ls at his own disposal, and enabled him to retain
his seat in the House of Commons. But this suggestion
was by no means welcome to Lord Grey, and Lord Althorp
at once declared that he could not undertake the
leadership of the House of Commons if Brougham was to
remain in it in any official position to domineer over
him.]

In the meantime the new Government will find plenty to occupy
their most serious thoughts and employ their best talents. The
state of the country is dreadful; every post brings fresh
accounts of conflagrations, destruction of machinery, association
of labourers, and compulsory rise of wages. Cobbett and Carlile
write and harangue to inflame the minds of the people, who are
already set in motion and excited by all the events which have
happened abroad. Distress is certainly not the cause of these
commotions, for the people have patiently supported far greater
privations than they had been exposed to before these riots, and
the country was generally in an improving state.

The Duke of Richmond went down to Sussex and had a battle with a
mob of 200 labourers, whom he beat with fifty of his own farmers
and tenants, harangued them, and sent them away in good humour.
He is, however, very popular. In Hants the disturbances have been
dreadful. There was an assemblage of 1,000 or 1,500 men, a part
of whom went towards Baring's house (the Grange) after destroying
threshing-machines and other agricultural implements; they were
met by Bingham Baring, who attempted to address them, when a
fellow (who had been employed at a guinea a week by his father up
to four days before) knocked him down with an iron bar and nearly
killed him. They have no troops in that part of the country, and
there is a depot of arms at Winchester.

The Prince of Orange, who has been fancying without the least
reason that he should be recalled to Belgium, is now in despair;
and the Provisional Government, on hearing of the change of
Ministry here, have suspended their negotiations, thinking they
shall get from Lord Grey a more extended frontier. Altogether the
alarm which prevails is very great, and those even are terrified
who never were so before.

November 22nd, 1830 {p.069}

[Page Head: BROUGHAM LORD CHANCELLOR.]

Dined yesterday at Sefton's; nobody there but Lord Grey and his
family, Brougham and Montrond, the latter just come from Paris.
It was excessively agreeable