d that
nothing but an inconceivable succession of blunders and great
want of spirit and enterprise on the part of Miguel could have
prevented his success, as at one time he had 70,000 men, while
the other had not above 8,000 or 10,000 cooped up in Oporto,
which is not a defensible place; that Miguel might at any moment
during the contest have put an end to it. The country is in a
dreadfully ruined state from frequent exactions and the
depression of commerce and cultivation, but Carvalho, Pedro's
Minister of Finance, told Lord William he should have no
difficulty with his budget, and could find money to discharge all
the claims upon Government. The source from which he expects to
derive his assets is the confiscated Church property, which is
very great. Money, however, is so plentiful here, that the
Portuguese Government have been offered a loan of a million at
eighty, which they have declined[4].

[4] [The Quadruple Treaty for the pacification of the
Peninsular kingdoms was signed in London on the 22nd of
April; and on the 9th of May a decisive battle had been
gained by the troops of Don Pedro over those of Don
Miguel. Don Carlos and Don Miguel soon afterwards
withdrew from the Peninsula.]

June 7th, 1834 {p.094}

I was in the House of Lords last night to hear a long debate on
the Commission, when Goderich made a very good speech, defending
himself for his resignation and attacking the instrument; like
other people, as soon as he got out of office he spoke with
greater energy and force. I thought Lord Grey was rather feeble,
though energetic enough in declaration and expression. Phillpotts
I did not hear, but he was wretchedly bad, they told me. The
Chancellor, to the surprise of everyone, made the strongest
declaration of his resolution not to permit a fraction of the
revenues of the Irish Church to be diverted to Catholic
purposes--the purposes, in my mind, to which they ought to be
diverted, and to which they in the end must and will be. The
Government is now reformed, and will scramble and totter on for
some time. Things are not ripe for a change, but people will
continue more and more to look for a junction between Peel and
Stanley. God forbid, however, that we should have two parties
established upon the principles of a religious opposition to each
other; it would be the worst of evils, and yet the times appear
to threaten something of the sort. Ther