TOPICS OF THE DAY.

RESULTS OF THE ELECTIONS.

AT the present stage of the elections, it is impossible to furnish a correct classified list of the Members returned to the New Parlia- ment. We cannot pretend to know how Members will vote, who, it is plain, have not made up their minds on the subjcct them- selves. Some profess their readiness to give Sir ROBERT PEEL a fair trial: how can their constituents tell what may be deemed " a fair trial," by these gentlemen ? Others declare that they will only support Ministers as long as measures of practical reform are brought forward: but the notions of these uncertain persons as to what constitutes an abuse, are too often undefined, or at any rate kept to themselves. There are many, perhaps, who, though pledged to oppose Ministers, may choose to object to the mode of opposition adopted by the majority. Others have made profes- sions on the canvass or the hustings, which they never intended to act up to at all. It might be supposed that although uncer- tainty would naturally exist as to the conduct of the new Mem- bers, a reference to their Parliamentary votes and speeches would put an end to doubt in regard to the old ones. By no means ; for upon reference to the Division Lists, it will be seen, that hundreds were generally absent even when important questions were pend- ing ; and, although there is no lack of talkers, comparatively few have spoken on leading subjects. These are some of the obstacles which prevent any list from being accurate, that pretends to marshal the Members of the

new house of Commons into supporters and opponents of the Duke. We fully expect that our own will require several correc- tions. Indeed, we only intend it for a memorandum of the pro- (tress of the contest; and shall defer the completion of a more

pro-

gress one until all the returns are made. In the mean-

while, however, it will be proper to explain how it is that the Tories appear to muster more in the Spectator lists, than in those calculations which figure in the Courier, the Globe, and other daily journals. In the first place, we have placed among the Tories, all who cannot be expected to join in a vote expressive of want of con- fidence in the WEL LI NGTON Cabinet at the commencement of the session.

This we consider the test of sound Reform principles, at the present time. Men who can believe that it is safe to trust the government of the country and the expenditure of the public money to a Cabinet constituted as the present is—composed, as even Sir JAMES GRAHAM adinqs, of the worst possible materials— of politicians' whose whole lives have been clevoted to oppose good government and uphold bad,"—those, we say, who can bring themselves to place confidence in such an Administration, are traitors to the cause of Reform, and deserve to be held up to the Country as such. They are doing the work of the Orange Tories in the manner most agreeable to those persons, and most dicre- ditable to themselves. If they really feel confidence in the Duke and his man, in God's name let them say so, and be drummed out of the Reform camp as deserters ; for while they remain under its cover, they are the worst of spies, the most dangerous of enemies. If they do not rely upon the wisdom and honesty of the Ministers, they must be contemptible sbuffiers to refuse to speak out their distrust in the face of the Nation, at the fitting time. The lying pretence of giving the Duke and PEEL "a fair trial," must not avail them. Sir ROBERT PEEL declares that he is no apostate from his former principles. What those principles are, let his whole political life tell—from his first entrance into office under CASTLEREAGH, to his dogged support in the last session of that mas- terpiece of abuse, the Bloody Church in Ireland. PEEL has been tried, his associates have been tried, for years; • and the Nation gave in its verdict when it ousted him and his faction from power in 1831 and 1832.

To suppose that all the former misdeeds of these men are to be forgotten and forgiven, and a fresh opportunity afforded them of pillaging and oppressing the land, is what the People of England cannot understand, and will not away with. They look to their Representatives in Parliament to turn out the Ministers with the least possible delay. The proper mode of proceeding, in the first instance, is to inform the King that the Ministers he has chosen do not possess the confidence of the House of Cumulous which he has summoned to pass judgment upon them. They who refuse to jein in such a vote, are not honest Reformers—whatever else they may be; and in our estimate of the comparative strength of parties, they shall be put on the Anti. National side.

We are far from saying positively that all who figure as Tories on our list will vote with the Duke; but we have placed none there who we think can be relied on La vote against him on the trying point. On the other hand, we may have thought too favour- ably of some whom we have classed among Reformers. There are those among them whose principles are somewhat slippery, but we count upon their votes because we are in the majority. When all the returns are before us, and some additional information has been received, we shall have to make out two Doubtful lists,—one, of those Members who may or may not join in the want.of-con- fidence vote; another, and a less numerous one probably, of those whose general support of or opposition to the Duke is uncertain.

