ABSTRACT
Lord Palmerston's Liberal government of 1859–65 was reasonably harmonious. Palmerston and William Howard Russell sank their differences in old age. Most importantly, Palmerston, never more than the mildest of reformers and ever a staunch upholder of aristocracy, ventured little. Palmerston's only serious domestic worries concerned W. E. Gladstone. With most of the Peelites dying off in the 1860s the indefatigable Gladstone became the only important standard bearer of a revered tradition. Reform became a live, though only occasionally a central, issue in the 1850s for reasons entirely different from those in the period 1815–32. The twists of fortune and the intricacies of debate over reform in 1866 and 1867 are awesomely complex. Extra-parliamentary support for Russell during 1865 gave him confidence that when he unveiled his new reform bill in the New Year it would merit a central place in the government's legislative programme.
