PARLIAMENT. 
621 
fotne of them, indeed, fo wild as to defeat their own end, 
of which due advantage lias always been taken by the 
enemies of all reform. But the moft reafonable plans 
have hitherto always been negatived ; of which we may 
inftance thofe of fir Francis Burdett and of Mr. Brand ; 
(fee the article London, vol. xiii. p. an, 12. and 287, 8.) 
Not to attempt to render things more perfeff, becaufe 
they cannot be quite perfeB, is as abfurd as to refolve to 
be miferable, becaufe no one can be perfectly happy. To 
the enemies of reform is offered for confideration a fliort 
extra £1 from the fpeech of Mr. Pitt, when Chancellor of 
the-Exchequer, in which, defcanting on w hat the popular 
branch of the legiflature fliould be, he fays, it fliouid be 
“ an aflembly freely defied, between whom and the mafs 
of the people there muff be the clofeft union, and moft 
perfect lympathy. Such a houfe of commons it was the 
purpofe of the conftitution originally to ereft ; and fuch 
a houfe of commons it is the wifh of every reformer now 
to eftalolifh.” But at the outfet of his parliamentary ca¬ 
reer, and before he got into power, he was a much more 
bold and decided reformer: “ Without a parliamentary 
reform,” faid he, “the nation will be plunged into new 
wars ; without a parliamentary reform, you cannot be 
fafe againft bad minifters, nor can good miniiters be of 
ufe to you. No how ft man can, according to ilie prefect 
Jyftem, continue minifter." (Pitt’s Speech, 1782.) Mr. Pitt 
did, however, become minifter very foon after; and did 
continue fo, with little interruption, for twenty years. 
It is remarked by a l'enfible barrifter, Mr. Stephens, in 
his Life of Horne Tooke that, “ According to the ac¬ 
knowledged principles of the Englifh conftitution, tax¬ 
ation and reprefentation are terms relative and infepara- 
ble. This dodtrine, which feems to be clearly interwoven 
with the texture of our ancient Gothic polity, is fully 
eftablifiied by fadts, as well as by analogy. It has been 
a died upon in two memorable inftances, both of which 
have proved highly falutary and beneficial to the empire, 
the union with Scotland and Ireland. Soon after the an¬ 
nexation of Wales, that country alfo was empowered to 
fend knights, citizens, and burgeffes, to parliament; 
and there is a remarkable document dill in exiftence 
that ferves to demonftrate the univerfaiity of the pofition 
even when applied to tranj'marine dominions recently ob¬ 
tained by conqueft; for a writ was ilfued during the firft 
part of the reign of Edward VI. enjoining the inhabitants 
to return a member for the town of Calais !” (See the lift, 
farther on.) And a departure from this maxim loft 11s 
the American colonies. 
On the 31ft of May, 1821, Mr. Bennet moved for leave 
to bring in a bill “for better fecuring the independence 
of parliament.” Of 51 members of the houfe who filled 
places at pleafure under the crown, he proposed to ex¬ 
clude 29, who would vote for any minifter or for any 
meafure, and who were in truth retained only upon that 
condition; and he inftanced the recent cafe of the earl 
of Fife, who had been difmifi'ed from his fituation as a 
lord of the bed-chamber, (Apr. 6.) in confequence of his 
having voted againft the minifter. We need not enter 
into a farther detail of the intended provifions of the bill 
(lince leave even to bring it in was refufed), nor of the ar¬ 
guments ufed in favour of it. But we ihall aft fo unfairly 
as to give the reafons urged againft it. The Hon. Mr. F. 
Robinfon, the only one of his majefty’s minifters who 
fpoke upon the fubjedi, faid, that in all governments 
“there muft be a certain degree of influence, for it was 
impoffible that the bufinefs of parliaments could be carried 
on by mere abftraft principles of right and wrong.” The 
eventjultified Mr. Robinlon’s argument; for, upon a di- 
vifion, that weil-dilciplined phalanx of placemen, who are 
ready to vote for the minifter of the day without any re¬ 
gard to the “ mere abftradf principles of right and wrong,” 
left Mr. Bennet in a minority of 24, a imaller number 
than he had intended, by his bill, to lop off. The num¬ 
bers were—for the motion 52, againft it 76. 
On the 8th of June, 1821, a bill paffed for disfranchi- 
Vol. XVIII. No, 1269. 
fing the borough of Grampound in Cornwall, in con¬ 
fequence of notorious adls of bribery, and for adding 
two members to the two now returned by the county 
of York. 2 Geo. IV. c. 47. It had been propofed to transfer 
the eledlive franchife to the unreprefented town of 
Leeds, and in that (fate the bill paffed the commons, but' 
was altered in the lords, the earl of Liverpool having- 
given it as his opinion, that the creation of a new borough 
ought only to be done through the medium of the crown. 
