The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-23 00:00:00

!Acting Dismager—Mr. Wm. Smith.

Doors open at a quarter-past six—Commence at seven. Box
Office open front 10 to 5 -no charge for booking. No fees to
servants permitted. A registry kept of all articles found.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborough
This Evening, will be presented MATRIMONIAL PRO-
npECTUSES.
Atter which, the new Extravaganza, KENILWORTH ; or
Ye Queene. ye Earle, and ye Maydenne
And THE BONNIE FISHWIFE.
Commence at 7 o'clock.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,
Westminster-road.

Lessee and Manager Mr. William Cooke.
THIS EVENING the performances will commence with
DICK TURPIN'S RIDE TO YORK, interspersed with ex-
traordinary hippodramatic effects and striking situations.
Dick, Mr. James Holloway.

To be followed by SCENES IN THE CIRCLE, intro-
ducing Miss Kate Cooke, Miss Emily Cooke, Madame Blanche,
Madame Bridges, Maddlle. Fleurette, and Madame Fran-
cisco, being► the greatest amount of female equestrian talent
ever seen in one night at any theatre. Grotesques : Messrs,
Hemming and Thorne.

To conclude with a new farce called DYING TO LIVE.

The performances on Saturday, March 26, will be for the
BENEFIT of Mr. W. COOKE, jun., who will make his first
appearance since his late severe accident, assisted by the fol-
lowing distinguished artistes, who have kindly volunteered
their valuable aid :—Miss Rebecca Isaacs, Miss Laidlaw, Mr.
Paul Bedford, Mr. W. H. Eburne, Mr. Mackney, and Mr. G.
Forde.—For particulars see full programme.
Dress Circle, 4s. ; Boxes, 3s. ; Pit, 2s, ; Gallery, Is. ; Upper
_ .

. .
Gallery, eki.
Stage Manager, Mr. R. Phillips.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.—
Proprietor--C. MORTON.
The public is most respectfully informed that the FINE
ARTS GALLERY, in connection with the above Hall, IS NOW
OPEN DAT AND NIGHT, from 11 o'clock a.m. until 12
2'clock p.m. The New Gallery contains an extensive Collec-
.ion of Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters -and is also
devoted to Art productions generally. The Proprietor feels
he may confidently assert that, viewed altogether, the exist-
ing Music Hall, the New Fine Arts Gallery, and the recently
added Ante-Hall, will present an attraction which, whether
as regards the architectural beauty of the structures them-
selves, or the varied and hitherto unattempted combinations
within, will be found to be wholly without parallel in the
Kingdom.
The MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT commences as usual at
Seven o'clock.

In addition to the usual entertainment, the SAUVLET
FAMILY, of Amsterdam, Eight in number, whose varied
instrumental performances have created so marked a sensa-
tion in the principal cities and towns of the Continent, will
"erform every Evening at Nine and Eleven o'clock.

THE WEATHER.-SUN OFFICE, MARCH 23.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
49—highest since noon yesterday.
46—lowest this morning and during' the night.
51—this day at noon.

BAROMETEIt-30.18.

WIND, Nei-Westerly; light, with fine weather.

THE SUN.

WEDNESDAY. MARCH 23, 1859.

Who are the real Reformers ? That is the ques-
tion to be decided, not merely by the House of
Commons, but by the country. We believe that
the admirable speeches of Lord STANLEY and Mr.
HORSMAN will be fully and fairly considered by
the people, and that the great majority of the
nation will be convinced as to the factious motives
which dictated the so-called amendment, and which
nothing but an insatiable craving for place, patron-
age, emolument, and power could have produced.
The arguments last night were all on the Govern-
ment side. Mr. J. WILSON made his onslaught,
bringing in a series of figures, carefully prepared,
to support his case. But figures can be made to
support almost any cause, and a different mode of
taking the account will produce very different
effects on the auditors. They may be perfectly
" cooked," in fact, " done to a turn," and yet they
may not convey any accurate information as to the
real state of affairs.
4' Infelix puer, afro impar congressus Aehilli."

