JACOB BELL. 467 



ing in the House of Commons the subject he had so much at is 59. 

 heart. But he had as yet never been much interested in politics, 

 and, strange as it may appear, he was so little versed in political 

 affairs, that he actually did not know with which party his 

 principles would lead him to associate. However, upon the 

 death of Mr. Raphael in November, 1850, and the consequent 

 vacancy in the representation of St. Albans, Mr. Bell decided 

 upon offering himself as a Liberal candidate for that borough. 



But the " free and independent electors " of St. Albans were St. Albans. 

 by no means disposed to accept the first candidate that offered, 

 and thus forego so interesting an occasion as a contested election. 

 A rival candidate in the Conservative interest was therefore 

 brought forward ; and although upon the election that took 

 place on the 24th December, 1850, Mr. Bell was returned by a 

 considerable majority, the unscrupulousness of the means em- 

 ployed by his agents upon that occasion was such that a petition 

 was presented which led to the ultimate disfranchisement of the 

 borough. These proceedings were ever after a source of regret 

 to Mr. Bell, and were the occasion at the time of many un- 

 pleasant reflections being cast upon him. But in the opinion 

 of those most fully acquainted with the circumstances he was 

 more sinned against than sinning. That he showed a laxity in 

 placing himself so fully as he did in the hands of his parlia- 

 mentary agent, we cannot deny. But we are convinced that his 

 doing so was a consequence of his ignorance of electioneering 

 practices, and that had he been any other than a novice at 

 political life he would have exercised to a much greater extent 

 that prudence which he was wont to display under other circum- 

 stances. 



The great object with which Mr. Bell had entered Parliament M. P. 

 was to secure an act for the regulation of pharmacy; and in 

 June, 1851, we find him moving for leave to bring in a Bill 

 to Regulate the Qualifications of Pharmaceutical Chemists, and 

 for other purposes in connection with the Practice of Pharmacy. 

 This was granted ; the Pharmacy Bill was introduced and read a 

 first time. But the able and zealous advocacy of Mr. Bell was 

 not sufficient to convince the House of Commons of the necessity 



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