Mr. Akroyd has explained to the electors of Halifax why
he had no delicacy in ousting Sir Charles Wood at Halifax. Sir Charles Wood ought to be made a peer, he says, and leave a vacancy, and if either Lord Palmerston will not make him a peer, or he will not accept a peerage, that is not Mr. Akroyd's fault, and besides, it is only a question of time. "Although the report was contradicted, the impression remained, and still prevailed, that this merited.dis- tinction was only delayed for a convenient season." And Sir Charles Wood, so says Mr. Akroyd, can get in anywhere, while he himself can only get in—where he has property. So Mr. Akroyd "gratefully acknowledges" his father's friend's courtesy in giving way to him, and though " loth " to take advantage of it, practically does so. It is an ungenerous way enough of ejecting an old friend by sheer force of local wealth. The electors of Halifax must feel proud of a borough where property can not only secure a vacant seat, but expel the faithful representative of a whole generation of citizens.
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