The Sun.
London, England, 1832-04-12 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

It is not merely the general character and 'ration of
the Duke of Wellington which makes his opirions on a
great political question of importance to the country, how-
ever little worthy of consideration those opinions might be
regarded on their own account ; but it is the Noble
Duke's actual position at this moment, at head of that
party which has been endeavouring to destroy the existing
Government, and into the hands of which the King and
people would of necessity be delivered, if its present ma-
chinations against the cause of Reform were to end in the
expulsion of Lord Grey and hie colleagues front office.
There in nothing, indeed, of novelty,--scarcely any thing
of no,re, per se, than very transient and feeble interear,
—in the arguments or sentiments of tl'e Noble Duke's
speech on the Reform list Tuesday evening ; but
when we come no reflect upon that discourse as embody-
ing the views of a candidate Minister of Great Britain,
upon the rights of the people whom he aims at govern-
ing, and on the relations which ought to subsist between
the Crown and subject, or between the aristocracy and
the bulk of the nation, the matter assumes a more serious
form, and cannot fail, from the nature of the doctrines
put forth, to raise extreme anxiety and apprehension in
the mind of every living Englishman. The feeling, with
which we are habitually disposed to look upon the Duke
of Wellington's political conduct are certainly not those of
'hostility or distrust. It is therefore with a degree of pain
AS regards the noble De.ke himself, eiceeded only by our
nnea%iness for the country, that we have tiger' from the
perusal of this portentous speech, under a full persuasion
that he who uttered it conceives the possession of power
by the Minister, free from all control or interference by the
people, to be a desirable, if not indispensable, condition,
towards " the successful carrying on of the King's Go-
yerninent," and the people themselves to be no further
lost ful than as pas,ive instruments of whatever policy my
he adopted by the Court. We are tar from saying that if
the Duke of Wellington were again in office, he would
strive, by the forcible overthrow of such among our
present institutions as have any tendency or leaning towards
free government, to produce an absolute monarchy in Eng-
land, anti thus to follow out in practice those predilec
tions of his o ,n mind which his langaiage has too often
indicated ; but sure we are that the ideal excellence of a
constitution, it a constitution it could he called, which
runs through the whole course of the Noble Duke's ob•
jections to the Reform Bill, as developed in" the del ate of
Toes,' iy, is one which would repudiate all reponsibilitv,
whether of Ministers to Parliament, or of Patlirment to
the people, as a pernicious and intolerable clog upon the
march of regular government. It behoves the nation,
therefore, to consider well what sort of dominion is im-
pending over them, if a streatnan imbued with theories
so inimical to every principle *of 'rational freedom should,
through any disaster, become at this momentous crisis
a Minister of the British Crown. The Duke of Wel-
lington, if he were an arbitary monarch, would, we
doubt not, rule his subjects with equity, integrity, and a
strict and conscientious economy ; hut there is no single
passage in his speech on which a fair. .expeetation can be
grounded that he would tolerate the pressure of popular
influence upon his policy, domestic or foreign. He would
wield the scistre of King William as if it were a Field
31arshars truncheon. He is not, then, an eligible Min-
ister for us Englishmen, at least until the destinies of the
empire shall have passed their probationary state, and
waxed so strong ire liberty, that no despot would venture
to assail them, or fallen back into such hopeless prostra
tion to the oligarchy, that evei Metternich or Pozzo di

