ur list presents forty-seven sure votes besides the doubtful,
but not many pledges. As to me, I am really puzzled what to wish
for--that is, for the success of which party, being equally
disgusted with the folly of both. My old aversion for the High
Tories returns when I see their conduct on this occasion. The
obstinacy of the Duke, the selfishness of Peel, the pert
vulgarity of Croker, and the incapacity of the rest are set in
constant juxtaposition with the goodness of the cause they are
now defending, but which they will mar by their way of defending
it. A man is wanting, a fresh man, with vigour enough to govern,
and who will rally round him the temperate and the moderate of
different parties--men unfettered by prejudices, connections, and
above all by pledges, expressed or implied, and who can and will
address themselves to the present state and real wants of the
country, neither terrified into concession by the bullying of the
press and the rant of public meetings and associations, nor
fondly lingering over bygone systems of government and law. That
the scattered materials exist is probable, but the heated passion
of the times has produced so much repulsion among these various
atoms that it is difficult to foresee when a cooler temperature
may permit their cohesion into any efficient mass.

March 6th, 1842 {p.265}

[Page Head: VIOLENCE OF EXTREME PARTIES.]

The ultra-Whigs and ultra-Tories are both outrageous. Day after
day the 'Times' puts forth paragraphs, evidently manufactured in
the Durham shop, about Harrowby's letter, and yesterday there was
one which exhibited their mortification and rage so clearly as to
be quite amusing, praising the Duke and the Tories, and abusing
Harrowby and Wharncliffe and the moderates. In the meantime,
while Lord Grey is negotiating with Harrowby for the express
purpose of avoiding the necessity of making Peers, Durham, his
colleague and son-in-law, in conjunction with Dover, is (or has
been) going about with a paper for signature by Peers, being a
requisition to Lord Grey to make new Peers, inviting everybody he
could find to sign this by way of assisting that course of
bullying and violence he has long pursued, but happily in vain.
Lord Grey is, I believe, really disgusted with all these
proceedings; he submits and does nothing. Richmond quarrels with
Durham, Melbourne damns him, and the rest hate him. But there he
is, frowning, sulking, bullying, and meddling, and doing