otable scheme into his head, and
out he blurts it in the House of Commons, without an idea how it
will be received, without making either preparations for
defending it or for an alternative in case of its rejection. If
Althorp and Poulett Thomson are to govern England, these things
are likely to happen. The Opposition cannot contain themselves;
the women think they are to come in directly. Goulburn said to
Baring as they left the House on Friday, 'Mr. Baring, you said
last year you thought my Budget was the most profligate that any
Chancellor of the Exchequer had ever brought forward; I think you
will now no longer say it was the _most_ profligate.' Last night
Praed[15] made his first speech, which was very good.

[15] [Winthrop Mackworth Praed, a young man of great
promise, who had just entered Parliament. He took his
degree in 1825, and was regarded by the Tories as the
rival and competitor of Thomas Babington Macaulay. But
unhappily he died in 1839.]

February 17th, 1831 {p.115}

The day before yesterday Duncannon called on me, and told me
O'Connell had got up an opposition to him in Kilkenny; that he
was of opinion that the recent events would diminish neither his
power nor his popularity, and that in fact he was infallible with
the Irish mob. As Richard says, 'if this have no effect, he is
immortal.'

The Duke of Wellington called on my family yesterday; he says the
Reform question will not be carried, and he thinks the Government
cannot stand, that things are certainly better (internally), and
that the great fear is lest people should be too much afraid.

Went to Lady Dudley Stewart's last night; a party; saw a
vulgar-looking, fat man with spectacles, and a mincing, rather
pretty pink and white woman, his wife. The man was Napoleon's
nephew, the woman Washington's granddaughter. What a host of
associations, all confused and degraded! He is a son of Murat,
the King of Naples, who was said to be 'le dieu Mars jusqu'a six
heures du soir.' He was heir to a throne, and is now a lawyer in
the United States, and his wife, whose name I know not, Sandon
told me, was Washington's granddaughter. (This must be a mistake,
for I think Washington never had any children.)[16]

[16] [Achille Murat and his wife were living at this time in
the Alpha Road, Regent's Park. It was said she was
Washington's grand-niece, but I am not sure what the