There
was, to be sure, this difference in his conduct with regard to those two
great measures, that, whilst up to the time he undertook, in conjunction
with the Duke of Wellington, to free the Catholics, he never advocated
their claims, on the other hand, he had been twice a party to
modifications of the Corn Laws, first in 1828, and secondly in 1842. In
the latter year he, cautiously indeed, but not unsubstantially,
legislated in the direction of free trade.
He became First Lord of the Treasury in August, 1841, and soon
afterwards brought before the Cabinet the question of the duties on the
importation of food, more especially of corn. He recommended his
colleagues to make the revision of those duties a Cabinet question; and
he further submitted "a proposal in respect to the extent to which such
revision should be carried, and to the details of the new law."[70] A
bill founded on his views was passed in the Parliament of 1842,
"providing for a material diminution in the amount of the import duties
on the several kinds of foreign grain." But these changes did not
satisfy the Corn Law Leaguers, who sought complete repeal; but they had
the effect of alarming the Premier's Tory supporters, and led to the
resignation of one Cabinet Minister--the Duke of Buckingham.
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