t in Kilkenny is an
excellent thing, and will contribute greatly to destroy the
prestige of his power.

March 3rd, 1831 {p.123}

Last night the debate went on, nobody remarkably speaking but
Macaulay and Wetherell; the former very brilliant, the latter
long, rambling, and amusing, and he sat down with such loud and
long cheering as everybody agreed they had never heard before in
the House of Commons, and which was taken not so much as a test of
the merits of the speech as of an indication of the disposition of
the majority of the House. Wetherell was very good fun in a
conversation he imagined at Cockermouth between Sir James Graham
and one of his constituents. It is thought very strange that none
of the Ministers have spoken, except Althorp the first night. The
general opinion is that the Bill will be lost in the House of
Commons, and that then Parliament will be dissolved, unless the
King should take fright and prefer to change his Ministers.

March 5th, 1831 {p.123}

On Thursday night the great speeches were those of Hobhouse on one
side and Peel on the other, which last was received with the
greatest enthusiasm, and some said (as usual) that it was the
finest oration they had ever heard within the walls of Parliament;
it seems by the report of it to have been very able and very
eloquent. The people come into the 'Travellers' after the debate,
and bring their different accounts all tinctured by their
particular opinions and prejudices, so that the exact truth of the
relative merits of the speakers is only attainable by the
newspaper reports, imperfect as they are, the next day. The
excitement is beyond anything I ever saw. Last night Stanley
answered Peel in an excellent speech and one which is likely to
raise his reputation very high. He is evidently desirous of
pitting himself against Peel, whom he dislikes; and it is probable
that they are destined to be the rival leaders of two great
Parliamentary parties, if things settle down into the ancient
practices of Parliamentary warfare. The other events of last night
were the resignation of Charles Wynne and his opposition to the
Bill, and the unexpected defection from Government of Lord
Seymour, the Duke of Somerset's son, and Jeffrey's speech, which
was very able, but somewhat tedious.

March 7th, 1831 {p.124}

Nothing talked of, thought of, dreamt of, but Reform. Every
creature one meets asks, What is said now? How will it go? What
is the last news?