Mr. Hibbert carried on Thursday night, by a majority of
36- 184 against 148—his amendment to the fourth clause of the Boundaries' Bill, which had practically the effect of restoring the recommendation of the Committee (presided over by Mr. Walpole) with respect to the boundaries of Birmingham and the other great cities, and overruling the recommendation of the Parliamentary Commissioners on boundaries. The discussion on the question between Mr. Adderley and Mr. Bright about Bir- mingham was very warm, Mr. Bright justly protesting against adding to a borough with already 350,000 inhabitants and only three members 25,000 souls more, who would be taken away from a county (North Warwickshire) with only 116,000 inhabitants and two members. He argued that to diminish the population of North Warwickshire with its two members to 91,000, and to increase that of Birmingham to 375,000 with only three members, was to render the representation of the whole district less efficient than ever, and to stimulate by so glaring an anomaly the cry for equal electoral districts. Mr. Bernal Osborne had also a sharp collision with the Member for East Retford, Lord Galway, who said viciously that if he did wish for a third member for East Retford, he should not wish "to have a buffoon" for one ; on which there were cries of "Order !" till Mr. Bernal Osborne said, quite coolly, "He is quite in order,"—and Lord Galway felt that I
he had lost his temper for nothing. The dying House certainly does not improve in "perfection of demeanour" on its death- bed.
