The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-26 00:00:00

vice Robert C. Topham Atthill, who retires upon tem-
porary half-pay ; Ensign Herbert Belasyse Moffat to be
Lieutenant, by purchase, vice William Melo do Rune
Barclay, retired ' • Gentleman Cadet Thomas Osmond
Oslear, frorthe Royal Military College, to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Moffat.
35th Foot—Ensign Thomas Astley Maberly to bo Lieu-
tenant, by purchase, vice James Johnston Twining, who
retires; Arthur Thomas Chapman, Gent., to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Maberly.
38th Foot—Ensign Charles Percy Smith, from the 12th
Foot, to be Ensign, vice Robert Charles Nicholetts, a
Probationer for the Staff Corps in India.
60th Foot.—Captain John Prevost Battersby to be Major,
without purchase, vice Thomas Biggs, promoted to a
half-pay Lieutenant-Colouelcy, without purchase ;
Lieutenant William Henry Moseley to be Captain, by
purchase. vice Robert Joits Iliekmau, who retires; _Co-
sign Beniunin Friend to he Li.otteuirut, by purchase,
vice Mosel-y ; Guillemot' Cad .t G..0rg,1 Percy Gilly.rt,
from the li. Military Cull .g.i to be Eusigu, pur-
chase, rice Prenil.
filth Foot—Captain C;;arle.; Frase.r. fermi half-pay. late
13th Foof, to b vino W.il an: Jesser
who retires upon temporxy
734 Foot -T ne appointment of Ensign II irrison bears date
19th February, and not as pi-evioit ;!‘• stated..
78th Foot -Lieut. li,.)b•rt L. DalglisLt to be Adjutant, vice
Lieut. Gor_.;.l E. Lr.eky, who resigns the app.iintni ,nt.
90th Foot.—Ensign t twin Thackweil to b Lieutenant,
by purchase, vice William Henry SpoaJer, wOo retires
upon temporary:ny; liusign Fi•eder.cl; Maitland
Ilalfour,.froin rho 31th Poor, to be E•isign, vic3 Arthur
William Bowman, promo: o-1; E Iw.in! Lethbridge,
Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Thaßkwell.
821 Fout—Lieutenant Edward Snow Mason to be Captain,
by purchase, vice Christopher Rowland Richardson,
promoted to a Half-pay Majority, without purchase;
Ensign Nesham Yeeden Lloyd to be Lieutenant, by
purchase, vice Mason; Gentleman Cadet William Head
Nayly, from the Royal Military College, to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Lloyd.
99th Foot—Ensign Charles Henry Scott Kennedy to be
Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Francis llincks, who
retires; Gentleman Cadet Arthur Whichcoto Turner,
from the Royal . Military College, to be Ensign, by pur-
chase, vice Kennedy.
2d West India Regiment—Captain George Daniel Webber,
from the 17th Foot, to be Captain, vice Roger, who
exchanges.
4th West India Regiment—Lieutenant F. B. Price White
to be Captain, by purchase, vice Thomas Bruce Hutton,
promoted, by purchase, in the Ist West India Regi-
ment ; Ensign John Graham Drury to be Lieutenant, by
purchase, vice White; ItiChard Leehmere Wilberforce
Spooner, Gent., to be Ensign by purchase, vice Drury.
BREVET.
Captain John William Willoughby Osborne, C.D., Ma-
dras Staff Corps, to be Major; Quartermaster Arthur
flurle, half-pay, late Coldstream Guards, to have the
honorary rank of Captain.
The undermentioned officers, having completed the qua-
lifying service in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, to be
Colonel under the provisions of the Royal Warrant of 3d
February, 1866: -Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel
Coote Synge Hutchinson, 24 Dragoon Guards ; Captain
and Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Henry Lane Fox, Gre-
nadier Guards.

COURSE OF EXCHANGE.--This Evening.

Amsterdam Short. 11 16
Ditto 3 Months. 11 18f
Rotterdam
Antwerp — 25 35
Brussels — 25 35
Hamburg — 13 81
Paris Short 25 12f
Ditto 3 Months. 25 32f
Marseilles
Frankfort on the Maine 119/
Vienna — 12 971
Trieste — 12 95
Petersburgn
Berlin
Madrid — 48

11 16.
11 19'
11 19
25 40
25 40
13 9
25 20
25 374
25 40'

120}
13 21
13 5
311
6 26;
481
49
27 95
27 95
27 90
27 90
27 95
27 90
52}
521

Cadiz
Leghorn
Milan
Genoa
Naples
Palermo
Messina

48
26 85
26 85
26 85
26 85
26 85
26 85

Lisbon .
Oporto ..

