Volume II Part 23 (1/2)
[4] [It was on the 7th of May that the Lords went into Committee on the Bill, and Lord Lyndhurst'sclauses until after the _en_franchising clauses had been agreed to was carried by a ainst the Government
The seventeen Peers who had assisted to carry the second reading on the 11th of April relapsed into the Conservative ranks, and the result was, for the ress of the Bill and turn out the Governe Head: DEFEAT OF GOVERNMENT IN COMMITTEE]
On arriving in town I found a note fro I would see him and hear his defence of hiiven to hily I went to Boodle's, where I found hian his case He said that on his return to town he saw Lord Grey, who said that he wished to knoere the intentions of his party, and how far they were disposed to go, and what concessions they looked for He replied that Lord Grey must understand that he now stood in a very different position, and that, reunited as he ith the Tories, he must act with them--much, in short, what he had before said to Palmerston They then discussed the question, and he said that there was one point for which Lord Grey ought to be prepared, and that he knew the Tories werethe postponement of Schedules A and B Lord Grey said this would be productive of the greatest eree to, and he hoped he would do all in his power to prevent it Wharncliffe said that he would endeavour, but he believed they were very eager about it, and he added that Lord Greycalculated to interfere with the essential provisions of the Bill After this his and Harrowby's coh and his friends continued, and on the Saturday (I think) Lyndhurst told him that the Tories were so irrevocably bent upon this, and that they were so difficult to e and so disposed to fly off, that it was absolutely necessary to give way to theladly have waived it, but that was ireed to support it One of theht to communicate this intention to Lord Grey, to which, however, Lyndhurst objected, said that the Tories were suspicious, had already taken ue at the communications between Wharncliffe and Grey, and that it must not be To this prohibition Wharncliffe fatally subly not a as said by anybody till the afternoon of the debate, when just before it began Wharncliffe told the Duke of Richmond, who of course told Lord Grey Wharncliffe at the same time had soly deprecated this intention, but it was too late to arrange or co then The debate ca speech by Lyndhurst, and on its being carried Lord Grey threw up the Bill and the Government in a passion It is the more remarkable that they should have taken this course at once, because they certainly had very strong reason to doubt whether the King would consent to a creation of Peers, though they probably thought he ht be bullied upon an occasion which they fancied they could turn to great account; but he was stout and would not hear of it
[Page Head: POSITION OF PARTIES]
The day after the debate Grey and Brougha to ned by all the members except the Duke of Richmond Palmerston proposed it in Cabinet, and Melbourne made no objection His Majesty took till the next day to consider, when he accepted their resignations, which was the alternative they gave hi hardly spoke to the Duke, but he afterwards saw Lyndhurst (having sent for him) I do not knohat passed between theton was soon sent for The Duke and Lyndhurst endeavoured to prevail on Peel to take the Government upon himself, and the former offered to act in any capacity in which he could be useful, but Peel would not Some communication also took place between Lyndhurst and Harrowby, but the latter declared at once he would support the new Government, but not take office When Peel finally declined, the Duke accepted, and yesterday at three o'clock he went to St Ja is known of the formation of the Cabinet, but the reports were first that Alexander Baring was to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, and since that he has refused on account of his health, and that Lyndhurst is to go to the King's Bench, Tenterden to retire, and the Great Seal to be put in commission
The first act of the Duke was to advise the King to reject the address of the Birham Union, which he did, and said he knew of no such body All very proper In theI called upon Wood at the Treasury, to explain to his in the House of Lords, and that I was far fro the conduct of my old associates He said he had never believed that I was any party to it, and regretted that I had not been in tohen it was just possible I ht have persuaded the
He said that I did not kno bad it was, for that Wharncliffe had distinctly said that if such a thing was proposed he should oppose it, and that Palmerston was present when he said so This Wharncliffe positively denies, and yesterday he went to Pal with him a minute which he said he had drawn up at the time of all that passed, but which he had never before shown or submitted for correction, and which Palmerston told hiement They are at issue as to the fact The position of the respective parties is curious The Waverers undertook a task of great difficulty with slender means, and they accomplished it with complete success All turned out as they expected and desired, but, after having been in confidential communication with both parties, they have contrived mortally to offend both, and to expose themselves to odium from every quarter, and to an universal i, and this without any other fault than ement and the false position in which they found thehty parties The Tories, who have exhibited nothing but obstinacy and unreasonableness, and who thwarted the Waverers by every means they could devise, have reaped all the benefit of their efforts, and that without ad matters to this pass They are triumphant, in spite of all they did to prevent their own triumph, and have had all the spiteful pleasure of abuse and obloquy, all the glory of consistency, and the satisfaction of pertinacity, with all the advantages that an opposite line of conduct proive the so co took leave of his Ministers with a great effusion of tenderness, particularly to Richmond, whom he entreated to remain in office; but I take it that he easily consoles himself, and does not care much more for one Minister than another
The debate in the House of Coht have been expected, and the Tories were greatly elated with the divisions on Ebrington's motion, because there was a majority less by fifty-six than on a similar motion when the Bill was rejected in October The circumstances were, however, different, and so Peers, which this vote would have committed them to approve of
