Irttrr to flit attn.

SIR EARDLEY WILMOT'S AMENDED PLAN.

Bath, April 25, 1859. Sin—I have read with that interest and attention, which any remarks coming from your powerful pen must always necessarily command, the re- view of the present aspect of the Reform Question contained in your leader of the 16th instant ; your reasoning and conclusions upon the Ministerial position, regarding it from the eminence of public opinion, appear to me to be most sound, practical, and just ; while the exposition of them cannot but be of very great value in clearing away the mists and obscurity, which have been purposely and mistakenly, even in point of policy, thrown over the consti- tuencies, in connexion with the Dissolution of Parliament. I cannot, how- ever, although fully approving of some features which distinguish the rough sketch of a future Reform Bill, which you have given to the public, con- sider that either in point of compass or of details, it will be found in all respects adequate to the exigencies of the present crisis That Lord Derby's Government must resume the question of Electoral Reform, when the new Parliament assembles, no man, out of the Cabinet, can doubt. Power will be found to be inseparable from Reform, until the final settlement takes place ; nor will that certainty be shaken by the anxiety and agitation of an European war, or by the consequent wish to keep undisturbed the Govern- ment now in office.

The experience, therefore, of the past pretty clearly indicates what that fu- future settlement will be, and the consideration has arisen already in the mind of the country, although as yet not greatly given utterance to in the addresses or speeches of the candidates for representation in. the House of Commons, What Ministry can best carry out the wishes and just demands of the people, and with least unsettlement or dislocation of the current of public business and our national affairs? Looking at this important question not through the atmosphere of party, but as it is clearly and calmly indicated in the broad outlines of national opinion, it appears that the present Ministry, not- withstanding the palpable errors they have made in the handling of electoral reform, will still be entrusted with another attempt to liberalize and extend the popular representation. The country, as has well been observed by an able writer in the Illus- trated London Piewe, has accepted the situation imposed upon it by the Mi- nistry, not altogether forgetting or forgiving those errors, but being well satisfied to escape the embarrassments, both internal and external, which a change of rulers would necessarily have occasioned. The general elections having thus, we presume, blotted out the past, we will consider Lord Derby as meeting the new Parliament with a clean ship, and a stronger crew of sup- porters. There is no reason whatever why, in the interval between June and August next, a Liberal but moderate Reform Bill founded on constitutional principles and avoiding the shoals and quicksands which were visible enough before, but upon which the Government Pilot was unfortunate enough to strike, might not be brought safely into harbour. In the pre- paration of such a bill, many elements for consideration arise. The bill should be as conciliatory as possible, consistently with the justice of popular requirement. We observe that such a calculation has entered into the outlines already proposed respectively by Lord John Russell, and Sir James Graham, the latter having been the only Statesman who had the cou- rage during the progress of the late reform debate to enunciate and map out such a bill as ho thought the public would be satisfied with and such as be himself would support. There is no doubt, but that if Lord John Russell had laid a rival bill of moderate proportions on the table of the House of Commons at the same time as he moved his adverse resolution, he would have been at this moment Premier and his bill would have been in Committee, without the expense, trouble and unsatisfactory character of the present dissolution. Nevertheless Lord John Russell found it necessary to tell the public after the debate was over, what kind of Reform Bill he was in favour of introducing—but it was then too late. A Dis- solution of Parliament had been decided on—and with it all the advantages of his majority had vanished. Not that the dissolution it- self was in any way a necessity. The Ministry, by casting the difficulties of the position upon their opponents,—difficulties scarcely to be successfully contended against in the absence of any definite and positive measure upon which the discordant Members of Op- position might meet in discussion and come to a compromise,— would have in all probability returned to power at no long interval with

increase 1 strength, and with their materia recast and reinforce ; morn especially as the nation felt and had openly expressed a general repugnance

to extreme measures. To return, howeier, to the schemes of elect re- form already submitted to the public, it is manifest that in order t obtain speedily practical results, each party and each individual statesman must surrender somewhat of what they consider most desirable to grasp, :both in theory and practice. Thus Sir dames Graham advocates no disfranchise- ment of boroughs at all, and Lord John Russell a partial-disfranchisement to the extent of only thirty seats, which was also the principle of 04 plan of the present Government, and of that proposed by the able editor ;cif the Law Times, long before the late debate took place. As an abstract ques- tion, it would be doubtless very desirable to transfer the seats apperttning,

