CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY HENRY WILLIAiMS SAGE CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRABY 3 1924 088 008 424 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924088008424 THE EEFOEM ACT, 1832 7,0NnnN PRINTED BY RPtlTTJS^VOnilK AND CO. N r,lV-STlt K K'r SQ I' A K K THE EEFORM ACT, 1832 THE COKRESPONDENOB OP THE LATE EAEL G^EY ■WITH HIS MAJESTY KING WILLIAM lY. AND -WITH SIE HEEBEET TAYLOE^ FROM NOV. 1830 TO JUNE 1832 EDITED BY HENEY EAEL GREY In Two Vols. — Vol. I. LONDON JOHN MUEKAY, ALBEMARLE STEEET 1867 - )\ rvi The right of trmnlatiov is respvvecl /\S\oCjc^t PREFACE. During the whole of my father's administration he carried on a constant correspondence on pubhc affairs with the King. Nothing of importance was done by the Government without being fully explained to His Majesty in the letters addressed to him by his Minister; while in those written by the King, or by his order, his opinions on the various questions brought under his notice, and the objections he sometimes felt to the ad- vice offered to him, were stated without reserve. These objections again were met, and the pohcy of his con- fidential servants was defended when necessary, in the answers returned to him. This correspondence is now in my possession, and having appHed for, and obtained. Her Majesty's gracious permission for that purpose, I have determined to pubhsh so much of it as took place between my father's accession to office on the 22nd of November, 1830, and the passing of the Eeform Act in the beginning of June, 1832. My principal object in doing so is to make the difficulties of the memorable struggle by which that great measure was carried, better understood than they have been. vi PREFACE. None of the accounts of this struggle hitherto published can, I think, be regarded as satisfactory. Many of them are disfigured by misstatements, and misrepresenta- tions arising from prejudice and passion on one side or the other; and even those which are written with com- mendable fairness are not free from serious errors, into which the authors have been betrayed by the want of sufficiently full and trustworthy information. In the interest of historical truth it is desirable, that the authentic record of the opinions and feelings of two of the principal actors in these remarkable transactions, furnished by their own letters written at the time, should be accessible to future historians. And this is also due to the memory of the late King and of my father, as the conduct and motives of both have been the subject of no little misrepresentation, which the hght thrown upon them by these letters will help to dispel. With regard to my father, all that it becomes me to say is, that none who knew him can doubt that his letters only describe his real feehngs in expressing so constantly, and so strongly, his sense of the respon- sibihty imposed upon him by the post he held, his con- viction that a Eeform in the House of Commons was absolutely necessary for the welfare and even for the safety of the nation ; and that it was, therefore, his duty to omit no exertion, and to shrink from no sacrifice in order to effect it ; while he considered it no less his duty to preserve the fundamental principles and the character of our Constitution untouched in any amend- ments of it he might help to introduce. These feelings PREFACE. vii and opinions, together with a very strong attachment to the Eang and devotion to his service, are to be traced in all his letters, and never ceased to guide his con- duct through all the difficulties with which he had to contend. As to the King, I think no impartial reader of his correspondence can fail to form from it a higher esti- mate of his character than that which is commonly re- ceived. His earnest desire to do what he believed to be his duty, his readiness to listen to those in whom he placed confidence,* and to consider their arguments even when most opposed to the opinions of his early life, are constantly shown in his letters. His deter- mination never to allow his personal convenience or predilections to stand in the way of any arrangements proposed by his Ministers ; — his consideration for them, and desire to spare them unnecessary labour, and to facihtate the performance of their duties ;— his disin- terestedness as shown by his refusal to make use of a sum of money to which he thought (though as it proved without reason) that his right might be doubt- ful,f and by the manner in which he acquiesced in the somewhat ungracious refusal of an outfit to the Queen,| are also most honourable to him. Even upon such matters as the apprehended interference of the House of Commons with respect to the Duchy of Lancaster, the attempt to take away existing Pensions, and the reduction of the salaries charged on the Civil ♦ See Sii- H. Taylor's letter, No. 76. t See letters, Nos. 46 and 48. J Nos. 65 aad 67. viii PREFACE. List, though he expressed hunself very strongly, it will be seen that his anxiety was never for his personal interests, but for the dignity and authority of the Crown. For maintaining these he considered himself responsible not only to his successors, but also to the nation, justly believing the nation to be deeply con- cerned in not allowing the position of the Sovereign to be lowered. Above all, his perfect honesty and truthfulness, and the sense he uniformly showed of its being his duty as a Constitutional King to give his unreserved support to his Ministers so long as they continued in his service, yet without ever becoming a partizan, are worthy of all admiration, especially when it is remembered that, before his accession to the throne, this duty had been by no means distinctly recognized even in principle, and had often been very openly dis- regarded in practice. His determination to give his full support to his Ministers did not however, as it will be seen, prevent him from pointing out to them any objections to which he thought the measures they recommended to him were open, nor from exercising his judgment as to accepting their advice. The letters supply abundant evidence of the conscientious industry Avith which he must have laboured to make himself master of the public questions of the day, so as to be able efficiently to perform in this respect his duty as Sovereign. And considering what were the ideas and opinions which his education, his early years passed in the court of George the Third, and his whole subsequent PREFACE. ii life, were calculated to form, it is matter of just sur- prise that he should have been found so equal to the arduous duties of Eoyalty in the very difficult times in which he was called upon to undertake them ; that so much good sense should be displayed in his remarks upon public affairs ; and that he should so generally have been right in his final judgment upon the practical questions he was required to decide. Even upon the great question on which he differed from his Ministers, and which led to their resignation, — the pro- posed creation of Peers after the defeat of the Govern- ment in the House of Lords on Lord Lyndhurst's motion in May, 1832, — there seems to me to be no just ground for the censure often thrown upon the King. A very large creation of Peers for the pm-pose of carrying the Eeform Bill would have been so great an evil, even in the judgment of those who advised it, that nothing but the dread of still greater evils would have induced them to propose it. It was natural, therefore, that the King should have shrunk from taldng such a step, and should have thought it better to throw upon the Opponents of Eeform the responsibihty of endeavouring to form a new Administration to carry on the government of the country, in the circumstances created by their victory in the House of Lords. Nor can it be doubted that the result of the King's decision proved that it was far the best for the nation that he could have adopted. If he had accepted the advice his Ministers were compelled to offer him, even the large creation of Peers they contemplated might have been X PREFACE. insufficient to enable them to carry the Bill satisfac- torily through the Committee. And it would certainly have provoked a bitter and determined resistance in all the farther stages of the Bill, not only from those who had all along been its uncompromising enemies, but also from those who, Avith Lords Harrowby and Wharncliffe, had voted for its second reading, though they had opposed the former measure. The powerful party of the Opposition thus re-united, and not impro- bably reinforced by some of those who had hitherto voted for Eeform, but who would have been alienated by the violence of the means taken to coerce the House of Lords, would have obstinately fought every detail of the Bill in Committee. To overcome this resistance, the Government might have been driven to a further creation of Peers. But even this expedient, destructive as it would have been to the character of the House of Lords and the balance of the Constitution, would have been of httle avail to cut short a struggle which might have been almost indefinitely prolonged, and which would have excited such fierce passions both in the House and out of doors, that it is impossible to con- jecture to what acts of even revolutionary violence they might have led. All these dangers and evils, which might probably have ensued from His Majesty's adopting the advice offered to him, were avoided by the signal failure of the Opposition to form an Administration, when the opportunity of doing so had thus been given to them, owing to the overwhelming expression of indignation PEEFACE. xi which the attempt called forth, both in the House of Commons and in the country. A conviction (which probably nothing else would have produced) was thus forced upon them of the absolute necessity for then- acquiescing in the passing of the measure. In addition to the interests of historical truth, and to the object of doing justice to the late King and to my father, another reason for the publication of these let- ters is to be found in the circumstances of the present time. Parliament has now again to consider what was so justly called, in 1831, ' the perilous question of Ee- form.' It will not, therefore, be without advantage, that the arduous nature of the conflict by which Eeform was then achieved, should be recalled to the minds of those who are old enough to remember it, and should be brought clearly under the notice of those who are too young to have a personal recollection of it, by a corre- spondence in which it is so vividly described. The events of those days are fall of instruction for the present time. We may learn from them, on the one hand, that an absolute resistance to pohtical changes, when the state of opinion and of the country requires them, is full of danger ; and tends not to prevent changes from being accomphshed, but to render it impossible that they should be as well considered, and as carefully framed, as they ought to be. On the other hand we may also learn, that when a change in the Constitution has to be carried, in spite of the determined resistance of the strongest party among the actual holders of pohtical power, by the force of popular excitement, this force. xii PEEFACE. when once called into full action, is indeed irresistible, but is most dangerous from its being so difficult to con- trol or direct. Hence both men of Conservative opinions and those who desire Eeform, but desire also that the principles of our Constitution should be maintained, and that the country should not be exposed to the fearful risk of revolutionary violence, ought equally to draw from the experience of 1831-2 the conclusion, that it is their duty and their interest to endeavour to prevent Parha- mentary Eeform from again becoming the subject of a fierce party strife. And this is only hkely to be ac- comphshed by deahng with the question in a spirit of conciliation and mutual concession, with the view of carrying such amendments of our Constitution as may be found, after dispassionate dehberation, to be best calculated to promote not party objects, or the grati- fication of popular passions, but the true welfare of the nation at large. Such are the reasons which have led me to resolve on pubhshing these letters, beheving that, after the lapse of six-and-thirty years since the earUest of them were written, there is no valid objection to their being given to the world. It may be proper for me to add some further explanation with regard to the letters them- selves, and to the manner in which they have been prepared for pubhcation. Very few of the Bang's letters (only two or three short ones in the whole collection) are in his own handwriting. This arose from the diffi- culty he had in writing, owing to a rheumatic affection PREFACE. xiii in his hand.* His Majesty's letters were generally written for him, from his verbal instructions, by his private secretary. Sir H. Taylor, and he signed them after they had been read over to him and approved. A large proportion of the letters, however, it wiU be ob- served, were addressed to or written by Sir H. Taylor ; but these letters are in fact no less a part of the corre- spondence between the King and my father than those which are so in form as well as in substance. My father's letters, which were intended for the King's information, were often addressed to Sir Herbert Taylor, because they could be written in less time and with somewhat greater freedom than when the formal style had to be used, which was invariably adopted by his confidential servants in writing to the King himself. These letters (as Sir Herbert mentions more than once) were always shown to the King : in answering them the same form was naturally adopted, and Sir Herbert wrote in his own name ; but, except in a very few instances in which he distinctly mentions that he is speaking for himself, and vdthout authority, his letters professed to convey the King's views and opinions ; nor can there be any doubt of their having done so cor- rectly, from the complete identity his Ministers always found between those stated in Sir H. Taylor's letters on behalf of the King, and those expressed verbally by His Majesty himself, in the frequent audiences in which he was accustomed to discuss pubhc affairs with them, * See Sir H. Taylor's letter of January 23rd, 1831, No. 57, vol. i. p. 78. liv PREFACE. and in which he showed the deep and inteUigent interest he took in what was going on. Perhaps it may be thought that this mode of carrying on the correspondence between the King and his Min- isters must have given more influence than was right to His Majesty's private secretary ; and, undoubtedly, it might have been attended with much inconvenience, if the post had been held by a person capable of abusing the great trust reposed in him. But Sir H. Taylor stands far above any such suspicion ; and though it is scarcely possible that so able a man could perform the duties confided to him without exercising some influence over the mind of the King, it was my father's conviction that this mtiuence was only used for the pm-pose of al- laying the feehngs of irritation created at times in His Majesty's mind, and of smoothing any difficulties that arose between him and his Ministers. I have often heard my father express his admiration of the manner in which Sir H. Taylor acquitted himself of the very difficult and delicate duties of his situation, and say that if the office of Private Secretary to the King had been held by a less honourable and high-minded man, the difficulty of carrying on the government would have been very greatly increased. Perhaps Sir Herbert Taylor was too fond of writing, and thus added inconveniently to the labour imposed upon my father by his office. The necessity of return- ing full rephes to the long letters so constantly addressed to him, of which, on some occasions, two and even three were received in a single day, was a very serious PREFACE. XV increase to the burthen of the Prime Minister's business, which must at any rate, in such times, have been very- heavy ; but this inconvenience was more than compen- sated by the opportunity his correspondence with the King afforded, of meeting objections to the conduct of the Government which had arisen in His Majesty's mind, or been suggested to him by others, before they had become too deeply rooted to be removed. This was the more important, because there were persons having access to the King, who were eager to avail themselves of every opportunity of endeavouring to injure his Ministers in his opinion, and there was always a danger that such attempts might succeed, though it will be seen in the correspondence, that His Majesty checked them as far as he could. My father's own letters were almost invariably written without any draft or rough copy, generally in great haste, frequently amidst constant interruptions : some of not the least important were written by him from the room where Cabinets had been held, before his col- leagues had left him, in order that they might be shown to them before being sent. The Cabinet Minutes were generally written in the same manner, the originals in his own handwriting being usually sent to the King, and copies made for himself by his private secretary. In preparing this correspondence for publication, I have omitted as many as I could of the letters of which the interest seems to have passed away. But, perhaps, the omissions on this ground are fewer than might have been desirable, from my having often found it difficult xvi PREFACE. to make them, without dest-roying the connexion of the letters, and also because some, which are of little inter- est in other respects, are not without value, as throwing light on the relations existing between the King and his Minister. I have also omitted nearly aU the letters, or parts of letters, in which the conduct or character of individuals, or their claims on the favour of the Crown, are discussed, because in such discussions there was necessarily much that would give pain to the persons referred to, or to their surviving friends and relations. Almost the only exception I have made from this rule is in the case of the letters relating to the grant of Lord de Saumarez's peerage. These I have not omitted, be- cause I think they are honourable to the King and to his Minister, and contain nothing to wound the feehngs of the family of Lord de Saumarez. The King, in the first instance, refused to allow this peerage to be granted, not from personal dislike to the officer recom- mended to him, but because he erroneously beheved that Sir J. Saumarez had, on an important occasion, so failed in the performance of his professional duty, as to make it improper that this honour should be conferred upon him. My father thought it his duty, in justice to a distinguished officer, to combat this opinion of the King's, which he did much more strongly in conversa- tion than in writing. At length, though with much difficulty, he succeeded in convincing His Majesty that he had been mistaken, when the King at once withdrew his refusal, which had been most acutely felt by Sir James Saumarez as a slur on the high character he so justly bore in the Navy. PREFACE. xvii While I have endeavoured to show all due respect to the feehngs of individuals, I have not thought it right, on this ground, to omit even severe remarks on the public, as distinguished from the private, conduct of those who took an active part in political affairs at the time. To have done so would have destroyed much of the value of the correspondence, especially as a record of the motives and considerations which deter- mined the measures of the Ministers. And though, in some of his letters, my father used strong language, and, perhaps, may have occasionally taken a more un- favourable view of the conduct of his pohtical opponents than he might have adopted, when looking back at it, after the heat of the struggle was over, every candid reader will make allowance for warmth of expression in letters written in a time of so much excitement, and with so little leisure for Aveighing the force of the words he used. I may be permitted to add, that while I be- lieve so severe a political contest was never carried on, without some things being said and done by all the prominent actors in it, which, upon reflection, they must have regretted,' much less allowance is required on this score for any undue severity in my father's judgment of his political opponents, than for the conduct on their part that provoked his censure. I have also thought that it would not be right for me to omit expressions of opinion, on the part either of the King or my father, which may possibly jar on the minds of many readers of the present day. Such omissions would be inconsistent with historical truth ; VOL. I. a xvni PREFACE. nor do I think that a full and fair record of their opinions and feelings as expressed by themselves at the time, can be otherwise than honom-able to both William IV. and his Minister in the eyes of all candid judges, notwithstanding the great change which has since taken place in the ideas commonly accepted in the world on many political questions. Besides the omissions I have considered it advisable to make in printing this correspondence, there are a good many occasioned by some letters not having been copied, or the copies having been lost. Among these are the greater part of the letters written by my father to the King to inform him of the proceedings of the House of Lords. After every debate of importance, however late he might get home, or however much he might be fatigued, my father never omitted writing to the King an account of what had taken place, before going to bed. But his private secretary was rarely in attendance when he returned from the House of Lords, and he did not usually think it necessary to have letters of this kind sent back to him to be copied, so that they have not in general been preserved. A few letters are also missing, which from the importance of the matters they relate to must certainly have been copied, though no copies of them are now to be found. I have pointed out one or two cases of this kind in notes. I have, however, avoided adding more notes than I have considered indispensable, being anxious that the writers of the letters should speak for themselves without com- ment from myself. The notes I have given are therefore PREFACE. xix strictly confined to statements of fact wliich have seemed to me to be wanted for a clear understanding of the correspondence. I liave even abstained from calling- attention to those cases in which these letters, if care- fully read, supply a decisive contradiction of erroneous statements which have been confidently put forth, as to what happened on some important occasions. Letters written in the manner I have described those of my father to have been (and though with somewhat less force the remark apphes to those of the King and Sir H. Taylor, which were also often written in haste), cannot be expected to be free from obscurities and inaccuracies of expression which would no doubt have been corrected had the letters been revised by the writers ; but I have not thought myself at liberty to make even the slightest correction, except in cases where the mistake is quite obviously a mere slip of the pen. I have only to add that I have confined this publica- tion to the letters written from the time of my father's accession to office till just after the passing of the Eeform Act. I find no correspondence of the slightest consequence between my father and the King in the few days which intervened between the resignation of the former Ministers and the completion of the new Administration. This, I believe, is to be accoimted for by the fact, that almost aU my father's communications with the King respecting the proposed arrangements were made verbally : if any letters were written on the subject, they must have been lost or destroyed. I have a 2 XX PREFACE. not continued the publication beyond the giving of the Eoyal Assent to the English Eeform Bill, except by the insertion of two or three letters which, though later in date, belong to the preceding discussions, partly be- cause it was unnecessary to go further for my object of throwing hght on the struggle for Eeform, partly be- cause it might not as yet be quite convenient to pubhsh the correspondence that took place on some of the questions that arose in the two last years of my father's administration, after the subject of Eeform had been disposed of I have included in this collection all the letters written in the period it embraces, except those omitted for the reasons I have mentioned, because the struggle for Eeform was much affected by the discus- sions on other public questions which arose during its progress. Grey. HowiCK ; December, 1866. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 1830. NO. PAOB 1. Earl Grey to tlie King, Nov. 23, enclosing Cabinet Minute as to measures to be adopted for restoring peace in the country ........ 1 2. Tbe King to Earl Grey, Nov. 23, in reply, approving pro- posed measures. Remarks respecting Militia and Police 3 3. The King to Earl Grey, Nov. 26. Will see Lord Grey. His Ministers to understand His Majesty's convenience is never to interfere with his attention to public business 5 4. The King to Earl Grey, Nov. 27, suggesting arrangements respecting Ordnance department .... 6 5. Earl Grey to the King, Nov. 27. Change in constitution of Ordnance department would require time for con- sideration ......... 8 6. The King to Earl Grey, Nov. 27. His Majesty does not wish to embarrass Lord Grey ..... 8 7. The King to Earl Grey, Dec. 1. Alarm excited by Lord Holland's observations respecting the Duchy of Lan- caster. The King's jealousj' of Parliamentary interfer- ence with respect to it . . . . . . 9 8. Earl Grey to the King, Dec. 1, reassuring His Majesty as to the intentions of his Ministers with respect to the Duchy of Lancaster . . . . . . ,12 9. The King to Earl Grey, Dec. 1 . His Majesty's satisfac- tion with Lord Grey's letter . . . . .14 xxii CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE 10. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 2. Outfit for the Qiieen, enclosing copy of letter to the Duke of Welling- ton respecting it ...... .11,15 11. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Dec. 3. Eeply to the above 16 12. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 4, enclosing copy of the Duke of Wellington's letter ..... 17 13. Cabinet Minute, as to measures for restoring tranquillity . 18 14. The King to Earl Grey, Dec. 4, approying measures pro- posed ......... 19 15. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 7. Purchase of Jewels for Queen Charlotte, precedent for outfit to Queen . 19 16. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 10. The King proposes that Mr. Stanley should be returned for Windsor . 20 17. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 19, enclosing letter from Sir H. Blackwood, asking for appointment in the Ordnance ......... 21 18. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Dec. 20. Eeply to the above. Arrangements proposed with reference to Ordnance de- partment ......... 21 19. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Dec. 21. Ordnance arrange- ments. Notice in the House of Commons as to Duchy of Lancaster. Account received of Mr. O'Connell's entry into Dublin. Trades Union at Manchester . . 23 20. Earl Grey to the King, Dec. 21. Archbishop of Can- terbury's proposal of a form of prayer. Deanery of Chester. Ordnance arrangements . . . .25 21. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 21. King's approval of Ordnance arrangements. Appointments in the House- hold. Hardship of depriving Naval Officers holding such appointments of their half-pay . . . .26 22. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 22. Notice of Motion in the House of Commons, respecting Duchy of Lancas- ter. Mr. O'Connell's entry into Dublin. Trades Union assemblages. Application to the King for a loan. Sug- gestion as to giving greater accommodation to Charles X. in Holyrood House ...... 28 (Enclosure.) The King to Earl Grey, Dec. 22. Approves proposal svibmitted to him. Duchy of Lancaster . 29 23. EarlGi'oy to Sir 11 Taylor, Dec. 22. Application for a THE FIRST VOLUME. Peerage. Case of Naval Officers holding Naval ap- pointments. Ordnance and Household appointments. Mr. Stanley advised to abandon scrutiny and petition against Mr. Hunt's return for Preston. King's offer of Windsor SO 24. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 23. The application for a Peerage. Case of Naval Officers in the Household. Lord Falkland's appointment. Mr. Stanley's proposed return for Windsor . . . . . . .32 25. Earl Grey to the King, Dec. 23. Appointment of Captain Duncan as Storekeeper of the Ordnance. Militia to be embodied : Ballot required, and Council necessary. Better accounts from manufacturing districts. Less good irom Ireland. Adjournment of the two Houses not to extend beyond the 4th of February .... 35 26. The King to. Earl Grey, Dec. 24. Approves Captain Duncan's appointment. Militia and Yeomanry. Council at Brighton. Accounts irom Ireland and manufaeturing districts ......... 35 27. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 24. Invitation to the PaviHon. Question as to amending Act of Parliament respecting half-pay of Naval Officers . . .. . 36 28. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 25. Transmits paper on the Militia, by Sir E. Jackson .... 37 29. Earl Grey to the King, Dec. 30, enclosing Minute of Cabinet as to state of Ireland, and measures to be taken 39 30. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 30. Eeasons for pre- ferring an augmentation of the regular Army to embody- ing the Militia 40 31. The King to Earl Grey, Dec. 31. Approving of measures proposed by the Cabinet. Necessity of caution as to the MiUtia . • 42 1831. 32. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 11. Eeasons for not having written to His Majesty for some days. Conduct of the Government in Ireland. Arrangements respecting the xxiv CONTENTS OF NO. . I'AOS command of the troops in Ireland, and the seat for Windsor. Preparation of measures for Parliament . 43 33. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 12. Approves of proposals submitted to him. His confidence in his Ministers, and especially in Lord Grey ...... 46 34. Sir II. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 12. Lord Grey's longer silence then usual not taken amiss by His Majesty. King's health good. Plis anxiety as to proceedings in Parliament, and the maintenance of the authority of the Government, and his sense of the importance of Lord Grey's services. Mr. Hunt's failure .... 47 35. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 12. Kesignation of Chief Baron. Usual pension to him, and appointment of Lord Lyndhurst to succeed him. Convicts at Winchester, except two, recommended to mercy. Two fiires in Wiltshire 49 36. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 13. Approves proposals submitted to him . . . . . . .51 37. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 13. Gratified by letters received. News firom Ireland not pleasant ; but confi- dence that difficulties may be overcome. King's anxiety as to what may happen in Parliament reasonable. The perilous question that of Parliamentary Eeform. Hopes before long to submit measure to His Majesty. With his sanction little fear of carrying it. Alternative an afflicting one . . . . . . . .51 38. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 13. Gratitude for His Majesty's letter. Encloses letters from Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lord Ponsonby. Eemarks upon them . 52 39. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 14, enclosing King's answer. His Majesty's feelings about Eeform, and his confidence in Lord Grey ...... 54 40. The King to" Earl Grey, Jan. 14. Eeturns letters from Lord Anglesey and Lord Ponsonby. His Majesty's opinion as to Ireland. The payment of the Eoman Catholic Clergy. Belgium . . . . . .55 41. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 14. Encloses anony- mous letter respecting Sir W. Fremantle and Sir A. Barnard. Sends a book brought by M. de Choiseul . 57 THE FIRST VOLUME. 42. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 15. Keturns anony- mous letter sent to him with a statement in refutation of it 60 43. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 15. His Majesty's opinions respecting Ireland and Belgium. Possible necessity of-^, proposing to suspend Habeas Corpus Act in Ireland. Importance and difficulty of paying the Roman Catholic Priests there. Duchy of Luxemburg. Opinion respect- ing it expressed to the Prince of Orange ... 64 44. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 15. Expression of the King's confidence gratifying. Pear that His Majesty may think Lord Grey's views as to the Parliamentary Reform required too extensive. Measure ought to be one on which the Government can stand. Disadvantage of discussing the subject in such difficult times ; but un- avoidable. Consequences that would follow from at- tempting to postpone it ...... 65 45. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 16. Great interest taken by the King in the correspondence respecting Reform. His Majesty's apprehensions. Lord Grey's communica- tions have gone far to allay them. Opinions of the King on the subject ........ 66 46. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 16. Question, whether certain sums should be paid into the Privy Purse. Hopes his letter about Reform will be satisfactory. Has encoui-aged His Majesty to broach the subject in- stead of brooding over it . . . . . .68 47. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 17, encloses letter from Lord Anglesey, with list of persons proposed for appointment as Lords- Lieutenants of Irish coimties ... 69 48. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 17. Right of the King to the money adverted to in Sir Herbert's letter. Par- liamentary Reform ....... 70 49. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 17. Persons proposed for office of Lord-Lieutenant in Irish counties. Approves Proclamation against seditious meetings and proceedings, against Messrs. O'Connell and Steel. Measures for the improvement of Ireland . . . . . .71 50. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 18. The King has been XX vi CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE pleased with lettei-s respecting money arising from here- ditary revenues and Parliamentary Eeform ... 72 51. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 19. Answer respecting anonymous letter satisfactory ; but no doubt of impru- dent conversation at the Speaker's, and belief of the Opposition that a blow may be struck at the Govern- ment through the Court. Pamphlet on the late Kevolu- tion in France ........ 73 52. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 20. Measures for augmenting Naval force ...... 74 53. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 21. King approves measures proposed. Arrest of Mr. O'Connell . . 75 54. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 21. Death of Lord Sydney. Duke of Sussex to succeed him as Eanger of Hyde Park 75 55. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 22. Duke of Sussex accepts Eangership. Neutrality of Belgium .... 76 56. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 22. The King's annoy- ance at the Secretary-at- War's contemplating the reduc- tion of the Eiding establishment. Kecommends it to Lord Grey's protection ...... 77 57. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 23. Accounts for delay of King's answers to last letters. King only signs his letters. The appointment of the Dtike of Sussex. Neutrality of Belgium ...... 78 58. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Jan. 24. The Eiding es- tablishment. Belgium. Count Flahardt's arrival from Paris. Conversation with him. Plan of Eeform has been under the consideration of the Cabinet. Lord Grey proposes to submit it to the King personally. Thanks to His Majesty forgiving the Guelphic Order to General Grey ........ 79 59. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 24. Eangership of the parks. Communications from Lord Melbourne and Lord Palmerston •-...... 82 60. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 24. Guelphic Order given to General Grey. The Grand Cross of the Bath will be so on a fitting opportunity ...... 83 61 . Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Jan. 25. Expresses the King's satislaction that the, plan of Eeform will soon be ready to THE FIEST VOLUME. be submitted to him. Invites Lord Grey to the Pavilion. The Eiding establishment. The King's eagerness on such questions. Affairs of Belgium, and choice of a Sovereign for that country ...... 84 62. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 25. Explanation as to his letter respecting the Order given to General Grey. Renewed acknowledgments for King's approval of the services of his Ministers. Letter from Lord Anglesey. Ecclesiastical appointments in beland. Application from Captain Campbell for otEce of Groom of the Bedchamber 86 63. The King to Earl Grey, Jan. 26. Letter respecting Guelphic Order to General Grey. Union of bishoprics. Approves contemplated ecclesiastical appointments in Ireland. Situation of Groom of the Bedchamber . . 88 64. Earl Grey to the King, Jan. 27. Letter from Lord Anglesey. Lord Grey's opinion as to Mr. O'Connell. Groomship of Bedchamber . . . . . .90 65. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 3. Anxiety for the King's observations on the proposed measure of Eeform. Eeference to his interview with His Majesty on the subject. The Queen's outfit. Lord Grey's disappoint- ment at being obliged to abandon the proposal . . 91 66. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 4. Disposition of both Houses on re-assembling. Letter from Lord Anglesey. Choice of a Sovereign for Belgium . ... .92 67. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 4. Queen's outfit. Feeling of Their Majesties with respect to opposition made to it ........ 93 68. The King to Earl Grey, Feb. 4. Statement of His Majesty's opinions on Parliamentary Eeform, and on the measure proposed by his Ministers ... 94 69. Earl Grey to the King, Feb. 5. King's letter on the measure of Eeform gratifying. The question of Ballot. The county franchise. The census of 1821 a sufiioient basis for the measure . . . • • ■ .105 70. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 5. Lord Anglesey's letter. Probable opposition to Eeform. Belgium. Ee- newal of Princess Sophia's appointment as Keeper of Greenwich Park ....... 107 xxviii CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE 71. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 6. Lord Althorp's statement in the HouHe of Commons as to outfit for the Queen .109 72. The King to Earl Grey, Feb. 6. Parliamentary Keform : points referred to in Earl Grey's letter . . . 110 73. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 7. Apology for deferring answer to the Bang's letter. Satisfactory accounts from Paris. Pensions on the Civil List . . . .112 74. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 8. Sends papers for the King. Corrects the King's impression as to views of the other members of the Cabinet respecting Ballot. Pro- ceedings in the House of Commons respecting Pensions . 114 75. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 8. The Queen's lan- guage on the refusal of an outfit. The King's approval of course taken respecting Belgium. His feelings on the question of Pensions, and towards Lord Grey. His Majesty's character . . . . . . .115 76. Earl Grey to the King, Feb. 8. Eeform : sanguine hopes of carrying it through Parliament with His Majesty's support. Lord Grey participates in painful impression made on the King by disposition shown by the House of Commons. Things seem to be taking a better turn owing to Lord Althorp's firmness on the question of Pensions ; but a very unfortunate feeling exists on this subject . ^ ..... . . 118 77. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 9. The King's strong feeling on the question of maintaining existing pensions 119 78. The King to Earl Grey, Feb. 9. No excuse was necessary for Lord Grey's delaying his answer to former letter. His Majesty surprised he is able to write so fully. The King satisfied with explanations on Eeform Bill. Lord Grey has acted wisely in bringing the subject forward without delay. Misconception as to opinions of other members of the Cabinet' on Ballot. Pensions on the Civil List. His approval of Lord Althorp's conduct on this question. Difiiculty that may arise from it. Ne- cessity for a high tone upon it ; but does not object to checks on abuse for the future . . . . .121 79. Lord Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 11. Outfit to the Queen. THE FIRST VOLUME. State of feeling on this and similar questions in the House of Commons and in the country. Letter from Lord Anglesey. Lord Grey going to Claremont . .124 80. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Feb. 12. Lord Anglesey's letter. The King's remarks on the state of feeling respect- ing Pensions. Windsor election . . . .126 81. Earl Grey to the King, Feb. 14. The Budget. Satisfactory meeting at Lord Althorp's. Abandonment of proposed tax upon Transfers. Mr. O'Connell's withdrawal of plea of Not Guilty on first counts of indictment . . .127 82. Earl Grey to Sir Herbert Taylor, Feb. 15. Every thing had passed off well the previous evening in both Houses. Opposition to Lord Diin cannon in Kilkenny . . 120 83. The King to Earl Grey, Feb. 15. Changes in the Budget. Lord Anglesey's communications gratifying to His Majesty , , . 130 84. The King to Earl Grey, Feb. 19. Case of Representative Peers of Scotland and Ireland becoming British Peers . 131 85. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Feb. 21. Proceedings of the Committee on the Civil List. State of public opinion on the subject. Prince Talleyrand and Madame de Dino. Indictment against Cobbett. Asks to see His Majesty . 132 86. The King to Earl Grey, March 3. Question as to pro- ceedings of Committees of House of Commons being con- stitutional. Lord Saye and Sele's appointment . . 134 87. The King to Earl Grey, March 3. Progress of debate on Reform in the House of Commons. Effect produced by the measure out of doors . . . . . .135 88. Earl Grey to the King, March 4. Legal question shall be submitted to Law Officers. But inquiry of Committee rests on other grounds. Lord Saye and Sele cannot ac- cept appointment. . . . . . . .136 89. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 4. Appointment of Lord of Bedchamber left to Lord Grey, to mark His Majesty's determination to support his Government. Reform: the King's feelings on the question . . 138 90. The King to Earl Grey, March 4, acknowledging Lord Grey's report of proceedings in both Houses. Lqrd Saye and Sele's communication overlooked . , . 140 XXX CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE 91. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Marcli 4. Less favourable report of prospects of Eeform Bill in the House of Com- mons. Country more and more favourable . . 141 92. The King to Earl Grey, March 4. Proceedings of Com- mittees of the House of Commons on Salaries and the Civil List. His Majesty's anxiety with regard to them increased by their connexion with the Reform Bill. His Majesty's reasons for agreeing to that measure ; but bound to maintain the dignity of the Crown. Hence his communications. What he regards as details of Civil List, which ought to be exempt from the inter- ference of the House of Commons . . . .143 93. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 5. King regrets grounds for apprehending failure of the Eeform Bill. Aware of its serious consequences, but prepared to encounter them ....... 146 94. Earl Grey to the King, March 5. Explanation as to intentions of the Committee on the Civil List . . 147 95. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 6. Eeasons for the Bang's jealousy of proceedings of Committees of the House of Commons ....... 148 96. The King to Earl Grey, March 6. Eeductiona in the Civil List made by the Committee . . . .148 97. The King to Earl Grey, March 7. Progress of debate on Eeform in the House of Commons. Proceedings in the House of Lords. Acceptance of Mr. Wynn's resignation of oiSce of Secretary-at-War. Appointment of Sir H. Parnell to be Secretary-at-War . . . .150 98. The King to Earl Grey, March 7. Opinion of the Chan- cellor and Law Officers as to proceedings of Committees of the House of Commons . . . . .152 99. The King to Earl Grey, March 8. Postponement of Lord WharncliiFe's motion in the House of Lords . 153 100. The King to Earl Grey, March 9. Progress of the debate in the House of Commons . . . . .153 101. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 19. Defeat of the Government in the House of Commons on the Timber Duties. Its bad effect. Still confident of majority for Eeform Bill on second reading. Doubt as to carrying THE FIRST VOLUME. it tliroiigli the Committee. Course to be taken to ' be considered by Cabinet. Question as to a dissolution of Parliament. What are the King's feelings upon it ? . 154 102. Earl Grey to the King, March 19. Defeat of the Govern- ment in the liouse of Commons ; how caused ; its pro- bable consequences. Cabinet summoned to consider it 1.55 103. The King to Earl Grey, March 20. His regret for what had occurred. His determination to support the mea- sure of Eeform unaltered, and his confidence in his Ministers unabated. Would lament the fall of his Government. Hopes that means to avert it may be found without a dissolution, to which he could not consent. Eeasons for objecting to it. The state of the country. His earnest desire not to lose the services of Lord Grey and his colleagues ..... 1 5,6 104. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 20. Determination of Ministers to carry on the government, notwithstand- ing the vote of the House of Commons. Remarks upon it. Prospect of defeat in Committee on Reform Bill. Question as to dissolving Parliament does not yet arise IGO 105. Earl Grey to the King, March 20. Result of the Cabinet. Civil List Bill 1C2 106. The King to Earl Grey, March 20. Satisfaction at the determination of Ministers to retain their offices. His determination to support them, provided he is not called upon to dissolve Parliament . . . . .103 107. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 20. Why he had shown Lord Grey's letters referring to a dissolution of Parliament to the King. His Majesty's feelings upon that subject and towards Lord Grey . . . .105 108. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 21. Attendance of Lord Belfast and Colonel Cavendish on His Majesty may interfere with their being in the House of Com- mons for the division on the Reform Bill. Course said to be contemplated by the Opposition. Condemnation of it 107 109. Earl Grey to the King, March 21. Grateful acknowledg- ments for His Majesty's approbation and support in bringing forward measure of Reform. The King's ob- CONTENTS OF NO. jection to dissolving Parliament perceived by Lord Grey at Brighton. This led him to communicate with Sir H. Taylor. This not done without consideration of the state of the country and of Ireland. It was the personal act of Lord Grey ; not a proposal only pre- paratory to one. Declaration of His Majesty's opinion commands respect of Ministers. Their wish to conform to it, but not to deprive them of privilege of submit- ting advice a painful necessity may require. Hope the necessity may not arise. Their feelings towards His Majesty. Lord Grey asks for audience . . . 169 110. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 21. Pain occasioned to him by discussion on dissolution. Necessity of secresy as to His Majesty's opinions . , . -. 173 111. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 21. The King's anxiety about his answer to Lord Grey on the subject of a dissolution. Sir Herbert's opinion, that His Ma- jesty's objection to the measure will prove final and conclusive ........ 174 112. The King to Earl Grey, March 21. Full statement of His Majesty's opinion with respect to a dissolution, and the reasons for it . . . _. • . .177 113. Earl Grey to the King, March 22. Debate in the House of Commons on the second reading of the Eeform Bill . 184 114. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 22, enclosing letter from Lord Durham. Three things to be impressed upon the King's mind ... .... 186 115. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 23. Eegret that he was not at liberty to show Lord Durham's letter to the King. The King's readiness to listen to all that is urged against his' opinions. Sir Herbert's habit of sub- mitting everything to him. Eemarks on the three points insisted upon by Lord Grey . . . .187 116. The King to Earl Grey, March 23. Eejoices that the second reading of the Eeform Bill has been carried. Colonel Fox appointed Equerry . , , . .194 117. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 23. Will show Lord Durham's letter and his own to the King. Ee- moval from Household places of persons who had voted against the Eeform Bill 195 THE FIEST VOLUME. xxxiii NO. PAGE 118. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grej, March 23. King's thanks for the communication of Lord Durham's letter . . 196 119. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, March 23. Remarks on Sir H. Taylor's letter of 22nd. His Majesty's manner to Lord Durham less kind than to his other servants. Injurious effect on the division of the report of the King's veto on a dissolution . . . . .197 120. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, March 24. Reasons for King's strong objection to dissolving Parliament. His Majesty's satisfaction at Lord Grey's having acknow- ledged his good faith and sincerity. Not displeased with Lord Durham's letter : his manner not intentionally cold to him. Reports of King's objection to a dissolution not from his want of caution ..... 202 121. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, April 5. Moderation shown by France with respect to Austrian advance to Bologna. Hopes of maintaining peace. Polish war. Accounts from Ireland. Dinner at the Mansion House . . 207 122. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, April 6. His letter to (xeneral Kosciusko in 1814. Polish war . . . 209 123. The King to Earl Grey, April 10. Lord Ponsonby's private letter. Affairs of Belgium . . . .210 124. Earl Grey to the King, April 11. Acknowledges His Majesty's letter. State of Ireland. Asks for an audience ......... 213 125. The King to Earl Grey, April 11. State of Ireland. WiU see Lord Grey 214 126. Eaxl Grey to the King, April 19. Letter from Lord Anglesey. General Gascoigne's motion on the Reform Bill. Expectation of favourable division . . .214 127. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, April 19. Character of General Gascoigne's motion. Its success would destroy all hope of carrying the Reform Bill in the present House of Commons. Case of distress submitted to His Majesty. Impatience in the City for a visit from their Majesties • • • 215 128. The King to Earl Grey, April 19. State of Ireland. Approval of Lord Anglesey's conduct. Lord Grey's intimation of probable necessity for advising dissolu- VOL. I. b CONTENTS OF tion. His Majesty's objections to the measure un- altered. Hopes the division on General Gascoigne's motion may relieve Ministers from the necessity of proposing it. His Majesty's satisfaction with the manner in which they have carried on the business of the comitry. His hope that the further discussion of the Eeform Bill might have been postponed . . 218 129. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, April 19. Lord Grey's letter had been seen by the King. His Majesty dis- tressed by the part of it relating to a dissolution . . 220 130. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, April 19. Captain .'s application. Demands on the Privy Purse . . 221 131. Earl Grey to the King, April 20. Gratitude for the ex- pression of His Majesty's confidence. Division on Gene- ral Gascoigne's motion adverse to the Government. Cabinet summoned ....... 223 132. The King to Earl Grey, April 20. His Majesty's con- cern at the result of the division. Will see Lord Grey 224 133. Minute of Cabinet, April 20. Advice to dissolve Par- liament ......... 224 134. The King to Earl Grey, April 20. Must further con- sider his decision on the advice submitted to him . 226 135. Earl Grey to the King, April 20. Ministers do not wish to press for earlier decision than consistent with His Majesty's convenience and mature consideration. . 226 136. The King to Earl Grey, April 21. Full statement of His Majesty's reasons for acquiescing in a dissolution, notwithstanding his objections to the measure. Eelies upon his Ministers resisting measures to extend the principle of the Eeform Bill. Urges their consent- ing to modifications which may conciliate opponents without impairing the measure ..... 227 137. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, April 21. Gratitude for the King's kindness. Cabinet to meet at 12 . . . 233 138. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. King gratified by Lord Grey's letter, and desires that he will himself be the bearer of the answer of the Cabinet to his communi- cations ......... 233 139. The King to Earl Grey, April 21. Will see Lord Grey THE FIRST VOLUME. next day at half-past 11, and hold a Council at 12. Note explaining circumstances under which this letter ■was Avritten . . . . . . . .234 1-iO. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, April 24, enclosing ante- dated Minute of Cabinet 236 141. The King to Earl Grey, April 24. Eeview of past pro- ceedings and correspondence relating to the Reform Bill. The King's sentiments on the subject, and on the state of affairs ....... 239 142. Earl Grey to the King, April 25. Intention of the Ministers to revise the provisions of the Eeform Bill ; but must not detract from its efficiency. Evils that would foUow fi-om consenting to do so . . . 247 143. The King to Earl Grey, April 25. Acknowledges Cabinet Minute on His Majesty's letter of the 21st . 248 144. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, April 26. Lord Mayor's invitation to be accepted for the 20th of May . . 248 145. Earl Grey to the King, May 2. His Majesty's disap- proval of the Lord Mayor expressed to Lord Melbourne. Lord Grey concurs in it. Ireland more tranquil. Dis- patches from Lord Granville ..... 249 146. The King to Earl Grey, May 3. Conduct of the Lord Mayor. Regrets the City being again disappointed as to Royal visit. Information from Lord Granville satisfactory. His Majesty sends paper which appears treasonable. Passages in it recommending assassina- tion of the Emperor of Russia ..... 250 147. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 3. King's health a sufficient reason for his not going to the City . .252 148. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, May 3. Placard attributed to the Lord Mayor a fabrication. City invitation. No contest in Northumberland. ..... 253 149. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 3. Fabricated placard. The King's indignation. His Majesty persists in declin- ing City invitation. Northumberland election . . 254 150. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 6. Progress of the elections. King's reiiisal of City invitation final. Pre- sentation of kettle drums to Life Guards . . . 255 151. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, May 6. Regret at the b2 CONTENTS OF King's determination respecting the City. The elec- tions. Deaths of Sir Joseph Yorke and Captains Bradby and Young ....... 256 152. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 7. Lord Melbourne to communicate the King's decision respecting the City to the Lord Mayor. The Elections. Accident to Sir Joseph Yorke 257 153. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, May 7. Lord Melbourne has written to the Lord Mayor. Elections. Grant of Lodge in Richmond Park to Lord and Lady Errol. Mode of giving orders for it. Hopes a diiferent one will be taken in future ...... 258 154. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, May 8. The elections. Bad effect produced by the King's declining City invi- tation. Pains taken to create a belief that His Majesty is really adverse to the measure of Reform . . 259 155. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 8. The elections. Mode of giving the King's commands as to the grant of the Lodge in Richmond Park .... 260 156. Earl Grey to the King, May 9. Communications with the Lord Mayor. Letters from Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Proposes appointments to the Privy Council in Ireland. List of returns. Lord Grey will attend His Majesty 261 157. The King to Earl Grey, May 13. Objection to Portu- guese refugees residing at Gibraltar .... 262 158. Earl Grey to the King, May 14. His Majesty's letter has been communicated to Lord Goderich, and instruc- tions will be sent accordingly to the Governor of Gibraltar 263 159. The King to Earl Grey, May 15. ■ His Majesty's feehngs as to the propriety of excluding Spanish or Portuguese refugees from Gibraltar. They have been strengthened by his apprehension of the revolutionary spirit in France and Belgium ........ 264 160. The King to Earl Grey, May 17. Full statement of His Majesty's views of the state of public opinion with reference to Reform, and his apprehensions as to the spirit that prevails among the people . . . 265 THE FIRST VOLUME. xxxvii NO. PAGE 161. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, May 21. The Lord Advo- cate's letter. King's neck doing well . . . 270 102. The King to Earl Grey, May 23. Account from Ireland. His Majesty will not delay further giving the Blue Eiband to Earl Grey 271 163. The King to Earl Grey, May 28. His Majesty's anxiety at the prospect of renewal of Parliamentary discussions on Reform. Reference to his former letters. Earnest recommendation to his Ministers to endeavour to mode- rate opposition to the Bill by modifications not incon- sistent with its principle . . . . . .272 164. Earl Grey to the King, May 29. Reply to the above. Explanation of Earl Grey's opinions, and of the past conduct of the Ministers with respect to Reform. Prin- ciples' which will govern Lord Grey's conduct for the future 276 165. The King to Earl Grey, ]\Iay 29. Further discussion of the same subject. His Majesty has never urged a de- parture from the principle of the Bill . . . 281 166. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, May 29, enclosing Cabinet Minute on the preceding letters .... 284 167. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, June 6. Return of Scotch Representative Peers. Votes of Peers connected with the Court. The Government deprived of support it ought to command. Satisfactory effect of Special Commission in Clare and Limerick. Unfavourable accounts from Merthyi- Tydvil. Belgium. Distress in the west of L:eland. Battle of Ostrolenka . .286 168. The King to Earl Grey, June 7. Election of Scotch Representative Peers. Notice of Lord Grey's remarks on the position of the Government as affected by the Court. His Majesty's earnest wish for the success of the Bill, but his apprehensions as to a collision between the two Houses ....... 289 169. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, June 7. Preceding letter dictated by the King. Accounts from Ireland and Glamorganshire. Belgium 294 170. Earl Grey to the King, June 7. Gratitude for His Majesty's confidence and favour; but avowed hostility xxxviii CONTENTS OF No. PAGE of persons connected witli the Court diminishes tlie strengtli of the Government in the House of Lords. The Reform Bill. Alterations suggested in it. House of Lords. Hope that a hostile amendment will not be carried the first day of the Session. Accounts from Merthyr Tydvil and from Ireland .... 295 171. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, June 7. Reasons for writ- ing the preceding letter. No knowledge of the plans of the Opposition. Does not doubt they will try to thwart the Administration. Sends letter pressing de- mands on the Government ..... 298 172. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, June 8. Probable that the Bishops will not be inclined to contend against a sweep- ing majority of the House of Commons . . . 299 173. The King to Earl Grey, June 18. Returns draft of Speech with remarks ...... 300 174. The King to Earl Grey, June 22. His Majesty is glad no amendment to the Address was moved in the House of Lords 300 175. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, July 2. Communication from the Duke of Cumberland. Question as to Coro- nation ......... 301 176. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, July 5. Debate in the House of Commons. Question in the House of Lords as to the Coronation. The King going to Lord Hill's breakfast 302 177. Earl Grey to the King, July 12. Proposed proceedings respecting the Coronation. Vacancies in the Order of St, Patrick. Acceptance by Government of Belgium of the propositions of the Conference . . . 303 178. The King to Earl Grey, July 12. Approves proposed proceedings as to Coronation. Acceptance of Belgian Government, and prospects of French elections satis- factory ......... 304 179. Earl Grey to Sir- H. Taylor, July 16. ifxpenditure in Lord Chamberlain's department 305 180. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, July 17. Reply to the above 306 181. The King to Earl Grey, July 17. Arrangements re- THE FIRST VOLUME. specting Prince Leopold's annuity on his becoming King of the Belgians. Colonelcy of 5th Dragoon Gnavda 308 18"2. Earl Grey to the King, July 18. Explanations re- specting Prince Leopold. Alarming account of Eai-1 Spencer's health. Hostilities between French squadron and Portuguese ....... 309 183. The King to Earl Grey, July 19. Reply to the above . 311 184. Earl Grey to the King, July 19. Better account of Lord Spencer. Tithe Bills in the House of Lords. Communication as to Prince Leopold's intentions well received in the House of Lords . . . .312 185. The King to Earl Grey, July 29. Message for increased provision for the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria. New Ministers in Belgium ..... 313 186. Earl Grey to the King, July 3. Manner of passing the Bill for the Queen's dower ..... 314 187. Earl Grey to the King, Aug. 5. Letter from the King of Belgium. Orders for squadron to assemble in the Downs. Proceedings of the Conference. State of Dutch and Belgian armies ..... 314 188. The King to Earl Grey, Aug. 5. Cro"wn to be worn by the Queen at the Coronation. The King's letter to Lord Melbourne on the state of the country, and aug- mentation of the army . . . . . .316 189. The King to Earl Grey, Aug. 5. Afiairs of Belgium . 316 190. Earl Grey to the King, Aug. 5. Crown for the Queen. Increase of the Army. Discussion in the House of Lords about Portugal. Lord Granville's dispatches. Acknowledges King's letter respecting Belgium. Hopes of an arrangement ....... 320 191. The King to Earl Grey, Aug. 6. Belgian affairs. De- bate in the House of Lords about Portugal . . 322 192. