The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
By venturing upon these changes the Government evidently think
they can scramble on, and on the whole it is probable that they
may, though never did a Government hold office by so frail and
uncertain a tenure, and upon such strange terms. A pretty correct
analysis of the House of Commons presents the following result:
267 Government people, including the Irish tail; 66 Radicals, 5
doubtful, and 315 Conservatives; 4 vacant seats, and the Speaker.
If, therefore, at any time, one half the Radicals should stay
away (they need not vote against), when danger threatens the
Government, it would be at an end; and if they do not do so, it
is because most of them are still unconvinced that it would be
better and more conducive to the ultimate success of their
objects to let the Tories in, and not from any love to the
present Ministers, whom, on the contrary, they hate a good deal
and despise a little. The Irish band appear to be dependable, but
there is no knowing what might be the consequence of a change,
and the withdrawal of all the personal influence which Normanby
had obtained over them. It has often happened that a coalition of
very opposite parties has turned a Government out; but never
before, that I remember, kept one in, and for such a length of
time. The Conservatives are completely united, ably led, and
count in their ranks the most powerful men in the House of
Commons; they are by far the most numerous of any of the parties,
one-third more than the Whigs (without the Irish), nearly five
times more than the Radicals, and within twenty of all combined;
and yet they are as effectually excluded as they were just after
the passing of the Reform Bill, for all that appears to the
contrary.
[Page Head: LORD DURHAM'S REPORT.]
Lord Durham's enormously long Report[16] appeared in the 'Times'
on Friday last, before being laid on the tables of the two
Houses, whereat he rose in his place and expressed much surprise
and displeasure, all of which was very ridiculous and
superfluous, for he had two thousand copies of it printed, and
distributed them to the right and left, to anybody who came to
see him, to Foreign Ministers and others, so no wonder that the
document found its way into the 'Times.'[17] He sent a copy to
Easthope, proprietor of the 'Morning Chronicle,' but with an
injunction not to publish it, and Easthope told him he wished he
had kept his copy to himself, for he could have obtained one
elsewhere which he should have been at liberty to publish if he
had not accepted his with the prohibition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account