e the slightest occasion for
while he was out. All these things are disgusting; they disgust
one with political life, they lower the characters of public men.
One strains one's eyes in vain to catch a sight of sincerity,
straightforwardness, disinterestedness, consistency; each party we
have constantly acting with a view to its own interests _as a
party_, and always disregarding consequences with miserable
shortsightedness.

February 2nd, 1835 {p.201}

[Page Head: INSECURITY OF THE TORIES.]

The elections are over, and still each side claims a majority. It
will turn out probably that the Government have about 270 thick
and thin men. Since the Lancashire election, the Whigs have
certainly not been so elated, though they still expect to
succeed. They begin with the Speakership, and put up Abercromby,
who is probably the best candidate they could select; he is a
dull, grave man, sensible and hard-headed I fancy, but it has
always been matter of astonishment to me that they should make so
much of him as they do. The Duke of Wellington is constantly
regretting that he did not abstain from taking office, as he
wished to do, and I hear that Peel now thinks it would have been
better: but he thinks so because he fancies that Stanley would
have joined if the Duke had not been there, which is after all
very doubtful. Stanley has preserved the strictest neutrality
through the late contest, and been very guarded and cautious in
his language--so much so, that the Whigs think he will vote for
Abercromby against Manners Sutton, which I don't believe. The
Church Reform is in active preparation; I know nothing of its
details.

Pozzo di Borgo is coming here, and the Emperor sends him partly to
save time and, Madame de Lieven writes me word, 'to prove his
goodwill, by sending his ablest and most confidential diplomatist.'
Old Talleyrand would very likely have been glad enough to come
back too (while the Duke is in office), but he is gone to
Richecote. A great mystery is still made about the Queen's
_grossesse_; the medical men believe it, though they think it no
certainty.

February 8th, 1834 {p.201}

On Monday last we had the Sheriffs' dinner at Lord Rosslyn's,[7]
where I met for the first time all the new men. Murray did not
come, for since his defeat in Perthshire he no longer considers
himself of the Cabinet. Before dinner Peel told me he had offered
the vacant Lordship of the Treasury to Charles Canning,[8] in a
letter