ss regular in its construction; and thus afforded
greater inducements to the commission of frauds upon the averages. This
bill, notwithstanding, passed both houses: it being accepted by the
landed interest as the best to be obtained in the then state of parties,
and by their opponents as a step towards further reform. The scale of
duties as established by this law fixed the price of 1s. per quarter
when the average of six weeks per quarter was 73s.; but when the average
was 60s. no less a sum than 36s. 8d. was to be paid for duty. From
this period down to 1842 no further change took place in the corn-laws,
though year after year the subject was agitated in one shape or the
other, and committees were appointed to inquire into the state of
agriculture. In the year 1842 her majesty's speech at the opening of the
session recommended the taking of "the state of the laws which affected
the import of corn" into consideration, and expressed regret at the
continued distress in the manufacturing districts. For the measure
brought forward by Sir Robert Peel, the reader is referred to the
parliamentary debates of that year; it will be sufficient here to state,
that in his resolutions he retained the sliding-scale, and introduced
such amendments as he conceived would diminish the oscillations
previously experienced under that mode of levying the duties. Up to the
year 1846, Sir Robert Peel resolutely defended the measure passed in
1842; giving a decided negative to all the free-trade propositions moved
by Lord John Russell and Messrs. Cobden and Villiers, with other members
of parliament. His constant reply was, to these propositions, that
his experience of the present system was not such as to induce him to
propose "further change at present." He was at length convinced by the
arguments of his opponents that the corn-laws were no longer tenable. He
resigned office, promising Lord John Russell, whom he recommended to her
majesty as his successor, his support in the final adjustment of this
great question. There was no one, however, able to settle this
question but himself; and when Lord John Russell failed in forming an
administration, he resumed office with a fixed resolution, at the risk
of being denominated a changeling and a deceiver of party, to open the
English ports to all the world. How he grappled with and settled the
question will be seen in the ensuing debates.

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

Parliament reassembled on the