Star.
London, England, 1831-03-11 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURN4LS.

Times—There has been something most peculiarly disgusting to
in the late prolonged—and we will not bay imptcperly prolonged—dc.
bate on the approaching Patna nentary n Mull. That disgusting menet
relates to the terms in which the rotten boroughs, and the persons con-
nected with them, are spoken of. Hitherto it has been usual, in alluding
to theta abominations, to adopt a style of cautions and measured
language; but we observe that the enemies of ftiOttll in the present
instance avow and defend openly and unblushingly the property of
boroughs. Can any one conceive such a consummation of profligate
impudence as this ? Fur what is meant by the possession of a rotten
borough ? Why, the right of nominating persons. who, wider the
name of Representatives of the People, are to sit itt Parliament, and
vote away the public money ! if this can be tolerated, any thing can
be tolerated. No, the rotten boroughs tare for ever dune with ! But
there is another point connected with this subject, which we would ad.
vise the enemies of the Reform Bill cautiously to et.n.,ider :—Are they
doing no injury to the sacred character of actual property, whilst they
represent as such the detestable corruption of nominating members of
parliament? They may, by this language, sink the security of pro-
perty to the level of rotten boroughs, but they cantiot raise rotten bo-
roughs up to the consequence and security of real property.
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HE itatn.—lt would be very extraordinary if the borough proprietors
and their nominees did not fight hatd for a system under which they
had long enjoyed a monopoly of the " good things" in Church and
State. It would be still more extraordinary if they could, by any pro.
cm of reasoning induce the people of this country to believe that the
peculiar advantages which they have so grossly abused they should be
allowed any longer to possess. It is in vain for the botoughntor.gers
to express a most sensitive and zealous regard for the preservation art t!.e
Constitution." They who never allowed the Constitution to stand in
the way of the gratification of their own political ambition or cu.
pidity, will not obtain credit for this new-born attachment to its en-
dangered principles." Only think of the principles of the Constitution
being endangered by a measure which is to substitute a real for a mock
representation of the people of England !—a measure w hich presumes
that the original theory of the Constitution, when it spoke of represen.
tation, in whicb the people were to have a voice, only meant a system
of aristocratic nomination, in which the people were to have no voice.
—Such is the boroughmongers' interpretation of the theory of the
Constitution as tar as the elective franchise is concerned, and their
practice has been an apt illustnstiou of their doctrine. But ti.ey
cannot defend that practice :without admitting that corruption is neces-
sary for facilitating the business of Government. If a Government be
honest, we cannot understand what need it has of corruption ; and if it
be not honest, we do not see why it should be supported at all. The
" public debt" of this country, which has exhausted by anticipation
agessof the public revenue, and crushed the productive industry of the
land beneath a mountain of taxation, is an instance, and a melancholy
one, of the corrupt facility with which affairs a state have been here.
toforc managed, to the detriment of national interests. A real repre-
sentation would have thrown serious obstacles in the way of iniquitous
wars and profligate expenditure, and thereby mad: it more difficult for
II a bad Government to ruin the country.

