house of commons the bill for the
abolition of the slave trade, and it may truly be said that, in
opposition, he was equally persistent in supporting every measure in
favour of liberty, political or commercial, and in resisting every
measure, necessary or otherwise, which could be interpreted as
restricting it. We have seen how he more than once declined overtures
for a coalition with his opponents, and showed a bitter personal
antipathy to Canning, whom he was more than suspected of despising as a
brilliant plebeian adventurer. This suspicion of aristocratic prejudice,
ill harmonising with democratic principles, had never been quite
dispelled, and was now to be confirmed by the composition of his own
cabinet.

All the members of this cabinet, with four exceptions, sat in the house
of lords. No cabinet had contained so few commoners since the
reconstruction of Liverpool's ministry in 1822. Of the four who now sat
in the house of commons, Lord Althorp was heir-apparent to an earldom;
Lord Palmerston was an Irish peer; Graham was a baronet of great
territorial influence; Charles Grant was still a commoner, though he was
afterwards raised to the peerage. In the distribution of offices, full
justice was done to Canning's followers. Three of these occupied posts
of the highest importance, Palmerston at the foreign office, Lamb, who
had succeeded his father as Viscount Melbourne in 1828, at the home
office, and Goderich at the colonial office, while Grant became
president of the board of control. The selection of Graham as first lord
of the admiralty did not escape criticism, but was due to his tried
energy in financial reform, and was justified by the result. Lansdowne
was made president of the council, and Holland chancellor of the duchy
of Lancaster. Both of these had been Grey's colleagues in the
administration of "All the Talents". Althorp, who succeeded Goulburn at
the exchequer, and Carlisle, who accepted a seat in the cabinet without
office, were both whigs of tried fidelity. But the Duke of Richmond, the
new postmaster-general, was a deserter from the tory ranks, and Lord
Durham, the premier's son-in-law, the new lord privy seal, was a radical
of the most aggressive type, well qualified, as the event proved, to
disturb the peace of any council to which he might be admitted. Three
occupants of places outside the cabinet remain to be mentioned. One of
these, the Marquis Wellesley, had been a warm supporter of catholic