314 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



declining, he gave, as his reason, failing health ; but, had he been 

 stronger, he would have still preferred retirement to working under 

 the new constitution. 



His deliverance from official work in 1858 was followed by the 

 crushing calamity of his wife's death. He was then on his way to 

 spend the winter in Italy, but immediately after the event he returned 

 to his home at Blackheath. For some months he saw nobody, but still 

 corresponded actively on matters that interested him. His despon- 

 dency was frightful. In reply to my condolence, he said : "I have 

 recovered the shock as much as I ever shall. Henceforth, I shall be 

 only a conduit for ideas." Writing to Gi'ote, he descanted passion- 

 ately on his wife's virtues : " If you had only known all that she 

 was ! " 



In the beginning of 1859 I was preparing for publication my vol- 

 ume on " The Emotions and the Will." I showed the manuscript to 

 Mill, and he revised it minutely, and jotted a great many suggestions. 

 In two or three instances his remarks bore the impress of his lacerated 

 feelings. 



He soon recommenced an active career of publication. The " Lib- 

 erty" was already written, and, as he tells us, was never to be re- 

 touched. His pamphlet on " Parliamentary Reform," written some 

 years previously, was revised and sent to press. On this he remarked 

 in a letter : " Grote, I am afraid, will not like it, on account of the 

 ballot, if not other points. But I attach importance to it, as a sort of 

 revision of the theory of representative government." A few days 

 later he wi'ote, " Grote knows that I now differ with him on the bal- 

 lot, and we have discussed it together, with no effect on either." 



Of course the pamphlet was well reasoned, but the case against the 

 ballot had not the strength that I should have expected. The main 

 considerations put forward are these two : First, that the electoral vote 

 is a trust, and therefore to be openly exercised ; second, that, as a 

 matter of fact, the coercion of the voter by bribery and intimidation 

 has diminished and is diminishing. The argument from " a trust " 

 was not new ; it had been repeatedly answered by Grote and by others. 

 The real point at issue was, whether the withdrawing the elector from 

 the legitimate control of public oj^inion be not a less evil than expos- 

 ing him to illegitimate influence ; and this depends on the state of the 

 facts as to the diminution of such influence. Experience seems to be 

 against Mill on this head ; and it is unfortunate for his political sa- 

 gacity and prescience that the Legislature was converted to the ballot 

 after he had abandoned it. 



The "Liberty" appeared about the same time. The work was 

 conceived and planned in 1854. While thinking of it, he told Grote 

 that he was cogitating an essay to point out what things society for- 

 bade that it ought not, and what things it left alone that it ought to 

 control. Grote repeated this to me, remarking, " It is all very well 



