Lord Granville replied that he did not believe that any
reader of Lord Salisbury's speeches would give him credit for really wishing for household franchise in the counties ; and that, of course, he who did not wish for this, could hardly help falling foul of Mr. Gladstone who did wish for this, and who took the only course by which the Government could hope to carry the Franchise Bill. Weighted with the Redistribution Bill, they could not carry it at all. Lord Granville insisted on his wish to save the House of Peers from external attack ; and pointed out how weak was the position of Lord Salisbury, who even in a House where he almost always had a majority of three and four times what he had last week, yet wanted the country to believe that the whole Conservative party were united in their policy. In the division which ensued Lord Salisbury's majority dwindled from 59 to 50,-182 Peers voting with him, and 132 with Lord Granville. The Archbishop of Canterbury and six Bishops (amongst whom was the Bishop of London, who did not vote last week) voted with the Government, whilst the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol again voted alone for the Opposition. Will not the fifty melt away like a snowball in summer, under the steady heat of the autumnal agitation ?
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