Earl de Grey made a speech at Ripon on Friday
seinnight, its which he avowed himself favourable to a reform of the House of Lords. Two plans, he said, had been suggested for that end ; one to make seats elective, the electors being the whole body of Peers, the other to introduce a limited number of life peerages. The first, he thought, would not work well, as the elections would be all from one party, as the Irish elections are; while the second would be most advantageous, if only the independence of the Lords were preserved. Earl de Grey might have added that the first plan would destroy the Peerage in ten years, as every successive Premier would be forced to increase the electors of his own party by dozens of creations at a time, while the second would leave the hereditary Peerage still a great object of dire. Englishmen think of their children, and a baronetcy is worth more than a K.C.B.-ship, though the latter implies good service, and the former nothing.
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