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Aug. 6. The King wUl be glad to see Lord Grey. His Majesty much pleased by the decided course taken by his Government in the Belgian business 323 193. Earl Grey to the King, Aug. 9. Account of debate in the House of Lords on Lord Londonderry's motion on Belgium . . . . ■ . . . . . 324 xl CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE 194. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 12. Baronetcy of Sir J. Macgregor. Converaation in the House of Lords respecting Coronation. Dutch army ordered to retire. Orders in consequence to Sir E. Codrington to return to Portsmouth. Marquis of Queensbury to be Lord of the Bedchamber. Baron Stockmar's letter to Lord Durham 326 195. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Aug. 13. Sir James Macgregor's baronetcy. The Coronation. Communica- tions from the Hague. Lord Queensbury's appoint- ment. Letter of Baron Stockmar. Hanoverian Kesi- dent at Vienna 328 19G. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 14. Marquis of Queensbury's appointment. Apology for not attend- ing levee. Letter of Hanoverian Eesident at Vienna. Letter from Lord Granville. The Coronation . . 829 197. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Aug. 15. Lord Granville's letter. Lord Queensbury. The Coronation. Pro- fessions of the French Government. Necessity of in- sisting on withdrawal of French troops from Belgium 331 198. Earl Grey to the King, Aug. 18. Letters from the King of the Belgians. Instructions to Lord Gran- ville. Duke of Bedford unable to carry the sceptre at the Coronation ....... 333 199. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Aug. 21. Question of brevet or other boon to the Army and Navy on the Coronation ........ 334 200. Earl Grey to the King, Aug. 22. Communication to the House of Commons respecting the Coronation through the Speaker. Settlement on the Queen. Brevet. Dispatch to Sir C. Bagot respecting retreat of Dutch army. Duke of Saxe Weimar and Lord William Eus- sell. Lords-Lieutenants proposed for Lish counties . 336 201. The King to Earl Grey, Aug. 23. Eeply to the above . 337 202. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 26. Interview with the Duke of Wellington respecting Belgian fortresses. Coronation. Letter from Archbishop of Canterbury. A Naval and a Military Peer to be made. Lord Howden proposed for the Army. Sir J. Saumarez for the Navy. THE FIEST VOLUME. ■ xli NO. piOE His services. Objection of His Majesty on account of ships lost in the Baltic ...... 338 203. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Aug. 27. Homage of Bishops at the Coronation. Belgian fortresses. His Majesty approves of Peerage to Lord Hovrden for the Army. Sir J. Saumarez for the Navy still objected to . . 340 204. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 28. Naval Peers. Sir J. Saumarez. Belgian fortresses .... 342 205. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 29. Belgian fortresses. , Duke of Leinster's refusal of the L:ish riband . . 343 206. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Aug. 31. Affairs of Belgium and Holland. Interview with General Baudraud. Sen- timents of French Government. Had not been able to attend levee. Going to Sheen. Hopes to see the King next week respecting promotions for the Coronation. Suggests, for the Navy, giving an Earldom to Lord Duncan. State of things in the House of Lords. Ee- ported resolution of the Opposition .... 345 207. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Sept. 1. The King going to town. His Majesty's opinion respecting Belgium. Kling approves of making Lord Duncan an Earl. His regret at the state of things in the House of Lords ; he is prepared to meet the difficulties that may arise . 347 208. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Sept. 10, enclosing letter from King sanctioning the grant of a Peerage to Sir James Saumarez ....... 349 209. Earl Grey to the King, Sept 11, acknowledging the above ......... 350 210. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Sept. 27. Death of Lord Durham's son. Asks to be excused from the levee. King's displeasure respecting the language of an officer about the House of Lords. Reasons for not noticing it as proposed by His Majesty . . . . .351 211. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Sept. 27. Eeply to the pre- ceding letter . . ... . . . . 353 212. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Sept. 27. His own con- dolence with Lord and Lady Durham. The King's feeling as to the language used about the House of Lords ......... 355 xlii CONTENTS OF, NO. PAGE 213. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Sept. 29. His thanks to the King for excusing his absence. Question as to the liability of an officer on full pay, but absent on leave, for a military offence. Living of Halesworth vacant by Dr. Whately 's appointment to be Archbishop of Dublin ; recommends Mr. Badeley for it . . . . . 856 214. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Sept. 30. The King approves the appointment of Mr. Badeley. His Majesty had seen Sir James Graham. Grounds of his objection to Ad- miralty Minute 358 215. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Oct. 4. Lord Waldegrave's resignation of his office of Lord of the Bedchamber . 360 216. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 4. Acknowledges Lord Grey's account of the first night's debate in the House of Lords on the Reform Bill. Lord Hill's absence. Lord Durham 360 217. The King to Earl Grey, Oct 6. Acknowledges further report of proceedings in the House of Lords . . 361 218. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 7. Further adjournment of the debate ........ 362 219. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 8. Acknowledges letter announcing the defeat of the Eeform Bill in the House of Lords. His Majesty had anticipated this result. Plis apprehensions of a collision between the two Houses of Parliament. Difdculty of meeting the state of things. Eetirement of Earl Grey and his colleagues would be a great evil. The King hopes it will not be proposed by the Cabinet ........ 362 220. Earl Grey to the King, Oct. 8. Lord Grey has laid His Majesty's letter before the Cabinet. Their gratitude for his confidence, and desire for time to consider before deciding on their course. Lord Grey wishes to wait on His Majesty to explain his views .... 364 221. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Oct. 8. Monday would be the day that would suit him best for waiting on the King. The amount of the majority puts a further cre- ation of Peers out of the question. Desire to admit of modifications in the Bill ; but it was impossible. Carry- ing a measure not less efficient absolutely necessary . 365 THE FIRST VOLUME. xliii NO. PAGE 222. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 8. Propriety of Ministers taking time for oonsidaration. Will see Lord Grey at any hour on Monday ...... 367 223. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Oct. 8. The lung's con- fidence in the continued exertions of his Ministers. Suggests 3 o'clock on Monday for Lord Grey's seeing the King 367 224. The Kiag to Earl Grey, Oct. 9. Sends Colonel Napier's speech for Lord Grey's consideration. Proposes that he sliould be struck off the half-pay list if the report is accurate ......... 368 225. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Oct. 10. Lord Howe's re- signation of the office of Lord Chamberlain to the Queen. His Majesty wUl not prorogue Parliament in person . 370 226. Earl Grey to the King, Oct. 11. Transmits Minute of Cabinet. His gratitude for the King's kindness and confidence. Lord Howe's resignation. Parliament may be prorogued at the end of the week. Hopes the King will reconsider his determination not to prorogiie it in person ......... 371 227. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Oct. 11. His anxious hope that the King may be induced to prorogue Parliament in person. Good efiect produced by Lord Althorp's declaration of the previous evening in the House of Com- mons. Note explaining what this declaration was, with a letter res2:)ecting it, from Lord Grey to one of his colleagues ........ 374 228. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 12. Acknowledges Cabinet Minute. His Majesty's satisfaction at the readiness of his Ministers to continue in his service. His sense of the feeling that induces them to do so. His assent to their proposal that a new BiU should be brought forward. EecaUs their attention to his letter of the 24th of April. Hopes that modifications of the measure which may reconcile opinions may be found. Will prorogue Par- liament in person. His reason for having been unwil- ling to do so 376 229. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 17. His desire that the Speech from the Throne may not increase excitement. xliv CONTENTS OF NO. PA.GE Great evil of a second rejection of a Eeform Bill by the House of Lords. Whatever can irritate the majority should be avoided. Quotation from Lord Bolingbroke 381 230. Earl Grey to the King, Oct. 17. Reply to the above. Review of vfhat had taken place with respect to Reform since his accession to office ..... 382 231. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 18. Further discussion of the same subject. Reference to Lord John Russell's letter to the Chairman of the Birmingham meeting . 385 232. Sir Herbert Taylor to Earl Grey, Oct. 20. Remarks on the draft of the King's Speech on proroguing Parliament 388 233. The King to Earl Grey, Oct. 26. Plan for building a barrack in the Birdcage "Walk Proposed boon to the subaltern ranks of Army and Navy. Pay of Officers of the Blues 389 234. Earl Grey to the King, Oct. 27. Reply to the above. Satisfactory dispatches from Sir C. Bagot and Sir R. Adair 390 235. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Oct. 28. Letter from Arch- bishop of Canterbury respecting prayer on account of Cholera. Appointment of trustees for the Queen . 392 236. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Oct. 29. Answer to the above. Applications in consequence of the death of Sir G. Naylor 393 237. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 1. Riots at Bristol. Measures proposed in consequence. A Council required. Cabinet Minute enclosed ...... 394 238. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 1. King will come next day at 3, to St. James's, for a Council . . 397 239. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 3. Outrages stopped at BristoL Good conduct of the troops. Inefficiency of civil authorities. Cabinet on intended meeting at - White Conduit House. Satisfactory accounts from Sir R. Jackson and Major Mackworth .... 398 240. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 4. Answer to the above. The King's opinion respecting the Political Unions — as to members of them serving as special constables. Employment of Pensioners at Bristol. Ob- jection to the employment of the Militia . . . 400 THE FIEST VOLUME. xlv NO. PAGE 241. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 6. Notices issued by Magistrates as to the intended meeting under the advice of the Law Officers. The meeting abandoned. Mea- sures for preserving peace successful ; but importance of settling'the question of Reform. Opposition to this measure has caused the extension of the Political Unions. The danger of their becoming permanently established. Remedy, the passing of the Reform Bill. Employment of Pensioners. Necessity for effectual organisation of Civil Power. Hopes no addition to military force will be required . . . . . . . . 402 242. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 7. Lord Grey"s letter had been satisfactory to the King. Remarks on the objects of the Agitators and Political Unions, and pro- bable effect upon them of passing the Reform Bill . 405 243. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 7. Assemblage at White Conduit House. Views of the Government as to seditious proceedings. Letters from Lord Durham, from Brussels. Case of English cholera at Sunderland 408 244. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 8. Political Unions— ' how far connected with the Reform question . . 410 245. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 8. State of things in London. Political Unions. Good effect of Lord Drurham's advice in Belgium. Cholera . . . 412 246. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 10. Correspondence between the King and the Duke of Wellington. Lord Grey's letter to the Duke. Real cholera at Sunder- land 413 247. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 11. The Duke of Wellington's statement as to arming of Political Unions 414 248. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 11, returning cor- respondence with the Duke of Wellington. Opinion respecting it. Cabinet on Canada. Progress of cholera at Simderland ........ 415 249. The King to Earl Grey, Nov. 13. His Majesty, in his correspondence with the Duke of Wellington, desired to convey the impression of his confidence in his Min- isters. His trust that they will not allow the formation of armed bodies contrary to law . . . .417 xlvi CONTENTS OF NO. PAGE 250. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 13. Correspondence ■witli the Duke of Wellington. The King's opinion re- specting Canada and the United States . . .419 251. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 15. The lying is glad he did not delay answering the Duke of WelUngton's letter ; in future, the reply to any similar communica- tion will be a simple acknowledgment. Hopes medical report from Sunderland may show the alarm about cholera to have been a false one . . . .421 252. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 16. Eeported con- tract for firearms at Birmingham. Another letter to His Majesty from the Duke of Wellington. The King's opinion as to representation of Metropolitan districts. Further account from Sunderland satisfactory ; also that of the proceedings of the Conference . . . 422 253. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 18. Correspondence of the King with the Duke of Wellington. Possible inconvenience of His Majesty's expressing opinions on public matters to others than his confidential servants. Political Unions. Character of that at Birmingham — difficulty of dealing with it. Eepresentation of Metropolitan districts. Belgian affairs. Worse ac- counts from Sunderland. Barracks in the Birdcage Walk. Captain Lyons can give the best information respecting Greece . . . . . . .423 254. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 19. Correspondence with the Duke of Wellington. Political Unions. Metropolitan representation. Lord Palmerston's able management of Conference on Belgium. Cholera. Bari-acks in the Birdcage Walli. Captain Lyons . 428 255. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 19, encloses Cabinet Minute, recommending that Parhament should be called together. Council required. Necessary for the King to come to London. Opinion of the Law Officers as to the illegality of the proposed organisation of the Bir- mingham Union . . . . . 431 256. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 20. The King will go to London for the Council. His Majesty will be glad to see Lord Grey when he wishes it, but is unwilling THE FIRST VOLUME. xlvii to call for his attendance. His Majesty pleased with the opinion of the Law Officers. .... 433 257. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 22. Proposed arrange- ments as to another Council for the King's Speech on opening Parliament. Hope that Proclamation ordered the day before will have a good effect. Nothing yet done as to illegal organisation of Political Unions. Mr. O'Connell's scheme of Union. Advantage of his being brought over by the meeting of Parliament. Im- portance of early settlement of the Eeform question. Desire of Ministers to conciliate the opponents of the Bill. Is to see the Bishop of London, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Wharncliife. Hopes the next discussion of the question in the House of Lords may have a more fortunate issue. K the next Bill should be rejected, serious consequences that must follow . 435 258. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 23. The King wiU hold a Council at St. James's on the 5th of December. His approval of the Proclamation. Concurs in Lord Grey's opinion as to Mv. O'Connell. The King sensible of the importance of settling the question of Eeform. His confidence in Lord Grey and his colleagues. He would lament the loss of their services : is therefore glad of the communication with Lord Wharncliife. Hopes as to communications with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London. Thinks the Duke of "Wellington could not have' been consulted by Lord WharnclifFe. Letter from the National Political Union 438 259. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 25. Answer to the above. Has received written communication from Lord WharncUife : it is less encouraging. Cabinet on Ee- form to be held next day. Conversation with Bishop of London most satisfactory : from the Archbishop of Canterbury has got nothing definite. Effect that would be produced by the expression of His Majesty's opinion. The King's satisfaction with the Proclamation has given him pleasure. Its good effect. IMeaning of the declaration of the National Union. Looks forward to xlviii CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. speedy dissolution of tliese Unions if Reform can be carried. Bill for plate ordered by the late King . 442 260. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Not. 27. The King's re- marks on the communications with the opponents of the former Reform Bill. City meeting. The King's regret that he cannot exert his iniluenoe with either Spiritual or Lay Peers in favour of the Reform Bill. Effect of the Proclamation. Bill for plate . . 446 261. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 28. Acknowledges the preceding letter. Sends letters from Dr. Fenwick respecting cholera at Sunderland, and from Lord Lis- more respecting Ireland ...... 449 262. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Nov. 29. Reply to the above. The King desires advice as to an application for a subscription for the Paisley Weavers . . 450 263. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Nov. 30. Interview with Lord WharnclifFe. Discussion with him of his pro- posed alterations in the Reform Bill. Excuse for defer- ring consideration of other matters referred to him by His Majesty. P.S. Note received from Lord Wliarn- cliflfe putting an end to all hope of agreement . . 451 264. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey, Dec. 1. King desires him to defer rej)lying to the part of Lord Grey's letter re- lating to the Reform Bill and his communication with Lord WharnclifFe 457 265. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor, Dec. 2. Sends rough draft of Speech for the opening of Parliament. Captain Lyons. Article in the ' Standard' . . . .458 Appendix A. Report on Reform by Lord Durham, Sir James Graham, Lord John Russell, and Lord Duncannon . 461 Appendix B. Minute of Conversation between Lord Grey and Lord WharnclifFe, Nov. 16, 1831 . . . .464 Appendix C. Lord WliarnclifFe's Plan for the Alteration of the Reform Bill, Nov. 23, 1831 471 THE COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY WITH KING AYILLIAM IV. No. 1. Earl Grey to the Kmg. Berkeley Square, Nov. 23, 1830. Eael Geey has the honour of submittmg to your Majesty the minutes of a Cabinet, held last night at Earl Grey's house. Your Majesty's servants are to meet again to-day, at three o'clock, to take into further consideration the mode of executing the measiu-es re- solved upon, as stated in the above minute ; upon "vvhich Earl Grey hopes to be able further to inform your Majesty when he has the honour of waiting on youx Majesty, in obedience to your Majesty's com- mands, to-day, at four o'clock. All which is most humbly submitted by Your Majesty's most dutiful subject and servant, Geey. VOL. I. B 2 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Nov. 23 (Enclosure.) PRESENT : The Lord Chancellor. The Viscount Palmerston. The Lord President. The Viscount Groderich. The Lord Privy Seal. The Viscount Althorp. The Duke of Eichmond. The Lord Holland. The Earl of Carlisle. Sir James Graham. Earl Grey. The Eight Hon. C. Grant. The Viscount Melbourne. 1. A Proclamation to be issued to warn all persons engaged in illegal acts, of the danger of their pro- ceedings, and of the determination of the Government to exert all their powers to suppress unlawful assemblies and acts of outrage. To exhort the Magistrates and others to use the utmost vigour in the execution of their duties, and to offer a reward for the detection of all offenders. 2. To address a Circular Letter to aU Lords-Lieu- tenants to use the utmost dihgence and vigour in assembhng the civil power, and immediately directing it to the suppression of all acts of violence; and suggesting to all Lords-Lieutenants who, from any circumstances, are unable personally to use the exertions requked in such an emergency, to appoint Vice-Lieutenants to repair to the disturbed parts of their respective counties, and to exercise the powers of Lords-Lieutenants, for the purposes above stated. 3. In the foregoing, to be enclosed the form of a circular to be addressed to the Magistrates to exhort . them to act with vigour, to inform them of the powers vested in them for this purpose, and the security afforded 1830] WITH KING WILTJAM IV. 3 tliem by the law in the exercise of these powers ; ^varning them at the same time that any remissness in the discharge of their duty will incur His Majesty's severest displeasure. To enclose in this circular the plan adopted by the Duke of Eichmond in Sussex, with an account of the success attending its execution. 4. To communicate with the Commander-in-Chief for the purpose of sending officers into the disturbed parts of the country, to communicate with the Magis- trates, and to form plans for the distribution and exertion, both of the civil and military power. 5. To inquire at Chelsea Hospital respecting the number and residence of discharged soldiers receiving pensions, with a view to forming them into bodies for the protection of the public peace. To consult with the Commander-in-Chief on this point. 6. To direct all the depositions which have been received either at the Home Office, or by the Solicitor to the Treasury, to be laid before His Majesty's Law Officers, requiring them to take the same into their immediate consideration, and to report their opinion thereon as to the expediency of instituting prosecutions in any cases on which there may be proof sufficient to obtain convictions. No. 2. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Nov. 2-3, 1830. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's note of this day, and the accompanying minute of a Cabinet held last night. 4 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Nov. 23 His Majesty approves in general of all that is therein submitted for his consideration, sensible as he is that the present state of the country imperiously calls for every possible demonstration of firmness in the reso- lution of his Government, for the utmost vigour and energy in its measures, and for promptness and decision in the execution of these measures. There is one point only, that contained in Art. 5 of the minute, on which His Majesty considers it necessary to observe more particularly. His Majesty has reason to believe that what is therein suggested, has, at various times, engaged the attention of his late Government, that the necessary ■ information will prove to have been collected, and arrangements to have been proposed by Sir Henry Hardinge, and possibly to a certain extent carried into effect in Ireland, upon a principle more or less apph- cable to the state and circumstances of this country. The King conceives that great discrimination will be neces- sary in assembling for the preservation of the pubhc peace, otherwise than in military bodies subject to mihtary discipline, men whose habits may, unless brought under close control and restriction, be con- sidered little calculated to promote the object with a view to which it is proposed to assemble them. At any rate it appears to His Majesty, that military officers should be sent to the points at which they may be assembled in counties or districts, to inspect them before they are formed into bodies ; and to ascertain whether their physical and moral qualifications shall justify their being employed as protectors of the public peace. Another point upOn which the King had spoken to Sir Eobert Peel, is the occasional augmentation, for any 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 5 particular emergency, of the metropolitan police ; and the expedient which suggested itself, appeared to His Majesty a very simple one. Namely, that the men con- stituting the permanent police should each be required to give in the names of one or more residents within their respective districts, efficient men of good charac- ter, and well affected, for whom they would be respon- sible, and whose names should be enrolled as assistants or subsidiary policemen, to be brought by them to the station of assembly, when required, upon which occa- sion they should be sworn in as special constables, and should receive pay while so employed. The King suggests these as general ideas for the consideration of Lord Glrey, but does not consider it necessary to enter into further details. William E. No. 3. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Nov. 26, 1830. The King acknowledges the receipt of Lord Grey's letter, and will be glad to receive him at three this day, or at any other hour that may suit him. His Majesty indeed wishes it to be clearly understood by Lord Grey and the other members of his Government, that he will never suffer any engagement or his convenience to interfere with the attention which His Majesty con- siders to be. due to public business. His Majesty has learnt with satisfaction, that Mr. Chas. Wynne has ac- cepted the office of Secretary at War. William R 6 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Nov. 27 No. 4. The Kimj to Earl Grey. St. James's, Nov. 27, 1830. The King, aware as lie is of the difficulties which have arisen with respect to the appointment of a Master- General of the Ordnance,* is induced to communicate to Earl Grey, for his consideration, w^hat has occurred to him upon the subject. However averse His Majesty has ever been, upon principle, to the idea of breaking up an old estabhshed public department of consider- able extent and importance, and which has been conducted with great ability and respectability, and Avith acknowledged efficiency in its various' branches ; much as His Majesty dislikes even the appearance of yielding to clamours for reform, which have often been, and may still be, urged by individuals who, in their eagerness for reductions, do not take the trouble of making any distinction between that which is useful and necessary, and that which is Avasteful and super- fluous, or who may be altogether incapable of forming a correct judgment upon the subject, — the King is not less alive to the objection of maintaining a high and important establishment upon a footing inconsistent with the character so long attached to it. Yet, such would be the effect of placing at the head of the Ordnance Department any individual of rank in the * The arrangement originally proposed to the King, and approved by .him, was that the Duke of Richmond should be Master-General; but this appointment did not take place, owing to an objection made to it by the Conimandei'-iu-Chief, on the ground of the Duke's rank in the army not being sufficiently high. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 7 service, or station in the country, inferior to tliose who have hitherto presided over it, or of placing the military parts of it in hands not of the mihtary profession. Under these circumstances, His Majesty would not feel disinclined to sanction an arrange- ment which has been frequently suggested, and which he has reason to believe would be by no means unpalatable to the corps of Eoyal Artillery and Eoyal Engineers. Namely, to place these corps and the milhtary arrangements of the Ordnance Department under the Commander-in-Chief, with a Major-General of each corps on the staff, through whom the details of the service should be carried on, and who would report to, and receive their orders and instructions from, the Commander-in-Chief. The Barrack Department to be placed under the superintendence of the Quartermaster- General, subject also to the control of the Commander- in-Chief. The accounts of the mihtary branches to be thrown into the War Office. The Civil Departments of the Ordnance might form a distinct estabhshment, and be regulated by a Board, similar to the Navy Board, and might be responsible to the Treasury for their expenditure. His Majesty believes that the actual constitution of the Ordnance Department, and the division of business into civil and mihtary, would facilitate the execution of this arrangement. William E. 8 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Nov. 27 No. 5. Earl Grey to the King. Berkeley Square, Nov. 27, 1830. Earl Grey has had the honour of receiving your Majesty's most gracious letter of this day's date. He will not fail in his duty to give the most anxious attention to the very important suggestions of your Majesty, with a view to a new regulation of the Ord- nance Department. But he humbly submits to your Majesty, that so great and extensive a change would require much time for inquiry and consideration, and that it might be inconvenient to leave, during the interval, so important a branch of the public service under officers who held their appointments only till their successors shall be named. Earl Grey therefore humbly entreats your Majesty to allow him to proceed in his endeavours to fill the offices of the Ordnance according to the present mode, in the hope that he may shortly be able to recommend to your Majesty some officer of suitable rank and character to be at the head of that department, under whose care and management any regulations that may be found to be more beneficial for its future constitu- tion, may be carried into effect. AU which, &c. Grey. No. 6. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Nov. 27t]i, 1830. The King has this moment received Earl Grey's letter, and does not delay to assure him that his only 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 9 motive in suggesting what had occurred to him, was to satisfy Earl Grey that he would not object to any arrangement of the Ordnance Department which might reheve him from a difficulty ; but His Majesty has not the most distant wish to embarrass him by the com- munication of any suggestion, and he is perfectly satisfied that Lord Grey's arrangements will be such as must receive his approbation. William E. No. 7. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, Dec. 1, 1830. The King is induced to make this confidential com- munication to Earl Grey, as to the head of his Govern- ment, and the individual on whom he rests his hopes of support, in consequence of some hints thrown out by Lord Holland, when His Majesty placed in his hands the seals of the Duchy of Lancaster, and of some further observations which he made to him yesterday, which His Majesty cannot deny to have occasioned to him considerable alarm and uneasiness, as threatening an invasion of those rights and privileges which he is in duty bound to maintain, and to transmit unim- paired to his successors. It appeared to be, in the contemplation of Lord Holland, not only to admit of the threatened interference by Parhament in the con- cerns of the Duchy of Lancaster, but even to promote it, and His Majesty cannot but apprehend that the idea of submitting them for investigation to a committee of the House of Commons has been entertained. 10 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 1 To such a course His Majesty conceives that he would be justified in objecting most strenuously, as being inconsistent with, and in violation of the especial and hereditary rights which, as Sovereign of this country, he possesses in the Duchy of Lancaster, and as tending to lower his dignity and authority, and to bring his name into contempt. The King hopes he may be mistaken, and that the apprehensions raised by Lord Holland's expressions may be groundless, but lest this should not be the case, he deems it necessary thus early to notice them to Earl Grey, as it is his anxious wish to avoid the possibihty of any discussion with his Government, which should be at variance with his earnest desire to continue to it his unqualified countenance and support. His Majesty is convinced that Lord Grey will agree with him that the value of that support, more especially in such times as the present, will depend in great measure upon the estimation in which His Majesty's character may be held in the country, and that nothing is more likely to shake it, nothing more calculated to lessen the benefit which his Government may derive from it, than any act which shall create the impression that His Majesty is disposed tamely to submit to invasions of his just rights, and to surrender privileges which have not hitherto been questioned. These are the grounds of his present communication to Earl Grey. They are personal as connected with the integrity of his possession in the Duchy of Lancaster, they are pubhc as affecting his character as Sovereign of this country, and its influence upon the opinions and feelings of his subjects in these critical times ; and 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 11 His Majesty is satisfied that Earl Grey will give him credit for the importance which he attaches to the maintenance of both. Earl Grey cannot be surprised that the King should view with jealousy any idea of Parliamentary inter- ference with the only remaining pittance of an inde- pendent possession which has been enjoyed by his ancestors dm-ing many centuries, as their private and independent estate, and has now, as such, lawfully devolved upon him in right of succession. That he should feel that any successful attempt to deprive the Sovereign of this independent possession will be to lower and degrade him into the state and condition of absolute and entire dependence, as a pensioner of the House of Commons, to place him in the condition of an individual violating or surrendering a trust which had been held sacred by his ancestors, and which he is bound to transmit to his successors. The King cannot indeed conceive upon what plea such a national invasion of the private rights, and such a seizure oi the private estates of the Sovereign could be justified. It cannot be founded upon any principle of retrenchment, for if such be the object, if it be thought fit or becoming to reduce the resources of the Sovereign in a greater degree than has already been effected by the surrender of certain allowances, an equivalent reduction in the grant of that portion of the Civil List revenue which is appropriated to His Majesty's Privy Purse would naturally have occurred to those who may wish to curtail the attributes of Eoyalty. The King has entrusted the guardianship of this, his ancient private estate and inheritance, to one of 12 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 1 his confidential servants, who, upon his installation into the ofiice of Chancellor of the Duchy, took a solemn oath that ' all things that may serve for the weal and profit of the King's Highness, his '^ heirs and suc- cessors " (that is in relation to the Duchy of Lancaster), and for the good rule and governance of the said Duchy, he would well and truly do and fulfil to his cunning and power.' And His Majesty has fair reason to expect that a pledge so solemnly taken will be fulfilled, and that he will be supported in his assertion of these private rights, not only of himself, but of his heirs and successors, as they have devolved upon him, separate from all other his possessions jure coronce, and conse- quently as his separate personal and private estate, vested in His Majesty, by descent from Henry YH., in his body natural, and not in his body politic as King. The King, in his desire to put Earl Grey in full possession of the view he takes of this question, has been drawn into much greater detail than he had contemplated. William E. No. 8. Earl Grey to the King. Berkeley Square, Dec. 1, 1830. Earl Grey has had the honovir of receiving your Majesty's confidential and most gracious communica- tion of this day's date. It is with the deepest regret that Earl Grey learns from your Majesty, that some observations had fallen from Lord Holland, on the occasion of receiving from 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 13 yoiir Majesty the seals of the Duchy of Lancaster, and again yesterday, which had occasioned to your Majesty considerable alarm and uneasiness, as threatening an invasion of those rights and privileges, which your Majesty feels yourself in duty bound to maintain and transmit miimpaired to your successors. Earl Grey will lose no time in communicating with Lord Holland on this subject, and humbly requests permission to show him your Majesty's most gracious letter. Earl Grey will not allow himself to doubt that a satisfactory explanation will be the result of this com- munication. Earl Grey, in the meantime, begs leave to assure j^our Majesty, that it has never been in his contemplation to sanction, still less to propose to Par- hament, any interference in the concerns of the Duchy of Lancaster, nor is he aware that any idea of submitting them for investigation to the Committee of the House of Commons has been at any time entertained ; and Earl Grey can have no hesitation in adding, that any con- sideration of the state of your Majesty's hereditary possessions in the Duchy of Lancaster, unless recom- mended by your Majesty's gracious and voluntary condescension, would be exposed to aU the objections which your Majesty has so forcibly stated. Li conclusion. Earl Grey begs further to assure your Majesty, that it will always be his most anxious wish to prove himself not undeserving of the confidence with which your Majesty has been pleased to honour him, as it is also his bounden duty to resist any attempt to invade your Majesty's acknowledged personal rights, and to maintain unimpaired the honour of your Majesty's crown. All which, &c. Grey. 14 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. I No. 9. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 1, 1830. The King hastens to assure Lord Grey of the sincere satisfaction wliich he has derived from tlie perusal of his letter just received, and that every expression of it, confirms not less than it justifies the confidence which His Majesty had reposed in Earl Grey, and his convic- tion that he would find in him a steady supporter of the honour of his crown, and of His Majesty's acknow- ledged personal rights, against any attempts that might be made to assail them. His Majesty cannot have the least objection to Earl Grey's showing his letter to Lord Holland. William E. No. 10. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 2, 1830. My dear Lord, — The King has honoured me with his commands to acquaint your Lordship, that in his con- versation -with you yesterday on the subject of the Civil List, His Majesty omitted to remind your Lordship of the question of a sum of money for the outfit of the Queen. I have the honour to enclose for your Lordship's information, the copy of a letter His Majesty ordered me to write to the Duke of Welhngton on this subject, and to add that upon subsequent reference to the Queen's Treasurer, the outfit was found to exceed 25,000/. I have, &c. - H. Tayloe. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 15 (Enclosure.) Sir Herbert Taylor to the Duke of Wellington. St. James's Palace, Nov. 16, 1830. My dear Lord Duke, — With reference to wliat the King said to your Grace yesterday, respecting a sum of money for the outfit of the Queen, His Majesty has this morning directed me to acquaint you, that it does not appear from the inquiry he has been able to make, that any sum of money was issued to the late Queen Charlotte, or to her Treasurer for that purpose, upon her arrival in England ; but that everything had been prepared, equipages, horses, liveries, even to her trous- seau, and it is presumed at the charge of the public ; for it cannot be supposed that King George TTT. provided for all this out of his privy purse, any more than for the purchase of Her Majesty's jewels, which, from the directions in her will, appear to have cost 50,000?. The Queen's outfit in the Stable Department alone will amount, as far as I can learn, to nearly 20,000Z. and if this and the further sum that may be required, are to be provided by herself out of the annual income, she will start with a heavy debt, and will not be able to maintain her establishment on the scale upon which it has been formed, which is not larger than that of the late Queen Charlotte. His Majesty, therefore, trusts that your Grace wUl have the _ goodness to take this matter into your serious consideration, with a view to reheve the Queen from the difiiculty in which she would be placed, by the omission of an adequate provi- sion on the score of outfit. I have, &c. H. Tatlok. 16 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 3 No. 11. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Berkeley Square, Dec. 3, 1830. My dear Sir,-— I received your letter at too late an hour to answer it last night. I beg you wiU assure His Majesty that what he said to me (I believe the first time that I had the honour of being admitted to his presence) on the subject of an outfit for the Queen, had not escaped my observation. It will be my anxious desire, in the arrangement of the Civil List, to meet so reasonable and so necessary a demand ; and I am not without sanguine hopes that I shall be able, with the assistance of my colleagues, to provide for it. But I will not conceal from you that I have considerable difficulties to encounter from the jealousy of the House of Commons on this subject, and from its not having been adverted to by my predecessors in office. I hope, however, that His Majesty will give me credit for a most anxious wish on this and on every other occasion, to do everything in my power to perform, in the way that may be most agreeable to His Majesty, the duty which I owe both to him and to Her Majesty the Queen. I am much obliged to you for sending me the copy of the letter which you wrote, by His Majesty's com- mand, to the Duke of Wellington. Would there be any impropriety in my requesting to see the answer to it, if there was one ? I am, &c. Gret. 1880] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 17 No. 12. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 4, 1830. My dear Lord, — I have now the honour to send your Lordship the Duke of Wellington's answer to my letter respecting the outfit for the Queen. I was obHged to wait the return of my clerk, who had been sent to Windsor, and then found that the Queen, to whom the King had given the letter, had not returned it. I forgot to mention to your Lordship, that the King had expressed himself perfectly satisfied with your letter on the subject, and quite sensible of the diSiculty which may occur. I have, &c. H. Tatloe. (Enclosure in No. 12.) The Duke of Wellington to Sir Herbert Taylor. London, Nov. 15, 1830. My dear General, — The result of my enquiry re- specting the outfit for Queen Charlotte has been exactly what His Majesty had anticipated. We cannot find the trace of any expenditure on this head. However, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I will endeavour, if possible, to obtain some money to aid, at least, in defraying this expense. Beheve me, yours most sincerely, W. VOL. I. 18 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 4 No. 13. At a Cabinet Council, held at the Foreign Office, December 4, 1830. PRESENT : The Lord Chancellor. The Viscount Melbourne. The Lord President, The Viscount Palmerston. The Lord Privy Seal. The Lord Holland. The Duke of Richmond. The Lord Groderich. The Earl of Carlisle. The Eight Hon. C. Grant. The Earl Grey. It wa3 agreed that a Circular Letter, a copy of which will be submitted to your Majesty by the Viscount Melbourne, should be addressed to the Magistrates, cautioning them against concessions which might bear the character of intimidation and weakness, and ex- horting them to increased activity and vigour. That, for the preservation of the peace of the country, additional measures should be taken for the estabhsh- ment of a Constabulary Force, and, where necessary, of Corps of Yeomanry. That a Special Commission should be sent to Buck- inghamshhe, in addition to that already directed to be sent to Wilts, Hants, and Berks. That orders should be issued to the Admiralty to send two sloops of war to the Tyne, for the protection of that and the neighbouring ports, in case the present insurrectionary spirit, of which there are as yet, happily, no symptoms, should extend to that important district. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 19 No. 14. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 4, 1830. The King approves of the measures proposed in the IMuiute of Cabinet which Earl Grey has sent him. His Majesty is very sensible of the objections, both on the score of alarm at home, and the effect abroad at this period, of resorting to any measure of miUtary aug- mentation. He conceives, however, that the existing estabhshments might be completed, whereby alone an addition of 7000 or 8000 men would be made to the regular army in the United Kingdom. William E. No. 15. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 7, 1830. My dear Lord, — A question having arisen as to the right of the late Queen Charlotte to dispose by her wiU of jewels given to her by the King George' HI. upon her marriage, and which His Majesty purchased for 50,000Z., I was ordered by the King to apply to the Treasury for information required by Lord Lynd- hurst to guide his opinion on the subject ; and I have recently received from Mr. Stewart a minute, of which I have the honour to enclose a copy by His Majesty's commands ; and from which it would appear that the jewels were purchased out of the Civil List Eevenue, and not with George HL's private monies ; and therefore would become, after Her Majesty's demise, c 2 20 OORRESPONDENCB OF EARL GREY [Dec. 10 the property of the Crown. This, however, is the point for legal decision. His Majesty's object in making this communication to your Lordship is, to show that there was a provision made for the outfit of the late Queen Charlotte, allowing jewels to constitute a part of the royal outfit ; and that this may offer an argument in support of his consort's claim, although it is by no means intended that it should embrace any jewels, or articles of jewelry ; the Queen's outlay, at starting, being almost exclusively hmited to the charges in the department of her Master of the Horse. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 16. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, Dec. 10, 1830. My dear Lord, — The King has honoured me with his commands to acquaint your Lordship, that Sir William Freemantle, who has been with him since you left his Majesty, has readily consented to waive his desire to be brought into Parliament, and to represent Windsor. This affords to His Majesty an opportunity to mark, in the most unequivocal manner, his determi- nation to give, in these critical times, the utmost support in his power to your Lordship and the present Administration, by offering his assistance in bringing Mr. Stanley in for Windsor, if he should lose his election for Preston ; and His Majesty has ordered me to assure you that he avails himself of this oppor- tunity with great satisfaction. If Mr. Stanley should take advantage of this opening, 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 21 he had better communicate at once with Sir Hussey Vivian, in order that the agents at Windsor may be apprised, without delay, of the proposed arrangement. Having been member for Windsor, I may state that the expenses of the election will amount to about lOOOZ., and the annual subscriptions, charities, &c., to something less than 1001. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 17. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Brighton, Dec. 19, 1830. My dear Lord, — I am honoured with the King's com- mands to transmit to your Lordship the letter enclosed, which His Majesty has received from Vice- Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood. His Majesty orders me to add, that Sir Henry Blackwood has been very long known to him as an excellent man, and a very meritorious officer ; but that it is by no means his wish on this, or any other occasion, to interfere with yoiir Lordship's disposal of official situations. I have, &c. H. Tatlok. P.S. — His Majesty asked me whether I had received any further account of poor Lord Spencer and Lord Althorp. No. 18. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Dec. 20, 1830. Dear Sir Herbert, — I had the honour last night of re- ceiving your letter, written by His Majesty's command. 22 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 20 and enclosing one to His Majesty from Sir H. Blackwood, soliciting the appointment of Surveyor-General of tlie Ordnance. I beg you will assure His Majesty of my readiness at all times to obey his commands with respect to matters of this nature. But, availing myself of His Majesty's permission to submit to his consideration what may appear best calculated for the good of His Majesty's service, in the appointment to official situations, I have to request that you will communicate to him the opinion of Sir James Kempt as to the office in question. After receiving the melancholy news of Sir E. Spencer's death, I lost no time in consulting with Sir James, as to the best manner of supplying the place which he had left vacant. Sir James has represented to me, that, since the annexation of the Barrack and the Store Depart- ments to the Ordnance, the duties of the Surveyor- General have been very much connected with military arrangements and details ; and a person who is not con- versant with such matters would experience. Sir James apprehends, considerable difficulty in performing the duties at present assigned to the Surveyor-General. On the other hand, the superintendence and dehvery of the stores which belong to the office of Storekeeper, Avhich involve details connected with the naval service, might, it appears, be more advantageously committed to the care of an officer of that profession; and I should, on this account, wish to recommend that officers should, in future, be thus distributed : — Surveyor-General, an officer in the Army ; Storekeeper, ditto, Navy. In this event. Col. Maberley, with His Majesty's approbation, would take the first, and a naval officer the second. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 23 With respect to Sir H. Blackwood, lia\dng no know- ledge of liis qualifications as a man of business myself, I should wish to act entirely in obedience to His Majesty's opinion, if this arrangement would suit him ; but he probably would not be willing to accept the place of second officer at the Board after the Master- General. Tliis office has given me more trouble and vexation than aU the other appointments which I have had to make ; and now a new difficulty has occurred with respect to Mr. Denison, who has been disappointed in his expectation (which he had announced as certain on Thursday last, when I proposed his appointment as Clerk of the Ordnance) of obtaining a seat in Parha- ment. It is now, therefore, my intention, understanding that I had His Majesty's permission to do so, to offer this- office to Mr. Tennyson ; and I trust that this matter win be finally arranged to-morrow. I have nothing further to communicate that will not be transmitted firom the other departments to His Majesty, to whom I beg you will offer the expression of my humble duty. I am, &c. Geey. No. 19. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Dec. 21, 1880. Dear Sir, — I enclose in a separate cover a letter to the King, to which I am anxious to obtain an answer as soon as may suit His Majesty's convenience. I was in hopes I should have been able to settle a 24 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 21 final arrane-ement of the Ordnance with Sir James Kempt, subject always to His Majesty's approbation, in time to communicate it by to-night's post ; but he has not yet appeared, and I am now obliged to go to the House of Lords. A motion was given notice of last night in the House of Commons, for an account of all the offices, &c., held under the Duchy of Lancaster. It was appointed for to-day, but I am in hopes it will be given up. If not. Lord Althorp (though I am afraid he will not be able to attend), Lord Palmerston, and Sir James Graham are prepared to meet it with the most de- termined resistance. Lord Melbourne has received an account to-day of Mr. O'Connell's entry into Dubhn on Monday evening, about six o'clock. He was met by a procession, pre- pared by the Union of Trades, of between five and six thousand people, who conducted him to his house in Merrion Square, from whence he addressed them, re- commending, at the end of his speech, that they should disperse peaceably, which they did. I mention this lest Lord Melbourne should not have transmitted the account to His Majesty. From all other parts of the country the accounts are much the same as they have been lately ; and I am sorry to say the large assem- blages in the neighbourhood of Manchester, under the direction of the Trades Union, for the purpose of compelhng a general resistance to the rate of wages offered by the master manufacturers, stiU continue. I enclose a letter which has been sent to me for the King, the cover of which has been torn, in consequence of its sticking to the seal of the envelope. I remain, &c. Gkey. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 26 No. 20. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Dec. 21, 1830. Earl Grey has tte honour of transmitting for your Majesty's consideration, a letter which he has just received from the Archbishop of Canterbury, desiring him to take your Majesty's pleasure on the expediency of directing a Prayer to be prepared by the Archbishop, and used on Sundays and Holydays in all churches and chapels in England and Wales. This subject has been very much pressed upon Earl Grey from various quar- ters ; and if your Majesty has no objections, he would humbly recommend that the Archbishop's proposal should be comphed with. As the deanery of Chester wiU become vacant on the consecration of the Bishop of Exeter, Earl Grey begs permission to submit to your Majesty, in consequence of a recommendation from Her Eoyal Highness the Duchess of Kent, that it may be right to confer this dignity on the Eev. Mr. Davys. This clergyman, as your Majesty is informed, has had the superintendence of the education of the Princess Victoria ; and, from the testimony borne to his merits by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, as well as from the important trust with which he is charged, Earl Grey ventures humbly to submit that he is a person on whom this mark of your Majesty's royal favour might be properly conferred. Earl Grey has further to state to your Majesty, that in consequence of Mr. Denison not being able to pro- cure a seat in Parhameut, Lord Grey has offered the 26 COKKESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 21 appointment of Clerk of tlie Ordnance to Mr. Tennyson, by whom it has been accepted, of which Earl Grey humbly sohcits your Majesty's approbation. The other offices, with the exception of the Treasurer, the ap- pointment to which of Mr. Creevey your Majesty has akeady been graciously pleased to approve, remain undecided upon, till Earl Grey shall have learnt your Majesty's sentiments on the communication made by him yesterday to Sir H. Taylor. All which, &c. Geey. No. 21. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) BrigMon, Dec. 21, 1880. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour of receiving your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and of submitting it to the King. His Majesty orders me to assure your Lordship, that he entkely concurs in the view which you have taken of the appointments to the Board of Ordnance, and that he equally approves of the arrangements you propose, namely, that the office of Surveyor-General should be filled by a military officer, and that of the Principal Storekeeper by a naval officer. His Majesty fully sanctions the nomination of Lieut.-Colonel Maberley to the first, and of Mr. Tennyson to the clerkship of the Ordnance ; and he desires your Lord- ship will use your discretion in the choice of the naval officer for the situation of Storekeeper. His Majesty has no reason to beheve that Su- Hemy Blackwood would object to it, but is ignorant what may be his 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 27 qualifications as a man of business, though in his pro- fession he has shown great zeal and intelligence ; but His Majesty orders me to repeat that his apphcation was referred to your -Lordship, as wou.ld that of any other individual similarly cbcumstanced, and not with the most distant view of interfering with or embarrass- ing you in yoiu? arrangements, all which His Majesty knows to be directed to the advantage and efficiency of his service. The King has honoured me with his commands to acquaint your Lordship, that he has named Sir Eobert Otway a Groom of the Bed-chamber, in the room of poor Sir Eobert Spencer ; also that, having this day received the unexpected resignation of the Earl of Beverley, who was one of the Lords of the Bed- chamber, His Majesty has availed himself of this opportunity to carry into effect his wish to confer that situation upon his future son-in-law. Lord Falkland. The vacancy has occurred most opportunely, to enable His Majesty to make this wedding present to the young couple, and he is persuaded your Lordship will give him credit for such disposal of it. The next vacancy will be filled by Lord Say and Sele. The King has ordered me to transmit to your Lordshipj with reference to these household appoint- ments, when filled by naval officers, the enclosed memorandum from Sir Henry Blackwood, with the copy of a letter I was directed to write to Mr. Barrow and his answer. A similar representation was received some time ago from Lord James O'Brien, and sent to Lord Melville, but not noticed. You will perceive that His Majesty considers the question deserving of attention. 28 COERESPONDENCE OP EARL GREY [Deo. 22 I am happy to say that the King appears already the better for his removal to this place. All is quiet here and in the neighbourhood, and the trials at Lewes are proceeding without interruption. I am sorry to trouble your Lordship with so long a letter, while your time must be otherwise so much engaged, and equally desirous that you should, upon these occasions, not be at the trouble of answering me yourself. If you will have the goodness to put me in commu- nication with your Private Secretary, it may relieve you from this additional labour. I have, &c. H. Tatlok. No. 22. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Brighton, Dec. 22, 18.30. My dear Lord, — I have the honour to enclose the King's answer to your Lordship's letter, and in which His Majesty has noticed your communication, through me, relative to the notice given in the House of Commons, of a motion for an account of all offices, &c., held under the Duchy of Lancaster, which communication gave His Majesty great satisfaction. I hope, however, that it will be given up. His Majesty had not received any report from Lord Melbourne, but was not surprised to hear that a procession had been prepared to meet Mr. O'ConneU, upon his entry into Dublin. The King observed, that he would have been better pleased if this assembly of people had not dispersed quietly at his bidding, as the 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 29 control which he has successfully exercised upon various occasions in this way appears to His Majesty the most striking proof of the influence he has acquired over a portion of the lower classes in Ireland. His Majesty had not flattered himself that the assem- blages in the neighbourhood of Manchester, under the direction of the Trades Union, would very soon subside ; though, unpleasant as they are, they have never occa- sioned to him serious uneasiness, being satisfied that these proceedings are duly watched, and that they will, when necessary, be met with due firmness, and checked. The letter which your Lordship enclosed for the King was of no importance, from an individual, having no claim, applying for a loan of 300/. It has been suggested to the King that there is an apartment at Holyrood House hung with tapestry, in His late Majesty's time, which would be used more freely if this tapestry were removed, and might be conducive to the comfort of Charles X. and his family, who may possibly be rather cramped for room. His Majesty has ordered me to name this to your Lordship, for such notice as it may appear to you to merit. I have, &c. H. Taylor. (Enclosure.) The King to Earl Grey. BrigMon, Dec. 22, 1830. