The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-05 00:00:00

Scotland and the Reform Bill.

The amount of proportion of representation to be given
to Scotland under Lord Derby's Reform is, like all the
other parts of the main question, involved iu mystery. Like
everything, too, on which Mr. Disraeli has given explana-
tions, it has been, as be himself states, the subject of
" misconception." So, upon Friday night, be Pet himself

to re•novo that misconception, and to interpret his former

meaning. But again the interpreter is the harder to be
understood of the two -not only is it impossible to make
out what Mr. Disraeli intends to propose, but the argumen-
tation in which he expatiates throws the whole facts and
reasoning of that part of the question into utter confusion.
The first exposition given of the Reform Bill showed that
it is not intended to reduce the number of English mem-
bers; 30 are to be taken away from certain English con-
stituencies, but all the 30 aro to be given to certain other
English constituencies. This, it must be confessed, looked
very like a design to refuse any additional representation
to Scotland, for it is only from England that seats could
fairly be taken, and in all previous bi:ls which gave addi-
tional seats to large constituencies in Scotland, they were,
as needs they must be, taken from small constituencies in
England. Hence, doubtless, the dual fcrm of Sir Stirling
Maxwell's question whether it was intended to give any
additional representation to Scotland, and if so, from what
source it was to be derived. Laying aside as oat of the
question the taking away of any representation from Ire-
land, there were only two answers which even so ingenious
a person as Mr. Disraeli could give to this question, if be
intended to answer it at all. He might have said No to
the first clause of the question, and there an end. Or ho
might have said Yes to the first clause, and to the second
have replied that the source from which the additional
representation was to be supplied was an enlargement of
the numbers of the Rouse of Commons. But he said
neither Yes nor No, nor anything between nor anything
beyond. He argued that as the Bill, the substance of
which he had stated to the House, had reference only to
the representation of England and Wales, there was no
reason to infer from the provisions of that bill the pro-
visions of the bill for Scotland. The only conclusion et
which Ministers bad arrived was that England and
Wales had not " too much" representation—it did not fol-
low that they had concluded that Scotland had enough.
But in ono sense that does follow, and in the only other
sense is intended to
f
increase
greatnttehnetitodoneta,aillf of
but incutn-
ebeenntta—t
iae
a, conclusionisa eeeeltuhsaito
nE athat nsde
oh
talsa
undoite tnoootm tou chhavree pre
any-
more. Further, if it is concluded that, according to pro-
perty, population, and so on, England has not too much re-
presentation, then, on the same data, it must he concluded
that Scotland has a great deal too little. Scotland may or
may not get what she is entitled to; but there is no pro-
cess by which England can be shown entitled to retain her
present number of members which does not show at the
same time that Scotland is entitled to more than her pre-
sent number. "The conclusion," adds Mr. Disra "at
which we have arrived is, that representation mig t be
more efficiently distributed." Well, why in the process of
distribution draw a line at the Tweed, and lay out of view
that portion of the United Kingdom in which, as far as
regards addition, "efficient distribution" is most required?
There is another question raised by Mr. Disraeli's speech,
and it is not the only question to which the Conservative
Ministers, in their handling of Reform, have given en-
largement and new difficulties. The bill of last year,
for instance, gave seven now members to Scotland,
and took seven away from England, making a difference
of 14 in the balance between the two kingdoms. Suppose
that Mr. Disraeli now gives seven new members to Scot-
land, not by taking them from England, la by enlarg-
went of the House, Scotland would have littl. more than
half the gain which Mr. Disraeli was so active in prevent-
ing her obtaining last year. It is he, not we, that puts
one kingdom against another, and " cannot at all admit
that in attempting to improve the representation of Eng-
land and Wales we are bound at all to consider the claims
of other parts of the United Kingdom." If in this matter
England and Scotland are to be treated separately, as some-
what opposing Powers, and not as Great Britain, then it
will become the more just and necessary that the balance
shall be adjusted with arithmetical accurscy, which would
give Scotland much more than we either expect or very
much care for.-Scotsman.

Mn. ARTEMUS WAnn.—Thin gentleman, who by
his great intelligence and the humour displayed in his
writings has made so many sincere friends in England,
now lies without hope of recovery at Southampton. This is
the more to be deplored as the liberal sentiments and ope
nature of Mr. Ward had a strong tendency to draw closer
together the feelings of Americans and Englishmen.
ALARMING OCCURRENCE AT A MENAGERIE.-011
Saturday night a largo and powerful black bear, an inha-
bitant of a menagerie exhibiting at Guildford, forced his
way through a partition, and into the tigers' den, whin
was occupied by three young Bengal tigers. A fearful corn
bat soon raged between the infuriated beasts, in which th
bear appeared to be gaining the advantage. After vainly
trying to part the combatants and to induce the bear to re
tire into his own quarters, the keepers determined that th
only way to prevent a fearful catastrophe was to destroy
the bear. Accordingly two of them loaded their fire-arms
with slugs, and both discharged their pieces together and
shot the boar dead, whilst they at tho same time wounded
two of the tiger 3 so severely that it is feared they will have
to be destroyed. , The value of the bear is estimated at about
£9O, and the tigers at from 80 to 100 guineas each.

irIGTI WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tir„ D.T. —Vorning,, lh. 30m.—Afternoon, 111. 50m.
To-Melo.° i u%:, 2h. &h.—Afternoon, 2h.24:n.

