the point at once. He assumed that the great
difficulty was to be found in the pressure of the Catholic question,
and he advised the King to form a Ministry of his own way of thinking
on that subject and to do the best he could. The King, however,
explained that it would be futile for him to think that any Ministry so
composed could carry on the work of administration just then, and he
gave Canning many {56} assurances of his own entire approval of his
foreign policy, and declared that no one knew better than he did how
much the power of England had increased with Continental States since
Canning had obtained the conduct of her foreign affairs. Thus urged,
Canning consented to undertake the formation of a Ministry, but he did
so on the express condition that he should not only have the King's
full confidence and be free to take his own course, but that he should
be known to hold such a position and to have the absolute authority of
the sovereign to sustain him. Canning's mind was, in fact, clearly
made up. He would either be a real Prime Minister, or he would have no
place in the new Administration, and would become once again an
independent member. There was nothing else to be done, and the King
gave Canning full authority to make his own arrangements.

[Sidenote: 1827--Defection among Canning's supporters]

The task which Canning had nominally undertaken was the reconstruction
of the Ministry, but no one knew better than he did that it really
amounted to the formation of a new Ministry. Canning was well aware
that the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel would not consent to
serve under him in any Administration. The Duke of Wellington was at
this time entirely opposed to any recognition of the Catholic claims,
and, more than that, he had never been in favor of the principles of
foreign policy adopted and proclaimed by Canning. Between the two men,
indeed, there was very little political sympathy, and Canning had got
it into his mind, rightly or wrongly, that the Duke of Wellington had
done his best to disparage him and to weaken his authority as Foreign
Minister. Sir Robert Peel occupied a somewhat different position. He,
too, was opposed to the Catholic claims; but he was a statesman of a
far higher order than the Duke of Wellington, and it might always
safely be assumed of him that he would rightly estimate the force of
public opinion, and that when a great movement of political reform had
proved its