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
The Radicals have been again bestirring themselves, and trying to
turn the present occasion to account and extract some concessions
from the Government. Warburton has been in communication with
Lord John Russell, and they expect some declarations from him and
Melbourne of their future intentions, and some indications of a
disposition to give way on some of the favourite Radical
measures. Melbourne's intention was to be elicited by certain
questions of which Lord Winchilsea gave notice, and which he
actually put last night, as to the principles on which the
Government was to be conducted. Melbourne replied in a very
guarded and somewhat didactic style, but, so far from evincing
any disposition to make Radical concessions, he intimated with
sufficient clearness that he was resolved to make none whatever,
and that he would not sacrifice his conscientious convictions for
any political or party purpose.
[Page Head: LORD BROUGHAM ATTACKS MINISTERS.]
After this, up got Brougham, and that boiling torrent of rage,
disdain, and hatred, which had been dammed up upon a former
occasion when he was so unaccountably muzzled, broke forth with
resistless and overwhelming force. He spoke for three hours, and
delivered such an oration as no other man in existence is capable
of: devilish in spirit and design, but of superhuman eloquence
and masterly in execution. He assailed the Ministers with a storm
of invective and ridicule; and, while he enveloped his periods in
a studied phraseology of pretended loyalty and devotion, he
attacked the Queen herself with unsparing severity. He went at
length and in minute detail into the whole history of the recent
transaction, drew it in its true colours, and exposed its origin,
progress, and motives, and thus he laid bare all the arts and
falsehoods by which attempts had been made to delude and agitate
the country. If it were possible to treat this as a party
question, his speech would be a powerful party auxiliary, most
valuable to the Tories as a vindication of them, for it was the
peculiar merit of this speech that it abounded in truths and in
great constitutional principles of undoubted authority and
unerring application. The Duke of Wellington rose after Brougham:
in a short speech, replete with moderation and dignity, he
abstained from entering upon the past, but fastened upon
Melbourne's declaration, and gave him to understand that as long
as he adhered to such principles as he had then declared he would
be governed by, he might appeal to Parliament confidently for
support.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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