The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-16 00:00:00

463)V

LONDON,
FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 16, 1831.

CHOLERA NIORBUS, OFFICIAL REPORT

COUNCIL OFFICE.-(THIS DAY.)
DAILY REPORT of CHOLERA CASES,
SUNDERLAND, Dec. 14, MIL
Remained at last report 2l
New cases c 7

Total .13

Died 2
RocoverQd 8

Remaining at this date, 8 o'clock, ♦.x lB
From the Commencement of the Disease, on Oct. 96, 1831.
Cases, 456.—Died, 157.
NEWCASTLE, Disc. IS.
Remained at last report 9O
New cases

Total .

Died 0
Recovered 3

Remaining at this date, 8 o'clock, ♦.at 3l
From the Commencement of the Disease, on Dec. 7, 1831.
Cases, 46.—Died, 13.
NORTH SHIELDS, Dec. 14.
Remained at last report 2
New eases
Died 1
Recovered
Remaining at this date 1
From the Commencement of the Disease.
Cases, 3.—Died, 2.
SEGHILL COLLIERY, DEC. 14.
Remained at last report 2
New cases 2
Died 2
Recovered 0
Remaining at this date
There are two cases at Walker, near Newcastle,
(Signed) WM. MACLEAN, Secretary.

The tithe question was last night brought fo
ward in both Houses of Parliament. In the House
of Lords, Lord MELBOURNE, and in the Commons,
Mr. STANLEY, severally moved for Committees on
the subject, and in justification of the necessity for
so doing, adduced many instances of hardship, op-
pression, and disorganization, which were wholly
attributable to the odious tithe system, as at present
acted on in Ireland. Mr. STANLEY, in particular,
drew a harrowing picture of the condition to which
certain districts in the sister island were re-
duced, from the squabbles perpetually taking
place between the tithe-payers and the tithe-
receivers. The Right Hon. Gentleman observed,
that even after Government had made use of
all possible means to secure the payment of tithes,
even after cattle and goods had been seized, and
other compulsory methods adopted, still nothing
was effectual, for it was found impossible to dispose
of the seizures after they hail been made. In Ire-
land, the purchaser of such goods was from that
moment a marked man ; and even after they were
shipped for England, customers could with difficull
be obtained; so that it had become absolutely and
imperatively necessary that Government- should in-
terfere, adopt some plan to remedy the evil, and
apportion his fair meed of justice to the payer as
well as the receiver of tithes. Mr. STANLEY con-
cluded by moving the appointment of a Committee
to inquire into the question, which, after some de-
sultory discussion, was agreed to in both Houses.
Mach as we desire to see the evils of the present
tithe system done away :with, still we fear little or
nothing will, or can, be done, until a Reform takes
place in the House of Commons. " The axe," as
Mr. Sum justly observes, " raust be laid to the
root"—but not by the present House, which would,
we fear, be inclined to deal too gently with a die•
order which nothing short of actual cautery can cure.
In the course of the evening Mr. WARBURTON
moved for a series of papers on the subject of the
cholera, and strenuously urged the adoption of de-
cided measures, as otherwise the malady would in-
fallibly spread over every part of the three king-
doms. Mr. P. Tllostrsori replied that Government
would cheerfully accede to the Honourable Mem-
ber's motion, but that as for attempting to check the
progress of the cholera, by cutting off communica-
tion, such a measure was wholly impracticable. Sir
R. VYVYAN thought that Ministers bad not en-
forced the quarantine regulations with sufficient strict-
ness ; but assuredly there is little ground for the
Hon. Member's complaint, for it has been ascer-
tained by extended experience on the Continent,
that quarantine laws and cordons sanataires have pro-
duced scarcely arty
.good, the cholera having cot:-
quered every obstacle to its progress, and slowly
but surely advanced in spite of all that human inge-
nuity could do to arrest its 'starch. Still it is not to
be denied, that so long as the shadow of a doubt
exists on the subject of the contagious character of
the malady, the utmost vigilance on the part of
Government is necessary. If an error is to be made,
it had better be made on the safe side.

The public is not, so far as we observe, particu-
larly well satisfied with that part of the new Re-
form Bill which perpetuates the rights of freemen,
though there are many who commend the Govern-'
ment for the disposition it has ahem' to conciliate a
class of persons who fancy they have grounds for
Complaint of being deprived of their birthright by
the old Bill. All true Reformers must be sorry fer
the alteration, though willing to admit that Govern-
ment has yielded with good intentions to the many
difficulties with which it has been, and is still, sur-
rounded.
The rights of freemen in general, like those of the
electors of Old Sarurn or Gatton,or any other borough
in schedule A, can only be correctly defined as a trust
reposed in them, to be exercised. for the public be-
nefit, and not as a matter of property to be used for
individual advantage. If, therefote,' the existence
of all anomalous body of freemen be inconsistent
with the principle of the proposed Reform, and
be calculated rather to preserve the-memory of the
old system, than to add any force or consistency
to, the new order of things, there would be
every reason, upon principle, to oppose an
amendment that must tend to-keep on foot a certain
amount of corruption, as a sort of contrast to the
spirit of the new arrangement. By means of the
contrivances of apprentices, and so forth, there will
be a constant perpetuation of that jobbing system
of turning freedoms to account, which disgraces so
many cities and boroughs, and especially large towns,

like Liverpool or Bristol, fo►s instance, in which there
will be rejoicing " with exceeding great jc3, ," that
facilities for unconstitutional practices are_ still to
be preserved to their constituent bodies.
The conservation of the hereditary rights of free-
men is a clear concession to tke Anti-Reformers,
and not, like taking the late census as the guide for
population, and like changing the criterion of popu-
lousness in boroughs for that of householders, an
amelioration in the details of the peat measure.
When any good reason can be given for amendment
in detail, the country is not so stupid as to prefer
the old Bill, and nothing but the old Bill, but where
the public sees a departure in principle, there is some
reason for crying out against the over-anxiety to
conciliate, which some friends of the Government
are so warmly promoting. There are grounds for
apprehending that this alteration in regard to freemen
is very like a departure from the original design of
the measure.

Far be it from uB, however, to recommend an op-
position to the Bill, on account of the views we en-
tertain as to this part of it. The best course for
the Reformers is to support the Government with
entire confidence, in their efforts to get the Bill
passed, and when it shall hare passed into a law,
then to take steps for the connection of those parts
of it which may appear to want still further modifi-
cation. In transactions of this kind, the people
should deal, as a considerate creditor deals with his
debtor—they should take what they can realize for
the present, and then try to recover the balance of
their due by such instalments as they can manage
to procure the payment of.