18 June 1811

Parl. Reform

On[?] S.C. N o 3

2

 Add here S.C.s indifference will prevent any warmth in the dispute

“Allowing copyholders to vote as well as freeholders”, - “buying up as many of the decayed boroughs as might be worth the expence” - such /these/ according to S.C.s account of them were all the changes comprized in M r Pitt’s reform plan: these at any rate are all that he approves of, with the exception /after the addition/ of one of his own which consists in raising the qualification, and that to such a degree as to deprive persons /men/ of the elective franchise in numbers /a number/ greater than the number of those to whom he would impart it.

Cui bono? of what use would all this be? What are the ends it aims at? how is it that in the character of a set of men it is conducive to /promises to/ that end.

But In the first place what are the ends it aims at? None at all that I can see, none are mentioned by S.C. none are mentioned: none at all can I find for it.

Placing in that supreme assembly /seat of government/ in the highest attainable degree in that seat of government the endowments necessary to good government these are the objects which in my Catechism I ventured to /took upon myself to/ bring to view in the character of ends. How far the arrangement which at the same time /on the same occasion/ I ventured to bring to view in the character of means promises to be conducive to these ends is a question on which your readers have already been invited to pronounce.