arcely less
formidable, and it soon became evident that high tories were almost as
much incensed by the prospect of a tory reform bill as radicals and
whigs by the vote on Lyndhurst's amendment.

On the 14th Manners Sutton and Alexander Baring, Lyndhurst's trusted
confidants, plainly informed the duke that his self-imposed task was
hopeless, and on the next day the duke advised the king to recall Grey.
The king, who had apparently grasped the position earlier, acquiesced in
this solution of the question. He agreed to recall Grey and his
colleagues, and to use his own personal influence in persuading tory
peers to abstain from voting. He attempted to impose upon his old
ministers the condition of modifying the bill considerably, but they
continued to insist on maintaining its integrity, and on swamping the
upper house, unless its opposition should be withdrawn. It was, happily,
unnecessary to resort to such extreme measures. A letter from the king,
dated the 17th, informed Wellington that all difficulties would be
removed by "a declaration in the house of lords from a sufficient number
of peers that they have come to the resolution of dropping their further
opposition to the reform bill". On that night, after stating what had
passed, the duke retired from the house, followed by about 100 peers,
and absented himself from the discussion of the bill in committee. A
stalwart minority remained, and took issue on a few clauses, but their
numbers constantly dwindled, and when the report was received on June 1
only eighteen peers recorded their dissent in a protest. Grey himself,
though suffering from illness, moved the third reading on the 4th, when
it was carried by 106 to 22. His last words did not lack the dignity
which had marked his bearing throughout, and expressed the earnest hope
that, in spite of sinister forebodings, "the measure would be found to
be, in the best sense, conservative of the constitution".

[Pageheading: _ROYAL ASSENT TO THE BILL._]

The amendments made in the house of lords were slight, and the house of
commons adopted them without any argument on their merits. Peel, who had
made a convincing defence of his recent conduct, and who afterwards took
a statesmanlike course in the reformed parliament, declared, with some
petulance, that he would have nothing to do with the consideration of
provisions or amendments passed under compulsion, and that he was
prepared to accept them, _en bloc_, whatever their