Cs aOsICLE.—Few speeches delivered upon the question of Reform
have told more effectively than that of the Member for Hertford, who,
in a tone of so much good-humoured raillery, descanted upon the value
and importance of the votes of Members sitting for rotten boroughs.
It may be that such Members, or some of them, are men animated by
the loftiest and purest principles of patriotism, and that it is
(however hard a thing to imagine) a real concern for the maintenance
of the Monarchy, and the privileged orders of the State, which
prompts their resistance to the proposed meuure. But without any un.
charitable estimate of individual motives, it is nut surely io be tin.,
gotten how deep a personal interest these men have in the FezFemation
of the present systemi nay, In postponing for the brief tom of their
own lives, or a shorter period, the great :did auspicious change now
under consideration. What, we ask, would Income of such Men as
Mr. Lion'burn, Mr. Horace Twiss, Mr. Croker, Mr. Ci.uremiy, et hoe
vogue omne, the phalanx of orators and statesmen strayed against
reform in the late debate, under a reformed parliament ? Would not they
sink into total insignificance—would any of them have th!: smallest chance
If obtaining °facial distinction or emolument ; nay, how should such
people tind their way into the legislature at all ? It is, therefore, a
little too much for men of this stamp, alt more or less (Lot ta use
the phrase offensively) political adventurers, that is, neon engaging
In politics as a profession—it is a little too much for ti:eut to ex-
pect that much weight or importance shall be attached to their th-
Inure protestations of alarm and apprehension for the Lappiness mitt
good goveraotent of the country, while people having a deep real
stake in that country look with hope and confidence to the measure.
It is said that 51r. Baring means to propose eiminbiting by a nuncly the
number of boroughs to be distrauchived. The proposition is every
way worthy of his understanding and statesmanlike qualities. But a
man of spirit would feel little desirous to present, unchanged tl.e con-
stitution of an assembly, in which his reception has been so far !lime
of what even a regulated amour propre might expert.
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POST.—The cheesernongers butchers, shoemakers, and gin-serene.
of whom the Common Council the city of London happens chiefly
to be composed, having condescended to take the present Administra-
tion and its revolutionary project under their spectre' protection, be.
thought themselves that it would be a very excellent and vastly clever
thing to draw out of the mouth of the Sovereign some expression in
favour of the ministerial scheme for changing the Constitution, in order
to vindicate,—not the constitutional fitness, (for even the Cm.
mon Council are sages enough to know that this is imps*.
Bible), but the mere veracity at least of the assertion by which Ministers
have b 0 repeatedly insulted and disgusted both Houses or Psriinment,
with respect to the personal wishes and conviction of his Majesty m fa-
vour of their measure. They accordingly crammed their Address to
the King, from one end to the other, with Reform, Reform. It latently
contained nothing else but expressions of the conviction or tite worthy
traders aforesaid, that Reform is indispettAble. and that " the I:an in.
troduced under :he sanction of 3iinisters" is the best of all iitegint.blet
plans of Reform.

N.IVAL I%TEJ.I.IIiENCE.

MAILS ARROWS THIS DAY—DAblin, 1 ; Waterford, 1 ; Rana u g 6, 1 ;

France, 1.

DIAL, /.611.C11 10 —Wind S.S.F. to SE--The outward bound
sailed this morning, but the Warren Hastings, and most of them have
put back. Arrived the MardAtre, Wtlbill, (rem Messina ; and the
Sprightly, Newlan, front St. Michael's.
PORT*IIOIIII, MARCH 9. Arrived the Prince Regent, —, from
Malta.

Masten 10.—Wind S —P.,ssed by, the Lord William Bernina,
from Bengal—sailtd 24th October, Madras 9th Member, Care of
o),1 Hope 4th January, and St. Helena 21st. Sailed his Majesty's
slit Ganges, fur Plymouth.
I LTIWUTH, NIANCH 8. Atrived the Ileso, Jolly, from IL quijadc.
MARCH 9.—WMd S.W.—Arrived the Ashburton. Benet, from
Mtbiilla • Reward, Goss, from Palermo; and Gratitude, Dugdale
lions St.'Sebastian's.
FALMOUTH, MANCH 9 —Wind W. S. W. to W.—Arrived the
Eleanor. Dickinson, front Galtippoly ; Rapid, Utak; from Napes;
Susan, Alexander, from Cattbagena ; and John Daniell, Richard..
from St ville. Arrived from Port:mouth. and sailed, his Majesty's
ship Onyx, for Rio Janeiro, with despatches.
SoUTHADItION, :Ratios 9.—Arrived the Peace, Byron, from St.
Michael's.

POOLS, MARC,. 9.—Arrived the Dolphin, Hampton, from Lisbon.
TORBAY, MARCIE 9.—Arrived the Speedy, Yolcher, from St. NU-
chart's.

FALMOUTH 31-tacte S.—Arrived the City of Genoa,
Port-au-Prince.

~ from

Batsvot., Maacu B.—Arrived the Caledonia, Ainsworth, from Ja.
male.; Charlotte, from St. John's (N. 8.); George the Fourth, from
St. Michael's ; and Brothers, from Genoa.
Livaarooi., MACH B.—Arrived the Majestic, Mazwell, from New
Orlean ; Shaw, Davis, from Mobile; and Osford, Prince, from St.
va• nab. Off the pert, the Paragon, from Jamaica.