*?;r• #.47'
0030
4+344

doubts that seemed to envelope this subject.
Oue thing, at all events, is evident, that it has
been from no indifference or want of care on the
part of the noble Earl at the head of her MAJESTY'S
Government that the task of settling the particulars
of a Reform have been so difficult to accomplish.
People are apt to speak and think of a Cabinet as if
only one mind moved it, and as if one decision was
necessary to impel it forward, forgetting that there
are many opinions to take before a subject of para-
mount importance can be dealt with, and that the
members of a Ministry are not automatons. Lord
DERBY explained to the House that he and his
colleagues fully realised the difficulty of their posi-
tion, and estimated the chances against them in
their attempts to pass a Reform Bill. They, there-
fore, considered it to be desirable to proceed to " a
sort of tentative process," and thus it was that
they invited the House of Commons to come to a
conclusion upon the question. The subject of the
Resolutions was not to pledge the Government to
any particular point, or to any one of them,
but to arrive at a general notion of what measures
the House would adopt. Unfortunately, however,
this was not agreed to by the House, and hence it is
impossible to know what is really desired by that
assembly. The Cabinet had then to frame a Bill,
the particulars of which was not decided upon be-
fore. The chief obstacle that had previously im-
peded their way in coming to a unanimous deci-
sion was the awkward subject of the extension of
the franchise. One of the two schemes before the
Cabinet was more " extensive " than the other.
After due consideration the larger and more exten-
sive scheme was adopted, and, although one of his
colleagues was scarcely favourable to it, still Lord
DERBY trusted that they might bring it forward.
It happened, however, that two other members of
the Cabinet upon reconsidering the figures declared
that they could not agree to the propositions, and
hence the first who had dissented was, of course,
relieved of the task he had imposed upon himself.
Of course it did not' need many words on the
part of Lord DERBY to impress upon his hearers
the anxiety and annoyance which this intelligence
occasioned them. They had to chose between the
adoption of a more desirable and a more extended
scheme of Reform, or else they must sacrifice three
of their colleagues all of them, " men of mark and
character in the Cabinet," and all of them, we be-
lieve, in their several positions had displayed more
than ordinary ability. Perhaps it will be considered
that the decision they arrived at was a mistaken
one, and that it certainly did not succeed. When
the Resolutions were in a manner rejected by the
House it became necessary for the Cabinet to re-
consider their position. Lord DERBY declared that
he felt he could not, consistently with his duty,
either resign his position or abandon the hope of
carrying a Reform Bill through Parliament. In
a week's time the .Alinisters trust to replace the
colleagues they have lost ; and the noble lord said,
in conclusion, that he trusted the " remainder of his
colleagues will be equal to the occasion, and thus
in the course of the present session they may bring
to a successful conclusion this great and paramount
question which has so long baffled all administra-

dons."

Mr. DISRAELI was necessarily more brief in his
remarks to the House of Commons. He said that by
Friday he hoped to state that the Government of
Lord DERBY was complete. The right hon. gentle-
man also adverted to the time when the Reform
Bill will be introduced, naming the eighteenth of this
month. As he said this will afford ample time for
the due consideration of the measure, and when it is
in Committee the Government propose that
the House should sit in committee on the bill de die
in lieu. Mr. OSBORNE thought that the confusion
in the Cabinet afforded him a grand opportunity
for making one of his displays, and accordingly
declared that they ought to receive more definite
accounts as to the policy and intentions of the
Government. As to this we do rot see what plainer
statement could be made than to state the day on
which the Ministerial plan was to be presented to the
House. It may also be added that the explanations
which were given were so criticised that it did not
afford much encouragement to give more. In the
course of his remarks, Mr. DISRAELI said that the
Ministry had resolved to recur to "their original
policy with respect to the borough franchise."
This gave great offence to Mr. OSBORNE, and he
demanded that either General PEEL or Lord
CRANBORNE should enlighten them. Not satis-
fied with this, Mr. OSBORNE again interrupted the
business of the House, at a late period, to com-
plain that all had not been said to the House of
Commons which had been said to the Lords.
It is quite out of character that such a factious
spirit should be displayed, and such hindrances in-
terposed in the way of carrying on affairs. 31r.
GLADSTONE made a few remarks, which were hardly
characterised by the same spirit of encouragement
which animated him on a former occasion. Perhaps,
however, he was afraid of committing himself under
the circumstances of the case. The right hon.
gentleman was very ingenious in his comparisons,
declaring that the changes of the Ministry reminded
him of a Greek dance ; he, however, forgot, as
people generally do, what he and his friends did last
year. They altered their plan so suddenly
that the present Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, who was then the critic, blamed them for
" changing their front in face of the enemy." We
hope that all the uncertainty and doubt that has
hitherto enveloped this subject will shortly cease,
and, indeed, we see no real reason to prevent a
Reform Bill being carried. Only one thing is impera-
tively necessary, that those who possess the most
influence should not be too particular in putting for-
ward their own peculiar views to the detriment of
the real object in view—the passing of the measure
this Session.