ool. That nobleman had been a zealous,
honest, and candid opponent of the Catholic claims; but the present
premier would be as zealous in supporting them. As to the mode of his
resignation, his lordship wholly disclaimed the imputation of having
concerted it with Mr. Peel; that gentleman, for whom he entertained
the highest regard and esteem, knew nothing about his sending in his
resignation; and he believed the same to be the case with every other
minister who had retired. As the retirement of the Duke of Wellington,
not only from the administration, but from the command of the army,
which was not a cabinet office, seemed to indicate hostility of a more
decided character than that of any other seceder, it had excited greater
interest. On both these points his grace entered into a full and manly
explanation. After adverting to the press which had endeavoured to
blacken his character, he remarked, that he was not requested to come
and receive explanations concerning evident omissions in the letter
first sent to him, nor was he referred to any person for information
on these points; although, as he afterwards learned, his colleagues had
been invited to go to the minister, and receive any explanations which
they might require, or the minister himself had gone to them. Still he
would not let any pique of this kind stop an amicable communication, and
in that spirit he carried on his correspondence, and wished to contrive
means of continuing in his majesty's councils. When, however, he found
that the right honourable gentleman was to be at the head of affairs,
he doubted whether he could, consistently with his principles, join the
administration; and under these circumstances he declined office. He
considered that the principles of Lord Liverpool's policy had been
abandoned, and that the measures of a government constituted on the
principles of Mr. Canning's sentiments would be viewed with suspicion by
foreign governments, and would give no satisfaction to the country; and
therefore he requested Mr. Canning to communicate to his majesty that
he wished to be excused from forming a part of the new cabinet. Would he
not, he asked, have degraded himself, and deceived the public, if he
had sat in a cabinet with a gentleman at its head whom he felt bound to
oppose? It was no answer to tell him that the present cabinet acted upon
the same principles with that of which Lord Liverpool had been at the
head. The two cabinets materially di