m

to Arundel, Caine, Ashburto-andmther small or decaying towns, co the large unrepresented emporia of industry and commerce ; but in a quisstion so vexed as this is, cannot we obtain our object in a manner less likely to. encounter violent hostility, and with almost equally advantageous results? Although, therefore, in the plan which I submitted to the public, id De- cember last, having two mouths previously placed it at the disposal.ottim, Government, I proposed to disfranchise totally fourteen small lloonglis, yet at the present time, with no other object than a satisfactory and iMpar- tial settlement of the Reform question, I should be disposed to modify and alter my original scheme so far as to make it tally, to a considerable extent, with the proposals of the Government, of the Law 1Vmes, and of Lord John Russell, by avoiding total disfranchisement. I should not have ventured, after a specific plan of Reform had been put forth by the Administration, to call public attention again to my scheme, had not the result of the late- debate proved, in a great measure, that that scheme was in unison with the public judgment, and thus confirmed the- favourable opinion enter- tained of it throughout the country. Nevertheless, if it had any merit, it must be attributed entirely to its being a faithful reflex of public opinion, as distinct from a measure framed to suit the views or advance the interests of any particular party. As such, I have to a certain extent remodelled it ; the modifications which it will be found to contain being in obedience to the voice of the people lately uttered with much distinctness, and being based upon the best conformity I can make with present circumstances. It may be not without its value at this time, when the leader of no party in the State has put forth any actual programme, and when the political vane points with certainty to no quarter whatever.

At all events, if the plan I now submit to you makes people think for themselves, and come to a judgment upon what is best and safest and most likely to be attended with permanent advantage to their country, instead of following in the wake of other men's opinions, and being led away con- fusedly by any popular cry, I shall have been well repaid for my labours. You cannot expect, nor would you wish me, within the compass of a letter, to lay before you all the facts, arguments, statistics, and references to his- torical precedents, which have paved the way for the following conclusions. You will, I think, do me the justice to consider that there is not a single section nor feature in my scheme which I have not anxiously and carefully sifted and examined, and for which I could not give a reason, entitled I would fain hope to receive with you due weight. My motto is as before, Moderate duranL" I am, Sir, yours faithfully, J. E. EATIDLEY WILMOT 1. PARTIAL DISFRANCHISEMENT AND REDISTRIBUTION OP TisB REPRESENTATION.

Partial Disfranchisement. Schedule A. Forty-two English boroughs containing respectively less than eighteen hundred inhabited houses (Census 1851), and less than ten thousand inhabitants nowreturning two members each, to lose one member.

Andover Evesham Ludlow Tamworth Bodmin Grantham Lymington Tewkesbury Bridport Guildford Malden Tavistoek Bridgnorth Harwich Mahon Thetford Buckingham lloniton Marlborough Totnes Chichester Hertford Marlow Wells Chippenham Huntingdon Newport (Isle of W.)Weymouth Cirencester Knaresborough Peterborough Windsor Cockermouth Leominster Richmond Wycombe

Devizes Lewes Ripon Total, 42 seats.

Dorchester Lichfield Stamford

Schedule A. Forty-two seats. Vacant (i.e. Sudbury and St. Albans) four,. Total forty-six seats.

REDISTRIBUTION.

Schedule B. Seven English boroughs now respectively returning one member and containing respectively upwards of five thousand inhabited houses (Census 1851), population above 30,000 each, to return two mew bets each.

Ashton-under-Lyne Cheltenham Huddersfield Rochdale Bury Dudley Salford 7 seats.

Schedule C.—Twentv unrepresented English towns containing respective- ly upwards of fifteen hundred inhabited houses (Census 1851), population upwards of 10,000 each ; to return one Member each.

Barnsley Gravesend Mansfield Torquay Birkenhead Hartlepool Ramsgate cum Mar- Wednesbury cunt Brimley Keighley gate West Bromwich Congleton Leamington St. Helens Wisbeach Croydon Loughborough Staley Bridge 20 Seats.

