The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-25 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY .REFO.R3I.

I.` Sir J. W. Ramsden, M.P. for the West Riding of
Yorkshire, and Messrs. H. W. Wickham and W.
E. Forster, the members for Bradford, having been
written to by an inhabitant of Bradford, for the
purpose of ascertaining what course each of them
intended to adopt with respect to the bills intro-
duecd into Parliament in the present session for
extending the county and borough franchise, sent
the following letters in reply

" London, March 20.
" sir,—l have to acknowledge your letter of the 12th inst.
(addressed to me at Huddersfield), in which you ask me
whether I am prepared to vote for Mr. Locke King's and Mr.
Baines's Bills, and for my reasons if I decline to do so. In re-
ply,`l have to state that I did not vote upon Mr. Locke King's
Bill, nor do I intend to support Mr. Baines's Bill, and for
these reasons :—The Government, on the first day of the
session, announced their -determination not to attempt a
measure of Parliamentary reform this session, and they
founded that determination on the failure of their bill last
year, caused, as they said, mainly by the opposition of their
own side of the hom=e and the general apathy of the country.
To introduce another bill this year would, therefore, in
their opinion, only interrupt public business without ad-
vancing the interests of reform. On a division, this determi-
nation of the Government was approved by a majority
of nearly three to one. I voted in the majority on that
occasion, and having thus affirmed my opinion that the Go-
vernment were justified in not attempting to legislate when
they had no prospect of success, I cannot see that indivi-
dual members of Parliament have the least chance of
accomplishing what the Government, for lack of support,
were obliged to abandon. I decline, therefore, to support
attempts at legislation which, howpvoi sincerely cud
honestly undertaken, are calculated, in my opinion, rather
to prejudice than to promote the end they have in view.—l
am, your faithful servant, " J. W. RA.MSDEN,"
" Chapel-street, South Audley-street, London,
Wednesday Evening, March 13.1
" haveireceived your letter of the 13th inst., and
in reply beg to say I decline at this moment to say how I
shall vote on Mr. Baines's bill, extending the franchise to
£6 householders. I conceive my position as one of your
representatives is to hear all that can be said pro and con.
in favour of or against any specific proposition, and after
having heard all the arguments, to vote according to the
best of my judgment one way or the other. All I can
say at present on the matter is, that my feeling and lean-
ing are in favour of an extension of the franchise to
householders in the boroughs. As to Mr. Locke King's
Bill, I can have no objection to state that, having heard all
that could be said for or against it in a five hours' 'sitting
this day, I voted for it.--I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
" H. W. WICKHAIkI."
" March 14.

" Sir,—Your note of the 12th inst. was forwarded to me
this morning. You will observe I voted with Mr. Locke
King yesterday, and I shall do my best to support Mr.
Baines when he brings in his bill, and I confess I cannot
but express my surprise that one of my constituents, after
my repeated expressions of opinion on the Reform question
generally, and these two measures in particular, could have
any doubt as to my conduct with regard to them.—l am,
Sir, yours very respectfully, W. E. FORSTER."

THE CRUISE OF THE DARlNG.—Captain Arm-
strong's novels, like the Armstrong guns, do great service,
for his sea tales, like Dibdin's sea songs, will induce thou-
sands of our youth to enter the navy. With the exception
of Marryatt, he is the best writer of nautical novels Eng-
land has ever had, and this " Cruise of the Daring" is full
of interest and excitement from beginning to end.
EXTRAORDINARY DEATH FROM EATING BISCUITS
—An inquest was held at the Compasses Inn, Alford, on
Monday, before W. King, Esq., deputy coroner, touching
the death of Benjamin Lucas, who expired on the previous
Friday, under extraordinary circumstances. It appeared
that Lucas was in the bar of the Compasses on the night of
his death, when he made a wager of a trifling amount that
he would eat three pennyworth of soft biscuits in five
minutes. Whilst eating the sixth biscuit he suffocated him-
self and soon afterwards expired. The jury returned a ver-
dict in accordance with the above evidence.--Isussox Ex-
press,