1826.] 



[ 5*1 ] 

 POLITICAL OCCURRENCES, &c. 



OtTE political (lif^est is tliis month un- 

 usually biief, moro CRpecially the earlier 

 part of It ; no circiimstaiirx's of any leading 

 public interest having occurred until the 

 10th, when, on tlie motion of the Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer, the llei)orts of the Board 

 of Trade and the Treasurer of the Navy 

 were brought uj). Mr. Ilohliouse, in a 

 speech of some length, protested vehemently 

 against them, and regretted that ISIinisters 

 had chosen that period for adding to the 

 numerous items of expense. Mr. Cainiing 

 in reply observed, that not one single item 

 of wanton expense had been incurred, but 

 that in fact every possible reduction, as the 

 reports themselves would testify, had been 

 made. On the 12th, Mr. Abercromby made 

 a motion for a bill to amend the representa- 

 tion of Edinburgl), and observed, that al- 

 though its population amounted to 100,000, 

 yet the freemen of the corporation amounted 

 only to thirty-three. If an amendment 

 were made in the representation of the 

 capital, he would extend it gradually to all 

 the other burghs. Sir I-Vancis lUirdett 

 seconded the motion, and called on Mr. Can- 

 ning to come forward and do that service to 

 the country at large which the Op])0»ition, 

 throughout tiie session, bad done to Minis- 

 ters, by giving them the benefit of their 

 votes and influence. He alluded more ])ar- 

 ticularly to this individual motion of the 

 representation of Edinburgh, which he said 

 W'as intimately connected with the great 

 question of Parliamentary Reform. Mr. 

 Canning in reply observed, that any amend- 

 ment in the representation of Edinburgh 

 appeared to him i)erfectly unnecessary ; that 

 the counti-y at large, and in the ca))ital es|)e- 

 cially, seemed i)erfectly contented with the 

 mode of election in its present state, and 

 that it would be worse than madness to 

 disturb the harmony of Scotland by any 

 attempt, however plausible, at iimovation. 

 After a short rcjily from Mr. Abercromby 

 the Mouse divided, and the motion was 

 negatived by a majority of 122 to 97. 

 On the 14th, Mr. Hume, after some pre- 

 liminary remarks, again reverted to the 

 subject of M'estrainster Abbey, and called 

 for a copy of the charter or letters-patent 

 granted by Queen Elizabeth in the second 

 year of her reign, by which, of her free 

 bounty, she conferred the church or abbey 

 of Westminster on the Dean and Chapter 

 for ever, and subjected it to their sole and 

 lawful management. Mr. Peel in i-eply, 

 contended that he was justified in resisting 

 the documents, for that the Dean and 

 Chajiter had already made considerable re- 

 ductions in the prices of admission ; and 

 that the sums thus obtained went to the 

 support of the minor canons ; as also to 

 the occasional repairs of the Abbey. On 

 the 17th Mr. Abercromby rose to present 

 a petition from G. Farquharson, a Chancery 

 reporter. The petition stated that he had 



been a reporter in Chancery for twenty 



years ; that, on applying for admission 

 on Friday and Saturday lust, he was in- 

 formed by tlie ofticers that they had orders 

 to exclude all reporters. The Solicitor 

 General said that such a ])etition was super- 

 fluous, for that no such order had been 

 given. i\Ir. Scarlett in the course of the 

 debate expressed liis contempt for the new 

 law courts, and observed that they were as 

 confi^ned as inelegant, without affording the 

 slightest convenieiicics eitli»r to practi- 

 tioners or to the public. The Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer said that the architect had 

 gi'cat dithciiltics to contend with, and that, 

 considering he was circumsc-ribed in space, 

 he had done very well. On the 19th a 

 stormy debate took ]ilace on the subject of 

 the Court of Chancery, in which Mr. Hume 

 described it as being, " together with the 

 Chancellor, a cuive to the country." This 

 called up Mr. Peel, who rejjlied in no very 

 gentle terms to Mr. Hume's anathema ; 

 but witlunit much effect on the mind of 

 that gentleman, as he ob.served in bis re- 

 joinder, that, " on mature consideration, he 

 found himself justified in repeating his 

 opinion that the Court of Chancery was a 

 curse to the country." ^Mr. Williams made 

 a severe att<ick on the Chancellor for his 

 alleged tenacity of place, which, as he 

 ol)ser\'ed, he would quit only with with life. 

 Mr. Canning defended Lord Kldon, after 

 which the House divided on the question. 

 On the 20th Mr. W. Whitmore brought 

 forward a motion relative to the Com 

 Laws, and moved " that the House do 

 resolve itself into a committee of the vhole 

 House, on the view of taking into conside- 

 ration tiic state of the Corn Laws." The 

 motion was negatived by a majority of 2.50 

 to 81. These are the principal political 

 events that have taken place in the British 

 Parliament during the last, comparatively 

 speaking, pacific month. 



With respect to the Continent : Spain it 

 seems has been again thrown into a state 

 of anarcliy; so much so that the a,ssistance 

 of the French has been found necessary to 

 repel them. Greece is in a deplorable con- 

 dition ; it has all the anarchy and more tliaii 

 the poverty of Spain, without its ultimate 

 and redeeming chance of emancipation. 

 Missolonghi, by some papers, is described 

 as having fallen into the possession of the 

 Turks, which others strenuously contradict; 

 we are afraid that the former report is the 

 true one, as well as the frightful massacres 

 which are reported to have taken place 

 there. 



Private accounts from Calcutta, dated 

 December 1825, state that the Burmese 

 war is still being carried on, and that the 

 King's fine regiment, the 31st, is under 

 orders for Rangoon. The "lith returned 

 from Arraean ten days since, dreadfully re- 

 duced by famine, sickness, and decay. 



