d severe style of eloquence. Lord Grey
spoke very becomingly, but was feeble compared with what he used
to be. He endeavoured to effect a compromise, and said nothing
offensive to anybody or any party, spoke strongly in favour of
the Ministerial measure, and I think took the sound view. I have
no doubt the Tory Lords are all in the wrong in taking the course
they do, and their arguments are very frivolous and inefficient.
O'Connell was not in the House during Lyndhurst's philippic, but
came in soon after, and his arrival made a great bustle.

July 9th, 1836 {p.353}

Since Monday (4th) at De Ros's villa. The division on the
appropriation clause and the majority of only twenty-six was
hailed with great triumph by the Tories, and was a grievous
disappointment to the Government. This, with the Warwickshire
election at the same moment, has made them very down in the mouth,
and raised the _Conservative stock_ pretty considerably. There was
very sharp work between Stanley and John Russell, who left off
_noble friending_ and took to _noble lording_ him, to show that
they were quite two. The fact is that they are in a huge
difficulty with this appropriation clause, which served their turn
for a while (when it turned out Peel and cemented their alliance
with the Radicals), and now it hangs like a millstone round their
necks, and is not unlikely to produce the dissolution of the
Government. Strange that this Irish Church in one way or another
is the insuperable obstacle to peace and tranquillity in Ireland,
and to the stability of any Administration here; and yet it is
fought for as if the prosperity or salvation of the State depended
on it--

Tantum _religio_ potuit suadere malorum.

As far as the Whig Ministers are concerned it serves them right,
for it was a wicked and foolish proceeding; their conduct will
tell against them in the country, and when the House of Lords is
accused of stopping legislation, people will not fail to ask,
What else is the House of Commons doing, or rather how much more?
They assert that tithes are the great bane of Ireland, and the
cause of the disorder which prevail, and they propose a Tithe
Bill as the remedy, but they clog it with a condition which they
know, with as much certainty as human knowledge can attain, will
prevent its passing into a law, and in this shape they persist in
producing it. Lord John Russell and his colleagues, it is said,
are pledged not to pass a Tithe