not have borne any more extensive promotion from that
party; that of all Ministers he was the one who least depended
upon Parliamentary influence and the assistance of the great
families; and that if Lord Lonsdale and all his members were to
leave him to-morrow, he would not care a straw. Still he pays
them, if not court, great deference, and he keeps Lowther, though
he suspects him. Arbuthnot said that as soon as the Duke became
Minister he said to him, 'Now, Duke, for God's sake settle that
question' (the Catholic), which was as much as to say, 'Now that
you have got rid of every enemy and every rival, now that you can
raise your own reputation, and that you will share the glory with
no one, do that which you would never let anybody else do, and
fight for the measure you have been opposing all your life.' It
may be imagined he would not have said this unless he had been
fully aware of the Duke's sentiments on the subject. This speech
was made to him eight months after Canning came into office, when
they _all_ went out, _on the Catholic question_. He says it is
utterly false that the Duke is unconscious of or indifferent to
the distress, but that it is exaggerated, and the Duke attributes
it to temporary and not to permanent causes; that he labours
incessantly on the subject, and his thoughts are constantly
occupied with devising a remedy for it, which he thinks he can
do. He adverted to the difficulties with the King, who is never
to be depended upon, as his father was. He remembers upon
some occasion, when Perceval was Minister, and thought the
difficulties of his situation great, he represented to George III.
his sense of them in a letter; Perceval showed him the King's
answer, which was in these words:--'Do you stand by me as I will
stand by you, and while we stand by each other we have nothing to
fear.'

I told Arbuthnot it was reported that the Duke had given a very
rough answer to the West Indian deputations, and that if he had
it was unwise, as, though he might not adopt such measures of
relief as they desired, he could treat them with soft language.
He said that, so far from it, Lord Chandos had returned to the
Duke the next day, and apologised for their conduct to him,
assuring him that he was ashamed and tired of his connexion with
them, and should withdraw from it as soon as possible. This I
mentioned at Brookes', but Gordon (a West Indian) said that they
had all been shocked at the manner in which he ha