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, enclosing one from the Archbishop of Canterbury, which he returns. His Majesty highly approves of the Archbishop's 30 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 22 proposal, that a Prayer should be prepared by him, to be used on Sundays and Holydays, in all churches and chapels in England and Wales. His Majesty concurs with Earl Grey in the propriety of conferring the Deanery of Chester, which will be- come vacant by the promotion of the Dean to the see of Exeter, upon the Eev. Mr. Davys, who appears to be well entitled to this mark of favour. Earl Grey will have akeady learnt His Majesty's approval of the appointment of Mr. Tennyson to the clerkship of the Ordnance ; and he hopes that the remaining arrangements of the Ordnance department will be finally completed to his satisfaction. His Majesty is very sensible of Lord Grey's determi- nation to resist any motion in the House of Commons with a view to interference in the concerns of the Duchy of Lancaster. William E. No. 2.3. Earl Grey to Sir E. Taylor. Downing Sti-eet, Dec. 22, 1830. Dear Sir, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your two letters of the 20th and 21st, the first con- taining 's letters to the King, was not, owing to some mistake or accident, forwarded by the regular post, but came by a special messenger sent by the Post Ofiice yesterday evening. With respect to 's apphcation, I have to re- quest that you will represent to His Majesty, that I can have no right to object to any orders he may be 1830] WITH IQNG WILLIAM IV. 31 pleased personally to give respecting this matter, but that I could not take it upon myself to recommend to His Majesty a compHance with 's request. The very short time that must necessarily elapse before he will succeed to his 's title seems to render his immediate advancement to the peerage a matter of comparatively inferior importance to him. To his family it would give httle additional conse- quence to that which they already possess as derived from the succession ; and the creation of a new peer would be seized as a favourable opportunity by many who are pressing claims to that distinction, to renew their apphcations with increased urgency. Six James Graham had already mentioned to me the case of the officers of the Kavy who hold appoiat- ments in His Majesty's household ; and it appeared to me, that the provisiqns of the Act of Parhament, which is adverted to ia Mr. Barrow's letter, opposed an in- surmountable obstacle to their claims. There is also the difficulty of carrying any proposition of this sort into effect, without its being canvassed and objected to in the House of Commons ; but I wiU have some further communication on this subject with Sir James Graham. I have had great pleasure in receiving His Majesty's sanction of the appointments of Mr. Tennyson and Colonel Maberley as Clerk and Surveyor of the Ordnance, and will proceed, under the permission of TTis Majesty, to fill up the other appointments with the least possible delay. I have been much gratified at learning that the King has been pleased to appoint Vice-Admiral Sir E. 32 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 23 Otway to be one of the Grooms of His Majesty's Bed- chamber. May I be permitted to add, that the motives which have induced His Majesty to name Lord Falk- land as the successor of Lord Beverley are such as must naturally have been expected to prevail in His Majesty's disposal of that office. For His Majesty's kind assurance that Lord Say and Sele will succeed to the next vacancy I feel most grateful. I am sorry to say that Mr. Stanley's legal advisers, after having carefully examined the case on the spot, have advised him to discontinue the scrutiny : the same opinion is given against a petition. This seat, therefore, is lost ; and, what is worse, Mr. Hunt has found his way into Parhament. If no other seat, therefore, can be found for Mr. Stanley, I must revert to His Majesty's kind offer of Windsor, in the event of its being vacated by Sir Hussey Vivian. I remain, &c. Geet. P.S. — I have read with the liveliest pleasure your account of His Majesty's improved health. No. 24. aSm' //. Taylor to Earl Grey. Briglitoii, Dec. 23, 1830. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour to submit your Lordship's letter of yesterday to the King, who has ordered me to say that he entirely concurs in the view you take of 's application, which will be met in that sense. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 83 His Majesty cannot so readily reconcile himself to the abandonment of the claim of the Officers of the Navy who hold or may hold appointments in his house- hold, as the provisions of the Act of Parhament must totally disappoint and defeat his wish to confer upon them such marks of his personal favour and appro- bation. To Lord Byron and Lord JSTapier, who are only captains, the situation of Lord of the Bed-chamber will continue to be an object, as they forfeit only 12s. per diem ; but, to Lord James O'Brien, the salary offers little more than an equivalent for what he is obliged to give up ; and Sir Henry Blackwood and Sir Robert Otway would lose so much by holding the situations of Grooms of the Bed-chamber, that they had better not retain them. The King is much gratified by your Lordship's approval of his appointment of Lord Falkland to be one of the Lords of the Bedchamber. His Majesty has learnt with great regret that Mr. Stanley is under the necessity of discontinuing the scrutiny, and of abandoning the petition against the return of Mr. Hunt ; but orders me to repeat that Windsor will be open to him whenever vacated by Sir Hussey Vivian. As it may be material that no time should be lost, His Majesty suggests to your Lordship the expediency of making some communication to Sir Hussey Vivian which may expedite his retirement, provided his appointment to the command of the Forces in Ireland shall be free from doubt, which your Lordship will learn from your communication with Lord Anglesey. I have, &c. H. Taylor, VOL. I. D 34 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 23 No. 25. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Dec. 23, 1830. Earl Grey lias humbly to acknowledge your Majesty's letter of yesterday, with your Majesty's gra- cious approbation of the several appointments which he had ventured to recommend to your Majesty. Upon full consideration, and with the advice of Sir Thomas Hardy, Earl Grey has proposed to the Hon. Captain Duncan the appointment to the ofBce of Storekeeper of the Ordnance, of which, if he accepts it, Earl Grey anxiously hopes your Majesty will approve. At a meeting of your Majesty's servants yesterday, it was thought necessary that an addition should be made to the miUtary force of the country, with a view to the internal state both of England and Ireland, but more particularly with respect to the latter. Eor this purpose it was agreed that Earl Grey should im- mediately submit to your Majesty the expediency of embodying the Militia, which can only be done by taking immediate measures for a new ballot. It was also thought right to accept any offers that may be made for raising Yeomanry Corps in those parts of the country where the spirit of insubordination appears to be most prevalent. As the order for balloting for the Militia will require the sanction of your Majesty in Council, Earl Grey has further to submit that a Council should be held at Brighton, at such tilne as may suit your Majesty's convenience ; for which purpose. Earl Grey, with such other Members of the Privy Council as, added to those 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 35 who are now at Brighton, would form the necessary number, will attend your Majesty's commands. Earl Grey is happy to inform your Majesty that the letters received this morning from Sir H. Bouverie and the Magistrates give a better account of the state of things in the manufacturing districts near Man- chester. The letters from Ireland are unfortunately not of so favourable a description. The Marquis of Anglesey, from whom letters have been received after his arrival at Holyhead, was to make his entry into Dublin to-day. Earl Grey has further to inform your Majesty that, upon further consideration, it has been thought better not to extend the adjournment of the Two Houses beyond Thursday, 4th February. AH which, &c. Gbey. No. 26. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Dec. 24, 1830. The King has received Earl Grey's letter of yester- day, and assures him that he considers that no Officer of the Royal Navy can be better qualified than Captain Duncan for the office of Storekeeper of the Ordnance. His Majesty is not surprised that his confidential servants should, with reference to the present internal state of the United Kingdoms, have come to the resolu- tion of submitting to the King that the Mihtia should be immediately embodied, and that encouragement should be given to the increase of the Yeomanry force. His Majesty is aware that the number of the former, D 2 36 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 24 which requires to be completed by bahot, is about 10,000 ; and he trusts that the measure now contem- plated will have, with the recruiting of the Army, the effect of giving employment to a portion of the mis- guided individuals who may probably require only a better direction to become useful and loyal subjects. His Majesty will hold the Council here on Monday, at such hour as may suit Earl Grey after eleven. The Privy Councillors here are Lord Holland, the Duke of Sussex, and Lord John Townshend. Four more will, therefore, be required. The King regrets that the reports from Ireland con- tinue unsatisfactory. Those from the manufacturing districts, however disagreeable, have at no time occa- sioned to His Majesty the same uneasiness as those from some other quarters. William R No. 27. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Brighton, Dec. 24, 1830. My dear Lord, — The King having replied fully to the letter which your Lordship addressed to him yesterday, I have only, in obedience to His Majesty's commands, to acquaint your Lordship that he will be glad if you and those other Members of the Privy Council who may come from London on Monday will dine with him ; and that he can lodge your Lordship and one more at the Pavilion, should you stay the night, which His Majesty recommends your doing at this season. 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 37 The King, before he had received your Lordship's letter, had ordered me to state his wish that you would consider of the propriety and practicability of altering the Act of Parliament which affects Officers on half-pay holding situations in his household, so as to relieve them from, what appears to His Majesty, so unjust a penalty upon acceptance of marks of his personal favour ; but as you will have the opportunity of com- municating verbally with His Majesty upon this point, your Lordship may possibly consider it more advisable to drop the question until then, and I merely mention this to prepare you for it. I have, «&c. H. Taylor. No. 28. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Deo. 25, 1830. My dear Lord, — .In consequence of the intention of embodying the Militia, I take the libeity of communi- cating privately^ for your Lordship's consideration, a paper drawn up by Major-General Sir Eichard Jackson, the Deputy-Quarter-Master-General, and the copy of a letter from myself to Sir Eobert Peel, on the same sub- ject. You will observe that they (Sir E. Jackson's at least) are applicable chiefly to a period of war, but still there are parts which may be deserving of attention at present. I do not send them to Lord Melbom-ne, as Sir Eichard Jackson very properly considers that he should have Lord Hill's sanction for bringing forward anything. 38 COKRESPONDENOE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 30 If your Lordship should deem this suggestion useful, I can return them to him, and desire him to give them to Lord Hill. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 29. Earl Grey to The Kmg. Downing Street, Dec. 30, 1830. Earl Grey has the honour of submitting to your Majesty the Minute of the Proceedings of a Meeting of your Majesty's servants, held to-day at the Foreign Office. The alarming nature of the accounts from Ireland could leave no doubt as to the necessity of providing, by the most effectual measiures, for any exigency that may arise ; but, upon the most material points referred to in the annexed minute, private communications have already been made to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, both by Lord Grey and Lord Melbourne. Lord Grey has the greatest satisfaction in adding, that the accounts received to-day from Manchester and the neighboiffing district, as well as from other parts of the country, afford an increased hope that obedience to the laws, and consequent tranquillity, may soon be re-established. (Enclosure in No. 29.) PRESENT : The Lord Privy Seal. Lord Holland. Earl of Carlisle. Viscount Althorp. Earl Grey. Sir James Grrabam. Viscount Palmerston. The Right Hon. C. Grant. Viscount Goderich. 1830] WITH IQNG WILLIAJI IV. 39 That, with a view to having such a disposable force as circumstances may require, it is necessary to render the Militia efficient, with as little delay as possible. That, for this purpose, instructions should be sent to the Lords-Lieutenants of counties to proceed with a ballot without loss of time ; and that, in the meantime, the staff and quota of the Militia now liable to serve, shoidd be called out for the purpose of immediate training. That instructions be sent to the Lord-Lieutenant sanctioning his proposal to set on foot corps of Yeo- manry, avoiding, as much as possible, in the measures necessary for this purpose, any thing that may tend to revive or to prolong religious animosities and dis- tinctions. That, at the same time, it should be recommended to His Majesty's Government in Ireland, to take into their immediate consideration, and submit to His Majesty's Cabinet, such measures as may appear to be required for the removal of any grievances, either in the actual state of the law, or in the mode of its administration, which may afford just cause of complaint. That, in particular, immediate attention should be paid to the state of education in Ireland, Avith a view to the remedy of any defects in the system now existing for that purpose, and to the introduction of such im- provements as may appear expedient. That it be further recommended to the Government of Ireland, to consider and report upon the expediency of discontinuing the present appointment of Governors in the counties, and substituting Lords-Lieutenants, as is now practised in England, in their stead. 40 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 30 No. 30. Sw H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brigliton, Dec. 30, 1830. My dear Lord, — Your Lordship will, I hope, forgive my troubling you with a few remarks or suggestions on the subject of the augmentation of our Military force, either for internal security, or foreign purposes, as cir- cumstances may require, the official situation which I held during nearly ten years having directed my attention to the question at various times and in various shapes. I am ignorant to what extent it may be in contem- plation to increase the military means, either by calling out the Militia partially, or by any addition to the Eegular force ; but I am convinced that the latter would be, not only the most efficient, but the cheapest ; and it would have the advantage of being applicable to all purposes. The actual establishment of our regiments of Li- fantry of the Line is 740 rank and file. The effectives had been lowered to 660 ; and the difference to be made up by recruiting is 6,720 upon 84 battalions (regiments in India not being included), besides a few hundreds to complete the Guards. This has been ordered and is in progress, and I will suppose the regi- ments to be complete to that establishment. The 84 battalions might be augmented to 1,000 rank and file each, which would give a total addition of 21,840 rank and file in the Line ; and the Guards to 100 per com- pany, 672 rank and file in the Guards ; total, 22,512 ; without adding an officer, or any additional regimental 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 41 staff, as the actual proportion of officers would be suffi- cient, if effective. All that would be required would be one additional sergeant and one corporal per com- pany. Whereas the same number of Militia, forming at least 28 regiments, would require 84 field-officers, 280 captains, 560 subalterns, besides regimental staff of various descriptions, and a large proportion of sergeants, drummers, &c. The expense would be at least one- third more for the same number of firelocks, and the force would not be so efficient, nor so generally available. I am aware that there may be objections to any augmentation of the Eegular Army, which do not apply to the embodying the Militia in whole or in part ; but I felt it to be my duty to state the relative advantages and cost ; and although it may not be possible or ex- pedient to take the question into consideration, as it applies to the English Militia, it may be deserving of attention with reference to the Irish Militia, especially as these are not raised by ballot, but are recruited ; and as the formation of them may require as much time as would the raising nearly the same number of men for the Line, the Militia of Ireland being, as far as I recol- lect, somewhat more than 20,000 men. It is obvious that, in point of expense, efficiency, and general utility, an augmentation of 20,000 men to the Eegular regi- ments would be far preferable to the embodying 20,000 Irish Militia into regiments ; and there may be many other reasons which would render it a prefer- able measure. I have thus ventured to submit these ideas for your Lordship's consideration, and I beg to add that I should 42 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Dec. 31 not have done so, if I had not reason to believe that Lord Hill and the other military authorities wrould be found to concur in opinion, that the augmentation to the Line might be effected as I have suggested. I have only further to request that your Lordship will not take the trouble of replying to this letter. I have, &c. H, Taylor. No. 31. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Dec. 31, 1830. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of yesterday enclosing a Minute of Cabinet. His Majesty approves of all that is therein proposed, being satisfied that the accounts from Ireland and the general aspect of affairs fully justify his Government in taking, with the least possible delay, such measures as shall place at its disposal a force applicable to any exi- gency ; and that it is not less essential to show a deter- mination to maintain the peace of the covintry and to enforce obedience to the laws. The King trusts that the Lords-Lieutenants and Deputy-Lieutenants of counties will be cautioned to scrutinise the ballots for the Militia as far as possible, so as to endeavour to exclude from its ranks men of dangerous and designing character, whose influence might prove very pernicious upon newly established corps, and before they shall have acquired habits of dis- cipline and subordination. This caution appears to His Majesty the more important, as he fears that what 1830] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 43 is left of the staffs of the Militia will, after a lapse of fifteen years, prove in many instances very incapable and inefficient. His Majesty approves of the instructions to be sent to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, relative to calling into service corps of Yeomanry, and to the other essen- tial objects noticed in the Minute of Cabinet; and he is glad to find that his confidential servants have adopted the suggestion conveyed by His Majesty to Earl Grey and to Viscount Melbourne, to recommend to the Government of Ireland to consider the expediency of substituting for the present appointments of Governors of counties, Lords-Lieutenants, as in England. The King rejoices with Earl Grey in the favourable character of the recent reports from the manufacturing districts and other parts of England; and His Majesty has no doubt that perseverance in the firm and ener- getic course now pursuing will extricate these kingdoms from every difficulty and danger with which they are threatened. William E. No. 32. Earl Grey to The King., Downing Street, Jan. 11, 1831. Knowing that your Majesty had been regularly ap- prised from the Home and Foreign Offices, of every- thing that it was necessary to communicate to your Majesty, with respect to those affairs which in our foreign relations, and in the circumstances both of Ireland and of this country, were of the most pressing 44 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 11 interest, Earl Grey has forborne to trouble your Majesty with unnecessary letters ; nor would he now have ventured to intrude upon your Majesty, had he not been apprehensive that your Majesty might be sur- prised at his continued silence. Several Cabinets have been held, at which no formal resolutions have been taken, and which, relating chiefly to the negotiations respecting Belgium, and the proceed- ings of the Special Commission, will have been known in their results to your Majesty. The private letters which have been received by Earl Grey from the Marquis of Anglesey add nothing to the information which has been more fully communicated to Lord Melbourne in his dispatches. Tliey evince the same determination to maintain the dignity of your Majesty's crown, and the authority of your Government, by the adoption of the most vigorous measures, where they may be required, under the guidance of a due discretion. For the general conduct of your Majesty's Government, in this respect. Earl Grey cannot help an- ticipating your Majesty's most gracious approbation. As it appears to be more agreeable to Sir John Byng to retain the command in Ireland till the expiration of the term at which such appointments have not unfre- quently been changed. Lord Anglesey has been unwill- ing to press his resignation till the month of June. This might render it diflficult for Sir Hussey Vivian to vacate his seat for Windsor at an earlier period, without having, it to assign as a reason for doing so, that the duties of his new situation would be incompatible with the due performance of those with which he is charged as a Member of Parliament. To obviate this difficulty, it has 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 45 been proposed that Sir Hussey Vivian should be imme- diately appointed a Lieutenant-General on the Staff in Ireland, with the assurance that the chief command will devolve upon him on the resignation of Sir John Byng. In the meantime his services as an experienced officer at the head of the Cavahy may be of great im- portance to the public service in any exigency that the state of Ireland may produce. Earl Grey has consulted Lord Hill on the propriety of this arrangement ; and, if your Majesty has no objection to it, it will be made. Presuming that this maybe sanctioned by your Majesty, Sir H. Vivian will be enabled to vacate his seat at the meeting of Parliament (as a new writ could not be issued during the Adjournment, it might be inconve- nient that this should be done sooner), and Mr. Stanley, under your Majesty's gracious permission, may then be elected without further delay. Earl Grey cannot conclude without praying your. Majesty's indulgence for this long and perhaps not very necessary intrusion. Your Majesty's servants are assiduously occupied in the preparation of the measures which it will be ne- cessary to propose to Parliament ; and which, so soon as they are sufficiently matured, Earl Grey will have the honour of submitting to your Majesty's consider- ation. All which, &c. Grey. 4(3 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 12 No. 33. The King to Earl Grey. Brigliton, Jan. 12, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, and assures him of his entire ap- probation of the arrangement proposed for placing Lieutenant-General Sir Hussey Vivian at once upon the Staff in Ireland, with a view to his succeeding Sir John Byng in the command of the troops there in June next. The former may thus vacate his seat at the meeting of Parliament, and Mr. Stanley may then be brought in for Windsor. His Majesty is too sensible of Earl Grey's invari- able attention to have felt surprised at not having recently received any communications from him, nor does His Majesty expect that he should address any to him unless Earl Grey should have occasion to do so upon questions and matters to which, as the head of the Government, he shall consider it necessary and expedient that he should more particularly call His Majesty's attention. The King has been fully and regularly apprised of all that has been transacted in the various departments of the Government ; and he has great pleasure in re- peating to Earl Grey the assurance which he has, from time to time, given to Viscount Melbourne and to Vis- count Palmerston, of his approbation of the ineasures which have been determined upon by his confidential servants, with respect to the domestic and external policy of the country, and of the satisfaction he has derived from the firmness and consistency of those 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 47 measures, and the determination thereby manifested to maintain the dignity of the Crown and the authority of the Government at home, and to persevere in those efforts to which Europe has been hitherto mainly in- debted for the preservation of peace. Tlie King cannot state this generally without express- ing to Earl Grey more particularly, the confidence which His Majesty reposes in his integrity, his judgment and de- cision, and in his experience ; and without assuring him that the manner in which he has discharged the duties of the important situation which His Majesty called upon him to fill, has amply realised the expectations which he had formed. His Majesty is satisfied that he may* rely upon Earl Grey's strenuous support in his determination to resist all attempts which may be made to sap the estabhshed rights of the Crown, and to de- stroy those institutions under which this country has so long prospered, while others have been suffering so severely from the effects of revolutionary projects, and from the admission of what are called Radical remedies. William E. No. 34. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 12, 1831. ; My dear Lord, — I have had the honour to submit to the King your Lordship's letter of yesterday, as well as the enclosure w^hich I beg to return. Your Lordship may feel perfectly at your ease with refyard to the ii;iterpretation put by His Majesty upon 48 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 12 your silence, which had been accidentally longer than usual, as it is impossible for any person to be more satisfied than His Majesty is of your attention to him in the widest sense of the word ; and he showed some anxiety that this should be strongly expressed in his answer to your Lordship's letter, as well as his appro- bation of the general measures of his Government which you direct, and the confidence which he reposes in you. Had His Majesty at any time dropped a hint that he had not heard from you for some days, I should have not lost a day in apprising you of it. The King's general health is good, and his spirits are even. He appears to me to enter into the general situation of affairs at home and abroad with increasing interest, but without agitation and alarm, and nothing can be more firm than his language. I do not conceal however, from your Lordship, that he looks forward with more anxiety to the proceedings in Parliament than to any other circumstance ; and that the evils and the mischief which may be met by the salutary exercise of the authority of a vigorous Government strike him as unimportant when compared with the possible ad- mission of projects which may have the efiect of per- manently lessening the authority and resources of that Government, the maintenance of which His Majesty considers indispensable to the security of the country, and to its preservation from revolution. I venture to state this confidentially to your Lordship, and I am convinced that you will not mistake my motive. I will add that His Majesty's language to me has been in- variably that of the confidence which he has at times so strongly expressed in his letters to you ; and that he 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 49 attaches the greatest importance to your Lordship's services at the head of his Government at this critical period, when he considers that the interests of the monarchy and the ancient institutions of the country would be in jeopardy, unless every exertion be made to uphold and maintain them. Your Lord#iip may indeed have drawn this inference from His Majesty's letters to yourself and to Lord Melbourne, and from the unequi- vocal desire he has shown to give the full weight of his name and influence in aid of your administration. I hope you will not think that I am exceeding the bounds of discretion in writing to your Lordship in these terms, or that I am guilty of any breach of that confi- dence which His Majesty is pleased to repose in me. I assure you that I should not feel the least objection to His Majesty's knowing that I have written this letter, or to his seeing it ; but your Lordship will oblige me by considering it as addressed to yourself only. The King has been pleased and amused at Hunt's failure, and hopes he may look upon it as a sign that the Eadical mania is subsiding generally. The success in recruiting is satisfactory, considering that the de- tached parties of many corps had not reached their stations. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 35. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Jan. 12, 1831, Earl Grey has the honour of informing your Ma- jesty, that he has this morning received a letter from VOL. I. 1^ 50 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 12 tlie Lord Chief Baron of your Majesty's Court of Ex- chequer, requesting him to submit to your Majesty, his resignation of that ofSce, and his apphcation for the allowance of the usual pension. Presuming on your Majesty's acquiescence in this request. Earl Grey ventures humbly to submit to your Majesty, having had the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor, that your Majesty's service cannot be more effectually promoted than by the appointment of Lord Lyndhurst to succeed to the ofSce of Lord Chief Baron; which he trusts your Majesty will be graciously pleased to approve. At a meeting of your Majesty's servants, it has been resolved to recommend to your Majesty's royal mercy, all the convicts left for execution at Winchester, with the exception of Cooper and Cook, the one having been proved to have been an active leader in the out- rages which took place in Hampshire, and the other guilty of conduct marked by great personal violence. No letters have been received to-day from any of the members of your Majesty's Government in Ireland ; but Earl Grey grieves to add, that there are accounts of two iires in Wiltshire, one of which is supposed to have been occasioned by malice, the person whose property was destroyed having been a witness on one of the trials at Salisbury. All which, &c. Grey. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 61 No. 36. The King to Earl Grey. Biigliton, Jan. 13, 1831. The King has received Earl Grey's letter of yester- day, enclosing one from the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer containing the resignation of his office. His Majesty accepts it, and sanctions the grant to him of the usual pension. He also approves of the ap- pointment of Lord Lyndhurst to the office of Lord Chief Baron. William E. No. 37. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Private.) Downing Street, Jan. 13, 1831. My dear Sir, — Nothing could be more gratifying to me than the King's letter of yesterday, and the private one by which it was accompanied from yourself : the latter you may be assured that I shall regard as strictly confidential. The news from Ireland, as you will see by Lord Anglesey's and Mr. Stanley's letters, might be of a more pleasant description ; but I feel a considerable confi- dence in our power to overcome all these difficulties, with a due mixture of prudence and resolution. The King's anxieties are reasonably directed to what may happen in Parhament. It is impossible for anybody to speak with confidence of the restoration of the in- fluence and authority of the Government in the House of Commons. Much must be conceded to public E 2 52 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 13 opinion, and more perhaps may be forced upon us ; but with such concessions as may satisfy all reasonable people, I wiU not abandon the hope of a successful resistance to all attempts inconsistent with the real security of the Government. The perilous question is that of Parliamentary Eeform, and, as I approach it, the more I feel all its difficulty. With the universal feeling that prevails on this subject, it is impossible to avoid doing something ; and not to do enough to sa- tisfy pubhc expectation (I mean the satisfaction of the rational pubhc) would be Avorse than to do nothing. "We are now occupied with the details of this measure, and I hope before long to be able to submit it to His Majesty. If what we shaU have to propose shall ob- tain His Majesty's sanction, I should have httle fear of carrying it through Parliament with the general appro- bation of the public, though not of the Eadicals, whom nothing would satisfy but the complete adoption of their own extravagant and mischievous projects. If we should fail in this, I see nothing before me but an alternative of the most afflicting nature. I am, &c. Geey. No. 38. Earl Grey to the Ring. Downing Street, Jan. 13, 1831. Earl Grey feels that he would be wanting in the attention and gratitude due from him to your Majesty, if he were to delay offering to your Majesty his humble acknowledgments cf tlie condescension and 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 63 kindness manifested in your Majesty's most gracious letter of yesterday. To endeavour to deserve your Majesty's confidence and approbation, Earl Grey must ever consider as his first duty ; and to have received so gratifying an exposition of them, is his best reward. Earl Grey has the honour of enclosing for your Majesty's information two letters which he has this morning received from the Lord lieutenant of Ireland and from Lord Ponsonby. The accounts contained in the first are certainly of a very distressing nature ; and it probably may become necessary, not only to renew the Proclamation Act, which expires at the con- clusion of this session, but to consider of the means of arming your Majesty's Government with further powers to repress the violence which Mr. O'ConneU and his partisans are daily exciting. If Lord Ponsonby's opinion of the increasing strength of the party of the Prince of Orange be correct, it is to be hoped that a beneficial efiect may be produced by the letter which was sent yesterday by His Eoyal Highness as a declaration of the principles on which he would conduct the government, if it should be committed to his hands. But of everything relating to this matter, your Majesty will of course receive fuU communication from Lord Palmerston. Earl Grey is persuaded that the establishment of the Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, to whatever inconvenience it may be subject, would now be, upon the whole, the easiest and most satisfactory solution of the difficulties which embarrass the election of a new sovereign. All which, &c. Gkey. 54 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 14 No. SO. Sir E. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 14, 1831, My dear Lord, — I have the honour to enclose the King's answer to your Lordship's letter, and to acquaint you that I have considered it my duty to submit to His Majesty the whole of yours to me, convinced, as I am, that its contents could not prove otherwise than satisfactory to him, and particularly interesting, from the direct reference to the ' perilous ' question of Parliamentary Eeforra. I need not tell your Lordship that it is that to which His Majesty more particularly alluded in recent communications, and that to which I adverted when I mentioned that he looked with un- easiness to the approaching proceedings in Parhament. His Majesty is not surprised that your Lordship should approach it with dread ; that you should feel all its difficulties : nor is His Majesty blind or indifferent to public feeling, or to public expectation ; but he beheves these to be overrated by those who are such strenuous advocates for the measure of Parliamentary Eeform — so eagerly bent upon carrying it, as to overlook all the objections and difficulties to which it is liable, and the danger attendant upon its agitation when there is so much of excitement and revolutionary feeling abroad, and when the general state of the country, its domestic and foreign contingencies require a strong Government, and one that shall not be placed at the mercy of in- dividuals whose professed object it is to reduce the power of any Government and its resources. His Majesty is satisfied that your Lordship feels all this, 831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 55 and he is yet more satisfied that no one can be more strongly opposed in sentiment, in principle, in judg- ment, and firm solicitude for the preservation of the constitutional monarchy of this country, and for its welfare and security, to the wild and mischievous pro- jects of the Eadicals. His Majesty rests his confidence in your Lordship. He looks to you for the exertion of those high qualities which have secured to you that confidence in rescuing him from the difficulties in which His Majesty may be placed by the agitation of this perilous question ; and His Majesty authorises me to assure you, that you will find him disposed to give a reasonable and dispassionate consideration to what you may have to propose, and anxious not to embarrass you by objections which can be considered frivolous or captious, or to arise from any other feeling than that which a correct sense of his duty must suggest to him. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 40. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 14, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter transmitting those from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and Lord Ponsonby, which he returns. His Majesty has never sought to disguise from himself the serious character of the accounts received from Ireland ; but he had flattered himself that the firmness and energy displayed by his Government, and the better feelings and good sense of those classes 56 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 14 which have an interest in the preservation of peace, and in the security of the country, would have opposed a more effectual check to the seditious proceedings of Mr. O'Connell and his adherents, and would ere this have had the effect of weakening his influence over those who are so strangely misled by him. Nor does His Majesty even now apprehend that such may not eventually be the case, or that the excitement which has been created in Ireland may not be got the better of without its producing violent collision. But Mr. O'Connell's obstinacy, his perseverance in mischief, and, unfortunately, his influence over a portion of the lower classes in Ireland are such, that it is impossible not to anticipate the necessity, not only of the renewal of the Proclamation Act, but also of arming the Government with further powers ; and the King is inclined to admit the force of the observation, made by Lord Anglesey and Mr. Stanley, that proclamations may be so frequent as to become comparatively unimportant. Under these circumstances His Majesty conceives that his Govern- ment would be justified by what has passed, by what is -notorious, and by the statement which they will be enabled to lay before Parhament, to resort even to the strong measure of proposing the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act. The determination thus shown to face the evil in its fullest extent, and not to shrink from the responsibility attached to the exercise of so serious a power, and to its application, when it is called for and provoked by proceedings which are inconsistent with the security of the state, would. His Majesty hopes, not only go far to check the immediate mischief, but would produce a favourable impression upon the 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 67 country at large; which has, at all times, shown itself disposed to approve acts of vigour and decision in re- sponsible authorities, when sufficient ground has been shown for them. Nor does it follow, or has any reason been given to the country to imagine, that ex- traordinary powers, called for by a Government which has shown so much forbearance, will not be used with moderation and discretion. The King has observed with satisfaction in Lord Anglesey's letter the expression of a strong opinion in favour of paying the Eoman Catholic Clergy, as His Majesty's sentiments have always been in support of an arrangement of this nature, if it could be introduced ; and as he is convinced that the sum applied to it would be returned with interest in the influence and other advantages it would secure to the Government. Upon the subject of the estabUshment of the Prince of Orange in Belgium, and the view which the King has taken of what has been done and submitted to him. His Majesty refers Earl Grey to his letter of yesterday's date to Viscount Palmerston ; and he will be very glad to learn that his opinion of the importance of annexing the Duchy of Luxemburg to Belgium, when placed under the sovereignty of the Prince of Orange, has met with Earl Grey's concurrence. William E. No. 41. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Jan. 14, 1831. My dear Sir, — I last night received your letter enclosing one from the King, containing His Majesty's 68 COERESPONDENOE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 14 acceptance of the resignation of the Chief Baron, his approbation of the grant of the usual pension and of the appointment of Lord Lyndhiust, with respect to whicli all necessary measures have been taken. I can- not help enclosing for your private information an anonymous letter,* which I received last night. It would not have obtained from me more attention than other anonymous letters, had I not heard of a conversation, exactly corresponding with it, which had been held at the Speaker's, in a party at which Mr. Croker and Mr. Theodore Hook were present. It had also been re- ported to me, that several times there had appeared in ' John Bull,' a, paper which I never see, details respect- ing the arrangements that were going on, which could not have been obtained except from persons who had accurate information respecting them. With this paper Mr. Hook is said to be connected : Mr. Croker is also said to write in it. I am quite sure that the King would not allow of any such communications if he had the least suspicion of them ; and I should hope that no persons in the situa- tions of Sir W. Fremantle and Sir A. Barnard could * Thougli this letter refers to an offensive and unfounded imputation upon two tigUy honourable men, I have not omitted it from the corre- spondence, because it appears from the subsequent letters that this imputation was refuted to my father's complete satisfaction ; while the anonymous letter in which it was contained, and the explanation that letter called forth, are of importance as showing both the jealousy and suspicion not imnaturally felt by the supporters of the Government, of the many adherents of the opposite party who were about the Court, and also how fairly and honourably the King acted towards his Ministers. In retaining about his person those to whose society he was used, notwith- standing their political opinions, it will be seen that he took care not to allow tlris to interfere with his giving his full support to his Govern- ment. 1831] WITH KlNa WILLIAM IV. 59 be capable of the conduct imputed to them. But the circumstances attendmg this report are certainly some- what extraordinary, and have induced me to entrust to you confidentially the statement as I have received it. In a case between equals I certainly should at once submit to the person, whose confidence might have been stated to be abused, the statement as I had re- ceived it, leaving it to him to do whatever might appear to him to be required upon it. But I feel that it would be improper for me, in every view that I can take of it, to trouble the King on such a matter. Peihaps I ought to add, that the conversation at the Speaker's was reported to me by Sk James Graham, to whom it had come from a person who was present. The accom- panying book was brought to me to-day by M. de Choiseul, who came over with Charles X., and remains in town for the purpose of any communications that may be necessary with the Government. He says it was written under the eye of Charles X. He left with me, some time ago, a letter of introduction from the Duke of Wellington, but I had not seen him before. I am, &c. Geet. (Enclosure in No. 41.) London, Jan. 12, 1831. My Lord, — Your Lordship ought to know that two members of the King's household (Sir W. Fremantle and Sir A. Barnard) are in constant communication with Messrs. Croker and Hook ; and that everything going on in the King's family, or court, is made known to 60 COEKESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 15 tliese editors of ' John Bull' It is a matter of surprise to many of your Lordship's old friends and supporters, that you should for one moment suffer such proceedings to go on, and that you should not have removed such persons from the household. Beheve me, my Lord, that it is not safe, or reputable to your Government, to allow the persons alluded to, and such as them, to con- tinue in office. This hint is meant in the greatest kindness, every word of which I can prove. Your sincere admu-er. An Old Foxite. No. 42. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brigliton, Jan. 15, 1831. My dear Lord, — I beg to return the anonymous letter which your Lordship entrusted to me in your letter of yesterday, and to express my conviction that there is no foundation for what is therein stated, and that the Old Foxite is upon the wrong scent in ascrib- ing to Sir Andrew Barnard and Sir William Fremantle the communication of anything to Mr. Croker and Mr. Theodore Hook, which might not be published any- where. I have indeed never heard of them being much acquainted, or having more intercourse with them than I have myself, which amounts to nothing ; and from long and intimate acquaintance with both Sir William Fremantle and Sir Andrew Barnard, I should consider either extremely unlikely to talk out of school, even if they had anything essential to tell. Sir William Fre- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 61 mantle has been, diuring a great part of his life, in habits of attendance upon, and communication with, the Eoyal Family ; and I have never heard him accused of indis- cretion, or traced anything to him ; nor is he an eager pohtician. He has not been here during this visit of His Majesty to Brighton, and he was here during a con- siderable part of His Majesty's last residence in London. Sir Andrew Barnard is one of the most gallant and efficient officers in the Army, highly honourable and extremely popular. He is much in society, and his pur- suits are those of cheerful society ; but I beheve him to be quite indifferent with respect to pohtics. I never hear him touch upon that topic, and much of his time here is taken up with the Queen's Band, of which he has undertaken the direction. I have indeed known him on service, in the late King's family and here, and have always considered him remarkable for his discre- tion and for his extreme caution as to interfering in any business not his own. I have no doubt he may be in the habit of meeting Mr. Croker and Mr. Theodore Hook, but I should very much doubt his mentioning what passes here unless it be connected with his pet hand. I may add that I generally frank his letters, as well as Sir WiUiam Fremantle's when here, and should therefore be aware of any active correspondence with Mr. Hook. But, after all, there never was any Court from which and of which so httle could be told, which every servant in the house, from the highest to the lowest, might not tell. Their Majesties are accessible at all hours ; the apartments are open to everyone ; there is no seclusion, no mystery, nothmg to conceal. The King sees numbers of persons in the course of the day, 62 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 15 and converses freely with tliem upon subjects on -wMch. they may give him information ; but I am confident tliat, altliough he may listen to them, he never converses upon any matter which may be the subject of commu- nication with his Government, or respecting ministerial or official arrangements in contemplation. Politics are never the subject of conversation at dinner, or at the evening parties ; indeed, His Majesty professes not to allow it, and he never touches on the subject with the Queen, who indeed does not seem at all disposed to break through a rule so essential in such a society, and whose superior judgment and good sense would induce her to feel its importance, and to discourage any depar- ture from it in others : even common articles of intelli- gence are not noticed otherwise than as conveyed in the newspapers. I have troubled your Lordship with these particulars, and more at length than may appear necessary, as I wished to put you in full possession of the course of things here upon a pohit to which you must naturally attach so much importance, especially when the Court circle and society are so extended and indiscriminate ; and you will easily conclude, from all I have said, that the anonymous letter has surprised me. It has, however, produced suspicions which may be wholly unfounded, and which I therefore beg to com- municate very confidentially. Your Lordship will, I am certain, rather give me credit for than blame my anxiety to satisfy your mind upon this subject ; and I should feel much obliged to you if you would allow me to say to Sir A. Barnard and Sir W. Fremantle, that I have received or seen such a letter, without giving them any hint to whom it was addressed. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 63 I am extremely obliged to your Lordship for sending me the French pamphlet, which I shall read with great interest and safely return to you. The King is not likely to peruse it, but I should think the Queen would like to do so. I have, &c. H. Tatlok. P.S. I had almost forgotten to mention that, just before Their Majesties left Brighton in October last, I received an anonymous letter, stating that Mr. * * * *, the editor of the * * *, then here, had boasted at a dinner that I was in constant communication with him, verbal and epistolary, and that he received from me intelligence of all that passed at court. I had been unfortunately concerned vrith Mr. * * * * in the business of * * * ; and had formerly seen and written to him on that subject ; but I had avoided all communication with him since I came into my present situation, and had carried on such as was indispensable through my solicitor, Mr. Parkinson. I sent the latter a copy of the anonymous letter for the information of Mr. * * * *, who of course denied the truth of what it stated, and desired to see me ; for which he made various attempts. But I declined the interview, as well as further written communications, upon the plea that, whether the charge in question was foimded or unfounded, I had determined to hold no communica- tion with the editor of a newspaper. 64 COREBSPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 15 No. 43. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Jan. 15, 1831. Earl Grey has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's letter of yesterday. Earl Grey felt the greatest satisfaction and comfort in finding that your Majesty's sentiments with respect to what is passing in Ireland, and in the negotiations respecting the Netherlands, so entirely sanction those which he had himself entertained. However painful the recourse to such a measure may be, it is impossible not to contemplate the necessity of proposing to Parliament a suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, if the exercise of the powers now pos- sessed by the Government should be found inefficient for the security of the former country. To attach the Irish priesthood to the Government by the ties of a common interest is also an object which their payment alone affords a reasonable hope of obtaining. An arrangement of this kind demands an early attention, and not the less because it is surrounded by consider- able difficulties. Earl Grey had already stated to the Prince of Orange how much the settlement of the ISTe- therlands would be assisted by the union of the Duchy of Luxemburg, saving the rights of the Germanic Con- federation to that kingdom. Earl Grey repeated the same thing to His Eoyal Highness this morning, when he had another interview with him. But your Ma^ jesty is aware of the difficulties that have arisen in all the negotiations with the King of the Netherlands on this subject; and the Prince did not conceal his opinion, that 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 65 there -would be little chance of obtaining His Majesty's consent to such a cession of the Duchy. All which, &c. Grey. No. 44. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Jan. 15, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have to offer you my best thanks for your letter of yesterday accompanying the King's. With the exception of what related to this matter, there was nothing in my letter to you which I could feel any objection in your placing before His Majesty, though perhaps it might have been more cautiously worded. Nothing can be more gratifying than the cor- dial expression of the confidence which His Majesty is so graciously pleased to place in me. It is my most anxious wish to prove that I am not altogether un- worthy of it. But I fear he may think the view I take of such a measure as may be proposed with advantage on the subject of Parliamentary Eeform too extensive. I have already expressed my opinion, that any measure for this purpose, to be useful, must be effectual. Anj^- thing that was not so would only leave a feeling of dis- content, which would press for further concessions. The great desideratum therefore is, to make an arrangement on which we can stand, announcing our determinaticn not to go beyond it. But to gain such a position our ground must be well and strongly taken. I am myself convinced that public opinion is so strongly directed to this question, and so general, that it cannot be resisted VOL. I. F 66 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jaji. 16 without the greatest danger of leaving the Government in a situation in which it would be deprived of all au- thority and strength. Under this impression I must naturally feel the greatest anxiety on a subject, which it is plain that His Majesty contemplates with so much apprehension and uneasiness. I am sensible, moreover, of all the disadvantage of entering upon the discussion of such a question, in a moment of so much difficulty and danger. It has often been my wish to find the means of postponing it. But the result of all my con- sideration has been, that an attempt to do so would be fatal to the character of the Government, and would lead to its dissolution under circumstances still more disastrous than those which would follow such a result, if His Majesty were unfortunately compelled, by a sense of duty, to withhold his assent from the measure which may be submitted to him by his Ministers. I have written amidst too many interruptions and too hastily to enter fully into all the views presented by this important subject. But I was anxious to return an answer to your letter, and to put you in possession gene- rally of my feehngs upon it. I am, &c. Grey. No. 45. Sir Herbert Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 16, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour of communi- cating your Lordship's letter of yesterday to the King, who ordered me to acquaint you, that he has taken ex- treme interest in the correspondence which has passed 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 67 on tlie subject of Eeform in Parliament, and all tliat is connected therewith ; and that it has been satisfactory to him to have thus early learnt your Lordship's feel- ings upon the general question, before he was caUed upon to take it mto more formal consideration : That it had naturally engaged his anxious thoughts and at- tention ; and that he wished, as far as possible, to reheve his mind from the impressions made by early prejudices, and from the apprehensions raised by the opinions and reports occasionally conveyed to him, which might be more or less erroneous and .unfounded. Your Lord- ship's communications have gone far to allay these ap- prehensions ; they have proved ir*general satisfactory to His Majesty; and they have prepared his mind for the cool and dehberate consideration of the question, and for the discussion of its details. His Majesty has authorised me to say, that he had felt convinced that your Lordship would have post- poned the question if you could have done so, and that he is satisfied of the correctness of your judgment in not attempting it. That he agrees with you that the mea- sure, to be useful, and to be secured, on its introduction, against a feeling of discontent which would press for further concessions, must be effectual ; and aware as His Majesty is of the nature and extent of the concessions which some of the advocates for Parliamentary Eeform are disposed to call for ; and sensible as he is of the confusion and destruction by which they would be fol- lowed, His Majesty feels the importance of introducing the measure, if it must be introduced, as a measure of the Government, divested, as far as it may be pos- sible, of all that is calculated to deprive the Monarchy F 2 68 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 16 of its legitimate rights and attributes, in its immediate OT progressive operation, to cramp the exercise of the executive powers and functions of the Government, and to weaken the influence of the Aristocracy so essen- tial to the maintenance of both. His Majesty is unwil- ling to anticipate the details of the measure further than to observe, that a strong ground of objection would, in his view of it, be removed, if it be not intended to pro- pose that the duration of the period for which Members are returned shall be abridged, or that the number of Members be increased. The King trusts that the sentiments which he has authorised me to express are neither unconstitutional . nor arbitrary ; and that they do not betray anything like obstinate adherence to prejudices which would be ill-suited to the times and to the circumstances under which he has been called to the sovereignty of this country. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 46. Sir Herbert Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 16, 1831. My dear Lord, — I take the liberty of enclosing to your Lordship a letter, which General Wheatley has received from Mr. Dickie, and its enclosure, and of sub- mitting for your consideration, whether, as the money therein mentioned had accrued previous to His Majesty's declaration to Parliament abandoning the hereditary rights from which it proceeds, His Majesty may not 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 69 be advised to sign a warrant for the payment of it to his Privy Purse, to which he at present objects. I hope the letter which I have been directed by the King to write to your Lordship on the subject of Par- liamentary Eeform, will prove satisfactory to you. It will account for communications which may have ap- peared to you to have been premature, as well as for the encouragement I do not deny to have given to Has Majesty to broach the subject, feeling as I did the im- portance of not allowing him to brood over it in silence ; or of the possible, though not probable, alternative of conversing with those who might feel disposed to sug- gest difficulties and objections of which the admission might prove very embarrassing to His Majesty's Govern- ment, whenever the question should be formally brought forward. I am certain your Lordship will agree with me that, upon these occasions, it is no small matter to reconcile the feehngs to the necessity and the expediency of the object which is to be brought forward, and of which the agitation may be apprehended. The Kmg has not acknowledged the receipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday, as he considered it a reply to his own of the preceding day ; but he desired me to assure you how satisfactory it had proved to him. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 47. ^ Earl Grey to the King. Downing- Street, Jan. 17, 1831. Earl Grey, with his humble duty to your Majesty, 70 CORRESPONDENCE OF EAEL GREY [Jan. 17 has the honour of enclosing a letter which he has received this morning from Lord Anglesey, with a list of the names of persons who, he thinks, might be eligible for the office of Lord-Lieutenant in the difierent counties of Ireland, with respect to whom Earl Grey will lose no time in making the necessary inquiries for your Majesty's further information. All which, &c. Geet. No. 48. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Jan. 17, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have only a moment, having been incessantly occupied during the whole day, to acknow- ledge your letter of yesterday, and to retvirn the enclosed. The Lord Chancellor and Lord Althorp being here, though I had not the shghtest doubt on the subject myself, I thought it better to take their opinion, and they concur with me in thinking that the money received from His Majesty's hereditary revenues, before his most gracious declaration, placing them at the disposition of Parliament, ought to be paid over to His Majesty's Privy Purse, upon a warrant from His Majesty for that purpose. I must, however, express the extreme satisfaction I have derived from the senti- ments you have been instructed by the King to express on the subject of Parhamentary Eeform, on which I shall soon have a fuller communication to make to His Majesty. Li the meantime it may be satisfactory to His Majesty to know, that I had intended to propose to 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 71 reduce the term' for which Parliaments are elected to five years ; and though I think svich a provision would have some advantages, it is a pomt to which I attach comparatively inferior importance. As to the other, so far from having any view to increase the numbers of the House of Commons, a part of my plan will be to reduce them to 600. I am, &c. Grey. No. 49. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 17, 1831. The King wiU not delay acknowledging the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, enclosing one from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ijreland, with a hst of the names of persons considered by him to be ehgible for the office of Lord-Lieutenant in the different counties in Ireland. His Majesty has received, with great satisfaction, this early proof of Lord Anglesey's attention to a point to which His Majesty has attached great importance ; and the hst proposed by him appears in general unexcep- tionable.* ******** The King has been much gratified by the perusal of Lord Anglesey's letter ; and by the evidence it affords of the indefatigable zeal with which he directs the energies of his mind to the arduous and important task which has been entrusted to him. * Here follow remarks upon the fitness of some of the persons whose appointment had heen proposed, and suggestions for certain cljauges. 72 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 18 The issue of a Proclamation, more generally appli- cable to seditious meetings, appears to the King very- judicious ; and His Majesty rejoices that ground has offered for the prosecution of O'Connell, and that Steel is arrested. His Majesty will never withhold his ap- probation and his sanction from acts of vigour when they are called for; and it appears to him most im- portant to assume and to maintain, in every measure of the Government, a firm attitude, at a period when the object of the factious and of the agitators is to set at defiance, or to bring into contempt, all Government and legal authority. The King enters fully into Lord Anglesey's views and projects for the general improvement of Ireland. Upon the subject of paying the priests. His Majesty has already stated his sentiments, and he is glad to find that Earl Grey concurs in them. But His Majesty is firmly persuaded also, that the application of a large sum of money to the employment of the labouring and poorer classes of Ireland on pubhc works, and more especially upon the improvement and the construction of roads (in the Connemara mountains for instance), would be a measure of the greatest wisdom and utility ; and that its results would prove it to be one of the most economical measures which the Government could have devised and carried into effect. William E. No. 50. