The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-22 00:00:00

Act. By the 25th clause of the Reform Act a provision was
made that no building, house, or shop, occupied conjointly,
with another which had the right of voting for a city or bo-
rough, gave aright of voting for the county in which they were
situated. On these words the decision of the Revising Bar-
risters, to which he objected, and which he sought to amend,
was founded. The principle of the Reform Act was violated
by that decision—a decision which gave a right to the holder ;
and a double vote was thus made, for the city or borough, and
for the county. He would adduce his own holding as a case in
point. He had a house held by him under Lord Westminster,
on an unexpired lease of sixty years. Now, if he let the coach-
house attached to it to one party for 61. a year, and the stable
to another for 71., by the construction which had been put on
the 25th clause of the Reform Act by the Revising Barrister
he would not only have the vole for Westminster, which he al-
ready had, but he would also have a vote for the County of
Middlesex. It was a direct contravention of the Reform Act
and of the Splitting Act—it was opposed to the principles of
both ; it tended to create fictitious purchases and faggot votes ;
and by its means the city and borough constituencies would
swamp those of the counties. It was to remedy this evil that
he proposed the clause he had just brought up ; and he hoped
that the Noble Lord opposite would see it in the same point of
view as he did, and consent to its adoption.
Mr. T. ATTWOOD complained that he could not under-
stand the clause.
Sir J. GRAH AM said it had been long before the House,
for it had been noticed on the sth of May.
Mr. AGLIONBY supported the view taken by the Right
Hon. Baronet. The only object which the clause had in view
was to prevent fraud.
Mr. PRYME saw nothing fraudulent in the kind of vote
described by the Right Hon. Baronet. If the premises out
of which votes of that description were taken were sufficiently
spacious, he did not see why the leaseholder should not have
a vote for the city or borough, and a vote for the county also,
out of them.
Sir J. GRAHAM had said nothing whatever of fraudulent
votes ; he had designated them as fictitous only.
Lord J. RUSSELL believed that the intention of the
Reform Act was to exclude voters of the description com-
prised in the clause of the
_Right Hon. Baronet. He did not
distinctly recollect the terms of the 25th clause, but he was
satisfied that its spirit was consonant with the Right Hon.
Baronet's clause. He could not conceive how any Revising
Barrister should admit such claimants to the right of voting.
Under these circumstances, he saw no reason to disagree with
the Right Hon. Baronet, or to oppose the clause introduced
by him.
Mr. HULSE said that the clause, if carried, would have
the effect of preventing sub-tenants of laud from exercising in
their own districts the right of franchise. He thought it was
calculated to have a wider effect than it might seem to have
at first sight.
Mr. WARBURTON opposed 'the introduction of the
clause in the Bill.
After a few words from Mr. JARVIS and Sir J. GRAHAM,
Mr. BROTH E RTON said that he felt it his duty, as the
debate on the clauses was likely to last, to move that the
Chairman report progress, and ask leave to sit again.
The Committee divided on the motion, " That the Chair-
man report progress," when there appeared,
For the motion
Against it
Majority —l4
When we were re-admitted to the gallery.
Lord LINCOLN was on his legs. The Noble Lord said
that as the Noble Lord the Secretary of State for the Home
Department had voted-with the majority in the question which
had been carried, and as the fair inference from that fact was
that no more business was to be done that night, he ( Lord
Lincoln) should therefore move the adjournment of the
House.—( Cheers.)
Lord J. RUSSEL L said the reason he had voted with the
majority was, not that other business on which no debate would
be had ought not to he taken, but because his Hon. and
Learned Friend the Solicitor-General had informed him that
the 25th clause of the Reform Act was so much in accordance
with the spirit of his Right Hon. Friend's clause that it would
lie necessary to consider the question more at leisure, before it
should be adopted. In that view he was borne out by a great
many Hon. Members beside 3, and he therefore considered him-
self justified in the vote he had just given. It was quite in-
different to him what interpretation Hon. Gentlemen on the
other side of the House might put on his vote : those were the
reasons by which he had been actuated.
Sir J. GRAHAM said that it could never be a matter of
indifference to him what was thought of his conduct by the
House, or even what interpretation was put upon it by a•ty
portion of the House. Neither could he regard it as a matter
of no moment how his conduct was interpreted in all quarters.
Lord J. RUSSELL shortly explained the reason of his
having voted for the Chairman reporting progress.
Sir J. GRAHAM wished to know if the Noble Lord would
support the clause which he ( Sir J. Graham) had proposed if
he should upon consideration think it necessary.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he certainly should support
the clause, if it should be the opinion of the law officers that
he clause was necessary.
The motion for adjournmint was then withdrawn.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the
louse adjourned at one o'clock.

