Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/457

 1865.] Palmerstons Last Administration. 443 House of Commons. " Rare," he said, " is the privilege of any man, who, having fourteen years ago rendered to his country one signal service, now again, within the same brief span of life, decorated neither by land nor title, bearing no mark to distinguish him from the people he loves, has been permitted to perform another great and memorable service to his sovereign and his country." * By the 3Oth of June, 1859, the arrangements of the new Ministry were completed, and on the evening of that day the statements were made in both Houses. Earl Granville, in the Lords, said that the question of Parliamentary reform would engage the earnest attention of the Government, with a view to the introduction of a measure early in the following session. He reminded his hearers that the elections had turned mainly on that question a fact that is worth remembering, in view of the persistent declaration of some of the Whigs that there was no popular demand for reform. The war in Italy attracted much attention, and it was made the excuse for it was really no justification for demands for an increase in our armaments. The discussions on this subject took up much of the time of Parliament, and destroyed what little chance there ever had been of practical domestic work in the remainder of the broken session. The Church Rates Abolition Bill was, on the 1 3th of July, read a second time by 263 to 193, Palmerston for the first time giving it his support. The triumph was a barren one, as there was no time to proceed with the measure. The Endowed Schools Bill was again introduced by Mr. Dillwyn, was read a second time by 210 to 192, and then referred to a select committee, which meant shelving it for a time. Parlia- ment was prorogued on the 1 3th of August. The session of 1860 was opened, on the 24th of January, by a speech which referred to the Italian war and the French commercial treaty, and said that " measures will be laid before you for amending the laws which regulate the representation of the people in Parliament, and for placing the representation upon a broader and firmer basis." The bill thus promised
 * Budget speech, loth of February.