The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-25 00:00:00

BRISTOL RIOTS.

Mr. HUNT wished to know whether the Home-office
had received an authentic account of the number of lives
lost during the late riots and conflagrations at Bristol ?
Lord ALTHORP said, the Hon. Under-Secretary for
the Home Department would be in his place to answer the
question to-morrow.

HuARIEEF(OthReIS ( ENGLAND)oirderofthed IL
Mr. ay fEortLhe.
House re-
solving itself into a Committee having been moved by
Lord J. RUSSELL) wished to know whether tke Noble
Chancellor of the Exchequer intended that the Committee
on the Reform Bill should sit on Wednesdays ?—(, No,
no," from all parts of the House.)
Lord ALTHORP, in answer to his Hon. Friend's ques •
tion, could only then say that Ministers saw no reason for
taking the Committee on Wednesdays.—(Hear.) They
intended that the Committee shou'4l sit on four days in
each week, hoping that the same courteous understanding
which obtained last session—namely of Hon. Members
giving way to Ministers on those
four days when their
motions were not of urgent necessity or immediate interest
—would he persisted in during the present session.--
(Hear.) He did not expect that it would be at all neces-
sary to take the Committee on Wednesdays.._( Hear, hear.)
He therefore wouldthat evening move the adjournment of
the Committee over to Thursday, taking chance for b.-ing
able to make some progress after the motion which stood
for that day shall have been di•tposed of.
Tee House then went into Committee.

Lord ALTHORP, on moving that clause seven stand
part of the Bill, would take it upon himself to have the
amendment of the Hon. and Learned Member for Bishop's
that the present Bill shall
Cantle (Mr. Knight)--namely,
not operate as law till the Bill for defining the boundaries
of the boroughs and towns mentioned in it should have

"'~ ~

previously received the sanction of the Legislature—carried
into effect.—(Hear.)
Mr. KNIGHT felt thankful to the Noble Lord, and
most willingly would leave the matter in his hands.
Clauses 8,9, and 10, were then agreed to without com-
ment.

Mr. GOULBURN objected to vesting in the sheriff
the appointment of returning officer.
Lord ALTHORP replied, that the concluding passages
of the clause would skew the Right Hen. Gentleman that
it was intended to give charters to these boroughs, which
must obviate the inconvenience that he anticipated. The
arrangement, in fact, would be only temporary in its ope-
ration.

Mr. GOULBURN observed, according to the plan pro-
posed, the sheriff would be responsible to nobody for the
consequence of his appointment.
Lord ALTHORP thought the objections urged would
apply as much to the enfranchisement of a few large towns
to a general change in the representative system through-
out the country.—( Hear.)
Sir C. WETHERELL insisted that the proposal of the
Noble Lord was a complete innovation.
Mr. O'CONNELL urged that the clause would only
operate to the enforcement of what was at this day compel-
lable by the ordinary course of common law.—(Hear.)

Sir C. WETHEitELL maintained that the Sheriff had
no right to appoint deputies in the boroughs within his
bailiwick.

