he had concluded, by derisive laughter on the opposition benches, and a loud buz of conversation on both sides of the house, which did not quite subside during the remainder of the speech. He avowed that when wheat was under 51s. his intention was to give the agriculturists that "effectual protection" to which he thought they were entitled on account of the burthens they exclusively bore. We shall hear more of those " exclusive burthens" by and bye. There was no debate. Lord John Russell only asked a question about the mode of taking the averages. Mr. Cobden satisfied himself with denouncing the measure as an insult to a suffering people—a people whose patience had been extolled by the right honourable baronet—and a people whose patience deserved a very different treatment from the landed aristocracy, and from the cabinet, which was the instrument of that aristocracy.
As soon as Sir Robert Peel's plan had been proposed, such of the deputies as had remained in the lobbies and gallery of the house adjourned to Brown's Hotel, where they found a number of their colleagues assembled, and several resolutions were prepared to be submitted to the next morning's meeting, in order that no time might be lost in putting the country in possession of their opinions. On the Thursday morning all the deputies, numbering more than 700, were in their places, and, on the proposition of Mr. Mc.Laren, Mr. P. A. Taylor, of London, was called to the chair. Endeavours had been made to convince some of them, that, as the protectionists would be certain to support Peel's measure, not as satisfactory to them but as the best they could obtain under the circumstances, it would be well to give a favourable consideration to the moderate fixed duty, which would be supported by the whigs; but these representations either had no effect, or if listened to with favour, had not encouraged any one to oppose himself to the general determination to accept of no compromise. The following resolutions, proposed by
