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

REFORM BILL.

The Marquis of CHANDOS gave notice, that on
Committee he 'would oppose by motion that part of the
Reform Bill that would give additional Members to the
metropolis.
Mr. LANGTON gave notice of his intention of taking
the sense of the House in Committee against the division

of counties.
Lord ALTEIORP said, that as soon as the debate
on the second reading of the Reform Bill,
which he should immediately move, was disposed of,
he should move that the House at its rising should adjourn
ti 3 Tuesday, the seventeenth of January next.—(Hear.)
The meeting, after the recess, it was originally intended
it was very important that the Members from every
part of the empire should be present, it was deemed
expedient to fix the meeting for the seventeenth
The Noble Lord then moved that the Order of the Day
for the second reading of the Reform Bill be read,
Mr. CHOKER said the Bill could not go into Com-
mittee until the informations which he had pre-
viously attended to was in possesion of the Mem-
bers, and it would therefore be extremely inconvenient
if it were not soon laid upon the table of the House.
Lord ALTHORP said he would not go into the Re-
form Bill on the first day of the meeting of Parliament, be-
cause both the Irish and Scotch Bills should previously by
moved and printed. The Committee should not take place
before the Thursday or Friday after the meeting, and all
the information alluded to by the Right Hon. Gentleman
opposite, would before
,that, be in possession of all the
Members.
Mr. CROKER said it would be recollected that
he had asked for the production of certain papers con-
taining a list of the boroughs in which the Reform
Bill was intended to operate. One of these papers
had been presented to him this evening, and the
very first line of it justified the calling for the
paper and the assertion, which he (the Right
Hononurable Gentleman) bad made respecting the sub-
ject ; for there it was stated by Lord Melbourne--
«" Government having determined to found the Reform
Bill on a new basis, I have to request your assist-
ance to form that basis."—(Loud cheering from the
Opposition.) This letter, in consequence of what he
(Mr. Croker) had sail last night, as he had reason
to presume, had been directed to be delivered this morning ;
but that was not delivered with it which ought to have
wast
been,
,be f 0
namely,
formed. e des
T hatl
list,
t , theh however, had
which the
been
ue
put Bill
into his hand by an Hon. i'Member, a friend of the
Government, who, whether he had acted officially
or officiouslp,—(Henr, heat, and laughter,)—or with a
view simply to prevent a more considerable publicity of
the paper--lie had only put it into his hand at
the very instant before he (Mr. C.) rose to put his ques-
tion. He was not aware that the paper had been
laid before the House. He bad searched and made
enquiry, but could find no trace of it. Though he might
have complained of the irregular mode in which it had
came into his
un hand
fort u, hnatee
tel
that not thsuch ink paroper to do
had not
so, but
still it was Paper
been put into the possession of the Members of that House
at an earlier period. He would not make any observation
on the ridiculous letter which accompanied this letter,
signed by a person called Thomas Drummond. The school-
master was abroad, and there could be no doubt that
Lieutenant Drummond must be sure of his pupils—Much
laughter)—for he had taken a vast deal of trouble to
state by a great deal of decimal calculation, that
which might have been shewn by the simplest
addition of a few figures. The Right Honourable
Member hoped, therefore, that the future informa-
tion to be given to the House upon this important subject,
would be a little more timely, and n little more simple
and satisfactory, than any thiug that appeared by this
albehraie letter.—( Laughter.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said be could easily explain
what the Right Hon. Gentleman bad made the ground of his
first complaint. He was informed on coming into
the House this day that the papers alluded to were not printed
but that they were expected shortly at the Vote-office. Soon
afterwards he was informed ihey were in possession of
about 58 copies at the Vote Office, and be (the Noble
Lord might haave been satisfied with things as they
thus stood, but he thought it rather a matter of
civility than otherwise—(Cries of " Hear, bear, heir")—
instead of giving the Right Hon. Gentleman the chance
of finding out as he could that some of those pa•
pershad not then come up to the vote Dili:
to have left the matter, as far as he (Lord J. Russell) was
concerned, in that state, rathat than to have done what he
did. He would be at a lose to know in future in
what way the Hon. Gentleman might wish things to
be done. Certainly this was not a very encouraging way
of inducing me to give the Right Hon. Gentleman in-
formation as soon as it arrived within the precincts of
the House. With respect to the latter part of the
Right Hou. Gentleman's speech, be certainly did not seem
of late to have consulted the schoolmaster, for if he had,
no schoolmaster of any science would have informed him
that the very simple mode of calculation he proposed
would have given the result Lieutenant Drummond's letter
had shown.
Mr. CROKER repeated, that simple addition would
have produced the same result. He would prove this to the
Noble Lord opposite, and then he hoped that Noble Lnrd
would admit that Mr. C.'s schoolmaster was a better guide
than the Noble Lord.—(Cries of " No, no.") He did
not complain of the mode in which he had received
the information, he was now in possession of,
shollld have taken place on the week previous, but it
having been represented that so short au interval would be
very inconvenient for the Scotch and Irish Members, and as
but he complained of the lateness when it bad been
finished.