t have been' Chancellor of the Exchequer, if not Governor of
Canada (a post he is by way of taking as a favour to his
colleagues), 'he could not be passed over.' Why he could not, and
in what his right consisted, it is difficult to say, nor why he
is entitled to such amazing deference, while poor Glenelg was so
unceremoniously treated. Poulett Thomson is clever and
industrious, but his elevation, when compared with that of
others, and with his own merit, as well as original means of
raising himself, exhibits a very remarkable phenomenon, and as
Lord Spencer, his early patron, has pretty well withdrawn from
public affairs, it is not very obvious how or why Poulett Thomson
is enabled to render his small pretensions so largely available.
The Duke would not believe they meant to send him to Canada, and
said they had much better leave Colborne there; but this is what
they fancy they can't do, and that they must send out somebody
who is to solve the political problem of settling the future form
of government, and so Poulett goes to finish what Durham began.

September 4th, 1839 {p.235}

The changes in the Government have been received with
considerable indifference, nobody much caring, and the generality
of people finding fault with some or all of them. Normanby told
me yesterday that he was fully sensible of the inconvenience of
such changes, and of the bad effect they are calculated to
produce, but that the appointment of Poulett Thomson was John
Russell's doing, that he had been bent upon it, and had carried
it, and as he (Normanby) could not consent to it, and would not
be immediately responsible for it, nothing was left but to change
offices, and let the appointment of Poulett Thomson to Canada be
Lord John's own doing, who would thus administer the affairs of
the Colony with a Governor of his own choice. He added, that it
had been originally intended (when he left Ireland) that he
should take his present office, but other circumstances had
obliged him at that time to go to the Colonies. While Normanby
quits the Colonies, because Thomson goes to Canada (as he says),
Howick (as _he_ says) resigns, because Normanby goes to the Home
Office. But the world believes that the change of the one takes
place, because Normanby is unequal to the work of the Colonies,
and the resignation of the other, because Howick was not himself
appointed Colonial Secretary. The ostensible ground for the
change is, that the Minister who brin