A glance at the names in our list will prove how liberal we -have been to the Tories. We have scarcely retained a Doubtful,

or such as we consider Doubtful, for the Reformers. Thus, we give the Duke, in our calculation, the benefit of the following-

BOLLING, of Bolton ; VERNEY, of Buckingham; • DURHAM, of Devizes;

Cocsenstt, of Evesham ;

GREENE, of Lancaster ; RICKFORD, Of Aylesbury ; CHARI.ToN, of Ludlow ; RUSSELL, of Reading; GOODRICKE, Of Stafford ; BARCLAY, of' Sunderland;

CROMPTON, Of TilifSk ;

Kemisssv, of Wigan ;

HAncouhr and WEYLAND, Of Oxfordshire; Lord STANLEY;

Sir JAMES GRAHAM ;

WALTER, of Berks ;

ABEL Smrrn, of Hertfordshire;

H. AIARSLAND, of Stockport; HARDY, of Bradford ; SHEPPARD, of Frome ; LONG, of Wiltshire ; DENISON, of Nottieghamsbire. PECHELL, of Brighton ; ANGERSTEIN, of Greenwich ;

Commrr and Fistionss of Oldham.

Here we may mention, by the way, the singular mistake about Frome which several of our contemporaries have committed. They persist in giving two Members to this new borough, which only returns one. On Thursday, we noticed, in the Times, the follow- ing communication frcm Frome itself- " FROME, January 10. —The nomination of candidates for the representation of this borough in Parliament, took place on Wednesday, in the Market-place, Mr. Bunn nominated Thomas Sheppard, Esq., the late Member ; which was seconded by Mr. James Harrold. Mr. Vl'ickham then proposed the Honourable Admiral Sir C. Boyle ; and was seconded by Mr. Little. After which, Mr. Francis Allen nominated Matthew Bridges, Esq., and was seconded by Mr. Daniel Trotman. Each of the candidates addressed the electors from the hustings. The two fimner candidates hare since been returned ; Mr. Bridges having expel ienced a glorious defeat.' The town, through the profuse dis- tribution of beer, &c. presented a scene of horrid drunkenness throughout the week."

A person writing from the place itself, might have known, one would think, whether it was entitled to one Member or two.

We observe that the Post claims among the Tory gains, the re- turn of Lord ALFORD for Bedfordshire, in the place of Mr. W. STUART; the Standard announces it pompously in a leading article, and the Times adopts the same statement. But Mr. STUART is a determined Tory, the son of a Tory Archbishop, grandson of the famous Earl of Bute, and the successful opponent of the Whig Sir PETER PAYNE fl 1832. So much for this Tory gain. Then Mr. HINDLEY of Dukinfield, who is more of a Radical than a Whig, is classed among their gains by these rapacious Tories. Mr. BAILEY is made victorious over Mr. HALL at Monmouth, for the sake of swelling the list ; though the latter has been returned. Mr. RICHARDSON of Coleraine is designated as a Liberal, in order to magnify the victory of Alderman COPELAND, whom they count as a Tory,—though the Alderman is a real Reformer, and RICHARDSON is the defeated Orange-Tory nominee of the BERES- FORDS. These mistakes show how impossible it is to rely implicitly on the lists of the Tories, any more than on those of their opponents. But there is ample room in the calculation of the Reformers' strength to allow of deduction for all mistakes, and their superiority will still be apparent. The Tories betray their consciousness that the game is a losing one for them, by their shrinking from pub- lishing a classified list from (lay to day of their friends and foes. The Courier has again and again challenged the Post to this, but without obtaining any thing more than an incorrect list of Tory gains—which, were they doubled, would not give the required ma- jority for carrying on the Government.

• Sir Maur VERNEY, iu a letter to the Chnmide. rejects the appellation of Tory He says—" I beg to inform you, that I have the honour of lxing returned for that borough (Buckingham) on Liberal principles, and that I am not a Tory." After this declaration, of course, we expect to Sad Sir II A any VERNEY voting generally with the Liberals; but until we learn tied he will support a motion expressive of want of con. Silence in the Tory NI inisters, no think be should not be classed positively among the Anti-Tories. At the same time, of all the Doubtful gentlemen named above, this letter of Sir HARRY renders him the least doubtful. 'Ti, u pity that he has given so few decidedly Liberal votes.