The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-18 00:00:00

The Noble Lord concluded b? obrkreing that when this
subject came before the House in its proper shape he would
be prepared to meet the Right lion. Gentleman.
Mr. WARBURTON remarked, that nothing could be
more plain and simple than the arithmetic of Lieutenant
Drummond, and nothing be more complicated or absurd
than that of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Croker).
Lieut. Drummond had reduced his fractions to a common
denominator, which was the settled practice in arithmetic,
while the Right HOll. Gentleman did no such thing. Now
if the Right Hon. Gentleman would but just take the
trouble to look into the commonest book en arithmetic—
Cocker, for instance—(A laugh)—he would find that the
rule which Lieutenant Drummond had followed was that
which was there enforced and exemplified.
Mr. CROKER said that the Hun. Member had quite
misunderstood him. He had raised no question about no-
minators or denominators. He recollected that upon a
former occasion the Hon. Member having said that his
(Mr. Croker's) rule would not do in all cases, he observed
that it app'ied only to the case of Lieutenant Drummond.
The answer of the Hon. Member was, " Then you are
quite right."—(Hear, bear.)
Mr. WARBURTON observed that the great difference
between the calculations of Lieutenant Drummond and
those of the Right Hon. Gentleman were, that the Right
Hon. Gentleman founded an universal rule upon five bo-
roughs, while Lieutenant Drummond founded his upon
the whole, or at least a great majority of the boroughs.
Mr. GOULBURN said, that the great question was,
whether they should go into the Committee on the Bill on
Friday next without having the necessary information
before them. It was impossible for them to go into Com-
mittee on the Bill until they had laid before them infor-
mation as to the limits of the several borough% upon which
the amount of their houses and taxes had been calculated.
He trusted that the Noble Lord would feel no difficulty in
postponing the Committee on the Bill for a few days, in
order to give them an opportunity of having that informa-
tion in their possession.
Lord ALTHORP remarked, that on going into Com-
mittee, it would not be necessary to take the discussion on
either of the schedules in the commencement, and there-
fore that there would be no reason for postponing the
Committee on the Bill altogether until the information
with regard to the boroughs was before them. He need
not remind the Right Hon. Gentleman of the length of
time which the other parts of the Bill took in Committee
on a former occasion ; and as it appeared to him that all
the enacting parts of the Bill would be as well discussed in
Committee without the information in question, he could
not consent to a postponement of the Committee on the
Bill from Friday next.
Mr. CROKER begged to inform the Noble Lord, that
the Noble Secretary of State for the Home Department, in
a communication to Lieut. Drummond, stated to him that
his Majesty's Government were determined to found the
Reform Bill " upon a new basis."—(Hear, hear.) Were
they, he would ask to go into Committee on the Bill with-
out having that basis before them?
Mr. GOULBURN maintained that they could not he
properly guided as to the propriety of going into Committee
on the Bill, without having the basis upon which it was
founded before them.

The petition, which was from the borough of Helston,
praying to be oinitte4 front schedule B, was then read,
ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.
On the motion of Mr. CROXER, a return was ordered of
the numbers of the first ten boroughs in Lieutenant Drum-
mon,i's

Mr. CROKER having remarked that there had been
laid before Parliament in the list Session an account of
the assessed taxes and population of the counties according,
to the census of 1821, moved that a similar account, ac-
cording to the census of 1831, be now laid before the
House, which was ordered accordingly.

On the motion of Mr. HumE, an account was ordered
of the population of Merthyr Tydvil, according to the
census of 1831, of the amount of houses in that town, of
the assessed taxes paid by it, and of its relative importance
on the principle and scale adopted in the list of Lieutenant
Drummond.