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 18, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have been favoured with your 1831] WITH KING WILLIAJSI IV. _ 73 Lordship's letter of yesterday, and have had the honour of submitting it to the King. His Majesty was, as I believe I stated to you, not aware of the question which had arisen as to the money received from his hereditary resources, and the reference to you, as he had declined to sign all warrants on that account, but was not sorry I had made the reference to your Lordship, and was much pleased with its result. His Majesty expressed himself yet more pleased with your Lordship's communication on the subject of Parhamentary Eeform, and particularly with the in- formation that part of your plan is to reduce the number of Members to 600. I have, &c. H. Tayloe. No. 51. \ Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Private.) Downing Street, Jan. 19, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have been so much pressed lately, that I have omitted answering your very kind and satisfactory letter, which you were so good as to write to me upon my communication of the anonymous letter which I sent to you a few days ago. I am quite satis- fied that neither of the persons alluded to could lend themselves to anything of the kind imputed to them ; and I never for a moment doubted, if such an attempt should be made, that His Majesty would have stopped it at once. There can, however, be no doubt that, at the party at the Speaker's, it was very imprudently and as incorrectly stated, that this mode of communication was open to them, and that they looked with confidence 74 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 20 to its affording them the means of striking an effectual blow at the Administration on the question of Eeform. Tor this boast, I need hardly add my conviction, that they had no better foundation than Mr. * * * for his, of an intimate correspondence with you. The pamphlet which I sent on the subject of the late Eevolution in France was, at the desire of the Marquis de Choiseul, to be forwarded to the King. He gave me another copy for myself I thought I had so explained the matter, but as you spoke of returning it, I must have omitted to do so. I remain, &c. Geey. No. 52. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Jan. 20, 1831. My dear Sir, — The Cabinet dined with me yesterday, and, in consideration of the present aspect of affairs on the Continent, it was thought expedient that the Admiralty should put the men in the dockyards in ftdl work, for the purpose of bringing forward the ships on which they are now employed with all possible ex- pedition, and, particularly, of the largest class of frigates, of which, I am sorry to find, that at this moment, ac- cording to the returns we have obtained, the French appear to have a much greater proportion than we have. It was also thought necessary that some addition should be made to our Naval Force in the Mediterranean. This was not reduced into a formal Cabinet minute ; but Sir James Graham was instructed to submit the matter 1831] WITH KING ^^^LLIAM IV. 75 to His Majesty, and, upon receiving His Majesty's sanction, to act accordingly. I must refer you to the commimications which will, of course, be made by Lord Melbourne, as to what has taken place at Dublin on the subject of Mr. O'ConneU's arrest. I am, &c. Gebt. No. 53. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 21, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour of submitting your Lordship's letter of yesterday to the King. The King has received from Sir James Graham the report of the proposed arrangements for giving greater activity to the works in the dockyards, and for strengthening the Naval Forces in the Mediterranean, which His Majesty highly approves ; and he has learnt with great satisfaction from Lord Melboiu:ne, the arrest of Mr. O'ConneH and his associates. I beg to enclose a letter from His Majesty, and I have, &c. H. Tatlok. No. 54. The King to Earl Grey. Brigliton, Jan. 21, 1831. The King does not delay acquainting Earl Grey, that he has this morning received the account of the death of Viscount Sydney. Having understood from Earl Grey in London, that he had intended recommending that the rangership of Hyde Park, &c., should be con- 76 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 22 ferred upon the Duke of Sussex, His Majesty desires, if he should still entertain that wish, that he wiU him- self communicate the proposed arrangement, and His Majesty's approval of it, to the Duke of Sussex. The King considers it right to add, that not a hint has escaped him on this subject to the Duke of Sussex, or to any other individual. William E. ; No. 55. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Jan. 22, 1831. Earl Grey, with his humble duty, has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's gracious letter of yes- terday. Having heard yesterday morning of the death of Lord Sydney, Earl Grey, availing himself of the per- mission given to him by your Majesty, made an offer of the rangership of the Parks to His Eoyal Highness the Duke of Sussex. A note has been this morning received from His Eoyal Highness, gratefully accepting this mark of your Majesty's favour. As several interesting matters relating both to the foreign and domestic interest of your Majesty's king- dom will be laid before your Majesty by the servants to whom your Majesty has been pleased to entrust the departments to which they relate, Earl Grey will not trouble your Majesty unnecessarily by adverting to them ; but he cannot help expressing an anxious hope, that your Majesty may be pleased to approve the pro- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 77 position which has been adopted by the Conference, for the estabhshment of the future neutrahty of Belgium. All which, &c. Grey. No. 56. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 22, 1831. My dear Lord, — The King has been much annoyed . by learning from Lord Hill, that it is in the contempla- tion of the Secretary at War to recommend the reduction of the Eiding Establishment, and His Majesty has or- dered me not to delay addressing your Lordship on the subject. It was formed by the late Duke of York, from a conviction of its utility and necessity towards introducing and maintaining in the British Cavalry a correct and uniform system of equitation, without which it is impossible to establish and maintain uniformity and precision of exercise and movement in Cavalry, which are so essential to its efficiency and its effect. The estabhshment has been kept up under successive Com- manders-in-Chief, and under their immediate obser- vation and inspection. A riding-house and a barrack and stables have been erected, and the importance and the utihty of the establishment have been finally acknowledged by all commanding officers of regiments, although some originally viewed it with prejudice and jealousy, as interfering with notions of their own. His Majesty is perfectly acquainted with the merits of this estabhshment, and considers it deserving of the encour- agement it has hitherto received. The King, therefore, earnestly recommends it to your 78 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 23 Lordship's protection, as he does others which, hke this, tend to the perfection and the efficiency of the Army and Navy, His Majesty being satisfied that efficiency is economy, and equally persuaded that your Lordship will agree with him, that the interests of the pubhc will not be consulted by showing a saving in the Estimates, which is produced by a sacrifice of that which is not only essential but indispensable towards upholding the character and the efficiency of the service. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 67. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Jan. 23, 1831. My dear Lord, — Your Lordship would have received by this evening's post the King's answer to the letter you addressed to him yesterday ; and his answer to Sir James Graham would not have been delayed either, if, after I had despatched the letter for Lord Palmerston,' T had not been seized with so violent a headache, that, after some ineffectual attempts, I was forced to give up writing the letters for the usual time of His Majesty's signing them, though they are now ready, and he will sign them to-morrow morning. You are, I beheve, aware that, in consequence of the rheumatic affection in his hand, the King seldom uses his pen beyond signing. Indeed, I write all his letters for him, and as they have been very numerous lately, and others I receive in the course of the day average about fifty, I have, owing to a little indisposition, got on with difficulty. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 79 The King's letter will inform you, that he entirely approves your communication to the Duke of Sussex, and that it has been in strict conformity to his verbal instructions to your Lordship. It will also express his entire approbation of the step which has been taken towards securing the future neutrality of Belgium, upon which subject His Majesty has written at great length to Lord Palmerston. I have never observed him take more interest in the construction and wording of a letter than upon this occasion, or more particular in his instructions for it ; and, what is not usual, he made me read it twice over to him. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 58. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Jan. 24, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have received your letters of the 22nd and 23rd, and I read with great regret that you had been suffering so severely from the headache. I was rather sorry that any communication had been made to the King on the subject of the Eiding Estabhsh- ment by Lord Hill, without having spoken previously to me, which might have saved His Majesty the annoy- ance you state him to have experienced on this occasion. I have seen Lord Hill this morning, and have informed him that I entirely agree in the view taken by the King of this matter ; and that I had written to Mr. "Wynn to express to him my decided opinion that the estabUsh- ment should be continued. The first I heard of any intention to reduce it was from your letter. Lord Hill, 80 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 24 I find, was to have seen Mr. Wynn upon it this morning ; so that the matter was by no means settled ; and upon my expressing to him a wisli that, in the case of any difference arising with any of the other departments, as to anything connected with that of the Commander- in-Chief, he would in futiu'e have the goodness to com- municate with me before making any reference to the King, he said that what had taken place on tliis occa- sion had arisen accidentally in conversation with His Majesty, and without any intention on his part of making a formal representation upon it. I have been much gratified by hearing from you, that the King had been pleased to approve the last protocol, with respect to the future neutrality of Bel- gium, and still more by reading His Majesty's excellent letter to Lord Palmerston. The only point on which any doubt could be entertained as to the just and enlightened opinions of His Majesty is, that which' relates to the free navigation of the Scheldt. On this Lord Palmerston wiU send, by this post, an explanation which, T trust, will prove satisfactory to His Majesty. Count Flahault arrived last night from Paris. I have had a long conversation with him this morning. He has expressed, in the strongest terms, the anxious desire of the King of the Prench for the preservation of peace, and the danger which may be produced by the state of the Netherlands, if the Government cannot be settled at an early period on some permanent foundation. I professed, on the part of His Majesty, the same desire for the preservation of peace, and the same anxiety to secure it by a speedy termination of the Belgic question. The chief difficulty in the way of this is the choice of 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 81 a sovereign. If the Prince of Orange cannot succeed, and M. de Flaliault expressed an utter disbelief of the power of his party to re-establish him, some other choice must be resorted to. I confess I can see none that would be open to so few objections as Prince Charles of Bavaria. To this, I find, there are however objections of a personal nature on the part of the Prench King ; such objections, surely, ought not to prevail. M. de Flahault, as Prince Talleyrand has done on several occasions, suggested a Prince of the Eoyal Pamily of Naples, who is nineteen. To such an arrange- ment it might perhaps be possible to submit for the sake of peace, but I confess I should not like it. His Majesty's servants have been engaged in the consideration of a plan submitted to them by me, for eflfecting such a reform in the House of Commons as mia;ht be effectual for the removal of what is most complained of, without endangering the institutions of the country. Before the end of the week, I have a con- fident expectation that this very important and very difficult question may be brought into a shape in which I may be able to submit it to His Majesty's considera- tion ; * and I shall be much obhged to you to request His Majesty's permission to take it myself to Brighton, * The following extract from a letter written by my father the same day (Jan. 24tli, 1831) to Lord Durham, will show that he had difficulties to contend with in ohtairiing the unanimous assent of the Cabinet to the plan of Reform submitted to the King. ' I find from Althorp that there is likely to be more difficulty than I thought about Reform. Upon his saying to Brougham that he was glad to find there was so great a concurrence of opinion, he answered that he had great objection to the abolition of the close boroughs ; that they were by no means the worst parts of the representation ; that there would be no means for getting seats for persons in the Government, &c. VOL. I. G 82 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 24 that I may have an opportunity of affording to His Majesty any explanation lie may require upon it. Sunday next is the day which I would propose for this purpose. I shall also be obliged to you to communicate to His Majesty, with my humble duty, what I have done with respect to the Eiding Estabhshment, as well as any other part of this letter which you may think material for His Majesty's information ; and also to express to His Majesty my grateful sense of the honour he has done my brother, by conferring upon him the Grand Cross of the Guelphic Order. This, however, I have already done in my answer to Count Munster's letter. I write this in great haste, and must beg you to excuse inac- curacies. I am, &c. Gbey. No. 59. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 24, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of the 22nd inst., and assures him of his entire approbation of his not having delayed to make the offer of the Eangership of the Parks to the Duke of Sussex, which he was fuUy authorised to do by the instructions he had received from His Majesty in the event of the vacancy. His Majesty rejoices to learn &c. He had hinted at this in the general discussion, but I thought had been satisfied by my answer, that, whatever the inconveniences might be, these boroughs could not be maintained. On this point I cannot give way. If he persevere, he may throw us over with the King,' 1831] WITH laNa WILLIAM IV. 83 that tlie appointment has proved so satisfactory to his brother. His Majesty received with great interest the commu- nications from Lord Melbourne and Lord Palmerston, and other heads of departments, wliose zealous and able co-operation with Earl Grey, in the indefatigable and honourable discharge of the most arduous public duties, has proved uniformly satisfactory to him. He has communicated at some length to Lord Palmerston his sentiments upon the proposition Avhich has been adopted by the Conference, for the establishment of the future neutrality of Belgium ; and it is almost unne- cessary that he should assure Earl Grey, that the pro- position, and the principle on which it is founded, have received his entire approbation, however His Majesty may be inclined to doubt the good faith with which it may be entered into by France. William E. No. 60. The King to Earl Grey. Brigliton, Jan. 24, 1831. The King trusts that Earl Grey has felt convinced that His Majesty had not lost sight of his intention to confer a mark of distinction upon General Grey, although immediate effect was not given to it ; and as the Coronation may, from the general situation of affairs and the state of the country, be postponed to a remote, and possibly an indefinite, period (as indeed the King considers it may be most advisable under all circumstances to do), His Majesty purposes not further 84 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 25 to delay giving the Grand Cross of tlie Guelph to General Grey, sincerely hoping that it will be received by him as a mark of his personal regard, and viewed by Earl Grey as a proof of His Majesty ''s desire to gratify, as far as he is now able, his feelings with respect to his brother. . The King will rejoice to avail himself of a fnture opportunity of conferring upon him the Grand Cross of the Bath, when the regulations of that Order, which prescribe that no officer shall receive the Grand Cross unless he shall previously be a Com- mander, may be departed from without subjecting His Majesty to embarrassment. William E. No. 61. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 25, 1831. My dear Lord, — I am honoured this morning with your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and have not delayed to sribmit it to the King, who read every part of it with great interest. His Majesty was glad to hear that your plan for effecting a Eeform in the House of Commons would be sufficiently matured towards the end of this week, to admit of your bringing it to him on Sunday, when his Majesty will have great pleasure in receiving your Lordship. It is, indeed, the day he would himself have proposed, and he concludes you wiU be here between three and four o'clock. You will find a room ready for you at the Pavilion. I need not add that His 18S1J WITH KING AVILLIAM IV. 85 Majesty looks forward to this conimimicatioii with great anxiety. The King learnt with great satisfaction that you objected, as he did, to the reduction of the Eiding Estabhshment ; and that you had expressed to Mr. Wynn your decided opinion that it should be continued. As far as I understood His Majesty, the communication was made to him by Lord Hill as a matter of infor- mation, in the course of conversation, not as a matter of complaint. But His Majesty takes up these things eagerly, as you may have observed heretofore. I may also express his sentiments strongly upon any occa- sion which concerns the efficiency of the Army, for Avhich I liad been officially contending during so many years. The approbation which your Lordship has expressed of His Majesty's letter to Lord Palmerston, has been very gratifying to him. He has received Lord Palmer- ston's explanation on the subject of the free navigation of the Scheldt, and has replied to it, not with any intention of objecting to anything that has been done, but in order to account for his previous remarks. Your Lordship will perceive that His Majesty still thinks that Holland is, by the removal of the restric- tions on the navigation of the Scheldt, placed in a situation less advantageous than that in which she stood before the French Eevolution, or the union with Belgium, which has been dissolved ; and that he con- siders that the latter is, in this respect, benefited by the present contract to the prejudice of Holland, and without any equivalent to Holland, though in the Fourth Article of the Eleventh Protocol, which admits 86 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 25 of exchanges of territory, it is stipulated that the advan- tages shall be reciprocal. His Majesty was also much pleased to hear that you had received from Count Flahault such satisfactory assurances of the anxious desire of the King of the French for the preservation of peace ; which are to a certain degree confirmed by the more conciliatory and pacific tone of the despatches from Lord Granville, which His Majesty read this morning. He feels how- ever, with your Lordship, that the Belgic question offers the greatest difficulty, and that its early settle- ment is a matter of the greatest importance. The choice of a sovereign appears also to the King the chief impediment to that settlement, and he would regret very much the failure of the endeavour to obtain tlie nomination of the Prince of Orange. If, however. His Majesty's hopes with respect to him should be dis- appointed, he desires you will feel assured of his con- currence with you, that the Prince Charles of Bavaria would be preferable to a Prince of the Eoyal Family of Naples, though any objection on his part to the nomination of the latter would yield to His Majesty's earnest and anxious desire for the preservation of peace. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 62. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Jan. 25, 1831. Earl Grey had not received your Majesty's most gracious letters of yesterday, when he wrote to Count Munster and to Sir Herbert Taylor, requesting them to 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 87 offer to your Majesty his humble thanks for the dis- tinction conferred by your Majesty on General Grey, by naming him a Knight Grand Cross of the Guelpliic Order. • The gratifying and condescending manner in which this mark of your Majesty's favour has now been announced to Earl Grey by your Majesty's letter, demands a repetition of his sincere and dutiful ac- knowledgments ; which are also called for by your Majesty's gracious expression of your wish to avail yourself of a future opportunity of conferring upon General Grey the Grand Cross of the Bath, when the regulations of that Order may be departed from with- out subjecting yoru- Majesty to embarrassment. To such embarrassment Earl Grey would, on no ac- count, .have your Majesty exposed, however anxious he may be to repair, what has appeared to him, an unjust exclusion of his brother (on his account) from a military distinction to which the late Duke of York thought him entitled ; and for which, as Earl Grey has been informed, His Eoyal Highness sent in his name on the first establishment of the Order on its present footing. Earl Grey has again to repeat his heartfelt satisfac- tion at the indulgent manner in which the services of his colleagues and himself have been received by your Majesty, and at your Majesty's gracious approbation of their conduct. Though containing some matters with which it might be improper to trouble your Majesty, Earl Grey cannot help enclosing, for your Majesty's information, a letter from the Marquis of Anglesey, which he has received 88 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 26 this morning, as it contains a very interesting account of what passed between Lords Cloncurry and Meatl:i and Mr. O'Connell ; and also a very satisfactory account of the confidence of the Attorney-General in the re- sult of the prosecutions instituted against Mr. O'Connell. An enquiry has been directed to be made respect- ing the union of the bishoprics, which Avere formerly united ; and there are many examples of similar unions, one as late as in the year 1792. If this arrangement should not take place, Earl Grey is inchned to believe, if your Majesty should approve, the best appointment would be that of the Provost of Trinity College to the bishopric, and of Dr. Lloyd, as suggested by the Marquis of Anglesey, to the provostship ; but, upon this, Earl Grey does not, at present, think himself at liberty to offer any definitive opinion. In consequence of the presumed vacancy in the office of one of the Grooms of your Majesty's Bed- chamber, by the death of the late Viscount Sydney, an application has been made to Earl Grey, to recommend to your Majesty the Hon. Captain Campbell, brother of the Earl of Cawdor, for that appointment ; and Earl Grey hopes he is doing nothing improper in com- plying with this request, so far as humbly to lay it before your Majesty. All which, &c. Grey. No. 63. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Jan. 26, 1831. The King was aware that Earl Grey could not have 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 89 received his letter of the 24th inst., when he wrote to Count Munster and Sir Herbert Taylor on the subject of the Grand Cross of the Guelphic Order ; and His Majesty rejoices to learn from Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, that his commnnication had proved so satis- factory to him. The King was not ignorant that there had been instances of the union of bishoprics ; and to show that His Majesty does not object to it on principle, he need only observe that he had himself given it as his opinion to the Duke of Welhugton, and His Majesty is not quite certain that he did not mention it to Earl Grey also, that, whenever the arrangement could be made, the union of the bishoprics of Sodor and Man and of Chester would be beneficial. But it occurred to His Majesty that, at a period when Eeform of every descrip- tion is in vogue, and when there are rumours of pro- jected reforms in the ecclesiastical institutions of the country, it might not be advisable to act upon a partial suggestion of Sir John Newport's, which could not embrace, and might, if carried into effect, embarrass, future and more general arrangements. His Majesty is quite disposed to sanction Earl Grey's proposal, that, in the event of an immediate succes- sion to the see of Cork, the Provost of Trinity should be the new bishop, and Doctor Lloyd should obtain the provostship. The King desires Earl Grey will acquaint Captain Campbell that His Majesty will add his name to his list of candidates for the situation of Groom of the Bed- chamber, and that he will be glad to bear his appli- cation in mind ; but that the vacancy occasioned by the 90 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Jan. 27 death of Lord Sydney had already been filled by Colonel Sir James Eeynett, at the earnest request of the Land- gravine of Homburg and the Duke of Cambridge. William E. No. 64. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Jan. 27, 1831. Earl Grey, with his humble duty, has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's most gracious letter of yesterday. Earl Grey has now the honour of enclosing another letter from the Marquis of Anglesey for your Majesty's information, and feels assured that the information con- tained in it must pi'ove satisfactory to your Majesty. Before Mi'. O'Connell's return to L-eland Earl Grey would have thought any terms, consistent with propriety, advisable, for preventing the agitation which has since taken place. But he now entertains more than a strong doubt, whether any attempt on the part of the Govern- ment, to conciHate a man who has done all the mischief in his power, would be either honourable or useful. Earl Grey begs to offer his humble thanks for your Majesty's goodness in having placed Captain Campbell's name on the fist of candidates for a future appointment to the office of one of the Grooms of your Ma,iesty's Bed-chamber. All which, &c. Grey. 1831] WITPI KING WILLIAM IV. 91 No. 65. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street; Feb. 3, 1831. My dear Sir, — I last night received your letter of yesterday. I await, with great anxiety, the King's observations on the plan of Parliamentary Eeform, which I had the honour of submitting to His Majesty on Sunday last. After what passed on that occasion,* I cannot doubt that they will be quite satisfactory. I had some further conversation, yesterday, with on the subject, which has given me more pain than I can well express to you. He desired to take a short time to reconsider it. The result will be seen in the enclosed letter from him, which has greatly disappointed me. I cannot, in justice to His Majesty, indeed Avithout disobedience to his commands, urge that a proposal should be made to Parliament under cuxum- stances so disadvantageous. But I hope that, in making his statement of the Civil List, Lord Althorp will claim for His Majesty the gratitude so justly due to him, for * In a letter to Lord Durhnm, dated Brighton, Jan. 31st, 1831, my father thus describes what passed in his interview with the King :— 'Within ten minutes after my arrival here I was introduced to the King, and he immediately entered into the consideration of our plan of Eeform. He attended very minutely to every part of it, put questions wherever doubt occurred, and at the conclusion understood it perfectly. The result is most satisfactory. He approves entirely of the general view and effect of the measure, reserving to himself only the right of making such observations on the details as further consideration may suggest. He was particularly pleased with your report, and entirely concurred in the statement so clearly and powerfully made in it, of the necessity of doing something, and that that something should be effectual and final.' The report referred to will be found in the Appendix. 92 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 this new instance of his consideration for his people, in not making a claim sanctioned by precedent, and in itself both reasonable and just.* I am, &c. Grey. No. 66. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing- Street, Feb. 4, 1831. My dear Sir, — The disposition of both Houses yester- day, upon the annoimceinent of the measures to be brought forward by the Government, appeared very favourable. There were indications in some quarters of a strong opposition to the question of Eeform, but this was to be expected ; and if we are not greatly deceived in our estimate of numbers in the House of Commons, the result is not much to be feared. Mr. Hunt spoke four or five times. The account I hear of him is, that he is in appearance a good country gentle- man, and that his manner of speaking with a strong provincial accent does not threaten mucli difficulty. I enclose a letter from Lord Anglesey, the beginning of which the King might hke to see. There are other * Tlii3 refers to a discussion whicli had arisen as to the propriety of proposing to the House of Commons, that a sum of money should be voted for an outfit to the Queen. My father and Lord Althorp were strongly of opinion that such a grant ought to be made, and nearly all the members of the Cabinet concurred with them ; but the objection made to it by one of them was too decided to be overcome. It is right to add, that this objection appears to have been founded on an apprehension that proposing a grant for this purpose would have a bad effect in the Hotise of Commons and on public opinion. From what afterwards oc- curred, it seems probable that this would have proved a correct anticipa- tion, had the grant been asked for. 1831] WITH KINCt WILLIAM IV. 03 parts of it which it might not, perhaps, be proper for me to communicate to him, but this I leave entirely to your discretion. I feel a very confident expectation that the French Government will not consent to the choice of the Due de Nemours. He and the Duke of Leuchtenberg being both put aside, I hope it may be possible to find a third candidate who may be suffi- ciently unobjectionable to be consented to for the sake of peace. I am, &c. Grey. No. 67. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Feb. 4, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have not failed to read your Lord- ship's letter of yesterday to the King, as well as that from , which I beg to return. His Majesty is perfectly sensible of your Lordship's kind feeling on the subject of an allowance for the outfit of the Queen, and of your anxiety to remove the objection made by ; and His Majesty desires I will convey to you his own and the Queen's acknowledgments for this feehng, Avhich they are aware, also, that all have shared but , to whose proceedings, however, they are by no means disposed to assign any other motive than his conviction, that the introduction of this additional item might be productive of unpleasant discussion, notwithstanding the precedents which had induced His Majesty to start the question. The King is, however, particularly anxious that not another word should be said on the subject, and that 94 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 no allusion, direct or indirect, should be made to it by Lord Althorp in making his statement of the Civil List, as he does not wish to be considered as claiming the least merit for abandoning a claim to which an objection could possibly be urged. The Queen has, unfortunately, greatly exceeded the proposed amount in her outfit, and His Majesty will make arrangements for reimbursing the amount to her out of his own income by instalments. Your Lordship will, I hope, excuse the haste with which this is written. The Kina-'s lonR letter has taken up the greater part of my day. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 68. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Feb. 4, 1831. The King has too long been deeply impressed with the extreme importance of the question of PaTliamentary Eeform, which has so long engaged the attention of the public, and has recently been the subject of the serious deliberations of his confidential servants, not to have looked forward with great anxiety to the results of their deliberations, in the communications which were made to him on the 31st ult. by Earl Grey, ' The Eeport* on the state of the Eepresentation, with a view to its thorough and effective Eeform,' and of the three Bills attached to that Eeport, ' amending the Eepre- sentation of England, Scotland, and Ireland,' with the accompanying explanatory documents. * For this Report see Appendix A. 1831] WITH KINa WILLIAM IV. 95 Although the King had felt willing to admit the necessity of engaging in this question, His Majesty would deceive Earl Grey, and his other confidential servants, if he were to disguise from them that his anxiety was not free from uneasiness, or that the apprehension of innovations fraught with danger, and proposed to be introduced at a period which other circumstances rendered so critical, did not greatly out- weigh his expectations of advantage to the State and the country, from measures of which he had yet to learn the nature and the extent. These having, indeed, been produced, or at least hastened into discussion, more or less, by popular clamour, might prove of such a character as to call upon the King for an opposition to them of which the possible results would have been decidedly at variance with his general inclinations, and with his sense of the necessity of stabihty, and of cordial union in the councils of the nation. Earl Grey cannot possibly be surprised that such should have been His Majesty's feeling, nor consider it as betraying any want of that confidence which in- duced him to call upon him for his able and valuable services, and to entrust him with the formation of the Administration, at a period of extreme national and general importance. That confidence has continued unimpaired, and it has been amply justified. But His Majesty had, little more than four months after his accession to the Throne, been under the necessity of changing his Government — a Government to which he had given his strenuous and unqualified support in consequence of the influence of that very House of Commons, of which, as the popular branch of 96 CORRESrOXDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 the Legislature, it was to be understood that the power and influence should be further increased. He could not be ignorant, and was not ignorant, that some of those who had, in consequence of that change in the Government, been called to his councils were, more or less, committed in pledges on popular questions ; and it was, therefore, natural that he should dread, inde- pendently of other sources of objection, the introduction into the House of Commons of such measures of Eeform as would be likely to be rejected in the House of Lords, whence must arise a quarrel between these two branches of the Legislature, not upon a mere matter of form, not upon the enactment of a common law, but upon a matter affecting a main feature of the Constitution of the country upon a great popular question, and there- fore to be viewed as a great national and political calamity. Nor were these apprehensions groundless, either as they regard the objections which the King would have felt it to be his duty to maintain, or the opposition he would have anticipated in the House of Peers, supposing the Election by Ballot to have formed part of the Bill proposed to be introduced ; for its adoption was actually proposed in the Eeport presented to Earl Grey, though positively rejected by him before he submitted it to His Majesty. The King does not deny that he hails that rejection as removing an insuperable bar from his assent to the proposed measure ; and he is induced thus pointedly to notice the proposal of introducing Election by Ballot, in order to declare that nothing should ever induce him to yield to it, or to sanction a practice which would, in 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 97 his opinion, be a protection to concealment, would abolish the influence of fear and shame, and would be inconsistent with the manly spirit and the free avowal of opinion which distinguish the people of England. Ilis Majesty need scarcely add that his opposition to the introduction of another, yet more objectionable, proposal, — the adoption of Universal Suffrage, one of the wild projects which have sprung from revolutionary speculation, — would have been still more decided. In a question of such vital importance, possibly of greater moment, and more deeply affecting the general interests and welfare of the State than any (with the exception of the Emancipation of the Eoman Cathohcs) upon which the Sovereign of this country has, for centuries past, been called upon to determine, the King feels that he would not do justice to himself if he were to omit stating his general view of the question as a subject of public discussion, and without immediate reference to the shape in which it is now submitted for his sanction, and to the explanations given to him by Earl Grey, which His Majesty acknowledges to have been ample and satisfactory on every point, and to have been offered without reserve or hesitation. The King trusts that his general conduct will secure him against any inference that his opinions have arisen from an arbitrary disposition, have been conceived in the spirit of party, or that they have resulted from preju- dice, other than that possibly which is produced by at- tachment to old institutions, under which England has so long enjoyed, and still enjoys, the benefits for which other countries are contending. But he wishes, by thus recording his opinions, to establish a clear under- VOL. I. H 98 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 standing of tlie limits which a sense of his dnty and the principles by which he considers he ought, as Sovereign of this country, to be governed, must affix to his ad- mission of any proposals that may be made to him. His Majesty is not disposed to deny the existence of defects in the system of the Parliamentary Eepresenta- tion ; nor that it is natural, when defects exist, to wish to remove them : but he believes the evils to be more in theory than in practice, as sho'wn by the mode in which the machine has worked ; and the question is, Whether, in such a Constitution as that of these realms, the dangers of change may not be more to be dreaded and deprecated than the existence of defects ; and whether the preservation of blessings we enjoy be not preferable to the prosecution of that which when acquired, after much difficulty and struggle, may grievously disappoint our expectations ? Great stress is laid upon the general opinion of the people, as being in favour of an extensive Eeforni ; but His Majesty very much doubts whether there be suffi- cient ground for this conclusion. He cannot consider public meetings as a just criterion of the sentiments of the people. The objects of those meetings have, in general, been the promotion of discontent and the disturbance of the public peace ; and those who have not felt inclined to encourage these objects have ab- sented themselves from them, and have viewed with alarm proceedings which might affisct their security and their property. On the other hand, those who have little or nothing to lose, naturally look for advantage to themselves from any change, and are callous to the prospect of its ruinous effects on the mass, as the 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 99 prejudice cannot reach them. But even when such be not the motive of agitators, it may be questioned whetlier, in a country where so much freedom exists, Eeform, which contemplates election by ballot and uni- versal suffrage, be not a specious cloak for the intro- duction of Eepublicanism. The influence which has been exercised by Peers in the representation, and which has become so much an object of vituperation, attaches to property ; and it ap- pears reasonable that it should in that sense be exercised by individuals who, having the larger stake, have the greatest interest in the maintenance of the security and prosperity of the country, and of the estabhshed order of things. It is natural that they should possess in- fluence over those to whom their property enables them to give employment and subsistence ; and it is desirable that an useful union should thus be promoted between the upper and lower classes of society, more espe- cially as the means by which revolutionists chiefly strive to attain their ends is by the destruction of those hnks. Experience has indeed shown that their attacks are almost invariably levelled at the existing aristocracy, although the destruction of the monarchy may not always be their object. The King conceives that the most strenuous advo- cates for Eeform, those whose object it may be to intro- duce a preponderance of popular influence, will not be disposed to deny that the influence of the House of Commons has increased more than that of the Crown, or of the House of Peers ; and the question is, Whether greater danger be not to be apprehended from its en- croachments, than from any other evil which may be 100 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 tlie subject of speculation ; and whether it is not from this source that the mixed form of government of this country has to dread anniliilation ? Even now the House of Commons may at once disable the whole machine, and may, by a factious combination, stop tlie supplies ; they may produce by a similar combination a degree of resistance which has been gradually placed more and more beyond the influence of the Crown and of the Government, and of which the effect, in the dis- solution of the Government, may be instantaneous and unexpected. These manoeuvres may be brought into play in rapid succession, and may totally deprive the executive authorities of their power of action, or sus- pend it at most critical periods, when the safety of the empire may depend upon the support to be given to that power of action. All this would seem to point out the inexpediency, not to say the insecurity, of render- ing the House of Commons yhotq popular than it already is in the materials of its composition, by the substitu- tion of a representation of numbers for one of j^foperty. That equilibrium of the three estates, which it is so essential to preserve in their just and proper bearings relatively upon each other, would be destroyed. The House of Commons would acquire an undue prepon- derance in the scale ; and the consequence, sooner or later, would be a democracy in its worst form. The King has thus stated at length, and without re- serve, the feelings and the sentiments with which he approached this perilous question ; and he has been in- duced to do so from a desire that he should not be considered as having lightly and inconsiderately given his concurrence to the measure which has been sub- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 101 mitted to him ; and also because he felt that this full statement of the opinions he had enteitained, and still entertains, would give greater value to his sanction of what had been proposed to him by Earl Grey, inasmuch as it would show that, serious as were his apprehensions and his objections, they have been removed by the na- ture and character of the proposed measure, and be- cause the declaration of a sanction so obtained must convey to his Government with it the assurance of His Majesty's determination to afford to them his utmost countenance and support in the furtherance of this ar- duous and important undertaking. It must convince them that he is dealing fairly by them, and that he does not shrink from the responsibility of avowing his senti- ments before his decision shall be called for by the re- sults of the discussion which is approaching, when it might be supposed to rest upon the opinions and views of others. His Majesty's assent being given upon due and mature consideration of all the bearings of this question, ought, in his opinion, to be given in so unre- served a manner, as to secure his Ministers its full benefit. The King does not consider it necessary to enter into the detail of the various provisions of the Bills, but will confine what he has still to say to some remarks upon the report made to Earl Grey which accompanied these Bills. His Majesty admits the correctness of the principle, and the pohcy of 'not conceding so much only as might for the moment evade or stifle the demand for a more extensive alteration in the existing system;' and he considers it desirable 'to effect such a per- 102 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 manent settlement of the question as will no longer render its agitation subservient to the designs of the factious and discontented.' His Majesty concurs in the opinion offered in the report, that ' the plan of Eeform ought to be of such a scope and desciiption as to satisfy all reasonable demands, and remove at once and for ever, all rational grounds of complaint from the minds of the intelligent and independent portion of the community ; ' and he considers it most important that 'an effectual check should thus be opposed to that restless spirit of innovation, which aims in secret at nothing less than the overthrow of all our institutions, and even the Throne itself His Majesty approves of the disfranchisement of all boroughs, the population of which amounts to less than 2000 inhabitants ; and that those whose popula- tion amounts to less than 4000 should be deprived of one Member. The King approves, for the reasons assigned in the report, of the extension of the elective franchise to all householders within the town, or borough and parish (in the latter class of boroughs as well as in those cities and boroughs where the right of voting is enjoyed by close corporations), who are entitled by the late act to serve on juries ; those who are rated to the relief of the poor, or to the inhabited house-tax, at 20/. per annum ; it being also understood that no person shall in future acquire a right of voting for a county by virtue of any property situated in any borough sending Members to Parliament. He approves of granting representatives to all large and populous towns of more than 10,000 inhabitants, 1831] WITH KING WILLL-UI IV. 103 the right of voting to be vested in householders of 20/. per annmn. His Majesty approves of giving additional Members to counties whose population amounts to more than 150,000 inhabitants, dividing them into districts, leaving the forty shillings franchise as it now exists, but en- franchising leaseholders of 50/. per annum, and copy- holders of 10/. per annum. His Majesty approves of the proposals which have in view a diminution of the expense of elections, namely : The enforcement of residence ; The registration of votes ; The increase of the numbers of polUng-booths ; The shortening of the duration of the poll ; The taking the poll (in counties) in hundreds or divisions ; and His Majesty is induced to waive his objection to shortening the duration of Parhament from seven to live years, in consideration of the short- ening of the duration of the poll, and of the arrange- ments proposed in the Bills, which are calculated, not only to reduce the expense of elections, but to lessen the evils which have hitherto resulted from them. But, although the establishment of Septennial Parha- ments is of recent institution, as compared with many other enactments comiected with the Eepresentation, His Majesty would not be sorry to learn that his Government had not found it necessary to persist in the proposed change of period. The King is of opinion that, in an arrangement of which the foundation is the amount of population, it would be very desirable to remove aU possibility of objection and doubt, with respect to the correctness of 104 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 4 the returns of that population, and therefore that a new census should be taken, as the changes which may have occurred in the relative population, more espe- cially of boroughs and cities, within the last ten. years, may, in some cases, cause a material alteration of the numbers stated in the returns on which the arrange- ment is founded. A new census would also be de- sirable with reference to the ballots for the Militia. His Majesty has abstained from objecting to one part of the arrangement — that which leaves the forty shillings franchise as it now exists ; because he is aware that there might be considerable difficulty in raising it at once to 10/. per annum, which is proposed to constitute in future the qualification for the vote at any county election ; but he owns that he would have been better satisfied by the introduction of a provision which should have abolished tlie forty shillings franchise. Nor could such a provision be reasonably objected to as inconsistent with the constitutional principle on which the Representation was framed ; as it must be considered that, when the right of voting was vested in forty shilling freeholders, the value of that sum far exceeded that which 10/., or even four or five times that sum, bears in the present day. At any rate His Majesty trusts that the rates proposed in the Bills will not be lowered ; and that it will be borne in mind that, in order to reconcile conflicting opinions, and to give due attention to the interests of all concerned, the principle adopted should embrace a representation of property as well as one of numbers. William E. 1881] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 105 No. 69. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Feb. 5, 1831. Earl Grey presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's most gracious letter of yesterday. The full exposition of your Majesty's feehngs and opinions on the important question of Parhamentary Eeform, concluding with the expression of your Ma- jesty's approbation of the plan which, with the unani- mous concurrence of his colleagues, Earl Grey has had the honour of submitting to your Majesty, is the more gratifying to him, as this assent has been given upon due ' and mature consideration of aU the bearings of the question, and in such a manner as to secure to your Majesty's Ministers the full benefit of it.' It is unneces- sary for Earl Grey to encroach upon your Majesty's time by a detailed reply to the various important points so < distinctly stated, and so clearly and so powerfully discussed in your Majesty's letter. Tn the enlightened view taken by your Majesty of the whole subject, and of all the circumstances connected with it, Earl Grey has the happiness of being able to state that he entirely concurs ; and he begs to repeat to your Majesty the assurance, that if he had not been convinced that a measure of this kind was imperiously called for by the circumstances of the times, and might be safely under- taken with a view to the security of your Majesty's crown and to the interests of your people, he never could have been induced to propose it to your Majesty. On the question of the Ballot, the strong and decided 106 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 5 opinion expressed by your Majesty must operate as a command which Earl Grey feels himself bound to obey, objecting to it on the same grounds which are so forcibly stated by your Majesty. Earl Grey might otherwise, perhaps, have not felt himself at liberty to abandon all the benefits of the measure, if they could not have been obtained without yielding to a condition, which, condemning it as he does. Earl Grey tliinks might be so far harmless as to be completely nugatory in destroying the influence against which it is intended to guard. Earl Grey thinks it necessary to state to your Majesty, for fear of any misapprehension, that it is not proposed to hmit the acquisition of a vote in counties in future to a freehold of the annual value of ten pounds. The forty shillings franchise it is intended to leave, as Earl Grey meant to explain to your Majesty, without alter- ation. There is no doubt that, estimating the value of money on a comparison between the period when this franchise was granted and the present day, a proposal for raising tlie votes for counties to a higher denomina- tion than that of ten pounds might be contended for ; but though in some respects it might be advantageous. Earl Grey is satisfied that the continuance of the forty shillings franchise will operate rather favourably than otherwise for the landed interest. With regard to your Majesty's suggestion of taking a new census. Earl Grey craves permission humbly to submit, that the time it would necessarily take would occasion an inconvenient delay, during which increased agitation and the propa- gation of dangerous theories might be apprehended ; and further, that in taking a new census with a view to this professed object, there might be reason to appre- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 107 hend that, in some instances at least, tlie accuracy of the new returns might be ajBfected. The census of 1821 is sufficiently near the present time to affi)rd a reason- able presumption, that it affords a tolerably just esti- mate of the present state of the population, which may be taken as a satisfactory basis for the principle on which the plan is formed, and without the possibihty of a suspicion that any inaccuracy can have crept into it from interested motives. Earl Grey cannot conclude this very imperfect ac- knowledgment of your Majesty's considerate and en- lightened attention to this important question, without expressing the satisfaction and comfort which he has derived from so fuU and so candid an exposition of your Majesty's sentiments. He has the same acknow- ledgment to make with respect to every communica- tion, whether written or personal, with which your Majesty has honoured him since his admission into your service, affording him the inestimable advantage of a full knowledge of your Majesty's views as to the mea- sures which he brings before you ; and a perfect security that, when once sanctioned by your Majesty, Earl Grey and the rest of your Majesty's Ministers will have your Majesty's full support in carrying them into execution. All which, &c. Grey. No. 70. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Feb. 5, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour to receive and lay before the King your Lordship's letter of yester- 108 COERESPONDENCE OF EAEL GREY [Feb. 5 day, and that enclosed from Lord Anglesey, wliich I return. I could feel no hesitation in reading the latter part to His Majesty after the communication he had made to you yesterday ; and I am sensible of the satis- faction His Majesty derives from the unreserved manner in which your Lordship communicates with him, and of the importance of maintaining a confidence so happily established reciprocally. The King naturally expects that there will be in some quarters a strong opposition on the question of Eeform ; but he trusts that it will prove limited as to numbers, when the measure is brought forward and its provisions ■ are known. Lord Palmerston mentions having shown you a letter from the King on the affairs of Belgium, and will pro- bably show you one from me to him, of this date, with reference to it. I hope that His Majesty misconceived the Thirteenth Protocol, and the instruction to Lord Granville which accompanied it ; and he could hardly bring himself to believe that the assent to the Due de Nemours' election had been given, but, as I mentioned to Lord Palmerston, I was desired to read the docu- ments three times to him, and he still retained his con- struction of them, in which I concurred. The King has ordered me to say to your Lordship, that he forgot to request you would direct a warrant to be prepared renewing to the Princess Sophia of Gloucester the appointment of Keeper of Greenwich Park, by virtue of which H. E. H. holds the Eanger's house at Blackheath during His Majesty's pleasure. I have, &c. H. Tayloe. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 109 No. 71. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) BrightoD, Feb. 6, 1831. My dear Lord, — Altliougli the King's answer to your Lordship's letter and to Lord Althorp's will not be ready to go by this day's messenger, I will not delay acknowledging the receipt of that with which you have favoured me, and acquainting you that His Majesty's reply will be perfectly satisfactory upon every point contained in both, and will convey his acquiescence in all you have submitted to him. His Majesty was aware that my letter could not have reached you in time to prevent Lord Althorp's state- ment of what had passed on the subject of the outfit for the Queen, and he is very sensible of the kind feehng which suggested it. The disinclination shown in the House of Commons to have entertained any pro- posal to that effect, supposing it had been made, has however produced a very painful impression upon His Majesty, as has what passed respecting the Pension List. He has ordered me to make a general allusion to it in his letter to your Lordship, and to enter more largely into the subject in his reply to Lord Althorp. Having to write and to copy these letters, I fear that they cannot go earher than by the mail. I have, &c. H. Tayloe. 110 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 6 No. 72. The King to Earl Grey. Brigtton, Feb. 6, 1831. The King lias been much gratified by the assurance conveyed in Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, that His Majesty's letter of the 4th instant, on the subject of the proposed measure of Parliamentary Eeform, had proved so satisfactory to him, and by learning that Earl Grey entirely concurs in the view taken by His Majesty of the whole subject, and of all the circumstances con- nected with it. The King had indeed anticipated that concurrence in his sentiments from what had already passed between him and Earl Grey, and had not mis- taken his feeling with respect to the introduction of the measure at this period. With regard to the election by Ballot, the King has less hesitation in stating that he dreads the introduction of it under any modification, as Earl Grey has assured him that he objects to it upon the same grounds which have been stated by His Majesty ; and as he fears that, however harmless its operation might seem to have been rendered, the inclination to the establishment of a pre- ponderating popular influence of which so many proofs are daily afforded, would very soon defeat the en- deavours to keep within due and safe bounds this and any other arrangements tending to the increase of that influence. The King had, as it appears from Earl Grey's letter, mistaken one of the provisions of the Bill, as he imagined that although the existing forty shilhngs fran- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. Ill chise would iiot be abolished, no vote in counties would be in future acquired by a freehold of the annual value of less than ten pounds. His Majesty is satisfied that this question has been well considered by Earl Grey, and is by no means disposed to object to the con- tinuance of the forty shillings franchise, as Lord Grey considers that it will operate rather favourably than otherwise for the landed interest. Nor did His Majesty, by any observation conveyed in his letter of the 4th instant, mean to restrict his Government from lowering the quahfication in cities and boroughs to ten pounds, if it should be found necessary to take this course, though His Majesty would, with Earl Grey, greatly prefer the higher qualification. His Majesty leaves it to the discretion of Earl Grey to follow the course which he may consider most ad- visable with respect to the duration of the Parliament, though there may possibly be some advantage in intro- ducing the usual term of seven years into the Bill, with a view to a compromise for five years. His Majesty has given due consideration to Earl Grey's objections to taking a new census, with reference to the measure in contemplation, and is satisfied of their validity. He must, upon this occasion, repeat to Earl Grey, that he may place full reliance upon His Majesty's firm determination to afford to him his utmost support towards the prosecution of his zealous, able, and honourable exertions for the service of his King and country, in a period of unexampled difiiculty ; and he acknowledges the satisfaction he derives from the un- reserved communication which has been estabhshed 112 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 7 between himself and his Government, ahve as His Majesty is to the importance of it under circumstances which render tlie existence of any Government, and the maintenance of any authority, a question of so much difficulty and uncertainty. His Majesty camiot conceal from Earl Grey, that he has received a very painful impression from the dispo- sition shown in the House of Commons,* as reported by Viscount Althorp to himself, and as noticed in Earl Grey's letter to Sir Herbert Taylor ; and he refers Earl Grey to the expression of his sentiments to Lord Althorp on the subject. William E. No. 73. