The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-14 00:00:00

TILE NEW CONSTITUENCIES.

Mr. Dudley Baxter estimates the strength of the
new constituencies in England and Wales.- A. return
of the borough electors has just been issued, in
virtue of the motion by Dlr. Hibbert. The
number given is 1,203,170; but this is ex-
clusive of four boroughs which have made no re-
turns, for which the following numbers were given in
the newspapers in December last—viz., Brecon, 704;
Carnarvon, 3,376 ; Dudley, 11,847 ; Haverfordwest,
1,528. The total may, therefore, be taken at
1,220,71;5, The county voters are 791,910. In 1806
514,020 exercised the borough franellise, and 542,038
voted in counties. The borough votes have thus
increased 137 per cent., and the county votes 46 per
cent. The net result is that the total number of
electors has been very nearly doubled.

TUE NEW ZEALAND POLICY OF TME GOVERNMENT.

Earl Granville states in his latest despatches to
the Governor of Now Zealand that the policy of con-
fiscating land taken from rebel natives " has always
been regarded by the home Government as pregnant
with danger," The accuracy of this declaration is
questioned by supporters of the right of the colonies
to English troops: they say precisely the contrary.
Mr. Henry Sewell, in a letter to the Standard,
endeavours to prove that the Colonial Secretary is
altogether wrong. 113 adduces an extract from a
despatch of the Duke of Newcastle, dated November
30, 1863, (at which date the control of native affairs
rested with the Imperial Government. It was written
in answer to the Governor's despatch, recommending
the confiscation of land in the Waikato, in order to
plant military settlements in that district :
" I do not disapprove," says his grace, "of this measure.
I think that any body of natives which take up arms
against her Majesty en such grounds as those allogedby the
Waikatoes may properly be punished by a confiscation of a
large part of their commcn property. I think that the
lands thus acquired may properly be employed in meeting
the expenses of carrying on the war, nor do I see any objec-
tion to using them as sites for military settlements."
This extract is conclusive to Mr. Sewell in showing
that "if the preoent dangers of Now Zealand are
really attributable, as his lordship suzgests, to the
adoption of a policy of confiscation, the responsibility
for that policy rests with the Imperial Government,
not with the colony."

THE REPRESENTATION OF THE LAITY LN THE IRISH

CHURCH BODY.

The laity of the Irish Church aro diming to the
consideration of their position in the new General
Synod. The great lay conference was commenced
on Tuesday in Dublin, with the Primate in the
chair ; and two very important questions were
decided. First it was resolved that voting in the
new General Representative Body should be by
" order"—that is to say, though the clergy
might meet in one house with the laity,
and have one discussion, the votes should
be taken separately. Then, unless both the decision
of the representatives of the clergy, and the votes o
the laity tend in the same direction, no resolution
would stand. This is upheld as Conservative policy, as
preventing the ascendancy of one order over the
other; and as making legislation in a panic impos-
sible. The lay delegates next decided that the repre-
sentation of the laity should be in proportion of two
to one of the clergy.