Sir J. SCARLETT said the mode of appointing the re-
turning officer by the sheriff was, in his opinion, more
objectionable than if the appointment had been intrusted
to the Crown. The Bill, however, had been much altered
since the first introduction of the Ministerial plan into
Parliament, and he could not understand why Government
had nut inquired during the recess who happened to be the
superior civil officer at each of the places in question, as
such a functionary, one would suppose, would be a judi-
cious person to select for the appointment. There could
be no objection to creating these newly represented towns
corporations at once, only for the purpose of enabling
them to send Members to Parliament, and this would
obviate the difficulty now raised. It might in the mean
time be left open to the Crown hereafter to make them
corporations for all other purposes. He wished to add,
that he did not object to the principle of this part of the
Bill, but only considered it too violent and extensive an
experiment to introduce thus at once. He would further
recommend that the clause should be postponed for a few
days, until the information to which he alluded could be
obtained and acted upon.
Mr. HUNT said that the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man, in addition to making these places corporations,
ought to have proposed that the voters should he them-
selves empowered to elect their own returning officers, as
had always been the practice throughout England hitherto.
This was his (Mr. Hunt's) view of the Constitution.—
( Laugh ter. )
Lord ALTHORP believed it would be rather difficult
to construct a short clause of the nature recommended by
the Hon. and Learned Member for Cockermouth. He
could hardly think that much danger of undue influence
on the part of Government was likely to arise in conse-
quence of their voice i❑ the appointment of sheriffs, for
really the preferment was very seldom looked upon as a
favour by those who were the objects of it.—(Hear, and
laughter.)—ln reply to the Hon. Member for Preston,
Le could inform him that he knew of many instances in
which the returning officers were not elected by the people
as he so confidently asserted.
Mr. Serjeant WILDE observed that the plan suggested
by the Hon. and Learned Member for Cockermouth had
really originated with his Learned Friend, Mr. Serjeant
Merewether, who had been enforcing the subject with
much ingenuity and learning for the last seven years. He
considered it highly essential that it should be compul-
sory on the person nominated by the high sheriffs, to per-
form the duties of the returning officer, because consi-
derable inconvenience would result, if it were permitted
to the person so appointed to refuse to undertake the office.
After a few words from Sir J. SCA RLETT and Sir C.
WETHERELL,

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL concurred in the spirit
of the observation made by the Hon. and Learned Member
for Newark, and which he thought had not been fairly
represented. He understood the Hon. and Learned Member
to say, not that the sheriff had the power to nominate re-
turning officers in existing boroughs, but that whe❑ new
boroughs were to be created, and the writs were sent to
the sheriff, he must perform the duty of returning officer
by himself or deputy. With respect to the sheriff, he con-
sidered that the officer was naturally the person to whom
the power of conducting the elections in new boroughs
should be given. Ile did not think that the suggestion
thrown out by the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Sir J.
Scarlett), with respect to the incorporating the new
boroughs for the purposes of the Bill, would have been
any improvement ; and in conclusion, he begged to say
that he hoped they would not fall into the practice of last
Session, and waste the time of the House in frivolous dis-
cussion, on matters which it was evident bad been ar-
ranged in the most unexceptionable manner.—(Hear.)
Mr. C. WYNN was of opinion that the sheriff was the
fittest person to have the power of appointing the return-
ing officers; but he principally objected to the present
clause, because that appointment was made compulsory.

After a few words from Mr. Cressett Pelham, Sir E.
Sugden, Mr. Hunt, Sir C. Wetherell, and Lord Althorp,
the clause was agreed to.
The 12th clause, respecting the elections for the county
of York, was then read by the Chairman.
Lord ALTHORP proposed that the blanks should be
filled up, but we were unable to catch his Lordship's ob-
servations.

Lord MILTON was of opinion that the ancient divi-
sion of the ceun'y should not be departed from. He could
see no reason why Ainstey should be separated from the
north riding.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY conceived it better not to
alter the division of the county.
Lord MORPETH was in favour of the city of York
having a share in the elections, and was of opinion that
Ainstey should remain as it was.
The clause was then agreed to, with the additions.
Clause the 13th, respecting the elections for the county
of Lincoln, was read.

Colonel SIBTHORPE objected to the division of the
county of Lincoln, as having a direct tendency to place a
large portion of it under the influence of Lord Yarborough.
Mr. WILKS hoped that the consideration of this part
of the clause would be postponed until the question of the
division of counties came before the Committee.

Sir R. HERON conceived that no personal interest
would, in con,equence of the proposed division, decidedly
predominate in either section of the county of Lincoln.
Colonel SIBTHORPE proposed that all the words
occurring after the word " Lincoln," in the third line of the
13th clause, be left out. The gallery was then cleared
fur a division. The numbers were—

For the amendment Cr!
Against it
Majority against the amendment —l3l
The elluse was then agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN then reported progress, and obtained
leave to sit again on Thursday.