Abstract

Special Correspondence

The great commercial reforms in England, which were timidly commenced by William Huskisson half a century ago, were conclusively settled in their principle by Robert Peel. It is connected with the effort now being very systematically made to win back the counties to the Liberal side. They were its strength before the Reform Bill of 1882, which, by the Chandos clause, handed them over to the Tories. For a long time the farmers will remain the political retainers of their landlords, believing in their patronage and not believing in the protection of the ballot. A more serious hindrance to the reform of the land-system will be the opposition of the great family solicitors, who hold the title-deeds of country gentlemen and are their confidential advisers and social confessors, and whose business would be cut down to nothing if the sale of land was made easy and simple negotiation gave a title.