reater surprise. The general impression
was that he made the speech, with the Duke's knowledge and
concurrence, which I never believed. I thought from what he said
to me just before he went to Ireland that he had changed his own
opinion, and now many people say they knew this; but I was little
prepared to hear of his making such a speech at such a place as
Derry, and on such an occasion as a 'Prentice Boy' commemoration.
The rage and fury of the Orangemen there and of the Orange press
here are boundless, and the violence and scurrility of their
abuse are the more absurd because Dawson only described in
glowing colours, and certainly without reserve, the actual state
of Ireland, but did not argue the question at all further than
leaving on his hearers the inevitable inference that he thought
the time for granting emancipation was come. The truth is that
the conversion of one of the most violent anti-Catholics must
strike everybody as a strong argument in favour of the measure,
and they know not by how many and by whom his example may be
followed. The Orangemen are moving heaven and earth to create
disturbances, and their impotent fury shows how low their cause
is sunk. The Catholics, on the contrary, are temperate and calm,
from confidence in their strength and the progressive advance of
their course. But although I think the Catholics are now in a
position which renders their ultimate success certain, I am very
far from participating in the sanguine expectations of those who
think the Duke of Wellington is convinced that the question must
be settled directly, and that he will carry it through in the
ensuing session. In the first place I see clearly that the
Government are extremely annoyed at Dawson's speech. I saw
Goulburn to-day, and though he did not say much, what he did say
was enough to satisfy me of this: 'he hoped that it had been
incorrectly reported.' Dawson has written to the Duke,[12] and
the letter was sent to him to-day. But what has put me in despair
about it is a letter of the Duke's which Drummond read to me
to-day addressed, I do not know to whom, but upon that subject.
It began, 'My dear sir,' and after other matter proceeded nearly
as follows:--'This subject has been more discussed and more
pamphlets have been written upon it in the course of the last
twenty-five years than any other that I can remember. No two
people are agreed upon what ought to be done, and yet the
Government is expected at once