at dinner yesterday, who talks of himself as
standing on neutral ground, disconnected with politics. It is
certainly understood that he is not to fight the battles of the
present Government, but of course he is not to be against them.
His example is a lesson to statesmen to be frugal, for if he had
been rich he would have had a better game before him. He told a
curious anecdote about a trial. There was a (civil) cause in
which the jury would not agree on their verdict. They retired on
the evening of one day, and remained till one o'clock the next
afternoon, when, being still disagreed, a juror was drawn. There
was only one juror who held out against the rest--Mr. Berkeley
(member for Bristol). The case was tried over again, and the jury
were unanimously of Mr. Berkeley's opinion, which was in fact
right, a piece of conscientious obstinacy which prevented the
legal commission of wrong.

Roehampton, January 22nd, 1831 {p.107}

[Page Head: O'CONNELL ARRESTED.]

The event of the week is O'Connell's arrest on a charge of
conspiracy to defeat the Lord-Lieutenant's proclamation. Lord
Anglesey writes to Lady Anglesey thus:--'I am just come from a
consultation of six hours with the law officers, the result of
which is a determination to arrest O'Connell, for things are now
come to that pass that the question is whether he or I shall
govern Ireland.' We await the result with great anxiety, for the
opinion of lawyers seems divided as to the legality of the
arrest, and laymen can form none.

January 23rd, 1831 {p.107}

No news; Master of the Rolls, George Ponsonby, and George
Villiers here. The latter told a story of Plunket, of his wit.
Lord Wellesley's aide-de-camp Keppel wrote a book of his travels,
and called it his personal narrative. Lord Wellesley was quizzing
it, and said, 'Personal narrative? what is a personal narrative?
Lord Plunket, what should you say a personal narrative meant?'
Plunket answered, 'My Lord, you know we lawyers always understand
_personal_ as contradistinguished from _real_.' And one or two
others of Parsons, the Irish barrister. Lord Norbury on some
circuit was on the bench speaking, and an ass outside brayed so
loud that nobody could hear. He exclaimed, 'Do stop that noise!'
Parsons said, 'My Lord, there is a great echo here.' Somebody
said to him one day, 'Mr. Parsons, have you heard of my son's
robbery?' 'No; whom has he robbed?'

[Page Head: O'CONNELL'S CASE.]

Nothing but talk abou