presentation of the country; and among whom there is at this moment raised a degree of excitement which has never been equalled except at the period of the French revolution; and the petitioners state that the only way to allay this excitement is to grant a very considerable extension of the elective franchise, without which no safety to the well-being of the country can be ensured; and, further, that unless parliament shall be by some measure bound over to good behaviour, they have no security for the repose of the kingdom.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

Feb. 28, 1831.

Petitions in favor of vote by ballot, were presented by Mr. BELL, from Hexham, Bethersden, and the county of Northumberland; by Sir R. BATESON from Londonderry; by Mr. JONES from Carmarthen; by Mr. LAMB from Melbourne; by Mr. WOOD, from the Birmingham Priestly Society; by Mr. BENETT, from Kirton; by Mr. ADEANE from St. Peter's, Wisbeach; by Lord EBRINGTON from Exeter; by Mr.WILKS from Long Sutton; by Sir C.GREVILLE from Warwick; and by Mr. WILBRAHAM from Nantwich.

Petitions in favor of reform were presented by Mr. ADEANE from St. Mary Wisbeach; by Mr. BUCK from Exeter; by Mr. P. St. JOHN MILDMAY from Winchester; by Lord EBRINGTON from New ton Abbot, Newton Bushel, and Shebbeare; by Mr. STRUTT from Derby; by Mr. EGERTON from Macclesfield; by Lord ALTHORP from Pembroke; by Mr. S. LEFEVRE from Basingstoke; by Mr. L.WELLESLEY from Devizes, the county of Essex, and Walter Honeywood Yate, the author of "Dissertations on the Corruptions and abuses of the Elective Franchise and Representative System;" by Sir F. BLAKE from Berwick-upon-Tweed;

by Sir R. PEEL from Banff, and Micklemersh in Southampton; by Mr. MABERLEY, from Abingdon; by Sir T. ACKLAND from Plymouth; by Mr. Ald. WOOD from the Ward of Cripplegate, London; by Mr. Ald. WAITHMAN from St. Dunstan's Stepney; by Sir J. GRAHAM from Leith, Carluke, Monmouth, and Lanark ; by Mr. BAINBRIDGE from Taunton; by Mr. HUNT from Christchurch Surrey, Somerton, Accrington, Bury St. Edmond's, Ashford in the Water, Thane, Macclesfield, Yeovil and Chorley, by Lord NUGENT from Alesbury, Walton, Hughendon, Radnage, and Blednow; by Mr. C. GRANT from Inverness and Peebles; by Mr. HUNT from New Town, Miles Platting, St. George's Road and Islington, in Manchester.

Mr. J. WOOD.—I have to present a petition from the city of York, where the right of election is in the freemen who are limited in number, and a large proportion of the wealthy and educated inhabitants are altogether excluded. In those large cities where the elective franchise is confined to a few persons, there is only a nominal representation. The Members are no more the representatives of the inhabitants of those cities than they are representatives of the Nabob of Arcot, or the Rajah of Tanjore. At the last election for the city of York, I understand the unsuccessful candidate spent 20,000l., and the other candidates 5000%. each. I understand that influence of all descriptions was exercised at that election, combined with bribery. It has been stated to me that, in forty days after the Members had taken their seats, a certain sum was given to each of the poor freemen who had voted for them. This fact is confirmed by a letter which I have seen, signed by 300 freemen, and addressed to the unsuccessful

candidate, informing him that, unless he paid a certain sum of money, he must never again expect their votes. I have also in my hand a handbill distributed on the occasion. It is entitled "An Account of the Memorable Division to rob the Poor Freemen of their Guineas." They call it a robbery; and this handbill was sent to all who were supposed to have advised the candidate not to submit to bribery and not to deal in corruption. Now, I contend that the Legislature should adopt means to defeat the claims of men who consider themselves robbed if they are not paid for exercising the elective franchise. If the proposed reform does not reach to large towns and cities, in my opinion it will be worth nothing. A great proportion of the freemen of those cities are non-resident, and, when an election comes, the candidates are under the necessity of bringing in the out-voters, and houses are opened for regaling them, to which houses the resident freemen also resort, and scenes of profligacy take place which are a disgrace to the country. I bring forward the case of the city of York, merely as a sample of the state of all the great towns, in which there is merely a pretence of representation, for it is nothing more. I say it, not to disparage individuals, or the inhabitants of any particular town; but if the measure of reform does not embrace large cities, having a great number of out-voters, it will leave, perhaps, the most objectionable part of the present system untouched. York and Liverpool, and almost every large town which is now afflicted with the curse of an election, wants reform. The number of resident voters is so small, that there is no virtual representation; and the city of York is as much in need of the extension of the franchise, and of reform, as the borough of Evesham.

Mr. MABERLY in presenting

a petition from Croydon, said-the representation of the county of Surrey, with the exception of Cornwall, is worse than any other county in England. Surrey sends fourteen Members to this House, but only six of them are elected by the people, the other eight being returned by five individuals. I would ask the Government whether this be not a case deserving its particular attention? that it is one requiring reform no man can doubt. Here above 300,000 people, the second county in point of wealth in the kingdom, are represented by five individuals, four of whom are Peers, and one of whom is a commoner. The places for which these five individuals nominate Members, are Gatton, Haslemere, Reigate, and Bletchingly, all of them rotten boroughs, the greater part of which have been bought and sold since I have been resident in that county, and some of them lately for a very large sum of money. The consequence is, the county is worse off than if it were not represented at all; the eight Members nominated by the five individuals alluded to more than outbalancing the number elected by the people.