The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNAL&

The anximsly-expected motion of Lord John
Russell came forward lust night, for a Reform in
Parliament. Minis'ets, through his Lordship, do not
play with the feelings of the people, the measure
proposed is an effective one. It cuts off obvious and
disgusting abuses with an unsparing hand. It is im-
passible here, and as yet, to enter into an analysis of
all the parts of it ; but this may be given as a brief
abstract. We must refer our readers for more parti-
culars to Lord Joint's speech. The Noble Lord's
plan may be divided into four parts :
I. The changes introduced by the total or partial abo-
lition of the franchises of certain boroughs, and the transfer
of their rights in part to the larger towns and counties.
2. The changes in the qualification of the voter in
boroughs and counties.
3. The change in the mode of securing the purity of
the electoral lists, and of taking the poll in counties and
towns ; and
4. The changes in the representation of Scotland and

Ireland.
1. The boroughs to be totally disfranchised amount to
60. It had been long a subject of deliberatio❑ on what
rule Government should proceed in determining what
boroughs should be disfranchised ; and it was agreed that
all those which by the census of 1821 had not a popula-
tion of 2,000 inhabitants, were not entitled to return
Members. The disfranchisement, however, did not stop
here. It was thought that one Member was sufficient to
represent a borough which, by the same census, contained
less than 4,000 inhabitants. There were 47 boroughs in
this predicament, and thus other 47 Alembers would be I
struck off the rolls of Parliament as at present constituted.
Weymouth was only to have two Members instead of four
as at present. There were thus for 60 boroughs, 119 ;
for 47 boroughs, 47 ; for Weymouth, 2 : total 168,
whose right to sit in the House would be destroyed by the
Bill.

Thinking the House .at present inconveniently
numerous, the Noble Lord said that Government
did not mean to add to the larger towns and coun-
ties the whole of those 168 Members, but proposed
To give two Members each to seven large towns l4
One Member each to 20 smaller towns 2O
To the unrepresented parts of the metropolis . S

