The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-28 00:00:00

GRAMPOUND.

Eutroe— I am induced to offer you some
observations on the disfranchisement of the
Borough of Grampound, in consequence of the
Letters of your Correspondent Tswax, ti.nd liii
adversary Vttinex, but in so doing, 1 do not wish
to be ranked among the opponents of the one,
or to appear as the defender of the other: it is

not my intension to enter into the controversy ;
TENAK is not a MHO with whom it is possible to
argue upon fair terms, for if he is opposed, his
opponents are " Republicans and Jacobins,"
" knaves or fools," their language '' revolo-

sionaty jargon," and their arguments " the new-
fangled nonsense of Reform." I shall therefore
endeavour to confine myself to the case of Gram-
pound, and the right of voting in that Borough,
*lid I shall only so far notice the Letter of Te•

wax as naay be necessary to point out its errors,
which is a task that I think ought to be perform-
ed, since you have very strongly recommended
TEwtoc to the notice of your Readers, as a power-
ful writer, and a man of correct principles, and
great constitutional knowledge.
With respect to the constitutional inowledge
of TENAx, I fear, not withstanding your general
penetration, you have formed a wrong estimate ;
for TENAX tells -us that " the British Law re-
cognises no right of voting other than in Cor-
pora.ions. or in sit we of land, or of some edifice
upon land, and that property not population is
I represented in Parliament," which is to say, in
other words, that Freemen of Corporate Towns
and Cities, Freeholders of Lands, Burgage-
holtlers, and householders, are the only persons
in whom the tight to the Elective Franchise is
recognized by the LW of England ; and that
populary have no right to it, " property only not
,
population being represented in Parliament." In
this Si at emetic , however, TBNAK is wrong, for
;he Law of England is not thus unjust and de-
fective. Every rational man must allow, that pro-
perty, by which I suppose l'ENnx means real not
personal property, ought to have a preponderat-
isttf it:fitter:cc in the c')l ce of Mrtithers of Pailia-
client, fur the proprie'ci -1 the Soil has evidently a
great and pertn4t3:!ot lute, est in the prosperity of the
Conotry, as he runiot transfer his possessions to
other couty rit,, like the Capitalist and the 111er-
,,lin• In iy their capital ;—ill the wof ds of TEN AX,
" The gold may vanish„ hut the land retnaios ;•'
and this preponderating influence the law has vest-
ed in the owners ~f landed property; but as the
ownet• of land, never were, and most certainly

,:he only part of the community in-
crested in Oar national welfate, and the Govern-
Glent uf the country, the law has intrusted other
eia,ses •Nith the privilege of sending Representa-
tives to Parliament, and accordingly we find that
!he rights of voting in Cities, 'Towns, &tuft Bo-
roughs frequently differ Scoot each .offer, charter
or usage having conferred that species of voting
which scented best adapted to the circumstances
of the place.
These rights of voting, the writers on the Law
of Elections Lise g,tirtally divided into three
classes; first, ti;.;iit by teritire, which includis the
tiorgoge tenure ; secondly, right by chatter.
which inclodes all cases where the right of v., ,Hg
is in a body corporate.; and hircliv, HIGHTs
PtnruLsn, which last class (wow diem!. all other
rights 00 voting. This • !alit class of the riJits of
voIii.g,TCNAK tells tis is not recognized by the Law
of Englatni,• which knows •" no right of voting
other than in Corporations, or in viitue of land,
or of some edifice upon land." TestAx surely has
studied the Law of Elections very superficially,
will even go so far as to say, be is little ac-
quainted with the Constitution and Laws of Eng-
land, if tact species of the rights of voting, called
" Rights Popular," has escaped his a ttentioti ; and
if it has not, what foundation, I will ask, him, is
there tot his assertion " that property, and not
population, is represented in " Parliament." Has
he forgotten the right of this kind comprehended
under the words of " commonalty," '' popola-
cy," or" potwallers." Ate the persons who pos-
sess the right of voting comprehended under these
words, and which have been defined to be a right
of voting exercised by " all persons furnishing
their own diet, whether householders or lodgets,'
are they, I ask, persons voting 't in respect of
land or any edifice upon land?" Me the indivi-
duals returned by them to Parliament the Repre-
sentatives of " property," and " not of popula-
tion ?" Having thus satisfactorily shewn the fal-
lacy of the principle maintained by Tss:sx, " that
property, not piipulation, is represented in Par-
liament," I shall, proceed to consider his defini-
tion of the tight of voting in the Borough of
Grampound.
The right of voting is described in these words
" Be the Borough close or open, the electoral
right is therein, and is exercised by certain per-
sons having therein a certain property, who vote
by virtue of that Burgage-holding. In the case
of Grampound the te.ft of their right _may the
paying soot and lot,'"—From these words we are
to understand, I presume, thaf the. voters in
Grampound must be the prop ietors of houses or
lands held by burgage tenure, and that "'the test
of their possession of such houses or lands; and

