The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (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 2 (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
About three years ago the Chancellor, Lyndhurst, was the man in
the world he abhorred the most; and it was about this time that I
well recollect one night at Madame de Lieven's I introduced Lord
Grey to Lady Lyndhurst. We had dined together somewhere, and he
had been praising her beauty; so when we all met there I presented
him, and very soon all his antipathies ceased and he and Lyndhurst
became great friends. This was the cause of Lady Lyndhurst's
partiality for the Whigs, which enraged the Tory ladies and some
of their lords so much, but which served her turn and enabled her
to keep two hot irons in the fire. When the Duke went out Lord
Grey was very anxious to keep Lyndhurst as his Chancellor, and
would have done so if it had not been for Brougham, who, whirling
Reform _in terrorem_ over his head, announced to him that it must
not be. Reluctantly enough Grey was obliged to give way, for he
saw that with Brougham in the House of Commons, against him he
could not stand for five minutes, and that the only alternative
was to put Brougham on the Woolsack. Hence his delay in sending
for Brougham, the latter's speech and subsequent acceptance of the
Great Seal. Grey, however, was still anxious to serve Lyndhurst,
and to neutralise his opposition has now proposed to him to be
Chief Baron. This is tempting to a necessitous and ambitious man.
On the other hand he had a good game before him, if he had played
it well, and that was to regain character, exhibit his great and
general powers, and be ready to avail himself of the course of
events; but he has made his bargain and pocketed his pride. He
takes the judicial office upon an understanding that he is to have
no political connection with the Government (though of course he
will not oppose them), and that he is to be Chief Justice on
Tenterden's death or retirement. This is the secret article of the
treaty, and altogether he has not done amiss; for there are so few
Chancellors in the field that he will probably (if he chooses)
return to the Woolsack in the event of a change of Government, and
he is now in a position in which he may join either party, and
that without any _additional_ loss of character. The public will
gain by the transaction, because they will get a good judge.
In Ireland the Government have made a change (the motives of
which are not apparent) which will be very unpopular, and
infallibly get them into trouble in various ways. They have
removed Hart and made Plunket Chancellor. Hart was very popular
with the Bar; he was slow, but had introduced order and
regularity in the proceedings of the Court. There were no arrears
and no appeals. Plunket is unpopular, and was a bad judge in the
Common Pleas, and will probably make a worse Chancellor; he is
rash, hasty, and imprudent, and it is the more extraordinary as
Hart was affronted by Goderich and went with Anglesey, so upon
the score of confidence (on which they put it) there is in fact
not a pretext for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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