I afterwards saw George Villiers, who told me that he knew from a member of the Cabinet that there had been a division in it on the question of going out if the Reform Bill should be rejected, and that it had been carried by a majority that they should. He told me also a curious thing about Stanley's Arms Bill: that it had never been imparted to Lord Anglesey, nor to the Cabinet here, and that Lord Grey had been obliged to write an apology to Lord Anglesey, and to tell him he (Lord Grey) had himself seen the Bill for the first time in the newspapers. This he had from Lord C., who is a great friend of Lord Anglesey's, and who had seen Lord Grey's letter before he left Ireland; but the story appears to me quite incredible, and is probably untrue. CHAPTER XVI. Whig and Tory Meetings on Reform--Resolution to carry the Bill-- Holland--Radical Jones--Reform Bill thrown out by the Lords-- Dorsetshire Election--Division among the Tories--Bishop Phillpotts--Prospects of Reform--Its Dangers--Riots at Bristol--The Cholera at Sunderland--An Attempt at a Compromise on Reform--Lord Wharncliffe negotiates with the Ministers-- Negotiation with Mr. Barnes--Proclamation against the Unions-- Barbarism of Sunderland--Disappointment of Lord Wharncliffe-- Bristol and Lyons--Commercial Negotiations with France--Poulett Thomson--Lord Wharncliffe's Proposal to Lord Grey--Disapproved by the Duke of Wellington--Moderation of Lord John Russell--The Appeal of Drax _v._ Grosvenor--The Second Reform Bill--Violence of Lord Durham--More Body-snatchers--Duke of Richmond and Sir Henry Parnell--Panshanger--Creation of Peers--Division of Opinion--Negotiation to avoid the Creation of Peers--Lord Wharncliffe's Interview with the King--Opposition of the Duke of Wellington--The Waverers resolve to separate from the Duke. September 22nd, 1831 {p.197} [Page Head: PROSPECTS OF THE REFORM BILL.] The night before last Croker and Macaulay made two fine speeches on Reform; the former spoke for two hours and a half, and in a way he had never done before. Macaulay was very brilliant. There was a meeting at Lord Ebrington's yesterday, called by him, Lyttelton Lawley, and of members of the House of Commons only, and they (without coming to any resolution) were all agreed to prevail on the Government not to resign in the event of the Reform Bill being rejected in the House of Lords. I have no doubt, therefore, in spite of what Lord Grey said, and the other circumstances I have mentioned above, that they will not resign, and I doubt whether there will be any occasion for it.