The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-27 00:00:00

ThE PL49.7.:r oPINIu,V
Oaf P.MI.MMESTARY RI:FORM.

. • !Co. VU.
MA tl 1 a S Fljit.T srseirse FLAN MI &SPORN IN TIII
3E. rATIVY 111 Patlol.lt.

j.okif Ritt•-talir t,. rrgioraSe 14e (alga...at And Ca%s.flit
tuna of an ancient, though t:ecaying fabric, the 4-,
pr-hensien of enclay.gering the by the harotiu.-
1i..3 ut repairs, nrd the determination, en the i art of.
ti.u.e. who had assumed it-. tha•i:e, retai 1, ;.t t ;
hazard, the enwicinett:s *riving rrain Its Jilapidati
Lad prep:lted the ;c.v.:eat s td. Realm for the orpt.si-
tion they exteriented in rt.,. iftraeft of Lostat'ons oil •
f l'itt, fu appoint:air a t i.ot.ti•-e to
toit,ire into the ~.!ate of tLe representatiun orike pcs•-:
e. Ihe 'Aeolic' of tieftrns, htweser uhf..rent tt.eic
I whet. nes e conl:vettCy conittiatd, and etlits.lrfatti
thair res staler ; whiir its most t sa.ous f. idiots, though
t.ratoto it setein:rnt un the tie,vssity of the oas..st.e.v..,
tirleretsr•o ~ were divided and weakened in thel. at-
env: Gil. o.lleretst opinions that prevailed awoke
0. ern j. ti,- Moe: eltrOdittli 11.0.!i by orbs. h the re-
s,,uu!ti Irraufo.l 416.10.. Thy? opposition
tb.- prosiest., inquiry was, Low..ter, foun i tees fur-
nistable, Non he spirit and in smasher*. than LA been
aN,.sitsndett ; and the result of the into:iusi eueourAged
ra:lssr the di..puiirlun for a future trial.
CAW.: oil r ham,. mur. than oar unexpected anti
vrato.ei..ar• w, yr.. net kiwi test. 0 place in the. untse
of the tn.', w b had the must ontarour.stilt effert tot
thspr44;•ess :it politic spirit. and the prospect of
Scarcely I.t.d tar} recur. red the injury
asy sat:eze fr:an the tumults pt the metro, (Ai • when
the death of tar Martinis of Rockingham. like th. fall
of the kry-st,ine of an arch, ocea,ioned tbr dissolution
• f the Miri•try over which he presided. lord Shel-
Lure had snect eds.! to the test of Pint Lord of the
reastry, and was areenipanied by Mr. Pitt, as Chan-
ts:ll3r of the Fact 'Tier: butt Mr. For, and other ad-
v•Jeates of ill.. pu;.tilar can..., had resigned the tares
they held, and the division had distracted the vies,
and trealoned !lir ener,:y of the friends of the people
is general. 'I he return of ra, ev are/stable as it was
to the nati..n at large, had nu tendency to resture to the
eriutic i arty either transittillity or confidence; for it i
wit.; immediately billowed by the surprising. roalitien
of Llr. Fox with Lord North, and by the restoration 1
of these leaders, with their adherents, to those seats in
the Administration which had been occupied by the
piny of Lord Shelbnrn.

_
Still sufficient spirit continued in the country to
urge another trial cf some corrective alteration in the
rpresoft:stion of the people. Many petitions to this
sa-ezt were again present. d from the several counties
a%ci other public bodies; and Mr. Pitt again stepped
I.:rssurd ist the Mast of Ctouno ps as Champion of
Psrliawentary Reform. The object he then proposed
.< a specific plan, ■ml the muti a he announced fern's
art era in the history of e.ublit opinion on the subject.
eared as it anwared to be lona the suggestion of
Load Chatham, the project of Mr. Pitt, inatialuate as
it :; as dream d to produce the effect desired, became
tt pstvnt un i the stimulus of other pleas more cum-
; r..hen,iee and pupdar in their native I aad the son-
timents he wheat's! in its support furnished ergo-
r.ents fur the necessity of Parliamentary iteforna,whichi
sere urged with activity and etfett, when hr had been
P dared to abandon its cause. At the period referred
to, the public mind appears to have entertained no sus-
; irian of his consistenry or sincerity. The anxiety to
witness his crorts on the introduction of his motion,
nKlaced an unaste.sl mond in the gallery of the
House, and such an attendance of Members as was
eeeteed almost (titres edentesi Upwards of MHO Meta-
Le:t were re' 1,03e41 to have attended on the occasion.
P was on the 7th of May, 11113, that the House was
called spun to take into consideration this important
motion.

After exp-e•sleg his profound r'spect for the fabric
of a Constitution which had raised the country to
fineness and glory, and declining the embarrassment
Le felt at being üblired to lay before the House the
imperfections of C:at Constitution to which every Eng-
-I:slautan ought to look with revcrential awe, Mr. Pitt
adverted to the nieiancholy series of events 'thick had
ezliesed the glary of Britain, and evinced a deviation
from those constitutional prineipiss under which the
eoi.le of England had f.r so long a time been
rally prepen•il to &inns's. Referring to the disav-
Vous cunseiptenc:•s of the Ameriern war, the immense
expentliture the puhlie m irey, the solisequent heavy
iterthen of taus, and the pressure of all Cie collateral
difficulties induced by the several circumstances. the
;•eople, he observed. had hy these means bevouse gra-
dually cis:gusted, and at last provoked to " tuns their
eyes toward on themselves," in order So see if there was
not siintetLing radically wrong at house, :hat was the
chief came ut all the evils they felt from their misfor-
tunes ali.osit. s.srelting for the internal sources of
f te.gn fatalities. they naturally turned their at-
tention to the Constitation alder *MA they lived.
an:l to tile Fractiee of it. L'pon looking to that Bosse,
C.ry t..un.i that by length of time, by the orig:n and
progress ot un.lue itleitiellee, and from other tasters. the
spirit of liberty awl the posters of cheek and c. ntrul
upon th« crown and the executive government, were
urea ly er.t,ned and debilitated. Bence clamours
sprung up without iloors ; and hence, as was pc. fectly
nature in the moment of anxiety, to produce an ade-
pt .te .eitte4l.., to a practical grievance, a s:orat f ere-
calm.° went torth, and a variety of schemes of
reform were Puildenly produced.
Isavaig traced the steps the yuhlic had taken to rec-
tify t..e practices by which they wen. asgrievets, atoll
mot eo Lie degree of recces, alit hail att nchil their
int snot s, he preen edeil to state the motives that or-
•is oared him at that mom, ut to suprort their i.etitions,
ano the pla.. he lima iu eiew to pi anode the important
alert to mei wishes. When he submitted this sub-
j err to the con. ii.eratlen of the Noise last year, he
said, lir. nas t..ld lbw " the subject ought not to be
discussed amidst the din of 1.1115 ; the objection was
Lot, .hen, without its force; Lot at prevent it could
t Lis matted, and we were happily once more in
the enjoyinetit el the blessings ut peace. yni., theft-
wax a proper time to liar r epee the kersti.,ezat
fvuomatiots. Ain, terry ems, rho gore hims.l) a
nuns, iba's u think, *ma Se stai,:/ted sews iv...wieldy
aecc.auti.y."
tiepeating his conviction, that the ruin be had de-
i.ru.t.esied from strauttLing suaiswifs 'cruet in i