tenances, that announced good
news. They had had an angry debate of three hours' duration.
Baring moved that my holding the office of Secretary of Jamaica
was against the spirit of the Act of Parliament. Graham moved that
holding it with the leave of absence was in accordance with the
Act, and the division was nine to seven. A teller on each side and
Baring, who as chairman did not vote, made the numbers ten to
nine. They told me that Baring and Vernon Smith were furious. The
former endeavoured to turn off his defeat by proposing that the
question should be reopened on framing the report; but even Grote
opposed that, and he was forced to own that he was wrong in
proposing it. I must say that Gladstone told me that Baring
behaved very well after the division. I will not conceal the
truth, much as I have reason to complain of the man. I owe this
victory to the zealous assistance of the Conservatives, for not
one Whig or Radical voted with me; some of the former stayed away,
whether designedly or not I don't know, except Stanley, Secretary
to the Treasury, who told me he could not make up his mind to go
and vote against me. The majority consisted of Herries, Fremantle
(Sir Thomas), Gladstone, Nicholl, Graham, Lord Lincoln, Bethell,
Fector, Bramstone, and Pringle; the minority, Baring, Vernon
Smith, Pendarves, Ruthven, Scholefield, Evans, Grote, Hume, R.
Stewart. I never had any intimacy with any one of those who
supported me except with Graham, and we were friends, and very
intimate friends, twenty years ago. He dropped me all of a sudden
from caprice or calculation, and we have been on very decent but
scarcely cordial terms ever since. On this occasion I whipped up
the old friendship, and with great effect, for he has served me
very zealously throughout the business. I scarcely knew any of the
other before, Lord Lincoln and Gladstone only on this occasion,
and Fector, Nicholl, Bramstone, Bethell, and Pringle I do not know
now by sight. It is really amusing to see the joy with which the
news of Baring's defeat has been hailed by every member of his own
family, and all others who have heard of it. The goodwill of the
world (a very inert but rather satisfactory feeling) has been
exhibited towards me, and there is mixed up with it in all who are
acquainted with the surly reformer who is my adversary a lively
pleasure at his being baffled and mortified.

July 23rd, 1835 {p.280}

[Page Head: IRISH CHURCH BILL.]

Dined w