Volume III Part 19 (1/2)
[8] [The Ministry was defeated on the Irish tithe Bill on the 3rd of April by a majority of 33 in a House of 611; on the 6th of April by a majority of 25 in a House of 499; and on the 7th of April by a majority of 27 in a House of 543]
CHAPTER XXVIII
Lord Grey and Sir James Graham express Conservative Views-- Opinions of Lord Stanley--Lord Grey sees the King, but is not asked to resume Office--Lord Melbourne's Second Ad Rice--A Joyless Victory--Exclusion of Brougham--The New Cabinet--Lord John Russell defeated in Devonshi+re--Lord Alvanley and O'Connell--Duel with Morgan O'Connell--Lord Wellesley resigns the Lord Stewardshi+p--The Eliot Convention--Swift _v_ Kelly-- The Kembles--London University Charter discussed at the Privy Council--Corporation Refor's Habits--Secretaryshi+p of Jamaica--Lord Melbourne's tithe Bill--The Pope rejects the Recommendation of the British Government--Relations with Ro's Address to Sir Charles Grey--Stanley and Graham cross the House--Failure of Stanley's Tactics--Alava and the Duke of cu--Concert at Stafford House--The King's Aversion to his Ministers and to the Speaker--Decision on the Secretaryshi+p of Jamaica--Archbishop Whateley--Irish Church Bill--Payy--Peel and Lord John Russell--Factious Conduct of Tory Peers--The King's Violence--Debate on the Corporation Bill
April 9th, 1835 {p248}
Yesterday the Ministers resigned Peel announced it to the House of Commons in a short but admirable speech by all accounts, exactly suitable to the occasion, and to his principal object--that of setting hiin to acquiesce, though rather sulkily, in the course he has pursued Lord Grey is to be with the King thisquietly in the Park yesterday afternoon, and neither knew nor cared (apparently) whether he had been sent for or not His daughter told me (for I rode with them up Constitution Hill) that his family could not wish him to return to office, but would not interfere She then talked, much to my surprise, of the possibility of a junction between him and Peel; she owned that Peel had done wonders, but said that she could not wish for such a junction _now_, however it ht be possible and desirable that it should take place some little time hence This shows a very Conservative spirit and a idity of the Grey politics
[Page Head: SIR JAMES GRAHAM ON PEEL AND STANLEY]
In theI went to Graham to ask him to advocate my cause in the Sinecure Co overand proeneral politics at great length It is very evident that he and Stanley have no leaning towards the Whigs, and look _now_ solely to a junction with Peel and the construction of a Liberal and Conservative party and Govern it, with as much zeal and fervour as if he had been a member of the Cabinet which has just fallen, and I think his opinions coincide veryto be well _endoctrine_, and that his firmness (if he has any) should be directed to one or two points, and his mind not puzzled with complicated instructions He should be advised never to admit O'Connell to any office, and to resist a creation of Peers He thinks, if his Majesty is stout on these points, that things will co and animus of the country I told him the Tories and late Government people still contended that if he and Stanley had joined the thing would have gone on, which he vehemently denied, and declared that they could not have saved Peel and should have entirely coreat admiration of Peel, and of the reception he had met with from him in the interview they had on his return, which he said was cordial and obliging to the greatest degree, and without any appearance of that coldness and reserve of which he has been so often accused He then talked of Stanley with great openness--of his talents, character, and political views I told him that Stanley had not raised hieneral levity of his conduct, and especially to the Tories by the occasional flippancy or severity of his attacks upon them, that as it was clear that any Conservative Governreat body of the Tory party for support, it was improvident in him to make himself obnoxious to them, and that he would do well to exert his influence over Stanley for the purpose of restraining those sallies in which he was too apt to indulge, and showing hi that not very wise but still powerful body He asked in ay Stanley had offended I told hi tone he had used, and particularly in his personal attack on the Duke for holding the offices He owned there was truth in this, 'but what could you do?
