9 JUNE 1866, Page 2

In the same debate Mr. Acland, M.P. for North Devon,

made a vary good speech, which was chiefly remarkable as being the only speech of a county member which has satisfactorily pointed out the danger of Mr. Disraeli's plan for "turning the county con- stituency of England into a territorial oligarchy," by weeding it as much as possible of all elements likely to qualify the power of the landowners. Mr. Acland was in favour of making the lines between county and borough constituencies as vague as possible. He went for urban elements in the counties, and also for rural elements in the small boroughs, and proposed to cure the diseases of places like Totnes by including a fair rural district with the borough.