264 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1834 advantage of the opportunity with a skill which surprised his opponents, and a courage which impressed all parties. He announced that he was prepared to consider the report of the municipal commission, and to deal with its recommendations in a liberal spirit. He introduced a Marriage Bill which, unlike that of the former Ministry, won, as far as its main lines went, the acceptance of the dissenters. He proposed a scheme for the commutation of tithes which manifested both adaptive and administrative skill. Above all, in his speech against the repeal of the malt tax, he had shown such an ability in understanding the real bearing of financial questions, and such a readiness to deal with them, as were scarcely claimed, and were certainly not possessed, by any other living statesman. He could not hope, by all his exertions, to maintain power in a Parliament where the majority was determined to defeat him, but what he did was to teach the country that it was not dependent upon one set of men for capacity to carry on the Government, and that if the people were dissatisfied with the Whigs, they need not hesitate to say so from the fear of a reactionary policy on the part of the Conservatives. The opposition taunted the ministers for retaining office after repeated defeats in the House of Commons ; Peel replied that unless a vote of want of confidence were carried, he would not resign until he had submitted his proposals to Parliament. At last the contest reached a climax. Ministers introduced resolutions which proposed to deal with the subject of tithes in Ireland. The opposition determined to raise the old appro- priation question in a form which, if carried, the Government could not accept. Accordingly, after some preliminary notices and change of date, the 3Oth of March was fixed upon as the day for the final attack. The selection of the subject was evidently decided upon from strategical reasons. It would secure the heartiest support from the Radicals, and especially from the Irish section of the party, on whose action the result depended. Otherwise the choice was not a fortunate one, and it was afterwards the cause of bringing such dishonour upon the Whig leaders as scarcely any other body of English poli-
