404 History of the English Landed Interest. 



appeared to the committee of 1814, and the re-enactment of 

 the Corn Laws followed the ensuing j^ear.^ 



But our lawgivers had now to reckon with a fresh element 

 in this vexed question of Agricultural Protection. Up to the 

 close of the war, the patriotism of the nation as a whole had 

 suppressed every expression of discontent which might tend 

 to abstract the attention of its rulers from the emergencies 

 of the hour. Even the most truculent demagogue waited a 

 more favourable opportunity for arousing the popular indigna- 

 tion by his fads and grievances. But the long period of 

 scarcity had rendered the poorer classes so much combustible 

 matter, which only required the smallest spark to set it in a 

 blaze. "When therefore it was observed that Parliament was 

 about to maintain in times of peace the high prices of grain 

 necessitated by war, the Free Trade agitation at once sprang 

 into existence. 



It is always dangerous for the central authority to be out 

 of direct touch with the people. Statesmen, we have said 

 in the last chapter, were keeping their fingers on the public 

 pulse, but during the peculiar circumstances of war it was 

 impossible thus to gauge the passions temporarily suppressed 

 in the patriotic hearts of the people. In the House of Com- 

 mons, as now constituted, the Government is more or less 

 in actual contact with the masses, by means of their parlia- 

 mentary representatives, and when the people wants to make 

 its wishes known it can do so in a constitutional manner. In 

 the days before the Reform Bill the first intimation of popular 

 discontent that reached the ears of ministers was generally 

 some popular outbreak in the provinces or suburbs. 



It was so in this case. The bill for fresh protective legis- 

 lation appeared in Parliament on Feb. 22nd, 1815. It was 

 proposed that the House should go into committee to consider 

 it, and the entire assembly, with the exception of seven 

 dissentients, approved. In one week, however, meetings had 

 been convened, and expressions of dissent uttered in all parts 

 of the country. In a fortnight the mob was intimidating 



* 55 Geo. III. c 26. Importation 2ii'ohibited until the price of the 

 quarter of wheat exceeded 80s. 