WILL OF THE LATE JAMES WOOD, ESQ.—
We learn, from our Gloucester contemporaries, that an ex-
traordinary sensation has been excited in that city by the mys-
terious di:covery of a document, purporting to be a codicil to
the will of the late Mr. Wood. All that is at prosent known
of the matter is, that such a paper was lately sent, through
the London three-penny post, to Mr. Helps, of Balham-hill,
Surrey, who, as a relation of the testator, lately put in some
claim before the Court of Chancery, but almost ►mmediately
withdrew it. In the parcel containing the supposed codicil,
was the following note, written in pencil t—,. The enclosed is
a paper saved out of many by parties I could hang. They pre-
tend ►t is not J. Wood's hand; many will swear to it. They
want to swindle me. Let the rest know." No sooner were
these circumstances made known to the Executors, who are
at present co-legatees, than they took the most honourable
and straightforward course, in making them known to the Cor-
poration of Gloucester, who (if the codicil be genuine) are
deeply interested ; and, on their return to Gloucester, entered
upon a strict examination of all the papers of the deceased, in
which they were assisted by the Mayor and Town Clerk of the
city, by Mr. Matthews, of Gloucester, solicitor, and Mr. J. S.
Cox, of Cheltenham, solicitor ; but hitherto witibout success.
The Gliucester Journal seems to have at first considered the
whole affair as a hoax ; but now is undecided whether to look
upon the document as genuine, or a forgery. We at present
incline to the latter opinion. We believe the supposed codicil
to be forted ; because it is not to be supposed that any per-
sons fairly enabled to account for the possession of so impor-
tant a document would part with it in such a manner as through
the Threepenny-post ; and without making any stipulation
whatever for the reward of such a service, or for the produc-
tion of the other papers alluded to. Rewards to the amount
of 1,0501. have been offered by the executors, and of 2,0001.
by the Corporation for the elucidation of this mystery.—Chel-
tenham Journal.

On Saturday afternoon the following daring robbery
and murder was committed at Kilburn. Between two and
3 o'clock, as a youth named Wm. Liddeman, residing at that
place, was passing through some fields belonging to a farmer
named Henderson, he was accosted by a man about 24 years
of age, dressed in a velveteen coat and drab-coloured trou-
sers, who with the most horrid imprecations demanded his
money. The youth being dreadfully frightened, attempted to
run away, but was seized by the villain by the throat, and
thrown down. The ruffian then knelt on his chest, and swore
that unless he gave up his money, he would have his life.
The lad however, struggled with his assailant, who drew a
large clasp-knife from his pocket and was in the act of open-
ing it, when footsteps being heard in the distance,
he forced his hand into the breeches pocket of the youth, and
took from it nine silver fourpenny pieces, a bent sixpence, and
a shilling, with which he instantly decamped. The person
whose footsteps had been heard on coming to the spot proved
to be the father of the youth, who immediately pursued the
villain, whom he caught sight of, coming out of a barn, within
200 yards from where the outrage took place; but after chasing
him some distance, he succeeded in effecting his escape in the
direction of Neasdon, through which village he was seen to
pass at great speedwithout either his coat or hat. He is
about five feet eight inches high, of fair complexion, with
bushy whiskers, and has been identified to be a man named
Edward Thornton, a native of Finkton, Oxfordshire, who has
been at work on the railroad.

The first stone of a new church was recently laid
at Walsall, Staffordshire, by the vicar of the parish. The first
stone of a new Roman Catholic chapel was laid at Kingston,
Jamaica, in March last. A new church was opened last week
at Greenock, called St. Andrew's. On Monday the founda-
tion stone of a new Congregational chapel was laid in the
Barn-close, Gateshead, by the Rev. Dr. Matheson, of Dur-
ham. The first stone of a new Catholic chapel at Bury St.
Edmund's was laid last week by Mr. G. Rokewode. The
first stone of a new church has just been laid at Keswick.
The first stone of a new Presbyterian church has just been
laid at Ballymacarrett, Ireland. The foundation stone of a
new Wesleyan chapel was laid at Brampton, Cunitberland,
last week, by the Rev. S. Wilde. The erection of a new
Roman Catholic chapel was commenced at Kilmain, Ireland,
last week ; the Catholic Archbishop of Tuam officiated on the
occasion of laying the first stone.
A great sensation was caused in this town on Fri-
day, by the arrest of Mr. George Perkins, of Boothtown, in
Noi thowram, silk-spinner, on a charge of forgery. The
commissioners under a fiat of bankruptcy issued against Mr.
Perkins had that held a meeting of the creditors, and the re-
sult was Mr. Perkin's detention in custody. The next morn-
ing a private examination was held before one or more of the
resident magistrates, and we understand that the hearing of
the case was adjourned to this day. It is rumoured that the
alleged forgery is the name of a banker in this town to a bill
for 650/....lialifax .Express.