CHAPTER XII.
ADJOURNED DEBATE.
The debate in the Commons was resumed on Wednesday, by
"Mr. Stafford O'Brien, who read copious extracts from speeches, newspaper articles, pamphlets, &c., in order to give an historical view of the proceedings of the Anti-Corn-Law League, whose conduct and operations he ridiculed and condemned. Captain Layard amused the House by observations of Mr. Disraeli, and by relating his pleasure on having seen Sir Robert Peel relaxing himself at the Opera, witnessing the ballet of 'Ondine,' the 'shadow-dance' in which he compared to free trade flitting before the mental vision of the premier. The motion of Mr. Villiers had his support. Colonel Rushbrooke spoke shortly on the condition of the agricultural peasantry of Suffolk, which was much better than had been represented, and to which the incendiary fires had been wrongly attributed. Lord Rendlesham reminded the House that there were two parties to the letting of a farm, and that the landlord, like the manufacturer, could only command the market price. In his part of the country—and he believed that it was general—three rents were calculated on: one for the landlord; a second for the farmer, to recompense his outlay of capital; and a third was appropriated to the labourer, being spent in the shape of wages. But repeal the Corn Laws, reduce the price of grain to the continental level, and the farmer would be unable to compete with his lighter-taxed foreign rival, while wages, regulated by the price of provisions, would fall. He hoped that Sir Robert Peel would boldly avow his determination to maintain that system of protection which this country had so long enjoyed."
Mr. Ward, after ridiculing the pretensions and the doings of the Pro-Corn-Law Association, answering some of the fallacies of the protectionists, characterising Lord
