Volume II Part 17 (1/2)
Nothing but racing all this week; Parliaued and all is quiet The world seeain God knows, but it will not be suffered to sleep long
London, Novee Head: RIOTS AT BRISTOL]
Nothing written for a long ti to Euston, and fro to Felbrigg, but came to town on Tuesday last (the 8th) on account of the cholera, which has broken out at Sunderland The country was beginning to sluues of Reform, when it was rattled up by the business of Bristol,[3] which for brutal ferocity and wanton, unprovoked violence may vie with some of the worst scenes of the French Revolution, and may act as a damper to our national pride The spirit which produced these atrocities was generated by Reform, but no pretext was afforded for their actual co of the thirst for plunder, and longing after havoc and destruction, which is the essence of Reform in the mind of the mob The details are a could exceed the ferocity of the populace, the iood conduct of the troops More punishenerally known, and some hundreds were killed or severely wounded by the sabre One body of dragoons pursued a rabble of colliers into the country, and covered the fields and roads with the bodies of wounded wretches,a severe example of thereat uproar and riot, but fortunately Melbourne, as frightened to death at the Bristol affair, gave Lord Hill and Fitzroy Somerset _carte blanche_, and they made such a provision of military force in addition to the civil power that the malcontents were paralysed
The Bristol business has done soood, inasmuch as it has opened people's eyes (at least so it is said), but if we are to go on as we do with a , who renders himself subservient to all the wickedness and folly of his Ministers, where is the advantage of having people's eyes open, when seeing they will not perceive, and hearing they will not understand? Nothing anting to complete our situation but the addition of physical evil to our ue, and that is come in the shape of the cholera, which broke out at Sunderland a few days ago To ency Government has for the first, though the second is intended to s up the first and leave it a mere nullity Lord Lansdoho is President of the Council, an office which for once proo to Bowood, and having come up (sent for express) on account of the cholera the day it was officially declared really to be that disease, he has trotted back to his house in the country
[3] [Riots broke out with great violence at Bristol on the 29th of October, the pretext being the entry of Sir Charles Wetherell into that city (of which he was Recorder), as notorious for his violent opposition to the Reform Bill Much property was destroyed, and many lives lost]
November 14th, 1831 {p210}
For the last two or three days the reports from Sunderland about the cholera have been of a doubtful character The disease ain to doubt whether it is the Indian cholera, and the merchants, shi+powners, and inhabitants, who suffer from the restraints i of thethat their town is in a more healthy state than usual, and that the disease is no more than what it always is visited with every year at this season In theon in London, just as if the disorder was actually on its way to the metropolis We have a Board at the Council Office, bethich and the Board at the College some civilities have passed, and the latter is now ready to yield up its functions to the forularly constituted withoutto official carelessness and ently eestions and instructions to local boards and parochial authorities, and great activity has prevailed here in establishi+ng co the different districts of the e out There is no lack of ood will be accomplished let ill happen, for ht to light, and the condition of the poorer and more wretched of the inhabitants can hardly fail to be ameliorated The reports from Sunderland exhibit a state of huradation, such as I hardly ever heard of, and it is no wonder, when a great part of the coed into such a condition (and wescale, with every degree of wretchedness up to the wealth and splendour which glitter on the surface of society), that there should be so many who are ripe for any desperate scheme of revolution At Sunderland they say there are houses with 150 inmates, who are huddled five and six in a bed They are in the lowest state of poverty The sick in these receptacles are attended by an apothecary's boy, who brings them (or I suppose tosses them) medicines without distinction or enquiry
I saw Lord Wharncliffe last night, just returned froives a bad account of the state of the publicrevolutionary spirit abroad; tolda er of the associations that were on foot
Roehae Head: OVERTURES FOR A COMPROMISE]
On Tuesday last I ith the Duke of Riche, a house that has been lent hireat deal of conversation about Reforeneral politics, in the course of which I was struck by his apparent candour andwould do but a compromise between the parties he acceded to that opinion, and said that he should like to go to Lord Wharncliffe, and talk theI called on Lord Wharncliffe, and told hi before a heap of papers, and when I told hihed and said that Richreat deal further than this, and then proceeded to give o Palmerston spoke to his son, John Wortley, and expressed a desire that some compromise could be effected between the Government and the Opposition leaders, which John imparted to Lord Harrowby and his father The overture was so well received by them that Stanley went to Sandon, Lord Harrowby's place in Staffordshi+re, in his way to Ireland, with Lord Grey's consent, to talk it over with Lord Sandon After this Lord Wharncliffe went to Sandon, and the two fathers and two sons discussed the eneral resolution as to the basis on which they would treat, which they drew up, and which Wharncliffe read to me It was moderate, temperate, embraced ample concessions, and asserted the necessity of each party refraining froed to as to be unable to concede without dishonour On Wharncliffe's return to town he again saw Palmerston, and communicated to him Harrowby's concurrence in an equitable adjustested that if Government really desired this, it would be better that he (Wharncliffe) should see Lord Grey himself on the subject