The ex-financial Secretary of the Treasury met a
formidable opponent. He was answered by Sir E.
BULWER LYTTON. That simple fact would
alone be sufficient to explain the discomfiture,
the total and unqualified defeat he must
have sustained under any, the most favourable, cir-
cumstances. But the Right Hon. Baronet was

peculiarly felicitous. He excelled himself—no easy
task—and stripped all the fallacies of the Hon.
'Member of the tinsel with which they had been

covered. He clearly and distinctly pointed out the
justice as well as the expediency of the bill, and
answered the question with which this article
opened by proving that the present Government
were the true Reformers—yielding, we
grant, to
the legitimate demands of the people, but
still going much further than anything
that has hitherto been proposed. It is, we
are told, easier "to preach than to prac-
tise," to criticise than to compose. Lord JOHN
RUSSELL has attacked the Government Bill, but
what has he offered in its place—what pledge has
he tendered to the community respecting his sin-
cerity in any way, save the desire so painfully
notorious, of his anxiety to be once more First
Lord of the Treasury, to return again to the
Downing-street Eden, and to banish his opponents,
if only for a brief period, from that captivating
region. The motives by which he is actuated are

---i
clearly perceptible. He would cut down tlo present
measure first as he did the Tithe Bill of 1835,
although convinced that he himself, as
Minister, could not carry anything like so good a
one in its place. But the noble lord has been
coquetting with the subject for "more than seven
long years." He has been dangling it before the
tantalising them with visions of
eyes of the.people)
rich promise, unfortunately never destined to be

realised. But, after all, what did he propose ?
What did he tender to the millions in order to gain
their undivided support? He never went so far as
the present Ministers. He never proposed an edu-
cational franchise, nor one to a person who merely
occupied apartments. It was reserved for Lord
DERBY and his colleagues to introduce these great
ameliorations, which should be duly appreciated
by those who will become political " units"
in place of " cyphers," in consequence of having a
stake in the country by the possession of property
to a moderate, amount which any provident and
well disposed working man can speedily set aside.
It is true that the Ministerial measure places the
amount too high, and within too stringent limita-
tions, but there is no possible reason why the
possessor of any description of property, real or
personal, should not be included within the pri-
vileges tendered to Savings Banks depositors.
The Solicitor-General clearly exposed the nature,
cause, and motive of the onslaught. The learned
gentleman entered fully into the question, and ex-
plained the conflicting elements in the extraordi-
nary coalition that has taken place. He said, in
respect of what many consistent Reformers regard
as the alpha and omega of representative ameliora-
tion : "Let me take, for instance, the question of the
ballot, which I contend is involved in the discus-
sion, not because it enters into the bill, but because
a large section of the members of this house look
upon it as a necessary ingredient in any scheme

of Reform. I know what were the opinions
held by the noble lord in times past
upon this question. I have often experienced
great satisfaction in listening to his decla•
rations of hostility to the ballot in this
House. I want to know whether he still retains
the same views with respect to it to which he for-
merly gave expression. I wish particularly to have
an answer upon this point, for I find that a large
number of those hon. members who sit near the noble
lord below the gangway have attended public meet-
ings, and have contended that, although they
deemed the extension of the franchise in

boroughs to be expedient, yet they did not desire
to have it unaccompanied by the Ballot. If, there-
fore, the noble lord continues to maintain the sen-
timents to which he has so often given expression
on this subject, I should like to know who
are those gentlemen sitting below the gang-
way on the opposite side of the house who
can be reckoned upon as his supporters in any
scheme of:reform which he may introduce ?"

