The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-12 00:00:00

THE REFORM BILL.

On the order of the day being read, a number of mem-
bers presented more petitions in favour of the Govern-
ment Reform Bill, the most remarkable of which being
those presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Mr. Bright (a very large one, mounted on a wooden roller,
signed by 44,000 persons in Birmingham). Sir F. Crossley
also put in his quota, which amounted to a very large
bundle, and by Mr. Badzley, presented another from
Manchester (as much as he would carry) signed by 73,000
people, and tastefully tied up with red ribbon. Mr Baines,
Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Forster, Mr. T. B. Potter, Mr. Seeley,
Mr. M'Laren, from Edinburgh, signed by 17,000 ; Mr.
Henderson, Mr. Holder, Mr. Crauford, Mr. J. B. Smith,
and Mr. Watkins.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then rose to
move the second reading of the Bill for the Amendmen
of the Representation of the People. But beforef he
te
pro-
ceeded with his task, he would explain more 15"
feelings which led him to introduce the measure
house. The Government, in fact, felt the_ tendert.bow).
of the ground they had to tread—Qaria be no
and they were aware that there sn should „vast.
conflict between class against class, and that
his first statemen
in his mind, when he made
prevalent, that he was sun.
He must seY
with respect to the bill. e iunnt:t uthre°
prised that gentlmeu on the o po
P urselframed uponsuc
brought for-
not disposed to concede a meats mode-
themselves had
.o"
rate principles, because they li
vith the same object. ear,
ewxhtrieahorhdienari
ward measures avowedly
g stltement he referred to two
to side of the houhsemNevdeere-
hear.)
re-
boldness. The first.
e that had been made, and more than
subjectslnwhhiicsh oinwtisthto
ferred was the proluesas
ure of reform, and in the second the
once, to concede auf
the working classes in comparison
enfranchisement 9 He could not understand the ()Nee_
ohsaelletsintedp
oP°wneoli-enf --the
ho opposed the bill on the ground
I those w
tions 0
piecemeallegislation. Why, they were
hear, deal h withehear.)
r .)
of its being
persons who had had to sacrifice office
themselves very cause they attempted
with the act of 183..
ter on piecemeal principles. (Heatro,
the mat
Was 1 't a step from the paths of virtue—(Laughter)—in an
unguarded moment when the
right hon, gentleman gave
his promise ? (Laughter.) He was then met with an
opposition which was an open and honest one. The Go-
vernment at the present moment did not "sacrifice the in-
stitutions of the country," as was said in 1857. He had the
deepest grief at the course taken by that great Party, which
had no adverse interest in the settlement of the question.
(Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman then proceeded
to comment upon some leaders in the Quarterly Review in
very bitter terms with respect to the history of the Re-
form Bill, and said the whole was based upon false prin-
ciples, and that the propositions ivese entirely groundless.
TUO ilArliangnat had been, ivr late years striving, and with

A Government messenger has been despatched to
order Mr. Rawson W. Rawson, at present Go-
vernor of the Bahama Islands, to assume the admi,
nistration of the government of Jamaica, on the
return of Sir Henry Storks to Europe.
Unlike Mr. Gladstone's usual habit, there 'will be
As is alreadaywakyn
gressive changes, sweeping
severalbudget, small butprol!
former efforts, it will
contain
no surprises in this year's but, like h.
ow certainn,them i n
to
irmc
bu se
r-
inwilblotbtelesde;tuzvit
h "
in addition, the anomalous
well as the duty on
toms duties.
dweintiees
taxation on locomotion by railway and hackney.
coaches respectively will be brought to a uniform
level. The income tax will, for this year, be con..
tinned at its present amount.
The following gentlemen have been appointed
to form the Commission on the Consolidation of
Public Offices, to which we referred in our first
number for this season :—Mr. Goschen, M.P., Mr.
Cowper, M.P., Mr. Childers, M.P., Sir J. P.
Burgoyne, G.C.8., Sir Charles Trevelyan, K.C.8.,
Mr. Stephenson (chairman of the Inland Revenue
Board), and Captain A. Clarke, R.E.
Various incorrect statements having appeared in
the papers, we may state that another attempt will
be made on Monday to launch the Northumberland.
Beyond applying four additional camels at her stern,
and an increase of the hydraulic power at the bow,
no change in the means for getting off are proposed,
the high tide being mainly depended upon to float
her. We understand that the company are sanguine
as to the success of their arrangements ; but the
best authorities are inclined to think that they will
yet have to do what ought to have been done after
the first failure, that is, to relay the launching ways
at the usual inclination.

The report of the committee on the meteorolo-
gical department of the Board of Trade, which will,
shortly be made public, states that the daily fore-
casts of weather published in the newspapers are
neither correct nor useful; and that of the storm
warnings 25 per cent. prove to be wrong as regards
the force, and 62 per cent. as regards the direction
of the wind. The committee recommend that the
system of telegraphing the actual state of the
weather at different points, and also the system of
storm warnings, should be continued, with certain
specified extensions and improvements ; that the
meteorological department should be strengthened
and developed to an extent which will increase
annual cost from £5,460 to £10,450, and that the
daily forecasts should be abandoned altogether.
The cost of the Nottingham election petition is at
the rate of about £3OO a day, or £1 a minute.