The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-01 00:00:00

habit Grosvenor-square and its neighbourhood,
without likewise contending that neither London
nor Westminaer arc entitled to their present
number of Members If the Press is to be
considered so much the representative of the
metropolis as to render unnecessary an additional
number of Members in St. Stephen's, is it not
likewise as powerful in supporting the general in-
terests of the nation, and therefore the best sub-
stitute for Members from Birmingham, Leeds,
Manchester, and the other great towns
hitherto unrepresented ? And lastly, if
the new Members proposed for the metro-
polis would be only the slavish delegates of
the popular will, instead of being the free repre-
sentatives of the public interests, what is to pro-
tect the old Members for the metropolis, or the
new Members for all the populous districts, from
such dictation ? A London or suburban mob
may surround the House of Commons on the
present system, as we have seen during the agi-
tation of the silk question and the corn laws,
but assuredly neither its turbulence nor its dan-
ger would be increased by removing one of the
causes of its dissatisfaction, or by having an as-
surance that its rights would be supported by
eight additional representatives in an assembly of
658. Of the superior claims of the metropo-
litan county to an additional number of repre-
sentatives, whether these claims are founded on
its immense population, its unbounded wealth,
the ample portion which it sustains of the public
burdens, or the incalculable contributions which
its enterprise and industry bring to the resources
of the nation, the enlightened intelligence of its
citizens, or their vigilant attention to the mea-
sures of Government,—of its superior claims,
we say, to an additional number of Members on
whatever basis the qualification is founded, as
compared with those of any other county, there
can be no doubt. It ought indeed (as we before
stated) to receive an accession of fbrty instead
of six Members. With a million and a half of
inhabitants, it will only, under the new Bill, be
represented by fourteen Members, while Cornwall
is to return as many from a population of only
257,000. Its population exceeds that of Lan-
cashire, which is to return 23 Members, and
esen that of Yorkshire, which is to be repre-
presented by 36 or 37. In wealth and contri-
butions to the State, it so far exceeds them all,
that the assessed house property in the metro-
polis amounts to upwards of 5,000,0001., while
the whole house property of the kingdom is only
assessed at about 11,000,000/.! ! Yet to such
incontestible rights did the minority of Tuesday
propose to refuse an extension of the elective
franchise, granted in certain proportions to every
populous district in the kingdom. Those Mem-
bers, therefore, who have hitherto supported the
Bill, hut who have opposed this essential clause,
are either guilty of treachery to Reform, or are
unable to comprehend the most common argu-
ments in its favour. We allow them to make
their election within this alternative, and on
ly
desire Reformers to be on their guard against
the inconsistency of those allies who voted for
the division of counties into districts, because
the counties were too large to be joined ; and for
the union of the districts of the metropolis to
the cities of London and Westminster, because
they were too large to he—separated ! Can the
constituents of such Members ever trust them
again ? While on the subject, we cannot help
quoting, in support of the Reform Bill and of
the existing Administration, the opinion of a
celebrated writer more than a century ago, on
whose judgment we place greater reliance than
on that of the whole minority of Tuesday

" London returns four Members to Parliament, West-
minster two ; and these six, with two fot the county of
Middlesex, make eight, which is all that this exceeding
populous county returns, although every single ward in
London is far superior to most of the boroughs in Eng-
land, and really to many of the greater towns, that are
represented by two Members, and contributes infinitely
more to the public charge ; and, indeed, one may ask,
what are the greatest part of the boroughs in the county of
Cornwall, and many in that of Devon, which two counties
alone return 70 Members, compared to 20 populous vil-
lages one might name in the ❑eighbourhood of London ?
Some of which, no doubt, would be considered, were a
new repartition of this kind practicable, and many of those
petty boroughs be obliged to give up to them ; a scheme
that must be set on loot under a very undesigning and
honourable administration, for reasons too obvious to need
particularizing.'
" A Scheme of the Proportions the several Counties in
England paid to the Three Shillings Aid, 1699, com-
pared with the number of Members they send to Par-

liarnent.
" In this scheme the proportions are thus considered—viz.,
that as the whole kingdom sends 513 Members to Par-
liament, so the whole tax is divided into 513 equal parts.
I. Shows the name of the County.
" Column/ 2. How many parts of the M 3 each County paid.
3. How many Members of the 513 each County send.

I P. I M.