Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/437

 1859-] Resignation of Aberdeen to Dissolution in 1859. 423 its charges, but Palmerston treated the matter in his own jaunty style. The session was closed on the 29th of July. Another foreign subject was preparing to distract attention, to confuse political issues and break up parties. On the 8th of October the lorcha Arrow was seized by the Chinese authorities in the river at Canton. The vessel was said by her owners to have been under the protection of an English register, to have been commanded by an English officer, and to have flown the English flag. The last assertion seems to have been proved, although the flag was displayed without any legal authority. The register, if it had ever been in force, had expired some time before, and when the seizure was made all the persons on board were Chinese, one of them being a notorious pirate. It was on these grounds, which, if the acting power had been a European state, would scarcely have led to a formal inquiry, that a war was speedily commenced. The hollowness of the pretence was soon after- wards admitted by a change of object, which, instead of being confined to a demand for apology and compensation for the seizure of the A rrouu, was made to extend to a right of entry into Canton. " English interests " were made to take the place not only of consideration for a comparatively weak nation, but of common justice to an antagonist. When Parliament met on the 3rd of February, 1857, the Queen's speech referred to the commencement of hostilities with China, and to the success which had so far attended our operations. But for such an interference it was soon seen that the Radicals were prepared for an active political campaign. On the I2th of February Clay again introduced his bill for abolishing church rares, and it was read a first time. On the I9th of the same month Locke King moved for leave to bring in a bill for extending the county franchise, and was defeated only by the narrow majority of thirteen the numbers being 179 for, and 192 against. On this occasion Russell voted for the bill, which was opposed by Palmerston and the other ministers. Another demonstration in favour of Parliamentary reform was made on the 24th of February, by