The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-14 00:00:00

NATIONAL REFORM.

Mr. HUME postponed his motion, which dropped
}eaterciy in cons, (pence of their being " no House,"
with reipect to a But for amending the national r‘pre-
sentation, until the 3d of June.
THE "NU HOUSE" OF YESTERDAY.
Mr. CHRIS rOPIIER complained that there should
have been '• no House" yesterday, when so may im-
p; rtant notices of motion were on the paper. Mr.
Hume had a motion for amending the n4tiolial
representation, and he thought it was very
extraordinsry that, after the agitation for re •
torm out of the House, and the fact that the Go-

vernment were defeated not many days ago on
a question for the extensiA2 of the franchise,
that only twenty-one Members should be present
at four o'clock, out of which there were only six de -
serving to be called Radical Reformers, and only two
members of the Government. He should like to know
where the Hon. Gentleman the Mymber for the West
Riding and the lion. Members for Blanchester were

when so important a question was to be brought for-
ward? Wh. re, also, was the Attorney-General, who,
at his last election, had promised his support to such
extensive measures of reform? He did think he was
justified in ask►ng whether these Gentlemen were

sincere in their advocacy of measures tor reforming the
representation.—(Hear.)
Mr. HUME excused his absence by stating
that he iris in attendance on the Committee

on the Army and Navy Estimates. He wag
no pretending reformer, but sincerely desired
that the national representation should be extended, and
he was greatly disappointed to find that he had not an
opportunity of bringing forward the motion. When he
recollected how this motion was cheered when he gave
notice of it, he did expect that a greater number of
Members would have been present.
Sir G. GREY said he was sure the Hon. Member
had satisfactorily explained the reason ut his absence.
The mutton of the Hun. Gri.ntleman was well known to
be fixed for last night, and he could only attribute the
absence of Members to a general indisposition to dis-
cuss the question, when the Government had promised
to bring forward a measure of reform next session, and
especially when the House had sat very late for the last
few evenings.
Mr. J. WILLIAMS made an attack on Mr. Hume for
having stated at the meeting of the Mar)lebone Veitry
,bat he had more friends among the Conservatives than
the Liberals.

Mr. HUME ►aid he had been so many years in oppo-
sition that he thought he bad as many friends on one
side of the House as the other.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS considered that some alteration
of the rules of the House with regard to the number of
Members required to be present at four o'clock was
necessary, with the view of preventing such an occur-
rence again.
Mr. BANKES observed that the absence of many
Members was occasioned by the long corridors and lob-
bies which they had to traverse after leaving Com-
mittees, in order to be present at the making of a House.
Mr. REYNOLDS taunted the Liberal Members with
being absent when any great question of civil and reli-
:gious liberty was coming on. He had himself seen yes-.
;erday many reformers hiding in boles and corners in
the lobbies like drowned political rats, instead of attend-
ing to their duty.—(Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Mr. BERNAL and Colonel
SIItTMORP,

Mr. AGLIONBY thought it was extremely injurious
to the cause of Reform to make attacks on individuals
and political bodies in the House. A considerable
number of sincere Reformers, who had no desire
" to buck" the question, r, ere kept away entirely through
accident yenerday, and not from any desire to prevent
the motion being brought forward. He thought Hon.
Members were only injuring the cause by bringing
such motions on during the present session, and wrongly
recommended their postponement until next session.
After some further desultory discussion, the subject
dropped.