The approaching Session of Parliament. 7 



driven from it in disgrace, or to concede to their supporters those 

 points in which they agree in their hearts, but which from silly pride 

 they decline sanctioning, because they had not the boldness to be the 

 originators. If the Prime Minister go down to Parliament and 

 openly declare his opposition to the free discussion of Reform ques- 

 tions, he will find that the present House of Commons will look 

 coldly on him and show their opinions of him most unequivocally by 

 their votes ; and if he shall venture to appeal to the country, as 

 very probably he may, the ejection of the Whiggish members and 

 the return of unflinching Reformers in their stead will so alter the 

 votes as to impose on him and his followers the necessity of a dis- 

 graceful retirement. The Reformers have hitherto been staunch 

 friends and supporters of the Ministry, and have throughout evinced 

 more zeal for their interests than the scions of the Whig Aristocracy, 

 who have so often and so injuriously to the cause preferred their pri- 

 vate pleasures to their legislative duties. They will not desert the 

 Ministers in the time of need, unless the Ministers desert themselves ; 

 and they cannot do so more effectually than by opposing those very 

 measures without which their own favourite Reform bill is but a half- 

 finished structure, like a noble edifice planned out and built, but 

 left incomplete and unfurnished a monument of architectural talent, 

 but at the same time of human inconsistency, irresolution, and folly. 

 But the Ministry will not so belie their own pledges, so far com- 

 promise their own honesty : and we pass on to another and a no 

 less important question. 



The obstructive party under the command of Lord Lyndhurst suc- 

 ceeded during the last Session in throwing out jfive great national 

 bills, or at least in emasculating them so far that their essentials were 

 not retained, and the bills were rejected with merited contempt; 

 and these too, were bills that had passed the Commons with over. 

 whelming majorities. Shall they be allowed to run their course 

 during another Session ? We say yes : for of the Peers as well as 

 the Clergy, it may be truly said, Quern Dens vult perdere, prius 

 dementit. All men's eyes are opening to the flagitiousness of their 

 conduct, and every additional act of obstruction only hastens the 

 moment either of Peerage ruin or Peerage reform. We are not 

 destructives: we wish to eradicate their faults, to make them 

 better, to render them worthy of being the Peers members of 

 the true nobility of the British Empire. To the Reformers how- 



