The prince concurred with Sir Robert, but was, nevertheless, bent on improvement. "All I beg of you now, my dear Sir Robert," he said, "is your cordial assistance in combating the existing and crying nuisances. Much as I am inclined to treat the household machine with a sort of reverence from its antiquity, I still remain convinced that it is clumsy in its construction, and works so ill that as long as its wheels are not mended there can neither be order, regularity, comfort, security, nor outward dignity in the queen's palace." The prince's persevering qualities were in course of time {355}crowned with success, and it was through the officers of state themselves, who agreed to confer on the master of the household absolute authority over all the internal affairs of the palace. This arrangement proved even more satisfactory than was at first expected, and relieved the prince of a multitude of petty cares. {356} CHAPTER XII. [[A.D. 1843.]] |Parliament opened this year with very exciting debates on the corn laws, which, of course, referred to all sorts of grain. Sir Robert Peel entered upon his office bound to maintain these laws, but five years later he repealed them. Such a change of policy brought down upon his head the most outrageous abuse, but he was probably convinced that the change was beneficial. These laws made the price of all grain that was imported so high that few could afford to purchase any but English grain. This protected the English farmer, and gave him a chance to charge a good sum for his crops; which was all very well for the farmer, but the manufacturer rebelled. Foreign countries said: "If you refuse to buy our grain, we will manage to do without your woollen and cotton goods." This was ruinous to trade, and in consequence there was less manufacturing done. Many were thrown out of employment, and all wages were reduced. That the poor were forced to earn less and pay more for their daily bread struck some members of parliament as a most unjust state of affairs. They did not wonder at the riots that were becoming matters of daily occurrence, and sought for a remedy. This was only to be found in free-trade,--which means relief from duty; but it would take time, thought, and debate before this remedy could be established. The nominal {357}leader of the Free-trade party in parliament was Mr. Charles Villiers, a man of aristocratic family and rare ability, who had brought forward his views for several sessions in the House of Commons, and had worked hard to secure converts to the principle he advocated. [Illustration: 0363] The real leader of the movement was Mr. Richard Cobden, a manufacturer of cotton goods in Manchester.