so glad as I thought I should be,' and
that I take to be the sentiment of them all.

Riddlesworth, April 16th, 1835 {p.254}

[Page Head: THE NEW WHIG CABINET.]

At Newmarket the day before yesterday, and came here to-day,
where I find the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland and two or three
others. I know nothing but by my letters from London, by which I
learn that nothing is yet settled, but they go on negotiating and
endeavouring to arrange their rickety concern. Having concluded
their bargain with O'Connell, they have taken fright about
Brougham, and degraded as he is, and contemptuous and confident
as they were about him, they are endeavouring to make terms with
him, and it will probably end in his recovering the Great Seal.
When this is done they will have consummated their disgrace.
Sheil said, 'The difficulty is how to deal with a bully and a
buffoon,' and as they have succumbed to and bargained with the
one, now they are going to truckle to the other; there is not one
of them who has scrupled to express his opinion of Brougham, but
let us see if he really does come in or much indignation may be
thrown away. The general opinion (I am told) is that this
Ministry will last a very short time and that ultimately a
coalition must take place under the direction and supremacy of
Sir Robert Peel. This is jumping to a conclusion over many
difficulties. However, nothing can be more meagre than the
triumph of the Whigs nor more humiliating than their position;
even my Whig-Radical friends write me word that 'O'Connell holds
the destiny of the Government in his hands, and is acknowledged
to be the greatest man going.' It was hardly worth while (in a
national point of view, whatever it may have been in a party one)
to turn out Sir Robert Peel in order to produce this result.

Buckenham, April 29th, 1835 {p.255}

At Newmarket all last week, here since Monday. I know nothing of
politics but from newspapers and my letters; racing and hawking
are my present occupations. There seems to be an impression that
the present Government will not last very long, but as the
grounds of that opinion are the badness of its composition, I do
not see that its speedy dissolution is so certain; the public
seems to have got very indifferent as to who governs the country.
I was curious to hear how the Council went off at which the
Ministers took their seats, and how the King comported himself.
He seems to have got through it tolerably, though