_
To 27 of the larger counties 54

To the towns of Scotland
'Jo Ireland

To the Isle of Wight
To Wales

106
The House would thus be reduced by 60 Mem-
bers, and instead of 658, would consist of 596.
2. With regard to the qualification, it was thought
that the possession of a house of the value of 10/. a-year,
either as a renter or proprietor, was high enough. All the
inhabitants of boroughs or towns with this qualification
are therefore entitled to a vote in towns. The rights of
those who were formerly entitled to vote on a smaller
qualification are not to be disturbed during their life-time.
140 change is made with respect to the 40s. freeholders ;
isst new classes of electors are introduced into the consti-
towcy of counties—namely, copyholders having property
of the value of 10/. a-year, and leaseholders, on leases of
21 years, paying a rent of 50/.
3. To seca:e the lists of electors against fraud, and to
prevent the numb:sous disputes which occur with respect
to their rights when they come to the poll, a registry of
voters is to be prepared in November every year. When
the list has been examined, it is to be stuck up on the
church-doors ; so that when the voter comes to the poll,
the only questions to be settled will be his identity, and
whether he has before voted. A similar register is to be
kept for the voters in counties, awl verified in the man-
ner which the Noble Lord explains in his speech. The
whole poll is to be taken in towns in two days. Pro-
bably hereafter it may be found possible to conclude the
election in one day. In counties, the polling is to take
place by districts. The poll is to be kept open for three
slays, and the electoral districts will be so arranged that
no voter will be required to travel to the poll more than
fifteen miles.
4. In Scotland, nearly the same qualification for voting
is established as in England. A beneficial interest in
land to the amount of 10/. a-year, or the possession of a
farm on a lease of 19 years, paying a rent of 50/., en-
titles the parties to a vote for the county member. The
borough franchise is thrown open to all the inhabitants
resting or possessing a house of 10/. annual value. Some
slight change takes place in the arrangement of the
districts of boroughs. The member is not to be returned
la 7 delegates as before, but by the majority of the votes of
the districts.
u.i.som one point or two we shall say a few words :
the firs,' is the magnitude of the present House.
This is a
...sreat grievance, and more especially as
most membe,"s now choose to show their dexterity in
speaking. Ino'Ssed, a seat in Parliament springs
from no capacity !or legislation, but it seems to be
almost necessary as a genteel thing." However,
the diminution in point of numbers is not large. It
appears to us that the presient members for rotten
boroughs should leave the House, as a matter of
form, whilst their existence is discussed. In any
case if the dissolution be found necessary, they
will not make their appearance in the House
again, as none but madmen would re-purchase
their seats; and the now infamous and
marked-out nominees of Peers and other
opulent persons would be justly handed over to con-
dign punishment, or popular indignation, if they
should dare to obtrude themselves into Parliament.
Speaking in general terms, we approve of the pre-
sent plan most sincerely. We do not press all others
to like it as we do, but we advise the country most
strenuously to support it. The crew of a stranded
ship do not examine too minutely the merits of the
vessel which is to take them off the wretched island
on which they are cast, to a place of plenty and
safety. No one can deny but that whatever is in the
Bill is good : to dispute whether parts might not
be better, is to afford the adversaries of all Reform
the handle they would wish. To the House we
should say, " Pass it, pass it." To the people,
" Urge in every way the passing of the Bill : call
for it, press it forward." Let the public cast their
eyes over the list of rotten boroughs, as contained
in Lord John Russell's speech. Their mock repre-
s,,ntatives will not much longer insult the common
sense of all mankind; by retaining seats in a British
House of Commons, to pass laws which are to bind
the men of England.— Times.
The people are now in possession of the Reform
contemplated by Ministers. It is extensive, and
;rust, we think, obtain for them, throughout the
country, the reputation of a sincere desire to ins-
prove the national institutions. The plait shortly
stated is
60 Boroughs, returning 119 Members, sad containing in
1621 A population under 2,000, are to be disfranchised.
47, with a population under 4,000, reduced to one Member.
Weymouth reduced to two Members.
The whole of these reductions amount to 168 Members.
Seven large towns, now unrepresented, to have two Mem-
bers each.
20 other unrepresented Towns to have one Member each.
The Tower Hamlets, Finsbury, Holborn, and Lambeth,
to have each two Members.
27 Counties to have two additional Members.
The Isle of Wight one Member.
A District of Boroughs in Wales to be divided—each sec-
tion to receive one Afember—making one additional.
In Scotland—Edinburgh, now returning one Member, to
return two, and Glasgow, two ; Aberdeen, Paisley,
Dundee, and Leith, each one : in all, five additional
Members.
Ireland to return three additional Members.
On the whole, the number of Members to be reduced from
658 to 596.
With respect to the qualification in the counties
of England,2l-years leaseholders of 501. a year rent,
and copyholders of 101. a year, to be added to the
present forty-shilling freeholders. In the boroughs,
every person occupying a house rated at 101. a year
to vote. Where there are not 300 qualified per-
sons, the number to be made up from the adjoining
,
parishes and chapelries. The
re are to oe no out-
voters. The franchise not to be taken from the
present scot and lot payers in boroughs, but
Li
present
and lot franchise to die out with the
sessors of the title. The qualifications in all g-
bo-
roughs are to be uniform, without any regard to
corporation privileges. In Scotland the qualifica-
tions in towns to be the same as in England. In
the districts of boroughs, the inhabitant house-
holders to vote in their respective boroughs. In the
counties, occupiers of land of 501., or 19 years' leases,
and owners of land or houses of 101. a year, to vote.
The counties in England to be divided into districts,

