had a large following, and that the Irish
members, and many independent English members too, would support him,
they had recourse to the stale trick of weak governments--the threat of
resignation. The affairs of the country were at the moment in a most
critical position, and every hour's delay in sending relief to Ireland
would add hundreds to the deaths from starvation. The confusion which
would be caused by resignation, would inflict serious injury on the
country that Lord George Bentinck was so anxious to serve: Lord John
knew this well, and, therefore, he knew his threat of resignation had a
certain coercive power in it. Moreover, the Tory party was split in two;
Lord George was at the head of the Protectionists, who had deserted
Peel, or rather, who had been deserted by him; Sir Robert had still many
adherents, but a fusion of the two sections of the party was, at the
moment, next to impossible, so that there could be no Tory Government
framed to succeed Lord John Russell's. What Bernal Osborne prophesied at
the time, would in all likelihood have happened, that if the noble lord
went out by one door, he would come in by another. Many thought the risk
of breaking up the Government too great, considering the state of
Ireland; and many Irish liberal members were but too glad of an excuse
to keep it in office. If we assume that no action of the Irish
representatives would affect any votes but the votes of those returned
by Irish constituencies, the division shows that it was beyond their
power to secure a majority for the second reading; but it is not
unreasonable to suppose that, had the Irish members maintained a united
and determined opinion in favour of the bill, English members would see
the wisdom and necessity of yielding to them.

Between the 4th and the 11th great activity was shown at both sides.
The friends of Lord George Bentinck, who happened to be absent from
London, sent him assurances that nothing would prevent them from being
present at the division; whilst the Government and their supporters laid
their heads together to devise the best means of defeating the measure.
One thing they deemed essential--the Irish members must be taken in
hand, and their hopes and fears so wrought upon as to prevent them from
giving a united and determined support to Lord George. On the day fixed
for the second reading of the Bill, the Premier called a meeting of his
party at his private residence. Nearly two hundred obeyed