Star.
London, England, 1831-02-07 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
Foots, °pintoes, sad Public Exertions c aneeted with ibis great Na-
tional Question.
( To be owitimod wall a Plan be brined before Pt:Mamma)
SUMMARY OF BOROUGHS.

azrzosze.
Members.
Vhenry 2
Edward VL .. 20

CILIATON
Members.
By Henry VIII. . 3$
Edward VI. .. • . ZS

... ... ... 4

James 1....

James 1.. 11

Charles I.

.. 18

72

biufes 11.

--
143

72

Total restored and created in those reigns 215
The following passage in the able Worcester petition
merits special attention, as a sarcasm extorted by the silly
observation, that voting by ballot is un-English, as though
folly alone was English, and wisdom un-English. No
stronger reason against the ballot can exist with some men
than that it is the death-blow of bribery and all undue in-
fluence ; but this is the very reason why it should be sup-
ported by every body of sensible petitioners, and be de-
demanded as the sine qua non. Past Parliaments have
proved a curse and scourge only, because election by ballot
did not exist.

ss Tear petitioners are aware that vote by ballot is disliked—is
dreaded by the boroughmongering aristocracy and other traffickers in
seats in your Honourable House, because it is tin-English. Your
petitioners certainly must allow that the borotighmongering system at
elections, with all its flagrant train of evils—bribery, perjury, and
other accursed practices, is not UN-English— that persecuting
and ruining whole families by the boroughmoagering faction,
because the heads of such families have been pewits of in-
tegrity, and voted from pure motives, is not un-English, but pecu-
liarly English ; your petitioners are also aware that a -lavish and exces-
sive expenditure—that an over-bearin system of taxation—that an
astonishingly large national debt, &c. &.. are things which are not un-
English, but peculiarly English ; and the sooner your honourable
House makes them un-English the better."
The same Worcoster petition contains the following ob-
servations era the Pension lista :
" Here your petitioners mike one remark,—they think it a little
strange that ,your honourable house should occupy so much of your
valuable time, session after i•casion, in discussing measures to de-
prive the poor industrious, famishing labourer and artisan, when
out of employ, of a scanty parochial pittance, and yet it should
never occur to the recollection of your honourable House, of
the necessity and propriety of taking away the pay from that long, griev-
ous, and disgraceful list of State Paupers, who have fastened on the
vitals of the country, not one of whom . but is otherwise well circum-
stanced in life, and the generality of whom have not rendered the state
any real levier. Your petitioners, with all due submission to your
hon. house, conceive it more disgraceful to be a state pauper than a
parish pauper, inasmuch as the former Is the cause of a great portion of
the distress, wretchedness, and starvation of the latter."