for the convenience of votes, and the election to be
over in two days at farthest. The electors of towns
to have no vote for the counties in which the towns
are situated. These are the principal features of the
plan. We refer our readers to the speech of Lord
John Russell for further details. And now let us
pause a moment. There is no denying that the rotten
and nomination boroughs, of which so many are to
be swept off, have been the main cause of the expen-
siveness of the Government. It ha: been necessary
to provide in some way or other, in Church or State,
for the connections of those possessing the power to
return Members for these places. If we rid ourselves
of these places, we at once free ourselves from a great
evil. It would have afforded us more satisfaction
if the distinction between boroughs and counties
had been annihilated, and, instead, that the country
had been divided into districts, with' an uni•
form qualification. But we hail the Reform as
an immense benefit to the nation ; and we are
greatly mistaken if it be not generally viewed
in that light. The plan, which is said to be Earl
Grey's, evinces a disposition to trust to the support
of such a proportion of the population as cannot
possibly be influenced by the usual means of cor-
ruption. Lord John Russell's calculation is, that
500,000 persons connected with the property of the
country will by the measure be added to the consti-
tuency. For Scotland, which has hitherto been as
close as a rotten borough, a constituency of 60,000
is an immense improvement on 3,000. Ministers
are sure of the support of all that is respectable in
the nation. We defy the interested opponents of
the measure to appeal to a single prejudice which
shall rally round them one independent
Honesty-is ofte❑ the best policy, and we are confi-
dent it will prove to be so in this case. Had Mi-
nisters proposed some paltry Reform, merely skin-
ning over the present corrupt system, they would
have been abandoned by the people, the Opposition
would have supplanted rirern, and a frightful struggle
might have taken place between the people and
their successors. But by rallying round them
all that is respectable in the country, they
may set all corrupt interests at defiance.—
They must be bold men indeed who would
think of attempting to withstand the Govern-
ment, backed by the nation, in times like these in
which we live. As far as we are able to learn, the
plan of Ministers has considerably exceeded expec-
tation. It has given great joy to the most honour-
able and disinterested of their adherents in the
House. Ott the other hand, Sir Robert Peel and
his adherents seemed to be struck by the announce-
ment of the plan with absolute dismay. We hold
it to be the bounden duty of all reformers, whatever
may be their particular notions respecting the na-
ture of Reform, which would most benefit the na-
tion, to ask themselves this simple question—Will
not the plan of Ministers be an immense improve-
ment of our institutions, and can they possibly hope
to obtain so great a benefit in any other way than
by giving their most strenuous support to Ministers
at this conjuncture ? Ministers have done their
duty ; let the people do theirs. The Englishman,
who, at a moment which is to determine whether

its country shall be rescued from the thraldom under

which it has so long suffered, hesitates to make one
grand exertion for this paramount object, deserves
to he driven with ignominy from the society of all
respectable men. Even the corrupt tool of bo-
rough-owners, who on ordinary occasions might have
had little scruple to sell himself, will, we should
think, hesitate to commit the damning sin of con-
tributing to a result that may plunge the country
into difficulties which we dread even to think of.
Should it be necessary to dissolve Parliament, even
the potwallopers of the boroughs, which it is pro-
posed to disfranchise, will be ashamed to send to
Parliament representatives hostile to Reform. A
dreadful responsibility attaches to those who may,
for interested purposes, array themselvss against the
King's Government and the nation at a conjuncture
like the present. The discussion is adjourned over
to this day. The leaders of the Opposition were
not to be drawn out last night. A consultation
will, no doubt, take place this day ; and we shall
have the benefit of it to-night. The eyes of the
people are on them.—Morning Chronicle.
In the House of Commons, last night, Lord J.
Russell brought forward his promised motion for the
Reform of the Commons House of Parliament. He
announced the measure to be that of the Govern-
ment—that he considered the Commons' House no
longer to have the entire confidence of the people,
however much some of its proceedings might be
approved—that half measures of Reform would not
meet the emergencies and wants of the country—
and that the plan now proposed the Ministers con-
sidered calculated to sustain the stability of the
throne, to give strength to the Parliament, and to
impart satisfaction to the people. Lord J. Russell
said this plan sought to effect three objects-
1. As regarded those boroughs, the returns for which
are, in reality, controuled by the nomination of indi-
viduals.
2. The returns of Members for close boroughs.

