he metropolis, an
extraordinary assembly of the national union took place. Mr. Hume was
in the chair, and various resolutions were agreed to, all urging the
necessity of the bill being passed without alterations; while a
petition to the house of lords stated that, in case of its mutilation or
rejection, "there was reason to expect that the payment of taxes would
cease; that other obligations of society would be disregarded; and that
the ultimate consequence might be the utter extinction of the privileged
orders."

REASSEMBLING OF PARLIAMENT.

Parliament reassembled after the Easter recess on the 7th of May. The
house of lords then went into committee on the reform bill, no attempt
having been made by the opposition to move any obstructions to it.
In the committee, Earl Grey stated that the house would probably be
inclined to follow the course which had been adopted by the commons;
namely, to dispose of the disfranchising clauses, leaving the schedules
for future consideration. He proposed that the number fifty-six should
not be specified, but that their lordships should come to a successive
vote on each individual borough as part of the clause. He thought this
the best method of obviating objections which had been made to the
clause as it now stood. Lord Lyndhurst, however, thought it would be
still more convenient to postpone the consideration of the first
clause altogether. If this were done, he should likewise propose the
postponement of the second clause; and he would take this course for the
purpose of entering on the consideration of the boroughs and places
to be enfranchised--a matter which, he thought, ought to be discussed
before the house entered on the question of disfranchisement. His
lordship admitted that he considered the second reading of the bill to
have fixed the three principles of disfranchisement, enfranchisement,
and extension of suffrage; but he contended that the house was not
fettered, in the slightest degree, as to the point to which these
principles were to be carried, although he had no hesitation in saying
that, after all that had passed in both houses of parliament, and
looking at the state of the country, and the expectations that were
abroad, neither he, nor those with whom he acted, were disposed to
suggest any alterations which would render the measure unsatisfactory
to intelligent reformers. He observed, that Lord John Russell had
said on a previous day, "Let us first agree as