AND TEE DUKES OF EICEMOND. 137 



was neutralized for that session by an amendment, 

 which limited the inquiries of the Committee to " The 

 best mode of ascertaining the weekly average of corn 

 prices." 



Although this subject was shelved for the time, it 

 was the one in which before all others his Grace took 

 the deepest interest throughout his life. 



In 1821 and 1822, his Grace, with great vigilance, 

 watched the progress of various Committees which 

 were appointed to investigate the causes of agri- 

 cultural distress, but the first debate in which he 

 took a leading part was on the 11th of June, 1824. 

 When the second reading of the Game Laws Amend- 

 ment Bill was brought forward, the object of which 

 was to legalize the purchase and sale of game, the 

 Duke opposed the bill, stating that although he ad- 

 mitted the great evil of poaching, he did not consider 

 the temptation for its practice would be less after the 

 passing of this bill, as predicted by Earl Grosvenor, 

 though it would be legal for the poacher to sell game 

 which he had stolen, and which could not be identi- 

 fied, nor could he indeed see the possibility of a 

 poacher ever being convicted. 



After some discussion the motion was negatived 

 without a division. A^^len this subject was again 

 brought forward, his Grace admitted that " he was a 

 great reformer upon it, declaring that the existing 

 laws were most unjust in their operation. As regards 



