uld do
without the clauses. Upon this there was a discussion in the
Cabinet, and Althorp, Grant, Ellice, Abercromby, and Rice were in
a minority, who, however, ultimately gave in to the majority. All
this time Littleton went on negotiating with O'Connell,[8] having
told Althorp alone that he was doing so, though not telling him
all that passed, and neither of them telling Lord Grey. Upon the
_blow-up_ which O'Connell made, Althorp very unnecessarily
resolved to resign, and when he did Lord Grey followed his
example.

[6] [This statement, though doubtless current at the time,
is to my certain knowledge entirely inaccurate. Mr.
Littleton was confined to his sofa at the time by an
accident, and knew little of what was going on. Nobody
was more surprised than himself to receive from Lord
Grey a spontaneous and unexpected offer of the Chief
Secretaryship of Ireland. He was fully aware of the
extreme difficulties of the office, which was at that
moment perhaps the most important in the Government.
With equal modesty and candour he distrusted his own
ability to fill it, and he still more distrusted his
own want of caution and prudence, which was his weak
point. He accepted it, however, to relieve the
Government from embarrassment, but he accompanied his
acceptance with a declaration to Lord Grey that he
would gladly resign his office whenever a better man
could be found to fill it. It had previously been
offered to Mr. Abercromby, who refused to accept it
without a seat in the Cabinet.]

[7] [These details are also far from accurate, as has now
been demonstrated by the publication (1872) of Lord
Hatherton's own memoir on the subject, and of the
original correspondence, which proves that the letter
to Lord Wellesley was written at the instigation of the
Lord Chancellor, and that it expressed the deliberate
opinions of several members of the Cabinet. It must,
however, be acknowledged that it was written without
the knowledge of Lord Grey and in opposition to his
views. The subsequent communication made by Mr.
Littleton to O'Connell was made with the knowledge and
concurrence of Lord Althorp, though Mr. Littleton said