him as loudly as we
could; we want to get him, but I must own that it was a very
injudicious speech and very unbecoming.' These are the sort of
events in a man's life which influence his destiny ever after; it
is not that his political career will be marred, or that anything
can prevent his talents rendering it on the whole important, and
probably successful, but there is a revulsion in men's minds
about him, which cannot fail to produce a silent, but in the end
a sensible effect upon his fortunes. It is remarkable that Lord
Derby, who is a very shrewd and sagacious old man, never would
hear of his grandson's superlative merits, and always in the
midst of his triumphs questioned his ultimate success.

July 10th, 1834 {p.101}

Came to town last night from Newmarket, and found things in a
fine state. Althorp had resigned three days ago; his resignation
was accepted, on which Lord Grey resigned too. Both of them
explained in Parliament last night, Lord Grey, as they tell me,
in a very moving and gentlemanlike speech, admirably delivered.
The Duke of Wellington made a violent attack upon him in reply,
which it is thought he might as well have omitted. (The Duke's
speech gave great disgust to many even of his own party, and was
afterwards assigned as a reason by Stanley and his friends for
not taking office with the Duke.) Nobody knows what is to happen.
The King sent for Melbourne, and his nephew, John Ponsonby, told
me last night he believed he would endeavour to carry on the
Government; but whether he does or not it can't last; the Whig
Government is virtually at an end. The Tories, who were shouting
the night before last, are considerably disappointed that the
King did not instantly avail himself of Lord Grey's resignation
to send for them, or at least for Peel. I don't suppose, however,
that it is from any predilection for the Whigs that he tries to
bolster up this Government, but he is said to have an exceeding
horror of a dissolution, and it is just possible he may be acting
under some good advice surreptitiously conveyed to him, for under
all circumstances I think he is taking the most prudent part he
can. It is very essential that he should have no hand in the
dissolution of this Cabinet, and if he does his best to
reconstruct it, and gives the remaining Ministers a fair trial,
he will have a good right to call upon the House of Commons and
the country to support him in any ulterior measures that
circumstanc