short and very unsatisfactory, and
entirely against all the evidence they had before them; they
advised precautionary measures. I immediately wrote back an answer
saying that their report was not satisfactory, and desiring a more
detailed opinion, and the reasons which had dictated their
conclusion; but in the meantime we set to work in earnest to adopt
measures against any emergency. The only way of performing
quarantine (with goods), it was found, would be by the employment
of men-of-war, and we accordingly asked the Admiralty to supply
ships for the purpose. This Lord Grey, Sir James Graham, and Sir
Byam Martin objected to, but Sir Thomas Hardy and Captain Elliot
did not. We proved that the ships would sustain no injury, so
after a battle they agreed to give them. We made a variety of
regulations, and gave strict orders for the due performance of
quarantine, and to-morrow a proclamation is to be issued for
constituting a Board of Health and enjoining obedience to the
quarantine laws, so that everything has been done that can be
done, and if the cholera comes here it is not our fault. Most of
the authorities think it will come, but I doubt it. If indeed it
is wafted through the air it may, but I don't think it will if it
is only to be communicated by contact. All the evidence proves
that goods cannot convey it; nevertheless we have placed
merchandise under a discretionary quarantine, and though we have
not promulgated any general regulations, we release no vessels
that come from infected places, or that have got enumerated goods
on board. Poulett Thomson, who is a trader as well as Privy
Councillor, is very much disgusted in his former capacity at the
measures he is obliged to concur in in his latter. This topic has
now occupied for some days a good deal of the attention even of
the fine fools of this town, and the Tories would even make it a
matter of party accusation against the Government, only they don't
know exactly how. It is always safe to deal in generalities, so
they say that 'Government ought to be impeached if the disease
comes here.'

[Page Head: MEETING OF PEERS.]

There was a meeting of Peers to the amount of nearly seventy at
Lord Mansfield's the other day, which went off greatly to their
satisfaction. They unanimously agreed to determine upon nothing
in the way of amendment until they had seen the King's Speech, to
which, however, they will consider themselves bound to move an
amendment, provided