Doncaster Louth Troubridge

Schedule .D.—Two Scotch boroughs now returning one member each and containing respectively, more than 5000 inhabited houses (Census 1851), population respectively upwards of 50,000, to return two members each,

Aberdeen Dundee 2 seats,

and a new English metropolitan borough to be created and to return collec- tively, two members, the districts comprised in it, containing upwards of 20,000 inhabited houses (Census 1851), population above 100,000.

Chelsea Ilammeramith Kensington 2 seats.

Schedule .E.—One Division of an English county and one Riding of an English county, to be further subdivided and to return respectively two ad- ditional members Lancashire, 8. D. Yorkshire, W. R., 4 Beat:5,

and six divisions of English counties, now respectively returning two mem- bers, to return three members each.

Derbyshire, 8.D. Gloueestersh. W. D. Norfolk, E. D.

Essex, S. D. Lincolnshire, N. D. Somersetshire, W. D. 6 seats.

N.B.—The above selection is based upon a criterion formed from the number of representatives now returned in all by each county inclusiveof its boroughs, from the population of each, exclusive of its boroughs, from the number of registered electors in each county for that county, and from the value of its real property as assessed in the last returns to the Income- tax.

Schedule 7.—Two English Universities to return one member each-; and three Scotch Universities to return one member each.

London Aberdeen Glasgow

Durham Edinburgh 5 seats. Total, 96. N.B.—If it should be considered inexpedient to disfranchise any boroughs even partially, these forty-sir seats might be rrovided for by adding that number to the present House of Commons, in the mode suggested by the r, which would eicarstly make up the number of tuenibeni (now 654) It is doubtful, however, whether the building now used for. this would admit of so large an addition to its occupants without Bon- e enlargement, casting do all other considerations.

RECAMCLATION.

Speetat

to 700. purpose slderabi

Total seats.

Citirs and Baroughs al

Counties 10 U aiversities 5 46 2. REAIJCSTMENT AND EXTENSION OF THE FRANCHISE. Cities and Boroughs. 1. The cities and boroughs of the United Kingdom to elect by household suffrage, conditionally on the householder being rated to the relief cif the poor, and after a residence of two yea -s as such householder, although not in the same house, and after payment of rates and tasea for one year prior to registration.

N.B.—The word .• house " to be defined an isolated dwelling, or a dwelling sepa- rated.from another dwelling by party walls, or a flat or apartment in a dwelling- Leese opening upon a common staircase, and entitling the tenant or occupier there- of to the use of and joint control over the outer door. 2. All persons,(not legally incapacitated) who pay Income tax to any ruuount. N.B. —This qualification is of course contingent upon the abolition or renewal of the Income tax in 1860.

3. The educational franchise as in the late Bill of the Government (identical with what I proposed in 1853, with the exception of the omission of commissioned officers of the Army and Navy, to whom I proposed to give the franchise by virtue of their profession only, when not otherwise on the register. 4. The Fundholders franchise as in the late Bill of the Government.

5. The borough franchise to be made uniform throughout the United Kingdom, except as to the qualification in No 2. 6. Freemen, potwallers, scot and lot, &c., as at present. Counties.

1. Forty shilling freeholders, holders of rent charges, annuities, offices, &c., to continue to be qualified as at present.

2. Leaseholders of land or tenements, or both for the term of seven years and up- wards, to the value of 101. and upwards, (now 501. for twenty years.) N.B. Unaxpiret1 residue of four years to qualify. 3: Copyholders of the clear yearly value of 40s. (now 101.) 4. Occupiers of land or tenements, or both to the yearly value of 201. (now 501.) 5. The educational franchise as in the boroughs. 6. The fundholder's franchise as in the boroughs, (persons not legally incapaci- tated receiving dividends out of the Public Funds to the amount of 101. per annum.) 7. All persons (not legally incapacitated) paying Income-tax to any amount. 8. The county franchise throughout the United Kingdom to be made uniform as far as the difference of tenures will admit of.

Unirersitirs.

Doctors, and Masters of Arts. Voting-papers admissible here, but in no other constituencies.

Ballot.

In any constituency where three-fourths of the electors require the votes to be taken by ballot, the votes to be taken by ballot in the whole of that constituency. Decision of the electors as to such requisition to be taken by ballot, if fifty electors should demand it. yf