as only signed by unmarried women and widows
of full age, holding the legal qualification for voting in either
county or borough, but there were other forms for other classes of
persons. On March 28, the Right Hon. H. A. Bruce presented a
petition from 3,559 persons, mostly women. Mr. Mill, in April,
presented one with 3,161 names collected by the Manchester
committee, and the Right Hon. Russell Gurney one signed by 1,605
qualified women, _i. e._, free-holders and householders who would
have had the vote had they been men. In all 13,497 were counted in
the parliamentary report this session; among these were many
clergymen, barristers, physicians and fellows of colleges.

While we are on the subject of petitions we may as well briefly
glance at what was done in this branch of work during succeeding
years.[540] No better method could be found of testing public
opinion, or of affording scope for quiet, intelligent agitation.
Many friends could help by circulating petitions, distributing
literature at the same time and arguing away objections. In 1868
there were presented 78 petitions with nearly 50,000 signatures.
One of them, headed by Mrs. Somerville and Florence Nightingale,
contained 21,000 names, and was a heavy but delightful burden which
Mr. Mill could hardly carry to the table. This petition excited
great attention. During all these years no petitions were presented
against granting the suffrage to women. These numbers were
undoubtedly a surprise to many members of parliament who were
inclined to look upon woman suffrage as an "impracticable fad,"
"the fantastic crochet of a few shrieking sisters." But the
collection and arrangement of the signatures took up incalculable
time, and after a few years this method of agitation was discarded
to a great extent in the large political centres. Friends became
wearied out with the toilsome process of year by year collecting
signatures, which when presented were silently and indifferently
dropped into the bag under the table of the House of Commons. But
during the early days of the movement these petitions, signed by
all classes of men and women, were invaluable in arousing interest
in our movement.

In 1867, for the better prosecution of the work, instead of one
committee embracing the whole of England, separate associations
were formed in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The London
committee consisted of ladies only, Miss Frances Power Cobbe, Mrs.
Fawcett, Miss Hampson