23 JANUARY 1886, Page 24

The Three Reforms of Parliament. By William Heaton. (T. Fisher

Univin.)—This is a business-like account of the three Reforms, 1832, 1867, and 1885, with an outline of the chief legislation that took place between those dates, and a brief notice of some of the more important events. It is indeed difficult to believe, as Mr. Heaton remarks in his opening sentence, "that the system of Parliamentary representa- tion in England was what it was actually" sixty years ago. If we go back a hundred and ten, we find a still more amazing state of things. Six thousand persons—and there are minorities as large now-a-days who fail to return a single Member—then returned a clear majority.

And in 1793, according to one statement, eighty-four persons returned one hundred and fifty-seven. Members. After this, other instances of anomaly muet seem pointless.