Volume III Part 7 (2/2)

There was a good debate on Monday in the House of Commons on the Irish tithes Bill Peel reat felicity, and John Russellto excuse the Coood upon the question Both he and Ellice _spoke out_ I was at the Abbey on Tuesday and yesterday for a performance and a rehearsal of the 'Messiah' The spectacle is very fine, and it is all adress and ingress--but the 'Messiah'

is not so effective as I expected, not so fine as in York Minster; the choruses are aders of extreone; old Bella boy, Miss Stephens, &c

June 27th, 1832 {p098}

Lord Williaht that his brother John has frequently offered to resign, and they never would let him; at last he said he must speak out on this Church appropriation question, or positively he would not stay in, so that his speech was not _blurted_ out, as I supposed, but was the result of a fixed resolution This alters the case as far as he is concerned, and it can't be denied that he was right in thinking it better that Government should make itself clearly understood, and that a break-up was preferable to going on without any real cordiality or concurrence ast each other and the Administration an object of suspicion to all parties William Russell said that Government were quite aware that Peel and the Duke could turn them out when they would, but that they would not knohat to do next

[Page Head: DON CARLOS ON HIS WAY TO SPAIN]

Don Carlos is coe When they told him the Spanish Ambassador (Miraflores) was come to wait upon him, he replied, 'I have no Ambassador at the Court of London'

He will not take any money, and he will neither relinquish his clai the, why let chance crownevasion at this tiet all the money he wants from his partisans in Spain, and that there is no lack of wealth in the country Strange infatuation when men will spend their blood and theirlike spirit, enterprise, and courage, he would make a fine confusion in Spain, and probably succeed; his departure froe here has not caused the war to languish in the north Ad close to him in Portsmouth

Miraflores paid a droll co out the various beauties at so others Lady Seymour, and asked him if he did not admire her He said, 'Elle est trop jeune, trop fraiche,' and then, with a tender look and squeezing her hand, 'J'aime les femmes un peu passees'

July 4th, 1834 {p099}

The other night Stanley made a fierce speech on Irish tithes, and plainly showed that no reconciliation between hiht Littleton made a melancholy exhibition with O'Connell Forure; now it is very different, for no matter how unfit a man may be, it is ten to one nobody better can be found to replace hiraceful affair never was seen; the Tories chuckled, the Governusted, ashaallery and enjoyed the fun

I was at Woolwich yesterday to see the yacht in which the Queen is to sail to the Continent Such luxury and splendour, and such gorgeous preparations She will sail like Cleopatra down the Cydnus, and though she will have no beautiful boys like Cupids to fan her, she will be attended by Eot, who is as beautiful as the Mater Cupidinuarly country in somewhat different trim from that in which she left it, with all her earls and countesses, equipages, pages, valets, dressers, &c The Duke of Wellington gave a great ball the other night, and invited all the Ministers The Chancellor was there till three or four o'clock in theto see the Duke doing the honours to hireat disappointment in the Finsbury election, which they fancied Pownall was sure of carrying the first day, but Toreat exhibition of Radical strength in that metropolitan district, andsoh horses

July 6th, 1834 {p100}

[Page Head: STANLEY'S THIMBLERIG SPEECH]

When I wrote the above I had not read Stanley's speech, and had only heard he had used very strong language I was greatly astonished when I did read it, and fully concur in the nearly universal opinion that, however clever and laughable it may have been, it was a most injudicious and unfortunate exhibition, and is calculated to do hi injury (This was the fa' speech) I do not knohen I have read or heard so virulent and coarse an invective, and it is rather disgusting than anything else to see such an one fired off at thefor soo), hom he declared his entire concurrence on every other question, fro, and to whoest ties of friendshi+p and regard (It will be seen that he made similar professions when he separated from Peel's Government in '46, and instantly rushed into a similar opposition) The Tories cheered him lustily; and what must he on reflection think of such cheers, and of his position in the House--to be halloa'd on by the party which he has hitherto treated with the greatest conteotry and prejudice, at least on all secular ues, to whoreat question of foreign or doe that there was nobody on the Treasury Bench who could answer hi out this spiteful and inteham could have been thrown for half an hour into the House, 'like an eagle into a dovecot,' what a grand opportunity there would have been for his tremendous sarcasm to vent itself As it was, Stanley went away unscathed, for though Althorp was not bad in the feords he said with great good-humour, and Littleton made a very tolerable speech, the fored to allow of his saying anything with effect; besides, he quoted a speech of Stanley's against hiument) and did not quote the whole of it I dare say Peel was not very sorry to hear Stanley's speech, and justly estimated the value of the cheers hich it was hailed It places him at an immeasurable distance below Peel, and puts an end to any pretensions of rivalshi+p, if he ever entertained any If a junction is to take place between them, Stanley must be content with a subordinate part; and, act homsoever he may, he will never inspire real confidence or conciliate real esteeret, and could have wished he had cut a better figure I dined with a Tory at the 'Travellers'

