414 History of the English Landed Interest. 



not allowed to come into operation till tlie quarter of wheat 

 fell to 62s. At tliat price the duty was to be 24s, 8c?., which 

 was to decrease for every rise of \s. in price, in such a ratio 

 that at 73s. there would only be the registration fee to pay. 

 On the other hand, for every fall of Is. below 62s. per quarter 

 an increase of Is. in the duty was payable, so that when the 

 quarter fell below 55s. the almost prohibitive duty of 32s. 

 came into force. "Where the free-traders saw hope for their 

 cause was in the altered attitude of the Government, from 

 which they shrewdly augured that the cotinsels of his Majesty's 

 ministers had become less unanimous, and their relationship 

 with each other slightly strained. 



But the concessions in the Act of 1828 were probably as 

 great as any Radical could expect in a House thus constituted. 

 It was decided therefore to concentrate attention on the sub- 

 ject of Reform. In the words of Harriett Martineau,^ " All 

 agreed to relinquish their minor objects for a time to secure 

 the overthrow of borough corruption, and the great cry was 

 raised which from that hour rang through the land for above 

 a year — the Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the Bill." 



Wellington, since the decease of its original leader, had 

 barely kept together the moribund Canningite Administration; 

 and when George IV. died, the Duke resigned. The new 

 king sent for Lord Grey, and gave his reluctant assent to the 

 formation of a Reform Cabinet. Lord John Russell's con- 

 ciliatory tactics were again brought into requisition, and 

 under his guidance the great Reform Bill was piloted through 

 its three readings in the Lower House, a reluctant consent was 

 extorted from the peers by the new Premier, and the measure 

 received the royal assent on June 7th, 1832. As soon as 

 possible a resolution to amend the Corn Laws was introduced 

 by the indefatigable Whitmore in order to test the sentiments 

 of the reformed Parliament. Its rejection by a large majority 

 assured the Radicals that outside agitation was still necessary, 

 and the free-traders again began to stump the country. 



Two facts became now apparent : first, that Lord John 



^ History vf the Thirty Yearn'' Peace, vol. 11. u. 32. 



