276 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK oh. 



this way and pose as the attacking force, not even 

 £200,000,000 of taxation will upset Free Trade 

 in England, however much such a burden be 

 opposed to its fundamental conditions." 



A letter from him, of this year, to Mr. Charles 

 Stewart, contains what Mr. Stewart very justly 

 writes of as " an admirably succinct statement 

 of the advantages of Proportional Representa- 

 tion." " Without Proportional Representation," 

 Lord Avebury affirms, " a central party is, I 

 believe, impossible. A system of election such 

 as ours favours two extremes, and crushes out 

 moderate men and independent thinkers." 



Mr. Stewart was a zealous collaborator in the 

 Free Trade cause, and he and Lord Avebury had 

 many points of view in common. In another 

 letter to Mr. Stewart Lord Avebury writes : "I 

 especially value your approval " (this was with 

 reference, I think, to his Free Trade speech at 

 Dundee, which the Cobden Club published) and 

 adds, " As to theology, are we not going as 

 quickly as is wise ? The change since you and I 

 were young is really astonishing, and I do not feel 

 myself properly equipped for definite theological 

 controversy." 



They are words that may remind us of the 

 immense change which the passage of those 

 years had seen, and also express his character- 

 istically moderate attitude of mind towards that 

 change which he had in some degree helped to 

 bring about. 



On January 11, Lady Avebury's birthday, they 

 had their usual dance for the children at High 

 Elms. Nevertheless the year opened for him 



