e Home Office and Durham to Ireland. Nobody thinks the
Government will last long, and everybody 'wonders' how Melbourne
will do it. He is certainly a queer fellow to be Prime Minister,
and he and Brougham are two wild chaps to have the destinies of
this country in their hands. I should not be surprised if
Melbourne was to rouse his dormant energies and be excited by the
greatness of his position to display the vigour and decision in
which he is not deficient. Unfortunately his reputation is not
particularly good; he is considered lax in morals, indifferent in
religion, and very loose and pliant in politics. He is supposed
to have consented to measures of which he disapproved because it
suited his ease and convenience to do so, and because he was
actuated by no strong political principles or opinions.

July 17th, 1834 {p.109}

[Page Head: LORD DUNCANNON HOME SECRETARY.]

Yesterday it was announced that Duncannon is to be Secretary of
State and called to the House of Peers; Hobhouse in his place and
in the Cabinet, and to stand for Nottingham. This completes the
concern; Duncannon Secretary of State! Who could ever have
thought of him in such a station? His proper element seemed to be
the House of Commons, where he was a bustling, zealous partisan
and a very good whipper-in; but he cannot speak at all, and
though a tolerably candid talker, his capacity is slender; he has
no pretensions of any sort to a high office, and nothing but
peculiar circumstances could put him in one; but the difficulty
has been how to deal with Durham, for the majority of the Cabinet
were decided upon having nothing to do with him, although there
were some few who wanted to take him in. By I know not what
process of reasoning they arrived at the conclusion that
Duncannon's elevation was the only solution of this difficulty,
but so it is, for I believe he would have preferred to stay in
his old place. They are all in raptures with the King, and with
his straightforward dealing on this occasion. In the first
instance he desired Melbourne to write to the Duke, Peel, and
Stanley, stating his wish that an Administration should be formed
upon a wide and comprehensive plan. He wrote accordingly to each,
and with his letters he sent copies of his own letter to the
King, in which he gave his opinion that the formation of such a
Government was impossible. The Duke and Peel each replied, with
expressions of duty, to his Majesty, that they agreed with