e; if
indeed _they_ would consent to fifty-six he would, or to anything
else they would agree to, but if the Government brought this
forward no consideration on earth should prevent his opposing
it.' We then discussed the whole matter, with the proposed
amendments which Wood and I had talked over with reference to the
metropolitan members and town and county voting, and I am to go
to-day and propose that after the second reading is carried they
should adjourn till after Easter, and give a little time for the
excitement (which there must be) to subside, and to see how
matters stand, and what probability there is of getting the thing
through quietly.

[2] [Mr. Charles Wood, afterwards Viscount Halifax, but at
this time private Secretary to Earl Grey, whose
daughter he married.]

April 6th, 1832 {p.281}

I called on the Duke of Richmond on Wednesday morning, and told
him what had passed between Wood and me, and Lord Harrowby and me
afterwards. He was aware of the difficulty, and regretted it the
more because he might have to defend it in the House of Lords. He
wished me very much to go to Downing Street and see Lord Grey
himself if possible before the levee, and he suggested that the
words fifty-six might be left in blank by Lord Grey's own motion,
that this would be in conformity with the forms of the House. I
set off, but calling at home on my way found Lord Harrowby at my
door. He came in, and was anxious to know if I had said anything;
he was more quiet than the night before, but still resolved not
to agree to fifty-six, though anxious to have the matter
compromised in some way. Lord Harrowby wanted to adjourn after
the second reading, but owned that the best effect would be to
get through Schedule A before Easter. Yesterday I saw Wood; he
harped upon the difficulty and the old strain of the country. I
suggested the point of form which Richmond had mentioned, but he
said that could not be _now_ in the Bill, as it was sent up from
the Commons, that if they were beaten on fifty-six the country
would consider it tantamount to throwing out Schedule A, and
would highly approve of a creation of Peers, and that, in fact
(if they wished it), it would be the best opportunity they could
have. I told him that it would heap ridicule upon all the
antecedent proceedings, and the pretext must be manifest, as it
would appear in the course of the discussions what the real
reason was. In the middle of