The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-24 00:00:00

LONDON, IVIONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 24, 1835.

THE FAMILY LIBRARY.
On TUESDAY, the Ist of September, Price 55.., Cloth Boards.
rrHE FAMILY LIBRARY, Vol. 5:3, bei;io-
Memoirs of the Life and Times of Washington, Vol. 1
be completed in Two Volumes.)
By CYRUS R. EDMONDS.
London :—Printed for Thomas Tegg and Son, 73, Cheapsde,
and may be procured, by order, from every other Bookseller in the
United Kingdom.
Just published, the Third Edition of the LIFE of NAPOLEON.
with 15 Engravings, Price 10s.

This day was published, in Bvo., with Portraits of
DON CARLOS and ZUMALACARREGUY.

FiIITE CAREER OF, DON CAP LOS
Since the Death of
FERDINAND VII.,
By his Aide-de-Camp, '
The Ba'ron DE LOS VALLES.

" One of the most attractive works which ever appeared. Every
line of it is full not only of the deepest interest but of the strangest
proofs of the justice of the cause of that much injured rn•march.
It presents a vivid picture of things which have been done here, in
our metropolis and its vicinity, within the last few months. It has
all the effect of romance, combined with all the genuine,iess of
truth."—John Bull, Aug. 23.
Richard Bentley, 8, New Burlington-street.

M'HENRY'S SPANISH GRAMMAR AND DIALOG TES.
ANew and Improved SPANISH GRAMMAR,
designed for every Class of Learners, but especially for such
as are their own instructors. New Edition, with an Appodix,
containing
1. A Vocabulary of all Words and Phrases, Spanish and En;lish,
used in Domes is Life.
2. Useful and Familiar Conversations, Spanish and Engli,l, in
Easy Dialogues, relative to Travellers and 'I ravelling,.
3. Forms and Precedents of Commercial Letters, and otter Do-
cuments. -

The whole complete in one volume, price Bs. bound.
" Mr. M'Henryis a native of Spain, and is advantageously kn,wn
to the public as author of one of the most complete, and unws-
tionably the most modern, Spanish grammars extant : it filly pm-
forms the promises in the title page for perspicuity, brevity, end
talent ; it is decidedly the most useful Spanish grammar we 114-vc
seen."—Gentleman's Magazine.

—Printed for Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, Paternoster-row.
Also, by Mr. M'Henry,
EXERCISES on the ETYMOLOGY, SYNTAX, IDIOI\IS,
grc of the SPANISH LANGUAGE. Sixth Edition. Price
bound.

BOOKS FOR THE SPEEDY ACQUIREMENT OF THE

FRENCH LANGUAGE.

1. HE FRENCH TUTOR ; or Practical
position of the best French Grammarians; being a Kiy
to the easy Acquirement of the necessary Rules to write, speak, and
simplify the study of the French Language. Containing Familiar
Exercises, and Questions on every Rule, to serve for Examination'
and Repetition. By Mons. DESLYONS. Price 4s.
2. The FRENCH WORD and PHRASE BOOK, or
PRIMER ; containing a Select Vocabulary, in English and French,
for the use of Beginners. By W. A. BELLENGER. Price Is.
3. BELLENGER'S MODERN FRENCH CONVERSA-
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in French and English, upon the most familiar subjects. Twelfth
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bound.

4. ONE HUNDRED FABLES, also by Mr. BELLENGER,
selected and imitated from La Fontaine, intended for all persons
about to learn the French Language ; with a DICTIONARY, in
which all the words are gramatically explained. 2s. 6d.
5. BELLENGER'S DICTIONARY of the IDIOMS of the
FRENCH and ENGLISH LANGUAGES. In Two Parts—
French and English—English and French. 2d Edition, improved.
The French part by the Abbe McQuin ; the English by T. Haigh,
A.M. 1 vol. Bvo. Bs. 6d. bd.

CORPORATION BILL.

WHAT HAVE THE LORDS DONE?

