1x.) THE EDUCATION QUESTION. 487

Parliament. Three Coercion Bills for Ireland and the rest _ 1848
talk, talk, talk. There never was a Parliament in which so &r- 4.
Much power for good or evil was in the hands of the
Minister as in this. Lord John could have commanded a
majority for any judicious Liberal measures by the aid of
Peel, who was bound to support him, and the Liberals, who
Were eager to be led forward. But he has allowed himself
to be baffled, bullied, and obstructed by Lord George
Bentinck and the Protectionists, who have been so far
encouraged by their success in Sugar and the Navigation Laws
that I expect they will be quite ready to begin their reaction
on Corn next session, and we may have to fight the Free
Trade battle over again. The feebleness and incapacity of
the Whigs are hardly sufficient to account for their failures
as administrators, The fact is they are the allies of the
aristocracy rather than of the people, and they fight their
Opponents with gloves, not meaning to hurt them. They
are buffers placed between the people and the privileged
classes, to deaden the shock when they are brought into
collision.”
“ May 15. (To Mr. W. R, Greg.)—No apology is, I assure
you, necessary for your frank and friendly letter. There is not
much difference in our views as to what is most wanted for the
country, The only great point upon which we do not agree
iS as to the means. What we want before all things is a
bold retrenchment of expenditure. I may take a too onesided
 view of the matter, but I consider nine-tenths of all
our future dangers to be financial, and when I came home
from the continent, it was with a determination to go
on with fiscal reform and economy as a sequence to Free
Trade. I urged this line upon our friend James Wilson
(who, by the way, has committed political suicide), and
others, and I did not hesitate to say up to within the last
threes months that I would take me active part in agitating for