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. DowniDg Street, Feb. 7, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have been so long delayed at the Cabinet upon the Budget and other matters, that being now under the necessity of going to the House of Lords, I cannot by this night's post write to the King in acknowledgment of the very gratifying letter I have this morning received from him. Will you have the goodness, therefore, to make my excuses to His Majesty for this omission. I must, on the same account, defer my answer to yours. The King will have received from Lord Palmerston * Apparently on the question whether persons in the enjoyment of pensions on the civil list could properly be deprived of them ; but the letter to Sir H. Taylor referred to is missing. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 113 tlie very satisfactory accounts we have received from Paris, of the measures taken by the Prench Govern- ment on receiving the news of the election of the Due de Nemom-s. The sudden change of tone by M. Sebas- tiani is rather amusing. I attribute it to the receipt of dispatches in the meantime from Talleyrand and Flahault, stating the manner in which their communi- cations had been received here. ***** The King's letter to Lord Althorp is irresistible both in feeling and argument. My own feelings on this subject are so strong, that if the House of Commons decides upon reducing the pensions,* I should be very much inclined to retire from the Government, if I did not think it might be injurious to His Majesty's in- terests. To His Majesty I owe a debt of gratitude which I never can repay ; and my first wish must be, at what ever personal sacrifice short of that which would render my services useless, to devote myself entirely to his service. I am, &c. Gkey. * It is proper to explain, that while my father was of opinion that many pensions had in former years been improperly granted, he con- sidered that to withdraw them from the persons in actual enjoyment of them, and upon whom they had been conferred in the exercise of a power given to the Sovereign by Parliament, and in accordance with a practice universally recognised at the time, would cause so much hardship to individuals, and be so substantially unjust, that it was his duty strenu- ously to maintain these existing pensions, though he was ready to consent to any regulations Parliament might consider necessai-y, to pre- vent abuses in grantiiig them for the future. The pensions in question, I may add, had almost without exception been gi-anted by Administrations to which my father had been opposed. VOL, 1. I 114 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL UREY [Feb. 8 No. 74. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Feb, 8, 1831. Dear Sir, — I have taken the necessary steps for issuing a warrant, in obedience to His Majesty's com- mands, for renewing to the Princess Sophia of Glou- cester the appointment of Keeper of the Greenwich Parks. I send in a box, Avhich will accompany this, copies of the Bill and papers respecting the proposed measure of Parhamentary Eeform, which His Majesty desired to have ; and I have also enclosed with them some alterations that it has been found necessary to make in the Irish Bill, which you "will be easily able to insert in the original draft by means of the references. I have also enclosed the copy of the King's letter to Sir James Graham, which you wished to have returned to you. In the King's letters on the Eeform business, he has always spoken of the objection to the Ballot as if it had been made solely by me. I should be much obliged to you therefore, on any convenient opportunity, to ex- plain the matter to him as it really is. This mode of election was not proposed, even by the framers of the report, as one to which they were themselves partial, but as a concession which would greatly facihtate the • raising of the elective franchise in cities and boroughs, and that this would of itself diminish the evils which might be apprehended from the adoption of the Ballot. When it came to be discussed in the Cabinet, the ob- jections to it were not more strongly stated by me than by the Chancellor, Lord Lansdowne, and others ; and the decision in respect to it was taken by the 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 115 Avliole Cabinet, though with an opinion still entertained by some, on the grovinds which I have already stated, that it might be expedient. I have the most satisfactory accounts of the impres- sion made last night on the House of Commons by Lord Althorp's stout and manly expression of his decided opinion, that a reduction of the existing pensions would be contrary to all policy and justice. I had felt so much annoyed by what had previously passed on this subject, that I had directed Lord Howick to make a declaration to the same effect, as the best way of stating my feelings upon it ; but this was rendered un- necessa,ry by the effect of Lord Althorp's speech ; and he very properly, in compliance with the advice of Sir James Graham, desisted from saying anything. I do hope, therefore, that we shall get through this very unpleasant business ; but I am not by any means sure, that the fear of their constituents, and the disposition of great numbers in the House of Commons, may not bring it on us again. If this should happen, I am pre- pared to resist it, if His Majesty approves, at all hazard. I have not another moment. I remain, &c. Gkey. No. 75. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) ^ Brighton, Feb. 8, 1831. My dear Lord, — 1 do not delay acknowledging the receipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday, which I have read to the King. 1 2 116 CORRESPONDEXCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 8 I cannot help telling you that no person could pos- sibly express herself with greater good sense and good humour tlian the Queen did to me on the subject of the Outfit ; giving to your Lordship the credit which is so justly due to you for your feeling upon it, and as- cribing the disappointment, not to want of regard or consideration for herself, but to the temper of the times, Avhich, she justly observed, seemed to have found its way into the minds of the representatives of the people. Her Majesty will, of course, avail herself of the King's liberal offer to the extent only which may be beyond her own resources, and her means of avoiding embarrassment. Your Lordship will leam from the King's letter to Lord Palmerston, how highly he approves of the whole course of his Government in the negotiation about Bel- gium, and how much he ascribes the altered tone of the French Government to the firmness and consistency of his own Government, and to the ability and dexterity with which the negotiation has been conducted by Lord Palmerston. I have however, upon no occasion, seen His Majesty more pleased than upon learning that you approved of his letter to Lord Althorp, and that you did not seem to think that he had expressed his feelings too strongly. His Majesty was, indeed, persuaded that your Lordship entered into them from principle, and from the attach- ment of which, as well as zeal for his service and so- licitude for the dignity of the Crown, you have given him ample proof. His Majesty observed that he was sensible that your Lordship could derive no satisfaction 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. . H7 from being placed in the direction of Public Affairs in the present state and temper of the country, nor any comfort, except from the conviction that you are dis- charging a most important duty, though a very un- grateful one ; but that he anxiously hopes that no cir- cumstance arising out of this state of things, nor any other, will deprive him of the benefit of your services, and of your advice and support : That he considers that you are embarked in the same boat with him ; and that he may rely upon your principles, and he hopes also upon the influence of your character, for support in his endeavours to maintain the Monarchy and the . Aristocracy of the country, in that position whicli the Constitution has assigned to them, and to protect both against the encroachments which are daily attempted. If any sovereign can hope to stem the revolutionaiy torrent, I think the Xing may. He is free from fancies and prejudices ; he possesses firmness without obsti- nacy, and is therefore quite open to conviction upon pomts on which he may be advised by those whose judgment and principles he rightly appreciates, to con- cede so much as shall appear necessary and expedient, in order to concihate, and to prevent greater mischief ; and the general view he takes of subjects is disinter- ested, and at all times guided by an anxious desire to discharge correctly and honourably the duties of his high station, rather than by considerations of personal interest and personal gratification. While such are the principles and the motives which influence the conduct of the Sovereign, he can never embarrass his Mnis- ters ; and your Lordship will allow me to express, a sincere hope, that the exertions of His Majesty and of 1]8 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 8 his present Minister may long be combined for the wel- fare and interest of the country. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 76. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Feb. 8, 18.31. Earl Grey, with his humble duty to your Majesty, has in the first place again to entreat your Majesty to accept the excuse which he has already offered through Sir H. Taylor, for not having sooner acknowledged your Majesty's most gracious letter of the 6th inst. It has given Earl Grey the greatest pleasure to find that his last communication respecting the proposed measure of Eeform of Parliament has also met Avith your Majesty's approbation. With the assurance of your Majesty's support. Earl Grey is very sanguine in his hopes of being able to carry this important mea- sure successfully through Parliament. For the gratify- ing exposition of your Majesty's continued confidence, Earl Grey can only offer in return the humble assur- ance of his increasing gratitude. Earl Grey is not at all surprised that your Majesty shoidd have received a very painful impression from the disposition shown in the House of Commons, as de- scribed in your Majesty's letter to him and Viscount Althorp. In that impression Earl Grey participates to the fullest extent, and has left no means in his power unemployed to arrest and check a feeling which would push economy to an extent that would be equally in- consistent Avith equity, and with the consideration 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 119 which is due to your Majesty, and to tlie character of the Government. From the accounts which Earl Grey has received of what passed in the House of Commons last nigirt, things seem to be taking a better turn ; and in conse- quence of the firm and honourable expression of his sentiments by Viscount Althoi'p, Earl Grey is willing to entertain the hope, that the House of Commons will not proceed to the unjust and unprecedented measure of meddling with existing pensions. But it cannot be concealed, not only that there is a very unfortunate disposition prevailing as to matters of this nature, but that this disposition is powerfully acted upon by the popular feeling, which has been excited by the publi- cation of the Pension List, and the comments upon it in the public papers. All which, &c. Geey. No. 77. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brighton, Feb. 9, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have the honoiu- to enclose the King's answer to your Lordship's letter of yesterday, in which you will find His Majesty has noticed and replied to some parts of your letter to me, which I submitted to him. His Majesty has entered so fully into the question of Eeform, and the proceedmgs in the House of Commons with regard to the Pensions, in his letter to your Lordship and to Lord Althorp, that I need only repeat that all that has passed, so far as his Government is 120 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 9 concerned, has been very agreeable to liim ; and that the manner in which Lord Althorp has taken up and met what has been said on the latter subject, has in a great measure relieved Him from the uneasiness he felt. He seems, however, to be strongly impressed, as your- Lordship appears to be, with the necessity of making a stand upon this question, which, in his opinion, involves the constitutional attributes of the monarchy, and the existence of the influence which connects the Sovereign with the Government ; and his Majesty feels this the more strongly, as he cannot but view the attempt to carry the point as one feature of a systematic attack upon the power and prerogatives of the Crown. Great and successful pains have been taken to mislead and poison the public mind on the Pension subject. The whole principle has been wilfully misrepresented, for one of the objects of the provision was to enable the Sovereign to do gratuitous acts of kindness and benevolence. It was, I conceive, never intended, nor until this moment ever considered, that he was to be limited in these grants by reference to considerations connected only with public service. There may have been, and doubtless have been, abuses ; and your Lordship will observe, that the King is by no means disposed to place those beyond the reach of futnre control and checks ; but he dreads the idea of being called upon to visit the sins of his forefathers upon the objects of their favour and benevolence. I believe I have correctly stated the King's feehng on this subject ; but it must be very difficult to deter- mine upon the nature of the check, or luJiere it shall rest. If vested in the House of Commons, it Avould be 1831] AVITH KING WILLIAM IV. 121 in fact to make over to that body the Prerogative of the Crown; and tlie Honse of Commons is quite dis- posed to grasp at that, and at the whole executive power of the Government. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 78. The King to Eai^l Grey. Brighton, Feb. 9, 1831. The King desires Earl Grey will feel assured, that it was unnecessary that he should make any excuse for not having rephed on the following day to His Majesty's letter of the 6th instant, as His Majesty is too well aware of the pressure of his occupations at this period, to have expected an earlier communication. He must indeed add, that he is often surprised how Earl Grey can find time for all he does, and for the immediate and ample communications he makes to the King, or for His Majesty's information. His Majesty repeats to Earl Grey, that he is per- fectly satisfied with every explanation he has conveyed to him on the subject of the Reform Bills, since they were first submitted to His Majesty, incluchng the alterations made in the Irish Bill this day received, which appear to him very judicious. The subject has, as before, engaged much of his thoughts ; and he is more and more convinced that Earl Grey has acted most wisely in bringing it forward without delay ; and that the provisions introduced in the Bills are well calculated to effect all that is correct and necessary, without entailing any of those evils which had been 122 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 9 apprehended from the mtroduction of the measure by those who wished to have gone greater lengths. The King notices, with very sincere satisfaction, what Earl Grey has said in his letter of yesterday to Sir Herbert Taylor, on the siibj ect of Election by Ballot ; as he does not deny that he had conceived it to be one of the propositions suggested by the framers of the report, and excluded by Earl Grey, and that His Majesty imagined that measure to have found other advocates in his Cabinet. The King rejoices extremely to learn that he has in this laboured under a false impression, which he had admitted with concern ; and he repeats, that although there may be grounds which may render some con- cessions expedient, he trusts that tlie object may be attained without introducing a measure which is ad- mitted to be objectionable in principle, and which does not appear to him susceptible of any modification that can divest it of that objection. All that Earl Grey has expressed in his letter to the King, and in his communications to Sir Herbert Taylor, with respect to the proceedings in the House of Com- mons and to His Majesty's notice of them, in his letter to Lord Althorp, has been very gratifying to His Majesty. He owns to Lord Grey that his feelings had been very strongly excited by the appearance of a disposition in the House of Commons, and by the apprehension of the possible success of an attempt to call upon him to reduce to the extent of more than one-half the existing pen- sions ; and it was most satisfactory to him to learn, that he was not considered by Earl Grey to have expressed him- self too strongly upon this occasion, and that his feelings 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 123 corresponded with His Majesty's. Tlie sentiments ex- pressed by Viscount Altliorp on the same subject, both in his communications to the King and in his observa- tions to the House, have also given His Majesty great pleasure ; and he has endeavoured to assure Lord Ahhorp how higlily he approves of his gentlemanly and manly tone upon this occasion, as of the general course he is taking in the discharge of an arduous and, His Majesty fears, a very disagreeable task. Nor is the King less sensible of Earl Grey's kind and con- siderate feeling in desiring Lord Howick to make a declaration to the same effect, if it had been found necessary. His Majesty is, however, sensible of the difficulty which may still arise from the discussion of this and other subjects, in the present temper and feeling of the House of Commons, as well as of the mischief which has been produced by the pubhcation of the Pension List, and the comments upon it ; and he feels the neces- sity of assuming and maintaining a high tone upon some of these points, in order to secure and encourage those who may be wavering, or who may mistake the inten- tions of his Government. Earl Grey will, however, do His Majesty the justice to beheve, that he does not wish any feeling he may have expressed to be con- sidered as conveying the least desire to contend for the continued exercise of any prerogative or influence, or for the uncontroUed power of dispensing favours which may be converted into abuse. His Majesty is not in- clined to object to any checks which may be devised to prevent the abuse of that which the Constitution has given to the Sovereign, though he may reasonably pro- 124 COREESPONDEXCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 11 test against being debarred from the just and correct exercise of those rights which have been hitherto considered the prerogatives and the privileges of the Sovereign of this country, and which have always been deemed essential to the support of any Government. William E. No. 79. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Private.) Downing Street, Feb. 11, 1831. My dear Sir, — Having no particular communication to make to the King, I have abstained from troubling him with the repetition of my grateful feelings for all the kindness and condescension manifested in his letter of the 9th, which I had the honour of receiving yester- day. I trust to you, therefore, to make this acknow- ledgment, with a proper expression of my humble duty. I have also to thank you for your letters of the 8th and 9th, which have, as usual, aflbrded me the greatest satisfaction. It was most gratifying to me to know that the painfid communication I was under the neces- sity of making respecting the Outfit, had been received with so much considerate kindness by the Queen. Her remark on the temper of the times, and on its influence on the House of Commons, is most just. In truth a disposition to reduce the means in the possession of the Executive Government has prevailed, more or less, at all times, and has broken out at particular seasons, with more or less violence, as ojiportunity might offer or 1831] WITH KING WILLIA5I IV. 125 distress excite. Even in tlie middle of the last century, the House of Commons was occupied with motions and discussions such as these which we daily witness on the subject of Pensions. With respect to tliese, I receive, every day, additional proofs of the deep impression that has been made on the pubhc mind. It is not only the clamorous part of the public that urges their reduction : men of sober character, and of the better orders of the community, including numbers of those who have hitherto supported Tory politics, join in the attempt. It has come to my knowledge within these two days, that many opulent merchants in the City of London had declined signing the resolutions in support of the Go- vernment, in consequence of our refusing to reduce the pensions. I believe the report of the Committee will be satisfactory, but I cannot have any assurance that the decision of the House will be in accordance with the opinion of Ministers. Nothing can be more just or more wise and liberal than the disposition expressed by His Majesty to concur in any useful and necessary pro- visions against futm-e abuse ; and I am made happy by the assurance that the conduct of Lord Althorp and myself on this matter has been viewed by him with approbation. I enclose a letter from Lord Anglesey. I think what he says about the prosecutions will be satisfactory to His Majesty. O'Connell is, I beheve, in a great fright ; and I suspect that he is conscious of being in danger of discoveries which might lead to much more serious con- sequences than the present prosecutions. * * * • * * Prince Leopold has been so good as to invite me to- 126 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Fuh.l2 morrow to Claremout, and to stay Sunday. If I can get away, I mean to take advantage of this opportunity to get a little rest and a little fresh air, which are very necessary to me. I am, &c. Grey. No, 80. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Brigliton, Feb, 12, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour to receive your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and submit it to the King, as well as that from Lord Anglesey, which I beg to return. What his Lordship says on the subject of the prosecutions, and of O'Connell, has proved very satisfactory to His Majesty. ^ '^ 71^ W ^ His Majesty readily admitted that the disposition to reduce the influence of the Crown, the power of the Executive Government, and, with both of course, the means of granting pensions, &c., had often prevailed ; and he had not forgotten what passed in the House of Commons in the middle of the last century ; but he ob- served that much had since been done towards reducing that power and influence, and towards throwing it into the scale of the House of Commons : That he had no objections to the reduction of that of the Crown, by the abohtion of sinecures, the restricting of pensions, or the correction of any thing that could be called abuse., pro- vided the equilibrium of the Three Estates could be maintained; but that he dreaded the Democracy, to- 831] WITH KIXG WILLIAM IV. 127 vards which he conceived the constitution of the ;ouutry to be gradually approacliing. His Majesty was concerned to read what your Lord- hip says on the subject of the Pensions, and the feeling vliicli prevails even among men of sober cliaracter and he better orders of the community ; and lie cannot ac- count for it otherwise tlian by their mistal?;ing the ques- ion, as he conceives it to be impossible that men of )rinciple and of equitable feehiig can expect that he or lis Government should readily agree to the reduction )f ed'istiiiff pensions. Your Lordship will probably have learnt from Mr. Stanley that his election had been most satisfactor3^ ^ome of my friends at Windsor had anticipated diffi- :ulty, but I gave no credit to them. I hope you have been able to get away, and that the veather will favour your visit to Claremont. I have, &c. H. Taylok. Ko. 8L Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Feb. 14, 1831. Earl Grey having been detained late at the Cabinet m Saturday, was prevented writing to your Majesty lefore lie left town for Claremont. Your Majesty, lowever, has been fully informed, both by Viscount lltliorp and the Lord ChanceUor, of all that passed a the House of Commons, on the discussion of the kidget on Friday last. Yesterday a meeting was held at Lord Althorp's 128 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb., 14 house, of tlie principal Members of the House of Com- mons who support the Government. It was nume- rously attended, and the disposition manifested by them most satisfactory. It was agreed, however, in conse- quence of the impression made on the public against the proposed tax on transfers of property, that it would be necessary to give it up. This resolution has been confirmed, upon full consideration, by your Majesty's servants assembled in Cabinet this morning, and will be announced by Viscount Althorp to-day in the House of Commons. Earl Grey cannot but regret the necessity that compels your Majesty's Ministers to take this step, believing as he does the measure, which they have been thus obhged to abandon, to have been well calculated to promote the public advantage. Had it appeared to Earl Grey to be justly chargeable as a breach of public faith, he never would have consented to its being proposed ; but not being able to regard it in this light, and thinking that, for the relief of the industrious classes of your Majesty's subjects, some contribution might justly be required from that inter- est, which alone, in the midst of general distress, has been enjoying increased advantages, to remit some of the most inconvenient taxes, he concurred most cor- dially in the plan proposed by Viscount Althorp for the accomplishment of that object. In this opinion it has been a great comfort and satisfaction to Earl Grey, to learn from Viscount Althorp that your Majesty concurred. Earl Grey is happy to turn from this mortifying occurrence, to the satisfactory intelligence received this morning from the Marquis of Anglesey. As this will 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IX. 129 be communicated to your Majesty with all its details by Viscount Melbourne, Earl Grey will not trespass on your Majesty's time, further than to offer his humble congratulations on the complete vindication of the pro- ceedings of your Majesty's Government in Ireland, by Mr. O'Connell withdrawing his plea of ' Not guilty ' on the fourteen first counts in the indictment ; and the proof it affords of his own consciousness, that the vio- lation of the laws for which he had been arraigned could not be defended. All which, &c. Grey. No. 82. Eai'l Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Feb. 15, 1831. My dear Sir, — Every thing went off last night as well as possible in both Houses. It is not pleasant to be under the necessity of making a retreat, but it was done, I am confident, without any loss of character, or of oitr future efficiency in the King's service. The feeling of the House of Lords was, according to all appearance, quite with me ; so much so, that I have no doubt the measure would have been carried there without difficulty. I have nothing to-day from Ire- land, except a short note from Lord Anglesey not worth sending. ****** An opposition has been got up against Lord Duncan- non * in the county of Kilkenny, of the result of which * On his offering himself for re-election, after vacating his seat by accepting the office of First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, VOL. I. K 130 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Feb. 15 there would, I am told, be no cause for apprehension, if it were not for the expense of the contest, which Duncannon is unable to meet, and with respect to which we have no means of assisting him, unless some of our rich friends could be induced to subscribe. I am, &c. Geey. No. 83. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Feb. 15, 1831. The King has learnt with regi'et, though without surprise, from Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, that in consequence of the impression made upon the public against the proposed tax on transfers of property, his Government had determined to give it up. Earl Grey will have learnt from the King's letter to Viscount Althorp, that his opinion was favourable to this tax in every view of its character ; and no one can be more thoroughly convinced than the King is, that Lord Grey is the last man who would propose any measure (how- ever otherwise advantageous), which could be justly chargeable as a breach of public faith. His Majesty laments that some means cannot be devised of impos- ing upon the fundholders a portion of those burthens which are borne by the landholders and the indus- trious classes of his subjects. Earl Grey will also have learnt that, in anticipation of this occurrence. His Ma- jesty had considered that a less reduction might be taken in the duty on tobacco, and he has learnt with satisfaction that this expedient has been resorted to. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 131 The communications from Lord Anglesey, which Viscount Melbourne has submitted to the King, are extremely gratifying to His Majesty, sensible as he is that his Government could not ever possibly have hoped, for a more decided confirmation of the correct- ness and wisdom of their proceedings than that which the course adopted by Mr. O'ConneU has afforded ; and His Majesty entertains sanguine expectations that their proceedings will have a very beneficial effect upon the general state of Ireland. William E. No. S4. The King to Earl Grey. Brighton, Feb. 19, 1831. The King has received Earl Grey's letter of yester- day, enclosing one from Lord Anglesey, which he re- turns, and which His Majesty has read with much satisfaction. His Majesty will be glad to communicate with Earl Grey, in London, on the subject of the Ee- presentative Peers of Scotland and Ireland. He has long been of opinion that they should, under any con- tingencies, be distinct, namely, sixteen for Scotland and twenty-eight for Ireland ; and that the Eepresentative Peers of either country should vacate their seats as such, upon becoming Peers of the United Kingdoms. His Majesty's view rests upon the general principle of what is fairly due to both countries under their union with England, and has no reference to the feel- ings or politics of the individuals who may be benefited K 2 132 COKRESPONDEXCE OF EAKL GREY [Feb. 21 by it ; but he trusts, with Lord Anglesey, that his Go- vernment would be strengthened by the adoption of it ; and at any rate it would relieve His Majesty from some claims from Scotch and Irish Lords for promotion to the English Peerage. William E. No. 85. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Feb. 21, 1831. My dear Sir, — As a letter from hence could only have added to your trouble, by reaching you at the moment you were leaving Brighton, I deferred ac- knowledging those which I received from you yester- day till to-day. I shall be obliged to you, therefore, to state to the King the reason of my not having sent an answer to His Majesty's letter of the 19th, and, having nothing material to communicate to His Majesty, of my now taking this mode of acknowledging it. I felt equal pain, however, on being informed of the painful impression which Lord Althorp's communica- tion with respect to the proceedings of the Civil List Committee had made upon His Majesty. I am not surprised at these feelings, acknowledging, as I do without reserve, their justice, and thinking that the reductions proposed on these parts of the expenditure of the Civil List now under consideration are con- sistent neither with true policy, nor with the grateful sense which ought to be entertained of what is, on many accounts, so justly due to His Majesty. Lord Althorp will have explained to His Majesty, that he 1831] WITlrl KING WILLIAM IV. 133 meant, in no sense, to offer any justification of the pro- ceedings of the Committee. But it is too true that public opinion, even amongst the most respectable classes, has acquired a force on matters of this nature which it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to resist. I feel myself bound, however, not more by duty than by my own feelings and opinions, to give it, on those points which are connected with the comfort and dignity of His Majesty, and with tJie permanent interests of the Crown, all the resistance in my power, though the result should be the necessity of tendering to His Majesty my resignation of the office which he has so graciously committed to my care, and my humble services which he has received with so much favour and indulgence. I have not yet seen the dispatches which have of course accompanied the private letter which I enclose, and which, though His Majesty will be in possession of all the information which has reached the Foreign Office, I thought might not be uninteresting to him. I met Prince Talleyrand and Madame de Dino at dinner yesterday, at Prince Esterhazy's : they seemed both very low at the present state of affairs in France ; and well they may ; for, if the War-party succeed to the government, their immediate recall is certain, and their safety in returning to France, perhaps, somewhat doubtful. You will have seen that an indictment has been pre- ferred against Cobbett by the Attorney-General, and a bill found by the Grand Jury. It is for a very in- famous excitement to burning, which was anterior to the number of the Eegister sent to me by the King. 134 CORRESPOXDEXCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 3 This -vvould have been done sooner, had it not been for the absence of the Attorney-General at the time of the Special Commissions, and there having been no Old Bailey Sessions since. Will you have the goodness to ask of the King permis- sion for me to Avait upon him at any hour to-morrow, that may be most convenient to His Majesty. If 1 may venture to make such a suggestion, the time that would best suit my business here would be from half-past two till the hour when the House of Lords meets. Grey. No. 86. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, Marcli 3, 1831. The King forgot to mention to Earl Grey, when he saw him yesterday, a doubt which had occurred to him, whether the Committees of the House of Commons upon the Civil List and Salaries are justified, by the principles and the spirit of the Constitution, in their usurpation of functions which appear to His Majesty co7istitutionally to belong to the Government of the State alone. His Majesty is confident it will be found, that the history of this country has never before exhibited an instance wherein a Committee of the House of Commons has presumed to dictate to the Sovereign how he is to con- duct his Civil List in all its minute details, and the amount of the salaries which he is to grant to each and eveiy one of his own personal servants ; and it appeal's to the King very desirable that the opinion of the 1831] AMTH KING WILLIAM I^'. 135 Crown Lawyers and the Lord Chancellor should be taken privately, whether the House of Commons is in- vested by the laAvs and the constitution of the country Avith the powers of doing that which they (their Com- mittees) are noAV doing, in order that when the question and the resolutions of the Committees come to be dis- cussed in the House, the Ministers of the Crown may be prepared to maintain its rights against any attempt to invade them, which may be shown to be illegal and vuTConstitutional. His Majesty may possibly feel increased anxiety on this subject, from observing in the report of the debate of Tuesday evening, that one of the avowed objects of the proposition for the Eeform in Parliament is to give to the People an exclusive influence over the House of Commons. If such be its effect, the authority which the Committees appear to His Majesty to be usurping, will be transferred from the Crown to the people. The King, having learnt that the Earl of Eoden has resigned the situation of Lord of the Bed-chamber, has appointed Lord Saye and Sele, and has directed the Groom of the Stole to cause the appointment to be gazetted to-morrow. William E. No. 87. The King to Earl Grey, Windsor Castle, March 3, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of this day, and is very sensible of his atten- 136 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 4 tion in sending him so early a report of the continued debate upon Lord John Eussell's motion, in the satis- factory result of which His Majesty takes so Avarm an interest, fully sensible as he is of its importance to the peace and tranquillity of the country, and to the stability of his Government. His Majesty rejoices to learn from Earl Grey that, according to all the information that has reached him, the measure has been received with general approba- tion out of doors, and that it has had the effect of checking the cry in favour of Ballot, Universal Suf- frage, and Annual Parliaments, to which his Majesty had so distinctly declared that he never would consent. He earnestly hopes with Earl Grey, that this important measure may tend to the peace and prosperity of his people, which have been the objects of his earnest solicitude since Providence has committed them to his rule. William E. No. 88. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Marcli 4, 1831. Earl Grey has the honour humbly to acknowledge your Majesty's most gracious letters of yesterday. In obedience to your Majesty's commands, Earl Grey will lose no time in submitting to the Lord Chancellor and to the Law Officers of the Crown, the point on which it is your Majesty's Avish that their opinion should be privately taken. Li the meantime, Earl 1831] WITH laNG avii.lia:*i it. 137 Grey craves leave humbly to observe, that he does not conceive that the Committee of the House of Commons can have raised a pretension to dictate to ' the Sove- reign, how he is to conduct his Civil List in all its minute details, and the amount of the salaries which he is to grant to each and every one of his personal servants.' Such a pretension, Earl Grey would be one of the first to resist; but he humbly submits that the inquiry of the Committee with respect to the ex- penses of the Civil List, in order to ascertain the amount Avhich may be required for the maintenance of the dignity of the Crown, may be defended on otlier grounds ; and though Earl Grey is prepared to resist the reductions which have been proposed, he feels that he would be wanting in his duty to your Majesty if he were to conceal his opinion, that it might not be for your Majesty's interest that this should be done on the ground of right. ***** Earl Grey is duly sensible of your Majesty's conde- scension in complying with the request which he made some time ago, that Lord Saye and Sele should be appointed one of the Lords of your Mnjesty's Bed- chamber; and he has to ask your Majesty's pardon for his forgetfulness, amidst the many important matters which have been pressing on his attention, in not in- forming your Majesty that, in consequence of some change in his family arrangements, and his wish to pass the greatest part of his time in the country, Lord Saye and Sele did not feel that he could, consistently with a proper discharge of his duty to your Majesty, accept tliis appointment. Earl Grey ought, therefore, to have 138 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 4 witlidrawti an application which your Majesty had re- ceived Avith so much favour, for which Lord Saye and Sele is, on his part, most grateful. Under these cir um- stances. Earl Grey has been under the necessity of de- siring the notice of the ' Gazette ' to be suspended, and humbly hopes that he may be allowed to recommend to your Majesty some otlier peer, whose appointment may mark the support given by your Majesty to your confidential servants at this important crisis. All which, &c. Grey. No. 89. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, March 4, 18.31. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour to submit your Lordship's letter of this day to the King, who observed at once that he was not at all surprised that, when your mind was so much engaged by matters of the utmost and most vital importance, you should forget that Lord Saye and Sele had requested that his application for the situation of Lord of the Bed-chamber should be withdrawn. Your Lordship will learn from His Majesty's reply, that he leaves to you the nomination of Lord Eoden's successor, and that you are at liberty to declare and publish the appointment without wait- ing for His Majesty's confirmation of it, it being the King's earnest desire thereby to mark his determination to support his Government in the most unquestionable and unqualified manner at this crisis. It is on this ground chiefly that His Ma^jesty regrets the delay in gazetting the appointment, which had occurred to His 1831] "^'ITII KIXG WILLIAM I"^'. 130 Majesty as being very opportune for that purpose ; but lie orders me to say that you are at full liberty to make any use you please of this communication. After this, I need hardly say that the King looks ■with anxiety to such a termination of the present struggle on the Reform Bill, as shall avert the danger which your Lordship justly apprehends from the effects upon the country of a successful opposition to it. His Majesty has not ceased to be steady and consistent upon this subject. He had wished, as your Lordship wished, that the introduction and the agitation of this ' perilous ' question could have been avoided at this period ; but being satisfied, by the reasoning submitted to him, of the paramount objections to its postpone- ment, His Majesty entered into the consideration of it Avith a determination to weigh without prejudice all that should be submitted to him. He was satisfied that the question had, in all its bearings, been fairly brought before Jiim ; that, to be effectual, and to prevent its continuing a source and subject of constant agitation, it ought to be introduced upon the principle recom- mended by your Lordship ; and His Majesty gave to it a deliberate and weU-considered sanction, accompanied . by observations on some of the details which it em- braced ; and, above all, by a declaration that, having done so, he would not shrink from the avowal and the assertion of that sanction and support. No pledge has ever been more religiously kept and redeemed, nor has a word ever escaped His Majesty which could weaken its effect. I had not intended troubling your Lordship with these remarks when I began this letter, but the warm 140 CORRESPONBENCE OF EARL GREY [March 4 interest which I naturally take in the King's proceed- ings has produced them, and they may perhaps not be unacceptable to you. I have, &c. H. Taylor. P.S. — I have read this letter to His Majesty. No. 90. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, March 4, 18.31. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of this day, reporting the proceedings in tlie Houses of Lords and Commons last night, which appear to be of deep interest in every respect ; for it is impos- sible not to view with anxiety even tlie notice of a motion which will have the effect of bringing into dis- cussion in the House of Lords the question of Eeform in the representation.* His Majesty would hope, from the number and cha- I'acter of the speakers, that the debate on this stage of the proceedings would not be much protracted ; and he is confirmed, by Earl Grey's observation, in his belief that there would be no division on it. His Majesty is sincerely impressed with the honest and unreserved character of Earl Grey's reports to him upon this anxious question ; and assures him that they afford to him, in that respect, ample confirmation of the * This refers to a notice given in the House of Lords by Lord Wharn- cliffe, on Thursday, March 3rd, that he would, on the following Monday, move for returns of the population of certain counties, with the view of raising a discussion on the Reform Bill then before the House of Commons. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 141 opinion His Majesty has not ceased to entertain of Earl Grey's honourable and correct course upon every sub- ject which has been matter of communication between them, which has been truly satisfactory to him, and has established, upon solid foundation, that confidence which ought ever to exist between the Sovereign and his Minister, and which, perhaps, was at no period more essential than at the present. The King is not surprised that Lord Saye and Sele's communication should have escaped Earl Grey's re- collection. No apology for it was necessary, and His Majesty regrets only the delay in the notification of a successor to Lord Eoden, of Earl Grey's selection. His Majesty approves of his having suspended the notice in the ' Gazette,' and desires he will name and publish the nomination of any Peer whom he may wish to recom- mend, without waiting for His Majesty's confirmation of the appointment. The King will reply later to the other part of Earl Grey's letter. William E. No. 91. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, March 4, 1831. My dear Sir, — I think it necessary to say, in order to its being communicated to the King or not, as you may think best, that I have heard from others a less favour- able account of the state of the Eeform question than that which I communicated to His Majesty in my letter of this morning. 142 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 4 Mr. Baring, I hear, produced a good deal of effect, tliougli the last half of his speech was an answer to the first ; and the general impression upon the whole was, that he will vote decidedly against the question. Others, however, still think that he left this in some degree of doubt. I was anxious to make this communication, that I may not be thought to have stated the case too favour- ably. It is very difficult to form a satisfactory opinion upon the reports of others, and I am quite unequal to the fatigue of attending the debates in the House of Commons myself. * # * * * The accounts of the general feeling of the country are more and more favourable to the measure ; and but for the timidity of some of those wdro ought to have more courage, I should Iiave no fear of the ultimate success. If it should fail, there is nothing with which I have to reproach myself ; and my only concern is for the diffi- culty into which the King may be brought, who, after all the kindness I have experienced from him, must be the first object of my solicitude. I am nearly Avorn out, and write this under the effect of the annoyance I have experienced from the causes I have referred to ; but we have still our best speakers left for to-night's debate (by the way, many people think there may be another adjournment), and I hope to have a better report to send to-morrow. I am, &c. Grey. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 143 No. 92. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, March 4, 1831. The King deferred replying to that part of Earl Grey's letter which relates to the proceedings of the Commit- tees of the House of Commons upon Salaries and Civil List, because he did not wish to delay the transmission of hi s communication respecting the nomination of the Earl of Eoden's successor, and as he felt desirous of giving due consideration to what he had to say upon a subject, to which it must have been evident to Earl Grey, from his communications to Viscount Althorp, and also from his letter to Lord Holland of a recent date (which His Majesty concludes Earl Grey has seen), that he attached extreme importance. Although the communications from Lord Althorp, and more espe- cially those from Earl Grey, have satisfied the King that they disapprove the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees in many of the questions arising out of the discussion on the Civil List, and the spirit in which some of the reductions are urged, and that they are prepared to resist those reductions. His Majesty has considered it his duty to watch those pro- ceedings, and to call the attention of Earl Grey and Viscount Althorp to the systematic determination they betray to reduce the influence of the Crown, and to lower the dignity of the Monarchy. It is natural that his solicitude upon this point should acquire additional force, at a period when he has been induced to consent to the introduction of a measure which must have the effect of giving a more popular character to the House 144 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Maicli 4 of Commons, and, therefore, the effect also of hicreasing the disposition of its Members to oppose tlie influence of the People to that of the Crown and the Aristocracy. The King does not shrink from the avowal, in this stage of the question ; nor will he, in any future stage of the question, shrink from the avowal, that such are his anticipations of the effects of the measure, and that such they were when he sanctioned its introduction. His Majesty felt that it became him to consider and to weigh well the spirit of the times, its influence upon the people of the country ; and whether the apprehen- sions he entertained for the influence of the Crown and the interest of the Monarchy, from yielding to the clamour for a Eeform of so popular a character, were such as to justify a resistance which might greatly in- crease the public excitement, and produce a degree of discontent and agitation fatal to the peace and the tran- quillity of the country, and internal struggles, at a mo- ment when the united energies of the people might be required in the support of the honour and the security of the country against external enemies. His Majesty was satisfied that the welfare of this country, the peace and happiness of his subjects, and consequently the interests of the State and of the Monarchy, called for the concessions which he was advised to make ; and he has not since, at any time, repented the decision to which, as God is his judge, he came from a sense of his duty. But while the King has yielded to these impe- rious considerations, it behoves him not to forget what he owed to the dignity and the honour of the Crown, and to the maintenance of those constitutional rights which had been transmitted to him by his ancestors. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 145 He has considered that it was incumbent upon him to as- sert and to endeavour to protect these, while he increased tl:e privileges of the people ; and to watch with jealousy the attempts to invade them, which the temper of the times, and the revolutionary spirit which unfortunately so generally prevails, had promoted. It appeared to him, and he continues of opinion, that a strong dispo- sition had been shown by the House of Commons and by its Committees to take advantage of this temper and of this spirit (so decidedly opposed to elevated rank and station and to their attributes and supports), to reduce the influence and to lower the dignity of the Crown, and to usurp the authority which had been administered by the State and tlie Government, under the influence of the Crown, according to the principles upon which the Constitutional Monarchy of this country is established. Hence the communications which His Majesty has, from time to time, made on this subject to Earl Grej^ to Viscount Althorp, and to Lord Holland : hence, also, his desire that they should be considered as communi- c-ations made to his confidential servants in general, who ought to be in possession of his sentiments upon it ; and hence also his suggestion to Earl Grey, that the opinion of the Crown Lawyers and the Lord Chancellor should ae taken, whether the recent proceedings of those Com- nittees to which His Majesty has a,d verted are legal and constitutional? In reply to Earl Grey's letter of this date, the King las to observe, that he considers the number of, and -he amount of salary to, his Lords and Grooms of the Bed-chamber and his Equeries, to the Treasurer and VOL. I. L 140 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 5 Comptroller of his Houseliold, &c. &c., to be minute details of his Civil List, and that he considers these his personal, though of course not his menial, servants. His Majesty does not believe these details and appoint- ments to have been heretofore subjected to the scrutiny and dictation of a Committee of the House of Commons ; and he is anxious to ascertain whether such interference with what His Majesty had viewed as the prerogatives of the Crown be legal and constitutional, in order that he may feel assured that he is justified, on principle, in objecting to it, and in desiring that it may be resisted. If His Majesty's objections be not maintainable on the ground of right, he conceives that it will be more con- sistent with his dignity, and with the interests of the Crown, not to contest the point with Committees which have shown so little regard for either. tP _W •Je TP William E. No. 93. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Prirate.) Windsor Castle, March 5, 1831. My dear Lord, — I did not hesitate to read to the King the letter which I had the honour to receive from your Lordship this morning, as it afforded another proof of your desire to communicate without reserve the state of the Eeform question, and all that you can collect upon this anxious subject. His Majesty learns with regret, that there are any grounds for apprehension of a failure, the serious consequences of which he does not disguise from him- self ; but His Majesty is quite prepared to encounter them, and to contend against the difficulties which may 1831] WITH KING A\^ILLIAM IV. 147 result from tlie unavoidable agitation of the measure ; and your Lordship may feel quite at your ease upon this subject, as His Majesty has not been drawn unad- visedly, or inconsiderately, into any step he has taken. It is impossible indeed, for any person, to be more sen- sible than His Majesty is of the fair and straightforward coiurse you have pursued. I have, &c. H. Taylor. Pray excuse haste, as it is desirable the messenger should be in town early. No. 94. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Maroli 5, 1831. Earl Grey has the honom- of acknowledging your Majesty's most gracious letter of this morning. Earl Grey does not think it necessary to trouble your Majesty further with respect to the proceedings of the Committees on the Civil List and the Eeduction of Salaries, till he shall have received the answer of the Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers of the Crown on the. point which, by j'our Majesty's command, has been referred to them, except to state that he did not understand it to be the intention of the Committee to limit in their report the salaries of your Majesty's household individually, but to apportion, upon a fair consideration of what they might think necessary in that respect, a sum generally applicable to each branch of the Civil List, leaving the distribution of it to your Majesty's decision. ***** All which, &c. Grey. L 2 148 COllltESPONDENCE OF EAEL GREY [March 6 No. 95. Sii' II. Taylor to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, March 6, 1831. My dear Lord, — You may perhaps have been struck with His Majesty's persevering jealousy of the proceed- ings of Committees and of the House of Commons, in matters regarding tlie Crown. It really is quite free from personal object or feeling ; and his constant re- mark to me is, ' How wiU Lord Grey, how will any other Minister, be able to carry on the business of the country ? ' The King's horses are ordered at half-past ten to-morrow, and he wiU probably be in town about one. I have, &c. H. Tailor. No. 96. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, Mai-ch 6, 1831. The King has received Lord Grey's letter of yester- day, and is perfectly satisfied with his reasons for not entering further than he has done into the questions of the proceedings of the Civil List and the Eeduction of Salaries Committees, until he shall have received the answer of the Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers of the Crown upon the point referred to them. The intention of the Committee, as stated in Earl Grey's letter, had not escaped His Majesty's observa- tion, and he will find it noticed in His Majesty's letter 1831] WITH KD^G WILLIAM IV. 149 to Viscount Althorp of the 18tli ult , in reply to that from him of the 16 th, in which he stated that tlie Committee proposed to reduce the present amount of salaries issued for the Lords and Grooms of the Bed- chamber from 13,171/. to 10,000/. ; upon which His Majesty observed, that 'Although the Committee liad condescended not to express any opinion ' (or rather not to urge the former proposal of reducing the number of Lords and Grooms, in opposition to Lord Althorp's remonstrance), ' they would propose a reduced sum for the object, thereby giving His Majesty the power, or, in other words, driving him to the alternative, of redu- cing the number at their present salaries, or of keeping up the present number at reduced salaries ; ' an alter- native which the King freely admits not to be very palatable. His Majesty has so fully stated his feehngs upon these proceedings of the Committees of the House of Commons, and his sense of the spirit which seems to govern them, in his letters to Lord Althorp of the 6th, 18th, and 22nd February, and in his letters to Earl Grey of the 3rd and 4th instant, that it is unne- cessary that he should do more than refer generally to those communications, as conveying sentiments to which he is desirous of calUng the serious attention of his Government. But His Majesty repeats what he has often expressed to Earl Grey, that his feelings upon this subject are excited, not only by the jealousy with which he does view, and ought to view, attempts to invade the prerogatives of the Crown, but by apprehensions that the effect of those proceedings will be so to lower the influence of the Crown, as to deprive the Govern- ment of the support which it may require towards 150 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 7 carrying on the executive administration of the business of the State. Earl Grey, as a Minister of the Crown, and from his long experience of the general policy of the country, must be sensible that a House of Commons of a more popular character is not likely to drop the inclination to interference and control which had been gradually gaining ground, and has so rapidly increased of late, and is, therefore, well able to appreciate the difficulties any Government may have to contend with hereafter, if the means of making head against such overbearing interference and control be further reduced. ***** William E. No. 97. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, March 7, 1831. The King has received with much satisfaction Earl Grey's report of the debate renewed last night on Lord John Russell's motion; and His Majesty congratulates him upon the favourable character of the discussion, and upon the improved prospect which it offers of a successful result. The general impression which the plan appears to have made upon the public is also very satisfactory, particrdarly as having had the effect of excluding the clamour for Universal Suffrage, BaUot, and Annual Parliaments. His Majesty rejoices that Earl Grey had an oppor- tunity last night of doing justice to the vigour and prudence of the Marquis of Anglesey's conduct, which is so well entitled to every expression of approbation 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 151 which ffis Majesty and his Government can bestow upon it. The King, in accepting Mr.Wynn's resignation of the Office of Secretary at War, may possibly reheve Earl Grey from hesitation and difficulty, in noticing his communication to Sir Herbert Taylor, which has been submitted to him. His Majesty is not disposed to object to Sir Henry Parnell, or any other individual, from personal feehng, or from any prejudice supposed to have been created in his mind by the part he may have taken in the discussion of arrangements which have more particularly attracted His Majesty's attention. The Bang has always understood Sir Henry Parnell to be a very honourable man, and is therefore not inchned to think that he has acted upon any other principle than that which he beheved to be correct, although to His Majesty it may appear to be erroneous, and to have produced feelings and measures to which he considered it his duty to object strongly, as hostile to himself. But those objections apply to the measures, not to the man ; nor does His Majesty ascribe to others motives and prejudices as influencing their proceedings upon public questions, in which his immediate interests are concerned, for which he is not conscious that he has afforded any grounds. The only apprehension he would entertain from the appointment of Sir Henry Parnell to the Office of Secretary at War rests upon public groimds. He is known to have carried his plans of reduction and reform to great lengths, and to attach some unportance to the reputation of being a great economist ; and His Majesty does not disguise his dread of the apphcation of these principles and notions, to 152 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marct 7 which he may consider himself committed and^pledged to tlie Military, and, by sympatliy, to the Naval estab- lishments of this country, in a degree so excessive and so masparing as to destroy their efficiency, and the good effects of all that has been done towards placing them in their present useful and effective condition. If Earl Grey considers that tliere is no ground for this appre- hension, and that he will be able to check any dispo- sition shown by Sir Henry ParneU to cramp and curtail what His Majesty believes Earl Grey admits to have been sufficiently reduced, the King will approve of his recommendation of Sir Elenry ParneU for the Office of Secretary at War. William E. No. 98. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, March 7, 1831. Although the King has seen Earl Grey since the opinion of the Xord Chancellor and the Attorney and Solicitor-General, relative to the proceedings of the Committees of the House of Commons was submitted to him. His Majesty cannot refrain from expressing in writing his satisfaction that it so fully confirms the impression he had received, that these Committees had exceeded, and were exceeding, the powers which they are warranted to exercise. William E. The King returns the opinion, of which he has kept a copy, and he desires Earl Grey will communicate it to Viscount Althorp. ]831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 153 No. 99. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, March 8, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of this day, from which His Majesty has learnt with pleasure that Lord Wharncliffe's intended motion has been postponed sine die, it being very desirable that the discussion on the Eeform question should not be prematurely brought on in the House of Lords. The King also considers that his Government has acted wisely in deferring the second reading to Monday se'nnight, and rejoices that the opposition to it was defeated. William E. No. 100. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, Mai-oli 9, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's report of the proceedings in the House of Commons upon the Eeform Bill last night. His Majesty is not surprised that many should be tired of the prolonged debate, but He considers it very desirable that the measure should be fully discussed. William E. 154 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 19 No. 101. