I know that according to the constitution of this country, a member of the House of Commons when he goes there is a member for all parts of England, and not a representative for the particular town or place for which he is elected; he is in fact looked upon as a member for all the Commons of England.  This was hitherto the meaning which was attached to the character of a Member of the Commons House of Parliament.  But the case will be widely different should this Bill be passed, and should Members of Parliament be subjected to a system of instruction on the part of their constituents.  That system, however, already exists in parts of England, and more especially in the Metropolis, and in the Borough of Southwark.  Your Lordships will remember that an honourable and gallant officer, formerly connected with the noble Lords opposite, was obliged to retire from the representation of Southwark, last summer, because he happened to differ with his constituents; and also that a worthy Alderman was in a similar manner reprimanded by his constituents in the city of London, for a similar offence.  What then, I would ask your Lordships, is to be expected hereafter, should the system laid down in this Bill be established in this country?  Why every member of the House of Commons would become the mere delegate of his constituents, instead of representing the people at large.  It has been observed that such representatives would in every case merely consult the wishes of their respective constituents, instead of looking to the advancement of the interests of all classes.  I have before me a letter written by a gentleman to some of his constituents in this neighbourhood, in which he desires not only that the electors shall direct the votes of their representatives, and point out the course which they should pursue in parliament, but goes much further.  The letter, which is directed to the parishioners of St. Georges in the East, says, “there ought to be an union formed in every parish between the middle classes and the operatives,—­first for the protection of person and property; and secondly, to be ready to express the opinion of the parish on any public measure, and in case the minister or the House of Commons are lukewarm in the cause of the people.”  The extract which I have just read is taken from a letter written by a great advocate of the Reform Bill, not for the sake of the Reform Bill itself, but because it would lead to something further.  This letter affords a proof of the kind of system which will be put into operation with respect to the members of the House of Commons, should this Bill be passed.  Let your Lordships, then, for a moment, compare the system this Bill would establish, with the system of representation which has so long existed in this country, and under which this country has been raised to such an eminence of glory, and power, and prosperity.