Controversy erupted in Parliament on Jan. 27, 1846, when a repeal of the Corn Laws, which protected local producers of corn and other grains from cheap foreign importing. Robert Peel, who supported the appeal, spoke about the laws. "Albert said Sir Robert's speech had been very able, his proposal very comprehensive and excellent," Queen Victoria wrote. "He had been much cheered by the opposition but was received in complete silence by the Conservatives."

A sketch of the Anti-Corn Law League, a group which formed in England in opposition to the Corn Laws.