Palave Wharncliffe a rendezvous at East Sheen on Wednesday last There they had a long conversation, which by his account was conducted in a very fair and amicable spirit on both sides, and they see as to the principle on which they should treat
On parting, Grey shook hands with him twice, and told hi time The next day Lord Grey made a minute of their conversation, which he submitted to the Cabinet; they approved of it, and he sent it to Wharncliffe to peruse, who returned it to Lord Grey In this state the , apparently with every prospect of being arranged Wharncliffe had already spoken to Dudley, Lyndhurst, and De Ros, the only Peers of his party he had seen, and to the Archbishop of Canterbury, ere all delighted at what had passed He had written to the Duke of Wellington and Peel, and he is busying hi with all the Peers and influential Commoners of the party whoeneral basis agreed upon seems to be this: the concession of Schedule A, of representatives to the great towns, and a great extension of the county representation on one side; the abandoneard to the 10 qualification as shall have the practical effect of a higher rate, and an understanding that theinfluence in the county representation; a great deal to be left open to discussion, especially on all the subordinate points
[Page Head: NEGOTIATION WITH THE WAVERERS]
Such is the history of this curious transaction, which affords a triumphant justification of the course which the Opposition adopted; indeed, Palmerston admitted to Wharncliffe that their tactics had been entirely judicious It is likewise a great hoe rendered to character, for Wharncliffe has neither wealth, influence, nor superior abilities, nor even popularity with his own party He is a spirited, sensible, zealous, honourable, consistent country gentlerity induced Ministers to commit themselves to him, and he will thus be in all probability enabled to render an essential service to his country, and be a principal instruitation of which would have been perilous in the extreme Besides the prospect of a less objectionable Bill, an iained in the complete separation of the Ministry from the subversive party, for their old allies the Radicals will never forgive them for this compromise with the anti-Reformers, and they have now no alternative but to unite with those who call theainst the rebels, republicans, associators, and all the disaffected in the country After all their declarations and their unbending insolence, to have brought down their pride to these ter overtures to a party whose voice was only the other day designated by John Russell as 'the whisper of a faction,' shows plainly how deeply alareneral state of the country, and how the conflagration of Bristol has suddenly illue of the associations, the doht of Place and his rabble, and the licentiousness of the press, have opened their eyes, and convinced the institutions are to be preserved at all there is no tie to lose to coalesce for their mutual safety and protection Whatever may be the amount of their concessions, the Radicals will never pardon Lord Grey for negotiating with the Tories at all, and nothing will prevent his being henceforward the object of their suspicion and aversion, and eance By what process Althorp and John Russell were induced to concur, and how they are to set about sing their oords, I do not guess
As a proof of the disposition which exists, and the good understanding between Wharncliffe and the Governo Ward and Palmer went to hiht and property were favourable to Reform, but not to the late Bill, and that they were desirous of having a declaration drawn up for signature, expressive of their adherence to Reforht be such as would give satisfaction to all parties Wharncliffe drew this up (there was likewise an acknowledght of the House of Lords to exercise their privileges as they had done) and gave it to the been previously submitted to Grey and Althorp, who approved of it
November 21st, 1831 {p214}
Ca, saw Henry de Ros, who had seen Barnes[4] the evening before, and opened to hie and fury exceeded all bounds He swore Broughareatest of villains After a long discussion he agreed to try and persuade his colleagues to adopt a in at once to _jeter feu et flamme_ Henry's object was to persuade him, if possible, that the interest of the paper will be in the long run better consulted by leaning towards the side of order and quiet than by continuing to exasperate and inflauh he is evidently a desperate Radical Henry went to Melbourne afterwards, who is most anxious for the happy consummation of this affair, but expressed soree upon the details
There is an article in the 'Tiloo it open to them to take what line they think fit In the afternoon Ito put forth a proclaharateful to my ears
[4] [Then editor of the 'Tie Head: PROCLAMATION AGAINST THE UNIONS]
The King ca of Parliaainst the unions (which was not ready, and the King signed a blank) and some orders about cholera were despatched Lord Grey told me that the union had already determined to dissolve itself