e probable disunion of the Tories to carry all the details of
their Bill. The difficulties are immense, but if Grey and
Harrowby get together, it is possible something may be done,
provided they will approach each other in a _spirit_ of
compromise. It is certainly easier now, and very different from
the House of Commons, where I have always thought they _could_
make no concession. In the House of Lords they may without
difficulty. I dread the obstinate of both parties.

February 11th, 1832 {p.251}

Wharncliffe came to town on Thursday and called on me. At Brighton
he had seen Sir Andrew Barnard, and showed him the correspondence
with the Duke of Wellington, telling him at the same time he might
mention it to Taylor if he liked, and if Taylor had any wish to
see it he should. Accordingly Taylor sent him word he should be
glad to have an interview with him. They met at Lord Wharncliffe's
house and had a long conversation, in the course of which Taylor
gave him to understand that it was quite true that the King had
consented to everything about the creation of Peers, but _multa
gemens_, and that he was much alarmed, and could not endure the
thought of this measure. The end was that a memorandum was drawn
up of the conversation, and of Wharncliffe's sentiments and
intentions, which were much the same as those he had put forth at
the time of the old negotiations. This was taken away by Taylor
and shown to the King, and copies of it were forwarded to Grey,
Brougham, and Melbourne. The next day Wharncliffe dined with the
King, and after dinner his Majesty took him aside and said, 'I
have seen your paper, and I agree with every word you say; we are
indeed in a scrape, and we must get out of it as we can. I only
wish everybody was as reasonable and as moderate as you, and then
we might do so perhaps without difficulty.' That the King is
alarmed is pretty clear, but it is more probable that his alarm
may influence his Ministers than himself, and it looks very much
as if it had done so. Sir H. Taylor likewise told Wharncliffe that
the Duke of Wellington had written a letter which had been laid
before the King, and had given him great offence, and that it
certainly was such a letter as was unbecoming in any subject to
write. This letter is supposed to have been addressed to
Strangford; it got into Londonderry's hands, and he laid it before
the King (upon the occasion of his going with some address to
Brighton), who desired it