3. The expense of elections—to adopt modes by which
the cost should not be so great as it now was, and, conse-
quently, to limit the opportunities of corrupting voters.
To apply a remedy for the first evil, he proposed
to disfranchise all boroughs that had not 2,000 inha-
bitants according to the census of 1821. This
would disfranchise sixty boroughs. Next, he pro-
posed that all boroughs with above 2,000 and under
4,000 inhabitants should return one instead of two
Members each; and that Weymouth should send
two instead of four Members. This would cut off
168 from the numbef of representatives. Thus—
__

Disfranchisement
Reductions to one Member ...„ „ 47
Weymouth 2

Total disfranchisernents... 168

To meet the second object contemplated by this
plan—namely, regarding cl.ce boroughs, he proposed
that inhabitant householders, of r.,nts of 101. and up-
wards, should have votes. Those already having
votes to retain them for their lives. And, as regarded
the third object, it INB4 proposed that there should
be lists of voters prepared, and that the elections
should continue only two days. With rftspect to
count;es,thg franchise of the 40s. freeholders remains
untouchei; bet the fight to vote for county Mem-
bers to be extended to copyholdtra of 101. a ,year,
and to leaseholders for 21 vcao, of 501. rent, where
the leas, may not have been punted within the
last two yells,. The county elections also to be
limited to two .days; the votes to be taken in dif
ferent towns, and no .voter to have more than 15
miles to travel to give his vote. The general prin-
ciples of these alterations to be ,extended to Scot-
land and Ireland. As to the number of represe,n-,
tatives, it was not proposed to supply by returns
for other places, the whole number of 16S to be.
Alisfranehised, the present number being " found
inconveniently large;" but there would be added for
for other pt.sces 106 Members. Members were to
be given, as will, with many other details, be more
particularly teen in the Parliamentary report to
several populous and manufacturing places—such
as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, &c. ;
also additions to London and its vicinity:: two for
the Holborn division, two for Finsbury, two for the
Tower Hamlets, two for Marylebone, two more.
for Surrey, two for the district of Woolwich, Green-
wich, and Deptford—
The large counties also to
have two additional Members. The numbers will ,
then stand thus—

Present number. 658
Disfrauchisements l6B

Additions. lO6

Proposed number
Thus the number entirely cut off will be 62,
leaving the Commons' House to consist of 596,
instead of 658 Members. For the more minute
details of the plan, reference must be had to
our ample Parliamentary report. It only re-
mains to be added that the measure avowedly
touches the character of the constituency, in
some degree the mode of election, and the number
of Members to be returnel Lord John Russell

spoke of the parts that were left untouched—namely,
the " duration of Parliament" and the " vote by.
ballot." He left them as open questions ; for mea-
sures to be hereafter brought forward respecting them,
if they are deemed advisable. He moved for leave
to bring in a bill to carry into effect the objects
which have been here generally described. Sir
J. Sebright seconded the motion. It will be seen
that consider Able discussion arose on the Noble
Lord's motion, the particulars of which, however,
we have not now the opportunity of further
entering into. Mr. H. Twiss opposed the plan of
Reform, as being of the most sweeping character--
as having no precedent but such as might be found
in the fmes of Char'es the Second and James the
Seem-ill—and as having had for supporters such men
as Judge Jeffreys. He also eulogized the Conven-
tion Parliament, which seated William on the
throne, and as having " established" the liberties of
the country. The question, on the motion of Mr.
Hume, was eventually adjourned till this day.--
Morning Herald.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FRENCH PAPERS.

(From the Messager des Chambrei. dated Monday,

PARIS, Fxa. 27.—Just at the moment our paper is go_
ing to press, we receive by an extraordinary channel the
details of the installation of the Regent of Belgium, in
the Sitting of February 25. As the Hon. M. Starlet de
Chokier was on his return from the Assembly, the people
took out the horses, and were going to draw his carriage
themselves. In order to escape this testimony of the en-
thusiasm of the people, M. Surlet alighted and went home
on foot.

EXCHANGE OF PARIS, SATURDAY..—IX was generally
hoped that the prices would keep up to-duy, but the esta-
fette brought the English Funds one per cent. lower, which
deranged all the calcula!ions, and renewed all the alarms.

