e let himself be entirely twisted and
twirled about by his _violent_ friends, and _all_ the moderate ones
were crushed....

VICTORIA R.

_Sir Robert Peel to the Prince Albert._

WHITEHALL, _23rd December 1845._

SIR,--I think Her Majesty and your Royal Highness will have been
pleased with the progress I have made in execution of the great trust
again committed to me by Her Majesty.

It will be of great importance to conciliate Lord Stanley's support
out of office, to induce him to _discourage_ hostile combinations.

I would humbly recommend Her Majesty, when Her Majesty sees Lord
Stanley to-day, to receive him with her usual kindness, to say that I
had done full justice in my reports to Her Majesty to the motives by
which he had been actuated, and to the openness and frankness of his
conduct, to regret greatly the loss of his services, but to hope
that he might be still enabled not to oppose and even to promote
the accomplishment of what cannot now be safely resisted. I have the
honour to be, etc., etc., etc.,

ROBERT PEEL.

[Pageheading: THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS]

[Pageheading: THE CORN LAWS]

[Pageheading: THE UNEMPLOYED]

_Memorandum by the Prince Albert._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _25th December 1845._

We had a Council yesterday, at which Parliament was prorogued to
the 22nd of January, then to meet for the despatch of business. Lord
Stanley had an audience of the Queen before, and delivered up the
Seals of his office. He was much agitated, and had told Sir Robert
that he dreaded this interview very much. The Queen thanked him for
his services, and begged he would do his best out of office to smooth
down the difficulties her Government would have to contend with. At
the Council Lord Dalhousie took his seat, and Mr Gladstone received
the Colonial Seals. The Queen saw the Duke of Buccleuch and
thanked him for the devotion he had shown her during these trying
circumstances; the same to the Duke of Wellington, who is in excellent
spirits. On my saying, "You have such an influence over the House
of Lords, that you will be able to keep them straight," he answered:
"I'll do anything; I am now beginning to write to them and to convince
them singly of what their duty is."

We saw afterwards Sir Robert Peel, who stayed more than three hours.
He is in the highest spirits at having got Mr Gladstone and kept the
Duke of Buccleuch; he proposed that the Duke should be made President,
and Lord Haddington Privy