Volume I Part 16 (2/2)

February 5th, 1829 {p164}

Went to Brookes' yesterday, and found all the Whigs very merry at the Catholic news Most of the till they arrived The old Tories dreadfully dejected, but obliged to own it was all true; intense curiosity to hear what Peel will say for hied the matter extremely well, which I am disposed to think too, but there is always a disposition to heap praise upon him whenever it is possible nobody yet knoho are converted and who are not; they talk of nine bishops; I think he will have thereat majority in the House of Lords Many people expect that Wil the Catholics fro the Church, which I do not believe, for Wilmot is at a discount and his plan is absurd and impracticable Lord Harrowby, however, is all for it I hear ly provoked, and not unnaturally, at the Duke's effecting thisin vain, and give as s at him as they can about the insincerity of his letter to Curtis It matters very little nohether he was sincere or not It evidently was part of his plan to keep it all secret till it was matured, and as Curtis chose to ask hiht to throw dust in his eyes

CHAPTER V

The Catholic Relief Bill--Inconsistency of the Tories--The Catholic association--Dinner at Charles Grant's--The Terceira Expedition--Tory Discontent--Peel resigns his Seat for Oxford University--A Blunder in Chancery--The Oxford Election-- Influence of the Duke of Wellington--Debate of Royal Dukes-- Peel beaten--Sir Edward Codrington--Violence of the King-- Intrigues to defeat the Catholic Bill--The Duke of cumberland-- Furious State of Parties--Matuscewitz--Peel's Speech on Catholic Emancipation--Exclusion of O'Connell from his Seat for Clare--Pitt's View of Catholic Eh'--Mr Lowther not turned out--Duke of Newcastle's Audience of George IV--The King's Personal Habits--The Debate--Mr Sadler--Hardness of the Duke of Wellington--His Duel with Lord Winchelsea--The Bishops and the Bill--Sir Charles Wetherell--The King on the Duel--Lord Winchelsea's Pocket-handkerchief--Debate on the Catholic Bill-- The Duke of Rich-- The Bill in Jeopardy--Lady Jersey and Lord Anglesey--Lord Falmouth and Lord Grey--O'Connell at Dinner--The Duke breaks with Lord Eldon--Hibner the Murderess--Theatrical Fund--The Levee--The Duke's Carriage stopped--The King's Health--Lady Conyngham--O'Connell's Seat--Child's Ball at Court--Princess Victoria--Legal Appoint and Lord Sefton--The King's Speech on the Prorogation--Madae IV's Inaccuracy-- Conversation of the Duke of Wellington on the King and the Duke of cue Head: PEEL'S SPEECH ON THE CATHOLIC BILL]

February 6th, 1829 {p166}

Parliament met yesterday; a very full attendance and intense interest and curiosity The King's Speech, which was long and better written than usual, was not quite satisfactory to the Catholics Ifrom the House of Lords, and he said they did not like it at all; the previous suppression of the association hat they disliked However, all discontent was removed by Peel's speech, which was deemed (as to the intentions of Ministers) perfectly satisfactory even by those ere ainst Government I was in the House of Commons Peel was very feeble, and his case for hih, but it was only what had been said to hie a single argu nohich was not equally applicable to his situation two years ago

However, everybody was so glad to have the measure carried that they did not care to attack Peel or his speech, though if there had been a Brunswicker of any talent in the House he ht have cut it up finely; two or three of them spoke, but wretchedly ill, and Lord Chandos was not at all violent, which I expected he would have been Lord Eldon was violent but impotent, in the House of Lords, and Lord Bathurst made a sort of explanation which was very poor

On leaving the House of Commons I fell in with Burdett, Lord Sefton, and G Bentinck, and they all owned that the business is very handsomely done; and Morpeth and many others whom I saw afterwards at the Club are quite satisfied They would have preferred that the Catholic Relief Bill and the suppression of the association should have gone together, but do not e (which is the truth) that the Duke was probably obliged to do soive soerald in the House, who is not yet re-elected, and he told hted and said, 'How right Lord Francis was to trust to the Duke,'

which, however, is all nonsense He had no reason to trust to him at all, and I really believe would not have continued in office as Irish Secretary unless he had adopted thisit well; he was feeble and diffuse in the beginning, and too full of civilities and appeals to Bankes and his old associates However, thank God, the event is accomplished, no matter how; probably it could not have been done without the concurrence of these Tories, who have, I think, certainly lost their character by their conduct; and there is this evil in the history of the iven to the reputation of public ly suspect, have an ih not immediate effect upon the aristocratic influence in this country, and tend remotely to increase the des there has been so little of reason, principle, or consistency; so much of prejudice, subserviency, passion, and interest, that it is ieneral The conduct of those idiots the Brunswickers is respectable in cos and Catholic supporters, however they may have suffered before, in this rounds for exultation They accept the reat moderation, and are not disposed to mar the success of it by the introduction of any topics likely to create ill blood, nor to da their former follies in their faces

