manner in which it had been worded; for though he was friend-. ly to a temperate reform, he would not go the length which feemed to be the object of this petition; a representation from population alone. We had too much reafon, he faid, to diffent from fuch a plan, from the confufion and anarchy of France. On his moving that the petition be brought up, Mr. Ryder oppofed it, on the ground that it was worded in a manner difrefpectful to the Houfe. After fome debate the House divided, for receiving the petition 29, against it 108.

On the fame day Mr. Whitbread presented a petition from the inhabitants of Birmingham, figned by 2720 perfons, praying for a parliamentary reform. On a divifion, it was received by a majority of 102 votes against 24.

A fimilar petition was prefented by Mr. Lambton for the city of Durham and its neighbourhood, which was alfo received.

On the 6th of May, lord George Henry Cavendish prefented a petition from certain inhabitants of the town and vicinity of Derby, praying for a reform of the reprefentation of the people in parliament, which was brought up and ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Browne prefented a petition to the fame effect from a number, of the inhabitants of the town of Poole, in Dorsetshire.

Mr. Wharton prefented a petition of the fame nature from certain inhabitants in or near the parish of Aldgate, in the city of London.

Mr. Hobart ftated, that he held in his hand a petition, figned by upwards of 3700 inhabitants of

parishes in the vicinity of the city of Norwich ; but he doubted whether it would be received, as the names were fubfcribed to a printed copy of the petition, in breach of the orders of the Houfe.

After fome converfation refpecting the propriety of receiving this petition in its prefent ftate, it was propofed by Mr. Sheridan, that (in. order to prevent the important bufinefs to be brought on by Mr. Grey from being delayed) the motion for bringing up the petition fhould be withdrawn, which was accordingly done.

A petition from certain inhabi tants of the town of Warwick, and its neighbourhood, was prefented by Mr. William Smith; one from about 1000 inhabitants of Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, by Mr. Erikine; one from a number of inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Dundee, by Mr. Sheridan; one from a number of inhabitants of the town of Paifley, by Mr. Whitbread; one from certain inhabitants of the burgh of Montrofe, by Mr. Curwen; one from certain inhabitants of the town of Kilmarnock, another from certain inhabitants of the burgh of Kilmarnock, and another from certain inhabitants of Newmills,in the parish of Loudoun and fhire of Ayr, by Mr. Wharton; one from certain inhabitants of the county of Perth, by Mr. Lambton; one from a great number of inha-, bitants of the city of Edinburgh, of the whole length of the floor of the House, and praying for a thorough reform in the reprefentation, by Colonel Macleod; one from certain inhabitants of the town of Dumbarton, by Mr. Whitbread ;one from certain inhabitants of the L 3

burgh

burgh of Irvine; another from certain inhabitants of the town of Strathaven ; another from certain inhabitants of the burgh of the county of Roxburgh; another from certain inhabitants of the burgh of Linlithgow, and another from certain inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Anftruther, by colonel Macleod; and one from a number of inhabitants of the town of Nottingham, and neighbourhood thereof, by Mr. Grey. ́

Mr. Grey then prefented a petition, purporting to be the petition of certain perfons whofe names were thereunto fubfcribed, which was brought up and read by the clerk. The petition was of fich length,that the reading of it employed nearly half an hour. It stated, with great propriety and diftinétnefs, the defects which at prefent exift in the reprefentation of the people in parliament. It took notice of the divifion of the reprefentation, or the proportions in which the different countries contribute to the total number of the reprefentatives; fhewing, under that lead,, the abford difproportion which takes place in a variety of inftances; infomuch, that the county of Cornwall alone fends more members to parliament than the counties of York, Rutland, and Middlesex, put together, &c. It proceeded to take notice of the diftribution of the elective franchife, or the proportional number by which the different reprefentatives are elected; ftating, under that head, that a majority of the whole Houfe of Commons is elected by lefs than 15,000 perfons; or, in other words, by the twohundredth part of the people to be reprefented, fuppofing that they confift only of three millions of

adults, &c. It went on to take no tice of the right of voting, or the, various reftrictions and limitations' under which the privilege of a vote for the choice of a reprefentative is beftowed; ftating the great evils and inequalities that prevail in that refpect. It afterwards took notice of the qualifications to be poffeffed by candidates and thofe elected; and then confidered the evils arifing from the length of the duration of parliaments. It went on then to detail the mode in which elections are conducted and decided;" and, under that head, fhewing the evils arifing from the length of time to which polls are protracted, from the influence of corporations, by the powers entrusted to returning officers, and from the appeal to the Houfe of Commons under the operations of the acts 10th, 11th, 25th, and 28th of Geo. III. as far as the fame relate to expence and delay. The petition proceeded to take notice of the mischief refulting from the defects and abuses which it had previously pointed out, particularly by the fyftem of private patronage and the influence poffeffed by peers and wealthy commoners in the nomination of what are called the reprefentatives of the people; fhewing, under this head, that, by the patronage and influence of feventy-one peers and ninety-one commoners, the return of no fewer than three hundred and fix members of that Houfe was procured, which confiderably exceeded a majority of the Houte. The petition dwelt at confiderable length, upon all the points already mentioned, and detailed a variety of other abuses, all which the petitioners offered to fubftantiate by proof; and it concluded by ftating

the great neceffity there was for the application of an immediate remedy, and the high importance of fuch a measure; and prayed the House to take the matter into their ferious confideration, and to apply fuch remedy and redrefs to the evils complained of as thould appear proper.