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, March 19, 1831. My dear Sir, — The newspapers will have informed you of the untoward event of last night.* It was pro- duced by a most factious combination of various inter- ests, who voted against it from very different motives : the effect, there is no concealing it, will be disadvan- tageous to the Government. I still feel assured, how- ever, that there will be a considerable majority on Monday in favour of Eeform. It must be considered, however, as creating some doubt as to the possibility of being able to carry the measure through a committee, where similar combinations may take place, without such alterations as would destroy its efficiency. The time is then come, when we must consider seriously of the course which the Government ought to take. For this purpose, as I have informed the King, I have summoned a Cabinet for this evening. In the state at which we are arrived, one material point to be considered will be, the propriety of advising His Majesty to dissolve Parliament ; and it is upon this point particularly that I shall be much obliged to you to inform me, with as httle delay as possible, what you think is the state of His Majesty's feelings. I have been so pressed this morning that I have hardly time for this hasty scrawl. I am, &c. Geby. * The defeat, in the House of Commons, of the measure for the reduction of the Timber Duties, proposed by the Government. 1831] WITH KINa WILLIAM IV. 155 No. 103. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, March 19, 1831. Though an account will have been sent to your Majesty by Viscount Althorp of the debate of last night, and of the result of the division in the House of Commons, Earl Grey feels that he would be wanting in his duty to your Majesty, if he were to omit stating the substance of what he has collected with respect to this event. The opposition to a question which Lord Grey beheves to have been founded on just principles, and which, if carried into effect, would have been eminently advantageous to the interests of your Majesty's do- minions, consisted of an union of those who thought, as it appears to Earl Grey most erroneously, that their particular interests would have been injured by it, and of those who, being enemies to the measure of Par- liamentary Eeform, thought an advantage might be obtained over yom' Majesty's Government upon that 'question. Sir Eobert Peel and others, who did not oppose a regidation which they said they had not had time to consider, and against which they made no direct objection, concurred in a vote, which can be attributed to no other motive, by which all further consideration of a measure on which they stated their wish to be further informed was precluded. The force thus united against the Government was further assisted by the absence of many of its supporters, who had left the House in the expectation of an^ adjournment. Earl Grey wiU not attempt to conceal from your 156 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 20 Majesty the mortification and disappointment which he has experienced at this event. It is not, in itself perhaps, of any material consequence ; but it un- doubtedly will occasion an opinion of the weakness of your Majesty's Government, and may possibly have some influence on the question of Parliamentary Ee- form, which is to be debated on Monday next. Earl Grey's opinion still is, that there will be a considerable majority in its favour. He has, however, thought it his duty to summon a meeting of your Majesty's confidential servants for tills evening, the result of which he will have the honour of communicating to your Majesty to-morrow. All which, &c. Grey. No. 103. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, Maroli 20, 1831. The King is too sensible of the importance of the objects which may engage the attention of the meeting of his confidential servants, which Earl Grey informs him, in his letter of yesterday, that he has summoned for this day, not to feel anxious that His Majesty's answer to that letter, and to one addressed by him to Sir Herbert Taylor, and which has been submitted to him, should reach Earl Grey with the least possible delay. The King assures Earl Grey, with the greatest sin- cerity, that he deeply regrets and laments any event which occasions to him mortification and disappoint- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 157 meat is calculated, as observed by him, to occasion an opinion of the weakness of His Majesty's Government, and may possibly have a prejudicial influence upon the question of Eeform. His Majesty considers it unnecessary to advert at any length to what has passed upon that subject, or to his own sentiments so fully expressed in his letter to Earl Grey of the 4th February. He assures him that those sentiments are unchanged, and that they have not been influenced by any opposition to the measure, or by the arguments adduced in the course of that opposition. His Majesty having been induced to waive his early objections to bringing forward the measure at this period, and having given his sanction to the introduc- tion of a Bill which had been submitted by Earl Grey to him, in all its details, and with every explanation Avhich he could require. His Majesty pledged himself to give his Government his utmost and unqualified sup- port upon this occasion ; and Earl Grey and his other confidential servants will, he is confident, do him the justice to admit, that this pledge has, in no respect, been forfeited or departed from ; that nothing has es- caped him, in word or deed, which could weaken its effect. That, on the contrary, the course he has pur- sued has been studiously that which was best calculated to impress upon the country and upon the public a firm belief of the sincerity of his support, and of tli.e unreserved confidence which he reposed in those who had brought forward the measure. That confidence continues unabated. His Majesty has taken many occasions to express his satisfaction with the conduct of his Government, and his approba- 158 COERESPONDENCE Oi<' EARL GREY [March 20 tion of the wisdom, the zeal, the firmness, and the energy with which they Irave discharged tlie arduous duties imposed upon tliem, from the moment they were called to his councils, under circumstances most trying and critical. And His Majesty is bound to notice, as having more particularly called for his approbation, the course which has been pursued with respect to the state of Ireland, and to the external policy of this country, which he considers to have insured the pre- servation of tranquillity at home and peace abroad. The King would therefore seriously lament anything that could shake the stability of his present Govern- ment, and eventually deprive him of the services of Earl Grey and others, who have proved themselves so well deserving of his confidence ; and he earnestly hopes, that his confidential servants will, in their deli- berations this day, devise some means to avert a misfor- tune which His Majesty so anxiously deprecates, without coming to the resolution of submitting for his decision an alternative to which His Majesty cannot agree, namely, a dissolution of Parliament, to which it is his bounden duty most strenuously to object at this critical period, and in the present excited state of the United Kingdom, particularly of Ireland. JSTor is the feeling which His Majesty is now called upon to express, one which has been recently admitted. It was impossible tiiat he should not, in this view of the various bearings of the question, and of the proceedings upon it, have anticipated the possibility of such a proposition, even if such a result of any successful opposition to it had not been threatened, at an early period of the session, by one of his confidential servants ; and it would have 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 159 been strange, indeed, if the probable effects of sucli an alternative, in the present state of the country — Eng- land recently emerged from serious disturbance, Ireland stni partially convulsed, the whole United Kingdom under the actual influence of increased excitement, pro- duced by the legislative discussion of a question which had long been a source of agitation — had not engaged his serious attention and his anxious consideration. This state of the country is, in His Majesty's firm opinion, a sufficient ground of objection : one which imposes upon him, as a sacred duty, the obligation of resisting any proposal for the dissolution of Parliament at this period ; and he will not now enter into many others which occur to him, although prepared to state them, if it should be necessary. He cannot, however, close this letter, without repeat- ing to Earl Grey the expression of his earnest, his sincere, his anxious desire, to secure to himself, by any means, by any arrangement, either of a general nature or more immediately connected with the provisions of the pending measure, which can be suggested or devised, and to which His Majesty's utmost aid and support will be given, the continued advantage of the services of Earl Grey and his colleagues, to which he justly attaches so much importance. His anxiety on this point does not arise solely from personal feeling, from the satisfaction he has derived from the manner in which they have discharged their duties. It is strongly combined with a conviction of the serious prejudice which the interests of the country entrusted by Providence to His Majesty's sway must' sustain from frequent changes in its councils and in the 160 CORRESrONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 20 system of the administration : from a conviction also that the success of the efforts which have been so ably directed to the maintenance of the peace of Europe depends mainly on the confidence which is now reposed by Foreign Powers in His Majesty's Government ; and which confidence must be weakened, if not destroyed, by frequent changes of men and measures. William E. No. 104. Earl Grey to Sir II. Taylor. Downirig Street, March 20, 1831. My dear Sir, — The accompanying letter to the King states to His Majesty the determination taken by the Cabinet last night, to proceed with the Eeform Bill as if the division on the Timber Duties had not taken place. If the Civil List Bill and the Votes for the Supply of the year had been in a more forward state, it might have been a question whether it would not have been our duty to recommend an immediate dissolution, as it is quite clear that the opposers of Eeform will scruple to use no means of embarrassing the Government, by uniting with any persons whose discontent on any par- ticular question may give them an opportunity of making a successful attack. There could not be a stronger proof of this than was afforded on Friday night. A new re- gulation of the Timber Duties had been declared by Mr. Herries himself, last year, to be necessary ; and there is every reason to believe, if he had remained in office, would have been proposed by him. To the measure 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 161 proposGcl by us they (i. e. the late Ministers) offered no direct objection. Sir E. Peel complained that he wanted more time to consider it, and yet, when a motion was proposed which would have afforded him that opportu- nity, he voted for an amendment which, for the time, had the effect of stopping the measure altogether. Ministers have frequently had votes with regard to taxes carried against them. It happened more than once to Mr. Pitt himself in the plenitude of his power. There is, therefore, no reason why the present occurrence sliould have any effect beyond the failure of the mea- sure for the alteration of the Timber Duties. But, looking to the state of the House of Commons, and to the means which may be found during the progress of the Eeform Bill through the Committee, of similar com- binations to make alterations in it, which might be fatal to its efficiency, it is impossible to exclude from our consideration the necessity of resorting to a dissolution as I mentioned to you yesterday. Upon our prospects with respect to the second read- ing my opinion remains unaltered ; and as any resolu- tion is therefore deferred as to the steps which it may be necessary to take hereafter, till the result of tliat question shall have been ascertained, it may, perhaps, be as well not to say anything to the King on the subject of dissolution. Indeed, what I wrote to you yesterday was only for the purpose of learning from you what you thought would be the probable effect of making such a proposition to him ; but I believe I omitted, in the hurry in which I wrote, to express my wish that you should not bring this matter directly before him till you heard further from me. VOL. I. M 162 COKRESPONDENCE OF EAEL GREY [March 20 I shall be mudi obliged to you to give me your opinion quite unreservedly upon tliis subject ; as, in whatever it may become necessary for me to do, my principal object will be to save the King, as far as it may be in my power to do so, from all difficulty and embarrassment. All personal considerations with respect to myself will give way to this duty. Excuse all this trouble, and believe, &c. Gkey. As I write early, before my private secretary is come, and am imwilling to delay the messenger, may I request you to let me have these letters returned to me, upon your coming to town on Tuesday, that I may have copies taken of them. I am, &c. Grey. No. 105. Earl Grey io the King. Downing Street, March 20, 1831. Earl Grey has the honour of informing your Majesty that a meeting of your Majesty's servants took place last night. After receiving all the information that could be obtained from the Members of the House of Com- mons, and considering very fully all that had passed in the debate on Friday night, the opinion of his colleagues confirmed that which Earl Grey had, yesterday, the honour of submitting to your Majesty, viz. that the late division does not materially alter the expectation which was before entertained, of a majority on the second reading of the Bill for a Eeform in the Eepresentation of your Majesty's subjects in the House of Commons, 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 163 It was agreed, therefore, to proceed in the course your Majesty's servants were pursuing previous to the late debate ; and to advance the public business as much as possible, and particularly the Bill for the settlement of the Civil List, in the interval which must necessarily take place between the second reading of the Eeform Bill, if it should be carried, and the Committee. The report from the Civil List Committee will be made, it is hoped, almost immediately ; and no time will afterwards be lost in bringing in the Bill. Earl Grey feels that, perhaps, he ought to apologise for troubling your Majesty with so unimportant a com- munication by a special messenger. He has done so thinking that, in consequence of his letter of yesterday, your Majesty might expect to hear from him sooner than by the ordinary post. All which, &c. Grey. No. 106. The Kijig to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, Mai'ch 20, 1831. The King received Earl Grey's letter of this day, just as he had signed and was about to dispatch his reply to that which reached him early this morning, and he Avas unwilling to delay its transmission. His Majesty assures Earl Grey that he has derived great satisfaction from his communication of the result of the meetino- of his confidential servants, and that he highly approves of their determination to proceed in m2 164 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 20 the course they were pursuing previous to the late debate, sincerely trusting that it may be uninter- rupted by any serious obstacle, and tliat their firmness and consistency will carry them through every dif- ficulty. He is, indeed, not inclined to attach great importance to the defeat upon a bill of secondary consideration ; nor does His Majesty think that, in the present state of the country, with the feeling of the people avowedly and manifestly in their favour, and having engaged in duties most arduous, and which, from their very nature and the spirit of the times, call upon statesmen and upon public men to contend against difficulties such as tliey might reasonably and honourably yield to in common times, his Ministers should allow themselves to be affected even by more serious and by repeated disappointments. He is con- vinced that, by perseverance, they will overcome op- position and combinations ; and they may depend upon his utmost support in maintaining tlieir ground, provided His Majesty be not called upon to dissolve Parliament at this period, his objection to Avhich has been already stated. It appears, indeed, to have been prematurely stated ; but he does not regret having been induced to put Earl Grey in possession of his sentiments upon this important point, before he was more formally called upon to express them to him. William E. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 165 No. 107. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Windsor Castle, Marcli 20, 1831. My dear Lord, — Tlie King was so desirous that there should be no avoidable delay in dispatching his first letter to your Lordship this day, that it was out of my power then to write even a line in reply to that which you had addressed to me. Indeed His Majesty came to my room to sign the letter and to close the box. While so engaged, your second box was brought con- taining the letters for the King and for me, both which His Majesty immediately read. Your first letter con- tained no caution that I should not show it to His Majesty, or say any thing on the subject of dissolution ; and I therefore did not hesitate showing it to him, as I have been in the habit of doing in all instances ; to which I was further induced from the opinion I enter- tained, that it was of the utmost importance to your Lordship and to the deliberations (which I inadvertently imagined would take place this day, instead of yester- day, as I discovered afterwards), for which the meeting of Cabinet had been summoned, that you should, with- out loss of time, be possessed of His Majesty's senti- ments. Other parts of your letter appeared to me to have been equally written for His Majesty's information ; and, upon the whole, I flatter myself that you will not " regret that this communication was made to His Majesty. Indeed, if I had not made it, I should have been placed under the embarrassment of departing from a principle I have hitherto observed, and I should still have been under the necessity of producing it, in conse- 16G COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Maroli 20 quence of His Majesty being with me when your second letter arrived, and desiring me at once to read it to liim. Your Lordship will forgive my adding, that I should have been extremely sorry if the King- had not read that second letter, as it gave him great satisfaction, and confirmed the opinion he entertained, and had strongly expressed, that votes carried against Ministers upon taxes, and indeed upon other measures not affecting the main principles and the system of the Government, ought not to be suffered to have any influence on the existence of that Government, while it possessed the support of the Sovereign and the confidence of the People. Your Lordship will observe that His Majesty has expressed this sentiment very strongly in his letter to you ; and, with reference to what you had written to me, I assure you that such has been his invariable language, and that he has stated that these extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures ; and that those who have, from a sense of duty, and a feeling of patriotism, undertaken an arduous and invidious task, will best discharge that duty, and perform that task, by an obstinate perseverance in their course. The King has stated so unreservedly, and so fully, his sentiments on the subject of a dissolution of Par- liament, that it is unnecessary that I should enter further upon it. I hnagined indeed, until I received your letter, that you had been aware of them, and that they had been expressed to you by His Majesty upon the occasion of his notice at Brighton of Sir James Graham's declaration in the House of Commons. His Majesty has, on all occasions, expressed himself 1881] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 187 truly sensible of the kind and affectionate feeling your Lordship has shown towards him, and of your anxious desire to save him, as far as it may be in your power to do so, from all difficulty and embarrassment, at the sacrifice even of your personal comfort, ease, and satis- faction. He would, 1 well know, dread and deeply lament the loss of your services ; and he has, whenever the possibility of such an event has been stated, ex- pressed m the strongest terms his desire to avert it by any means in his power. Indeed, the whole of his conduct must have proved this to your Lordship ; and I hope j^ou will forgive my expressing a most anxious hope and solicitude, that His Majesty's earnest wishes may not be defeated, and that circumstances may not impose upon you the necessity of proposing a measure to which His Majesty feels insuperable objection. I will return your Lordship's letters to you to- morrow. I would do so now, if it were not possible that His Majesty might wish to refer to them when I read to him the copy of this. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 108. Earl Grey to Sir E. Taylor. Downing Street, March 21, 1831. My dear Sir, — In my hurry this morning, I forgot to say that the Duke of Devonshire being gone to Derby- shire, to attend the County Meeting, Lord Belfast will, of course, have to attend the King at the Opera to- morrow. If the debate in the House of Commons 168 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 21 sliould be protracted beyond to-night, this may prevent his being present at the Division. Col. H. Cavendish is in a similar situation, being in attendance on His Majesty. I don't know whether it Avill be possible to allow these two gentlemen to attend the House of Commons, by substituting two other officers of the household to attend upon their Majesties ; but the loss of their votes would be much to be regretted, and I shall be obliged to you to let me know what can be done in this matter. I have just heard that a meeting has been held this morning at Sir E. KnatchbuU's, at which it was de- termined to oppose the Bill now before the House of Commons, with a declaration of an intention to propose another of a more moderate character. Whose device this is I do not know ; but it bears the character of a measure recommended by Sir R. Peel. It may procure a few votes, but its effect will be of the most mis- chievous, not to say dangerous, tendency. It is impos- sible that His Majesty's Ministers can yield to it as a compromise, without proving themselves to be unworthy of all confidence, either from the King or the People. It must be resisted, therefore, as a most disgraceful ex- pedient to disguise a real opposition to all effectual reform by a false pretence. If it should succeed, I cannot answer for the consequences : they are, in my opinion, more to be feared than any that could result from direct opposition to the measure. The principle will be conceded, at the same time, that all the hopes and expectations of the public will be completely dis- appointed. What may be the result of such a state of things, I fear to calculate. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 169 There is no practice, either fair or foul, of giving effect to the opposition we have not to encounter. An account has just been brought to me, that a report is industriously circulated, of a letter having been written to me by the King on Eriday night, putting an absolute veto on dissolution. Whether any private information has been obtained of the fact, I know not ; but if it is pure invention, as I believe^ the inventor has cei'tainly shown some sagacity in divining the truth. In all this my only care is for the personal ease and comfort of the King, and my own course is plain and clear. I must abide the event, whatever it may be. There is no room left for compromise or retreat. It would not do, at the end of a long political life, to for- feit the character which I have obtained through many sacrifices. I am, &c. Grey. P.S. — I have just learnt that Sir T. Trowbridge told Capt. Elliott, that the fact of the King having written to declare that he would not consent to a dissolution, had been communicated to him by one of the King's household. Lord has also been offering large bets that the Kins has notified his refusal. No. 109. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Marcli 21, 1831. Earl Grey begs leave humbly to acknowledge your Majesty's two most gracious letters of yesterday, which 170 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 21 he thought it his duty to communicate to the rest of your Majesty's confidential servants, at a Cabinet held last nio-ht. O The gratifying expression of your Majesty's appro- bation, with which your Majesty has been pleased to honour their humble eiforts in your service, could not fail to afford to them, as well as to Earl Grey, the most heartfelt satisfaction ; and the manner in which your Majesty, having been induced to waive your early ob- jections, consented to their bringing forward the mea- sure of Parliamentary Eeform, and afterwards studiously pursued a course which was best calculated to impress upon the country and the public a firm belief of the sincerity of your support, and of the unreserved confi- dence which your Majesty reposed in tliose who had advised that measure, demands their most grateful acknowledgments, and must for ever command their sincerest devotion. In what occurred at Brighton, when your Majesty was pleased to notice the allusion made by Sir J. Graham, in the House of Commons, to the possibility of a disso- lution of Parliament, though no direct and positive ob- jection was stated, Earl Grey could not fail to perceive your Majesty's repugnance to such a measure ; and it was this recollection which made him anxious to learn from Sir H. Taylor Avhat might still be your Majesty's feelings with respect to it, after the debate and divi- sion on Friday night in the House of Commons. That event unavoidably compelled Earl Grey to look to the possible necessity of making a proposition to your Ma- jesty, which he had occasion to fear your Majesty could not receive without pain, and which nothing but a most 1831] \MTH KING ^^'ILL1AM IV. 171 imperative sense of public duty could make him think of after what had passed between your Majesty and him on that subject. He begs your Majesty also to be as- sured, that it was not without the most anxious thought and consideration of the state of this country, as well as of Ireland, and only after having received, in answer to an inquiry which he had addressed to the Marquis of Anglesey, the assurance that he should have no fear of the effect of a dissolution, that he had ventured even upon the preliminary step of writing in the manner your Majesty has seen to Sir H. Taylor. This, as your Majesty must be aware, was the per- sonal act of Earl Grey, without any authority from his colleagues, and intended not as a proposal, but merely as preparatory to a more direct communication which might eventually become necessary, but upon which he was unwilling to trouble your Majesty till that necessity became urgent. The explicit declaration of your Majesty's opinions which has thus been obtained, and the open and candid manner in which it has been made. Earl Grey has the honour to assure your Majesty, both for himself and his colleagues, will command their most sincere deference and respect. It will be their most earnest wish to act in obedience to it to the utmost of their power ; but they humbly hope that your Majesty's decision will not be considered by your Majesty as taking from them the privilege, which is essential to the discharge of their duty, of respectfully submitting to your Majesty such considerations as, upon a careful review of all the circumstances of the time, may compel them, as faithful servants to your Majesty, to recommend a course which 172 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 21 nothing but the most painful necessity could induce them to urge in opposition to your Majesty's- known opinions. This necessity, Earl Grey anxiously hopes may be avoided-; and nothing can contribute more eifec- tually to prevent it than the careful exclusion of every person not acting as one of your Majesty's confidential advisers from all knowledge of what had passed on this- occasion. Perhaps Earl Grey ought to apologise for " this remark, after the experience he has had of your Majesty's constant observance of the greatest caution and reserve upon all matters under discussion between your Majesty and your confidential advisers. Earl Grey cannot conclude without adding the grateful acknowledgments both of himself and his col- leagues, for the gracious manner in which your Majesty has been pleased to express your anxious wish to pre- vent any change in your Majesty's councils. With the encouragement held out to them by your Majesty, they will shrink from no difficulty. No private considerations will be allowed to influence their conduct. From per- sonal attachment to your Majesty, no less than from the public considerations so forcibly stated by your Majesty, they could not look to their eventual removal from the service of so gracious and so kind a master, without feelings of the deepest sorrow ; and they trust, whatever may be the result, that your Majesty will be assured, that it will be their most anxious wish and en- deavour to prevent injury to the public interest, and to save your Majesty from all difficulty and embarrass- ment. Earl Grey hopes he may be allowed the honour of waiting on your Majesty after your arrival in town to- 1831] WITH KING WILLI/VM IV. 173 morrow, when lie may be able to furnish personally any further explanations which may be desired by your Majesty, and which may become more necessary if, as seems not improbable, the division on the Eeform Bill should take place to-night. All which, &c. Geey. No. 110. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Powning Street, March 21, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have written so long a letter to the Bang, that I have hardly a moment left to thank you for the long and kind letter which I received from you last night. I never expeiienced greater pain than in the dis- cussion which has taken place, and which I fear may not end here, on the subject of dissolution. You may be assured nothing, as I have stated to His Majesty, but the most painful necessity can induce me to press it further ; but if that necessity should arise, to prevent the loss of character which would render nie an useless ser- vant to him, I hope His Majesty will not deny to me and to his Ministers the right of laying fully before him all the considerations which bear upon this ques- tion, before his decision can be viewed as absolutely final and conclusive. I have ventured to suggest, in a manner which I hope will not be considered as implying any distrust or sus- picion, the necessity of observing the most careful se- cresy as to His Majesty's opinions on the subject of dissolution. A belief that he would not consent to such 174 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 21 a measure is already operating very injuriously in the minds of those who would be willing to vote against the Eeform Bill, if they could be relieved from the fear of being sent back to their constituents. I think it very probable that the Division may take place to-night, and then we shall be able to see more plainly the course we have to pursue. I liad almost forgot to add, that, if tliere was any harm in your communication of' my letter to the King, it was my own fault for not having desired you to con- sider it as for yourself only. The only feehng I had upon the subject arose from a wish to spare His Majesty, as long as possible, the consideration of a matter which I feared would be unpleasant to him ; but I think it is much better that it has been brought under his atten- tion ; and you may be assured that a knowledge of his opinions will have all the infkience upon our conduct which the obligations of our duty both to the King and to the public will permit. The absence of my private secretary on an election committee again obliges me to request you to return tliese letters, that I may have copies of them taken. In haste, &c. Gkey. No. 111. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Windsor Castle, March 21, 1831. The King was out when your Lordship's messenger arrived, and did not come in until near six, when I immediately delivered the letter under seal for His 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 175 Majesty, and that jou, had addressed to me. Both were read by him with the attention they called for ; and the answer which I have the honour to enclose was written under His Majesty's very full and precise instructions, given after mature consideration. I have, however, been so hurried to write it before His Majesty went to bed, that I fear it is not so clearly expressed as it ought to be, especially as His Majesty wished me not to absent myself from a large dinner, lest it should excite observation. I observed also, in reading it over to the King before he signed it, that I had omitted to execute his instructions to reply to that part of your Lordship's letter, in which you claim for His Majesty's confidential servants the privilege of sub- mitting such considerations, as upon a careful review of all the circumstances of the time may compel them to recommend a dissolution. I therefore consider it my duty to supply this omission (as I cannot return Avith the letter to His Majesty, who wished it to be sent early to-morrow morning), by acquainting you that His Majesty admitted, without hesitation, your right to the privilege and the propriety of its exercise upon this occasion. There are other parts of your letter which would and ought to have been noticed, but from the hurry to which I have adverted, and His Majesty's anxiety that his grounds of objection to a dissolution, as he had often expressed them to me, and as he distinctly re- peated them to me on this occasion, should be fully stated ; but the time was short, and the thing has, I fear, been imperfectly done. Above all, His Majesty has been most solicitous in 176 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 21 every communication, to express Iiis sense of your at- tachment to his person, and of your devotion to his service, as well as of the high-minded and honourable principle which has distinguished your proceedings on this and every occasion. He has felt not less desirous that your Lordship's colleagues sliould be assured of the satisfaction he has derived from their conduct. I should be wholly unworthy of the confidence with which your Lordship has honoured me, and make a bad return for the unreserved manner in which you have communicated witli me, if I were to disguise from you my conviction, that the King's objections to a dissolu- tion at this moment, and in the present state of the country, will prove final and conclusive. They are in- deed grounded upon apprehensions of a convulsion in this country, and chiefly in Ireland, which have taken such a firm hold on his mind, that I am persuaded no argument will be able to shake them. I do therefore most earnestly and most fervently hope, that the suc- cess of the Bill may relieve you from the necessity of submitting the obnoxious proposal. I am very happy to hear that your Lordship had, upon consideration, been satisfied with my having shown your letter of Saturday to the King. I can assure you that His Majesty has been most cautious in disclosing his sentiments on the subject of a dis- solution. I have never heard him name it, nor heard any one notice his having named it ; and he is extremely re- ser\'ed on all political questions, and careful of naming or alluding to any matter which is the subject of com- munication with your Lordship, or any other of his 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 177 confidential servants, wliicli is not avowedly of a public and ostensible nature. I return your letters as you desire, and shall be obliged to you for them when you have no further occasion for them. His Majesty will be in town before one to-morrow, unless detained by official business here, and will be glad to see your Lordship at any hour most convenient to yourself. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 112. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, Marcli 21, 1831. Although the King will have an opportunity of com- municating personally with Earl Grey to-morrow, His Majesty conceives that it may be more satisfactory to him and to His Majesty's other confidential servants, that he should receive an answer in writing to the let- ter he addressed to him this day, especially as that letter expresses their joint sentiments in reply to the King's communication of yesterday, which Earl Grey yery properly, and as His Majesty fully expected he would do, laid before them. The King rejoices that the expression of his general approbation of their conduct, and of the satisfaction at the course they have pursued, has proved gratifying to Earl Grey and his other confidential servants. It has been conveyed with great sincerity, and he cannot too often repeat that their proceedings, at a most critical VOL. I. N 178 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 21 period, and under most arduous circumstances, liave amply merited tlie decided support they acknowledge to have received from him. His Majesty rejoices also to learn, that Earl Grey'iiad not mistaken the general expression of his sentiments at Brighton, on the possibility of a dissolution of Par- liament, although no direct and positive objection was then stated, as indeed it had not then been called for : still it appears to have been such as to cause Earl Grey to approach the subject with hesitation, and with the apprehension of giving pain to His Majesty by tlie in- troduction of it; and the King assures him that he does lament extremely that Earl Grey should, by a sense of public duty, by which His Majesty is confident no man can be actuated in a stronger degree than he is, be placed under the necessity of urging a measure upon which a difference of opinion can arise between them. His Majesty is perfectly aware that the first intima- tion of a possible resort to the measure of dissolution was Earl Grey's personal act, not submitted with the authority of his colleagues, and in fact a preliminary to a more direct communication ; but His Majesty does not regret that the communication has been made be- fore the necessity for it became urgent, as he feels that, upon so important a point, his confidential servants should receive an early intimation of his sentiments, and that it is due to tliem and to himself that they should be stated so explicitly and so candidly as not to be liable to mistake. This course, indeed, is most con- sistent with the principle upon which it has been his determination to act in the station in which he is placed : it is that which Earl Grey has observed to- 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 179 wards him ; and it is that which is most becoming the honest man, and in his opinion best calculated to meet the difficulties with which these times are so pregnant. The King does not deny that he has learnt with great pain, that the possible alternative of a dissolution has engaged the serious consideration of his confiden- tial servants, as he cannot divest himself, nor hope to divest himself of the feehng, with which he contem- plates that alternative. He has already, in his letter to Earl Grey of yester- day, stated generally his ground of objection, and tliat he considers as imposing upon him, as a sacred duty, the obligation of resisting any proposal for the dissolu- tion of Parliament at this period; but upon this occasion, and with reference to the general nature of Earl Grey's communication, His Majesty is induced to remark fur- ther, that it is his firm conviction, that if a general election were to take place at this moment, in conse- quence of his Government being defeated in the attempt to carry the Bill of Eeform, thereby throwing back, upon an excited population, a measure which is consi- dered by that population to have been brought forward in deference to the expression of its opinion ; if what is called an appeal to the people be now made upon a popular question so strenuously advocated by those who have been supported by popular clamour, when a spirit of agitation which has been so long in progress has been so much increased by the introduction of the Bill and the discussion upon it, this country would be thrown into convulsion from the Land's End to John O'Groat's house : miners, manufacturers, colhers, la- bourers, all who have recently formed unions for the N 2 180 COREESPONDEXCE OF EARL GREY [March 21 furtherance of illegal purposes, would assemble on every point in support of a popular question, with the declared object of carrying the measure by intimida- tion. It would be in vain to hope to be able to resist their course, or to check disturbances of every kind, amouirting possibly to open rebellion, while the few troops which might be brought forward in support of a civil power, often timid and inefficient (as recently shown in Lancashire), would probably have been as- sembled in the neighbom'hood of London, for the preservation of tranquillity in the metropolis, or era- barked for Ireland. Here again the effects of dissolu- tion at this period would probably be still more serious. Earl Grey has indeed stated the assurance given by the Marquis of Anglesey, that he should have no fear of a dissolution. But with all deference for the Mar- quis of Anglesey's opinion, and the highest sense of the resources he has shown,- of his activity, his firmness, and his energy, and of his well-grounded confidence in the application of these qualities, the King cannot help opposing actual circumstances and facts to the assur- ance given, and the confidence expressed. In the recent election for the county of Kilkenny, the Government candidate, Lord Duncannon, was admitted to be very popular. Yet the accumulation of troops and of constabulary force was insufficient towards re- pressing disorders and outrage, and towards protecting the voters, against whom the agitators had stirred up the populace. An election is approaching in the county of Clare, serious disturbances are taking place there, all the troops that can be spared from other districts are sent to that county, a regiment has been ordered 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 181 from England upon the occasion, others are to be spared from the slender force in this country and to proceed to Ireland if required by the Lord-Lieutenant. If such be the state of Ireland, such the effect of an election in one county in Ireland, is it necessary to ask what would be the effect of a general election, every comity, every district, every large and small town equally disturbed, all calling for the aid of the military and the police ? There are not 20,000 men in Ireland ; twice the number would be insufficient in such a case ; and where are these to be found ? The English militia are not embodied, but if they were now called out, their ranks would be filled with men who are, or have been recently, the promoters of disturbance and of lawless acts, and who would not have been a sufficient time under the control of disci- pline to shake off the fancy for outrage when called upon to repress it in others. His Majesty does not think he has exaggerated the state of things, nor that he errs in apprehending that its result would be a re- volution in Ireland. But supposing these apprehensions of great disorder and outrage in Great Britain, and of more serious dis- turbance in Ireland (upon which the King grounds an objection, which he has stated to be paramount, and which, if he feels it to be such,he is in duty bound to maintain), to be unfounded. It must be admitted, at least, that no effort would be wanting on the part of the lower orders of the rabble, of those arraj^ed in sup- port of a popular measure, to destroy the freedom of election, to carry every vote by the influence of violence and intimidation, as was shown at Preston, and has 182 COliEESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 21 occasionally been sliown elsewhere. Would tliey not caU upon every candidate to pledge himself to the support of measures of a democratic and revolutionary tendency? — to vote for universal suffrage, election by ballot, annual Parliaments, further reduction of the Civil List, other popular measures levelled at the dig- nity of the Crown, the influence of the Aristocracy, and the pohtical existence of both ? Gentlemen, men of principle and honour, would indeed decline so to pledge themselves ; but their refusal would exclude them from the representation, and would thus open the door of admission to the House of Commons to de- magogues, agitators, and revolutionists, unprincipled adventurers, who would pledge themselves to anything, and would not scruple to vote for the destruction of the monarchy and of every existing establishment. Those who talk of an appeal to the people in support of administrative measures should consider in what manner it becomes the King to view such an appeal, its occasion and its probable effects. His Majesty may and does give credit to those who are inclined to force on the measure of Eeform, by such an appeal, for the best, the most patriotic, and the most constitutional motives; but it is His Majesty's duty to consider whether the benefits which are held out, and even greater even- tual benefits, shall justify the risk at which they are sought, the disorder and the bloodshed through which they are in his apprehension to be obtained. He has stated this to be the paramount objection. He cannot, he must not, waive it. He cannot help returning to that which is, and which ought to be, uppermost in his mind. His Majesty has nevertheless to urge another, which 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 183 cannot fail to strike forcibly those whom he addresses. Supposing a dissolution to take place, and the House of Commons to be so constituted as His Majesty appre- hends, can it be expected that they will give such sup- port to the Government of the country as will enable it to carry on its business ? Can it be expected that the House of Lords will concur in the measures which such a House of Commons will introduce and pass ? Will not their proceedings produce an early schism between the two Houses ? The consequences of such a case have always presented themselves to the King in a most fearful light ; and he is naturally most anxious to avert all that can provoke them. His Majesty will not add to this long letter further than by assuring Earl Grey, that no expression of his sentiments or feehng on the subject of a dissolution has escaped him, and that his notice of the subject has been confined to the communications he has made to him.* William E. * This letter shows the extreme importance of the majority of one in favour of the second reading of the Reform Bill, which was obtained the night after it was written. It will be seen from the preceding letter that SirH. Taylor believed that at that time the Kuig's objection to a disso- lution would prove Unal and conclusive ; and this was, I Imow, also my father's conviction ; nor do I think the King's subsequent assent to this measure under altered circumstances affords any reason for supposing that they were wrong. The defeat of the Bill on this stage must therefore, in all probability, have led to the resignation of the Ministers, since this must necessarily have followed the King's final refusal to dissolve. And their resignation would have had very different consequences with the House of Commons, as then composed, from those which ensued in the following year, when they resigned with a House of Commons in which there was so large a majority earnestly in favour of Reform. The real feeling of a majority of the House of Commons of March 1831 was quite the other way. 184 CORRESPONDENCE OF EABL GREY TMarcli 22 No. 113. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, Marcli 22, 1831. Earl Grey has had the honour of receiving your Majesty's letter of yesterday. Upon the important mat- ter to which it relates, as he hopes so soon to have an opportunity of personal communication with your Majesty, he trusts that your Majesty wiU not think him Avanting in due attention and respect, if he abstains from offering any further observations at present. It would ill become him to enter into anything approaching to a controversial argument with your Majesty ; and he must naturally be anxious to postpone, till compelled to do so by an overbearing necessity, any expression of opinions not conformable to those which are so strongly impressed on the mind of your Majesty. The debate on the second reading of the Eeform Bill lasted till a late hour this morning, when an ad- journment took place. It was opened by Sir Eichard Vyvyan, who moved that the second reading should be put off for six months, declaring at the same time, in conformity with a resolution said to have been taken at a meeting held at Sir Edward Knatchbull's yester- day morning, that if he carried his motion he would 1 have no doubt, therefore, that a Gorernment might then have been formed from the Opposition, which would, for a time at least, have com- manded a majority, as the fear of Reform would have put an end to the divisions in the Tory party that had been fatal to the Duke of Welling- ton's Government. Thus a fearful experiment would have been tried on tlie patience of the country, which would have had no legal and consti- tutional means of enforcing the passing of the Reform Bill, on which its desires were so strongly fixed. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 185 himself bring forward a resolution pledging the House to some Reform ; but he did not state anything to in- form the House as to the extent or principle of the measure he might have in contemplation. The principle of Eeform, indeed, is admitted by this statement, which is perhaps not quite consistent with a direct opposition to the second reading. But waiving this minor objec- tion, the course pursued by Sir E. Vj^vyan and his sup- porters appears to Earl Grey fraught with the most dangerous consequences. It concedes the principle, it admits the necessity, and having given this advantao-e to the advocates of Eeform, disappoints all their expec- tations. If there be a plan tending more certainly than another to assist the views of those who would urge the pubhc to the worst extremities, Earl Grey believes it to be this. In the debate nothing remarkable occurred, except a most eloquent and powerful speech from Mr. Shell. The speakers were AG-UXST. ' FOR. Sir Eichard ^'yvyan. JMr. Sheil. ]\Ir. Cartwriglit. ]Mr. Pendarves. ]Mr. E. A. Diindas. Mr. Charles Grant. Lord Valletort. jNIr. Slaney. Mr. William Bankes. The Solicitor-General. Lord Xorreys. Mr. Villiers Stuart. Sir E. Sagden. Mr. V. 8. declared be voted only in obedience to bis con- stituents, that his opinion was in favour of the measure, and that he should resign his seat. All which, &c. Grey. 186 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 22 No. 114. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Secret and confidential.)^ Downing Street, March 22, 18.31. Dear Sir Herbert, — I send you the letter* wliich I mentioned to you this morning, and which does not, in my opinion, overstate the case in the shghtest degree. There are three things that I wish to impress upon the King's mind : — * 1. That we did not cause the excitement about Ee- form. We found it in full vigour when we came into office ; and the King told me that every one of the late Ministers, except the Duke of Wellington, when they took leave of him, acknowledged that some Eeform was necessary. 2. That the excitement which now exists is directed to what, I think, a safe and legitimate object. In the event of a dissolution, it would act in support of the King and Government. If a contrary direction is given to it, you probably will see associations all over the cotnitry ; and, when once they have felt their power, the history of the Catholic Question will show the con- sequences that may be expected. 3. That this Government is now without its natural support, the Parliament having been chosen by the late Ministers, and all the seats usually at the command of the Ministers being now filled by their bitterest op- ponents, * From Lord Durham. 18S1] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 187 It is objected to the plan of Eeform, that the Mmis- ters will not be able to command seats for themselves and their supporters. It is now ten times worse, as they not only have not the seats but that they afford a power against them. Ever yours, &c. Geet. P.S, — Pray send back Lambton's letter as soon as you have done with it. No. 115. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Secret and confidential.) St. Katharine's, March 22, 1831. My dear Lord, — Your Lordship's letter, enclosing Lord Durham's, reached me shortly before I left St. James's, and I was unable to read them quietly until I got home ; nor would I sit down to reply to them until my family had gone to bed. I feel very sensibly your confidence in making this communication ; and I own that I regret that you have restricted me from imparting it to the King, as there are many points which I should have wished him to see and consider before the subject shall possibly be brought before him in a more formal shape. I know also, from experience, that his mind is ever open to receive the opinions of those whose situations and duties justify the expression of them, with kindness and indulgence, and with due allowance for the warmth of feehng in which they may be offered, although freely given, and although they may, for the sake of argument, place the 188 CORRESPOND ENCE OF EARL GREY [March 22 question in points of view wliicli may not accord witli his sentiments, or with the honest spirit in which those sentiments have been admitted and maintained. I may add, and in fact repeat, that I have been in the habit of submitting to the King, without reserve, what- ever reaches me, provided it shall not appear to me calculated to operate to the injury or prejudice of the person who addresses me, or to create impressions not intended to be conveyed ; and no question lias ever arisen in the course of which I have felt more anxious than on this, that His Majesty should be put in full possession of all that can be said in support of the opinions and feelings of men to whose continued services he justly attaches so mu.ch importance. I have carefully read your Lordship's letters and that from Lord Durham, which I return, and I see nothing in them which may not be freely submitted to the King. On the contrary, I feel that the circumstances of the moment, and the extreme importance which attaches to His Majesty's full and unbiassed consideration of them, and to the decision he may finally adopt, render desirable his cognisance of every word they contain. I would close my letter here, if there were not in those letters a few points upon which I may offer re- marks without indiscretion, and without committing His Majesty, and departing from the strict line of duty wliich a very delicate situation prescribes to me. 1st. The King has never, to the best of my knowledge, entertained the opinion, nor I believe expressed such, that his present Government caused the excitement about Eeform. He has admitted that it had been the occasion of increasing agitation ; and he has, I well know, 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 180 stated to your Lordship and to others, that all but the Duke of WelHngton had acknowledged to him that some Reform was necessary. The King has indeed ob- served that this excitement has become more extensive and serious, in consequence of the legislative discussion of the measure ; and he has stated, Avithout reserve, his apprehensions of the effects which the disappointment may produce. I am not aware that His Majesty has ever taken the view stated in your Lordship's second proposition. He has stated fully the grounds of his objection to a dissolu- tion. He has considered the period of general election to have been, at all times and under all circumstances, a period of disorder, of general relaxation, and more or less of outrage ; and he has been strongly impressed with the fear that, from the spirit of the times, the dis- turbances and lawless acts which prevailed some months ago, the illegal combinations which are still in existence, though not at present in active operation, those disorders which attend a general election would be carried to extremes, without reference even to any extraordinary excitement produced by the agitation of the question of Eeform and its failure. His Majesty has, however, not concealed his apprehension of associations for the pur- pose of forcing forward the measure, although there should not be a dissolution ; but he has not considered that they would endanger the tranquillity and the se- curity of the country in the same degree as large as- semblages of the lower orders, in every part of the country, at one and the same moment, which would be held under the sanction of the law. 3. This is undeniable, and is the natural result of 190 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 22 every change of Government, not followed by a disso- lution of Parliament. It is impossible it should not have struck His Majesty, but he had hoped that it would have been, in some degree, counteracted bythe divisions which prevailed among the opponents of the Govern- ment, and by the pains which he took to mark and declare his support of his Government. I should, how- ever, add that this also has been one of the reasons why His Majesty felt and wished that the introduction of the Eeform Bill should, if possible, be delayed. He con- sidered the experiment a hazardous one ; and that it required not only a popular, but a strong, Government to carry the object. Upon Lord Durham's letter I beg to observe, that, although the King has dwelt so much and principally on -the consequences of a dissolution from the excited state of public feeling, he has not disguised from himself the probable effect of a rejection of the Bill, which he has contemplated with serious concern and apprehension, although for the reasons already assigned. His Majesty may not have entertained the same apprehension of a general convulsion and of extensive disturbance arising out of such failure. Heretofore elections may not have produced occur- rences unconnected with the electioneering objects of the moment ; but His Majesty feels, and I believe there are few that do not feel, that it would not be safe or correct to judge of what may happen from what has passed. No one can deny that the country is, in many parts, suffering under the influence of the revolutionary proceedings in France, Belgium, &c., and I have already r ^ ^ ^ 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 101 alluded to disturbances, &c., serious outrages of recent date, to illegal unions, &c. &c. Admitting, to the fullest extent stated, the feehngs of disappointment and discontent from the rejection of the BiU and the refusal of dissolution, the effect of them would not be concentrated, nor brought into action ; and, at any rate, the results contemplated by Lord Durham rest upon the supposition that the feeling in favour of the measure of Eeform is general and undivided, which I beheve your Lordship will find, on reference to His Majesty's early communication on the subject, has never been his opinion, although he has admitted the feehng to be extensive and strongly expressed, especially by the lower orders. I do not believe that the King has ever admitted a supposition that he could be accused or suspected of not being sincere in his support of the question. His sanc- tion had been given so honestly and so avowedly; every step he has taken hitherto, and during the progress of the discussion, has been so well calculated to manifest the sincerity of that sanction, — all that could imply a doubt of the propriety of the measure or of its success has been so carefully concealed (for I must be allowed to treat as undeserving of notice the reports scandalously fabricated and raised for the purpose of throwing doubt upon His Majesty's good faith), that His Majesty may bid defiance to such a supposition, may challenge every possible investigation. I may safely assure your Lord- ship that, when your Lordship submitted the measure, the King partook of the confidence expressed by your- self and others of his Government, that the measure 102 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 22 would be carried in the House of Commons, and that his chief apprehension (which, indeed, he expressed) was that of a schism between the Lords and Commons on this subject. He did not contemplate the possibility of a proposal to dissolve Parhament, and he had taken occasion to express his strong objection to it, under any circumstances, long before he was made aware of the nature and extent of the measure to be submitted to him. His Majesty has so fully stated the principal ground of objection, that it would be a waste of your Lordship's time to say more on that point ; but I may declare to you my conscientious belief, that it is this dread of throwing this country into convulsion and Ireland into rebellion, which principally influences His Majesty, and that every other consideration is secondary to one which has made so deep an impression upon his mind. If, as Lord Durham apprehends, the effect of His Majesty's perseverance in this decision should be dis- trust of him in the public mind, he will have to lament that which he does not merit. It is very late ; I am almost exhausted ; and I will not encroach further upon your Lordship's time, although there are some parts of Lord Durham's letter on which I coidd have wished to touch. At any rate, what I have said, or may say, ivithout authority, must be very immaterial ; but I do conceive it to be material that the King should be put in possession of your Lordship's and Lord Durham's remarks; and I can see no objection to the communication. I have no copy of this letter, and if you should authorise me to make the suggested communication, I 1831] WITH laXG WILLIAM IV. 193 shall be obliged to you to return this letter,* that I may submit it also to His Majesty. I have, &c. H. Tayloe. * The following is the letter from Lord Durham referred to in" the preceding letters : — March 22, 1831. (Private and coniidential.) Tuesday morning, 12 o'clock. My dear Lord Grey, — The letters are gone on iu circulation. [The letters to and from the King on the question of a dissolution.] It is surprising that throughout all these arguments against dissolution, grounded on the excited state of public feeling, he never for an instant alludes to what will be the effect of a rejection of the Bill, if unaccom- panied by a dissolution. From this omission one would imagine, that he fancies the country would quietly acquiesce in the rejection — a rejection effected too through the agency of the very parties who are thus forcibly acquitting tliemselves, m opposition to the declared j udgment of the King, his Ministers, and the country. In the event of a dissolution, the excitement would be directed into the harmless course of an enthusiastic action in favour of the King and his Government, directed, it is true, warmly against the defenders of the Borough sj'stem, but in an equally strong degree pronounced in favour of the prerogatives of the Crown ; of the beneficial use of which, for their own interests, the act of dissolution must have convinced them. Is there an instance of any excitement at elections, producing occur- rences unconnected with the electioneering objects of the moment ? So far from increasing popular excitement, a dissolution would be its best and safest vent. On the other hand, what appearances would attend the exhibition of public feeling if the Bill veere rejected, a dissolution refused by the King, and the Ministry dissolved, as it necessarih' must be ? Feelings of disappointment, of almost reckless despair, would be added to that excitement which is now existing. The people are quiet now because they repose with confidence on the support of the King, should the Borough faction be too strong for his Ministers in the House of Commons. Take away from them this last resource, on which they so confidently rely, and who will answer for the consequences ? To this , may be added the danger of creating a notion that the King has not been sincere m his support of the question. The country will naturally say : How could it be expected that such a question, altering the whole system under which the majority of the House of Commons has been elected, and b}' which they have thri^'en at the expense of the country, could be VOL. r. 104 CORRESPOXDEXCE OF EARL GREY [March 23 No. 11(^ The King to Earl Grey. St. James's, March 23, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of this daj% respecting the result of last night's debate, which he has learnt from Viscount Althorp also. His Majesty would have been better pleased if the majority in favour of the second reading of the Eeform Bill had been greater, but he sincerely rejoices that it has been carried even by one. He considers it of great importance, that time should be gained for considera- carried except in a Parliament expressly summoned for the purpose of taking it into consideration p The King must then have contemplated the certain arrival of that period at which the sincerity of his determin- ation would be put to the test. The King has denied to his Ministers their legitimate right to the additional strength which would accrue to them from the dissolution of a Parliament elected under the influence and direction of their prede- cessors, and most undoubtedly not when the question, which renders it necessary, is one on which the whole country unanimously supports the measure recommended to Parliament, and refused by it. If, therefore, the King refuses his consent to that constitutional measure, which would, to the conviction of every sane man in the country, ensure the success of the Bill, the country will say that he never was in earnest, or thoroughly determined to carry it. In fact, it would be another mode of refusing the royal assent. WTiat feelings would then exist in the public mind ? Distrust of the King, whom they would proclaim to be the only obstacle to the attainment of their wislies ; hatred and vengeance against those who have refused their claims, and to whom, by the way, the King must unite himself for the pur- pose of carrying on the Government ; and a conviction, of all others the most dangerous, that the existence of the present form of Government is incompatible with their attainment of those rights and privileges to which they feel themselves entitled. Are these feelings not more likely to pro- duce the tumults, massacres, &c., and the downfal of institutions to which so mxich allusion is made, than noisy but ti'ansient exhibitions of popular 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 195 tion ; and he hopes and trusts that, when the question is resumed, the effect of tliat consideration will realize the wishes of His Majesty and his Government. The King trusts it will be satisfactory to Earl Grey to know, that he has appointed Colonel Fox his equerry in the room of Mr. Kennedy Erskine, deceased. William E. No. 117. