abroad that he had forgotten
there was such a thing as freedom of debate.

February 27th, 1829 {p.177}

They say Plunket made one of the best speeches he ever delivered
last night, and Lord Anglesey spoke very well. There was hardly
anybody in the House. Peel's election [Oxford University] is
going on ill. The Convocation presents a most disgraceful scene
of riot and uproar. I went to the Committee Room last night at
twelve, and found nobody there but Dr. Russell, the head-master
of the Charterhouse, who was waiting for Hobhouse and amusing
himself by correcting his boys' exercises. He knew me, though he
had not seen me for nearly twenty years, when I was at school. I
shall be sorry if Peel does not come in, not that I care much for
him, but because I cannot bear that his opponents should have a
triumph.

Lady Georgiana Bathurst told me she had had a great scene with
the Duke of Cumberland. She told him not to be factious and to go
back to Germany; he was very angry, and after much argument and
many reproaches they made it up, embraced, and he shed a flood of
tears.

I met with these lines in 'The Duke of Milan' (Massinger), which
are very applicable to the Duke in his dealings with his Cabinet
and his old friends the Tories:--

You never heard the motives that induced him
To this strange course? No; these are cabinet councils,
And not to be communicated but
To such as are his own and sure. Alas!
We fill up empty places, and in public
Are taught to give our suffrages to that
Which was before determined.

March 1st, 1829 {p.178}

As the time draws near for the development of the plans of
Government a good deal of uneasiness and doubt prevails, though
the general disposition is to rely on the Duke of Wellington's
firmness and decision and to hope for the best. Peel's defeat at
Oxford,[3] though not likely to have any effect on the general
measure, is unlucky, because it serves to animate the anti-Catholics;
and had he succeeded, his success would have gone far to silence,
as it must have greatly discouraged, them. Then the King gives
the Ministers uneasiness, for the Duke of Cumberland has been
tampering with him, and through the agency of Lord Farnborough
great attempts have been made to induce him to throw obstacles in
the way of the measures. He is very well inclined, and there is
nothing false or base he would not do if he dared, but he is such
a coward, and