It was determined that the House of Lords should be immediately fitted up for the next session of the House of Commons, and the Painted Chamber for the House of Lords; which, Sir Robert Smirke reported, might be effected at an expense of £30,000. These works were immediately commenced, and the Houses were ready for the reception of members, when they met again on February 19th of next year. _Apropos_ of this conflagration, Raikes says in his _Journal_-- "Mr. Hume, during the last session, had been proposing, without success, a vote to build a larger House of Commons; a wag in the crowd, watching the progress of the conflagration, exclaimed, 'There is Mr. Hume's motion carried without a division.'" It had not been a very eventful Parliament, that of 1834. A Bill for the removal of the civil disabilities of the Jews was passed in the Commons and thrown out in the Lords, as was also a modified Coercion Bill for Ireland. But that did not prevent outrages in that country, which were still frequent. One of the most deplorable of the tithe riots was in December, and took place at Rathcormack, county Cork. The tithes had been attempted to be levied in November, but so much obstruction had been made, that troops were applied for, and were furnished on the 15th of December. On that day every disposition to resist was shown by the country people; but, although it was necessary to read the Riot Act, the persons employed in the collection of the tithe succeeded in levying part of the sums due. On the 18th, a larger number of persons assembled, and attempted to obstruct the magistrates, and the civil and military force which accompanied them. The end of a lane which led to a farm-house was blocked up by a car; and a body of about six hundred men resisted its removal and the further progress of the party. Orders were given by the magistrates to clear the passage; the violence of the people became greater. The Riot Act was then read. The troops were assailed with volleys of stones; some of the soldiers and officers were knocked down; and, after every attempt to persuade the people to disperse had failed, the magistrates ordered the troops to fire. This they did, and a considerable number of the mob were wounded, and several killed. [Illustration: Dresses.] On November 14th Lord Melbourne put his resignation and that of his colleagues into the hands of the King, who applied to the Duke of Wellington to form a new cabinet; but the Duke advised his sovereign to entrust this duty to Sir Robert Peel, and as Sir Robert was spending the winter in Italy, he offered to carry on the public business until he could return. A messenger was at once sent off, who arrived in Rome on November 25th. Sir Robert left next day, reached England on December 9th, and by the end of December the official arrangements of the new ministry were complete. This was the third ministry in 1834, the premiers being Earl Grey, Lord Melbourne, and Sir R. Peel.