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, March 23, 1831. My dear Lord, — I hasten to acquaint your Lordship that I have submitted to the King your letter of this enthusiasm which accompany, it is true, but always terminate with every election,'' Now as to Ireland : it is ascertained, beyond the power of contradiction, that if a general election were now to take place, that agitation which has so lately existed on the subject of the LTnion would be, if not de- stroyed, certainly in abeyance, and that the one obj ect held in view would be Reform. Is this no benefit ? It is surely of great importance that the Irish people should be convinced that there is a subj ect, which even their own leaders consider of pai-amount importance to that of Repeal ; so much so that they are content to waive it ; and it is often found that a question once put by can never be resumed with the same effect. It is evident, to conclude, that the excitement of a general election would only tend to the weakening the enemies of Reform, and strengthening its fiiends, and ought therefore to be dreaded by the one and desired by the other. In which class is the King to be ranked ? His determination as to dissolution must decide this. I have written these observations as you receive them, and have not time even to copy them. I dare say many of the thoughts, so badly expressed, must have suggested themselves to you, but I thought it better to state them to you as they arose in my mind, after reading the letters you sent me. Ever affectionately yours, D. o 2 196 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [March 23 day, and that of yesterday evening, and that I shall be glad to show him Lord Durham's, as well as that which I wrote to you last night. His Majesty was pleased to hear that his letter of this day had given you satisfaction, as also the appointment of Colonel Fox. His Majesty had always intended to remove Mr. Horace Seymour and Mr. Meynell from their situations in the event of their voting against the Bill. The dismissal of Mr. Calvert will rest with the Duke of Devonshire, to whom I am writing, by His Majesty's command, respecting Mr. Seymour and Mr. Meynell. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 118. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) St. James's Palace, March 23, 1831. My dear Lord, — The King has ordered me to thank your Lordship for the communication of the enclosed letters from Lord Durham, and to assure you that he is very sensible of youi* confidence, in allowing nie to read them to him. I shall be obliged to you to send me that which I wrote to you last night, that I may show it to His Majesty, after which I will return it if you wish it. I have, &c. H. Taylor. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 197 ^^0. 119. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (I'rivate.) Downing Street, March 23, 1831. My dear Sir, — In returning your letter of the 22nd, according to the desire expressed in that which I received from you last night, I cannot help troubling you with a few remarks. 1. By my anxiety to impress on the King's recollection the circumstances in which his present Ministers were called into his service, with a view to establish the fact that the excitement of the public feeling on the question of a Parhamentary Eeform had previously existed, I did not mean to imply any belief that His Majesty had thought that it originated with them ; but I did so from a wish to obviate any impression that might be made by assertions most assiduously disseminated, that such had been the fact. That the public feehng became more animated when the question was taken up by the Government, is indisputable. But this was a natural and unavoidable consequence ; and if, on this account, it might become more difficult to resist it, it was at- tended, at the same time, with the advantage of being directed to a salutary object, and by constitutional means. It was this view that convinced me that it could not act dangerously on a general election. 2. If the above opinions are well founded, there would be nothing to be feared from the associations which assumed, some time ago, so formidable an ap- pearance. They are now completely in abeyance, and would not be called into action by a measmre recom- 198 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 23 mended by the Government, and supported by the King, which woiild be consonant to the wishes of the people. If, on the other hand, the present expectations of tlie pnbhc should be disappointed, there appears to me to be too mucli reason to fear, that, with the feehngs which originally produced them, these associations Avill revive, that the peace of the country will be endangered, and that if they should unfortunately obtain power sufficient to foixe the Government to entertain anew the question of Eeform, it will no longer be possible to confine it, as may now be done, within safe and con- stitutional limits. 3. It is tindoubtedly true that this Administration experiences only the same inconvenience as must be felt by any Administration succeeding to office with a Parliament chosen by its predecessors. But this does not lessen the actual inconvenience, which has heretofore, as in 1807, obhged the Government to resort to a new election within a few months after the Parliament had been chosen. It is true the opponents of the Govern- ment, at its commencement, appeared to be much divided, as in fact they were ; but this always left the Ministers exposed to the danger of an union against them on every occasion Avhich might favour the views of those who, disagreeing in everything else, concurred in a desire to avail themselves of any opportunity to embarrass their measures. Of this a pregnant instance was afforded in the division on the Bill for altering the Timber Duties; and lam persuaded that, independently of the Pieform question, it would be hardly possible for the Administration to act efficiently for the pubhc service, with the present House of Commons. 1831] WCTH KING WILLIAM IV. 109 The extent of the public feehng, as to the measure that has been proposed, will be differently estimated by different persons, according to their different opportu- nities of information, and their various interests and opinions. But I beheve there never was a sentiment so general, or rather so neaiiy universal as that which now prevails. Let any impartial person look at the meetings in all parts of the country, the number and description of the persons attending them, "and the mianimity of their decisions, to which scarcely, in any instance, an opposition has been attempted ; and I think there can be httle doubt of the opinion he must form. I confess I look with the greatest alarm at the con- sequences of an erroneous judgment on this part of the question. I am sure you wiU acquit me of the most distant idea of insinuating any thmg against the good faith and sincerity of the King. For those most essential quah- ties no man was ever more distinguished. In the whole of his conduct towards his present Ministers, as towards his last, they have been invariably displayed ; and more particularly in every thing that has taken place on this important question. We all acknowledge this. We all feel grateful for it. We are all actuated by the truest sentiments of duty and attachment ; and there is nothing we would not do to avoid any oppo- sition to His Majesty's opinions, which that same sense of duty did not dictate, combined with the obligation of maintaining our own character and honour. By these sentiments nobody is more sincerely actuated than Lord Durham ; and I hope, whatever may have been said by him with respect to any impression injurious to 200 CORKESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 23 the King, whicli might be created by a refusal to dis- solve the Parliament, could not be conceived to imply- any suspicion of liis own, than which nothing could be more remote both from his feeling and his intention, but merely an apprehension of what might be the effect on those who are led away by appearances, or by the representations of others who may wish, for purposes of their own, to pervert the public opinion. That such a suspicion would be most unworthy and most unjust, I can say, with confidence, is not more firmly my own conviction than it is that of Lord Durham. If ultimately this question should unfortunately come to a decision which might remove his present Ministers from His Majesty's service, I am sure there is not one of them who would not, both in public and in private, bear the fullest testimony to the pure and conscientious motives which had governed His Majesty's conduct. Nay, more ; I should feel myself bound to acknowledge, though possessing strong opinions -myself, grounded on the reasons which I have stated, that for the opposite view taken by His Majesty many strong considerations present themselves, arising out of the present circum- stances of the country. I anxiously hope, therefore, that neither I nor Lord Durham can suffer in His Majesty's opinion, or be supposed to entertain a feehng inconsistent with the sincere respect which we feel for his character, and our affectionate attachment to his person, from any thing that may liave been too in- cautiously or too freely expressed in a correspondence which was not intended to meet his eye. I have been induced to dwell more upon this, be- cause I have remarked that His Majesty's manner to 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 201 Lord Durham has not been marked with the same kindness that he has shown to his other servants. This may have been accidental, but I know it has been felt by Lord Durham ; and I had once thought of desiring him to address directly to His Majesty, from himself, a statement of his feelings and opinions on the question Ave have been discussing, which few people could do so ably, and which I hoped might bring about more con- fidential communications between His Majesty and a most useftd and attached servant. You will see a printed list of the Division, an examination of which will affoixl no bad ground for estimating the state of public opinion. The activity, the intrigue, the false- hood that was used to influence votes is not to be de- scribed. What hurt us most was the rejjort so indus- triously propagated, that the Eing had put a positive veto on a proposal to dissolve the Parliament. Several Members, representing popular constituencies, who had before declared their intention of voting, changed on this assurance. Among other authorities for it, that of Lord Mansfield is stated. It was said that he had had an audience of the King, at which he had represented the dangers of the present crisis ; and that, on his return, he had publicly said, that, whatever might happen, he could confidently assert that no dissolution would take place. This may be as false as many other reports that have been circulated, but it certainly had its efiect. This letter has extended to an unreasonable length, and, before you come to the end of it, I fear yon will be even more tired than I have been in writing it. I am, &c. Grey. 202 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL C4REY [March 24 No. 120. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) St. Katharine's, March 24, 18.31. My dear Lord, — I took the earliest opportunity this morning of submitting to the King the letter I had the honour of receiving from your Lordship, retvirning mine of the 22nd instant, which I then also read to His Majesty ; but it has not been in my power to reply to it until this evening. I had the satisfaction of learning that His Majesty did not object to any part of my letter of the 22nd, and that he admitted that I had correctly stated his views and sentiments, so far as I had ventured to advert to them ; and His Majesty Avas also pleased to say, that he rejoiced that what had been said had clearly shown that there had been no misapprehension on either side, as to the origin or the cause of the excitement, to which such frequent allusion has been made, what- ever may be the impression as to the advantage or prejudice that may result from the direction it may assume and its general effects. His Majesty cannot divest himself of the apprehensions he has expressed, that the feehngs which had recently produced dis- turbance and outrage, although at present suppressed, would again be called into action ; and that assem- blages, which might avowedly take place in support of a measure recommended by the Government and supported by the King, and consonant also to the wishes of a large portion of the people, would be taken advantage of to give to that support a character 1831] WITH KIXG WILLIAM IV. 203 of violence and intimidation extremely dangerous to all whose opinions had been declared, or were other- wise known to be opposed to the measure, and there- fore tending to affect seiiously the peace of the country, especially as the violence thus exercised has of late been levelled at the property as well as the persons of all who have resisted popular clamour. That, independently of the Reform question, the Administration must experience great difficulty in act- ing efficiently for the public service, has been shown not only on recent occasions, but before the present Ad- ministration had experienced that difficulty, although, upon the occasion to which your Lordship principally alludes (the division on the Bill for altering the Tim- ber Duties), it was admitted that various interests, not usually opposed to the Government, were, from the peculiar nature of those interests, united to what may be considered as constituting the Opposition. Sup- posing a dissolution to take place before the Eeform Bill is carried, it is natural to conclude that, from the pledges required from the candidates, the returns would produce a strong majority in favour of that measure ; but other pledges would probably be required also ; and the question is whether, with a House of Commons so constituted, it would be more possible than at pre- sent for the Administration to act efficiently for the public service. At any rate, the effect of the disso- lution would be the re-production of the House of Commons in its present unreformed character, and another must take place within a very short period to afford the benefits anticipated from the measure. And if the sentiment in favour of Eeform be so nearly uni- 204 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Marcli 24 versal as stated, tke clamour for a second dissolution will be again pleaded as a reason for hastening its period. Witli regard to the meetings that take place, it may be questioned whether those who attend them express the opinions of the most respectable or most influential portion of the community. They are almost invariably the advocates and supporters of the ob- ject for which they are called together ; and, upon a popular occasion, the great majority are of the very lowest class. The opponents, those who know that they wiU not be suffered to raise their voices, seldom attend, and unanimity is thus placed beyond the power of dispute. I have taken the liberty of stating what I have reason to believe to be the King's opinions ; but if, when I have the honour of reading this letter to him, it should not obtain his sanction, I shall withhold them. His Majesty, however, ordered me to express, in the strongest terms, the satisfaction lie has derived from the acknowledgment conveyed in your Lordship's letter, and indeed upon every other occasion, of the good faith and sincerity with which he has acted, more par- ticularly in everything that has taken place on this im- portant question. His Majesty, indeed, has never doubted that such was your feeling : that such were the sentiments of his other confidential servants, he could not doubt it. His Majesty is not less convinced of the sincerity of your duty and attachment, and of your disposition to avoid any opposition to his opinions, which a sense of duty and the obligation of maintain- ing your own character and honour did not dictate; and His Majesty is the last man who would expect 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 205 deference to his opinions and -.vishes ' not so qualified, or who would attach any value to it. The King de- sires your Lordship will be assured that there is not an expression or a word in Lord Durham's letter wliich you have communicated to him that has, or could, ex- cite any other feeling than that he has ordered me to express, than that which you are desirous they should have impressed upon him. The King wishes on all occasions to receive the free, the honest, the imreserved opinions of those who address him, more especially upon the present important question ; nor can those suifer in his estimation who feel it to be their duty to utter and to maintain opinions which may not accord Avith his own. I think I may venture to say, and in- deed I have the King's authority for saying, that your Lordship has mistaken the cause of His Majesty's man- ner towards Lord Dui-ham, and that the appearance has been purely accidental. He observed, indeed, when I read that part of your letter to him, that Lord Durham appears shy and reserved, and that his manner did not encourage free intercourse. He ordered me to assure your Lordship, that he would be very glad to see Lord Durham whenever it might suit him, and that he should receive with attention and interest the state- ment of his feehugs and opinions on the question under discussion. I have had the honour of submitting to the King the printed Ust of the Division your Lordship sent me, which he examined with great interest. His Majesty is not surprised at the means which have been used to influence votes, believing that upon those occasions such means have been usually resorted 206 COREESPOXDENCE OF EARL C4REY [March 24 to, though certainly not creditable to those who adopt them. With regard to the report propagated, that the King had put a positive veto on a proposal to dissolve, your Lordship knows, from a comparison of dates, that it could not come from Windsor ; nor had the King's feelings on the subject been mentioned, or even whispered, until he replied to the question put in your letter to me, received on Sunday last, and which I submitted to him ; nor has it been otherwise broached. Lord Mansfield had been with the King on the preced- ing Tuesday. He wrote to me from the Castle Inn at Windsor to request an audience of His Majesty, to which he was admittted. I did not see him, but His Majesty told me that he had been with him some time, and had stated fully his view of the general question of Eeform, without endeavouring to ehcit His Ma- jesty's sentiments, and without learning what they might be. I asked the King on that day, whether any men- tion had been made of a dissolution, or any allusion to that contingency, and His Majesty assured me that he had not committed himself upon it. No secret was made of Lord Mansfield's visit; and if His Majesty omitted to notice it to you, the omission must have been accidental. With regard to Avhat was stated to Captain EUiott, as having been said to Sir Thomas Trowbridge by one of His Majesty's household, I beg to repeat, that if the King could learn who the individual was who pre- sumed to make so unjustifiable a use of his name, and so groundless an assertion, His Majesty would not hesi- tate to remove him from his situation ; and I beg to remind you also that I requested your permission to 1831] WITH KING WILLLIM IV. 207 write to Captain Elliott to request he would state to Sir Thomas Trowbridge that the individual in ques- tion had made an assertion to him for which he knew that he could offer no proof. Tour Lordship mentioned to me another person, whose language had been violent and indiscreet, and calculated, from his peculiar situation and habits of constant access to the King, to make great impression. That person has been seriously cautioned to be more guarded. He declares positively that he had not written a hue from Windsor, and indeed he was not there at the date assigned to the asserted communica- tion ; nor, further, had the King ever expressed any opinion to him on the subject of dissolution. I do not mention this to remove impressions or doubts, which I am quite satisfied do not exist, but to show how impossible it is to guard against reports raised and circulated on presumption. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 121. Earl Grey to Sir U. Taylor. Downing Street, April 5, 1831. My dear Sir, — There is nothing new that will not have reached the King by the usual communication of the dispatches. The French Government have taken up the advance of the Austrian troops to Bologna with more moderation than I had expected. Indeed the whole tenor of the late communications from Paris are encouraging to our hopes of preserving peace. The 208 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [Aprils truth is, that not one of the Continental Powers, in- cluding France herself, is in a condition to go to war ; and this consciousness must have a powerful effect in keeping them all quiet. The thing to be avoided is anything that might excite, beyond the control, either of the Government or of reason, the too susceptible spirit of the French people. Count has been here for some clays. He was in the battle of 25th February, and his account of it corresponds exactly with that which you may remem- ber to have read in one of Lord Cowley's dispatches. He states the Polish regular army to amount to 60,000 men, and to be in good order ; the irregular force, 40,000. This is probably an exaggeration. On the other hand, you will see in Mr. Chad's dispatches, the estimate of the Russian force. Making reasonable deductions on both sides, the party is too unequal to suppose that the resistance of the Poles can be ultimately successful ; but there is still too much reason to fear a dreadful effusion of blood before the end of the contest. speaks with great praise of the new general, and there must be a good deal in a man who has raised himself in the field of battle above all the old generals with universal consent. The accounts from Ireland to-day are very satisfac- tory ; they came from Sir John Byng, Lord Anglesey being gone to Clare. He states, there will be no opposition to Sir Henry Parnell, and that he should have no fear of the new election in the event of a dissolution. These accounts come from Sir J. Byng and Mr. Spring Eice. I had hardly finished this, when a box was brouglit 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 209 to me from the Home Office with letters of the 31st March, from Ennis, from Major Warburton, giving a very different account of the state of things. Major Warburton is, I believe, a very good man, but his accounts always appear to me to be dictated by the worst view of the state of affairs. Lord Anglesey is however, by this time, in the south of Clare, and I am sanguine in my expectations of the good effect of his visit. The papers will give you an account of the dinner at the Mansion House yesterday. The Lord Mayor introduced more of the politics of the day than I think advisable on such occasions; but nothing could be more favourable to his Majesty's Government, or more gratifying, than the expression of patriotic feehng on this occasion. I am, &c. Geey. No. 122. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Stoke Farm, April 6, 1831. My dear Sir, — Did you see in the 'Morning Chronicle' of yesterday, the copy of a letter written by me, in 1814, to General Kosciusko ? The purpose for which it is pubhshed, not quite fairly perhaps, is sufficiently obvious, and may expose me to some attacks. My de- fence, however, is not difficult. It is one thing to state certain political opinions vsdth a view to arrangements which are not completed, and another to urge the same views in order to set aside these arrangements after VOL. L P 210 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 10 they have been sanctioned by treaties. The opinions I tlien entertained, I see no reason to retract ; and if the independence of Poland had been estabhshed on those principles which might have best secured the permanent settlement of Europe at the general peace, most of the difficulties and dangers which have since occtirred, and which still embarrass us, might have been prevented. Everybody must wish the present contest in Poland terminated ; and, if possible, in such a manner as, may at once insure to the people of that unhappy country a good government, and to the neighbouring states, and to Europe generally, a suffi- cient security against the farther aggrandisement of Eussia on that side. I am, &c. Grey. No. 123. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, April 10, 1831. The King returns to Earl Grey the private letter from Lord Ponsonby to Viscount Palmerston, which he sent to him yesterday, and which appears to His Majesty to embrace several points of deep interest to the policy as well as to the character of His Majesty's Government and this country, and therefore requiring serious consideration, which His Majesty does not wish to embarrass by the communication of his opinions, although it may not prove unsatisfactory to Earl Grey and Viscount Palmerston. Lord Ponsonby has, in this letter, stated so strongly 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 211 and unequivocally his conviction, that no advantage could result from further exertion in favour of the Prince of Orange, or from any attempt to re-estabhsh the authority of the House of Nassau in Belgium ; that, admitting this opinion to be correct, there appears no reason why this country should not endeavour to con- ciliate the party and the individuals now exercising authority in Belgium, whose cooperation may possibly have been withheld chiefly from the apprehension that the restoration of that obnoxious sovereignty was the object for which England would contend. It is essen- tial that this country, being freed from this clog, should look to the issue of the general question, and endea- vour to establish an influence which shall balance, and if possible outweigh, that of France ; and His Majesty considers that, if this object can be promoted by re- ceiving M. d'Arschott, this step might be taken, and that a sufficient ostensible plea might be found for it in the recent proceedings of the Belgian Government, which have shown a greater disposition to conciliate this Government, and to observe the conditions of the armistice, and in the assurances given by the Regent and M. Lebeau to Lord Ponsonby, of a more friendly feeling. The next point is the suggested election of Prince Leopold to the sovereignty of Belgium; and His Majesty cannot deny that he has felt very strong ob- jections to the Prince Leopold being brought forward with the concurrence of England, since England took so warm and so decided a part against the election of the Due de Nemours. It is impossible that Prince Leopold, circumstanced as he is with respect to this p 2 212 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 10 country, should not be in some degree under its influence ; and, at any rate, lie will be considered to be so. It will be said that England contended for the House of Orange so long as no Prince imme- diately connected with or dependent upon itself was brought forward, but abandoned that cause for a selfish object. This will be urged or insinuated by France in any future stage of the discussion : it will excite a feeling of jealousy and suspicion in the other Powers : above all, it will produce a most unfavourable impression upon the House of Nassau, and all that are allied and connected with it ; and will place His Majesty and his family in a very painful and invidious posi- tion towards a family with which they have so long been connected in bonds of strict union and friendship. The King considers that the credit of this country, his own credit, and that of his Government, are con- cerned in maintaining the high and disinterested prin- ciple upon which this Belgic Question has hitherto been dealt with; and that it will-be abandoned if their exer- tions should be used in favour of a candidate for the sovereignty of Belgium, who is brought forward under their influence. Nay, His Majesty cannot help sus- pecting that France may now be encouraging this measure, in order thereby to cast a reproach upon the fair character of this country, and to weaken its moral influence in Europe. The Eing agrees with Lord Ponsonby, that the pre- tensions of the Belgians to the possession of the canal from the Sass de Gand to Terneuse, and the sluices by which it is in the power of those who hold them to inundate a large portion of the country, is reasonable ; 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 213 and he thinks that means should be taken to secure Holland and Belgium reciprocally against the possibihty of injury of this description. William E. ,No. 124. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, April II, 1831. Earl Grey presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's letter of yesterday, with the very important coinmuni- cation of your Majesty's sentiments on that which had been transmitted to your Majesty by Earl Grey from Lord Ponsonby. Earl Grey has now the honour of enclosing for your Majesty's information (Viscount Melbourne not being returned to London), some communications respecting the state of Ireland, which he has received from Mr. Stanley this morning. Earl Grey deeply regrets the melancholy condition of that country, as it is described in these papers. It will require the immediate and anxious attention of your Majesty's servants as soon as they can be reassembled; and Earl Grey anticipates, with great pain, the unfor- tunate necessity which the next accounts from Lord Anglesey will too probably establish, of submitting to your Majesty a proposition for extending the powers of the Government to control a spirit of violence and outrage which has risen to so formidable a height. Earl Grey humbly solicits the honour of being ad- 214 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 11 mitted to your Majesty's presence to-morrow as soon after two o'clock as may be convenient to your Majesty. All which, &c. Geey. No. 125. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 11, 18.31. The King returns the letter from the Lord-Lieutenant of teland and others addressed to Mr. Stanley, which accompanied Earl Grey's letter of this day, and from which His Majesty has learnt with great concern, that Lord Anglesey considers the state of the county of Clare to be such as may render necessary an extension of the powers of the Government towards repressing the spirit of violence and outrage, not to say insiuTCction, which prevails in that and neighbouring districts. The King will be glad to see Earl Grey at any hour before or after two that may suit him to-morrow. William E. No. 126. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, April 19, 18.31.. • Earl Grey has the honour of enclosing for your Majesty's information, a letter which he received yester- day from the Marquis of Anglesey. The account given- in it, of the state of the disturbed parts of Ireland, leaves little doubt that it wdl become necessary for your 1831] WITH KIXG WILLIAM IV. 215 Majesty's servants to propose to yoiir Majesty measures for increasing the powers of tlie Government. The debate in the House of Commons last night is represented to Earl Grey as having been very satis- factory ; and it is also stated to him that there is every reason to expect, that the division on General Gas- coigne's motion* will be favourable. But Earl Grey thinks that it would not be light for him to conceal from yoiur Majesty, that the decision upon this question, considering the manner in which it has been brought forward, must necessarily have so important an effect with regard to the future success of the Bill, as to re- quire, in the event of its being adverse, the immediate and anxious consideration of your Majesty's servants with a view to their future procedings. All which, &c. Grey. No. 127. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Secret and confld^tial.) Downing Street, April 19, 1831. My dear Sir, — In writing to-day to the King on the subject of Lord Anglesey's letter, I have thought it necessary to call his attention to the present state of the Eeform question in the House of Commons. * General Gascoigne had moved, as an amendment on the motion for going into Committee on the Reform Bill, the following resolution, ' That it is the opinion of this House, that the total number of knights, citizens, and burgesses, returned to Parliament for that part of the United King- dom called England and Wales, ought not to be diminished.' The de- bate had been adjourned. 216 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 19 Thougli I could have consented to sucli an addition to the Members of the House of Commons as would have filled the deficiency left by our plan, the mode in which the proposition has been brought forward raises a difficulty which, if the motion should be carried, will be of a very serious nature. It has been done, artfully enough, to take upon a collateral question a division which, in its consequences, as has been obviously the intention of Sir E. Peel and its supporters, must be decisive of the fate of the Bill. For if carried it will prevent any addition being made to the number of representatives of Ireland and Scotland, unless an addi- tion to the same extent should be made to the present numbers of the House of Commons. I need not tell you how inconvenient this would be with the declared opinions of the King's Ministers, with the views which have influenced them in framing the Bill, and how im- possible for them it would be to consent to such an alteration. A decision of so adverse a nature would necessarily deprive them of all hope of being able to carry the BiU without such further alterations as would alto- gether destroy its character in the present House of Commons ; and we shall then have arrived at the crisis in which the expediency, or rather the necessity, of a dissolution must be seriously considered. The calcula- tions of those who know the House of Commons best encourage us to expect a favourable division ; but still the event is too vmcertain to allow me to expose His Majesty to the chance of its coming upon him without some previous preparation for the emergency which may follow. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 217 I feel deeply the embarrassment in which he may be involved, and it is my duty to diminish it as much as possible. I write this to you in the most unreserved con- fidence, that you may act upon it as you may think wiU be most conducive to His Majesty's ease and to the public interest, but without extending the communi- cation to any other person. I enclose a letter from poor Captain . It is a case of real compassion ; but I know how circumscribed the means are which are possessed by His Majesty to meet this and other claims upon his benevolence. Had there been any fund at the disposal of the Government out of which I could have assisted this poor old man, you shoiild have heard nothing about it ; but as there exists no source from which I can afford him any suc- cour, I could not help laying his own statement of his case before you. The Lord Mayor has been with me this morning, to state that the citizens have become very impatient for the visit of their Majesties, and that he has with difficulty prevented their calling a Common Council to vote a renewal of their former invitation. He was very properly anxious to learn their Majesties' wishes before such a step should be taken, and for this purpose came to me. I have told him that I would state what he had said to His Majesty, and communi- cate the result to him. This I shall do when I have the honour of seeing the King previous to the levee ; but in the meantime I thought it useful that you should be enabled to prepare His Majesty for such a commu- nication. I am, &c. Geey. 218 COREESPONDENOE OF EAEL GREY [April 19 No. 128. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 19, 18.31. The King received, soon after liis arrival in town, Earl Grey's letter of this day and the accompanying letter from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland ; and Sir Herbert Taylor has submitted to His Majesty that which Earl Grey addressed to him. The King has given to those communications the consideration which their impor- tance demands ; and he laments to be under the neces- sity of admitting, that the state of the disturbed parts of Ireland, as it is described so clearly, ably, and dis- passionately in Lord Anglesey's letter, appears to him such as not only to justify, but imperiously to caU for the adoption of measures for increasing the power of the Government. His Majesty cannot express the opinion without stating also his anxiety to do justice to the wisdom and the efficiency of all the proceedings of his Government with respect to Ireland, and to the energy, the good sense, and the zeal with which Lord Anglesey has discharged the duties of his arduous situation. This state of Ireland, as His Majesty has viewed it for some time past, and as it has been represented by Lord Anglesey, has caused His Majesty to receive with additional concern the intimation conveyed in Earl Grey's letters, and more especially in that addressed to Sir Herbert Taylor, that the further proceedings on the Eeform Bill in the House of Commons may be such as to place his confidential servants under the necessity 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 219 of considering the expediency of a dissolution. The King does full justice to the honourable feeling and the manly candour which have prompted Earl Grey to call his attention thus early to this crisis ; and he appreciates equally the consideration for himself Avhich has influenced every part of his proceeding on the occasion. It is therefore, -with sincere regret, that he is imder the necessity of stating to Earl Grey that his objections to a dissolution of Parliament, at this period, have continued such as they have been de- scribed to him in former communications ; and that, anxiously solicitous as he has felt to yield his opinions to those which have been urged by Earl Grey and Lord Durham, and to overcome impressions which had become so strong upon his own mind, he has not been able to reconcile the dictates of his duty, such as they offer themselves to him, to the adoption of a measure which he would readily sanction, if his objec- tions to it could be said to rest on pohtical grounds. The King, therefore, most earnestly hopes that the division upon General Gascoigne's motion may be such as to relieve Earl Grey and his other confidential ser- vants from the necessity of submitting for his decision a measure against which he has not ceased to state his objections ; and that he may be thus freed from the em- barrassment and the distress of entering with them into any discussion which would not accord with the spirit and the feehng which have hitherto governed the com- munications which have passed with them upon every subject, which have been truly satisfactory to him, and which he cannot notice without decJaring also that the manner in which the business of the country has been 220 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 19 carried on, whether as relating to its interior concerns or its exterior poHcy, at a period of almost unexampled difficulty, has, in his opinion, merited in the fullest degree that approbation which has been so unequivo- cally bestowed upon it. The King has already alluded to the state of Ireland as increasing the concern with which he has received Earl Grey's communication, as the view he considers himself bound to take of it has added to his appre- hensions of the convulsions which may result from a dissolution ; nor does His Majesty contemplate with- out dread the difficulty which may be experienced in supplying Lord Anglesey with the additional military means for which he has applied. His Majesty had hoped that the necessity of produ- cing more correct returns of the population than those which the census of 1821 affords (a necessity which he had early contemplated) would, after his Government had carried the principle of the Bill and estabhshed the necessity for Eeform, have afforded to them a sufficient and very reasonable plea for proposing that the discus- sion should be postponed until a more opportune period. He may have entertained this expectation on false grounds, but he naturally seeks for any expedient which may avoid the proposal to which Earl Grey alludes. William E. No. 129. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) St. James's Palace, April 19, 1831. My dear Lord, — The King is so desirous that there should be no unnecessary delay in sending his answer 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 221 to your Lordship that, after copjdng it, I do not find myself at liberty to reply at any length to that which you addressed to me ; and I must reserve for another time, the answer to those parts of it which regard Captain and the Lord Mayor's communication. I cannot, however, transmit His Majesty's letter without saying, that I hope I correctly understood that it was intended for His Majesty's eye ; indeed, its pur- port seemed to point out the indispensable necessity of submitting it to him without delay ; and I may add that as His Majesty received the box before I got to St. James's, the letter was opened in his presence and at once read to him. His Majesty has rephed to it so fully that I shall only observe, that he appeared extremely distressed by that part of it on which he has chiefly dwelt in his answer. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 130. Sir H. Taylor lo Earl Grey. (Private.) St. Katharine's, April 19, 1831. My dear Lord, — The King received most kindly the appeal which poor Captain has made to him through your Lordship, and has honoured me with his commands to acquaint you that he has, in consequence, directed his name to be placed upon his list for an annual allowance of two hundred pounds (£200), but that the extent of that list and the means applicable to it do not admit of His Majesty continuing to him the allowance which he received from the late Kinjj. 222 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 19 The fact is that, upon His Majesty's accession, he received from the late King's executors a list of pen- sions, allowances, and other payments made by his late Majesty, which it was recommended to him that he should continue from his Privy Purse. The amount was very considerable, and one item was the payment of 6000/. annually to Mrs. Pitzherbert ; but it does not include all his late Majesty's pensioners, and among those excluded, as considered to have no particular claim upon his present Majesty, was Captain . Many of those have been replaced upon the list ; others (including old servants of the late King and dependants upon their late Majesties George III. and Queen Charlotte) have been added, besides many who had immediate claims upon His Majesty ; and these additions to the transfer of charges from the Privy Purse of His Majesty's predecessor on the throne, which had heretofore been provided for by grant from Parliament, absorb, with the latter, a very large portion of His Majesty's disposable funds ; nor does a week pass that some claim is not preferred, either for a subscription, donation, or annual provision, which it is difficult for His Majesty to resist. I need not observe that the demands continually made, and in some instances without much consideration, are a heavy charge, to which has been added the payment of the Queen's outfit, which the King has taken upon himself It was therefore not extraordinary that His Majesty should have endeavoured, as far as possible, to limit his admission of the late King's pensioners to the list 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 223 received from the Duke of "Wellington ; and this led to his having hitherto resisted the appeal of Captain , with whom there has been some correspondence, in the course of which he obtained the promise of a gratuitous commission for one of his grandsons. The King ordered me to say, that he would speak to your Lordship when he has the pleasure of seeing you to-morrow, previous to the levee, on the subject of the invitation from the City. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 131. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, April 20, 1831, Earl Grey has the honour of acknowledging your Majesty's most gracious letter of yesterday, with all the feehngs of the most lively gratitude, for the expressions of confidence and approbation with which your Majesty has been pleased to honour the conduct of your ser- vants in their endeavom-s to discharge the important duties confided to them, and with all the pain, which the prospect of their finding themselves under the neces- sity of offering to your Majesty any advice, in which your Majesty may not be able to concur, must neces- sarily occasion. The Division last night has, contrary to Earl Grey's expectations, proved adverse to your Majesty's Minis- ters, the numbers being, for General Gascoigne's mo- tion, 299 ; against it, 291. Under these circumstances, 224 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 20 a meeting of your Majesty's servants in Cabinet has been appointed for this morning at eleven o'clock, the result of which Earl Grey will lose no time in commu- nicating to your Majesty. Earl Grey has the honour of informing your Majesty that the Civil List Bill passed the Committee of the House of Lords, and was reported last night, and will be read a third time to-day. All which, &c. Geey. No. 132. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 20, 18.31. The King acknoAvledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of this day, stating the Division of last night in the House of Commons, which His Majesty has learnt with great concern. He will be prepared to receive Earl Grey at any time that may suit him before the levee. William E. No. 133. Minute of Cabinet. Do-wning Street, April 20, 1831. At a meeting of your Majesty's confidential servants held this morning, at the House of the First Lord of the Treasury, in Downing Street, — 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 225 PRESENT : The Lord Chancellor, The Lord Privy Seal, The Lord President, The Duke of Eichmond, Viscount Goderich, Lord Holland, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount Palmerston, The Earl of Carlisle, Viscount Althorp, Earl Grey, Sir James Graham, Mr. Grant, it was agreed humbly to submit to your Majesty the following Minute : — Your Majesty's confidential servants having taken into their most serious consideration the circumstances under which the Division of last night took place in the House of Commons, and the effect of that Division, have arrived at the painful conclusion, that there is no reasonable hope of the ultimate success of the Eeform Bill in the present House of Commons. Earl Grey having communicated to them your Majesty's letter of yesterday's date, they have been impressed with the most lively gratitude for your Majesty's most gracious approbation of their humble services ; and they must necessarily feel the deepest regret at finding themselves compelled to offer your Majesty advice which possibly may not meet with your Majesty's concurrence. But, under the circumstances in which they are now placed, they can see no alternative consistent with the duty which they owe to your Majesty and to the country, but that of humbly recommending a disso- lution of the present Parliament. Your Majesty's confidential servants beg leave to add that they have not come to the determination of humbly offering this advice to your Majesty without having VOL. I. Q 226 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GEEY [April 20 anxiously deliberated on the state of every part of the United Kingdom, and particularly of Ireland ; and with- out having convinced themselves, from the best informa- tion they could collect, that the measure which they recommended would be perfectly consistent with the public safety.* No. 184. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 20, 1831. Although the King has read, more than once, the Minute of Cabinet which Earl Grey has submitted to him, it involves matter of such deep importance to the interests of the country, and to His Majesty's character, that he cannot come to any decision upon it, without mature consideration. His Majesty's answer shall, however, be sent to Earl Grey early to-morrow. William E. No. 135. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, April 20, 1831. Earl Grey presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has the honour of acknowledging the receipt of your- Majesty's letter of this day. In discharging the painful duty of submitting to your Majesty the Minute of Cabinet agreed to by your * This Minute was submitted to the King by Eari Grey in an audience before the levee. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 227 Majesty's servants this morning, it was far from Earl Grey's intention, as it was from that of his colleagues, to press your Majesty for an earlier decision than was entirely consistent with your Majesty's convenience, and with tlie necessity of maturely considering the im- portant matter submitted to your Majesty's determina- tion, which your Majesty's servants respectfully await, with all the sentiments of gratitude and affection to which yom- Majesty is so eminently entitled. All which, &c. Geey, No. 186. The King to Earl Grey. St, James's Palace, April 21, 1831. In the short letter which the King wrote to Earl Grey yesterday afternoon, in acknowledgment of the Minute of Cabinet submitted to him. His Majesty stated that the Minute involved matter of such deep importance to the interests of the country and to His Majesty's character, that he could not. come to any decision upon it without mature consideration. The question which has engaged his serious attention and his anxious reflection has been, whether he should subscribe to a proposal to which he has repeatedly stated objections which have not been removed, nor essentially weakened ; or whether he should make up his mind to a second change of administration, within a very short space of time since his accession, at a period when so much of the welfare of this country, so much of the welfare of Europe, depend upon the stability of his Government, and upon the confidence Q 2 228 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 21 "vvhich the adherence to a steady system of adminis- tration may inspire ? Such is the alternative upon whiclr the Zing has had to decide ; for, although it has not been presented to him in words in the Minute of Cabinet, His Majesty could not expect that his refusal to dissolve Parliament, when he had been so strongly urged to do so by his confidential servants, would not be followed by their resignation. With this view of the question — with a mind happily unbiassed by any predilection for this or that party, and wholly free from political prejudice — with a deep sense of the obligations which the duties of the station in which Providence has placed him impose upon him to divest himself of every feeling, except that which is directed to the interests, the welfare, and the prosperity of tlie country entrusted to his charge, and to consider calmly and dispassionately the various contingencies under which his decision was to be made, and the consequences which might result from it — His Majesty has endeavoured, upon this occasion, to discharge correctly the duty which he owes to his God and to his subjects ; and, although he may have erred in judgment, his conscience assvires him that Iris intentions are pure and honest. His Majesty's objections to a dissolution of Parlia- ment at this period have been so- fully stated in repeated communications to Earl Grey, that it would be quite superfluous to recapitulate them in this letter ; but he cannot forget that, upon the first occasion in which the possibility of such a measure was brought before him, he stated that he had made up his 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. ' 229 mind not to sanction it ; and in liis letter of the 19th instant, as -well as in the formei' part of this letter, His Majesty has declared that his objections have not been removed, nor weakened, although his confidential servants have assured him that they have not come to the determination of offering this advice to His Majesty without having anxiously deliberated on the state of every part of the United Kingdom, and particularly of Ireland, and without having convinced themselves, from the best information they could collect, that the measures which they recommend would be perfectly consistent with the public safety, To which statement, recorded in their Minute, Earl Grey has added the verbal assurance, that Lord Anglesey has pledged him- self for the maintenance of the tranquillity of Ireland during a general election. The apprehensions which His Majesty entertains must be strong indeed not to be removed, as indeed they have not been removed, by these assurances and opinions, submitted by individuals whose conduct, ' under the pressure of the difficidties in which they undertook and have continued to discharge the duties of their responsible sitiiations, has so well merited His Majesty's confidence. He therefore owes it to his own character, he owes it to his claim to consistency, to state, fairly and without reserve, the considerations which have, upon due reflection, led him to waive his objections to a dissolution, or rather to subscribe to it, as the lesser of two evils. The King does not deny that, in his general view of the situation and of the interests of this country, of its Foreign relations, and of the influence of the state of 230 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 21 tlie Continent, by reaction, upon the tranquillity and tlie prosperity of tliis country, he attaches the greatest and an almost paramount importance to the stabihty of his Government, and to tlie maintenance of a fixed system of policy, which shall inspire confidence at home and abroad. He feels deeply the mischiefs wliich must result, the danger which may arise, from the frequent change of men and measures ; and these considerations have induced him to abandon his objec- tions to much which, in less perilous times, might, in his opinion, have justified his adopting and pursuing a different course. Upon this principle His Majesty had, upon his accession to the throne, made no change in his councils ; he gave his strenuous support to the Duke of Welhngton's administration, and he sincerely re- gretted its dissolution. Upon the same principle, he determined to give his utmost support to the adminis- tration which Earl Grey was then called upon to form, and he cannot be said to have departed from that determination. His Majesty has more than once ad- mitted that Earl Grey and his colleagues undertook this arduous task at a period of unexampled difficulty ; he has more than once declared that they have exe- cuted their duties in a manner which entitled them to his unqualified confidence and approbation ; and he would not have discharged his own duty, if he had not hesitated to give occasion to another change, and to their removal from his councils, by refusing to accede to a proposal which, in their opinion, was essential towards enabling them to carry into effect a measure which they were avowedly pledged to bring forward, and which, as was notorious to the wliole country, 1831] -WTIR KING WILLIAM IV. 231 had been a prominent feature of the principles on which they had accepted office. The King does not disguise from Earl Grey and his confidential servants, that this apprehension of a fre- quent change of Government, so detrimental to the general mterests of the country, has had a prhacipal share in producing his determination to yield to the proposed measure of a dissolution of Parhament ; and that, upon this occasion, he had considered very seriously whether the state of parties and the feeling of the country offered a fair prospect of , making any permanent arrangement which might relieve him from the necessity of conceding that which is so repugnant to his feehngs ; and that he is satisfied, from the best attention he has been able to give to the subject, that he would not be justified in resorting to an alternative which, in his opinion, would not have secured him for many months against an event, the dread of which could alone have induced him to contemplate an arrangement so much at variance with the feelings he entertains towards his present Government, nor indeed have secured him against the recurrence of the alternative. His Majesty has deemed it due to himself to make this candid declaration, and he trusts that Earl Grey and his other confidential servants will not view it as betraying any diminution of the confidence which he has not ceased to repose in them, or of his sense of their valuable services. The King cannot close this letter without reminding Earl Grey, that one of his objections to a dissolution was, that, in the present temper of the people, those who should offer themselves for their representatives miglit be called upon to pledge themselves to the 232 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 21 support of proceedings greatly exceeding any measure of Eeform contemplated by his Government, or to which the King could have been induced, under the pressure of any circumstances, to give his sanction ; and His Majesty having waived his general objections, expects that he may rely with confidence upon his Government for the most strenuous and firm resistance and opposition to any attempt to introduce and carry measures which would extend the principle of the present Eeform Bill, or which should have the effect of impairing the influence and dignity of the Crown, and of curtailing the constitutional rights of the monarchy. His Majesty indeed considers that, if the result of a general election should give to his Government a decided preponderance in the House of Commons, advantage should be taken of it, not to re-establish the Bill in its original shape, but to introduce such modifi- cations as, without producing any essential departure from the principle of the measure, shall be calculated to concihate the opponents of the Bill, and to reconcile the general opinion and feeling of the country to it. He considers the framers of the Bill to be pledged to those modifications of it which Earl Grey has stated to His Majesty, in detail, that they were prepared to introduce, and that he was willing to admit ; and His Majesty conceives also that every attention should be paid to the production of correct returns of population, in order to remove the objections which have justly been made to the inaccuracy of calculations founded upon the census of 1821, which has, in many instances, been shown to be defective, and therefore inapphcable. William K. 1831] WITH KINCl WILLIAM IV. 233 No. 187. