e Cabinet of the 20th of June.
Mr. Littleton had been distinctly informed by Lord
Althorp, on the same day that he saw O'Connell, that
the matter was not settled, and that he (Lord Althorp)
would resign rather than allow the disputed clauses to
form part of the new Bill.]

[11] [This was so. Lord Althorp positively refused to hold
office in the Melbourne Government, unless Mr.
Littleton could be prevailed upon to resume and retain
his office as Irish Secretary. Nothing could be more
honourable to both parties than this conduct of Lord
Althorp; but it was due to the fact that he had himself
been a party to the communication made by Mr. Littleton
to O'Connell, and that he knew Mr. Littleton had been
exposed to more censure than he deserved.]

July 20th, 1834 {p.112}

At Court yesterday to swear in Duncannon Secretary of State. He
told me he had made Stanley[12] (the man they call Sir Benjamin
Backbite, and familiarly Ben) his under-secretary, telling him he
must speak, for that he (Duncannon) could not. Auckland and
Duncannon will not certainly add much to the oratorical splendour
of the Government. Ellice was there, and told me about a grand
case the Tories have got hold of against him, growing out of Lord
Western's evidence in Whittle Harvey's Committee. It there came
out that Western had applied to Ellice, then Secretary of the
Treasury (at the time of the great Reform election), for money to
assist at the Colchester election, and he sent L500. They want to
make out that this was public money, but they won't catch him. He
says several individuals subscribed large sums, which were placed
at his disposal to be employed to the best advantage for the
cause. He will get out of it. He talked of the Government, said
it was a great error to suppose it was inclined to _movement_
principles, and that in point of fact there was very little
difference, except on Church matters, between Sir Robert Peel and
himself, that there never was so good a House of Commons for the
Government, that in all this mess--for mess it was--the Tories
could not succeed in getting up a feeling or a prejudice against
the Government, and it was clear they were utterly powerless
there, that the House only required to be a little cajoled, and
was easily led; the word Reform was still potent there, and had
only to be