Lord George Bentinck

reat

ho warned them then that the pinching hour was inevitable; but the caution was disregarded, and many of those individuals who are now the loudest in their imprecations on the memory of Sir Robert Peel, and who are the least content with the temperate course which is now recommended to them by those who have the extremely difficult office of upholding their interests in the House of Commons, entirely kept aloof, or would smile when they were asked for their support with sarcastic self-complacency, saying, 'Well, Sir, do you thi

parliamentary experience, fine judgment, and fertile resource, have been of inestimable service to the Protectionist party. The political connection which gained most were the Whigs; they were much more numerous and compact, but it was in a great meas

ingent clause of the charter. The government, acting, it is believed, with the encouragement and sanction of Sir Robert Peel, were obstinate, and three weeks then occurred during which the commercial credit of this country was threatened with total destruction. Nine more considerable mercantile houses stopped payment in the metropolis, the disasters in the provinces were still more extensive. The Royal Bank of Liverpool failed; among several principal establishments in that town, one alone stopped payment for upwards of a million sterling. The havoc at Manchester was also great. The Newcastle bank and the North and South Wales bank stopped. Consols fell to 79 1/4, and exchequer bills were at last at 35 per cent, discount. The ordinary rate of discount at the Bank of England was between 8 and 9 per cent., but out of doors accommodation was not to be obtained. In such a state of affairs, the small houses of course gave way. From their rising in the morning until their hour of retirement at night, the First Lord of the Treasury and the Chancellor of the Exchequer were employed in seeing persons of all descriptions, who entreated them to interfere and preserve the community from universal bankruptcy. 'Perish the world, sooner than violate a principle,' was the philosophical exclamation of her Majesty's ministers, sustained by the sympathy and the sanction of Sir Robert Peel. At last, the governor and the deputy-governor of the Bank of England waited on Downing Street, and said it could go on no more. The Scotch banks had applied to them for assistance. The whole demand for discount was thrown upon the Bank of England. Two bill-brokers had stopped; two others were paralyz

teristic love of details also rendered this style of communication interesting. It is not possible to give more than extracts, and it is necessary to omit all those circumstances which generally in letter-reading are most acceptable. His comments on men and things were naturally free and full, and he always endeavoured, for the amusement of his correspondents, to commun

FRI

ouse, Augu

read it. At first I thought I could swear to its being * * * *, I now think I can swear to its being * * * *; the servilit

ce of between ￡6,000,000 and ￡7,000,000; that is to say, on the balance in the nine months 1845-46, Ireland exported about three millions' worth of breadstuffs, and not a soul died of famine

wspapers: if it is either * * * *'s, or * * * *'s, or * * * *'s w

00 a year to him. I am very sorry for him, but I know nothing so likely to rouse the landed aristocracy from their apathy, and to

FRI

use, Septem

concealing a great fraud to which he has condescended; taking, in the Whig year of 1841, the home consumption of cot

are given separately: the importation exceeding the home consumption by fifty million pounds. Burn's 'Glance,' however, gives the importation a

tation, and a year for Peel when the importation exceeded the home consumption by

the 'Morning Post' will answer the pamphlet; but I should like to h

e that the author starts with 'We,' but drops into the singular number; * *

d is applied to the Protectionist portion of his old part

, of the great failures that were about to happen in the city of London. The list was unfortunately quite accurate,

FRI

September

, the intelligence in which creat

alked with him on the subject; he seemed not to doubt the probable failure of any of the houses you name

'it is no free trade wit

meeting in October; but talks much of the difficulties of

mbrances enhanced, and rents depressed. What will become of the apathetic country gentlemen? I judge from * * * * 's language, tha

cannot think that there appears that in the working of his measures to make it likely that he should be soon again carried into power on the shoulders of the people. I think his political reputation must ebb further before it can rise again, if it should ever rise again. * * * * thought him 'broken and in low s

y sanguine that they will be in power aga

ITOR OF THE 'CO

at have been the estimated cotton crops in the United States in each of the last four years. I would also thank you to inform me the comparative

R. B

October

nvaluable. I care nothing about 'outsides,' it is 'insides' I look

dition, else I should say it would be an interesting feature to cl

colonies and British

in, Germany, Italy, etc., etc., the United States

nd the Southern States of Americ

ests generally. You have given an account of the bankruptcies in the cotton trade during a long series of years till last y

that I must ask for a dozen copie

you sent me; may I, therefore, beg anoth

FRI

October

ough good talk with you. Free trade seems working mischief faster than the most fearful of us predicted, and Manchester houses, as I am told, 'failing in rows,' ashamed to

nd a quarter per cent, for ten days

FRI

n sent out his notice of the business to be taken in his own court during Michaelmas term, that is, from the 2nd of November t

st portend a N

FRI

* * who had been dining at Palmerston's last night, tells me that he does not think that ministers mean calling Parliament together, and is confide

FRI

use, Novemb

hat I may have the pleasure

turned lists of the stoppages in the East and West Indies, consequent upon the late failures here, come home. The Western Bank of

isfied, and an adjournment until a month after Christmas was in prospect. Before, however, this took place, a new and interesting question arose,

fficulty in taking one of the oaths appointed by the House to be sworn preliminarily to any member exercising his right of voting. The dif