with another, cannot leave Odessa, unless the price it produces rises to 60s., since it cannot be delivered in England at less than 44s. independent of the duty, whatever that may be. By the latest accounts from New York, the cost of wheat brought to the English market could not be less than 54s. per quarter, besides the duty. This was sufficient to prove, that, if ever delusion existed in the world, it was shown in the dread entertained by the agriculturists of a continual superabundance by the importation of foreign corn; and he trusted that the House would not allow itself to be frightened by such phantoms into a determination to support a system, of which it was none of the smallest evils, that it sowed dissention between those whom it professed to protect and the other great interests of the nation. The bill before the House gave the landed gentlemen an opportunity of removing that animosity, which, beyond a doubt, had been awakened against them. The country was generally satisfied upon the main questionthere was very little of popular feeling upon it and if the bill should proceed, there would soon be no more heard of those distress ing and angry complaints against the landed interest. He entreated them not to lose the opportunity, They ought to be aware, that, in times of pressure and difficulty, there might come a crisis, in which there would no longer be an option as to the rate and manner of admitting foreign grain. There might come a time of extremity, in which government would find itself constrained to attend only to the interests of a starving population, when the pleas of humanity and justice would become all powerful. They were also bound to consider, in settling a question of this important nature, the growing intelligence of the age, the enlightened mind of the community, and the power of the public press; and he was greatly mistaken if they would not find themselves before long under the necessity of viewing it in regard only to the real justice of the question. The amendment, however, was pressed to a division, and the se cond reading of the bill was carried by a majority of 243 to 78. It passed a committee with no other alteration than a clause authorizing the king to prohibit, by an order in council, the importation of grain from any country where British vessels should be subject to a higher duty than was imposed on the vessels of such country coming hither. Colonel Wood proposed, as an amendment That foreign wheat should be entirely prohibited so long as the weekly average was under 628.; and that oats, barley, and other inferior sorts of grain, should be dealt with in the same way, subject to the scale of relative values already agreed upon and affixed to them. Sir Edward Knatchbull proposed that the duty to be paid by the imported grain should be estimated by the amount of the home price at the time of its im portation, and not at the time when it might be taken out of bond, and brought into the market; with a proviso, that the duty so levied should never be more than 20s. a quarter; and that the duty should not be actually paid until the time when the corn was taken out of bond. It was said, that without this provision, the effect of the law would be, to give an advantage wholly unreasonable to the speculators in foreign corn, who held their grain in bond. If they imported when the price was 60s., the duty immediately chargeable to them, if they carried their corn to market, was 20s. a quarter. But if they held back, and the price rose to 65s., then, while the home agriculturist gained an advance of 5s. a quarter on his commodity, the foreign speculator gained an advance of 15s., for he gained 5s. upon the advance of corn in price from 60s. to 65s., and 10s. more upon the diminished amount which he had to pay in duty. The opinion of the House, however, was not taken on either of these propositions, nor on an amendment moved by lord Althorp, that the averages should be taken every three weeks, instead of weekly. On the 12th of April, the bill was finally read a third time and passed; and, on the same day, the House adjourned for the Easter holidays to the 1st of May, a new writ being ordered to be issued for the borough of Newport, Mr. Canning having accepted the office of first lord of the Treasury. CHAP. III. Ilness of the Earl of Liverpool-State of the Cabinet-Difficulties in the way of appointing a Premier Interregnum of the MinistryMr. Tierney opposes a Vote of Supply on that ground—Sir Thomas Lethbridge gives Notice of a Motion for an Åddress to the KingDissolution of the Ministry—Mr. Canning is made Minister-The greater Number of his former Colleagues immediately resign New appointments-Mr. Canning's Coalition with the Whigs. AS S the fate which awaited the effects of the disease yielded to the Corn-bill in the House of power of medicine, but its permaLords was affected, or was believed nent consequences were of such a to be affected, by the changes nature as to remove the minister which took place in the interim for ever from public life. The among the members of the go- office of premier was thus unoccuvernment as it was only on the pied; the government was left adjournment of parliament that without a head; and, unfortunately, the extent of these changes was the difficulties of appointing a publicly known as it was during successor, which are never small the adjournment that the new where so splendid an object of arrangements were formed and honourable ambition awakens the as these arrangements in a great desires of rival statesmen, were degree deprived the proceedings of greatly increased by the very nature the legislature, after parliament of that cabinet over which lord had reassembled, of all interest Liverpool had presided. For some which was not connected with their years, it had not been characterized causes and history, we here sus- by perfect unanimity of sentiment pend our detail of parliamentary regarding more than one of the business, to mention the dissolution most important public questions. of the old government, and the Catholicemancipation was a known formation of a new ministry. and acknowledged source of differ The Earl of Liverpool had been ence of opinion amongst its mempresent, apparently in good health, bers; mutual forbearance regarding at the opening of the session; had it, and an understanding that every on the 12th of February moved minister should follow upon it his the Address to the king on the own private convictions, without death of the duke of York; and attempting to lend to his opinion had given notice that he himself the influence and patronage of his would introduce the intended alter- particular department, were suffiations of the Corn-laws into the cient to prevent wrangling and disHouse of Lords. Within a few sention at the council table, but could days afterwards, he