Volume III Part 18 (2/2)

Whatever may be the fate of Government for the present, I believe it to be i can prevent Peel's speedy return to office; he has raised his reputation to such a height during this session, he has established such a conviction of his great capacity and of his liberal, enlarged, and at the same time safe views and opinions, that even the Radicals, such as Hueneral chorus of admiration which is raised to his eneral lack of talent, that he must be recalled by the voice of the nation and by the universal admission that he is indispensable to the country

[6] [On the 30th of March Lord John Russell moved the resolution which was carried by this division; the terms of it were, 'That this House resolve itself into a committee of the whole House, in order to consider the present state of the Church Establish any surplus of the revenues not required for the spiritual care of its eneral education of all classes of the people, without distinction of religious persuasion']

[Page Head: THE IRISH CHURCH QUESTION]

I am much inclined to think that this debate on the Irish Church question will eventually daht all have been answered by their speeches last year on the sa as their inconsistency and the factiousness of their motives The question is not a popular one in the country, where nothing like favour to the Catholics of Ireland or their religion is agreeable to the uments in the debate have been triumphantly in favour of the Governuished froh I am decidedly favourable to the principle, and never had a doubt that it is preposterous to contend that if there is a reform of the Church, and there turns out to be a surplus, such surplus should not be dealt with as Parliaeneral interests, under the actual circumstances of the country, at the time the appropriation takes place; still it is perfectly consistent with that opinion to refuse to vote for the appropriation of the surplus which may never exist at all, or only exist at some distant period, when other circuether inexpedient

_In the afternoon_--Peel's speech was not so good as usual; it was laboured, and so I ood spirits, talked of the thing as over, said he could not endure any ood had been done by the dissolution, which had created a party strong enough to obstruct any violent measures on the part of their opponents, said he understood they had sent for Lord Spencer did not believe Lord Grey would have any concern with it I said that it was clear after Stanley's speech that _he_ would have nothing to do with the Whigs He said he conceived so, but that it was very odd that Lord John Russell did not see it in that light, and had said that Grahaht not I told Peel that inthat had been done was the proof that he had been enabled to exhibit that he was indispensable to the government of the country, and that if he could infuse so, and persuade His Majesty stoutly to resist any requisition to swamp the House of Lords, and rather to appeal to the country than consent to it, in a very short space of ti was capable of any such firht he was, that he was in a miserable state of mind at the prospect before hi how much there was in it which fell personally upon himself In the meantime it does not seem that the Ministers have come to any positive resolution, or even conviction, as to the moment of their retirement, nor as to its absolute, unavoidable necessity Peel evidently considers the contest at an end Lord Rosslyn this n immediately; the Duke, on the other hand, appears by no means so certain that the tithe Bill will be o out at all Stanley and Grahan directly; they think Peel would retirefor et that he is bound to satisfy his own party Stanley, with that levity which distinguishes all his conduct, talks of hiallantly before the hounds in the open, skulks along the hedgerows, and at last turns up his legs in a ditch' This he said to George Bentinck, who told it to ht to speak of Sir Robert Peel

What I certainly do regret is that he condescended repeatedly to entreat John Russell to put off bringing up the report till Monday, and exposed himself to a refusal He should have invited the decision of the contest rather than have tried to protract it

April 4th, 1835

[Page Head: SIR R PEEL'S RETIREMENT]

I told Jonathan Peel last night that Stanley and Graha at once He said that Sir Robert would, as far as his own feelings were concerned, have preferred resigning long ago, but that a vast nuning at all, and wanted hin only upon such a point as ht enable hiave at the beginning to persevere while perseverance could be useful or honourable He then told htest credit to[7]) that he should not be at all surprised if his brother were now to retire froust our of his age and at the climax of his reputation, it would be the most extraordinary retirement that history ever recorded Men of thepublic life, but I am not aware of any instance of a man who had attained the eminence and the falory and poithout soer reat fool indeed I should have been if I had--1838

