The Greville Memoirs, Part 3 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 2): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1860 — John Shaqi
The Greville Memoirs, Part 3 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 2): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1860Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 3 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 2): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1860
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
The important part of forming the Cabinet is now done, and nothing
remains but the allotment of the places. It will be wonderfully strong
in point of ability, and in this respect exhibit a marked contrast with
the last; but its very excellence in this respect may prove a source of
weakness, and eventually of disunion. The late Cabinet had two paramount
chiefs, and all the rest nonentities, and the nominal head was also a
real and predominant head. In the present Cabinet are five or six
first-rate men of equal or nearly equal pretensions, none of them likely
to acknowledge the superiority or defer to the opinions of any other,
and every one of these five or six considering himself abler and more
important than their Premier. They are all at present on very good terms
and perfectly satisfied with each other; but this satisfaction does not
extend beyond the Cabinet itself; murmurings and grumblings are already
very loud. The Whigs have never looked with much benignity on this
coalition, and they are now furious at the unequal and, as they think,
unfair distribution of places. These complaints are not without reason,
nor will it make matters better that John Russell has had no
communication with his old friends and adherents, nor made any
struggle, as it is believed, to provide for them, although his adhesion
is so indispensable that he might have made any terms and conditions he
chose. Then the Radicals, to judge from their press, are exceedingly
sulky and suspicious, and more likely to oppose than to support the new
Government. The Irish also seem disposed to assume a menacing and half
hostile attitude, and, having contributed to overthrow the last
Government, are very likely (according to the policy chalked out for
them after the election) to take an early opportunity of aiding the
Derbyites to turn out this. Thus hampered with difficulties and beset
with dangers, it is impossible to feel easy about their prospects. If,
however, they set to work vigorously to frame good measures and remove
practical and crying evils, they may excite a feeling in their favour in
the country, and may attract support enough from different quarters in
the House of Commons to go on, but I much fear that it will at best be a
perturbed and doubtful existence. Such seems the necessary condition of
every Government nowadays, and unfortunately there is a considerable
party which rejoices in such a state of things, and only desires to
aggravate the mischief, because they think its continuance and the
instability of every Government will be most conducive to the ends and
objects which they aim at.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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