As every one knows, Bradlaugh again was not allowed to take his seat. That his attitude caused embarrassment to the Liberal party cannot be denied. At the end of June, he wrote to Mr. Labouchere on the subject of forcing another {159} contest in the House, and Mr. Labouchere forwarded his letter to Mr. Chamberlain with the following comments: 10 QUEEN ANNE'S GATE, July 2, 1881. DEAR CHAMBERLAIN,--Please look at enclosed letter. If you think it of any use, show it to Mr. Gladstone. I send it to you in order that you may see what are, I take it, the genuine intentions of Bradlaugh. I had written to him to suggest that he should go up to the table and take the oath at the end of the Session, and I offered if he liked to do so on the last day of the Session to talk on until the Black Rod appeared, or, if he preferred to do so before, I said that Government always had a majority during the last week or two, and that, probably, if a division were taken upon expulsion, he would win it. Yesterday I received a letter from the Executive Committee of the Liberal and Radical Caucus at Northampton, telling me that Bradlaugh had sent to call a public meeting next Wednesday, and asking me to come down to meet the Committee on that day to advise with them what to do, as Bradlaugh has asked for a resolution to be passed, in the nature of a mandate ordering him to take his seat. I have written urging delay, but, of course, in this matter I have to carry out the wishes of the constituency, as the question regards them. Whilst Bradlaugh exaggerates his strength, his opponents underestimate it. He can bring together a mob, with a vast number of fanatics in it, ready for anything, and he contends that he is illegally hindered from taking his seat, and therefore may oppose physical force to physical force. From what I gather, from many Members of Parliament, they are very anxious that the matter should be settled this Session, because they think that its being kept open will do the Party great harm. Why cannot the Bill[5] be brought in after the Land Bill? It has but one clause, and if our side speak very briefly, the Conservatives cannot go on talking for ever on so simple a matter. Moreover, there are a good many Conservatives who have told me that they are not against the Bill.--Yours truly, H. LABOUCHERE. {160} Mr. Gladstone discouraged Bradlaugh from resorting to any more militant methods just then, and intimated that it would be useless to bring in the Oaths Bill, as they proposed to close the session early in August, and they could not hope to carry any strongly controversial measure after the Land Bill.