The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-29 00:00:00

cause he presumed to talk in most innocent
strains at South Molten of the Whig Reforms he
had helped to obtain, and of the possibility of
some crumbs being yet to be picked up which fell
from the table in 1832.

But now all at once Reform is a Parliamentary
necessity. Nobody wants it, it is true, but this
is because every one expects Parliament to attend
to it ! No one wants it, and yet we have chosen
members who are expected to look to it ! Rather
Delphic reasoning, to be sure. However, we
gladly pass by the temper in which the Times
turns round; indeed, its reluctance to give up its
old Palmerstonian programme only shows that the
new one is a necessity, not a choice. It is rather
promising to see that a journal which, to the last,
when wanting a task to keep the " large majority"
steady and sober, could find nothing better than
some old husky law reforms, now owns that these
are not en*ugh. It is expected that Parliament
and PALMRRSTON should take up Reform, and
take it up they must. Such is now the order
from Printing-house•square to PALMERSTON, or—

vice versa.
The terror of the would-be-still party is the
Sybil's leaves. A large working Liberal majority
and peace will compel something. Why, if it
were only for a little stimulus and excitement,
now we have no war, no great tariff reductions, and
no Corn-law repeal to talk of, we must have a
Reform Bill. This seems now to be the great
fear. Leave it a little longer, and so glaring are
the inequalities of constituencies, and the injustice
of the present franchise, that it is but leaving a •
stock iu trade for political agitators if Reform be
longer delayed. There's the League, out of work;
their old agitation is done with for ever, and as,
to do them justice, they have always been staunch
Reformers, what better can they do than cora-
-1 mence a Reform agitation ? They could do it
consistently. What would become of " well-con-
sidered" Reform, of " judicious " Reform, of
Edinburgh Review, and of Times Reform, if the
unadorned eloquence of Mr. COBDEN, and the
impassioned eloquence of Mr. BRIGHT, were let
loose among the constituencies again ? This seems
to be the dreaded thing just now, and not with-
out reason. We understand Mr. MILNER. GIBSON
-neans to give his business-like energies to the
Ballot Society. We welcome his help there, and
it will tell.
We are told by the Times that next Session is
the more convenient season. Of course. But pro-
bably Mr. BERKELEY will not wait on the conve-
nience of Lord PALMERSTON and his journals.
Neither will Mr. LOCKE KING. Lord JOHN
RUSSELL too—he will not prefer to push on the
question this Session, but then, he may be com-
pelled to do it. Be cannot wait to be outbid.
He will not like to be anticipated in his own de-
partment. The motions of others will oblige both
him and Lord PA.LIVERSTON to speak out a little ;
each, too, will be on his own good behaviour before
the country, and mast at least give us his draft
Reform Bill this Session. At present the offers
of the Ministerial organ are meagre enough. Not
a single word respecting the Ballot ; too vulgar
radicalism that, for leading journals even to speak
of, tit only for BETrusms, and GROTES, and
HOLBSWORTHS, and Colonel THOMPSONS, and the
rest of the noisy inconsiderate herd. No ; a
franchise extended to all the educated classes ;
dome forty boroughs cashiered ; a few big towns
enfranchised, and a batch of minority members in-
troduced as a compensating drag on the enlarged
constituencies, and that will do I It will satisfy
the country. Will it ? Let the Premier try
it on.

HEALTir OF THE DUCHEw OF GLOU-

CESTER.

The following bulletin was issued this morning :
`Gloucester House, April 29, 9 a.m.
•
"Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester
is more feeble today than her Royal Highness
was yesterday.
(Sigued) "F. HAwKrNs, M.D.
" ROBERT FERGUSON, M.D.
" E. H. HILLS."