absent,
and Lord Spencer, who was hardly to be considered as one of them,
and is not in town, though, by-the-bye, I think I am wrong in
this, because there were others whom I did not see--Duncannon,
Spring Rice, and Hobhouse.

February 20th, 1835 {p.213}

The great battle is over and the Government defeated, 316 to 306.
Such a division never was known before in the House of Commons,
and the accuracy of the calculations is really surprising.
Mulgrave told me three days ago they had 317 people, which with
the Teller makes the exact number. Holmes went over the other
list, and made it 307--also correct. In the House so justly had
they reckoned, that when the numbers first counted (306) were
told to Duncannon in the lobby he said, 'Then we shall win by
10.' Burdett and Cobbett went away, which with Tellers makes a
total of 626 members in the House. All the Irish members voted
but 4, all the Scotch but 3, all the English but 25. The Irish
and Scotch, in fact, made the majority.

The elation on one side and the depression on the other were
naturally considerable, and there was not time last night to
adjust scattered thoughts. Much money was won and lost; everybody
betted. I won L55, for on the whole I thought (though quite a
toss-up) that the chances were rather in favour of Abercromby. I
had a better opinion of the cleverness of the managers on his
side, and their amazing confidence staggered me, so that after at
first believing Sutton to be sure, I finished by leaning the
other way. The debate seems to have been dull--Sutton was dull,
Peel was dull; Stanley clever, strong against the Opposition, but
thought to have been indiscreet. A Tory told me it was a second
edition of the thimblerig speech, which, if so, will not do him
good. He carried apparently very few people with him, but made
one convert--Angerstein--who changed his vote because Stanley
made out that Abercromby was for the Ballot. This seems an
excellent reason why he should be opposed as a Minister or a
candidate, but none why he should not sit in the chair of the
House. Lord John Russell is said to have spoken remarkably well,
which is important to them as a party, being his first appearance
as their leader. Peel and the Duke dined at Lord Salisbury's, and
all the Tories were invited there in the evening, with the
intention probably of celebrating their anticipated victory; and,
if so, their merry meeting must have been changed to dismal
alarms, for t