s. The King
stands on his Government, the Government on the House of Commons, the
House of Commons on the people. How can we attack a line thus linked and
supported?' Indignation meetings were held in all parts of the country,
and at one of them, held at Taunton, Sydney Smith delivered the famous
speech in which he compared the attempt of the House of Lords to
restrain the rising tide of Democracy to the frantic but futile battle
which Dame Partington waged with her mop, during a storm at Sidmouth,
when the Atlantic invaded her threshold. 'The Atlantic was roused. Mrs.
Partington's spirit was up. But I need not tell you that the contest was
unequal. The Atlantic Ocean beat Mrs. Partington. Gentlemen, be at your
ease, be quiet and steady; you will beat--Mrs. Partington.' The
newspapers carried the witty allusion everywhere. It tickled the public
fancy, and did much to relax the bitter mood of the nation, and
vapouring heroics were forgotten in laughter, and indignation gave way
to amused contempt.

Parliament, which had been prorogued towards the end of October,
reassembled in the first week of December, and on the 12th of that month
Lord John once more introduced--for the third time in twelve months--the
Reform Bill. A few alterations had been made in its text, the outcome
chiefly of the facts which the new census had brought to light. In order
to meet certain anomalies in the original scheme, Ministers, with the
help of Thomas Drummond, who shortly afterwards honourably distinguished
himself in Irish affairs, drew up two lists of boroughs, one for total
disenfranchisement and the other for semi-disenfranchisement; and the
principle on which fifty-six towns were included in the first list, and
thirty in the second, was determined by the number of houses in each
borough and the value of the assessed taxes. Six days later the second
reading was passed, after three nights' discussion, by a majority of 324
to 162. The House rose immediately for the Christmas recess, and on
January 20 the bill reached the committee stage, and there it remained
till March 14. The third reading took place on March 23, and the bill
was passed by a majority of 116. Althorp, as the leader of the Commons,
and Russell, as the Minister in charge of the measure, carried the
Reform Bill promptly to the House of Lords, and made formal request for
the 'concurrence of their lordships to the same.' Other men had laboured
to bring about this result; but th