A

LIFE OF COBDEN.

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188. «March 8. (To Mrs. Uobden.)—We are a liitle anxious up
ir. 24. here lest there should be riots in the north, We hear bad
accounts from Glasgow, but I suppose they are exaggerated:
I hope we shall have no imitations of the French fashions
in this respect.”
“ March 10, ( ,, )—We were very late in the Hous®
again last night. Disraeli was very amusing for two hour
talking about everything but the question. He made poor
McGregor a most ridiculous figure. The Whigs are getting
hold of our friends.
« London, March 14. ( ,, )—On getting back yesterday
{ found such a mass of letters that, what with them and the
committee I had to attend, and callers, and my speech last
evening, I thought you would excuse my writing to you. 1
am more harassed than ever. The committees are very
important (I mean upon army, navy, and ordnance eX”
penditure,* and upon the Bank of England), and occupy
my time more than the House. I gave them some home
truths last evening, but we were in a poor minority.’ The
Ministers frightened our friends about a resignation. Nobody
 did more to canvass for help for them than ——"
it to be essential to the peace of the world and to the stability of gover
ment, that the experiment now making in France shall have a fair an
without being embarrassed or obstructed by extrinsic intervemtion. I
as wait for the results of this experiment. Let us calmly contemplst®
whether it is possible that executive governments can be great manfso
burers, whether it can be possible for them to force capital to employ
industry,” &c.—8ir Robert Peel, April 18.
3 Among other points he laughed at Cobden and Mr. Bright as represey
tatives of Peace and Plenty in the face of a starving people and & WO¥ 0
in arms. - He algo declared himgelf a * Free-trader, not a freebnoter of th
Manchester school.” .
+ As a means of conciliating public opinion, which was at this time ro
one of its cold and thrifty fits, 8ir Charles Wood, the Chancellor of Se
Exchequer, moved for a Belect and Secret Committee to inquire into joo
expenditure on army, navy, and ordnance. Cobden wss an aseidud
attendant, with his usnal anxiety to hear all the facts of the case.
5 On Mr. Hume's motion for altering the period of renewed inoome-t8%
Bom three vesrs $0 one. The * poor minority” waa 138 seninst 363.