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Again we haiejoinlificli Minisierial projects froni the ' North. Last year tiler:Bishop of •Duiiiam:was the Poihting-Arir hi! the Goeernment constellation; this year • tic light does not shine from ,a Ministerial star of any magnitude Whatever, but is vouchsafed an A.sort of Aurora Borealis apolitical twilight •threuet..a.daiabent halo of itssu- rances in the columns of a respectable -provincial eoritemporarya-the lorkshirentan: "We are glad to have it in our power to announce positively' and upon the most unquestionable authority, that Lord Sohn Russell and his friends have been engage& reedier itOframing• theapacerisione' of iheneW Reform Bill it is his purpose to introduce early neist session of Parliament. With a view of arrivtagat,earrect eouelusienes ter the present state of the elec- Mud sstcth, circular letters have, been despetched from the Home Office to the various returning- effieera throughout England and Wales, conunand- ing a return Of the number of Parliamentary voters at the last general elec- tion, which return, no doubt, Will be compared with the census recently taken. We believe the measure Of reform about to beintroduced-and in atating our belief we beg it to be understood that we are not speaking without authority--will be satisfactory to the moderate .Reformers of this country. It *ill not give them all they desire, but we believe it will enlarge the suffrage to a much greater extent then, looking at Ministerial difficulties, the people had any right to expect. We understand that one of the Cabinet Ministers cora- pprts himself somewhat restively because of the liberality of the measure; which restiveness, however, it is expected, will be overcome by the firmness of the Premier and his colleagues. At the present moment—and we believe no alteration will be coqemled in this particular—it-is contemplated to re- cognize a certain' eduiational test, apart from occupancy of houses, as con- ferring a right to vote. Clergymen, lawyers; Merchants, literary men, clerks, the higher orders of mechanics, &c., will, we believe, although non..-house- holders, be invested, under certain conditions, with the privilege of voting. These conditions will suggest themselves to Our readers without explanation. As respects the franchise and householders' as the law at present stands, very considerable alterations, we believe, will be made. The 10/. qualification in boroughs will be reduced in amount, while a variety of other popular con- cessions will be made' which will increase the oonstituenoy' of this country at least one.fourth. We.have no doubt that the great difficulty encountered by Ministers relates to the counties ; but we believe that those difficulties will be overcome, and that the various county constituencies will be popu- larized to a greater extent than at present anticipated. It is not often that a country journal has the opportunity of authoritatively announcing the pro- . bable tendency of a Ministerial measure scarcely yet-framed; but our readers may accept the above statement without demur, and as conveying as nearly as possible the gist of the Parliamentary Reforrn.Bill of 1852. We have only to remark, in connexion with this part of our subject, that on the open- ing of the session the Premier will formally announce his intention with re- spect to the franchise, leaving the matter to be discussed by the prom and the country."
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