nguage, what they have so long and
pertinaciously refused to milder appeals and all the means of
persuasion and remonstrance. The great body of the Conservatives
certainly, and I believe the whole country, will make no
distinction between different sections and shades of Radicals,
but consider every concession made to one as made to all, and the
consequence would be fresh taunts against the Government for
being made of such _squeezable_ materials, without its prolonging
their Ministerial existence for a very long period. It would,
however, prevent the split between the great masses of Whigs and
Radicals, and secure a formidable Opposition, together with union
at the election whenever it took place. Fonblanque told me that
if the Government was broken up by the desertion of the Radicals,
the latter would lose all their seats at the next election, for
they are scarcely anywhere strong enough to come in without the
assistance of the Whigs.

[13] [Right Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, born 19th January
1802, M.P. for Wolverhampton for very many years.]

April 24th, 1839 {p.193}

Graham called yesterday to ask how my friends were satisfied with
their speeches, and to say that they had been entirely so with
Lord John's, and, in consequence, able to express themselves with
the reserve and moderation which they had displayed. I told him
it had all done very well, plenty of moderation on both sides,
and I hoped good had been done. He said that Peel was still
suspicious about Lord John, whom he did not know personally as he
and Stanley did, and therefore could not bring himself to put the
same confidence in the sincerity and integrity of his intentions.
Confound the fellow, what a cold feeler and cautious stepper he
is! Strange that the two leaders should make themselves so
personally obnoxious as they do by their manners and behaviour.
Nevertheless John Russell, though frigid and forbidding to
strangers, is a more amiable man with his friends; but the other
has no friends. I have more than once remonstrated on the
impolicy of Lord John's carelessness in his treatment of people,
and I had an instance of the mischief it does the other day.
Sheil told me at Brooks's that one of his Irish members
(Macnamara) was close to Lord John in the House, and looked at
him in vain for a sign of recognition. Lord John stared, but made
no sign; the affronted Milesian frothed up instantly and said,
'Confound him, I'll vote ag