sing himself, but what he said was generally useless or
improper. He never received the homage of a Bishop without giving
him a lecture; and the custom he introduced of giving toasts and
making speeches at all his dinners was more suitable to a tavern
than to a palace. He was totally deficient in dignity or
refinement, and neither his elevation to the throne nor his
association with people of the most distinguished manners could
give him any tincture of the one or the other. Though a good-
natured and amiable man, he was passionate and hasty, and thus he
was led into those bickerings and quarrels with the Duchess of
Kent and with his own children, which were a perpetual source of
discomfort or disgrace to him, and all of which might have been
avoided by a more consistent course of firmness and temper on his
part. His sons generally behaved to him with great insolence and
ingratitude, except Adolphus. Of the daughters I know nothing.

[Page Head: POLITICAL EFFECTS OF THE KING'S DEATH.]

The various political hopes, fears, and expectations which his
death has raised may be very shortly summed up. Nobody can deny
that it has given the Whig Government a great advantage over the
Tories. Hitherto the Government have been working against the
stream, inasmuch as they had the influence of the Crown running
dead against them; the tide has now turned in their favour, and
to a certain degree they will be able to convert the Tory
principle to their own advantage. The object of the Whigs is to
remain in office, to put down the Radicals and Radicalism, and go
on gradually and safely reforming; above all to proceed as fast
as the innumerable difficulties which impede their course will
let them, in bringing Ireland into a state of quiet and
contentment, and to pave the way for some definite settlement of
the great questions which distract that country. This I believe
to be the object of Lord Melbourne and Lord John Russell, but at
the same time they have colleagues and supporters who have more
extensive and less moderate views, and who would like to see the
Government more cordially allied to the Radicals than it is, and
who are so animated against the Tories that they would do
_anything_ to prevent their return to power.[1]

[1] [A list of Lord Melbourne's second Administration will
be found in the first part of this work, vol. iii.
p. 256. It had undergone no change since 1835, except
that the