yesterday, and he said, 'Of course we cheered hiet him, but I must own that it was a very injudicious speech and very unbeco' These are the sort of events in a man's life which influence his destiny ever after; it is not that his political career will beit on the whole important, and probably successful, but there is a revulsion in men's minds about him, which cannot fail to produce a silent, but in the end a sensible effect upon his fortunes It is reacious old randson's superlative merits, and always in the midst of his triumphs questioned his ultimate success

July 10th, 1834 {p101}

Cas in a fine state Althorp had resigned three days ago; his resignation was accepted, on which Lord Grey resigned too Both of theht, Lord Grey, as they tell entleton ht he ust to ned as a reason by Stanley and his friends for not taking office with the Duke) nobody knohat is to happen

The King sent for Melbourne, and his nephew, John Ponsonby, told ht he believed he would endeavour to carry on the Govern Govern the night before last, are considerably disappointed that the King did not instantly avail hination to send for them, or at least for Peel I don't suppose, however, that it is fros that he tries to bolster up this Govern horror of a dissolution, and it is just possible he ood advice surreptitiously conveyed to hi the most prudent part he can It is very essential that he should have no hand in the dissolution of this Cabinet, and if he does his best to reconstruct it, and gives the reht to call upon the House of Commons and the country to support him in any ulterior measures that circue Head: CAUSES OF THE RETIREMENT OF LORD GREY]

Thus Littleton has been the instru up this Government; a man powerless to serve his party has contrived to destroy it It is curious to trace this matter from the outset

When Hobhouse threw up his office and his seat, it was extremely difficult to find a successor to him in the Irish Office, principally because not one man in fifty could procure a seat in Parliaency Littleton volunteered his services; he was sure of his seat, and he wanted eventually a peerage, so he wrote to Lord Grey, and said that if he thought hi the place he would undertake it[6] Nothing better suggested itself; it was a way out of the difficulty, and they closed with his offer No man could be less fit for such a situation; his talents are slender, his manners unpopular, and his vanity considerable

When warned against O'Connell he said, 'Oh, leave eance, and a pretty Tartar he caught His first atteement were exhibited in the business of Baron Sht hiue without the knowledge of his colleagues, and he wrote to Lord Wellesley for the purpose of prevailing upon him to recommend to the Cabinet that the Bill should pass without the strong clauses, and most unaccountably Lord Wellesley did so[7]

He stated that this omission was desirable on account of circuland, and Lord Wellesley replied that if it was necessary on that account he would contrive to e matters without the clauses Upon this he put hi that his and Lord Wellesley's advice (in accordance as it ith the opinions of certain ave O'Connell those expectations the disappointment of which produced the scene between them in the House of Commons Lord Grey, however, was equally astonished and dissatisfied with this last recommendation of Lord Wellesley's, which was directly at variance with the opinion he had given soly asked hied his mind, and requested him to reconsider his latter opinion He still replied that if it was necessary, he would do without the clauses Upon this there was a discussion in the Cabinet, and Althorp, Grant, Ellice, Abercroave in to thewith O'Connell,[8] having told Althorp alone that he was doing so, though not telling hi Lord Grey Upon the _blow-up_ which O'Connell n, and when he did Lord Grey followed his exah doubtless current at the tie entirely inaccurate Mr

Littleton was confined to his sofa at the ti on nobody was more surprised than himself to receive from Lord Grey a spontaneous and unexpected offer of the Chief Secretaryshi+p of Ireland He was fully aware of the extreme difficulties of the office, which was at that moment perhaps the most important in the Government