igs; and in
joining Government he is liable to no reproach but that of having
shaken off his Whig colleagues too easily. But it remains to be
proved whether they could have gone on, and at all events Lords
Lansdowne and Carlisle might have remained in office if they
pleased, though certainly it was not probable that they would do
so. The part of the transaction which will appear extraordinary
is, that the Government having been broken up by a quarrel
between Huskisson and Herries, the opposite party come in and
both these Ministers remain with them. In private life the
transaction would look very like a fraud, and be open to great
suspicion. It would appear as if they had got up a sham quarrel
in order to get out their colleagues and stay in themselves with
the Tories. This, however, I believe not to have been the case,
at least as far as Huskisson is concerned, though perhaps Herries
may not be altogether so clear.

CHAPTER IV.

The Duke of Wellington's Administration--Huskisson's Speech--
Irritation of Mr. Canning's Friends--Tom Duncombe's Maiden
Speech--Mr. Huskisson resigns and the Canningites quit the
Government--Princess Lieven Hostile to the Duke--The Catholic
Question--Jockey Club Dinner at St. James's--Lord Lyndhurst--
Sir Robert Adair--Fox and Burke--Fox and Pitt--The Lord High
Admiral dismissed by the King--Dawson's Speech on Catholic
Emancipation--The King's Health--His Pages--State of Ireland--
Marquis of Anglesey--O'Connell--His Influence in Ireland--Lord
Belmore Governor of Jamaica--The Duke's Letter to Dr. Curtis--
Recall of Lord Anglesey from Ireland--Causes of this Event--
Excitement of the King on the Catholic Question--His Aversion
to Sir William Knighton--Character of George IV.--Denman's Silk
Gown--Pension to Lady Westmeath--Duke of Wellington on Russia--
The Reis-Effendi--Duke of Northumberland goes to Ireland--Privy
Council Register--State Paper Office--The Gunpowder Plot--
Catholic Emancipation--Navarino.

[Page Head: IRRITATION OF THE WHIGS.]

January 28th, 1828 {p.124}

Until the Duke of Wellington's commission as First Lord of the
Treasury appeared many people doubted that he would take the
office.[1] The Ordnance was offered to Lord Rosslyn, who refused
it, and then given to Lord Beresford, but without a seat in the
Cabinet (as Lord Bathurst told me) by his own particular desire.
Some days have now elapsed, and time