The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-18 00:00:00

for political freedom fur the last seven years, are to be
thus insulted and deprived of the free exercise of their
rights, the Reform Bill will become to them a " political
nuisance," which the Legislature will do well to abate, by
disfranchising the borough with all possible speed.
Towards the close of the election the place of polling
became a scene of great tumult and confusion, during
which the Poll-clerk's books were lost, but this did not
deter the Returning-officer, W. P. Lamb, EN., from de-
claring E. B. Curteis, Esq., duly elected. This was
afterwards protested against by Colonel Evans, the po-
pular candidate, who declared that one or more of his
friends had offered their votes, but which could not be
recorded, in consequence of the poll books being lost.
It is rumoured that other evidence has been obtained,
which will invalidate the election if taken before a
Committee of the House of Commons, which the gallant
gentleman, at the conclusion of his speech, significantly
hinted was his intention to do.
The conduct of the Messrs. Curteis and their friends in
the Rye election, is expected to decide the fate of Mr. H.
R. Curteis, for the county of Sussex. The electors of the
county in the Reform intere,t contend they may as well
vote for Mr. Darby, who is a Tory, as vote for
Mr. Curteis, who acts like one, or who is perhaps deficient
in all political principles. Mr. Cavendish's election is
certain. I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
A REFORMER.

COUNTY ELECTIONS and CORN LAWS

(From the Advertiser.)

With regard to the county elections, there appears to
us to be but little doubt that they will terminate, on the
whole, very favourably for the interests of the country.
The Conservatives will have, perhaps, nearly one-half of
the returns in their favour ; but even of those who belong
to their party the majority are professors of liberal opi-
nions. A regular out-and-out Ultra-Tory is now, in
fact, a sort of rare aria—a morsel of antiquity not very fre-
quently to be met with, and which, were it put up to auc-
tion, and capable of preservation, would undoubtedly
create an extraordinary rivalry of pre-emption among the
society of antiquaries.

In one point, however, the county elections will fail
in corning up to the mark of true Reform—and that is in
the matter of the corn laws. In almost all the speeches
of the candidates for the representation of counties, a wary
avoiding of this subject—a careful shunning of all discus-
sion—a disposition to mental reservation—a wish that the
discussion of the subject may be delayed for a session or
two—or else a downright condemnation of any measure
which may have a tendency, however remote, to injure
what are falsely termed the interests of the British farmer,
is pre-eminently visible. Even Lord Althorp is one of
those who seek refuge from the discussion, and would
gladly have it postponed, at all events, during the ensuing
Session, as being of much less importance to the interests
of the community, or less pressing in point of time, than
many others which he has not specified. But can his
Lordship be really serious ? What question, we beg to
ask him, can be comparatively more important, than that
which has for its subject the high or low price of the first
necessary of life—the comfortable existence of the work-
ing man—and the prosperity of our manufacturing indus-
try? Were the question one of pure preference of manu-
facturing to agricultural industry, some misgivings might
be entertained respecting the course which it would be
proper to pursue ; but the question is not one between
agriculture and manufactures, but between the people on
the one hind, and the landed aristocracy on the other—
between the eaters of corn and the eaters of the corn tax.
The aristocracy would be poorer, less the tax, were the
tax taken off in toto ; and the eaters of corn would be
more wealthy, plus the amount of the tax taken off—hut
the British farmer has no interest in the matter, or if he
has any, it is wholly in favour of the tax being taken off;
and a more egregious fallacy perhaps was never attempted
to he palmed upon any class of men than the endeavour to
persuade the British farmer that he is interested in the
continuation of the tax. He has no community of in..
terest with his landlord in this respect, and could not
have any unless the latter went halves with him in divid-
ing the spoil of which be annually plunders the people of
England.
On this subject we have met in the Northampton
Mercury, with an excellent letter, addressed by Lord
Milton to Mr. Bark, a farmer, in Huntingdonshire, which
we beg to recommend to Lord Althorp's attention, as well
as to that of the public. His Lordship, it will be seen,
takes a sound view of the subject, and declares that " the
man must be insane who dreams for a moment" that the
corn laws will not be brought under discussion in the en-
suing Session of Parliament.
" MILTON, MONDAY MORNING.

