. A short history of England and the British Empire. ad long been seen. The leading spiritsin the Anti-Corn-Law League were two prominent manufac-turers in Lancashire, the economist Richard Cobden1 Cobden andand the noted orator John Bright. These men Brisht-argued that without sufficient food the laborer could not bean efficient workman; andwith prices as they were hecould not afford to buy whathe and his family reallyneeded in the form of nour-ishment. They also arguedthat the corn laws interferedwith the growth of com-merce, as they preventedthe foreign customers ofEngland from exchangingth
. A short history of England and the British Empire. ad long been seen. The leading spiritsin the Anti-Corn-Law League were two prominent manufac-turers in Lancashire, the economist Richard Cobden1 Cobden andand the noted orator John Bright. These men Brisht-argued that without sufficient food the laborer could not bean efficient workman; andwith prices as they were hecould not afford to buy whathe and his family reallyneeded in the form of nour-ishment. They also arguedthat the corn laws interferedwith the growth of com-merce, as they preventedthe foreign customers ofEngland from exchangingtheir wheat for Britishgoods. In 1841 the Tories de-feated the Liberals in a gen-eral election and Robert Peelbecame prime Peel was born inLancashire and was the sonof a wealthy cotton spinner; it was therefore natural that thearguments of Cobden and his associates should ap- Peel becomespeal strongly to him. He became convinced that a free trader-there ought to be freedom of trade in raw materials and manu- 1 Tuell and Hatch, No. Sir Robert PeelAfter a portrait by John Linnel. 564 PALMERSTON AND THE EMPIRE factured articles as well as in wheat. Peel carried his first re-ductions of the tariff in 1842, when he succeeded in loweringthe rates on a large number of articles. Further changes in the•same direction were made three years later. Peel was also con-vinced that the corn laws ought to be repealed; but his partywas dominated by the English landowners; and in his first at-tempt to remove the duty from wheat he failed, because neitherhis cabinet nor his party was willing to support him (1845). 511. The Irish Famine. 1845-1849. It was a terriblecalamity that befell Ireland the same year which convertedPeel to the policy of free trade in farm products. The repeatedconfiscations of Irish land which had followed the rebellions anduprisings of the century from Elizabeth to William III hadThe landlord resulted in a system of landlordism with almostevils in the e
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