The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IVGreville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
I had a long conversation with Tierney yesterday, and I find that
the Whig Ministers are sick to death of their situation and
anxious to resign. They think they are not treated with the
consideration which is due to them whether as individuals or as
the representatives of a great party who are supporting the
Government. Then they think Goderich has behaved so ill in this
affair that they can have no confidence in him. They believe so
much in the integrity of his character that they do not suspect
him of any duplicity in what has passed, but his conduct has been
marked by such deplorable weakness as shows how unfit he is for
the situation he occupies. He has acted equally ill to the King,
to his colleagues, and to Herries himself. The history of the
transaction is this:--While Goderich was Chancellor of the
Exchequer Herries was the man upon whose assistance he relied to
carry on the business of his office, and who in fact did it all
for him. As soon as he was at the head of the Treasury he
felt that Herries would be equally necessary to him, and he
accordingly pressed him to take the office of Chancellor of the
Exchequer, which Herries declined. After repeated solicitations,
Herries told him that he had no objection to belong to his
Government, and that he would take the office of Vice-President
of the Board of Trade, and do all his Treasury business for him
(this is the account of Herries' friends, which seems to me
somewhat doubtful), though he did not wish to be in the Cabinet.
At last, however, Goderich prevailed on Herries to let him
propose him to the King, which was done. The appointment was
particularly agreeable to the King, who wrote a letter with his
own hand to Herries, desiring him to take the place. When
Goderich returned to town, with this letter in his pocket, he
went (before he delivered it) to the Cabinet, and then mentioning
Herries, without saying what had passed, he found that the
Cabinet would not approve of the appointment, on which he went to
Herries, and said that he found that it would not do, and begged
him to allow his appointment to be cancelled. Herries told him
that he had never desired it, and was quite ready to give it up.
As soon as Herries had agreed to give it up Goderich pulls out of
his pocket the King's letter, and says, 'By-the-by, here is a
letter which I ought to have given you before.' When Herries had
read this letter he said, 'This puts me quite in another
situation, and though I am still ready to give up being
Chancellor of the Exchequer, I must have my conduct explained to
the King, and you must take me down to Windsor to-morrow for that
purpose.' This Goderich refused to do, when Herries said he
should go down by himself. He did so, and then passed all which I
have described above in the account of the Council on the 19th. I
ought to have mentioned, as not the least curious circumstance of
the Council, that in the middle of it the King sent for Sir
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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