Now, then, the Duke is all-powerful, and of course he will get all the honour of the day Not that he does not deserve a great deal for having ed it with firmness, prudence, and dexterity; but to O'Connell and the association, and those who have fought the battle on both sides of the water, the success of the measure is due Indeed, Peel said as much, for it was the Clare election which convinced both him and the Duke that it must be done, and from that time the only question hether he should be a party to it or not If the Irish Catholics had not brought s ht have remained as they were for ever, and all these Tories would have voted on till the day of their death against them

Mahony, who is here, has written over to O'Connell, as have all the other Catholics, to implore him to use his whole influence to procure the dissolution of the association, and it is said that O'Connell had an idea of resigning his seat for Clare to Vesey, on the ground that, having turned him out because he had joined a Government hostile to their clai it not to be the case But I doubt whether this scheme is practicable; still, I think if O'Connell could do it it would be a good thing, and serve to reconcile the people here to hireat lift to his character I expect to hear that the association has dissolved itself on receiving intelligence of the proceedings in the House of Colesey spoke very well, but nobody will care for his case now; besides, I doubt his ood one The fact is that they laid a trap for him, and that he fell into it; that the Duke's letters beca, and that a prudent h spirit and passion precipitated hie Head: DINNER AT CHARLES GRANT'S]

February 8th, 1829

Peel spoke on Friday night better than he did on Thursday

Huskisson e Dawson one which I heard Huskisson say he thought one of the neatest speeches he had ever heard I dined yesterday with all the Huskissonians at Grant's There were there Lords Granville, Palmerston, and Melbourne, Huskisson, Warrender, and one or two ood humour and spirits, but rather bitter; he said that if Peel had asked the advice of a friend what he should do, the advice would have been for his own honour to resign I said I did not think Peel would have got credit by resigning He said, 'But don't you think he has quite lost it by staying in?' He owned, however, that the Duke could not have carried it without Peel, that his influence with the Church party is so great that his continuance was indispensable to the Duke

This affair of the Portuguese at Terceira[1] (which certainly, unless it can be explained, seee) they all fell upon very severely, and Lord Harrowby told ht for the honour of the country it should be explained forthwith

[1] [In Deceees of the party of the Queen, sailed froland for Terceira in four vessels, under the command of Count Saldanha Terceira held for the Queen, and arland The British Governer' to stop this expedition off Terceira, which he did by firing a gun into Saldanha's shi+p The ground taken by the Duke of Wellington in defence of this land between the two parties then contending for the Crown of Portugal But the proceeding was vehee Head: DISCONTENT OF THE TORIES]

We are now beginning to discover different people's feelings about this Catholic business, and it is clear that reat Tories are deeply offended that the Duke was not more communicative to them, principally, it seems, because they have continued to talk in an opposite sense and in their old strain up to the lastridiculous by the sudden turn they are obliged to ive, and h not disposed to oppose the Duke The Duke of Rutland o to Belvoir, and not vote at all The Duke of Beaufort does not like it, but will support the , and it is supposed he has resigned They complain that the Duke has thrown thereat majorities in both Houses It was asserted most positively at Brookes' yesterday that Peel's offer of resigning his seat at Oxford had been accepted In Dublin the moderate people are furious with O'Connell for his abuse of everybody There is no getting over the fact that he it is who has brought matters to this conclusion, and that but for him the Catholic question would never have been carried; but his violence, bad taste, and scurrility have made him 'lose the lustre of his former praise'

February 9th, 1829 {p179}

I called at Devonshi+re House in the , and there found Princess Lieven very eloquent and very angry about the Terceira business, which certainly requires explanation She is very hostile to the Duke, which is natural, as he is anti-Russian, and they have never got over their old quarrel Saldanha got up a _coup de theatre_ on board his shi+p When Walpole fired on hilish officer came on board he had the corpse stretched out and covered by a cloak, which was suddenly withdrawn, and Saldanha said, 'Voila un fidele sujet de la Reine, qui a toujours ete loyal, assassine,' &c