like personally to
interfere, nor to place himself in their power. I told him I had
some acquaintance with Barnes, the editor of the paper, and would
find out what he was disposed to do, and would let him know, which
he entreated I would. The Duke had said, laughing, 'I hear they
call me a Reformer.' I said, 'They think you will make as good a
Reformer as the present men, if, as Brougham said in Scotland,
they would have done less this session than they did the last.' I
asked Lyndhurst if he had seen or heard of the Duke's letter to
the Oxford people, and told him that it was very desirable that
credit should be given them for intending to carry on their
government upon principles as liberal as that letter evinced, that
I hoped there would be no foolish declarations fulminated against
Reform, and that they would all be convinced now that matters had
been brought to such a state (no matter how and by whom) that the
old principle of hostility to all reforms must be abandoned. He
said that Peel would, he trusted, be _flexible_, that if such
declarations were made, and such principles announced, they must
be upset, but the Tories would be difficult to manage, and
discontented if there was not a sufficient infusion of their
party; and, on the other hand, the agricultural interest had
assembled a force under Lord Chandos, a sort of confederation of
several counties, and that Chandos had told him that he and the
representatives of their counties would not support any Ministry
that would not pledge itself to repeal the malt tax; that they
would agree to re-enact the beer tax, but the malt tax must cease.

[Page Head: LYNDHURST ON BROUGHAM.]

Brougham had written to Lyndhurst saying he should be ready to
resign the Great Seal in a few days, and only wished first to
give some judgments, that he was rejoiced at retiring from office
and at the prospect of being able to do what was his great
delight--devote himself to State affairs without being trammelled
and having to fear the imputation of imprudence and indiscretion.
'He will be,' Lyndhurst said, 'the most troublesome fellow that
ever existed, and do all the mischief he can.' I said, 'What can
he do? he was emasculated when he left the House of Commons.'
'Yes,' he said, 'he knows that, but he will come down night after
night and produce plans of Reform upon any subject; he will make
speeches two or three hours long to very thin Houses, which will
be printed in all the newspa