The Hereditary Peers have placed themselves in direct op-
position to the Representatives of the People. The Lords
were the hitter enemies of the Reform Bills, because they con-
sidered those great national measures as adverse to the inte-
rests of their class, though consistent with the interests of the
people. The country, however, forced Parliamentary Reform
on the Peers, and the popular constituencies are now deter-
mined to reap the-harvest of the great moral victory of 1832.
From the moment the Royal assent was given to the Reform
'Acts, the Tories—the remains of the Oligarchical Faction—
resolved if possible to drive the Reformers from power; the
object of their political manoeuvres and Court intrigues was
to avert or delay the natural consequences of Parliamentary
Reform—to prevent the reduction of taxation and expendi-
ture—to render the Reform Acts a dead letter. The Upper
House of Parliament, the Peers, unreformed, were the in-
struments of the Tories. The Peers opposed and neutralised
all the measures of Lord Grey's Cabinet, and the first Re-
formed House of Commons was sacrificed at the shrine of the
Peerage. Lord Melbourne's first Cabinet, the hope of the,
Reformers, was summarily dismissed last autumn, without
cause, in opposition to the will of the people. Parliament,.
by an arbitrary and unjust exercise of the Prerogative, under
the counsels of Peel and a Tory Ministry, was unjustly and
unconstitutionally dissolved. The electors of England, Wales,
Scotland, and Ireland, though taken by surprise, and in de-
spite of bribery, intimidation, and corruption, returned a
House of Commons more sincere and determined in favour of
cheap and liberal government than the former, though the
number of Liberal Members was not so great. Lord Mel-
bourne was restored to office, and proved himself worthy of
the popular cause. His Cabinet, founded on the basis of re-
dress of gripvances and practical Reform, introduced early in
the Session, "A Bill to provide for the Regulation of Mu-
nicipal Corporations in England and Wales." Corporation
Reform had been long desired and sought by the nation. Put-
lie opinion fora century past had condemned the existing close
Corporations of the kingdom. Self-election—waste of the
municipal properties—mal-administration of justice—anoma-
lous civil and criminal jurisdictions—corruption of the Par-
liamentary constituencies--misapplication of the local chari-
ties—municipal authority delegated for life—alienation of
public property—an utter want of power to protect property,
constituted notorious evils requiring a searching and effectual
reform. These evils had, moreover, been investigated by a
Committee of the House of Commons, and by the Corpora-
tion Commissioners, whose masterly Reports have thrown so
much valuable light on the subject, Early in the Session Mi-
nisters proposed a Bill of Municipal Reform. Its integrity
and practical value were immediately perceived. Numerous
public meetings declared the popularity of the measure. No
single public meeting dared to condemn or oppose it. The Tory
opposition in the Commons, craftily led by Sir Robert Peel,
approved the principle of the Bill ; the perpetuation of the
freemen, their proprietary rights, and a qualification for the
municipal representative, being the only questions of moment
on which there was any debate or division, and the integrity
of the Bill was triumphantly maintained by large majorities.
Under these propitious circumstances the Corporations Bill
passed from the Commons to the Lords. Its fate in the
Upper House of Parliament was always problematical. The
measure affected the personal and political power and profit of
the aristocracy. The smaller Parliamentary boroughs were
garrtsoned by Corporators, creatures of the Peers ; and who,
in the majority of towns, were the instruments which returned
members of the aristocracy to the House of Commons. Peers
are still the Recorders and Patrons ; justice is monopolize d
by their partisans ; public funds are appropriated to election
contests ; in the populous cities and boroughs, the freemen are
readily bought and sold ; the Peers,- in fact, are the great
traders 'under the Corporate system—hence their rancorous
hatred of the measure. They would fain have rejected the
Bill on the second reading ' • they were advised to that bolder
and more creditable course by all their " out and out" parti-
sans—but they wanted the courage. A split occurred in
their counsels, but they could not afford to differ. They
compromised, therefore, their preliminary dissensions, and
agreed to hear evidence for the purpose of depreciating the
01,,Commission of Inquiry, and thus laying the ground-work of
such a mutilation of the Bill as would secure its rejection by

the Commons. Lord Lyndhurst, an apostate bit shrewd
politician, was selected as leader of the Tory Opposition.
The hostile Peers previously boasted, that though for the sake
of expediency, and under compulsion, they " entertained the
Bill," yet that the Commons should not know it again on its
return from the Upper to the Lower House of Parlament !
Surely they have kept their word. WmnAr HAVE TUE LORDS
DONE?

We' will endeavour to answer this question. We will enu-
merate their destructive amendments," under distinct
heads :

PREAMBLE.

Their Lordships, after making difficulties as to the pream-
ble, and postponing the consideration of it, ultimately srased
the recital which may be called the foundation ef the measure.
They have expunged the preliminary passages of the first
clause, which stated the fact of " defects in the Charters,"
the " neglect and abuse of the privileges granted by such
Charters," the justification of the Bill "by change of circum-
stances since the said Charters were granted," and they have
expunged the averment that " by change of circumstances
since the said Charters were granted the Bodies Corporate,
for the most part, have not of long time been, and are not now
useful and efficient instruments of local Government! I" The
Lords, in their wisdom or stupidity, deny the preamble I
They assert that the Reports of the Commissioners, founded
on evidence taken in public, and vouched by the most respect.
able and influential inhabitants of the incorporated towns, are
party-coloured, prejudiced, false ;—they contend that the
Town-Clerks and their promiscuous witnesses, heard ex parte
in the absence of the Commissioners, have overturned the Re-
ports and proved the Corporations to be pure, and perfect,
and popular
This mutilation is a gross insult on the Commons and the
country. But as children are indulged, we would gratify the
Lords by this concession_ to their pride and absurdity, if they
will pass the essentials of the Bill. We prefer the substance
to the shadow.