'C ,*:+t itow,

consequently of the right to the Elective Fran-
chise is " the paying scot and lot.•' This defini-
tion by TENAx ofa scot and lot Borough is singular;
I have consulted some Authorities, and I cannot
find a definition of a right of voting, similar to
fear, if the determinations of Election
Committees were conveyed in such terms, it would
be difficult for the House of Commons to proceed
with public business, as the time of the Meunhci•s

must be constantly occupied in deciding an appli-
cations to explain and amend such determina-
tions. I will not, therefore, appeal on behalf of
the Public to the tribunal of TENIAX, for an ex-
planation of his definition of the right of voting
at Grampound, but I will..proceed to state the
right myself, and to spew chat " an inhabitant

paying scot and Jot." is not a person " having a

We received this morning the Paris Papers of
Saturday last, which being Christmas Day, the
Offices of the Journals were abut, and no Papers
were to be published on Sunday. We stopped the
Press yesterday to announce the arrival of the
Journals of _Thursday and Friday, which, how-
ever, contained no news of any interest.—
The Report upon the projet respecting the
9;x-twelfths of the Taxes, was received on
Wednesday in the Chamber of Deputies, and the
discussion fixed for Friday, On the last men-
tioned day, the debate was commenced by the
Count de la BOURDONMAYR, who expressed his
distrust of the intentions•of the Government, and
moved to substitute fonitwelfthsu. M. Faoc de la
liout.Av a supported the projet on financial grounds.
The Baron MECHtu supported the projet,but object-
ed to the temporizing system of the Ministers. M.
Roy, the Minister of Finance, gave a sort of ex-
posé of the financial system, for the purpose of
shewing the necessity that existed for the six-
twelfths that were asked for. General DSMARCAY
objected to the measures of the Ministers, and
moved to substitute two-lwelfths. The Count de
Cants, the Minister of the Interior, called upon
the Chamber to place confidence in the Ministet s,
and said he bad no doubt that confidence would
he given. After some further discussion, the pro-
jet, as originally proposed by Ministers, was
agreed to by a majority of 137 to 79. The Cham-
ber adjourned till Monday. The following are
Extracts :

" PARIS, DEC. 25.—Yesterday the King gave
a private audience to the Cor.nt de Forbin Janson,

Director of the Royal Museum, who is ab"t

set out for Sicily.
" The trial of General Savary, Duke of 11°'
vigo, will take place on Monday.

" General Hullin.is arrived at ?iris.
n.
Thesemains of Mersliallerritrier Were i
~•
terteti yesterdartwitip,greatluneral pomp, Ow
Cemetery of Pere Lachaiae.

FIVE PER CENTS.

Friday
.DP.FRRItI3D STOCK

Of the 2ed March, 1817, 93 1. Sc. 2
22d Sept. 1817, 9l f. 25 c.
22d Alarch, 1818, 8.9 t. 25 c.
22d Sept. 18,18,
22d Marcia, 1819, B5 f. 25 c.
22d Sept. 1819,

This morning we received a series of New Vl`
Papers to the Ist inst. not of course late WI
u contain the Pre4ident's Message. 'Leg

ford SC's rCely y p-liticsi news.

