1867.] Death of Palmerston to Reform Act. Conclusion. 479 all knew, he said, that on the 23rd of February a Cabinet Council decided on the Reform Bill which was to be proposed to Parliament. On Monday, the 25th, at two o'clock in the afternoon, Lord Derby was to address the whole Conservative party in Downing Street. At half-past four in the afternoon of that day he mentioned the hour because it was important the Chancellor of the Exchequer was to explain the Reform Bill in the House of Commons. On the Monday, between eleven and twelve o'clock, he received an urgent summons to attend a Cabinet Council at half-past twelve. He was punctual, but so sudden had been the call that it was nearly half-past one before all the members could be got together. Then they were told that Lord Cranbourne and Lord Carnarvon had seceded, objecting to the details of the bill which it was thought they had adopted on Saturday. What was to be done ? It was then past two, and Lord Derby was to address the party at half-past. Literally, they had not half an hour ; they had not even more than ten minutes to make up their minds. In those ten minutes they decided to change the mode of dealing with the English Constitution, to withdraw the larger bill, and submit to Parliament a milder measure, which it was hoped that the seceders would accept* It was this famous ten-minutes bill which Disraeli rose to explain, but not definitely to introduce, on the memorable 25th of February. It was proposed to create four new franchises first, educational, including persons who had taken a degree, and ministers of religion ; second, savings-bank depositors of 30 for one year ; third, holders of 50 in public funds ; and fourth, persons paying twenty shillings a year in direct taxation. The occupancy franchise for boroughs to be 6 ratal, and for counties, 20 ratal. The redistribution plan was to disfran- chise four corrupt boroughs returning seven members, and to take one member each from twenty-three small boroughs having a population under 7000, and to apportion the seats so obtained in the following manner : Twelve new boroughs one member each, Tower Hamlets to be divided each
- Annual Register, 1867, p. 31.
