The Sun.
London, England, 1810-05-22 00:00:00

she Wed that such-a change could not be' expected
increase the happiness or the'liberties of the peopiste
If on the one hand it was contended that that Hou Le
would be better constituted if it contained a great rr
number of the delegates of the people, on the oil per
hand it might be successfully maintained that t lie
delegates of the people too much preponderat ed
over -the .other-parties.- When thoSe Out'ef doors
took upon themselves to censure the deCision of that
House on the Convention of Cintra or the ex peditissa
to Walcheren, and found persons within those wails
ready to-synipathise with them and join in the cry
they thought proper to rake -against that br'anCh
the Legislature, it might well be inferred the dele-
gates of the people were about to preponderate over
the other constituent parts of that 'House. If it.
could ,be distinEtly •Seen by the adYocates for a Re-
form what that House was In remote times, he
tbrwt,ht no wish could be felt to restore it to its for-
mer state, -when't-s otily called-to-
gether to make the grants required by life erowna
At -those periods the only way. in .which the House
of Commons could proceed to the redress of griev-
ances'was, 'by refusing to make the grants required
till their wishes were entirely acceded to. Time
wonderfully, but hnperceptibly, accommodated the
Constitution to the existing state of things. -If
• Gentlemen were to amuse themselves endeavour-
ing to frame-new Constitutions, they would', per-
haps, after all find they could not form an idea of one
more perfect than the present Constitution of Eng-
land. He-would not go-into all the subjects touch;
-ed upon by the Hon. Gentlem. but he must ex-
press his reluctance to appointing a Committee, as
he did not think they could well take upon them-
selves to say how far the different principles existing
in that aHonse should preponderate one over an-
other. But there was one.charge.which Was cots'
stantly brought against them on all occasions, that
of seats in that House being bought and sold. That
was thought to be so flagrant and crying an abuse,
that no possible perfeCtion in other respeas could
alone for it. That that practice was
_an abuse,
he was as ready as any man to acknowledge- .
Where was there an expensive establishment. iet°
which some abuses had not found their way ?
It was imagined that there were at times a great
many seats in that House to be boinsht. He
denied th=at that could ever be the case, whatever
sums opulent persons might be dispbsed to give tor
them. Some might put chase seats to dispose- of than
again, but he did not belieVe it to be a very profitable
traffic. Seats when purchased were generally bought
•by-persons desirous of sitting in that House ; persons
conneeled with West-India affairs, or other concerts
likely to .come before Parliament. If such persona
did get indirectly a seat in that House, the evil Wes
not so very great, as it was proper that persons shoule
be there to represent the concerns to which theY
belonged. • If there were any persons who held the -
absurd idea that the present state of things was s°
bad they could not possibly become worse, and that's
-consequently, any change must -be for the better,
he would advise them to look around them, and toke.
a view of the situation of the other nations of Etl"
rive. Let them compare this country with any oile
of them. This country had stood its ground while
other aations had been annihilated. England, freto
her happy Constitution, had remained unmoved
the shock which had convulsed the civilized world;
and now, after a contest -of 18 years duration, our
national credit was such that ayery large loan could:
be raised for the, service of the country at a rate ()
interest considerably below that allowed by hoc
Let them survey the internal (state of the cnuntrY
they will find our cities flourishing and distinguish
ed by their rising grandeur, while canals, harbour
and manufactories, increasing and improving, marls,l
ed the unprecedented prosperity of -the country.''
such views before him, and with such reflec,;
tsons as those to which .they naturally gave rise, if i
should appear that that House had gone somewhat
farther than they ought, he could not think that
reason why, by an entire change of system, they
should plunge the country into he knew not what.
difficulties. He was afraid to take the first step, b°,l.
ever innocent it might be in itself, least it shouw
lead to-otherS of greater danger and importance
If the duration of Parliament should be reduces
from-seven years to three, there might be fowl'
those Alohq would wish it shortened still more, alij
if reduced to one year, he had ne assurance. th"r
every one would contentedly • stop there. 14.6,
had no particular objeCtion to the copyholders
ing allowed to vote; but if alterations at ere
made, he.should see no bounds to them. 1 1431,,
might ultimately plunge the. whole system iitte
abyss which would swallow all. 'Parliament Loi,lta.
in consquence of such innovations, be Oppued,{o
the Executive Power of the Country, and hi ,`..,te
end the Constitution resolve itself into an absOilh,,,
Monarchy, or sink in the gulph of military o'o,
potism. He would vote against- the Committee
ineXpedient.
Mr. poet. thought if the representation of
tit/143.6-
• people was such as it Lid been stated lobe, it srbria.
-be the better way at oanCe.to change the systems as
endeavour to effect a reform.
Lord MILTON wished his. Hon. Friend to
tsre;
him that period .to which he would wish
re,
brought back. Would he go back to the most be.
mote period of our history, or to the time of
Tudors ?—Would he go back to the time of the
Stuarts—to the time of Charles the. Second---t° the
elt'
Parliament called `°par excexcellence"--the best
sinned Parliament." At thoseperiods wherr the ers
laws were made,- the House contained Memuu
...„&.
from all those places which his Honourable Frwiie
would •scratch out with One dash of his- pen: has
was not, a friend .to those Boroughs, btit theyri;)_,,
introduced to that House some of the greatest o 3
talents that adorned oar history. Was his _Hon.4
Friend so little acquainted with the failures of
ascot
Who had attempted to,trame Constitutions, -,eot
suppose he could make one better than. the P.relioo
Constitution of Frill Ind Look at the Consult' e,
of .America,, and see if there were pot a flit;ere,
He was averse to the appointment df a Con-n. 111304
as there might be pl:Ais ironed by each 0( e%,
who formed that Committee ten times more be
travagant than that of -his Hon. Friencli(vvhiwchvaic•
did not mean to say. was plans extravagant), A 00
no rational man could wish to see adopted, alluwoold
could tell but the most exttatagant of them nis
be preferred. He was not disposed to accompa_l'4oo.
• Hon.friead on a chivalrous search ,:tier ConatituLors
Let kiln-(Lord-Milton) havevine.B.ritish Cca.stirwitb
as he now enjoyed it, and he wosad be satiPfic"