e lady who was described in the
original passports as his travelling companion and his wife. The
journey was interrupted by unforeseen obstacles in several places. At
one spot the rising of a river relentlessly barricaded the progress of
the travellers for many hours. At another point a bridge was broken
down. In France, Peel and his wife were brought to a stand at the city
of Lyons because that city happened just then to be in a state of
siege, and the travellers had to furnish satisfactory evidence that
they were not emissaries of some revolutionary propaganda. It took
twelve days to cover the distance from Rome to Dover, and, except for
such delays as have just been mentioned, our travellers had gone on
night and day without stopping. Even when they arrived at Dover, Peel
took no thought about rest, but journeyed on all night until he reached
London.

[Sidenote: 1834--The difficulties that beset Peel]

Peel himself tells us in his memoirs that the long travel had at least
the advantage of giving him time enough to think out his course of
action and the best way of serving his sovereign and his country. The
journey, he says, {237} allowed him to do this coolly and without
interruption. He certainly had time enough for the purpose, but it
must have needed all Peel's strength of character to enable him to give
his mind up to such considerations during a course so toilsome, so
rugged, so dangerous, and often so rudely interrupted. He arrived in
London at an early hour on the morning of December 9, 1834, and he set
off at once to present himself to the King, by whom, it need hardly be
said, he was very cordially welcomed. The welcome became all the more
warm because he was willing to accept the important task which the King
desired to intrust to him, and would enter without delay on the work of
endeavoring to form a Ministry. Now, in order to do justice to Peel's
patriotic purpose in undertaking this difficult task, we have to bear
in mind that he did not personally approve of the King's action in
breaking up the Melbourne Administration, or even of the manner in
which it had been broken up. He knew well enough that the King had
grown tired of the Whig Ministry, but he did not think the King's
personal feelings were a complete justification for William's dismissal
of a set of men whom he had consented to place in power. Peel did not
regard the mere necessity for a rearrangement consequent on Lord
Althorp's