He entered the House of Commons in the year 1830, and was soon
recognized as one of the leading members of the British bar. The period
of his debut in public life is one of peculiar significance in the party
history of England. The long dominion of the statesmen of the Pitt, and
Liverpool school was at last overthrown. The political dogmas which had
resisted Catholic toleration, which had sustained the continental powers
in their persecution of the French Emperor, which had resisted the right
of a neighboring people to choose their own rulers, which had held in
imprisonment the first genius of the century, which had opposed the
abolition of the test act, which had sustained the most licentious and
most obstinate sovereign of modern times, now yielded to the more
enlightened views of such statesmen as Russell and Lansdowne, Brougham
and Grey. Several causes operated to bring about this auspicious change.
George the Fourth, whose partiality for the Tories was only surpassed by
his animosity against the Whigs, had given place to a liberal and
enlightened prince, renowned for his zealous attachment to the popular
weal. Again, Canning's influence in moderating the maxims of Tory
theorists was greatly felt among the gentry. Finally, the rapid growth
of general intelligence, developments in the history of nations, and
juster conceptions of the true relations of sovereign and people,
prepared the public mind for extensive reforms in the constitution. Earl
Grey, a statesman eminent no less for his eloquence and sagacity than
for the worth of his private character, succeeded to the premiership in
1830, being the first Whig who held that office since the cabinet of
'all the talents,' in 1806.

It was at such a juncture that Campbell entered the House of Commons.
The sanguine dreams of his youth were dawning into reality; and he was
gratified to see his cherished principles fully adopted by the country,
and to know that he was a participant in the glories of the great