te to Lord Salisbury in the same sense in which she had
written to the prime minister. Lord Salisbury replied that it would give
him great pleasure to consult with anybody the Queen might desire, and
that in obedience to her commands he would do all that lay in him to bring
the controversy finally to a just and honourable issue. He went on however
to say, in the caustic vein that was one of his ruling traits, that while
cheerfully complying with the Queen's wishes, he thought it right to add
that, so far as his information went, no danger attached to the
prolongation of the controversy for a considerable time, nor did he
believe that there was any real excitement in the country about it. The
Queen in replying (Nov. 5) said that she would at once acquaint Mr.
Gladstone with what he had said.

The autumn session began, and the Franchise bill was introduced again.
Three days later, in consequence of a communication from the other camp,
the debate on the second reading was conciliatory, but the tories won a
bye-election, and the proceedings in committee became menacing and
clouded. Discrepancies abounded in the views of the opposition upon
redistribution. When the third reading came (Nov. 11), important men on
the tory side insisted on the production of a Seats bill, and declared
there must be no communication with the enemy. Mr. Gladstone was
elaborately pacific. If he could not get peace, he said, at least let it
be recorded that he desired peace. The parleys of Lord Hartington and Sir
Michael Hicks Beach came to an end.

Mr. Gladstone, late one night soon after this (Nov. 14), had a long
conversation with Sir Stafford Northcote at the house of a friend. He had
the authority of the cabinet (not given for this special interview) to
promise the introduction of a Seats bill before the committee stage of the
Franchise bill in the Lords, provided he was assured that it could be done
without endangering or retarding franchise. Northcote and Mr. Gladstone
made good progress on the principles of redistribution. Then came an
awkward message from Lord Salisbury that the Lords could not let the
Franchise bill through, until they got the Seats bill from the Commons. So
negotiations were again broken off.

The only hope now was that a sufficient number of Lord Salisbury's
adherents would leave him in the lurch, if he (M51) did not close with
what was understood to be Mr. Gladstone's engagement, to procure and press
a Seats bill as s