" Dear Bark,—l don't know what your neighbours have
thought of the various arguments which I addressed to them on
Saturday relative to the present corn laws, but I confess it ap-
pears to me that they must be singularly careless about the per-
nianent prosperity of those connected with the land, if they
think that any advantage is to be derived from maintaining
them. They can never have turned their thoughts for one
little moment to the first principle of the well.being of every
tradesman, which is, that he should be able to command a con-
stant market for his wares among numerous and thriving cus.
tomers. lam not, however, going to travel again over the
ground, which, for the purpose of impressing it upon Mr.
Core's guests, I went over so frequently, but rather to draw
your attention to two points, which, I think, I omitted. The
first is, whether the corn laws will be discussed in the new
Parliament; the next relates to the mode of altering them,
supposing an alteration to be made. These farmers and land.
lords must be exceedingly sanguine who think they can escape
from the discussion for even a single session. Such an escape
is absolutely impossible. The comparative moderate price at
which grain has been, has indeed prevented any serious
outcry among the great mass of the population who think
and talk little on the subject, except when they feel the ac-
tual pressure of scarcity. The principle, however, of a free
trade in corn is constantly in the view, not only of the bulk
of the people, but of the highly educated, commercial, and
manufacturing classes, who know well how injurious the re-
stricted trade is to the general interests of the country. Now
let me ask any and every farmer in Newborough, &c., whether
he does not believe that there will be many and many a Mem-
ber in the next Parliament who would be anxious to court his
constituents by mooting this question. Will Birmingham and
Manchester, and Blackburn and Glasgow have Members in the
next Parliament, and the corn laws not be discussed ? Why
the man who dreams of such a thing cannot be in his right
mind. The question which arises then is, whether the subject
shall be brought forward by me, or by some other person. If
your neighbours exclude me from the House of Commons, it
will of course fall out of my hands into those of some other
gentleman, who will very likely have no fellow feeling whatever
with the landowners and farmers, and it may be pressed upon
the Government by parties who will go to the very utmost ex-
tent, viz., free trade without duty. Now, here is the difference
between me and the other persons, who are most likely to take
up the question if lam not in the next Parliament. lam for
free trade with duty--they will be for free trade without duty,
and in the opinion of many, though not in mine, the latter is
the proper course.

"Then, again, comes the question about the mode of
making the change—should it be immediate or gradual ? I
have an opinion on the subject, but it is one of minor im.
portance. and which I should willingly yield to the wishes of
the farming interest; indeed, the mode of effecting the change
ought to be very much left to the wishes of the landowners
and occupiers. This, at least, is my opinion, but it will not he
at all the opinion of the other Members, to whom I have been
alluding. They will be for having every thing their own way,
and will no more listen to a farmer about the corn trade, than
to an East India director about the tea trade; and if the land.
lords display any great obstinacy, and think to get the better
of right reason by means of great power, they will be perfectly
justified in turning a deaf ear to our remonstrances. Again,
if I had my own way, I should endeavour to get my changes
in the corn laws accompanied by some advantage to the agri-
cultural classes, such as a diminution of the taxation upon
them, corresponding with the increased revenue which, I be-
lieve, would be raised by a regular fixed duty on foreign corn.
But this again is a matter which the parties I have al-
luded to will not care one straw about—they will be for repeal-
il should
however, efovrerr, repealing
pt
aalti nlg am or
diminishing
maltndtoaxw tax .
perceive,i—
getting on to different grounds from those which I intended
to confine myself, which were the mode of effecting the
change, and the person through whom it is desirable that it
tg the
house
the and' window
should be made, These are the points which I wish to submit
to your serinui consideration.

" Your faithful Friend,
" MILTON."

Mr. BRODIE, the new Member for Salisbury,
is the proprietor and editor of that old-established paper,
The Salisbury and Winchester Journal.
MR. O'CONNELL.—The Liberator is this
day in Youghal canvassing for his son, whose success is
certain. The accounts from Tralee leave no doubt of the
return a Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL. —Cork Chronicle.
The Welsh iron trade is improving, but prices
are as low as ever. One of the Glainorgansliire iron mas-
ters has received an order for eight thousand tons of rail-
road plates.—Devo.n.port Telegraph.
It is with unfeigned pleasure that we announce
the safety of Captain Ross, and a great part of his gallant
fellow-voyagers to the Arctic Regions. This gratifying
intelligence
of ujust reached Lloyd's.—The above is from
a sb
Journal. We have no recollection of having
heard
,‘ the gratifying intelligence" it alludes to.
RUSSIAN LOAN.--We are requested by
Messrs. WRIGHT and Co. to state, that the paragraph in
the B,nker's Circular relative to the above Loan was pre-
mature, and its insertion unknown to them, inasmuch as
nothing has yet been definitively concluded,
r Y has