It Seems, however, that the decline at London was en-
tirely owing to disturbances in Ireland ; but all sorts of
stories are spread on the subject, and if we were to listen
to some persons, nothing less is in contempt itiun than a
declaration of war by all the Powers against France. The
fall spread consternation on 'Change. The differences to
be paid are becoming so considerable, that it is impossible
to help feeling great apprehensions respecting the settlement.
(From the Constitutionnel of Sunday, Feb. 27.)

PARIS, FEB. 26.—Letters from Bologna of the 17th
speak positively of the revolt of Velletri and Palestrina.—
Letters from Rome of the 16th say that numerous arrests
had taken place the preceding night.
Naples was still tranquil on the 16th of February, but
the King seemed to apprehend a revolutionary move-
ment : the garrison had been nearly doubled, and the
Swiss regiments at Note and Capua had received orders
to march to the capital. The new Ministry was not yet
named. It seems that General Filangieri will not enter
the Council while M. Tomnnasi remains the President.

(From the Gazette de France of Sunday.)

It is affirmed that after a conference which has just
taken place between Lord Granville and Count Appony,
and General Sebastiani, the latter declared that the inter-
vention of the Austrian Government and the Austrian
forces in Italy, could not afford grounds for any objection
on the part of the French Government.

BRUSSELS PAPERS.
NATIONAL CONGRESS, FEB. 25.

In this sitting the installation of M. Surlet de Chokier,
as Regent of Belgium, took place. On his entrance, he
was received with the roost enthusiastic exclamations by
the assembly and the galleries ; and M. Vilain XIV. read

the decree of his nomination. He declares' that he agreed
to it. M. Vilain then read the decree of the Congress
adopted yesterday, which declares that the Congress
has adopted as a constitutional assembly the decrees
relative to the independence of Belgium, and to the
perpetual exclusion of the House of Nassau from all power
in Belgium. The Regent declared his assent to this de-
cree ; and M. Vilain having then read the whole Consti-
tution, the President called on M. Surlet to take the
ith, which having done from memory, in a loud and firm
voice, the President dec'ared in the name of the Belgic
nation, M. Erasmus Louis Surlet de Chokier, Regent of
Belgium.
The Regent then addressed the Assembly in an appro-
priate speech, which was loudly applauded, and was an-
swered by M. de Gerlache. After the Regent had with-
drawn, the President read a proposal of M. Desmarel de
Biesme, that the Congress should decree that the Provi-
sional Government had deserved well of the country,
which was voted by acclamation.
WARSAW, FEB. Ig.—The State Gazette of Warsaw
publishes a report of M. Wysienski, dated Kalu.zyb, the
15th, half-past twelve at night, in which he says that
General Dweruicks bad passed the Vistula at Murszew the
day before, and had defeated a corps of 7,000 Cossacks
with six cannon, commanded by Duke Adam of Wurtem-
berg : the enemy last 200 men killed, and five cannon.
The General pursued the enemy on tie 15th, with what
success was not known. General Dvvernicki's own ac-
count has not been received ; but confirmation of his
success has been received by other channels. A supple-
ment to the State Gazette gives a report from General
Klicki, containing a report which he bad received on the
15th from General Dwernicki, who states that the corps
with which he was engaged was that of General Geismar.
He had taken 11 cannon, and 250 pridouers, including
2 captains, 1 lieutenant, and 12 ensigns. The Russians
lost, besides, 400 killed, and General Geismar owed his
safety to the fleetness of his horse; his own loss he states
at 15 killed and Is wounded.

The Silesian Gazette of the 18th February says, a de-
tachment of Cossacks has passed the Vistula, still frozen
over, four miles above Warsaw, and has interrupted all the
communications on the roads from the capital to Cracow
and Kalisch. General Krutz, with his troope, has en-
tered Pulawy, the residence of Prince Czartoryski.—
Prussian State Gazette.

SE. PETERSBURGII, FEB. 9 —The Duke de Morteinsi te
has arrived here and had an audience of the Emperor the
diy following. The Emperor, on account of the inconi-
plete state of his armies, in consequence of the war with
Turkey and ravages of disease, has ordered a levy of 3 out
of 500 in the whole empire, except Georgia and Bessa-
rabia.—Brussels Papers, Feb. 28.