ting injury. (This was
the famous 'thimblerig' speech.) I do not know when I have read
or heard so virulent and coarse an invective, and it is rather
disgusting than anything else to see such an one fired off at the
men with whom he has been acting for some years (up to three
weeks ago), with whom he declared his entire concurrence on every
other question, from whom he expressed the liveliest regret at
separating, and to whom he was individually bound by the
strongest ties of friendship and regard. (It will be seen that he
made similar professions when he separated from Peel's Government
in '46, and instantly rushed into a similar opposition.) The
Tories cheered him lustily; and what must he on reflection think
of such cheers, and of his position in the House--to be halloa'd
on by the party which he has hitherto treated with the greatest
contempt, and which he thinks the very essence of bigotry and
prejudice, at least on all secular matters, against his old
friends and colleagues, to whom he is still allied in opinion
upon almost every great question of foreign or domestic policy?
He availed himself of his knowledge that there was nobody on the
Treasury Bench who could answer him to fling out this spiteful
and intemperate invective. If Brougham could have been thrown for
half an hour into the House, 'like an eagle into a dovecot,' what
a grand opportunity there would have been for his tremendous
sarcasm to vent itself. As it was, Stanley went away unscathed,
for though Althorp was not bad in the few words he said with
great good-humour, and Littleton made a very tolerable speech,
the former twaddled, and the latter has been too much damaged to
allow of his saying anything with effect; besides, he quoted a
speech of Stanley's against him (at all times a poor argument)
and did not quote the whole of it. I dare say Peel was not very
sorry to hear Stanley's speech, and justly estimated the value of
the cheers with which it was hailed. It places him at an
immeasurable distance below Peel, and puts an end to any
pretensions of rivalship, if he ever entertained any. If a
junction is to take place between them, Stanley must be content
with a subordinate part; and, act with whomsoever he may, he will
never inspire real confidence or conciliate real esteem. I
entertain this opinion with regret, and could have wished he had
cut a better figure. I dined with a Tory at the 'Travellers'
yesterday, and he said, 'Of course we cheered