House of Commons, Past, Present, and to Come.

We have reserved the subject of this chapter to the last, and have been much at a loss what title to give the observations we are about to submit. At this moment the Reform Bill, for the third time, is in its last stage in the House of Commons, and we are just on the eve, as we fervently trust, of the birth of a new constitution. Under such circumstances it would be mere folly to do, as we have often done before, drag our readers through the iniquities of the Borough System. That system is doomed, and we will not believe that any event can intervene to avert its fate. We will not believe there is any peer of parliament, however great his prepossessions against reform may be, however great his apprehensions of its ultimate issues; we will not believe there is any man who will not deem it a less evil to pass the Bill than risk the fearful consequences which would inevitably result from opposing the two constituted authorities of the state, supported by the almost unanimous power, wealth, and intelligence of the community. We will therefore consider the Reform Bill the law of the land, and will throw behind us, as a portion of past history, the abominations it entombs, like the prerogatives of the Tudors, the oppressions of Feudality, and the corruptions of Popery.

Having thus cleared our course of a loathsome nuisance, we will state the chief points to which we are desirous of calling attention. 1. In order to dispose of some popular errors, we will briefly indicate the progress of the constitution up to the era of the Reform Bill. 2. We will give an estimate of the adequacy of the Bill to the national wants, and advert to the principal objections urged against it by its two classes of antagonists—namely, those who think it concedes too much, and those who think it does not concede enough. 3. And last, we will endeavour to show the future improvements likely to be effected in the country by the practical operation of this great public measure. Our readers need not be alarmed from the general import of these propositions we are going to lead them into any dissertation; we shall despatch the whole in a very few pages, our aim being only to indicate a few leading problems,—a sort of landmarks, which, at the existing crisis, it may be useful to keep in mind. As we deem the battle won, and seek not victory, we shall submit our remarks in that spirit of truth, candour, and fairness, in which we doubt not they will be received.