party were very eloquent men--the Earl of Derby, and
Benjamin Disraeli. Both these gifted persons have since been repeatedly
in power, and, while evidently as hostile to a free-trade policy
in office as well as when out of office, yet they affected in their
parliamentary orations to be on the side of the popular theory of free
trade, and often made speeches so glaringly inconsistent with those
previously made by them as to damage the reputation of public men in the
national esteem. Presuming upon the ignorance, or forgetfulness, of the
population at large, the peer and the commoner have frequently spoken
as though they had been the invariable champions of freedom of commerce,
and of civil and religious liberty. In 1851 they were the persistent and
acrimonious opponents of freedom, religious, political, and commercial,
and by their eloquence stimulated those who sympathised with them, and
incensed those who believed that a great economical victory had been
accomplished by the free-trade legislation of Sir Robert Peel, which was
irreversible. Those who considered that the "Derby-Disraeli party"
only used their anti-free-trade agitations to accomplish a mere party
purpose, to regain office, and check the general progress of free
institutions and reform, were exasperated at the political charlatanism
which they considered to be thus displayed, so that the public lost
temper with the party, and was disposed even to violent manifestations
of its hostility. A remarkable instance of this occurred at Tarnworth,
previously the seat of the lately deceased parliamentary champion of
the repeal of the corn-laws, Sir Robert Peel. The landowners of North
Warwickshire, and their party adherents, convened a public meeting to
discuss their alleged grievances, and selected Tamworth as the place
of meeting. The populace and the free-traders declared that the place
chosen was not one which would naturally be appointed for such a
gathering, and believed that Tamworth was named for the meeting in order
to insult the memory of Sir Robert Peel, and by a display of strength
affront the liberal party, in matters of commerce, on the spot where the
ashes of their chief reposed. The Protectionists would not yield to
any suggestions concerning the bad taste displayed as to the moral
battle-ground they had chosen. They were warned that it would become
a material battle-field as well, but the warnings were rejected. The
ringleaders in the great agricultur