I was told last night that the scene of noise and uproar which the House of Co This used not to be the case in better, or at least entlemanlike, tih, the for every variety of intonation expressive of adnation, menace, sarcasm Now all the musical skill of this instruroans, noises the most discordant that the huainst the floor Sir Hedworth Willia, told me that there were a set of fellows on his side of the House whose regular practice it was to n to bellow Peel down This is the _reformed_ House of Commons Peel told Lord Ashley the other day that he did not think it possible for the same man to be Prime Minister and leader in the House of Commons (he meant to be First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer), that no physical strength was adequate to the labour of both employments He may therefore hereafter put some Peer at the head of the Government, but it is equally indispensable, as it seems to me, that the real substantial power should be vested in the leader of the House of Commons, especially when he is a ues he may be associated with

April 5th, 1835 {p244}

[Page Head: SIR R PEEL AND THE TORIES]

I understand nohat Jonathan Peelfrousted with his own associates It appears that they (the Tories, or ht that on the tithe Bill being altered he would go out, so that while others are blaed that he will not set the House of Commons at defiance and stick to his post

It is very evident thatthe fight under the Duke of Wellington, if they could prevail on hiet up a 'No Popery' cry They say that 'the country' (by which they mean their own faction) looks up to the Duke, and that Peel has really no interest there The fact is that they cannot forgive him for his Liberal principles and Liberal measures, and probably they never believed that he was sincere in the professions he made, or that he really intended to introduce such measures as he has done They feel (not without reason) that they cannot follow hi all their long-cherishedthey would incur race Peel sees and knows all this, and cannot fail to perceive that he is not the Minister for theer the party for hieable force, and he probably would rather trust to that increasing feeling and opinion about hi all classes of politicians, to place him by-and-by at the head of a party for a much wider circle of opinions Still this Tory body, obstinate and bigoted as they are, have no other chief, and can find none, and it is essential to Peel to keep them if possible under his influence and direction, and therefore (I believe very reluctantly) he defers his resignation

April 6th, 1835 {p245}

Yesterday Wharncliffe caht they were safe, though he owns that he was surprised and disappointed that there were no defections--not one--froht forward He says he ith the King the other evening, and asked hi back to Windsor His Majesty said 'he could not go back, that he could not bear being there; there he had none of theht his mind was absorbed in public affairs' Poor wretch! he suffers martyrdom, and has more to suffer yet, for I expect they will have no mercy on him Yesterday I had more proofs of the animus of the Tories One of them, a foolish, hot-brained fellow certainly (but there is no such enormous difference between the best and the worst), told o out upon the tithe Bill he would abandon his party; that he ought to let them alter the Bill as they pleased, wait till the House of Commons threw it out, and then dissolve Parliament

April 7th, 1835 {p245}

Each day elicits some new proof of what I have written above--the totally altered feelings and expressions of all conditions of politicians about Sir Robert Peel It would seem as if his friends were suddenly converted into his ene to the expectation that he will hold on to office; they say that if he goes out he abandons his party, abandons the King They call to mind Pitt in 1784 'Very slippery,' said one to me yesterday, when I read to hirave was last night enthusiastic in his praise; he owned that he had done adiven proof of his perfect sincerity and acted in accordance with all his declarations and professions 'I a in Peel's past political career led me to expect that he would have done so admirably as he has He has raised hie of the a choral note of praise; and then, toso serious can be ridiculous), the Tories, who abuse hi heaven and earth to retain his and Radicals, who laud hiht and main to turn him out In a state of profound tranquillity these Ministers are quietly transacting business with a perfect consciousness and an universal understanding that their Govern their blows in the House of Co to office, for which they are already ements The parts are all so quietly performed, the catastrophe is so clearly before everybody's eyes and understanding, that it hty event in real life, big perhaps with incalculable consequences

April 8th, 1835 {p246}

[Page Head: DEFEAT OF SIR R PEEL'S MINISTRY]

There was a ht, which I conclude settles the business[8] There was to be a Cabinet this ree upon their resignations Wharncliffe saw the King last night He is very coe and firmness into hi can be i intervieith the once rejected and now trius

Yesterday I rode with Ellice up the Park He said, 'Grey will do anything they wish hi to do with it' He talked of the new Govern no difficulty; that they ht have if Peel and the Tories went into violent opposition, which he is convinced Peel will not do I said they o on till the tithe Bill went to the House of Lords, when they would expunge the appropriation clause He said, 'They won't be so mad; there is no Church of Ireland now, and the question is whether there shall be one, for without that clause no tithe Bill will ever pass'