There is so much of wonder, and curiosity, and expectation abroad that there is less of abuse and exasperation than ht have been expected, but it will all burst forth The town is fearfully quiet What is odd enough is that the King was hissed as he left London the other day, and the Duke cheered as he cas, with resolutions to support the Bill, to express approbation of the Ministers, and to protest against the payood deal of bustle and bluster here and elsewhere; but I do not believe in real tumults, particularly when the rabble and the unions know that there is a Governs, and that they will not be able to bandy compliments with the Duke as they did with Althorp and John Russell, not but what much dissatisfaction and much disquietude n that there is no alarm in the City At this early period of the business it is difficult to form any opinion of ill happen; the present Governain be forht themselves; we shall avoid a creation of Peers, but we must have a Reform Bill of some sort, and perhaps a harmless one after all, and if the elements of disorder can be resolved into tranquillity and order again, we must not quarrel with the means that have been employed, nor the quantue Head: PEEL REFUSES TO TAKE OFFICE]
The Tories are very indignant with Peel for not taking office, and if, as it is supposed, he is to support Government and the Bill out of office, and when all is over come in, it is hardly worth while for such a farce to deprive the King and the country of his services in the way that they could beunder Catholic question reminiscences, while the Duke is more thick-skinned After he had carried the Catholic question the world was prepared for a good deal of versatility on his part, but it was in mere derision that (after his speech on Reform in 1830) it used to be said that he would very likely be found proposing a Bill of Refor into office for the express purpose of carrying on this very Bill against which the other day he entered a protest which ress of it, or, if not, to bring in another of the same character, and probably nearly of the sa, and the necessity of supporting the King is made paramount to every other consideration The Duke's worshi+ppers (a nuh it is difficult to perceive in what the grandeur of it consists, or the nitude of the sacrifice However, it is fair to wait a little, and hear from his own lips his exposition of the mode in which he intends to deal with this measure, and hoill reconcile what he has hitherto said hat he is now about to do Talleyrand is of course in a state of great consternation, which will be communicated like an electrical shock to the Powers specially favoured and protected by the late Government--Leopold and Don Pedro, for instance It will be a difficult thing for the Duke to deal with some of the questions on which he has committed himself pretty considerably while in opposition, both with respect to foreign politics and especially Irish Education
Monday, May 14th, 1832 {p297}
Nothing ated at the clubs, asking, discussing, and wondering There was a greatwas settled The Household went yesterday to St Jast the rest Lord Foley The King was very civil to hi man' 'Sir, I aht to that appellation' 'Oh, yes; you are a young man--at all events in coain; but I am an oldyou there' It is supposed that this _coup_ has been preparing for some time All the Royal Family, bastards and all, have been incessantly _at_ the King, and he has probably hadthe constant ie_, and of his womankind particularly, than the dictates of his Ministers; and between this gradual but powerful impression, and his real opinion and fears, he was not sorry to seize the first good opportunity of shaking off the Whigs When Lord Anglesey went to take leave of hie in his sentilesey so, who repeated it toto find that those ho but rejecting the second reading, now aderald, hom I had more than one discussion, complimented me very handsomely upon the justification of h Tories, of course, will never ad, and have no other resource but to insist boldly that the King never would have made Peers at all[5]
[5] [Everyone kno short-lived were the expectations caused by the tenation of Lord Grey's Governes how soon the vision passed away; but the foregoing passages are retained precisely because they contain a vivid and faithful picture of the state of opinion at the e Head: WELLINGTON'S EFFORTS TO FORM A MINISTRY]
The events of the last few days have passed with a rapidity which hardly left ties and transitions froe to triumph on one side, and from foolish exultation to mortification and despair on the other The first iton would succeed in for he did was to try and prevail upon Peel to be Pri,[6] who, after reed to be Chancellor of the Exchequer The ent on, but with difficulty, for neither Peel, Goulburn, nor Croker would take office They then tried the Speaker, as htily te and fearing, and requiring time to make up his mind At an intervieith the Duke and Lyndhurst at Apsley House he declared his senti state of affairs in a speech of three hours, to the unutterable disgust of Lyndhurst, who returned ho himself into a chair, and said that 'he could not endure to have anything to do with such a _damned tiresome old bitch_' After these three hours of oratory Manners Sutton desired to have till the next ed(Monday) ensued the rees was such a scene of violence and excitement as never had been exhibited within those walls Tavistock toldat all like it, and to his dying day should not forget it The House was crammed to suffocation; every violent sentiment and vituperative expression was received with shouts of approbation, yet the violent speakers were listened to with the greatest attention[7]
Toues, full of every sort of impertinence, which was received with immense applause, but which contrasted with an adnity, but also of sarcasm and severity, from John Russell--the best he everoffice _to carry the Bill_, which was not denied, but which his friends feebly attempted to justify, was assailed with the reatest ih in lis and Davies Gilbert
Baring, who spoke four times, at last proposed that there should be a compromise, and that the ex-Ministers should resume their seats and carry the Bill This extraordinary proposition was drawn from him by the state of the House, and the i a new Government, and without any previous concert with the Duke, who, however, entirely approved of what he said After the debate Baring and Sutton went to Apsley House, and related to the Duke what had taken place, the for he would face a thousand devils rather than such a House of Co was at an end, and the next , and told him that he could not form an Administration This coht had prepared everybody, was speedily known, and the joy and triu, afterwards Lord Ashburton]
[7] [The debate arose on a petition of the City of London, praying that the House would refuse supplies until the Refor desired the Duke and Lyndhurst (for they went together) to advise him what he should do They advised hi hiiven up the commission to form a Govern in the House of Coht before on the subject of a compromise, and that he wished Lord Grey to return and resume the Government upon that principle
Lord Grey sent an answer full of the usual expressions of zeal and respect, but saying that he could give no answer until he had consulted his colleagues He assembled his Cabinet, and at five o'clock the ansas sent[8]
[8] [These communications have been published in the 'Correspondence of Earl Grey with Williae Head: TRIUMPH OF THE WHIGS]