doreo would exclaim "It is enough." The Duke objeca
to the Reform Bill, because the wealth, respectability, ono
harning of the country are opposed to it. His Grace'
seems as familiar with the prevailing sentiments of societ‘
n this suliect, an he is with those of his Sovereign, atie
claims to lac more in the confidence of leis 'Majesty than
Lord 'Grey or any of his ostensible, a'lni cesponsible
risers! \'e wonder how kilt William has relished
this assumption on that part of the Noble Duke
But for the Merty which he has taken with the
King's 9..dij,cts, in affecting to answer for their aversion
to 'Reform, 110 alight apology ie due on tbe pe..'t of their
calumniator. There never existed a ..frinctitar more igno-
rant than the Duke of W‘erli'aedo, while in office, of the
wishes and upinhans `.gig countrymen. His declaration
a4ainst Rifoalaa "showed this. Where, indeed, should he
accoiro a ktlowledge of the nation generally? He lived
with none but military dandies, or tine ladies, He
' hstened to no sounds but the echoes of oracles de-
livered by Lim-itself among the coterie of humble and
admiring dependents who snrrounitad him, The
Duke's political horizon exteriiied to further than
from DoWning-street to the Horse Guards—all be-
yond was mist; or, li\e poor Captain Ross's " Croker
Mountains," he either save nothing, or imagined what was
not visible. Not communing with the people, therefore,
the Duke of Wellington was too apt to despise the people,
which was unjust to them, hut to himself was fatal, If the
learned, the affluent, teapectalde, and so forth, Were ad-
verse to the Bill, one of two thing; most have Is en true.
Either these respectable Oastaes were few and weak, and
altogether spiritleamaand therefore unworthy of being reckoned
—or 041 must have taken the accustomed means of confirm
ing each "other's opinions, and extending them through the
medium of the press. Now we do happen to have proof
before our eyes that InA these suppositions are well
founded. For the wealthy and learned Anti-reformers
h rye set up organs of their peculiar sentiments, in certain
members of the press. And they are at the same time
as a body, so insignificant in number, that their press has
not a circulation equivalent to one.hundredth part of that
enjoyed by the presn of the Reforming community. So
much for the marvellous paradox of the Noble Duke,
whose mind appears to have sustained such a shock upon
this question, that the matter-of-fact precision by
which he is usual'y characterised has wholly left him
in the lurch. Lord Wharneliffe has a riper know-
ledge of England than the Noble Duke, and has read
his Grace a lesson on the subject which may yet be
valuable in what remains of his political career. The
Noble Baron's appeal to history is unanswerable, for the
effects which have never failed to follow an obdurate
resistance by any Government to the voice of a powerful
nation. We have left ourselves no room even to glance at last
night's debate, which ended in an adjournment over this
day. Four of the Right Rev. Bishops addressed the
House, of whom three, to wit, London, Lincoln, and Lan_
tuff, will support the second reading ; and the Bishop of
London, we infer from his speech, will be found, with the
decision of a strong mind, to have discarded all coquetry,
and to have prepared himself for such a masculine defence
of the hill throughout, as may send it not sensibly mud-
I tied or impaired to the Commons. Upon the whole we
infer, from the proceedings last night that the second read-
ing is tolerably cettain ; and we trust that Lord Grey
will he successful in executing the intention which he sug-
gested of carrying some of the important clauses before the
Easter recess.— Times.

A most important discussion immediately followed the
close of the debate of last night. Lord Grey intimated to
the House, that if the debate were adjourned till rriday
(this day being a Levee at St. Jamies'a), the division
should not again be postponed ; and it was understood that
the Opposition concurred in the Noble Lord's euggeition.
Lord Grey then sated his decided ;:srention of fixing the
Committee on the Bill for 31.nday next. The Duke of
Wellington, an able
dnd practised tactician, experienced
in the. adva
derivable. from time, opposed the fixing
soi.
_.,r a any for deliberation on the details of the mea-
sure. Lord they replied, that the Bill had been several
months before the Legislature and the pubic—that all its
principles and clauses bad been during that period fully
considered—and that an early Committee was essential
with reference to ultimate pr,,cedurt.. The ex ict language
of the Premier was not audible, but the significant nature
of the intimation, we understand, was fully comprehended
by the Noble Lords who do not w'sh to make " honours
cheap"—the slang used on the all important question of
an addition to the Peerage. Lord Harrowby they ex-
hibited the cloreo foot, end remonstreted against inde-
cent haste and unnecessary precipitation on the part of
the Ministry. His Lordship openly declared that Mon-
day was too early a day ; that as Easter approximated
so closely, no real saving of time would accrue; and that
the three Bilis must be in the House before the
Noble Lords could decide on the third reading of one !
Lord Grey adroitly replied, that the question of the
Committee would formally arise after the second reading.
From this important interlocutor discussion, the public
may be enabled to make several observations ; First, that
the Premier considers it possible, if not probable, that he
shall carry the second reading. It war rumoured in well-
informed circles yesterday, that there is a safe majority of
}brie or six in favour of Ministers, making full allowance
for " defaulters" and " shifters." How far, in a body 01
4:20 hereditary Legislators, so fine a calculation can be
correctly estimated, our readers will judge for themselves,
and Friday will teat ; 'ii .e confess we are not confident,
rinkss the polity of the Anti-Reformers may be " just to
lose it," as we have heard intimated. Secondly, this bye
discussion exhibits the real character of the " Waverers."
They will act as a corps de reserve fur thy Military Duke;
his Grace is too subtle q Commander not to wail himself
dexterously and succesfully of this ultimate advantae.
His main body will be kept in active but covered commu-
nication with the cot ps ; and Lord flarrowliy will be the
Owen Prince of the I ist Continental war. We have all
along wished that the " Waverers" would " keep their own
side ;" they will be wrakness to Lord Giey, and we trust
Ciat he will not too late discover it l The palpable purpose
of this middle party is to defeat real Reform. We reluc-
ratitly make these ribservations; we hope we may be mis•
taken ; we fear we shall be true prophets. In Indian war-
fare, a border tribe always joins those whom they wish
to cannibaliE. ; the tomahawk is now bare before Lord
Grey. Whether his Lordship is or is not pledged to his
dangerous allies the " Waverer." not to create Peers, till
tie BM has received a poisoned arrow, ate know not ; hut
we foresee an ocean of difficulties which decision and ex-
treme energy can alone avert or overcome : and we are
now more than ever convinced that an extensive creation of
Peers can alone redeem the pledges of Lord Grey's Ca-
binet, and convince the people of the integrity of the au-
thors of the Reform Bills. To this alternative Lord Grey
must come, it his character is to be preserved, and if the
nation is to be rescued from ultimate revolution and
anarchy. Circumstances may have justified Lord Grey
hitherto in his line of policy ; but now the " Monk's
Hood" is removed, and we have not so mean an opinion of
his Lordship's sagacity as to believe it possible that he can
tall blindfold into the pitfalls dug by his enemies and so
palpably apparent. We are disposed to treat with respect
the chance of mind assumed by Lord Hartowhy and Lord
Wbarncliffe, and we fully admit the gain of divisions in
the enemy's camp ; but we will not, nevertheless, blind
ourselves or the public ; we repeat, that nothing can save
the Ministry and the Peerage but an immediate and ade-
quate creation of Peers! ! The Waverers have let their
cat out of the big; we hope Lord Grey will soon follow.—
Morning Chronicle,

