by Peel and
Bankes, but more especially by Peel, was too apologetical. I shall be
obliged to go to the House on Monday to have a question put to me by Lord
Lansdowne. I shall distinctly declare he may consider the letter as mine,
and that I am ready to defend every line of it. Wrote to Lord Wellesley to
offer to put his name upon the Committee on East India affairs if he would
attend. He declines on account of ill-health.

Received a note from Peel begging me to have the Chairs to meet him on the
appointment of the committee. I sent to the Chairman, and he came and met
Peel; but Astell was out of the way. We are to meet at half-past one to-
morrow. Peel did not seem to have looked much into the subject, which the
Chairman observed.

Saw Bankes. He is not certain of succeeding now to the secretaryship of the
Admiralty, but he expects it ultimately. He thinks the Duke of Buckingham
had nothing to do with Lord Chandos's rejection of the Mint: but does not
know how it went off. He thought that Lord Chandos had accepted, and the
Duke seems to have thought so too.

A very good account from Ireland. The country gradually and quietly coming
round.

_Sunday, February 7._

Cabinet. First, Batta. The Duke gave his decided opinion in favour of
adhering to the present order. After some conversation, but no opposition,
the Cabinet acquiesced unanimously in that decision, which has been mine
from the first.

I had a moment's conversation with Peel about the letter to Sir J. Malcolm,
and told him I would defend every word of it, elephants and all.

Then we had a good deal of discussion respecting the policy to be pursued
with regard to Cuba, against which the Mexicans are preparing to organise a
slave insurrection, for which purpose they have sent a Minister to Hayti.
It seems to be generally believed that Canning, about the year 1823, issued
a sort of prohibition to the Mexican and Columbian States to attack Cuba,
but no trace can be found in the Foreign Office of any such prohibition.

Sir R. Wilson means to ask a question upon the subject to-morrow. He says,
if you prohibit the Mexicans and Columbians from attacking Cuba, you should
prohibit the Spaniards from attacking them--which is fair--in fact the
expedition of Barradas was undertaken before we knew anything about it, and
if we had wished we could not have interfered.

The question as to what answer should be given to Sir R. Wilson, and what
policy pursued, was defe