318 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1841- constituencies by declaring their adhesion to the principles of protection, but when they both had to confess that the laws which they held to be essential must be modified in order to relieve the sufferings of a nation, they gave up the very essence of their argument. The Whigs had already done this when they proposed a small fixed duty in lieu of the sliding scale, and the Conservative Ministry were now to follow by greatly reducing the amount of the tax. When they took office after the vote of the 3Oth of August, 1841, the year was too far advanced for Peel's Government to bring forward any financial or commercial policy of their own ; they merely proposed to carry out, with some trifling alteration, the plans of their predecessors, to prorogue Parliament early, and to use the recess for the preparation of their own scheme. It was pressed upon them, both in and out of Parliament, that the distress in the country was so acute that something ought to be done at once for its alleviation ; but the reply was, that to offer an ill-considered remedy for so great a disease would be only to increase the danger which existed. It was on the 1 6th of September that the House of Commons met after the re-election of all the members of the Government. On that day Peel announced his intention to reserve the consideration of his policy; and on the 7th of October Parliament was prorogued, by a speech in which the principal feature was the expression of her Majesty's deep concern at the distress which prevailed. The session of 1842 opened on the 3rd of February. The Queen's speech, after referring to the necessity for improving the financial position of the country, proceeded to say, " I recommend also to your consideration the state of the laws which affect the importation of corn, and of other articles the produce of foreign countries." Public attention was very much excited by the proposal to touch the corn laws, the more especially as the retirement from the Cabinet of the Duke of Buckingham, who was a thorough protectionist, seemed to indicate that a concession of some sort was to be made to the free-traders. The League increased its efforts to put pressure