Mr. Oldfield’s plan of reform is to cut off the decayed 
and rotten boroughs, and to reftore thofe to their rights 
who have been at various times disfranchifed for canfes 
which do not at prefent exift. We fliall therefore tran- 
fcribe from his Appendix a lift of thofe towns which fent 
members in different reigns, from that of Edward I. to 
the prefent time; defcribing the different periods'at 
which they fent members, as is proved by the writs ftill 
extant; to which we fhall alio add, the ’dates of their dis¬ 
continuance, or disfranchilement. 
Counties. Boroughs. 
Bedfordfhire Dunllable 
Berkfhire Newbury 
Summoned. Difcontinued. 
4Edvv. II. 11 Edw. III. 
Cambridgefh. Ely 
Cornwall Poiurun 
Cumberland Egremont 
Devonshire 
Bradnefham 
Crediton 
Exmouth 
Fremington 
Liddeford 
Modbury 
South Moulton 
Teign mouth 
Torrington 
Dorfetfhire 
Bland ford 
Sherborn 
Effex 
Chelmsford 
Hampfliire 
Alresford 
A Iton 
Bafingftoke 
Fareham 
Odiham 
Overton 
Herefordfhire Bromyard 
Ledbury 
Rofs 
Hertfordfiiire Berkliamftead 
Stortefort 
Kent Greenwich 
Tunbridge 
Lancafhire Manchefter 
Leicefterfnire MeitonMowbray 11 Edw. III. 12 Edw. III. 
30 Edw. I. 31 Edw I. 
23 Edw. I. 27 Edw.III. 
11 Edw. III. j2 Edw. III. 
23 Edw. I. 24 Edw. I. 
6 Edw. II. 7 Edw. II. 
35 Edw. I. 36 Edw. I. 
14 Edw. III. 15Edw.HI. 
6 Edw. III. 7 Edw.III. 
.28 Edw. I. 30 Edw. I. 
34 Edw. I. 35 Edw. I. 
30 Edw. I. 31 Edw. I. 
14 Edw. III. 15 Edw. III. 
23 Edw. I. 45 Edw. III. 
23 Edw. I. 22 Edw. III. 
11 Edw. III. 12Edw.HI. 
11 Edw. III. 12Edw.ni. 
23 Edw. I. 35 Edv,'. I. 
23 Edw. I, 4 Edw.II. 
23 Edw. I. 4Edw.II. 
34Edw. I. 36 Edw.I, 
28 Edw. I. 36 Edw. I. 
23 Edw. I. 2 Edw. II. 
33 Ed w. I. 34Edw. I. 
23 Edw. I. 34Edw.I. 
33 Edw. I. 34Edw.I. 
11 Ed w. III. 15 Edw. III. 
4 Edw. II. 15Edw.ni. 
4 & 5 P. & M. 6 P. & M. 
23 Edw. I. 24Edw. I. 
Com. wealth. Reiloration. 
Lincolnfhire Spalding 
Way n fleet 
Northumberl.Bam berg 
Corbi ccr 
11 Edw. III. 12 Edw.HI. 
11 Edw. III. 1 2 Edw.HI. 
23 Edw. I. 24.Edw.I. 
23 Edw. I. 24Edw. I. 
34 Edw. I. 35 Edw. I. 
Oxfordfhire Burford 
Chipping Norton 28 Edw. I. 34 Edw, I, 
Doddington 
Witney 
Somerfetfliire Axbridge 
Chard 
Du after 
Glaftonbury 
Langport 
Montacute 
' Stoke Curcy 
Watchet 
Were 
30 Edw. I. 34Edw. I. 
33 Edw. I. 5 Edw. HI. 
23 Edw. I. 17 Edw. III. 
28 Edw. I. 3 Edw. III. 
34 Edw. III. 35 Edw. III. 
12 Edw. Ill, 1 3 Edw. III. 
33 Edw. I. 36 Edw I. 
33 Edw. I. 34 Edw. I. 
34 Edw. III. 35 Edw. III. 
30 Edvv. I. 31 Edw. I. 
34 Edw. I. 36 Edw. I 
Suffolk * Yarmouth Parva 11 Edw. III. 12 Edw. IIL 
Surfey Farnham 4 Edw. II. 38 Hen. VI. 
Kingfton 4 Edw. II. 47 Edw.III. 
Wiltfhire Bradford 23 Edw. I. 24Edw. I. 
Mere 23 Edw. I. 1 Edw. II. 
Highworth 26 Edw. I. 27 Edw.IV. 
7 T Wor- 
