The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-11 00:00:00

has acquired an unenviable notoriety, shall think
proper to fling over him the mantle of its pro-
tection.

The Times asserts that "the bill is certain
not to pass the Lords, even if it should leave
the Lower House unscathed." On what ground
can it justify this statement ? It "
directly, and exclusively concerns the
composition of that House ;" and the deci-
sion of a large majority of its members
should, therefore, be received with respectful
consideration. A conflict between the co-ordinate
branches of the Legislature should, under any cir-
cumstances, be earnestly deprecated ; but more
especially so when the point at issue is one in
which the House of Representatives is solely
concerned.

The sneering speech of Lord PALMERSTON will
not by any means serve to re-establish his da-
maged reputation. He voted for the second
reading, not because he approved the bill, but
because he wanted to aim a blow against the
members of the Government, who occupy the
pleasant places from which he himself and
his late colleagues were so ignominiously and
so justly expelled. For this he was prepared
to brave the charge of inconsistency, and to
completely change his vote of last year ; and that,
forsooth, because the title, although not the sub-
stance, is different. He also took a distinction, albeit,
without a difference, between a promised Reform
Bill and one under consideration. That promise
has, however, so frequently been evaded, the
nature and extent of the bill—which was not
even prepared, long after his exclusion from
office —have been so carefully concealed,
that we would much rather trust to Lord
DERBY'S " consideration" than Lord PAL-
MERSTON'S " vague pledge." He will strive to
emasculate it in committee, but its friends and
supporters must prevent the success of his artful
scheme, and carry the bill in its integrity through
all its stages.

The Property Qualification Bill has been read
a second time in the House of Lords without a
division. It may, therefore, fairly be considered
to have weathered the shoals and quicksands by
which its progress was threatened, and to be
within sight of port, with a favouring breeze.
There is now no further danger of its complete
success, and we heartily congratulate the nation
on the instalment of reform that has been
achieved, and the virtual abolition of the gigantic
sham which has long prevailed—which was, in
fact, only a snare for tender consciences, but
which was recklessly violated by those who disre-
garded a solemn obligation. We have heard that
it excluded the accomplished and amiable SOUTHEY,
who was returned by an independent con-
stituency during his absence, and without
his knowledge, while others, who were equally
without property of the required description, and
who also wanted the far more important qualifica-
tions which he possessed, contrived, by paltry
evasions, to take their seats.
A law thus habitually violated was far worse
than useless. It had an exceedingly demoralising
influence, compelling many of those who were
constituted legislators to commence their careers
by wilful falsehoods, which, if detected, would
render them liable to severe criminal punishment.
The law had become practically inoperative for
any beneficial purpose ; and, therefore, the
sooner it was got rid of the better. It
would long since have been repealed but
for the sham Liberals, who, without venturing
to oppose the principle, invariably adjourned
the question, until that which has lately become
equivalent to the arrival of the Greek lialends—
viz., the introduction of a real Reform Bill !

It was Lord GREY who, although he did not
venture to oppose, endeavoured to bring the mea-
sure into contempt and disrepute. He did not
entertain a strong opinion against the measure,
per se, but he regarded it as the "first step," in
what he considered "a complete revolution in the
working of the Parliamentary system," which
woull produce "an unbalanced system of demo-
cracy."
And what were the measures which the noble
Eul so greatly deprecated—a large extension of
the franchise and a redistribution of th© right of
returning members to the House of Commons,
the establishment of a system of secret voting (i. e.
the ballot), and the shortening of the duration of
Parliaments. To each and all of these changes he
is, judging from his speech, strongly opposed, and
yet be calls himself a reformer—a member of the
advanced Liberal party, and admits that the time
which has elapsed since 1832 has rendered a revi-
sion of the representative system desirable, if not
necessary.

Lord DERBY very properly pointed out that
tho so-called property qualification was per-
fectly distinct from the other points on which
changes were required, and that it had been
treated by Parliament not. "as part of a great
measure of reform, but as a separate measure ;"
and that oven within the present reign, " the
rigour of the previous provisions, which required
that the qualification of;,members should consist
exclusively of landed property, had been relaxed
and extended to property nf every kind." But
he gave a still stronger reason for sanctioning the
bill. It was a question which " materially,
directly, and exclusively concerned the com-
position of the House of Commons," and having
been sent up by an overwhelming majo-
rity of that House, their Lordships should
not unnecessarily come into collision with that
large majority. (,This was a powerful argu-
ment, and, coupled with the admirable speech of
the Duke of NEWCASTLE, proved decisive. There
was no property qualification required for the
House of Peers, The Royal Prerogative could
confer a seat on any person whatsoever ; and there
can be no possible reason why the prerogative of
every free and Independent constituency should
not also be respected.

Everybody was upon the tiptoe of expecta-
tion in regard to the starting of the Grand Atlan-
tic Expedition, for the hying down of the sub-
marine cabl3 for the Electric Telegraph. All the
preliminary preparations have been for some time
past, happily completed ; and yesterday the
squadron left Plymouth on its anxious voyage
of expectancy. The 2,066 nautical miles
of wire, encased in gutta-percha, have
been carefully and symthetrically coiled up on
board of the two chief vessels, in what has come
at last to be familiarly known as the Wire Squad-
ron. There it is, compactly stowed away—that
wondrous fibre—in the holds of the Niagara and
Agamemnon. And as the extreme distance be-
tween the opposing points where the ends of the
cable will be landed—here in Ireland, there in
America—gives'an exact length of 1,720 nauti-
cal miles, there will remain "to the good," over
and above that extreme let gth, 80 or 00 per cent.
of wire cable, giving ample allowance for slack
and all imaginable and unimaginable contin-
gencies.

It- is interesting at this moment to bear par-
ticularly in mind the precise point selected in mid-
ocean for the place of rendezvous, when, after
splicing the ends of their respective cables toge-
ther, .the Agamemnon and Niagara are to part
company, and pay-out their precious freight with