The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-18 00:00:00

Totals
.3,081,622 1,822,863 125,810 152 210

SECOND DIVISION,---BonouGus TO. RETURN MORE THAN
TWO MEMBERS EACH.
Dire.ct Taxes
Population Payable £lo No. of Mem.
in 1857. in 1857. Electors. ea
Schedule E 1,799,739 1,162,078 64,604 23 69
Schedule F 2,436,101 3,229,050 123,069 12 48
Schedule G 1,715,944 2,223,991 90,078 5 30

- -
Totals 5,951,784 6,615,119 278,651 40 147
Note.-
_7-It will be seen from a comparison of the two
Divisions of the General Abstract here given, that the Re+
presentation of the large Boroughs even as now proposed
is greatly below that which they may fairly claim on the
ground of population, taxation, and number of electorsZ

The following Abstract shows the Borough
Population of England, Scotland, and Ireland by
the arrangements proposed in the foregoing
Schedules ; the Number of Ten• Pound Electors, the
Number of Members, and the Population for each.
Member. In the proportion, of Members foi Eng-
land are included Seven Members not yet appro-
priated, and for which additional new Boroughs
may be advantageously created :

• - • Population
Population No. of £lO No. of for Each
in 1851. -Electors. Members. Member.
. 7,310,961 417,441 301 24,310
. 1,107,918 48,.577 40 27,697
. 827,284 28,075 38 21,770

England .
Scotland .
Ireland .

Total . 9,255,163 494,093 379

MI?. BRIGIIT'S REFORM BILL.

(From the Times.)
Mr. Bright has at length answered the taunts or the im-
patience of the country, and we to-day produce the scheme
of his Reform Bill. The curtain is not completely raised ;
something is still reserved ; the extent to which the fran-
chise is to be given is yet a mystery ; but we mast not seek
to know too much at once. There is plenty of subject for
examination in the eleven schedules Which are now made
public—they are a large instalment of the new Constitution.
They will be scanned with careful eyes by all who think
there is the least chance of this daring scheme becoming
popular throughout the country, and very few hours will
elapse before the men of business of the two great parties
will thoroughly understand how the new plan, if realized,
would work in divisions, and how it would tell upon the
future constitution of Cabinets.
Schedule A, the destroyer in 1832, appears in even
greater force in 1859. It includes 86 boroughs, which, if
Mr. Bright finds credit with the country, are hereafter to
remain undistinguished among rural market towns. Of
these 56 are English, 9 are Irish, and 21 are Scotch. The
vacant seats thus gained in England and Ireland are 96 ;
but, as the disfranchised Scotch boroughs are all contri-
butory boroughs, the Scotch disfranchisements make no
vacancies.. Schedule B takes away one member from 34
I boroughs which the Reform Bill of 1832 had left unloßped.
These two schedules do'the disfranchising work. In the
manner of general observation there is not much to be said
on the subject of the two 'catalogues. There are indi-
vidual members who doubtless may have excellent
reasons to give why the political existence of Arundel or
Honiton should not be suddenly quenched. It might be
said in favour of Arundel, for instance, that it is the only
English constituency which returns a Roman Catholic to
Parliament ; and it might be suggested on behalf of Honi-
ton that it is the parent of half our election law. A bold
advocate might urge that a Parliament would hardly be a
Parliament without that historic borough of Honiton,
which has illustrated every phase of election contest, and
never till quite recently returned a member without being
able to give some practical reason for its choice, These are
the first two names of Mr. Bright's schedule; but we might
doubtless pursue our inquiries through the fifty-six and
find something to be said in favour of each. Even Caine,
with its 14.5 £lO voters, might ask why it is to be dis-
franchised while Cashel, with 12.5 £8 voters, and Youghal,
with 149, are to retain each a member. But, although the
names in Schedule B offer as strong anomalies as oould be
discovered in any possible project of reform, yet we must
admit that the list scheduled under letter A have a doomed
sound. They were nearly all of them condemned
either to total or partial eVinction by Lord John Russell
in 1854, and the rest of the nation has come to look
upon them as moribund. Mr. Bright has only added
fifteen to the number of Lord John's condemned ;
but he has in the majority of cases extended Lord
John's sentence to a total disfranchisement. In
only one instance has Mr. Bright interfered on
the side of mercy. Wilton, with its 231 electors, was
erased altogether by Lord John's bill ; Mr. Bright
allows it an asylum in Schedule B; while, on the other
hand, Malton with 553 voters, and Guildford with 546
each having nearly double the number of electors
of any Irish borough returning a' single member are
grouped among the extinguished boroughs. We have
searched in vain for any rule of 'disfranchisement. No
doubt, Mr. Bright has applied his own judgment ashonestly
and impartially as possible; but Mr. Bright's schedules.,
are as independent of any positive test of number or value
as if he had picked out the boroughs from some sentimental
dislike to the sound of their names. We cannot say, how-
ever, that we have much sympathy for the victims which
Mr. Bright has brought within the fold. Abingdon will
draw no tears, even from the Lord Chancellor, Horsham
will only be missed by Parliamentary agents and counsel,
Westbury will be mourned only by Sir L. Lopes, and Hel-
ston and Woodstock are not indispensable. Some of these
boroughs seem to have been
bad character
into the condemned list
for mixed reasons, wherein character and the existence
of a neighbouring influence must hive sometimes weighed.
Mr. Bright does not, we hope, imagine that this imposing
group of victims will die unresisting. Many of them will
make a very plausible case ; some of them may be so un-
reasonable as to have right on their side ; but all have influ-
ence, and. will fight hard and die hard in this struggle.
Mr. Bright must have a more numerous and more zealous
party at his back than he has yet been able to muster before
he can make certain of destroying these 65 boroughs and
obtaining possession of their 130 seats.
This is the booty-130 seats. Now for the distribution.
Mr. Bright has gained a Feat deal of experience since he
made that speech at Birmmgham. He has
.quite got rid
of all his insane notions about electoral districts. He has
not even the moral courage to abolish such composite con-
stituencies as East Retford and the Hundred of Bassetlaw.
Ho is satisfied now to abide by the old divisions both of
boroughs and counties. In the first place, he gives 16
members to towns which now return only one member
each, and these are a class of towns fairly represented by
Dudley, Greenock, Chatham, Swansea, and Rochdale.
Schedule E consists of 23 still larger boroughs, such as
Greenwich, Cork, and Wolverhampton ,• 27 seats are set
apart to make up to these large boroughs three members
each. Ascending still higher in population, Schedule F
deals with twelve great boroughs that contain between
127,000 and 270,000 inhabitants; 25 seats are devoted to
making up to each of these boroughs a quota of four mem-
bers. Then come the gigantic populations of Manchester,
Finsbury, Glasgow, Masylebone, and Live9ool, each
nearly touching one-third of 'a million ; these aro to Rave
six members, and 20 seats are appropriated to make up' the