the
happy consequence has been that Poland is more
likely to be in a condition to impose than to solicit
terms. A letter from Paris states that the affairs of
Poland, now that they are prospering, are likely to
be thought of importance enough to be taken into
the hands of the " Great Powers," in order to be
effectually ruined. The report is, that the Courts
of London, Paris, arid 'Vienna, are about to consi-
der; of course without 'consulting those most nearly
concerned, whether they, could not still preserve the
dependence of Poland upon Russia, by some juggle
about the Au.orrat's making fair promises of tole-
rating a Constitution to his Polish subjects. The
tried spirit of the Poles gives hopes that they will
repudiate a proposition so insidious, and continue to
try their fortunes by the-lot of war, rather than sub-
mit to be defrauded of the fruits of all their sacri-
fices by the treachery of diplomacy. We trust the
report is unfounded—or, at all events, that the Bri-
tish Cabinet Will hive nothing to do-in the affair.
The dreadful state to which the interference of
such mediatois has reduced the independence of
Belgium is conclusive as to its real objects in all
cases where the stability of despotism is threatened.
The latest accounts received from Portugal would
had to the hope that a re-action was not very •dis-
tont in that miserable country. The French Go-
vernment, it is said, are likely to take up the cause
of some of their subjects who have been barbarously
and innocently punished by the orders of Don Mi-
guel. Some insurrectionary movements are also re-
ported to hare taken. place at Oporto. In Paris
the new Ministry were daily acquiring strength, and
the subscribers to the patriotic loan greatly increas-
ing. Things looked more stable and solid there
than they have since the revolution.—Morn. Herald.
It is with heartfelt satisfaction we referour readers
to the proceedings in the House of Commons last
night, by which it will be seen that the monstrous
project of revolution, insultingly called Reform; is
likely to fall to pieces in the hands of its framers.
Already have the efforts of the friends of the Con-
stitution so far prevailed, that the intended aban-
donment of some of the principal provisions of the
measure was unequivocally proclaimed in the course
of the evening by Lord John Russell; and having
thus palpably shaken the odious fabric of revolution,
we have only steadily to persevere in the straggle
effectually to demolish it. To what, it will natu-
rally be asked, are we indebted for these promising
prospects to our long-revered and happy Consti-
tution? Primarily, we will fearlessly answer, to
the effect of the exertiont of the friends of good
order in the State : and secondarily to the .fears,,
not to the justice of the Ministry. These imbecile
men felt themselves tottering in their situations
they saw that the good sense and real feeling of the
people were averse to their ruinous projects; that
it was impossible to carry their revolutinaury mea-
sure; that even -a dissolution of Parliament would
not serve their unhallowed purposes;—and there-
fore,- rather than fall . sacrifices to their fearful de-
signs, and resign the places they: so unworthily fill,
they, in the true . spirit- of Whiggery, have deter-
mined' to abandon the principal parts.of that atro-
cious -plan, by which they had solemnly decided to,
abide, and -to stand or fall with its fate.- It will-be
seen by Lord John Russell's declaration, that the
GovertiMent. is ready •to abandon that part of the
scheme which'diminishes the number of 'Members
of the HouSe. his somewhat strange that this mo-
dification should have been simply announced as an
alteration:per se,, which would goo° further, an&
wouldnot:affect the principle of the Bill." As it
appears to us, the disfranchising clause, hitherto
considered by far the most important feature-of the
measure, will be very materially affected ; on this
point, howeverohe country will 'be enable to form
a more definite opinion when it shalt.' be informed
how the sixty-two Members, to he restored to the
House, ire ro be distributed. The friends of -the
Constitution will', feel no dissatisfaction that the
timely submission of the Reforming Cabinet has de-
prived them of the triumph that awaited theM in
the contest. The declaration of -Mr. Hunt into
the full as important •as that of the- Noble Lord.
Let-all who are in-doubt, let all who have been led
away by the plausible philosophy of our. Liberals—
let them, :we say, -read that declaration and profit by
it. -The Bill, we have been told, is satisfactory to
the country at large ; is approved by all classes.
Mr. Hunt, whose dictum on such a point is worthy
the assertion of all other Reformers put together,
declares that the Bill satisfies--'those on whom it
confers the- elective fralchi,e, and those only
-Morning Post.

.
We regret' to learn, 1w a gentleman who
arrived in town last, night, from the North; that a most
powerful feeling has recently disp!ayed itself amongst the
men employed in the collieries of-Durham and Newcastle,
in Consequence of the refusal" of the pit prOprietors to in-
crease,iirir wages. A Noble Lord, who recently visited
Durham, (the, owner of extensive coal7mines in that neigh-.
bon rbOdA), war, it 151./lildell, 'obliged to make a precipitate
retreat to town, in oitter to avoid the turbulence of his
workmen. The consternation amongst the proprietors of
coal-mines is said to be greater than on any preVious.
ca&On, its'there is reason to belieVe 30,000 well-drilled
men can be assembled at an hour's hofice.• -

FROM THE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

Crown-Office, April 12, 1831