question brought to a speedy
and satisfactory settlement. In the different discussions on the reform
bill, ministers had agitated principles which did not admit of any
satisfactory settlement. It was his conscientious belief, indeed, that
the principles of the bill were so many impediments to the settlement
of the question, which the ministers themselves had not the capacity
to remove. In reply, Lord Althorp justified the short notice on which
parliament had been called together, by the circumstances of the
country. Mr. Hume made some remarks on the distress of the country,
which he connected with the paper currency, and he moved this
amendment:--"That in the present critical and alarming state of the
country, when trade and manufactures were reduced to such difficulties
by the withdrawing of, and narrowing the circulation, without a
proportionate reduction of taxation, by which the means of all but those
who lived upon the taxes were reduced one-half in value, the greatest
distress existed; that these were aggravated by the baleful system
called free-trade, by which a competition of foreign silks, gloves, and
other articles was permitted with our own manufactures; that by these
means the people were driven to desperation and frenzy, and that to
these causes were to be attributed those incendiary proceedings going
on in the country; that for these reasons the house do adjourn, to give
time to ministers to prepare a suitable address, taking proper notice of
the state and condition of the country." Mr. Hume said that he did not
move this amendment to get rid of the address, but to give ministers
time to consider whether they would not depart from the practice of
making the address a mere echo of the speech. No member, however, would
second the amendment, and therefore it fell to the ground.

NEW REFORM BILL.

On the 12th of December, pursuant to notice, Lord John Russell moved for
leave to bring in a new reform bill. He first called upon the house to
remember Earl Grey's declaration on the rejection of the former bill
in the house of lords--namely, that he remained in office only with
the view of bringing forward another and no less efficient measure of
reform. The principles of the two measures, he said, were the same--any
alterations which had been made left its efficiency unimpaired. He
conceived that, as a resolution had been passed by the house of commons
in favour of the last measure, it was only necessary t