for cottage industry destroyed home life for thousands of
families, and the pressure of poverty and the greed of
manufacturers ground the poor mill operatives between the upper
and nether millstones. To Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of
Shaftesbury, more than to any other is due the persistent
investigation and disclosure which aroused the public mind to the
prevailing conditions in mine and factory where hours of labor
were excessive, and where women and children were subjected to
degrading tasks and brutal treatment. The Factory Law and kindred
legislation since 1830 are the fruits of the beneficent and
untiring labors of the Earl.


PALMERSTON AND FOREIGN RELATIONS


The era which had been marked by such political, social, and
economic reforms and agitations came to a close in the middle of
the century. The Whigs came into power in Parliament in 1846 for
a long term. Foreign affairs supplied the most notable topics for
the next twenty years. The foreign minister during much of this
time was Lord Palmerston. He it was who piloted the nation
without disaster through the rocks of 1848-51, when thrones were
toppling in every European kingdom, and England was being
appealed to for help against despot and democrat.


THE EASTERN QUESTION