l boroughs with an improved franchise, it was desirable rather to
build on the old foundations than to indulge our fancy or our conceit
in choosing a new site and erecting on new soil--perhaps on sand--an
edifice entirely different from all that had hitherto existed."

No Reformer who understood the general character of the English people,
and who had studied the development of political growth in England,
could have gone more prudently and wisely about the work of bringing
the existing Constitution into harmony with the altering conditions,
and removing out of its way all difficulties that might interfere with
its gradual and safe development in the future. But Russell was
clearly of opinion, and in this he was entirely in accordance with Lord
Grey, that nothing but a large and comprehensive measure would be of
any real use, and that "to nibble at disfranchisement and cramp reform
by pedantic adherence to existing rights would be to deceive
expectation, to whet appetite, and to bring about that revolution which
it was our object to {129} avert." Russell drew up a sketch of his
proposed Reform Bill, which he submitted to Lord Durham, and on the
draft of the measure thus submitted to him Lord Durham offered some
suggestions and alterations of his own. Russell's speech was written
on a single piece of letter-paper, and is reproduced with Lord Durham's
notes in Russell's book, "The English Government and Constitution."
The opening paragraph proposes that "the fifty boroughs having the
smallest population according to the latest census should be
disfranchised altogether." This proposal had Lord Durham's full
approval, and he noted the fact that according to his calculation it
would disfranchise all boroughs having a population of not more than
1400. The second paragraph proposed that fifty other boroughs of the
least considerable population, above the line already drawn, should be
allowed to send only one member each to the House of Commons. This
proposal also had the approval of Lord Durham, and he notes it would
apply to boroughs not having more than 3000 inhabitants each.

Then came a paragraph which proposed that all persons qualified to
serve on juries should have the right of voting, and to this clause
Lord Durham objected, regarding it probably as an embodiment of the
principle of what were called in later days "fancy franchises." The
fourth paragraph recommended that no person should be entitled to vote
in c