The Sun.
London, England, 1831-06-24 00:00:00

CORN LAWS•

Lord MILTON took this early occasion to state that it
was his intention to bring the subject of the Corn Laws
under the consideration of the House. In the present Ses-
sion he should move for certain documents to throw light
upon the subject, and in the next Session he should bring
the whole system into discussion.
Mr. HUNT asked on what day the Noble Lord meant
to move for the documents.

Lord MILTON added, that he did not mean at present
to fix upon any particular day ; he did not meats to bring
the subject into debate until next Session.
Mr. HUNT observed that he would take care to give
the Noble Lord an opportunity of delivering his sentiments
in the present Session.
'REFORM.

Mr. HUNT presented a petition, numerously signed,
from his constituents of Preston, praying that their fran-
chise should not be disturbed. Mr. Hunt took that
opportunity of vindicating himself from the charge of
having been sold to the Tories. His constituents a•;rced
with him in his opinion (which was unaltered) as to uni-
versal suffrage and the ballot. He would repeat the
statement, for which he had been to much assai'ed, that
notwithstanding the overwhelming majority throughout
the country in favour of the Ministerial plan of Reform,
all these who derived no franchise front the Bill were
satisfied with it only as a step to something better._
(Hear, hear).
Mr. JAMES had been forintrly an advocate for uni-
versal suffrage and annual Parliaments, but as he thought
now that the Reform proposed by his Majesty's Ministers
would give t, e country good and cheap Government, ha
should be satisfied with it.—(Hear, hear). If the mea-
sure should not prove as beneficial in its operation as lie
expected, lie would then, as formerly, ern for farther
improvement.—( Cheers).
Mr. SLANEY thought that the most ingenious oppo-
nent of Reform could not have devised a more effectual
mode to thwart the Ministers in their measure, than to
put into the mouth of a seeming reformer the language
used by the Hon. Member for Preston respecting the Bill.
—(Cheers.) In saying this, he did not doubt that that
gentleman sincerely entertained the opinion which he had
expressed.—(Hear.)
Mr. HUNT then presented a petition in favour of the
Reform Bill from a county meeting of Somersetshire, at
which the High Sheriff presided. Although that meet-
ing differed from him in opinion as to the sufficiency of
the Reform intended by the Government, they showed
that they had no doubt of his integrity, by comrAitting
their petition to him rather than to their County Mem-
bers. He said that all that had been stited by the press
respecting unfavourable treatment met with by him at
Preston, was misrepresentation. The electors of that
borough proved that they concurred in his opinions, by
e'ectiog him in preference to some gentleman sent down
by the Parliamentary Candidate Society to oppose him.
Mr. Alderman WAITHNLAN hoped that, as the Hon.
Member for Preston bad so often, and at such length, oc-
cupied the time of the House with vindirations of himself,
they should not be teased again by the repetition.—(Hear,
and laughter.) On one occasion that gentleman, in the
course of twelve minutes, introduced the pronoun t‘
seventy times.—(Great laughter.)
Mr. EVANS was understood to deny that he had been
sent down by the Society UnWiell to. He had reason to
believe, but that for the lateness of his arrival in Preston,
he would have succeeded, and have turned out the Hon.
Gentleman opposite.—(Hear, and laughter.)
Mr. HUNT replied, that the Hon. Gentleman could no
more have Mimed him out of Preston than he could now
turn him out of that House.—(A laugh.) As to the
Worthy Alderman's attempt to school him into manners,
he would say that he was amenable to the rules of the
House and to his own sense of propriety, and not to the
lessons of the Nor thy Alderman, who would have some
reason to complain that he (Mr. Hunt) teased the House
when he saw Hon. Members put to sleep by his speeches.
—(Hear, and great laughter.) He then presented a peti-
tion against the Sub-letting Act, from a farmer in Galway;
and in doing so remarked, that although the Hon. Member
fur Carlisle had changed his opinions, he (Mr. Hunt) ad-
hered to his.—(Hear.)
Mr. JAMES had not changed his opinions, especially
as regarded the ballot, without which he feared even the
proposed Reform would not be effective. But he thought
that the Bill was sufficient, with the ballot, to render
un:versal suffrage and annual Parliaments unnecessary.
He wished to have the measure tried, however, without
the ballot ; and if did not answer his expectations, be
would return to his former advocacy of the measures for
which Mr. Hunt still contended.—(Hear.)