n shouts, hootings, groans, noises the most
discordant that the human throat can emit, sticks and feet beating
against the floor. Sir Hedworth Williamson, a violent Whig, told
me that there were a set of fellows on his side of the House whose
regular practice it was to make this uproar, and with the settled
design to bellow Peel down. This is the _reformed_ House of
Commons. Peel told Lord Ashley the other day that he did not think
it possible for the same man to be Prime Minister and leader in
the House of Commons (he meant to be First Lord of the Treasury
and Chancellor of the Exchequer), that no physical strength was
adequate to the labour of both employments. He may therefore
hereafter put some Peer at the head of the Government, but it is
equally indispensable, as it seems to me, that the real
substantial power should be vested in the leader of the House of
Commons, especially when he is a man so superior as Peel must
always be to any colleagues he may be associated with.

April 5th, 1835 {p.244}

[Page Head: SIR R. PEEL AND THE TORIES.]

I understand now what Jonathan Peel meant by talking of the
possibility of his brother's retiring from public life. He is no
doubt thoroughly, heartily disgusted with his own associates. It
appears that they (the Tories, or many of them) are indignant at
his declaration the other night that on the Tithe Bill being
altered he would go out, so that while others are blaming him for
not going out at once his own followers are enraged that he will
not set the House of Commons at defiance and stick to his post.
It is very evident that many of them are desirous (if Peel does
resign) of continuing the fight under the Duke of Wellington, if
they could prevail on him to try it, and to dissolve Parliament
and get up a 'No Popery' cry. They say that 'the country' (by
which they mean their own faction) looks up to the Duke, and that
Peel has really no interest there. The fact is that they cannot
forgive him for his Liberal principles and Liberal measures, and
probably they never believed that he was sincere in the
professions he made, or that he really intended to introduce such
measures as he has done. They feel (not without reason) that they
cannot follow him in the broad path he has entered upon without
abandoning all their long-cherished maxims of exclusion and
ascendency, and that in so doing they would incur much odium and
disgrace. Peel sees and knows all this, and cannot fail to