Extract of a Letter from St. Thomas, dated Oct. 49•

" We have news of Barbad-es being C°o'
pletely demolished, and part of the bland
by a hurricane and earthquake, since thl 114
instant."

(From The New York Evening. Post, Nov. 29.)
The Natibnal Litelligeacer of Friday annotted
the arrival of Ca-4. Ram) Irons Madrid, and 01116
we understand he brings information that till"
Treaty is not ratified, and things remain much .1°
the same state in which our last advice, left
them. Mr. FORSYTH remains at Madrid, and
Minister from Spain is to be forthwith seat to till°
Country. If further particulars come to °dr
knowledge they shall be hereafter noticed.

(From the New York Coo otercial Advertiser of Noe. 01
IMPORTANT, IF TRUE.—A report, which, bo44'
ever, requires confirmation, is published in tb~
Milledgeville (Georgia) Republican of the gthifli
slant, " that General GAINES had received orcielf
for a detachment of 5000 men from 'that SW*
and 5000 from South Carolina, to proceed is
Amelia Island."
(Same Paper, Nov t 6.)
A BRILLIANT Alsreott.--The Village Recork

a paper published at West• Chester, Pennsylvetli";
mentions, that a brilliant Meteor passed over
place at six o'clock on Sunday evening.—" 11
direction was from N.E to S.V. The tail was
great length and brightness, and from the b°`lo/1
the fire fused out as it does from a large piece
burning ii on. The streets were so light that 01°
might have picker! up a pin. It disappeared old'
deuly, and almost every person who saw it yea'
ed confident that it fell near him. In a titionti
and a half, or perhaps two minutes, after the Heil
ceased, a sound like a cannon was heard, CO:
ing from the direction where the Meteor appear°
to fall. We have seen Gentlemen from IViimior
ton, Londongrove, and Coatesville, each of %glint°
had a perfect view of this sublime phenomenon;
and they agree in describing its appearance on
situation to be similar to that presented to no/
Its magnitude and distance must, therefore, hi/
been much greater than one who saw itcould bas 4
well imagined."

The Franklin Gazette states, that the Neu
or Sandy evening was seen by several persousj
Philadelphia; that it was very large, and °li
accompanied with a blue flame ; and that it 4
peared " to touch the earth, rebound, ascend 01
some distance, and fall again."

[Same Paper, Nor. 271
The Meteor observed at Philadelphia and Waf
tnington on Sunday evening, as mentioned in °`.o
last, took a more extensive range than wag 0%
supposed. By the Baltimore Papers received Ibi
morning, learn, that it passed over that cis fl,
still ptirstig its course irons the North-east t;
the South-west, and increasing its apparent 41,,
";
as it approicheil, until it appeared nearly as lard
as the moon. When it exploded, a report 1",
[lewd like tilo noise of a cannon four times cf.
peated in quick succession, which was iinnte°l;
ately followed bye rumbling noise similar to
,E.for
d
of the passitt; of carriages over a bridge. 14
light it emit,ed completely obscured that of t'
moon and stars, which before and after its or
pear'nce were uncommonly brilliant."

• Aecc- ding to Private Letters from New Yorl"
received this day, dated the 29th ult. it is et;
tively resolveti by the American Government, in
on the meeting of Congress an Act will be passed
for taking possession of the Floridas. - ft is II
411
stated whether this measure is to be adopted
the concurrence of Spain, or whether the probO
inability of the -latter to recover an efficient pro/
tection of them has induced the American Goverij
milt to make sure of what may be rendered het
after a valuable as well as necessary acquisitio° ik
the present uncertain state of the revolced s°at"
American Colonies.

A- Debate was expected iu the House of fAr‘l;
last night•on the second reading of the new Suirihj
Duties Bill, ithieh was ordered to be cocoa] itteti
this day. The illness of (lie daughter of Vrio
HOLLAND, which necessarily prevented tbeNober
Lord from attending, and the absence of otb
Noble Lords, who have left town, obviatetioljco
discussion, and there seemed to be so gOiertilot
concurrence in the House as to the necessity
the measure, that opposition appeared to be Coy,
sidered as unavailing and hopeless.

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