When  Mr.  Disraeli  gave  notice  of  a  bill  to  dispose  of  four  seats
which  were  vacant,  this  was  regarded  by  them  as  a  manner  of
opening  new  and  important  issues,  and  not  within  the  definition
that  had  been  the  condition  of  their  provisional  support.*
'Lord  John  Piussell  came  and  said  to  me,'  says  Mr.  Gladstone,
'"What  will  you  do?"  I  admitted  we  were  bound  to  act ;  and,
joining  the  liberals,  we  threw  over  the  proposal  by  a  large
majority.  This  was  the  only  occasion  of  conflict  that  arose  ;
and  it  was  provoked,  as  we  thought,  by  the  government  itself.'

1  This  was  a  hill  to  assign  the  four  disfranchised  seats  for  Sudbury  and  St.  Albans
to  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire  and  the  southern  division  of  Lancashire.  Mr.  Glad-
stone carried  the  order  of  the  day  by  a  majority  of  S6  against  the  government.
CHAPTER  VITI

EXD   OF   PROTECTION

{1852)

It  is  not  too  much  to  ask  tliat  now  at  least,  after  so  much  waste  of  public  time
after  ministries  overturned  and  parties  disorganised,  the  question  of  free  trade  .shou'd
be  place<l  higli  and  dry  on  the  shore  whither  tlie  tide  of  political  partv  strife  could  no
longer  reach  it. — Gladstone.
