rein
the utmost hospitality was always exercised, the great statesmen who have
represented Liverpool in Parliament--George Canning and William
Huskisson--have many a time poured forth the floods of their eloquence,
stirring up the heart's-blood of the thousands assembled in the street to
hear them, making pulses beat quicker, and exciting passions to
fever-heat. Mr. Canning used also to address the electors from Sir
Thomas Brancker's house in Rodney-street.

The lengths to which election zeal carried men may be understood, when,
during the progress of an election, business was suspended in the town
for days and days. Hatred, envy, and malice were engendered. Neighbour
was set against neighbour, and I have known many instances where serious
divisions in families have taken place when opposite sides in politics
have been chosen by the members of such families. It has required years
to heal wounds made in family circles, and time in some instances never
succeeded in bringing relatives to esteem each other again. The small
knot of reformers in this town stuck manfully together and fought their
battles well; and if the Tory side could boast of substantial names
amongst their ranks, those of Henry Brougham, Egerton Smith, Dr.
Shepherd, Mr. Mulock, Edward Rushton, and many others, occupy a place in
the pantheon of worthies who stood forward on all great and public
occasions when improvement in the constitution was to be advocated. I
recollect a time when it was scarcely wise for a man to confess himself a
reformer. At the beginning of this century, when the horrors of the
French Revolution were fresh in all men's minds, and knowing so well as
we did that there were many mischievous, dangerous, and disaffected
people amongst us, ripe and ready to foment and foster broils, bringing
anarchy and confusion in their train, it seemed to be the duty of all men
who had characters and property to lose, to stick fast to the state as it
was, without daring to change anything, however trifling or however
necessary. A man was almost thought a traitor to talk of reform or
change at one time, for there were not a few influential men who would
rather have risen on the ruins of Old England than have fallen with her
glory. Ticklish times we had in the beginning of the present century.

On the subject of Reform, it was said that an elector one day meeting Mr.
Brougham in Castle-street, thus accosted him:--"Well, Mister, so you are
going