The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-19 00:00:00

thinking that he should then succeed in his
attempt to possess himself again of her person•
He therefore published in the town the history
of her early life. The consequence was, that
the unfortunate woman lost the esteem of the
friends her good conduct had procured her, and
was deprived of her livelihood. Was not this
woman entitled to compensation ? (Hear.)
Yet, if she had brought an action against her
persecutor, he would have j►►stified, and she
would have been turned out of court, with the
aggravation to her misfortune of having incurred
a useless expense !"

On the subject of unstamped publications the
hon. and learned gentleman commented with
much earnestness and propriety. These wretched
catchpennies, got up in many cases by reckless
quacks and adventurers, and teeming, as a ne-
cessary consequence, with all sorts of rubbish,
do infinite mischief to the " legalized publica-
tions of the country," and tend to make litera-
ture itself a by-word for contempt. We cor-
dially agree, therefore, with the spirit of these
remarks :—" There was another grievance which
he would state in connection with the present
j subject, and which had reference to the stamp
J laws. At present a premium was given to the
circulation of unstamped publications, which
were too often the vehicles of libel,
and inflicted an injury on the legalized
publications of the country. Those publica-
tions evaded the Revenue Laws; as well as the
Law of Libel, and by their circulation the re-
venue suffered at the same time that private
character suffered ; and not only that, but they
tended to injure the other and the respectable,
useful, and lawful portion of the Press.—(Hear,
hear.)" On the whole, the hon. and learned
gentleman's speech, though it did not enter
much into details, confining itself chiefly to
generalities, was an able and ingenious one, and
gives us assurance that the question is in com-
petent hands. The motion for a select com-
mittee was granted.

The country will not fail to notice the de-
claration of war by the Tory Peers in the House
of Lords last night against the " Election Cor-
ruption Bills." These important measures are,
it seems, to meet every possible obstacle, as in
the unreformed times. Nothing will satisfy the
anxiety of the peers to protect the rights of
corrupt electors but protracted and unmeaning
examinations at the bar of their lordships'
house. In the case of Warwick this course is
truly absurd and contemptible. Every man in
the kingdom is convinced and as,ured of the
scandalous influence too long enjoyed by Lord
WARWICK, and of the nefarious political acts of
the parties reported in the House of Commons.
Lord DURHAM, in his usual manly and de-
cided course of political action, denounced this
ancient course of proceeding in the House of
Lords ; but we deeply regretted to observe, by
the speech of Lord GREY, the neutrality as-
sumed by the Government in relation to these
important bills, and that the Premier inclined
to the old mode of a separate judicial inquiry.
But as this course of procedure involves great
difficulties, we trust that on Lord WYNFORD'S
motion for evidence next month, Ministers
will have reconsidered their determina-
tion.
The reformed House of Commons will
not be tampered with by the Lords, nor will the
popular representatives allow the Peers to cast
out these bills with impunity. This demonstra-
tion on Warwick in the Lords, ought to insure
the attendance of every real reformer in the
House of Commons to-night, on the third
reading of the " Liverpool Freemen Disfran-
chisement Bill," and which must be significantly
passed to the bar of their Lordships by an
increased majority. What have the Lords really
to do with the constitution of the House of
Commons ? How little it concerns them they
were signally informed when, in May, 1832, the
people obliged them to pass the Reform Bills !

The discussion last night on the motion of
Mr. DIVETT for the abolition of church rates,
involved not only that subject, but the question
of general registration, marriage, admission of
dissenters to the universities, and burial in
church-yards. On all these subjects the opinions
of the government, as expressed by Lord AL-
THORP and Lord JOHN RUSSELL, were favour-
able to the dissenters, and reform was promised,
either by legislative enactments, or by arrangements
with the universities. All they wanted was time.
These sweeping changes sounded strange on the
ears of the Members for the Universities, who
disclaimed all knowledge of any feeling in their
bodies in favour of Dissenters, but, on the
contrary, were prepared to prove, that so far
from a wish being expressed to that effect, the
very reverse was the fact. The great body of
the Members, no doubt, are opposed to those
changes, as they have been to every change af-
fecting their exclusive privileges ; but still we '
cannot form so unfavourable and so humiliating an
opinion ofthese venerable institutions as to suppose
that there are not many who can see the signs
of the times, and can feel a sympathy for the
grievances and the injus►ice which these mo-
nopolies of honours entail on a vast number of
men of great learning, talent, and wealth. Some
members of Cambridge have done themselves
honour by taking the lead, not only on this but
on a former occasion. They petitioned the
Caput some months ago to institute an
inquiry into the restrictions under which degrees
in medicine were granted, but the Caput were
deaf as the adder in the wilderness. They are now
about to petition, not the House of Commons,
for of that body they had no doubt, but the
House of Lords, which has ever been pre-
eminent for its defence of exclusive bodies, and
its opposition even to rational and irresistible
reform. The only regret is that the universities
had not bestirred themselves long ago on the
subject. It is the exclusive system to which
the church has so pertinaciously adhered, that
has filled the ranks of the dissenters, and turned
into enemies men who would have devoted their
great talents in supporting, not only the
Universities, but the Church, in all their just