The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-21 00:00:00

the example of mercy which revolutionized Paris
afforded to the world !—Morning Herald.

The discussion in the House of Commons
last night will well repay perusal, being both
curious and instructive. From it we learn that
no less than six new official lists were presented
to the Members of the House yesterday, no two
of which coincide in their estimates as to the
relative importance of the boroughs under con-
sideration. It is remarkable that they are pre-
cisely the critical boroughs, those just on the
turn of schedule A or schedule B, in which the
greatest variation appear, and especially those
unfortunate Whig boroughs, Caine and Mahon,
which have already been the subject of so much
discussion. For instance, the number of houses in •
Mahon is stated in one list to he 1,079, •
in others 1,031, 849, 790, and 787. In
one list the amount of its assessed taxes
is stated to be 1,3001., in another 1,0301.
The number of houses in Caine varies according
to the several lists, from 673 to 996, and then
as to Downton, we are left in uncertainty as to
whether it contains 236 houses or 890 ! ! It
is also doubtful whether Chippenham has 648,
653, or 798 houses. Similar discrepancies
appear in the returns for Steyning, Heytesbury,
and many other boroughs which were not parti-
cularly alluded to. Again, it appears that the
notes frequently refer to a " Plan and Report-
. which is not yet before the House. The
speeches of Mr. Croker and Sir R. Peel on
these points particularly deserve attention. Now
we would put it to any reasonable man in the
three kingdoms whether the House should have
been called upon to go into Committee with no
other data upon which to form a judgment than
these ridiculously confused and uncertain docu-
merits. Howes er, it is well known that
whatever weight reason may have out of
the House, it goes but a very little way
with the pledged supporters of Ministers. Ac-
cordingly it was decided by 152 against 99
to go into Committee. The business then
began with the proposition that 56 boroughs
should be disfranchised. Why this precise
number should be selected, without any reference
to the merits of the case, neither Lord John
Russell nor any of his colleagues could explain.
Sic volo, sic jubeo. Ministers were resolved
not to recede from their purpose, and a long
debate ensued, in which was most forcibly shewn
the injustice and utter fully of compelling the
House to pledge itself before to the disfranchise-
ment of the particular number of boroughs which
Ministers have pleased to put into Schedule A,
when it is acknowledged on all hands that there
is nothing like correct information to go upon.
The plain and convincing arguments of Mr.
Croker, Sir R. Peel, Mr. Praed, Mr. Goulburn,
and Sir C. Wetherell, were answered by—an ap-
peal to " the majority," and the result was a
preponderance of seventy-five in favour of the
absurdity. It was well observed by Sir R. Peel
that the amount of assessed taxes is a most fal-
lacious criterion of the importance of a borough,
since the mere residence or non-residence of the
proprietor might save or disfranchise it. He
pointed out, in the course of his observations,
the curious fact that the much-decried borough of
Gatton, though containing only fourteen houses,
pays a greater amount of assessed taxes than
some thirty boroughs placed above it in the HA ;
and the Right Honourable Baronet remarked,
he had very little doubt that if the noble pro•
prietor of Gatton had had due warning, he might
have so raised the amount of assessed taxes as
to have rescued it altogether from schedule A.—
Morning Post.