ll at his
vocation in the adjoining room. Pretty much the same thing he did
in the other three offices. He has fixed his head-quarters at the
Home Office, and occasionally roves over the rest. All this is
unavoidable under existing circumstances, but it is enough to
excite merriment, or censure, or suspicion, according to different
tastes and tempers. The King offered to make Melbourne an earl and
to give him the Garter, but he declined, and begged it might be
given to the Duke of Grafton.

In consequence of what passed between Lyndhurst and me concerning
the 'Times' (at St. James's) I made Henry de Ros send for Barnes
(who had already at his suggestion adopted a conciliatory and
amicable tone towards the embryo Government), who came and put on
paper the terms on which he would support the Duke. These were:
no mutilation of the Reform Bill, and the adoption of those
measures of reform which had been already sanctioned by votes of
the House of Commons last session with regard to Church and
corporations, and no change in our foreign policy. I have sent
his note to Lyndhurst, and begged him to call here to talk the
matter over.

Powell, a Tory solicitor and _ame damnee_ of the Speaker's, has
just been here; he declares that the Tories will be 420 strong in
the new Parliament, which I mention for the purpose of recording
their expectations and being able to compare them hereafter with
the event. They have already put themselves in motion, despatched
messengers to Lord Hertford and Lowther, and probably if ever
these men could be induced to open their purse strings, and make
sacrifices and exertions, they will do it now.

_Six o'clock._--Lyndhurst has just been here; he had seen the
Duke, who had already opened a negotiation with Barnes through
Scarlett. I offered to get any statement inserted of the _causes_
of the late break-up, and he will again see the Duke and consider
the propriety of inserting one. He said, 'Why Barnes is the most
powerful man in the country.' The 'Standard' has sent to offer
its support; the Duke said he should be very happy, but they must
understand that the Government was not yet formed.

November 21st, 1834 {p.156}

To-day there was a Council at St. James's, at which Lyndhurst was
sworn in Chancellor. Brougham took leave of the Bar this morning,
and I hear did it well. The King speechified as usual, and gave
them a couple of harangues; he said it was just four years since
he had very un