The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-26 00:00:00

THE REFORM BILL.

Lord ELCIIO, on the part of Lord Grosvenor, gave
notice that in committee on the Reform Bill ho should
move amendments to the effect of limiting its operation
to houses of the rateable value of £5, and fixing the per-
sonal payment of rates at the same amount.

Sir E. DERING gave notice of his intention of moving
an amendment, the effect of which would be to reduce the
ccunty qualification from £l5 to £l2.
Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice of his intention to move
amendments in order to give a lodger franchise.
In reply to Mr. BRIGHT,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
was not aware of the rumours relative to the postpone-
ment of the committee on the Reform Bill until after Easter.
They had not yet decided whether the bill should be read a
second time, therefore they would excuse him from fixing
the time at which it would be committed. The course
pursued would be strictly Parliamentary.

ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

In reply to Mr. SHAW LEFEVRE,

Lord STANLEY said the correspondence between the
two countries relative to claims arising on both sides
during the war had not yet been concluded, and ho there-
fore could not at present lay the papers on the table. lie
would take that opportunity of noticing a statement that
bad appeared in the newspapers that communications
of a very unfriendly nature had been received by her
Majesty's Government from the Government at Washing-
ton. There was no truth whatever in such a statement.
RAILWAY DEBENTURES.

Mr. CRAWFORD gave notice that to-morrow he should
call the attention of the house to the present state of rail-
way indebtedness with respect to debentures now falling
due, and also that ho should move certain resolutions on
the subject.
In reply to Me. WARNER,

The CIIA>.7CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
probable number of new £lO borough voters who would
be added to the constituencies by that part of the bill
which provides for the redistribution of seats, irrespective
of the proposed alteration in the franchise, would be
68,000—viz., 32,000 above, and 36,000 plow £lO.

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE BILL.
At 5 o'clock the order of the day for the second reading
of the Representation of the People Bill was read by the
Clerk at the table.

Mr. GLADSTONE then rose and said—l think, sir,
that if the question were now being put, not upon the
second reading, but upon the third reading of the bill which
I hold in my hands, iu the terms and with the effect which
has now been framed, there can be little doubt it would
have been rejected by a majority, perhaps by a large ma-
jority, of this house. (Hear, hear.) I think further, sir,
that if we were now considering the question whether you
should leave the chair in order that we might go into com-
mittee on this bill, the result would be that a majority of
the house, and I should certainly be one of them, would be
of opinion that, unless we can enter into committee armed
and assisted by some declaration, or even some expression,
from the Government different from those which have yet'
been given to us and to the country, we should be wasting
the session and losing time. (Hear, hear.) But, sir, the rules
of this house, wisely framed as they are, give us two op-
portunities, two ordinary opportunities, of condemning the
principles of any bill that is
proposed for our consideration ;
and whit I would suggest to the house is, that we should
endeavour to make use of those oppoitunities in order to
ascertain the principles of the Government, so that before
we comp to the question of your leaving the chair, we
may have fair means of judgment upon the point then
submitted to us—namely, upon the important question
whether we aro to undertake the task of dealing with
his bill in detail. I, therefore, for one, propose, in
assenting to the second reading of this bill, to assent to it as
a measure for extending and reducing the franchise, for the
redistribution of seats, and for certain other purposes either
in themselves desirable, or at all events entitled, when
proposed by a Government, to be taken into consideration
by the house. Now I shall describe the objects which,
so far as I know, are entertained either by the whole
house, or by a great majority of the house, with refer-
ence to the adjustment of this question. We all speak
of the desirableness of settlement, and perhaps the time
has now come when in most or possibly, I Will Plat it, 11