awn his plea
of not guilty and (by his counsel, Mr. Perrin) pleaded guilty, to
the unutterable astonishment of everybody, and not less delight.
Sheil wrote word that his heart sank at the terror of a gaol, and
'how would such a man face a battle, who could not encounter
Newgate?' Everybody's impression was that it was a compromise
with the law officers, and that he pleaded guilty on condition
that he should not be brought up for judgment, but it was no such
thing; he made in the preceding days several indirect overtures
to Lord Anglesey, who would listen to nothing, and told him that
after his conduct he could do nothing for him, and that he must
take his own course. He comes to England directly, and will be
brought up for judgment (if at all, which I doubt) next term. He
gives out that he was forced to do this in order to hasten to
England and repair in the House of Commons the errors of O'Gorman
Mahon. There is no calculating what may be the extent of the
credulity of an Irish mob with regard to him, but after all his
bullies and bravadoes this will hardly go down even with them.
Sheil says 'O'Connell is fallen indeed.' I trust, though hardly
dare hope, that 'he sinks like stars that fall to rise no more.'
It is impossible to form an idea of the astonishment of everybody
at this termination of the law proceedings, which have ended so
triumphantly for Lord Anglesey and Plunket. Lord Anglesey,
however, wrote word to Lady Anglesey that no one could form an
idea of the state of that country: that fresh plots were
discovered every day, that from circumstances he had been able to
do more than another man would, but that it was not, he firmly
believed, possible to save it.

[Page Head: LORD ALTHORP'S BUDGET.]

There was a meeting at Althorp's on Sunday, when he agreed to
withdraw the Transfer Tax, and that there should be no Property
Tax. A more miserable figure was never cut than his; but how
should it be otherwise? A respectable country gentleman, well
versed in rural administration, in farming and sporting, with all
the integrity of L15,000 a year in possession and L50,000 in
reversion, is all of a sudden made leader in the House of Commons
without being able to speak, and Chancellor of the Exchequer
without any knowledge, theoretical or practical, of finance. By
way of being discreet, and that his plan may be a secret, he
consults nobody; and then he closets himself with his familiar
Poulett Thomson, who puts this n