it was ie a reat talents, extraordinary readiness in debate, high principles, unbleht he never would look, upon politics and political life with the seriousness which belonged to the subject; he followed politics as an aaed into the _melee_ for the sake of the sport which he found it made there, but always actuated by honourable and consistent principles and feelings, and thoughit aanything that honour or conscience prescribed' I said that this description of him (which I had no doubt was true) only proved what I already thought--that, with all his talents, he never would be a great man He said he always rity, birth, and fortune could not fail to raise hi could prevent his being very considerable, very iued that one as aniravity, to whom public care was a subsidiary and not a prireatness He said that Stanley had a great admiration for Peel, without any tincture of jealousy, and that he was quite ready to serve under hi whether it would be possible for two such ether in the same Cabinet I told him what Wharncliffe had told me, that no man was ever more easy to act with,than Peel in the Cabinet, and Grahaue, so that it may be hoped there would not be any such incoether I ith him two hours and a half, and we discussed very fully all political contingencies with the freedoreat friends
April 10th, 1835 {p251}
[Page Head: DISTRESS OF THE KING]
Nothing decisive yesterday Lord Grey ith the King in the ; he there met Lord Melbourne, Lord Holland, Lord John Russell, and Lord Lansdowne, and went back to St Ja that Lord Grey was to assist in the formation of the Government, but not to take office himself
April 11th, 1835 {p251}
The intention of Lord Grey evidently was to avoid office if he could, but if strongly urged by the King, and his feelings appealed to, to yield The King, however, did not urge hi apparently that he would under no circumstances return to office, consulted him as to the course he should adopt All my information as to what has hitherto taken place amounts to this:--His Majesty has been in a very co leaders in a way that has given theoes the eiven Melbourne _carte blanche_ to for in the task Notwithstanding the good face which the King contrives to put upon the matter in his communications with his hated new-old Ministers and masters, he is really very miserable, and the duchess of Gloucester, to whoiana Bathurst that with her he was in the most pitiable state of distress, constantly in tears, and saying that 'he felt his crown tottering on his head'
It is intended to leave O'Connell out of the arrangement, and at the same time to conciliate him and preserve his support In this they have apparently succeeded O'Connell 'has behaved adard to him is at an end Of the Radicals some are to be included and no notice taken of the rest
Brougham is to be set at defiance; his fall in public estiues, and his loss of character all justify them, and enable them (as they think) to do so with ireatly influenced by hiues, and has no thought of a creation of Peers or of any desperate expedients, and he is not at all satisfied with the resolution which John carried, and which was the i fully alive to all the inconvenience of it
[1] [Meaning Sir Frederick La abroad in the diplo coe's Church, where he went to assist at Lord John Russell's in for half an hour, he came over to pass the interval with me[2] He told me that 'there still existed _one_ difficulty, one only, which I should not think of, apparently unimportant, but which circuot over, the Governht it was an _even bet_ whether it was got over or not What this difficulty is, so little obvious, but so iuess; but in such affairs _one_ difficulty will not stand in the way of coement the consummation of which has cost such incredible exertions, and such sacrifices of consistency and of public interests to the interests or ambition of a party
[2] [Lord John Russell married, in April 1835, Theresa,of Lord Ribblesdale Mr Greville lived at this time on the north side of Hanover Square]
April 12th, 1835 {p252}
[Page Head: SIR R PEEL'S MINISTRY]
Nothing settled yesterday, and great doubts if anything would be
Lord John was ; he returned to Kent House with his bride, and Melbourne was to have sent him word at _one_ as definitively settled; he waited till then no news arriving from Melbourne, he went off to Woburn He was at that ti con Office, to which he is to go
However, Melbourne was to be with the King thisto announce that the Ministry would or would not do Sefton toldRice; if it should fail (which it will not, I expect) Peel must stay in and take in the Dilly, ould not then scruple to join him The Govern this eternal Irish Church question, which I think so great an evil that it is on the whole better that Melbourne should for as he can--that is, till so decisive is done about the Irish Church I met the whole Dilly at dinner yesterday at Stafford House, and when I told Stanley and Graha Rice made the difficulty, they both said that it must be what they called 'his conundrum,' which I had never heard of before; but it means his detereneral education_, but not to go a jot further, and they suppose that this is not far enough for the others, and hence the difficulty
April 13th, 1835 {p253}
Nothing positively known yesterday, but that the thing is settled in sos about Brookes', audiences with the King, and great doubt whether Grey took office, and the Foreign Office