Another Anniversary of the Licensed Victu-
allers' Asylum was yesterday celebrated at the London Tavern,
and amply realized the hopes and expectations of its best
friends. The company was numerous--the subscriptions most
liberal; and it is due to the landlord of the tavern to state that
the dinner was both abundant and excellent in quality, and
that the wines were of a very superior description. The Duke
of Sussex, the Patron of the Institution, was, it was expected, to
have taken the Chair; but his necessary absence, to fulfil an
important duty in the House of Lords, was very amply atoned
for by the Lord Mayor, who filled the Chair with much credit
to himself and great benefit to an institution which deserves
the warmest support of every well-wisher to humanity.—
Morning Advertiser.
THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM'S REFORM
BILL—The following is the notice of the Duke of Bucking-
ham which his Grace has had entered on the journals of the
House of Lords ;—" After the Easter recess to present a Bill
;in case of the rejection of the Reform Bill now before the
Houses,., to give the right of sending two Members each to
Parliament to large.towns therein to be specified, which from
their commercial and trading situation may appear to have be-
come entitled to be represented in Parliament, and which are
not now represented; and also to consolidate certain of the
boroughs now sending Members to Parlidment, so as to make
room, without altering the numbers of the present Honse of
Commons, for the numbers proposed to he added by the repre-
sentation of the large towns as aforesaid ; and also to extend
the right of voting in all boroughs to be therein specified, in
such
manner without depriving daeypprirveivnegn at naynpyeirnsdo
iodfuhails
ffrroamn franchise
who now possesses aessses one,
un-
duly influencing the election of Members of Parliament within
the said borough."

1 '
g 1..: •
It =l-`36j,`
s.. ,—<.•,,';,0 ~..
Districts. •:-,..11'.3 ?..., i'—'_'-):11--'?„
;:•••., , ~, ••• ,-,,_. , ...
' m we 1-s•SZtia'
''' ,:7•' cd 2„:.- g
City 4 0 1 0 31 25 13
Afloat on the River
Limehou,e
Bromley
Poplar 2 1 1 0 2 24 13
Bermondsey 2O 4 3 3 18 196 84
Deptford
Southwark
Newington Butts
Camberwell
Lambeth
Christchurch
Westminster 2 2 0 1 3 67 j 37
St. George's, Hanover-sq 1 0 0 0 1 ' 16 10
St. Andrew's, Holborn
Chelsea
Paddington Canal. .....
St. Pancras 1 1 0 0 2 18 14
Marylebone
St. Gile,'s
Whitechapel l3 0 1 2 10 88 .51
St. George's East 7 0 0 2 5 53 29
Wapping
St. Botolph Aldgate
Bethnal Green l6 4 3 1 16 58 35
Brentford 2 1 0 2 1 0 2 2.2 12
Coldbath-fields 4l 4 210 1 1 811 12 3
Total 1139 1— 1 1— 11-----
125 15 1 17 1132 11= 1
4 111f•ti
' "

Total
Cases from places before rl

(Signed)

I 2 4 I IV.S
1'29 • 93
2—Y 17251
> Secretary.

- ...... II
,LAN

id Total...
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