The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-22 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF ITALY.

Mr. BOWYER'asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether it was true that a Congress was about
to be held to deliberate on the affairs of Italy with refer-
ence to the preservation of the peace of Europe, and whether
he was able to state to the house what Powers would be the
parties to the Congress ; and especially whether Sardinia
would join in it.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
the Government had come to a decision on the subject.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT AMENDMENT

BILL.

. Mr. J. LOCKE moved for leave to bring in a bill to
amend the act of the fifth and sixth years of King William
the Fourth, relating to weights and measures.—Agreed to.

CHURCH-RATE ABOLITION BILL.

At the request of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
Sir J. TRELAWNY consented to postpone the second read-
ing of this bill.

REPRESENTATION Off' THE PEOPLE BILL.-
ADJOURNED DEBATE.

Mr. WILSON resumed the debate. He considered the
measure of the Govermlient so objectionable in principle,
that he could not possibly vote for the second
reading, and it was a measure which, in his opinion,
was so radically bad, that it could not be so altered
in committee as to meet the views of the people. The
clauses relating to disfranchisement were so entirely op-
posed to the feelings of the people,,that it could not be ex-
pected to receive the sanction of that house. The require-
ment of the commuity was that the franchise should be
expanded, but the tendency of the measure was to
contract. (Hear, hear.) The bill retained not
only what was objectionable in the present system, but in-
troduced much that in itself was most reprehensible. He
denied that the form in which the £lO franchise
was presented was a concession, and its real effect
would be to increase the territorial influence, and
to diminish the borough influence. The bill proposed
to disfranchise no less than 100,030 freeholders
in boroughs from the county franchise. If they went re-
fully through the bill they would find that the provisions
disfranchised as many as it enfranchised. Besidesit pro-
posed to disfranchise in the counties exactly that dcscrip-
tion of voters who were the most independent, and sub-
stituted for them a class the very revoi se. (Hear, hear.)
The provisions of the bill would also have the effect
of manufacturing factitious votes in small towns. The
systm proposed would be attended also with difficulty at
elections. He contended that property would always exer-
cise an influence in a country like this greater than what
the more numerical majority would, possess. Theeffect of the
Government scheme would be to abolish the present
system by which different classes were represented, and
make the representation of the country worse than even
that of ono class. He was not opposed to the existence of
small boroughs, which he believed had a function to per-
form, but it would not be satisfactory to the people
of this country to have any system introduced that would
in any degree diminish class legislation and extend that of
individuals. Ho was opposed to the disfranchisement of
small boroughs, but he was equally opposed to the