The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-02 00:00:00

'were noire in that House, an'l out of the House, who were
'frond::: to the Bill, who had approved of every part of the
Bill at first, but who now professed the strongest possible
objection to that clause which related to the division of
counties. This, however, was not a time to argue that
poinl. Then, with regard to the names of the Com-
tnist,ioners. The Lord Chief Baron of Scotland was oh
jected to because be was a Judge.; it could not be on
the ground of the business of his Court interfering with
his duties as Commissiorter,—(A laugh.) Had it %icon
the Chief Baron t'f England, it miriht he different.
Then he could not see upon n+.at ground the two
Members of Parliament svere objected to. They were
perfectly competent. If it teas supposed that :ds
Friend, the Member for Stafford, would show steh bad taste
as to undertake the divii-ion cf Staror.l,, it was supprising
what Ware improbable. The Commissioner objected to on
the ground of his being a clerg-inian was a Fellow of
College,—*. man of great science, and li!iciy to be of
the greatest service where 0 scientific rrson was required.
If be had been a clergyman in•rusted with the cure of
souls, it might he improper to draw him from that duty.
Mr. H. HUGHES Lad not obj•eted to the Ceromis-
sioners as individuals.

Sir E. SUGDEN put sue quceitioas to Lord Ahliorp ;
but the Learned Geutleman's inquiry, and the Noldc Lord%
reply, were equally inaudible.
Air. C. PELHAM inveighed against the Bill generally.
Mr. HUNT concurred with the Hon. 'Menthe'. for ();.:,
ford. He supposed the Cotornimioners were to !;are a
diary. —(" ~No," from Lord Althorp.) He tt ae glad to
hear it.

In reply to questions from Mr. H. HUGHES,
Lord .ILTI-1011P said, that the Commissioners were to
have no salary ; they were to be paid their travelli;=g
ponies. They had not commenced their dutit, though
they might have made some inquiries.
Sir T. FRENIANTLE protested against giving so great
a power to Commissioums without allowing the House
culler time for consideration.

Mr. IIUNT wished to be understood as not objecting
to the Commissioners !win,: paid. He had no objection to
those being paid who d:d important public dudes. His
great obj,ction was that many persons received large sala-
ries who did no dutit,t4 for them.

Air. R. GROSVENOR said if some of the Commi3-
sioners were favourable to the opinions of Government,
there were others who held difft-rent opinions, and who
would be a sufficient check on any political in their
brother Commissioners.

Mr. WRANGIRM meant to east no imputation on
the Commissionets, and for one of thu hest of reasons—
there were only two of them with %c how ha was ac-
quainted; but the names of several excited a su‘pielon,
that they held opinions favourable to the views of the Go.
vernment.

Sir J. WROTTESLEY did not olilevt to the Hon.
Member's right to comment on the teveral Commissioners,
as far as his knowltilee of, or ioformation respecting them
went ; but it was unfair to impute op'nions to men of
whom he at the same time said he knew nothing, and
whose opinions he susp,eted from their name. lie had
mentioned one name (that of Mr. Wrottesley) who, he
could assure the lion. Member, was any thing but a party
man. At the same time, if the majority of the Commis-
sioners had a bias in favour of the Bill, he thought they
were: the better on that account ; for if the Noble Lord
had .elected only those IN ho were opposed to the Bill, he
would cover himself with the ridicule even of those Hen.
Gentlemen on the other side.

Mr. WRANGHAM maintainell the tight of all, whe-
ther 61 or young Members, to comment on the list—the
promulgation of it Invited criticism. If his opinions,
from a want of the experience of the Hon. Baronet, were
not as valuable, they were at least as hones!.

Sir J. IVROITESLEY added, that he should not
have complained if the Hon. Gentleman had commented
only on names of persons of whom he knew sotnethinz.
Lord ALTHORP said that it was tally from the Hon.
:Member (Mr. Wtangham) he had for the fist time heard
of the political opinions of many of the proposed Com-
missioners. He believed, however, that the majority of
them were favourable to Reform ; and, indeed, it would
be difficult to select 31 gentlemen of intelligence out of
that Irouse, the majority of whom were not favourable t:.
Reform.—(Hear, hear.) If the majcui,y of the Com-
missioners were hostile to the mea-ure, they would be the
least tit persons that could be chosen.
Sir E. SUGDEN said, as Hon. Members did not know
the majority of the Commissioners, they could only form
conjectures as their opinions, and that shewed the necessity
of having some time fur consideration before they th cided
as to who should be appointed.
Mr. B. WALL suggested that these Members of the
Conunission woo were Barristers should not go to the
counties in the circuits in which they practised, and that
those connected with particular counties should not go as
Commissioners to those counties. There were some
names en the list which he thought would not a&t well
together. For instance, Mr Bel'enflen Kerr and Mr. D.
Gilbert, than whom no two men could be more opposed
to each other. He admitted that the first named gentle-
man was a man of considerable talents and acquirements ;
but at the same time he must say, that he was most un-
accommodating and unquiet.—(oll, oh. )
Lord ALTHORP had known Mr. Bellenden Ken, and
acted with him in a public society, and he bad always found
him an extremely active, intelligent, and useful man, and
in his opinion not at all open to the objection which the
Hon. Member had made against him.

