n and did not know what to do. I said that
Harrowby was exerting himself, that time was required to bring
people round, that I had reason to believe Harrowby had made a
great impression, but that most of the Peers of that party were
out of town, and it was impossible to expect them on the receipt
of a letter of invitation and advice to reply by return of post
that they would abandon their leaders and their party, and change
their whole opinions and course of action, that I expected the
Archbishop and Bishop of London would go with him, and that they
would carry the bench. He said the Bishop of London he had
already talked to, that the Archbishop was such a poor, miserable
creature that there was no dependence to be placed on him, that
he would be frightened and vote any way his fear directed. Then
he asked, how many had they _sure_? I said, 'At this moment not
above eight Lords and eight bishops.' He said that was not
enough. I said I knew that, but he must have patience, and should
remember that when the Duke of Wellington brought the Catholic
Bill into the House of Commons he had a majority on paper against
him in the House of Lords of twenty-five, and he carried the Bill
by a hundred. He said he should like to talk to Harrowby again,
which I pressed him to do, and he said he would. I find Lord John
Russell sent for Sandon, and told him that he and the others were
really anxious to avoid making Peers, and entreated him to get
something done by his father and his associates as soon as
possible, that there was no time to be lost, that he should not
deny that he wished Peers to be made, not now, but after the
Reform Bill had passed. I called on Lord Harrowby in the
afternoon, and found him half dead with a headache and dreadfully
irritable. Letters had come (which he had not seen) from Lord
Bagot refusing, Lord Carteret ditto, and very impertinently, and
Lord Calthorpe adhering. I told him what had passed between Lord
Grey and me. He said their insolence had been hitherto so great
in refusing to listen to any terms (at the meeting of the six),
and in refusing every concession in the House of Commons and not
tolerating the slightest alteration, that he despaired of doing
anything with them, that Lord Grey had told him he could not
agree to make a sham resistance in Committee, but that he on the
other hand would not agree to go into Committee, except on an
express understanding that they should not avail themselves of
th