After the petition had been read, Mr. Burke expreffed his with to. know from whence the petition came which had just been read, as: the place of refidence of the peti-; tioners was not mentioned.

The namesof the petitioners were then read by the clerk; after which, Mr. Grey rofe, and faid, it was certainly not uncommon that petitions thould be prefented to that House from perfons not defcribing their place of abode, or affuming any other description than that of the perfons whofe names were fub fcribed to the petition: if, how ever, it would afford any fatisfaction to the right honourable gentleman, he had no objection what ever to state, that all the subscribers refide either in London, or near it, and that the petition had been drawn up and figned there.

He was aware, he faid, of the difficulties he had to encounter, in bringing forward this butinefs; he was aware how ungracious it would be for that houfe, to thew that they are not the real reprefentatives of the people; he was aware, that the question had been formerly agitated, on different occafions, by great and able characters, who have deferted the cause, from despair of fuccefs; but he was never thelefs determined to make another effort in the service of the British conftitution. Many had been, he lamented, the ufuccefsful at

>

tempts to bring about a reform.. At different times, the great ques tion of reform has been brought forward; but a proper time has never yet been found for it. In 1733, a motion was made in that House, by Mr. Bromley, for a re peal of the feptennial act, and that motion was feconded in a very able> fpeech by fir William Wyndham At that time the propofition wast met, and fuccessfully refifted, upon the pretence of danger arifing from Papifts and Jacobites plotting against the state and the conftitu tion. In 1745. another attempt was made, and that was the only! occafion on which the pretence of danger was not made ufe of, although the country was then in a ftate of war and difturbance; but the fuccefs of the attempt was juft the fame as of the former one. Again, he faid, the bufinefs came to be agitated in the year 1758 then alfo the motion was rejected. i The right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) had himself brought for ward the fubject three different times, in 1782, in 1783, and, laftly, in 1785, when he was mišˇ nifter. The fame objection, with? respect to the time, was then made,♪ and combated by the right honourable gentleman, ftrongly and powerfully in argument, but without effect.

The bufinefs of reform appeared! to have flept from 1785 to 1790, when it was again brought forward:t by Mr. Flood. At that time, the internal convulfion in France had been just begun, and it was then › asked, whether we should think of repairing our houfe in the burri-I cane feafon. He expected alfo to! be told, that the danger is now! greater than ever this country ex

L4

perienced;

perienced if, however, there ever was any danger to this country from the propagation of French principles, or from the encrease of French dominion; the danger is completely at an end; as it is impoffible that any fet of men, who had not actually lost their fenfes, fhould ever propofe the French revolution as a model for imitation. For all the evils that did or might at any time threaten our country, there was no remedy fo. certain or fo powerful, as a pure and uncorrupted House of Commons; emanating fairly and freely from the people. Had a reform in the reprefentation of the people taken place at the conclufion of the peace in 1763, this country would, in all likelihood, have escaped the American war. If it.. had taken place laft year, it would probably have faved us from our prefent diftreffes. At prefent it is faid, that principles have been fupported by arguments equally dangerous to the conftitution and to order: but how can these be fo well met, as by amending the, errors of the conftitution. However unwilling he was to reft. this cafe on the foundation of authority, he thought it right, at a time when all thofe who propofed any change in the prefent ftate of things were charged with bad views, to declare that it had been: fupported by Mr. Locke, by Mr. Juftice Blackstone, by the late fir George Saville, by the earl of Chatham, and by the prefent mafter of the rolls, the prefent lord chief baron, and the prefent lord, chief juftice of the king's bench. It had been fupported by the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) himself, and by the duke of Richmond, and by an authority fill

greater than these, viz. by a fpeech of his majefty from the throne. Onlooking into the journals of the 24th of May, 1784, he found a motion made, that the king's fpeech fhould be read, wherein his majefty fays that he would be always defirous to concur with his parliament, in fupporting and maintaining, in their just balance, the rights of every branch of the legislature. If he did not think it requifite to follow the petition in the detail of› facts, it was for no other.caufe than that they are there fo fully stated, and can be diftinctly proved.. What could be more palpably abfurd, in: point of inequality, for inftance, than that the county of Cornwall › fhould fend to parliament almost as many members as the whole of Scotland? and that reprefentatives fhould be fent from places where hardly a house remains?

When he spoke of this country, he faid, that he did not speak of it as a fyftem which had been established at any other time. Noit had arifen out of various contingencies, and at different periods; and its goodness and excellence originated from the very cause, on account of which fome perfons have pretended to deny that we have any conftitution at all. But if there was one principle more strongly inculcated than another, at the time of the revolution, it was this, that the election of the House of Commous fhould be free. One of the refolutions carried at that important era was, that king James had violated the, freedom of election, whence it would follow that the crown ought not in a degree to interfere in the election of those who were to represent the people; but, that the latter thould be left to fend

to