country, and which will bring back again thateer..........e.air
parti_
tion of political power which the old Constitution of the
country recognised, and which, if practicable, it seems to
me that ail of us aro desirous should bo accomplished.
Well, sir, there is a very great difference between the pe-
riod of 1832 and the period of 1867. In the period of 1832
Parliamentary Reform was a subject to fire the imagina-
tions and excite the passions of all men. It was one which
banded parties together with a heat and with a power such
as very rarely occur. But on the present occasion there is
a great unanimity on the subject. We who have succeeded
to the place which we occupy in the spirit of the Consti-
tution, finding that question unsettled and by universal
consent requiring settlement, can appeal with confidence,
as I now understand, to the candid interpretation of the
House of Coen:ems upon our plans and motive; and can
count even on the support, of course the discriminating,
b.t still the not less generous suppers, of our political
rivals. Sir, with these feelings I shell endeavour to speak
to those Resolutions which I p;:teed wily a fortnight ago
upon the table of this bons'. (A. tang::.) It is ouly a fort-
night ago that I asked t house to consider the propriety
of p eenit.ing her Ji ijesty's Government to proceed on this
subject by way of It !soltitioe, :till it was then more than
doubtful whether teat permissiou would be coneeded. It
has been said that the Resolutions placed upon the table
are vague, and not intended to lead the hens) to any prac-
tical coneht ;ion. My presence to-day, according to all Par-
liamentary practice, to give the eplanations which the
house has a right to expect, is a sufficient answer to that
charge. I confess for myself, sir, that I cannot agree with
those who in atterapting to settle great questions begin by
disregarding the importance of principles. It appears to
me that it is of great impor:ance, if we are endeavouring to
bring about a general understanding in the house upon a
subject of great moment, that we should begin by Boeing
whether there is between us a sympathy on the principles
on which that settlement is to be founded. And although I
was l ever less inclined to enter into controversy with the
house on any part of the subject before us, yet still, in vin-
dication of the Government, I do not think the period fixed
for the consideration of those Resolutions, which form a
whole and are connected together, and which at least are
the result of reflection and pains —1 do not think that the
period was unreasonable. Because what has been the prac-
tice under such circumstances? Gentlemen take these Re-
solutions, and endeavour themselves to see what they lead
to and what would be the practical results. They them-
selves make combinations and applications which fail, and
some of which perhaps are partially successful; and when
they find that the solution of the difficulty is not so easy as
they imagine, they come, as it were, into a more practical
state of mind, and at the right time they treat her Majesty's
Ministers with more candour, and aid them with more zea-
lous co-operation. (Hear, hear.) I will firstask thehouse to
consider that portion of the question which is perhaps im-
mediately the most interesting, and which has occasioned
of late years the most controversy in this house—viz., the
state of the borough franchise. Ia considering this question
our anxiety has been to widen, as far as we could, the right
of exercising political suffrage, and, while retaining the
general character of this house, and while we endeavour to
give to the working classes their old share in the formation
of Parliament, at the same time not derogating from that
variety of character in this house which I believe to be so
important, and the main foundation of our influence and
authority. (Hear, hear.) We have endeavoured, in consi-
dering the question, to see whether we could not improve
and increase the suffrage for boroughs, with a due regard to
three important qualities —capital, intelligence, and labour.
With this view wo have resolved to recommend the house
to adopt four new franchises in boroughs. These four
franchises have no novelty to recommend them to alarm
the house, for I believe they have on several occasions been
the subject of our discussions, and in all instances have
experienced a very favourable reception from the house.
The first new franchise that we wish to establish would bo
an educational franchise. In 1859 we introduced a bill in
which we proposed to give the suffrage to the graduates of
all Universities, t 3 the members of all the learned profes-
sions, to clergymen and ministers of religion, to certificated
schoolmasters, and others. I should myself wish to see
such a suffrage extended. In the present Resolutions, or
in the bill which, if the Resolutions aro sanctioned, it will
be my duty to bring in, that franchise would to a certain
degree be extended, although not to that degree to which
some would wish to sea it carried. I believe, however,
that under this franchise a considerable number of persons,
comparatively speaking, would exercise the franchise who
otherwise would not enjoy it. To that point I will advert
afterwards. The next new franchise that we wish to estab-
lish is a savings-batik franchise. That is a franchise which
has always been favourably considered, and which has
been included in almost every project of Parliamentary
Reform of late years, but to which one objection of consi-
derable importance has been urged, and that is, that it is
very difficult to establish and register the names of those
who, under such a franchise, would be qualified. We hope
to be able to lay a plan before the lento which will be
foun I easy and practical, and to render that franchise self-
adjusting. In that case it will be a very satisfactory and im-
portant franchise. We propose that a qualification of
Litt iu the savings-bank, with a retention of it for ono
