rt, Lord John Russell informed the house that ministers had resolved
to allow the latter place a member of its own: "treating it," he said,
"rather like an English town than a Welsh contributory borough." By the
9th of March the committee had gone through the bill, and the report was
considered on the 14th, on which day Mr. Croker put several resolutions
on the journals without pressing them to a division, embodying the
objections, not to the principles of the bill, but to the manner in
which they had been applied. On the 19th the motion for the third
reading of the bill was met by an amendment, moved by Lord Mahon, that
it should be read a third time that day six months.

The amendment was seconded by Sir John Malcolm, and was followed by a
debate which continued to the 22nd, in which old arguments, both for and
against, were reiterated with deep earnestness. On a division, the bill
was carried by a majority of three hundred and fifty-five against two
hundred and thirty-nine; leaving a majority of one hundred and sixteen
for ministers. On the 23rd the bill was finally passed; an amendment
which went to raise the qualification to twenty pounds in Liverpool,
and all the new boroughs, returning two members, having been negatived
without a division.

DEBATES ON THE REFORM BILL IN THE LORDS.

When the reform bill had been thus carried through the commons a second
time, the reformers began again to be apprehensive of its fate in the
upper house, and to bring again into operation their various engines
of clamour and intimidation. It was industriously reported abroad that
ministers had been armed with a _carte blanche_ for the creation of
peers, in order to carry the measure; but though they did not deny it,
it does not appear that any such power had been delegated to them. At
all events the bill was laid before the house of lords without a single
peer having been created, and it was read a first time on the 26th
of March. The most important part of its reception consisted in the
speeches of Lords Harrowby and Wharncliffe, who had led the opposition
of last session, but who now declared their intention to vote for the
second reading. The Bishop of London was also so impressed with the
dangers hanging over the country, that he resolved to follow this
example. On the other hand, the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of
Carnarvon, and the Marquis of Londonderry, expressed their undiminished
aversion to the measure. The second