We have heard the views of Lord JOHN RUSSELL
and Lord PALMERSTON expressed on this vitally
important question, and they have not been those
merely of negation, but of derision. How, then,
can there be any accord between them and the
really Liberal party ? We shall again refer
to the language of Sir H. CAIRNS, who said :
" Several hon. members opposite, in arguing this
question upon the hustings, have stated that the
extensitn of the franchise without a re-distribution
of seats would be a farce and a sham. If that be
so, and if the noble lord the member for London
and the hon. member for Birmingham are quite
agreed as to the course which they are to take on
the present occasion, I am anxious to know what
part of their compact touches, and how it touches,
this question of re-distribution ? It is but fair
that the noble lord should tell the country what
he means to do in reference to this sub-

ject. I for one do not think the country is to be
gulled by being told that hon. gentlemen opposite
are the champions of freeholders who have been
handed down to us from the days of WILLIAM the
Conqueror. Tell the people boldly what you would
do in this respect if you had power placed in your
hands to-morrow. What seats would you take
away ? How many electors—no matter where
they came from—would you deprive of their
votes? In order to catch the popular ap-
plause you pretend that you are anxious to admit
to the franchise some persons who have it not, but
do not conceal the designs that you have upon
voters who will be attacked, and whom, if you have
the power, you will deprive of the franchise. But
I ask another question—What does the noble lord
mean to do with the borough suffrage ? He has not
told us. He says it is not the proper course to
take in opposition to tell you what he
would do if he were in office. But, at
all events, I remember what was said by a right
hon. colleague of the noble lord—the right '
hon. baronet the member for Morpeth. Mr.
HUME some years ago proposed in this house an
abstract resolution something like the amendment
proposed by the noble lord. Mr. HUME did not
specify the extent to which he would go ; and what
said the right hon. baronet the member for Mor-
peth ? He said, ' Before you take away the consti-
tution we have, at all events let us know what yon
are going to give us in its place.' Now, I say to
the noble lord, at all events let us know what you
mean to give us in place of this bill, which you
won't allow to be considered even on the second

reading."
Even the brilliant speech of the hon. and learned
gentleman on the India Bill scarcely surpassed the
oration of last night; and we have but little doubt
that the result will be the same viz., the
defeating of the objects of those who are disposed
to act in the manner reprobated by the poet, and

" To party give up what was meant for mankind."

, The REFORM TRIUMVIRATE are, we are told, to
smash the Government Bill. It needs, however,
but to look at the Triumvirs to see that almost in
the hour of victory, should they gain the vic-
tory, they will proscribe each other. The
two Whig lords cannot ride the Cabinet horse
without one riding before, and as both think they
have equal claims to that honour, even if they toss
up for the front seat, the hinder man will one day
give the foremost a sly push some day on a roughish
road, and, jerking him off, hitch himself into the
saddle, while the foremost one will be ever trying to
look behind him to prevent it, to the hindrance, of
course, of their common progress. And then, one
of the two has never been more than a dummy at
least on Reform business, oftener a drag on it; and
how will he -work with the noble lord who claims a
patentn for
extent, Reform B
eo
like
etihl l inventions,
wirvo' ernk i
aonn
ds ,
wm} who oe
cone an,
now
a
wo s
applying for an injunction to restrain Lord
DERBY and the Conservatives from infringing
his patent ? But what shall we say of the third
Triumvir ; third in years and in parliamentary
courtesy, but first, during the last few months, in
the eyes of the public ? Politically, he and Lord
PALMERSTON have a blood feud not to be healed at
once ; and it will require all the address of the
other lord to keep him in the line of battle with
the veteran, warlike old Foreign Secretary. Joni
BRIGHT must be far enough a-head of Lord JonN
himself; though there has certainly been, through-
out all Mr. BRIGIIT'S Reform declamations, an
occasional and rather remarkable coquetting with
the veritable Reformer of 1832. There has been
many a kindly, wooing sentence thrown out, indi-
eating that JOHN of Birmingham would be satis-
fied to play second fiddle to JOHN of Bedford, if
only the latter would come to terms which could
be presented to the people. But how can they ?
The boroughs to be disfranchised, the redistribu-

ti9ll of members, the franchise even—all these
might, possibly, be subjects of mutual concession

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