Mr. BLAMIRE said that the division of some of the
Counties could be as well ffeeted by the Commissioners, by
the aid of maps, in London, as by visits to the counties
themselves. For instance, he thought that a division of
his county (Cumberland) might be easily and speedily ef-
fected in that way, without giving the Commissioners the
trouble ofd journey down to it.
After a few words from Mr. 11. Guitssr, who de-
fended the fitness of one of the patties (we did not hear
his name) proposed as a Commissioner,
An Ilurr. Mrmiet:). (whose name did not reach us) de-
fended Mr. Behenden Kerr from the charge made by the
Hon. Member opposite (Mr. 13 ring Wail.)
Mr. P. WALL asked whether Mr. B. Kerr was brother
to Mr. Gaoler ? (another of the Commissioners. )
The HoN. MEmßta (not named) replied that he was not.

The CHAIIIMAN then put the question, that 64 the
names of the Commissioners (ts then read) be inserted in
clause 23."

'Mr. 13. WALL thought it was most important that the
Commissioners should be persons of some standing, and
such as the country could repose confidence in. Why (we
understood him to say) was 11r. Mogg's name not in the
list' He perceived in the list the names of some very
young men : he thought this very injudicious. In fact,
be could not imagine a selection less calculated to give
public satisfaction than that which Lad been proposed. The
Noble: Lord should rive the house time to consider the
character of the individuals proposed to act Commis-
sioners under this Act, before he could press the list which
had been read far the adoption of the House. He felt con-
vinced that the candour which always characterised the
conduct of the Noble Lord would induce Lim to reconsider
the subject. What, he would ask, would the people think
of that list ? Would they feel satisfied that the persons
appointed were competent to discharge the important
duties they would have to perform ? lie did net think
they would. He did ❑ot mean to throw any imvutatiou
on those pi rsons. They were no doubt very respectable
individuals, but notwithstanding by no means competent,
as far as he could form an epinion uu the subject, to per-
form their duty to the satisfactiou of the cuunti

Lord ALTHORP would not deny that collie of the
proposed Uotronissioners were young men, but that cir-
cotnstance d:d not, iu his opinion, form a valid objection
to their ability to discharge the duty they would have to
perfOrm in an efficient manner. Several of these gtntle-
men were engaged in the artillery and in the engineers,
and wire in consequence peculiarly fitted for the service•
for which they had he-•n selected. He had no apprehension
whatever that the proposed list would meet with the dis-
approbation of the public. Ile considered the few objec-
tions which had been taken to the list sufficient evidence
that it unexceptionable. He set tainly never expected
it would meet with the approbation of the Hon. Member.
The CHAIRMAN having then put the question—" That
sixteen of the Commissionms shou!d form a quorum, and
that they should make a report in writing to the House
within three months after their appointment."
The Claus-, as amended, was agreed to without a division.
Sir G. WARRENDER wished to call the attention of
the House to a notice of an amendment which he had
given on a former night, to the effect, " That all bor.ughs
which had more than 400 resident inhabitants should con-
tinue to return Members as heretofore." He took that
opportunity to assure the House, that whatever opposition
t
he had felt it his duty to give to the Bill, it
istrianstret his
intention to throw any vexatious impedimenta
of the measure, in its progress through the House. way
knew that his conduct u' this regard had called forth the
some young Members on his side of the
disapprobation of
House. He, however, as an independent Member of that
House, did not seek to please them, but to do his duty.
He would conclude by stating that it was not his intention
to press hi. amendment. The notice was accordingly
w.thdrawn.
The CHAIRMAN having then read the 24th clause, put
the question, that after the words " be it enacted," th!-m
ba inserted, "that the Commissienas have power to In-