ot till now fully appreciated. The new bill, he
contended, was a full and complete answer to the calumnies of which they
had heard so much in the last session against the factious delays, as
they were then called, of those who sought to introduce some of those
very modifications now adopted by the noble lord who brought forward the
former measure. There was scarcely an amendment in schedule A which had
been offered from the opposition side of the house which had not been
adopted. The principle of population was abandoned; and the preservation
of the rights of freemen, which the opposition had vainly struggled to
introduce last session, was now voluntarily urged by the noble lord, as
an improvement in his new plan of reform. He would not stop to inquire,
he said, why when five boroughs were taken out of schedule A as many
more should be added, so as to make the number fifty-six; nor would he
now examine why the number of boroughs having but one member each should
be reduced from sixty-nine to forty-nine; nor would he enter into any
inquiry as to the cause of the change in the right of voting in cities
and counties; he left all these matters for future discussion;--but
he must congratulate himself and his friends on the effect of the
opposition which they made to the last bill. He was not surprised that
the noble mover should have been so severe on the last bill; but he must
say, that he was not prepared for such a sacrifice to the manes of the
late parliament as the adoption of the resolution of General Gaseoyne,
by keeping up the number of members undiminished. After all that had
been said, both in and out of the house, as to the nature and the object
of the opposition, it was declared to be the deliberate conviction of
the king's government, that the objections which the opposition took
were well founded. He rejoiced for the sake of the character of those on
that side of the house with whom he had the honour to act, that such a
triumphant refutation was brought forward of the charges which had
been made against them. He rejoiced, also, not only on account of the
amendments which had been made in the details of the bill; but because,
if the house should determine, on the second reading of the bill, to
adopt the principle of the measure, and to make so extraordinary and
extensive a change in the frame and constitution of the government of
this country, he could not help thinking that when they approached the
discussion of