PROGRESS OF INCENDIARY FIRES.
Fires, which for a considerable time have alarmed the in
habitants of Whitchurcb and the farmers in the neighbour-
hood of that town, are, we grieve to say, being repeated ; and
notwithstanding incessant watching, the offers of immense
rewards, and the utmost activity of the local magistrates and
resident gentry, scarcely a week passes but the property of
some person in the neighbourhood of that town is consumed
by fire. A person is stationed in the tower of the church all
*ht, who, from that elevation, is enabled to perceive the first
token of flames, and he immediately alarms the inhabitants
by tolling the bells. On Wednesday morning the person on
watch discovered a fire on the property of Mr. Huxley, of
Darnford-hall. It proved to be a bay-stack standing alone,
a few fields' breadth from Mr. Huxley's house ; the bay was
nearly consumed. During the excitement caused by the fre-
quent fires, numbers of threatening letters were sent to various
individuals. The author of two of these letters has been dis-
covered ; his name is Thomas 8. Richardson.—Shrewsbury
Chronicle.
Finns 1N DEABTSIIIRE.—Derbyshire still continues to
present the awful effects of incendiarism, and we are sorry to
add, that the perpetrators have escaped the vigilance of the
nightly watch, who are thickly scattered in different parts of
the county. On Sunday morning last the ancient hall of
Elbaston, about three miles from Derby, the seat of the Earl
of Harrington was discovered to be on fire; but by the timely
arrival of the engines from the different parishes, the flames
were subdued. The housekeeper's apartment, including
some valuable china, linen, and furniture, however, have
fallen a sacrifice. This conflagration is assigned to accident,
but the cause remains a mystery. At Ashton-upon-Trent,
not a great distance from the above mansion, the same night,
a fire was discovered in the farm-yard of Mr. George
Moorley; but by the timely arrival of the fire engines, which
had been so useful at Lord Harrington's, and the assistance
of the villagers, this was also subdued ; but not until about
15 quarters of barley and the entire roof of the barn were
consumed. This has, doubtless, been the work of an incen-
diary. A man bas been examined on suspicion, and is re-
manded.
A fire broke out in a farm yard close to the turnpike gate,
near Fareham, on Thursday morning, about one o'clock,
which consumed a barley rick. There were 20 more ricks
in the yard, which must have been destroyed but for the
exertions of the neighbours, who, with the assistance of an
engine, extinguished it without-further damage being done.
It is supposed to have been the act of some incendiary, two
Assn having been seen in Fareham,. who went into a public-
home to light their pipes.—Brighton Herald.
Early on Tuesday morning, a fire broke out on the pre-
' miser of Mr. Ridgway, at Adlington, the whole of, which
were burnt to the ground, and all the produce of the farm
consumed. Four cows, a mare in foal, and a valuable three-
year old colt, perished in the flames. It is supposed to be
the work of an incendiary.—Sloskport Advertiser.

CORN-EXCHANGE--THIS DAT.
Oats are the only grain of which we have a good supply, and with
them we fled the trade' cry heavy. and as inclination to lower prices.
Bosley is very short in quantity, owing to contrary w oda, and may be
quoted at 2s. higher than on this day semaight. We have scarcely any
Wheat In the marker, notwithstanding which the trade is very dull, and
last week's prices. Pori and Beans remain steady in prices. Flout Is
'still at lase week's quotations.
Wheat.new,Kent, Reset 7Gs 84si Peas, Grey . :iGs 42s
Old . —s —s 1 Beans Small . . 42, 46a
Suffolk. (White) .: 74s 8211 lick . 364 411 e
Norfolk & Sue (Red), 66. 7114' Oats, Potato, . 284 34a
Rye . 30s 34s Poland . 26s Us
Barley, 42. 44s ..Fine 46s 601 Feed . . 22. us
Peas, White . 42s 44s Flour, per sack, . . eh 66
Boilers . . 46s 494 Rapeseed . 436 £3B per last
altlVAll.
Wheat, English (qn.) - MN Barley, Foreign . - no
Irish -..— Oats, loglials - 13.1b3
%Min - - - 1.U3 Irish - - 20,64
Riley. English - - 4,334 Foreign
Irish - - - --I Flour (sacks)

6,367

SMITHIPIRLD.-THIS DAY.
caTTLI AT MAUI? $
Dooms, 2A7l—Sbeep, 90,59 S—Pi so, 140—C.oloot, 310.
flood ....... 60dtods id Pork .......... a ild So 0d
Memo .... 4. 9d do Id I Lomb ..... -01 Od Is Ild
Tod. Is Ild to es 01
0.7 (pet load), .12 11.. to it 4 Ot. Own, Al lb. to IS as.-.
Wow, il lb. to /1 111

.
1 . COAL-EXCHANGE—THIS DAY.
B=toe sow Mips wore eatioed for Isle wig, aall the supply of
Cool woo bat atedeeate i of Newcoode *saltesitute wee sabot
apply at imolai& The Coal Midway woo well
Ohm waived *Ma, the Loath
Daft lb. week
Ihst valuta Cash IS Id Ile Of -
Cotter mess ... fie id lits id
ads et Mob% 74.