The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-02 00:00:00

pm
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

Mr. JAMES said he held in his hand a petition signed by
WO persons, composing a part of the body whom he had
the honour to represent. The prayer of the petition was for
a speedy Reform in the Representation of the people. They
stated mat the great majority of that House was sent to
Parliament by a less number than one-thousandth part of
the male adult population of the country. The petitioners
entered into a review of the causes of the present evils.—
They reprobated the policy of the present Government,
complained of the Manchester transactions, and the affair at
the funeral of the late Queen. They attributed the excessive dis-
tress to excessive taxation. The lion. Member, in alluding to
the Bill for the resumption of Cash Payments, denied the propo-
sition cf the Hon. Member for Portarlington, that the change in
the currency produced by that Bill did not exceed 10 per cent.
He felt warranted in disausting the opinions of the Hon. Gent.
on .this subject, because the Hon. Gent. had stated the differ-
ence between gold and paper to be first of all 3, then 3i., then 4,
and, finally, 10 per cent. Any one who would take the trouble
of reading Mr. Cobbett's pamphlets (a laugh) must soon be of
a different opinion. They were to be had at a cheap rate, and
whoever paid proper attention to the arguments of that writer
would be readily convinced that the Honourable Member for
Portarlington knew nothing at all about the matter.—(Much
laughter.)—Another cause of the distress of the country,
was the suddenly withdrawing of a quantity of paper from
circulation. If his Hon. Friend would take up the writings
of Mr. Cobbett, he would sce that prices depended amongst
other things on the quantit, of circulating money in a coun-

try. The Honourable Gentleman then condemned the plan
which had been laid before the House a few nights ago. He
did not see how the evils arising out of half a century of mis-
government could be got rid of by converting a quantity of
wheat into flour, and the issuing of pawnbrokers' tickets to.
bankrupts and beggars. Whatever might be the opinion of
the petitioners, it was his (Mr. James's) opinion, that nothing
less than a reduction of from 30 to 35 million of taxes would
do any good. He was also an advocate for Universal Suffrage.
—(A loud laugh.)--He was an advocate for it, because he
thought as every man in the country was liable to be called out
to defend property, so ought he to have a voice in the making
of laws.

Mr. CURWEN supported the Petition, and stated that,
from his coming into Parliament at the close of the American
war, to the present time, he had uniformly supported the
cause of Parliamentary Reform.
Mr. RICARDO said that the Hon. Member had charged
him with giving different opinions at different times, as to the
exact sum in which the currency was depreciated; but he
thought the Hon. Member ought, in fairness, to have stated the
periods when lie had given those opinions.
Mr. JAMES, in explanation, said that the Hon. Member
for Portarlington (Mr. Ricardo) had certainly stated that the
difference between gold and paper was only ten per cent. ; tut
he (Mr. James) was firmly persuaded that it was not less than
50 per cent.—{A laugh.)
The Petition was then laid upon the table, and ordered to be
printed.
Lord KINGSBOROUGH presented a Petition from the
town of Cove, in the county of Cork, praying for a repeal of the
Window Tax in Ireland.—Laid on the table.
CORN TRADE.
Mr. RICARDO moved for a return of the quantity of
Wheat, Barley, and Oats, actually sold at Mark-lane for thf,
last ten years, distinguishing British from Foreign Corn, and
the quantity sold in each, to the latest period that the same
could be made out.

Mr. F. LEWIS wished to know whether Irish cern was
included ?

Dlr. RICARDO replied in the negative, but said he would
amend his motion, on the suggestion of the Hon. Member.—
Ordcrcd.

STATE OF THE 'CURRENCY.

Mr. WESTERN rose in order to postpone his motion re-
specting, the State of the Currency to some, future day. Look-
ing at the paper, he could .not perceive an open day till the.
16th ; he would fix that day ; and if an opportunity did not
then offer, he would further postpone it until after the Whitson
holidays.
ITALIAN REFLTGEES.--SOUTH AMERICAN INDE-