is political career. How free and light he must
feel at being liberated from the shackles of his old connections,
and at being able to take any part that his sense of his own
interests or of the public exigencies may point out! And then the
satisfactory consciousness of being by far the most eminent man
in the House of Commons, to see and feel the respect he inspires
and the consideration he enjoys. It is a melancholy proof of the
decadence of ability and eloquence in that House, when Peel is
the first, and, except Stanley, almost the only real orator in
it. He speaks with great energy, great dexterity--his language is
powerful and easy; he reasons well, hits hard, and replies with
remarkable promptitude and effect; but he is at an immense
distance below the great models of eloquence, Pitt, Fox, and
Canning; his voice is not melodious, and it is a little
monotonous; his action is very ungraceful, his person and manner
are vulgar, and he has certain tricks in his motions which
exhibit that vulgarity in a manner almost offensive, and which is
only redeemed by the real power of his speeches. His great merit
consists in his judgment, tact and discretion, his facility,
promptitude, thorough knowledge of the assembly he addresses,
familiarity with the details of every sort of Parliamentary
business, and the great command he has over himself. He never was
a great favourite of mine, but I am satisfied that he is the
fittest man to be Minister, and I therefore wish to see him
return to power. Stanley told me yesterday how very glad they
were at having been defeated on Baron Smith's case, and that they
were thereby relieved from a great embarrassment. Times are
mightily altered, when such defeats and such scrapes produce no
effect upon Government, and when they can go on upon two
majorities of 4 and 8 and one defeat.

February 25th, 1834 {p.065}

There has been a meeting at Althorp's to-day, numerously
attended, in which he talked with some effect as it is said, the
audience having gone away in a humour to support Government. He
took occasion, on somebody hinting at the disunion among
themselves, to say that though there might exist differences of
opinion on some minor points, he believed there never had existed
a Cabinet of which the members were more firmly knit together by
private friendship and political concurrence.

It was Methuen who harangued, and who said that the meeting was
very unsatisfactory. Althorp began by