15 JUNE 1867, Page 2

Mr. Kaatchbnll-Hugessen has been much attacked for saying that redistribution

ought to include at least 90 seats, and accord- ingly publishes his scheme. He would disfranchise 40 boroughs having less than 7,000 people, thus obtaining 63 seats, and deprive 26 boroughs with less than 12,000 people of one member, making 89 vacancies. Adding the corrupt boroughs under sentence we should have 96 seats, of which he would give 23 to unrepresented towns with more than 15,000 people, 17 to very large cities and London and Durham Universities, 45 to the largest counties, and eleven to Scotch counties and Universities, and the towns of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee. In other words, Mr. Knatch- bull-Hugessen would take 96 borough seats and give 52 of them to counties and Scotch Universities, of similar tone, thus adding on a division 104 votes to the landed interest,—a tolerably cool proposal for a Liberal member. The truth is, no broad scheme of redistribution is poSsible till men understand a little how the new franchises are going to work. Suppose the counties prove to be Liberal, as before 1832, and the great cities Tory ?