was suddenly not supply the want of that perfect attacked by a paralytic stroke. and mutual confidence, which arises The immediate and more violent only from unanimity of sentiment. Some, at least, of the cabinet, who were most steadily and honestly opposed to the Catholic claims, had not much trust in those of their colleagues, who, though formerly hostile, had for some years been favourable to the furtherance of those claims. The latter, on the other hand, coquetted with and courted the good opinion of the opposition; and assumed to themselves the praise of having introduced what were called liberal principles into our foreign and our commercial policy. It was the weight of lord Liverpool alone, which had kept these discordant materials together. Himself immovable in his hostility to the demands of the Catholics, it was still he who had introduced into the office which he now held, Mr. Canning, who, since 1812, had thought it prudent to exert his eloquence in supporting them. The alterations in the Silk-trade, the Navigation-laws, the Corn-laws, in the whole system, in short, of duties and prohibitions, had taken place under lord Liverpool's authority and with his approval. His character, at the same time, was to the public a sufficient pledge, that the love of novelty and theory would not be allowed to run into extravagance for seldom has a -minister, not distinguished by any striking brilliancy of genius, and greatly inferior as he was to more than one of his colleagues in popular oratory, gained so much weight, and conciliated such universal favour, by the mere force of his personal character. He possessed a sound, cautious, business mind; a long political life had stored it with all the political knowledge which a minister requires; regular and confirmed habits of business had given him a complete command of it, whenever occasion called for it. Above all, the country trusted in his pure and unquestioned integrity. He was never suspected of governing to serve party purposes; he never made a speech for the pleasure of victory; he never entered into an intrigue to acquire or to retain power. He was as open and manly in his conduct, as he was honest and prudent in his resolves. He was confessedly most disinterested; every man knew that he cared little to day though he should lose his place to-morrow, and therefore felt assured that he would do nothing unworthy to retain it. The result was, that his opinions carried with them much more weight than those of even his most brilliant colleagues; and it was to him the public looked as their security, that, whatever differences of feeling and opinion might prevail in the interior of the cabinet, its general policy, so long as it was guided by lord Liverpool, would display prudence, consistency, and integrity. By his removal from office, these differences were freed from the weight which had hitherto compressed and restrained them. The men who had acted in willing subordination to lord Liverpool, were by no means equally inclined to yield to each other. None of them, except the duke of Wellington, could lay claim to such grounds of pre-eminence as lord Liverpool had possessed; but none of them would recognize any decided claims to superiority in his rival; and, although the necessity of keeping the cabinet together might have made them all willing to remain where they were, the selection of a head to that cabinet was matter which involved not merely their party predilections, but, to a certain extent, their personal consideration. The with a disqualification, which did Catholic question, above all, was not seem very reconcileable to the now a stone of offence to them; principle, that Catholic emancipaand it was on this rock, that tion should not be made a minis the cabinet went to pieces. The terial question. This, at least, wus lord Chancellor, the duke of Wel the view on which the leading lington, and Mr. Peel, formed the members of this party subsequently strength of the party opposed to professed to have acted. Yet it is emancipation; Mr. Canning, though very plain that their situation his sincerity in the cause had often under a new anti-catholic prebeen denied or questioned by such mier would have been, in so far as men as Burdett and Brougham, this question was concerned, prewas placed by his official station at cisely the same as it had been the head of its friends. If a new under the government of lord minister were appointed from Liverpool. The elevation of such among the latter, it was more à minister would not have been to than doubtful how far the former them a change of hopes, and a new would think themselves bound, or barrier in the way of success, as could justly be expected to remain the elevation of a minister friendly parts of a government, where, to the Catholics would have been although ostensibly the disputed to those of the cabinet who thought matter might never be men- differently, and whose dislike of a tioned at the council table, still cabinet not purely anti-catholie the whole influence of the premier- had given way to their confidence ship would belong to a person hos- in its anti-catholic head. If there tile to their views, instead of being had remained an anti-catholic wielded, as it hitherto had been, statesman, possessing the same by a nobleman whose determina- weight, and the same claims, with tions on the subject were perfectly lord Liverpool, the question, in in unison with their own. On the all probability, would never have other hand, it was still more doubt- been stirred; those who had differed ful, whether the friends of the Ca- from the one, might differ from the tholics, who, whatever might be other, and yet act with the latter their qualifications in other re- as they had done with the former." spects for the government of the As it was, it is impossible not to country, were superior to their suspect that a person friendly to opponents, in the power and habit the Catholics, declining to conof talking, would tamely submittinue in the ministry under a new to be excluded from the highest anti-catholic premier, must have office in that government, on ac been actuated by motives of percount of their opinions on a mea- sonal consideration and ambition, sure, mutual forbearance concern- no less than by attachment to prining which had hitherto kept the ciples, the sacrifice of which was to ministry together. To allow that be no condition of such continuance. no supporter of Catholic emanci. There was nothing extravagant or pation should be entitled to claim over-weaning in these personal the premiership, was to place them- considerations, considered in themselves and their opinions, in some selves, and such an ambition was measure, in subordination to their any thing but dishonourable. It ppponents, and to mark themselves was only necessary that it should |