CHAPTER XV 



VARIOUS CORRESPONDENCE (1875-1879) 



(Age 41-45) 



April 22 was fixed for the Second Reading of 

 the Ancient Monuments Bill. He seems to have 

 been somewhat surprised to hear that the Con- 

 servative Government intended to oppose it. 

 Some of his friends counselled its withdrawal 

 under the circumstances, but he decided to 

 persevere. He counted in the Aye lobby, and 

 was very pleased to find that several Conservative 

 Members were voting with him. When the 

 discussion was about half over, one of them as he 

 passed said to him, " We are having a very good 

 division." Some time afterwards another said, 

 " We are going to hit them very hard," and the 

 last man as he went through told him they had 

 won. This was the first defeat of the Govern- 

 ment, and a great triumph, but he could never 

 get a day to carry the Bill any further. 



The same afternoon he had another piece of 

 good fortune, for all the other Bills ran through, 

 or were dropped, and he got the Second Reading 

 of a Bill introduced on behalf of the College of 

 Surgeons to amend their statutes. 



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