year, which is a necessary coadi ion, should be the subject
of the second franchise. Sir, the third new franchise that
we should propose would be established on public pro-
perty. IVe propose that any person who has £5O in the
debt of this country—in the public funds —should be en-
titled to the franchise. The fourth new franchise which
we should wish to propose is one founded upon the
payment of direct taxation. We propose that every person
who pays 20s. a year direct taxation shall have a vote to
elect members of Parliament. These are the four new fran-
chises that we propose. I will give the house the numbers
that the Government believe will register and record their
votes under the savings bank franchise—not the numbers
that may appear on the first blush qualified to vote under
that new franchise, because that would he deceptive. But
we believe that under the £3O savings bank qualification in
boroughs there will at this moment be 35,000 persons who
will register and record their votes. [Sir G. Grey—" Hav-
ing no other qualification?"] Yes, having no other qualifi-
cation. We believe that under the education franchise in
boroughs there will be 10,000 persons, and under the funded
property qualification there will be 7,000 persons, while
the direct taxpayers will not be less than 30,000 persons
entitled to vote. Having stated the new franchises proposed
for boroughs, I will ask the house to consider the question
of the readjustment of the old franchise. The Resolutions
which I have placed upon the table are connected together,
and I wish to call the attention of the house to the fith Re-
solution. What is expressed in the fifth Resolution is the
belief of the Government that "if the principle of plurality
of votes were adopted by Parliament it would facilitate the
settlement of the borough franchise on an extensive basis."
wery t o
are
wish to make an observation on that Resolution. In the
first place, a very great error has prevailed as to the mean-
ing which the Government associated with this plurality
oofaaof
voting.th.
fourOurinnt:writfiroana wchaissetahatthaanty person
have mentioned, who possessed
dpossessedhe were an occupier in a borough or if he had a right to
vote for a member of
for the occupation Parliament,qualification,
of the new franchises which he m
but should
aoluslo d
fu r vote,an y notone
merely
other
iehtpowse p
possess. (Mur-
murs.) We believe that if t.haty a,,t
principle
o large
bound
state num-
bers
ih
o t
f h
the e v
people led
country;
frankly that this is not a view of the case which, if
to
vare
n i
oresults
this
e
permitted to bring in a bll, we shall at all insist
(Cheers.) It seems to us that it is not desirable to
,uren. eany proposition on these questions which we have not
a fair prospect of carrying to a successful issue, and, there-
fore, although I myself believe that it is a principle well
worthy of our consideration, for it involves nothing invi-
dious in its character, npplying alike to all classes, yet it is
not one which I am now in any way recommending to the
house, or announcing that we should act upon it if we had
permission to bring in a bill. It is, however, necessary
that I should speak frankly to the house on the subject of
the fifth resolution. Then, sir, having been obliged to give
up acting upon that resolution, we had to consider the basis
on which; in our opinion, Parliament should fix the
borough franchise so far as occupation is concerned. It
must be remembered that Parliament Las asserted the prin-
ciple of rating as the basis of our electoral system. (Hear.)
It must be remembered, also, in offering the general views
' of the Government on the matter, that we have placed the
assertion of that principle among the Resolutions on the
table of the house ; and therefore I will assume that on that
subject there is now no question. We Lave, then, to fix
upon some franchise with regard to the boroughs of which
rating shall be the basis ; and our object being that wo
should fix upon au authentic basis—one not nominally of
ratepayers, but as far as possible really of ratepayers—that
we should have some resting point to remain upon, and
rating being now, as I hope it will be,
accepted as the basis
of our whole electoral system, we should recommend the
house, having relinquished our fifth Resolution, to adjust
the occupation franchise in boroughs upon a £6 rating basis.
It now devolves upon me to show the house what will be
the effect upon the number of the constituency of the new
franchise which wo have proposed, and of the readjustment
of the occupation franchise iu the boroughs which I have
just mentioned. I must remind the house that the numbers
which I place before theni aro the numbers which the
Government believe will really be added to the roll. We
make all du allowance fur those who do not register, and
all duo deductions for other classes, in respect of which I
will not now weary the lions-. But we believe that whitilaik
ratiug franchise, the number qualified Leingu,
nlibteir
o;
203,030, there would be new voters to theof
that, because probably that proportion ma'elYnumber of now
140,0 ,0. But we must make a deduction
be
alreadylO,ooo feiruoam_
litied.as electors. Therefore we place t
place the the savings-bank voters at 35,0J0;
plaice
funded property quail-
the fuu
di-
rect taxation voters at 30,000 ;
voters ender a ; franchise in boroughs at 130,000. We
th ‘r 212,000, which is the
fication v_e:ti,erso_atm7a,koo4.;:litobe
voters at 1 00
practically be added to
and, the educational franceise
number that, in our opinion, will
tl e constituency of the boroughs. (titian) It will now be
my duty to call the attention of the house to what we pro-
poseounty franchise. We propose, in
d to the counties the four new with respect to the c
the first place, to exam
sub-
franchises which I have already mentioned ; and the effect
of this upon the counties will be to add to the consti-
tuency by direct taxation 52,000, by funded property 13,000,
y the
educational franchise 15,000, and by the savings-
b