442 POLITICAL CAREER. 



Kingdom is poorer by four hundred millions of 

 pounds than it was twenty years ago, and that 

 thousands upon thousands of acres upon the 

 wheat-growing farms in these islands cannot be 

 tilled so long as wheat remains at 30s. a quarter, 

 I cannot but reflect what my two honoured 

 masters, the fifth Duke of Richmond and Lord 

 George Bentinck, foretold, and what they would 

 have thought of the present condition of affairs. 

 These illustrious and enlightened men advocated 

 protection, not for British agriculturists alone, 

 but also for British manufacturers. I am as- 

 sured by those better informed than myself that 

 if ever free trade is overthrown in this country, 

 the change will be effected, not by the agricul- 

 turists, but by the commercial classes. 



It was during this memorable session, and less 

 than a month before his death, that Lord George 

 addressed the following letter to Mr Disraeli : — 



"Harcourt House, 

 Wednesday, Aug. 30, 1848, 4.30 a.m. 



" I have just come home from the House of 

 Commons, after a sitting of fifteen hours and a 

 half — the longest but one, I believe, on record. 

 Late as it is, I send you the report of the self- 

 constituted Committee on Savings Banks in Ire- 

 land. The Bill was only printed yesterday, and 

 the Chancellor of the Exchequer forces us into 

 a consideration of it at eleven o'clock at night. 



