which came
before the House of Commons on the 19th of May, Mr.
Huskisson felt bound in honour to support the measure,
and voted against his colleagues. On his return home
after the debate he wrote a hasty letter to the Duke of
Wellington, in which he said that he 'owed it to the
Duke and to Mr. Peel to lose no time in affording them
an opportunity of placing his office in other hands.'
The Duke regarding this as a formal act of resignation,
laid it before the King and filled up the appointment.
The correspondence is published in the Duke of
Wellington's 'Correspondence,' New Series, vol. iv.
p. 449. The resignation of Lord Palmerston, Charles
Grant, and Lord Dudley followed. The details of this
transaction are sufficiently alluded to in the text.]

There had been a dispute in the Cabinet about the Corn Bill,
which occasioned the discussion of it to be put off for a few
days at the time, and upon that occasion Grant resigned his
office. The matter was made up and he stayed. But when upon
the East Retford affair Huskisson resigned, and in such an
extraordinary manner, the Duke felt that there was a disposition
to embarrass him by these perpetual tenders of resignation, which
he believed they thought he would not venture to accept. Upon
receiving Huskisson's letter he went to Lord Bathurst and
consulted him, and Lord Bathurst advised him to take him at his
word. Everybody looks for some cause which does not appear for
important events, and people with difficulty admit of very simple
solutions and very trifling causes, though such are not
unfrequently the real ones. I believe that Huskisson had no
intention of embarrassing the Duke and none of resigning; but for
a cool and sensible man his conduct is most extraordinary, for he
acted with the precipitation of a schoolboy and showed a complete
want of all those qualities of prudence and calm deliberation for
which he has the greatest credit. But though this breach might
have been avoided, from the sentiments which have been expressed
by both parties, it is evident other differences would have
arisen which must have dissolved the Government before long.
After putting aside the violent opinions on both sides, the
conclusion is that Huskisson acted very hastily and imprudently,
and that his letter (say what he will) was a complete resigna