of Lords to the
spirit of the other House, and making it harmonise with the
prevailing sense of the people.

April 8th, 1832 {p.283}

Lord Harrowby was out of town when I called there on Friday, so I
wrote to him the substance of my conversation with Wood.
Yesterday he returned. In the evening I met Wood at dinner at
Lord Holland's, when he told me that he found on the part of his
friends more reluctance than he had expected to give up the
fifty-six, that he had done all he could to persuade them, but
they made great objections. Moreover he had had a conversation
with Sandon which he did not quite like, as he talked so much of
holding the party together. All this was to make me think they
are stouter than they really are, for I am better informed than
he thinks for.

Yesterday morning I got more correct information about what had
passed with the King. Lord Grey went to him with a minute of
Cabinet requiring that he should make Peers in case the second
reading was thrown out.[3] To this he demurred, raised difficulties
and doubts, which naturally enough alarm the Government very much.
However, when he got back to Windsor he wrote two letters,
explaining his sentiments, from which it appears that he has great
reluctance, that he will do it, but will not give any pledge
beforehand, that he objects to increasing the Peerage, and wants
to call up eldest sons and make Irish and Scotch Peers, that he
did not say positively he would make the Peers, but that he would
be in the way, and come up when it was necessary. They think that
he has some idea that his pledging himself beforehand (though in
fact he did so two months ago) might be drawn into an improper
precedent. However this may be, his reluctance is so strong that a
great deal may be made of it, as it is probable (if he continues
in the same mind, and is not turned by some violence of the
Opposition) that he will resist still more making Peers when the
Bill is in Committee to carry the details, some of which he
himself wishes to see altered, but the difficulty is very great.
It is impossible to communicate with the Tory leaders; they will
not believe what you tell them, and if they learnt the King's
scruples they would immediately imagine that they might presume
upon them to any extent, and stand out more obstinately than ever.
I went to Harrowby last night, and imparted to him the state of
things, which I shall do to nobody else. To Wharncliffe I dare
not. He i