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. (Private.) Downing Street April 21, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have this moment received the King's letter, with what feeUngs of gratitude for His Majesty's kindness, and of admiration of his noble and generous conduct, I will not attempt to describe. I feel, at the same time, very deeply for all the distress he must have experienced on this occasion. The Cabinet is to meet here at twelve, and I will either send an an- swer to the King immediately after it, or wait upon His Majesty with it. In the meantime will you have the goodness to explain to His Majesty the cause of my not sending a more immediate acknowledgment of his most gracious letter. I am, &c. Grey. No. 138. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 21, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have this moment had the satis- faction of receiving and of submitting your Lordship's letter to the King, who appeared extremely gratified by its contents, and desires that your Lordship will be the bearer of the answer to his communications. I had anticipated the impression which His Majesty's letter appears to have made upon you, and I cannot help taking this opportunity of stating, that it expresses 234 OOEEESPONDEIS^CE OF EARL GREY [April 21 most accurately the sentiments, nay, the very words, which His Majesty uttered to me in his instructions, which have not, upon any occasion, been conveyed with greater precision or consideration of their import. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 189. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 21, 1831. The King Iras tliis moment received Earl Grey's letter* from Cleveland Eow, and having appointed the * This letter, of whicli no copy has been preserved, was written late in the evening of the 21st, from Lord Durham's house in Cleveland Row, where several members of the Cabinet had met at dinner. The purport of the letter, as indeed is obvious from the King's answer to it, was to propose that the dissolution, to which the King had already assented, should take place the next day. The circumstances which led to this recommendation, and under which the letter was written, I can state from my own recollection, confirmed by that of Lord Halifax, who was my father's private secretary at the time. Although a dissolution had been decided upon, it was not intended that it should take place until some votes of money had been obtained, which were wanted to carry on the public service till a new Parliament could be assembled. But, on the evening of the 21st, notice was given in the House of Lords, by Lord Wharncliflfe, that he would on the fol- lowing day move an Address to the Crown against a dissolution of Par- liament ; and on the same evening the Opposition, m the House of Com- mons, showed their intention to prevent any vote of money from being obtained by the Government. Before the report of the votes in the Ordnance estimates, which had been passed in Committee of Supply, could be brought up, a long debate was raised upon a resolution respect- ing the Liverpool election, in which the conduct of the Government was vehemently attacked, especially with reference to the supposed in- tention of dissolving Parliament ; and at last a motion for the adjourn- ment of the House, without having received the report, was made and carried against the Ministers on a division. This defeat prevented the money already voted from being available to the Government. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 235 Prince of Cobourg to be with His Majesty to-morrow by eleven o'clock, will be happy to see Earl Grey AVMle the debate was in progress, and when it became evident with, what object it was protracted, Lord Althorp, who was to have met my father and several of his colleagues at dinner at Lord Durham's, sent Mr. Wood (Lord Halifax) and myself, who were also to dine there, to tell my father from him what was going on, tliat the money votes could not . be obtained, and that in his opinion the dissolution ought to take place at once. In consequence of this message, and after some communication with those members of the Cabinet wlio were present, my father wrote to the King from Cleveland Row, proposing that the intended dissolution should take place immediately. The King approved, saying, as wiU be observed in his answer, that after seeing my father at half past 11 he would hold a council at 12 the next day. The object of this meeting of the Council was of course to make the formal orders required for the dissolution. Mr. William Bathurst (now Lord Bathurst), the then Clerk of the Council, informs me in a letter that I have received from him, that, on the morning of the 22nd, he received orders to issue summonses immediately for a Council to be held for the dissolution of Parliament, and that he was directed to bang with him the usual papers which are required when Parliament is to be prorogued or dissolved by Commission. In the meantime, and almost at the last moment, it was found necessary to make a further change in the mode of proceeding. By the law and usage of Parliament, the House of Lords is entitled to dispose of any business actually in progress, before it admits the Commissioners of the Crown ; and it was ascertained that the Opposition Peers intended to avail themselves of this rule, so as to carry Lord Wharncliife's proposed Address. It is quite true that their doing so would no more have deprived the Crown of its constitutional power to dissolve Parliament, than the ad- dresses of the same character which were carried in the House of Com- mons, after the Coalition Ministry had been dismissed and succeeded by that of Mr. Pitt in 1784. It was however thought desirable to prevent the House of Lords from coming to such a vote, lest it should have a bad effect on public opinion. This could only be done by the King's going down to prorogue Par- liament in person, the appearance of the King in the House of Lords puttiag a stop to all proceedings. This course was, accordingly proposed to the King by my father, at the audience which the King had previously 236 COREESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 24 at half-past eleven, and to hold a Council at twelve o'clock, everybody being in their morning dress. William E. No. 140. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, April 24, 1831. My dear Sir, — The King expressed a desire that I would record in writing the substance of the answer fixed for lialf past 11 on the morning of the 22nd and at which Lord Brougham was present. The King at once agreed to what was proposed to him : indeed, my father told me at the time, and he more than once afterwards mentioned the same fact in the presence of myself and others, that notwith- standing his strong objection to a dissolution in the first instance, the King, when the measure had been decided upon, resented the attempt to impede it by an Address of the House of Lords, as an invasion of his prerogative, f^d was therefore not only ready, but eager to do what was necessary to put a stop to Lord Wharnoliffe's motion. As till after my father and Lord Brougham had seen the King no orders had been, or could be, given for the usual preparations for his going in state, there was some difiiculty in making them at such short notice. Lord Albe- marle, who was in attendance upon the King as Master of the Horse, said that it would be hardly possible to get the state carriages ready so soon, and complained that there would not be time to plait the horses' manes. The King however insisted that any preparations which could not be completed in time should be dispensed with, and was reported to have said to Lord Albemarle that, if necessary, he would go down in a hackney coach. I believe that this story, which was generally current at the time, was true. I know that the King did express, in the strongest manner, his determination to go to the House of Lords, however incom- plete the preparations for the usual procession might be. The orders for the attendance of the Life Guards were so late, that the regiment at Ejiightsbridge which was to have lined the road, though it was turned out as quickly as possible, did not arrive till after the King was gone, and could only keep the ground for his return. This fact I learn from Sir T. Biddulph, who was then an officer of the regiment. 1 believe that the escort for the King could only be obtained in time by sending to the Horse Guards for the troop on guard there. 1S31] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 237 which I gave to His Majesty verbally, with the author- ity of my colleagues, to the gracious communication of His Majesty's assent to the proposal for an immediate dissolution of the present Parliament. This I have done in the accompanying paper, ante- dated on the day on which His Majesty's communica- tion was received, and on which the answer ought to have been formally given. I do not know that any further explanation is required of the form in which the present Cabinet Minute has been framed, and which it has been my endeavour to make- conformable to what I understood to be His Majesty's desire. I am, &c. Geey. (Enclosure.) Minute of Cabinet. Downing Street, April 21, 1831. At a meeting of your Majesty's servants, held this day at the house of the First Lord of the Treasury, the following Minute, in answer to your Majesty's most gracious letter of this day, was agreed upon : — PRESENT : The Lord Chancellor. The Viscount Melboni'ne. The Lord President. The Viscount Goderich. The Lord Privy Seal. The Lord Holland. The Duke of Eichmond. The Viscount Althorp. The Earl of Carlisle. The Viscount Palraerston. The Earl Grey. Sir James Graham, Bart. Eight Hon. C. Grant. Your Majesty's servants have received, with feelings of the most unbounded respect and gratitude, the 238 CORRESPONDEXCE OF EARL GREY [April 24 gracious communication wliicli your Majesty has been pleased to make to them, through Earl Grey, in answer to tlie Minute of Cabinet, which they had yesterday the honour of humbly submitting to your Majesty. Penetrated with a deep sense of the just views by which your Majesty has been influenced in all the communi- cations which have passed between your Majesty and your servants on the momentous question of Parlia- mentary Eeform, they beg leave humbly to assure your Majesty, that nothing but an imperative sense of duty could have impelled them to propose to your Majesty a measure to ■which they were aware that your Majesty felt strong objections. But being at length convinced, by the divisions which had taken place in the House of Commons, that there no longer remained any hope that the Bill for a Eeform in the Eepresentation, which had been proposed by them, under the sanction of your Majesty's approbation, could be carried, their serious attention was necessarily called to the consequences of the rejection of that measure. The Bill had been generally approved, public expectation had been raised high, and the effect of a disappointment seemed greatly to be feared, as likely to disturb the peace of the country. To prevent, there- fore, an agitation of so formidable a nature, your Ma- jesty's servants felt themselves called upon humbly to advise your Majesty to dissolve the present Parhament. Your Majesty's servants beg leave to tender to your Majesty their warmest thanks for the additional mark of your Majesty's confidence, evinced by your Majesty's adoption of this their humble advice ; and they entreat your Majesty to be assured that your Majesty may 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 239 rely with confidence on their determination, firmly and strenuously, to resist any attempt to introduce and to carry measures 'which would extend the provisions of the Eeform Bill beyond those principles on which it has been framed, for the purpose of uniting in one common interest, by the safe and permanent settlement of this important question, the constitutional rights of the Monarchy, the influence and dignity of the Crown, and the hberties of your Majesty's people. The security of these, they are well aware, would be as greatly en- dangered by granting too much as by conceding too little ; and it is therefore their settled determination steadily to adhere to that prudent course which has, up to the present moment, been sanctioned by your Majesty, and has gained the support of the great mass of the property, respectabihty, and intelligence of the country. No. 141. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 24, 1831. The King's sanction to the dissolution of Parliament having finally removed all doubts which the country in general, or individuals, might have entertained of his determination to support his actual Government in the prosecution of the measure of Eeform of Parliament, His Majesty will not further delay the statement of his sentiments upon certain points which had engaged his serious attention during the late proceedings on the Bill, and which have become objects of his anxious solicitude with reference to the further legislative dis- cussion of it. 240 CORRESPONDENCE OP EARL GREY April 24 This statement, which is intended for the considera- tion of his confidential servants, has been for some time contemplated by the King, and would have been made earlier, if His Majesty had not been apprehensive that it might produce a misconception of his intentions, and be received as resulting from the influence of collateral causes and of o^^inions which had not originally weighed, but which, having been recently admitted, were brought forward in support of the objections he had felt and urged against a dissolution. The King's verbal sanction to the proposed measure of Eeform was repeated in a written communication to Earl Grey, in which His Majesty entered at some length into the feelings with which he had anticipated the introduction of the measure and approached it, and into its leading features, as submitted to him in the documents which Earl Grey had left with him. His Majesty considers it unnecessary now to advert to any other than two points, being those upon which his feeling and opinion had been most strongly ex- pressed. First, the expediency, policy, and possibility of delay- ing the introduction and legislative discussion of the measure which has been avowed to be contemplated in order to afford more time for calm dehberation and re- flection, and to avoid its agitation while the feelings of the country were supposed to be excited by other causes which, combined with this, might produce a serious convulsion. Next, the propriety and necessity of taking a new .census, towards carrying into effect a measure of which the principle and details and the local interests and contingencies must be obviously so 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 241 much affected by the accuracy of the returns of popu- lation. His Majesty's observations on both these points were met by objections to which he subscribed, but the result has shown that they were not undeserving of at- tention. The course which the discussion has taken, the serious objections made to some of the provisions of the Bill, and, finally, the interruption of the pro- ceedings, have estabhshed the necessity of further and more dehberate consideration of the principle and de- tails, while the general effect of all this has been the postponement of the discussion and the gain of time for better deliberation, which appeared to His Majesty so desirable. The validity of his objection to the imperfect census of 1821, as apphcable to a measure introduced in 1831, and embracing local and individual interests, to be determined by the returns of population, has been fully established by the proceedings on the Bill, by the admission of those who framed it, and by the modifications on this head to which, in justice and equity, they have been obliged to agree. The King has adverted to the feehngs with which he approached the measure, as stated in his letter to Earl Grey of Feb. 4. It has been more than once characterised by Earl Grey as ' perilous,' and His Majesty feels the fuU weight of the responsibility which, as the Sovereign of this country, he has "incurred by sanctioning it. This observation is not intended to convey an impression that he repents of the steps he has taken, or that he wishes he could retrace them. They were taken on mature consideration of the circum- stances under which these realms were placed. These VOL. I. E 242 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 24 called for Lis decision, how far it behoved him to resist, or, to a certain degree, to yield to a torrent which had been increased by external causes. He had to weigh well, whether the tranquillity and the peace of the country were more likely to be preserved by the asser- tion than by the abandonment of the objections which he and others, whose principles he had early imbibed, entertained to measures of extensive Eeform ; and he was satisfied, from the best reflection he could give to this state of things, that the permanent peace and tran- quilhty of the country and its prosperity would be best promoted by the decision to which he has come. As an individual, consulting merely his own feel- ings and prejudices, he woidd probably have taken and maintained a different position. As a Sovereign, responsible to God and his country for the welfare and happiness of millions, it was his duty to set those feelings and prejudices aside. Still he cannot help considering this perilous measure as an experiment — as a fearful experiment, which the general circumstances and the general considerations to which he has alluded could alone have justified his risking ; and it is incumbent upon him to urge upon the attention of his confidential servants all that can, in his opinion, tend to lessen that risk. His Majesty has stated, in the concluding part of his letter of the 21st inst., that advantage should be taken of any preponderance which his Ministers may obtain in the House of Commons, by the results of the ensuing general election, to introduce such modifications in the Bill, as, without producing any essential departure from the principle of the measure, shall be calculated to 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 243 conciliate the opponents of the Bill, and to reconcile the general opinion and feeling of the country to it ; and he is induced upon this occasion to call the serious attention of his confidential servants to that recom- mendation. Although His Majesty had, during the progress of the discussion, abstained from the communication of any sentiments to which it gave rise, and carefully avoided embarrassing his Ministers by suggestions arising out of his casual knowledge of the opinions of others, it cannot be supposed that he could be indifferent to any step, any feature of a question of such vital importance ; or that much that passed in debate, or was otherwise published on the subject, should not have made some impression upon him ; that he should not have noticed the difference of opinion which prevailed, and have observed that opinions, not in unison with those of the framers of the Bill, were entertained by many indivi- duals of acknowledged ability and experience, and of sound judgment. It was impossible that these opinions should not have raised doubts in his mind as to the correctness of the position taken, that the Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the Bill, should pass. This remark would not have escaped His Majesty pending the late discussion. He was aware of the extent to which the framers of the Bill and some of his Ministers had committed themselves in the assertion of its integrity. He felt how difficult it was to recede without making concessions which might seem to have been extorted ; and he felt also how much an obstinate adherence to the measure as it had been introduced, had been provoked by the nature of the opposition, b2 244 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 24 and by the spirit and temper in whicli it had been carried on ; how difficult it is, under such circumstances, to admit the conviction whicli results from calm con- sideration ; and generally he has felt (and has, indeed, had occasion to satisfy himself from personal observa- tion), how necessary it had become, upon this occasion, to make allowance for the excitement and irritation produced by the agitation of a question on which the opinions of those who had been in the habit of legisla- ting for the country appear to be so much divided. But a respite has been obtained ; time is given for consideration and for revision ; the Bill has been with- drawn. It may be remodelled, and advantage may be taken, in this interval, of all that has been said and written, to correct whatever may have been shown to be objectionable, to amend the details without aban- doning the principle of the Bill. These concessions (if they can be so called when the question lays between the maintenance of opinions originally advanced, and the admission of conclusions deduced from a free and extended discussion of their merits) will not henceforth appear to have been wrung from theframersof the Bill by opposition and clamour. They must be considered amendments voluntarily intro- duced upon the most liberal principle, with the most patriotic views, free from irritation and prejudice, with the intention of conciliating those whose support is desirable, and of uniting the general feeling and sense of the people in favour of a measure which so deeply aifects their general interests. The King earnestly recommends this course. He does not, he cannot, take upon himself to point out in 1831] AMTH KING ^VILLIAM IV. 245 what manner, and in what respects, the Bill shall now be modelled and so framed as to effect the object in \dew ; but he urges a calm and dispassionate revisal of it, with due regard to the objections which have been taken to it, whatever may be the source from which they spring. If this revisal shall satisfy the framers and the promoters of the Bill, that they have too highly or erroneously estimated the value of some of its provisions, His Majesty has too favourable an opinion of their good sense, and of the honourable and public-spirited feeling by which they are guided, to doubt their inclination to admit the necessity of correction, and act upon it, rather than encourage the continuance of opposition, and to forfeit the advantage of a more general con- currence in the measure by pertinaciously adhering to their own exclusive opinions, because they have been declared and hitherto maintained. The sentiments which the King has expressed are not hmited to the consideration of this question. They have been suggested by anxious reflection upon the general state of the country, and a firm conviction of the necessity and the importance of endeavouring to unite, at this crisis, all that are loyal and well disposed in support of its constitution and institutions, and in aid of measures which may insure its tranquillity and prosperity, maintain the established distinctions of rank and society, and give security to property. The times are awful ; and they seem to His Majesty to call upon those who love their country, and are attached to its constitution, to lay aside party feeling and prejudice, and to devote their talents and their energies to the preservation of the blessings which the 246 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 24 various ranks and classes of tliis country have so long enjoyed. It is impossible not to view with alarm the character of the attempts which have for some time past been making to invade . property and to destroy the gradations and the links of society, and the success which has attended those attempts in their effects upon the lower orders, not a little aided by the poisonous influence of a licentious and unobstructed press. It is impossible not to feel, that if the progress of this evil be not checked, — if, on the contrary, it be encouraged by cUsunion among those who are interested in pre- serving things as they are, the hands of Government and the laws will soon be powerless towards upholding rights and privileges, and towards securing persons and propei"ty. The King considers this state of things the more la- mentable and the more alarming, as it cannot be traced, in England at least, to any reasonable causes. It is, therefore, the more difficult to know where to find, and how to apply, the remedy. The sanguine advo cates for Eeform of Parliament, indeed, assure His Majesty that this will prove the great panacea. God grant it may ! and His Majesty will bless the day on which lie gave his assent to the measure. But he repeats : he views it as an experiment, and his anxiety to ensure, as far as possible, the success of that experiment, has induced him to make this full communication of his sentiments and feelings to Earl Grey and his confiden- tial servants ; and to urge, as he has done, the impor- tance of taking every step that can tend to reconcile jarring interests and opinions. William E. 1831] WITn KING WILLIAM IV. 247 No. 142. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, April 25, 1831. Earl Grey begs leave humbly to acknowledge your Majesty's most gracious commuuication of yesterday, which Earl Grey has just received. The duty which Earl Grey owes to your Majesty, as well as the importance of the suggestions contained in your Majesty's letter, will command his most anxious attention to them ; and Earl Grey will lose no time in bringing them under the consideration of your Majesty's confid.ential servants. It was always Earl Grey's intention, and that of his colleagues, to avail themselves of the opportunity now afforded them, to revise carefully all the provisions of the Eeform Bill, with the purpose of obviating any objections which may be reasonably opposed to it. Your Majesty seems to feel that it would not be right to do any thing that might detract from the principle and efficiency of the measure ; and it cannot be neces- 'Sary to caU your Majesty's attention to the very unfor- tunate circumstances which might ensue, if any rea- sonable ground were given for suspicion and complaint, that your Majesty's Ministers had abandoned the pledges which they had given to the public. Of this the certain result would be, first, a loss of character to themselves, which would greatly impair their means of acting usefully for your Majesty's service; and, secondly, the greatest danger to the tranquillity of the country, and to the establishment of those feelings of confidence 248 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [April 25 and contentment, which it has been the first object of your Majesty's Ministers to promote. In stating this with the freedom which your Ma- jesty has been so good as to allow Earl Grey to use in all his communications with your Majesty on every subject of public interest, Earl Grey hopes he will not be understood as expressing any unwilhngness or hesitation in reconsidering the difficulties which have been found to exist in the progress of the Eeform Bill, or to act in obedience to your Majesty's wishes to the utmost of his power. All which, &:c. Gkey. No. 143. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, April 25, 1831. The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's communication of the Minute of Cabinet in reply to His Majesty's letter of the 21st inst., and rejoices that his sentiments, as thereua expressed, have proved so satisfactory to his confidential servants. WlILLIAM E. No. 144. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, April 26, 1831. My dear Lord, — The King did not return from Kew until six, and has detained me for some time since his arrival, which will account for the delay in replying to 1831] WITH KING AVILLIAM IV. 249 your Lordship's letter. His Majesty has honoiired me with his commands to request you will accept the Lord Mayor's invitation for Friday, the 20th May. His Majesty asked for you casually last night, and without having anything particular to say, and know- ing how much you had been worn lately, was not at all surprised at your having left the Palace. He hopes that you will now be able to get fresh air and some rest. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 145. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Street, May 2, 1831. Early Grey presents his humble duty to your Ma- jesty, and in consequence of the communication made to him by Viscount Melbourne of your Majesty's letter, signifying your Majesty's strong disapprobation of the conduct of the Lord Mayor, Earl Grey begs leave to express his deep regret at the occurrence which has incurred your Majesty's displeasure. Earl Grey had no knowledge of the intention to illuminate on the dissolution of Parliament, till after a public notice had been given, which it was no longer in Earl Grey's power to prevent ; nor was he informed of the placard which had been issued respecting the employment of the city and county police, till he saw your Majesty's letter. Earl Grey trusts that it cannot be necessary for him to state how impossible he feels it to be to dispute the justice of yovir Majesty's observations on tlie Lord 250 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 3 Mayor's conduct, and will not endeavour to excuse it by imputing it solely to indiscretion. The steps that have been taken upon it will have been stated to your Majesty by Viscount Melbourne, and will, he trusts, meet with your Majesty's approbation. Earl Grey feels that too much reason has been given for the resolution which your Majesty has taken, to allow of his presum- ing to offer any objection to it, though he cannot but regret this second disappointment of the wishes and expectations of the citizens of London. Earl Grey has the satisfaction of informing your Majesty, that from one or two hasty notes, written by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, as well as from other information, the state of that country seems to be generally more tranquil. Dispatches have been received to-day from Lord Granville stating that Count Guilleminet, in conse- quence of his unauthorised attempt to excite the Porte to declare war against Eussia, will be immediately re- called from the Embassy at Constantinople. All which, &c, Gkey. No. 146. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, May 3, 1831. The King has received Earl Grey's letter of yes- terday, and is glad to learn from its contents, as well as from Viscount Melbourne's letter, that they both concur in the view which His Majesty has taken of the conduct of the Lord Mayor, and of the character of the notice issued by him on Wednesday last, and which 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 351 the King presumes no editor of a newspaper would venture to publish, unless it had been actually issued. His Majesty regrets that the expectations of his visit to the City should be again disappointed, but, inde- pendently of these proceedings of its chief magistrate, which have appeared to him to offer sufficient cause for his declining the invitation, he has reason to apprehend that he might not, when the time came, be equal to the exertion. His Majesty has received with great satisfaction Earl Grey's general report of the favourable accounts from Ireland, and he sincerely hopes that they will continue so, and the tranquillity of this country will not be dis- turbed, more than is usually the case at periods of general elections. The information received from Lord Granville, of the complete disavowal by the French Government of the attempts of Count Guilleminet to excite the Porte to declare war against Eussia, and of his consequent re- call, is also satisfactory. The King takes this opportunity of sending Earl Grey some numbers of a "Penny Paper for the People," which were put into his hands yesterday, many parts of which appear to His Majesty treason- able. They were marked before he received them, but he has himself particularly marked a passage in the 3rd page, of that of the 15th April, which contains a direct recommendation to the Poles, individually and collectively, to assassinate the Emperor of Eussia. William R. 253 CORRESPONBENCE OP EARL GREY [May 3 No. 147. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Windsor Castle, May .3, 1831. My dear Lord, — I take the liberty of addressing a few lines to your Lordsliip, to say that, independently of other reasons which certainly have influenced the King to decline the visit to the Lord Mayor, His Majesty is by no means well. This is the season at which his health is in general more or less affected ; and he is suffering from gouty symptoms, which affect his whole frame and his nerves and spirits, which is in almost all cases the effect of the disorder when it does not fairly show itself. Mr. Davis also tells me, that there is a little return of the swelling in the neck, but he at- taches no consequence to it : still all this together gives to him an appearance of weakness and helplessness and of dejection, which renders it desirable that he should not go to any public show if it can possibly be avoided ; indeed it is with great difficulty that he gets in and out of the carriage, and he requires considerable assistance. His Majesty will probably, on the same account, give up the intention of going to Portsmouth. I shall be obliged to your Lordship not to answer this letter, or notice it in any shape, and also to excuse the hurry in which I write, as I do not wish to detain the messenger, and have no assistance here. I have, &c. H. Taylor. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 253 No. 148. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, May 8, 1831. My dear Sir, — Wlien I wrote to the King yesterday, I concluded, though. I never heard of it, that the placaid which had called for so strong an expression of his Majesty's displeasure must have been authentic. By a letter which accompanies this from Lord Mel- boiu-ne to the King, you will learn that the Lord Mayor entirely disclaims it, and, hke me, was in total igno- rance that such a paper had ever been pubhshed (if, indeed, it ever was published, except in the infa- mous columns of the ), till he received Lord Mel- bourne's letter enquiring as to the fact. This, there- fore, has evidently been a foul device of some of the violent anti-Reformers who stick at nothing. I cannot express my indignation at this or other similar proceed- ings. I have hitherto met aU this violence with the greatest moderation ; but they must not provoke me too far. Things are now exactly in the same state as when the King instructed Lord Melbourne to appoint to- morrow for receiving the invitation from the City, and it is our duty to await His Majesty's further deter- mination of this subject. I am sure you will be glad to hear that Mr. Bell has given up the contest for jSTorthumberland, and that Lord Howick will be returned without further trouble. All the elections, except those of Schedules A. and B., prosper beyond our most sanguine expectations. * * * * * I am, &c. Grey. 254 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 3 No. 149. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Windsor Castle, May S, 1831. My dear Lord, — I read your Lordship's letter to the King, at the same time that I gave him Lord Mel- bourne's ; and he at once expressed, in the strongest terms, the satisfaction with which he learnt that the Lord Mayor had not issued the placard which had given him so much displeasure ; and his indignation at the fabricators of this calumny, who will, he hopes, not escape condign punishment. His Majesty read the paragraph in ' John Bidl,' which he has always taken in, and its insertion looks very like a trick of the anti- Eeformers, though a most unjustifiable one, if it be so. Your Lordship will learn from the King's answer to Lord Melbourne, that he persists in declining the invi- tation, and he really is not in a. state to go at present ; and those about him think the gouty symptoms, &c., are more likely to increase than diminish at this season. ***** His Majesty was very glad to hear that Mr. Bell's retirement from the contest for Northumberland had secured that county from such a visitation, and insured Lord Ho wick's return without further trouble ; also that the elections in general are proceeding so prospe- rously. I conclude that you have accurate returns distinguishing party ; and I am certain that the commu- nication of such would prove interesting to the King when you see him to-morrow. I have, &c. H. Taylor. 1831] WITH KING AVILLIAM IV. 2:5 No. 150. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) "Windsor Castle, May 6, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the" honour to submit to the King your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and the accompanying memorandum of the returns of yester- day, which I have inserted in the book you gave His Majesty. The elections appear to be proceeding most satisfactorily, excepting at Cambridge, where the failure of Lord Palmerston and Mr. Cavendish seemed to be generally expected. There is, however, not the least foundation for the speech attributed to the King ; on the contrary, the only observation His Majesty remembers making on the subject of the Cambridge election was, that he could not believe that it would go against the Government, as the Whig interest had always prevailed at Cambridge. His Majesty has ordered me to say, that he fears your Lordship may have been led to infer, from what passed in London, that he might still be prevailed upon to go to the City ; but he really does not feel equal to the exertion now, and fears he may be still less so when the time comes. He therefore wishes your Lordship to consider his decision not to go as final. He has, for the same reason, determined to give up his proposed visit to Portsmouth, and has ordered me to write to Sir James Graham to that effect. The King presented the silver kettle-drums to the 2nd regiment of Life Guards here this morning in the Home Park. AU went off very well, and luckily the rain 256 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 6 kept off, although the early part of the day looked very threatening. I am very sorry to hear that you have been suffering from pain in the head and face, than which nothing can be more wearying. I have, &c. H. Taylor. No. 151. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, May 6, 1831. My dear Sir, — I have just received your letter. I certainly understood the King to say that he reserved his final determination with respect to his visit to the City till after his return to town next week ; and know- ing the very great disappointment which will take place on its being entirely given up, I entertained an anxious hope that the state of His Majesty's health might then have been such as to admit of his accepting the invitation which was postponed on Wednesday last. It is therefore, with the greatest regret, that I have now learnt His Majesty's final determination, and that it has been rendered necessary by his not feehng equal to the exertion. His health is much too valuable to allow any other consideration to be put into competition with it, and I trust this will be the prevailing sentiment even amongst those who will feel the greatest disap- pointment. It is to be considered in what manner the communication should be made to the Lord Mayor. It ought, I think, to go through the Home Secretary, as the proper official channel of communication. I shall expect His Majesty's commands on this subject. 1831] Vrmi KING ^^^LLIAM IV. 257 The enclosed list will show you that the elections are going on better and better. The freeholders of North- ampton have insisted upon putting up Lord Milton in conjunction -with Lord Althorp, and declare that they will bring them in free of expense. Mr. Cartwright, the present member, and Mr. Knightley stand on the opposite interest. A melancholy accoimt has been received at the Admiralty this morning of the deaths of Sir J. Yorke, Captain Bradby, and Captain Young, E.K They were drowned by the upsetting of a boat at Southampton. I am, &c. Grey. Xo. 152. Sir S. Taylor to Earl Grey. (Private.) Windsor Castle, May 7, 1831. My dear Lord, — I have had the honour of submit- ting your Lordship's letter of yesterday to the King, who has ordered me to say, that he will feel obliged to you if you will convey to Lord Melbourne his deci- sion not to accept of the Lord Mayor's invitation, and His Majesty's desire that he will communicate it to him, assigning as the reason that which I was ordered to state to your Lordship yesterday, and which, indeed, had been previously mentioned to him. The lists Avhich were enclosed in your Lordship's letter, and which I have had the honour of submitting to His Majesty, offer ample proof of the continued success of the elections ; and, under the circumstances which you state. His Majesty has no doubt Lord VOL. I. s 258 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 7 Altliorp and Lord Milton will both be returned for Northamptonshire. He regrets the failure of Captain Elliott at Ply- mouth. The King was very much shocked to learn the sad accident which has proved fatal to Sir Joseph Yorke, Captain Bradby, and Captain Young, of the E. N. The report reached him loosely last night, and His Majesty was in hopes it would prove unfounded. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 153. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street; May 7, 1831. Dear Sir, — I lost no time, after receiving your letter, in communicating the King's commands to Lord Mel- bourne. The Lord Mayor has been prepared for the determination, which will be now announced to him officially, by a letter which Lord Melbourne wrote to him yesterday ; but I still fear that the disappointment will be very great. I enclose the election returns of this morning. It is still said, that there is a fair chance of success against Lord Chandos, but the start he has got is much in his favour. In Northamptonshire and Cumberland there will be troublesome and, I fear, expensive contests, which I think it would have been as well to avoid. A letter from you to Mr. Spring Eice has been sent to me from the Treasury. I beg you will assure His Majesty, with my humble duty, that I shall have the 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 259 greatest pleasure in executing His Majesty's commands for giving the Lodge in Eichmond Park, lately occupied by the Countess of Pembroke, to Lord and Lady Erroll. May I be permitted, at the same time, to express my regret that this communication should not have been made directly to me, and my anxious hope that any similar commands may be so transmitted in future, and not through the Secretary to the Treasury. I am, &c. Grey. No. 154. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Do-wning Street, May 8, 1831. My dear Sir, — I enclose this morning's return of the elections. We have just heard that Mr. Stuart has given up the contest in Bedfordshire. Bucks seems to me to be over. It was a foolish attempt, and though we lose nothing even there, there will be a great triumph on the success of Lord Chandos. Lord Melbourne was gone out of town before I wrote to him yesterday, but returns to-morrow, when he will make the communication ordered by His Majesty to the Lord Mayor. In the meantime I hear the apprehension of what is coming creates the greatest dismay. In consequence of the pains taken to dis- seminate an opinion, that it is not on account of his health only that His Majesty declines the City invita- tion, a very unfavourable impression has been pro- duced. The Lord Mayor feels himself peculiarly aggrieved, and is preparing, I am told, a long repre- sentation of the unpleasant consequences that will be s 2 260 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 8 produced by this second disappointment. I am very- sorry that the King should be plagued about these matters, and I would not on any account take any part in urging him to risk an exertion which might be pre- judicial to his health. But it is my duty not to conceal from him what is passing. The truth is that, notwith- standing all that can be said to the contrary, the con- duct of persons supposed to be in His Majesty's favour, like that of at , the known opinion of per- sons composing Her Majesty's household, , and the declared hostility of the Princesses, have produced suspicions which every endeavour is used to propagate, that the King is in reality adverse to the measure of Eeform. This you will say, with truth, is most unrea- sonable and most unjust ; but you must make some al- lowance for the effect of the circumstances which I have described on the public feeling, and the apprehension which every unfavourable appearance is calculated to excite. « « # * * I have, &c. Gkky. No. 155. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, May 8, 1831. My dear Lord — The King, to whom I have had the honour of submitting your Lordship's letter of yesterday, and the accompanying statement of the election returns, quite agrees with you, that the expensive and trouble- some contests in Northamptonshire and Cumberland might as well have been avoided. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 261 The communication respecting the Lodge in Eichmond Park was made to your Lordship through Mr. Spring Eice, by His Majesty's command, in consequence of Sir Henry Wlieatley being informed, at the Office of Woods, that such had been the usual course on these occasions ; and I did not submit that the direct com- munication should be substituted, as I conceived that to Mr. Spring Eice would give your Lordship less trouble. I have now received His Majesty's commands, that all future communications of a similar nature shall be made direct to your Lordship. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 156. Earl Grey to the King. Downing Sti-eet, May 9, 1831. Earl Grey presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has the honour of enclosing two letters, which he received this morning from the Lord Mayor, with a copy of his answer to the last. Earl Grey thought it better, on this communication, to confine himself to the fact of your Majesty's visit to the City having been prevented by the state of your Majesty's health, leaving it to Viscount Melbourne to enter more fully, if it should be deemed necessary, into the other circumstances adverted to by the Lord Mayor, when he makes the communication which your Majesty has ordered. This has been delayed by Lord Melbourne's having been, during the last two days, at Brocket ; but this is perhaps rather advantageous than otherwise, as the Lord Mayor had not been led to 262 COEEESPONDENCE OF EAEL GEEY [May 13 expect a final answer till after your Majesty's return to town. Earl Grey has also the honour of enclosing two letters from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, expressing his de- sire, for reasons that appear to Earl Grey to be quite satisfactory, that your Majesty may be pleased to give your authority for the admission of the Duke of Leinster and Lord Cloncurry to your Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland. Presuming that your Majesty will not object to this measure, Earl Grey has given directions to the Home Office to have the necessary instruments pre- pared, and sent for your Majesty's signature, in order to save, if possible, to-night's post. Earl Grey has added to the other enclosures, a list of the returns which have been received this morning. The Cumberland election appears to be quite safe, and it is expected that Lord Lowther would not persevere much longer in the contest. Earl Grey will have the honour of attending your Majesty's pleasure between three and four, if he hears that your Majesty has arrived in town. AU which, &c. Gret. No. 157. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, May 13, 1831. The King having noticed the introduction of General Saldanha's name in Viscount Granville's dispatches as a Portuguese refugee desirous of obtaining permission to reside at Gibraltar, has been thereby reminded of his intention, some time entertained, of communicating to Earl Grey his decided opinion, that it is not consistent 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 263 with the honourable character of this country, and the good faith manifested by its Government in every trans- action with Foreign States, to allow individuals, either Spanish or Portuguese, who are excluded, whether justly or unjustly, from their respective countries on account of political opinions, or as known or supposed agitators, to take up or to continue their residence at Gibraltar. His Majesty has indeed always felt that this indul- gence is calculated to weaken the remonstrances made by this Government to that of France, upon the subject of the assemblage of Spanish and Italian refugees in the vicinity of the frontiers of Spain and Piedmont. William E. No. 158. Earl Grey to the King. Holland House, May 14, 1831. Earl Grey presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to acknowledge your Majesty's most gracious- letter of yesterday. Earl Grey hopes that your Majesty will be assured of his entire acquiescence in the justice of your Majesty's opinion, that in affording to the unfortunate fugitives from other countries an asylum within the British dominions, it is necessary to prevent that protection from being made conducive to purposes which might cast upon your Majesty's Government the suspicion of acting inconsistently with the obhgations of good faith and honour. It is on this account that the Spanish refugees have lately been removed from Gibraltar ; and, in obedience 264 COERESPONDEXCE OF EARL GREY [May 15 to your Majesty's commands, Earl Grey has commu- nicatedyour Majesty'sletter to Viscount Goderich, with a request that he will immediately send instructions to your Majesty's Governor at Gibraltar, not to allow any other persons, who may be supposed to have similar objects in view, to establish themselves within the juris- diction of that place. ***** All which, &c. Grey. No. 159. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, May 15, 1831. * * * * * His Maje.;ty was persuaded that Earl Grey would concur with him in the propriety of excluding from residence at Gibraltar, or within its jurisdiction, all Spanish or Portuguese refugees who might be sus- pected of wishing to establish themselves there for the purpose of encouraging or carrying into effect projects hostile to the Government of those countries. Even if this country were at war with Spain and Portugal, encouragement given to individuals, whose object it might be to subvert their established Governments and to destroy their institutions, would be a system of warfare very repugnant to His Majesty's feelings, and to the principles upon which he has always considered that the contests in which this country may be engaged should be carried on by it. His Majesty's attachment to these principles has been strengthened by the apprehension he entertains, that 1831] • WITH KING AVILLIAM IV. 265 the spirit of revolution has, since the recent events in France and Belgium, found its way into this countrj-, and has made such strides as may render its effects very formidable, without requiring aid from any plea which might be afforded to Foreign States, and parti- cularly to France, for encouraging its progress. William E. P.S. — The King cannot avoid, with reference to the observation made in the concluding part of this letter, calling Earl Grey's attention to the letter he will find in the foreign box addressed to him, and which offers one specimen of the ulterior views of the demagogues in this country. With these and many others. His Majesty fears that Eeform of Parliament is a mere pretext. William E. No. 160. The King to Earl Grey. Windsor Castle, May 17, 1831. The King has read Earl Grey's letter* of yesterday, with the attention which it so well deserves, and His Majesty does not regret that the brief expression of his feeling in his letter of the 15th should have induced Earl Grey to enter upon a subject which has long been with His Majesty one of deep soHcitude. Earl Grey is mistaken if he imagines that the King's apprehension of the introduction and the existence of a ' This and several other letters, wliicli must have been addressed to the King by my father, between the 16th and 29th of May, 1831, are missing. I cannot account for their loss. 266 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 17 revolutionary spirit in this country has arisen from the agitation of the question of Eeform of Parhament, or the excitement produced by it. His Majesty had not failed to notice, as had others, the progress which had been made in support of the cry for a Eeform in Par- liament. He felt that sooner or later it must be yielded to, to more or less extent ; and he lamented the un- compromising declaration of the Duke of Wellington, which may be said to have hastened the agitation of the measure, and to have brought it on at a period by many other causes disturbed. This question of Eeform was otherwise an abstract question : it embraced alter- ations and amendments in the representation ; and to tliese features the introduction of it might possibly, in ordinary times, have been confined. As matters stood, the measure would, the King is satisfied, have been soon forced upon any Government, however unwilling it might have felt to introduce it ; but it was natural and to be expected that Earl Grey, whose sentiments on the subject had so long been known, should, whenever called to the head of His Majesty's Councils, obtain the sanction of His Sovereign to the introduction of a Bill for the Eeform of Parliament ; and His Majesty is con- vinced that he did so, with the hope and expectation that it might be regulated by such principles as might quiet the agitation which had prevailed on the sub- ject, and afford a ground on which all further change might be resisted. The King admits that the effect produced upon the public by this measure, so far as the measure and its immediate effect are alone taken into consideration, appears to have justified Earl Grey's anticipation, that 1831] WITH KESTG WILLIAM IV. 267 the excitement produced by it has not been hostile to the Government; that the extent of the measure has proved so satisfactory as to have excluded the renewal of proposals for Annual Parliaments, Universal Suf- rage, and Vote by Ballot, and even (as far as it is pos- sible as yet to judge) for the Eepeal of the Union. His Majesty admits that the expressions of loyalty and g,ttachment to his person have been very general during the late elections ; but he cannot help ascribing these effusions of loyalty to the gratification of popular clamour by his sanction of a popular measure, rather than to any feeling upon which much reliance could be placed ; and he cannot but apprehend that, if he had not yielded to this popular clamour, the most merito- rious discharge of his duty, in other respects, would not have secured him from the fate of Sir Eobert Wilson and Mr. Hunt. This may appear to Earl Grey a strong expression of the King's opinion of popular feeling and favour ; but it will also serve to show the degree of value which he is disposed to attach to it in these times. The fact is that the King had noticed, with extreme pain and alarm, the early effects produced in this country by the contagious example of the recent French Ee- volution. They followed close upon his accession to the throne, and preceded, by somewhat more than the same interval, the change of Government and the introduc- tion of the Eeform Bill. They have been very striking ; and although the introduction of a popular measure by the Government, with the declared sanction of the King, has secured to both the support of the great mass of the people, and expressions of favour and attachment, it is impossible not to trace, in much that has taken 268 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 17 place and manifested itself in the course of the elections and the popular demonstrations, the seeds of Eevolu- tion, a disposition generally hostile to the aristocracy of the country, a strong inchnation to introduce a form of Government purely democratical, and other symptoms, which are calculated to raise the apprehension that those who may now appear, and express themselves satisfied with the measure of Reform introduced, have ulterior objects in view, towards which they trust this may prove a stepping-stone. Although His Majesty may and does wish that the success of a measure to which he has given his unequi- vocal sanction, and which involves the existence of his Government and the tranquillity of the country, may be placed beyond the possibility of doubt by the results of the elections, it is impossible that he should view with indifference, and without apprehension for the future, the exclusion of that influence by which the Monarchy and the Executive Government of the country had been so long supported, and the dissolution of the ties and links which had produced an union of interests be- tween the clifferent classes of society, which His Majesty believes to have tended to the peace and prosperity of the country, not less than the existence of an in- fluential and respectable Aristocracy and Gentry has tended to the maintenance of the Constitution and the support of the Monarchical form of Government. It is impossible that His Majesty should not have noticed with regret that there has, ujDon this occasion, been in many instances no real freedom of election, that violence and intimidation have had the effect of ex- cluding it, that pledges have been called for and given by 1831] "WITH KING WILLIAM IV. £69 the candidates for popular favour to an extent which may be productive of extreme inconvenience to the Government hereafter, as those pledges have not been confined to the measure of Reform. The King thoroughly agrees with Earl Grey in his view of the extreme im- portance of carrying through this measure of Reform, and in deprecating the endeavours of the opposers of the measure to place the House of Lords in opposi- tion to the House of Commons and to the strong opinion of the Public. He feels the necessity of guarding against the excitement of suspicion, or distrust, by any appearance of a doubtful conduct in its supporters ; and he is anxious that nothing, which may not be incon- sistent with the principle on which the Bill was intro- duced, should be left untried, which can disarm and conciliate the opponents of the measure in the House of Lords. His Majesty's sentiments upon this point have been already fully expressed in the letter of the 24th April, which he desired Earl Grey to communicate to the Cabinet ; and they must show the sincerity with which he desires that his Government should arrive at such a result as may not only insure the success of the Bill, but secure to them the firm and cordial support of the respectable and generally well-disposed members of the two Houses of Parliament, and of the community at large ; thus realising Earl Grey's expectations that this measure will afford a ground on which all further change might be resisted. His Majesty is anxious that, in these trying times, his Government should be respectably supported by those who have a stake in the country and an interest in the 270 COREESrONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 21 maintenance of its established institutions. If this can be effected he will feel at ease ; but he owns that, for the reasons he has stated, he contemplates with dread the difficulties which may arise after this Bill shall have been carried. His Majesty fears that, in the anxiety to collect ample materials for the repair and amend- ment of the foundation of the building, some timbers may have been introduced and substituted for others of sounder quality, which may prove defective at the core, and may, with the active aid of that dry rot, the press, endanger the safety of other essential parts of the fabric. Such being His Majesty's apprehensions, he consi- ders it his duty to communicate them to Earl Grey, upon whose able and vigilant survey of the work he confidently relies. The King has learnt with serious concern the alarm- ing state of the Earl of Donoughmore. William E. No. 161. Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey. St. James's, May 21, 1831. My dear Lord, — I return the Lord-Advocate's letter, which I have had the honour of submitting to the King, who ordered me to thank your Lordship for the com- munication. His Majesty quite agrees with you and the Lord- Advocate, that the over-eagerness of magistrates to call 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 271 in the military force upon the occasion of elections is much to be deprecated. The King's neck is doing extremely weU ; but he observed this morning, that it was fortunate he had put off his visit to the City, as he could not have kept his engagement, as he apprehended might prove the case. I have, &c. H. Taylok. No. 162. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, May 23, 1831. The King returns to Earl Grey the letters he sent yesterday for his perusal, and His Majesty sincerely re- joices at the improvement which has taken place in the Lord-Lieutenant's health, the account of which has been confirmed by Sir John Harvey, who left Dublin on Friday afternoon. His Majesty, on the other hand, laments the melancholy state of poor Lord Donough- more. His Majesty avails himself of this opportimity of stating to Earl Grey that, desirous as he has felt to confer upon him a public mark of his approbation and favour, and sensible as he is of the importance of doing so at this crisis, His Majesty has determined not to delay further investing him with the Blue Eiband. Earl Grey will receive it as a Supernumerary Knight, and wiU fall into the first vacancy in the Order, for which precedents are not wanting. William E. 272 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 28 No. 163. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, May 28, 1831. It is impossible that Earl Grey should not have no- ticed the anxiety, not to say the apprehension, with which the King contemplates the approach of the period when the Eeform Bill shall again become the subject of legislative discussion, and when it shall be carried to the House of Lords. Of the decided preponderance which must be given, by the results of the late elections, to the supporters of the Bill in the House of Commons, there can exist no doubt : but His Majesty is grieved to say that, from all the information he has been able to obtain, this prospect and the popular feeling wlaich has produced it have not weakened the disposition which had been shown by a majority of the House of Lords to oppose the Bill as it now stands ; and that, notwithstanding every endea- vour which has been and which may be used to prevent so serious an evil, there is too much reason to expect that collision between the two Houses which the King dreads as an event the most prejudicial to the interests of the country at this period, and the most embarras- sing to himself which could possibly occur. If Earl Grey wiU refer to His Majesty's letter of the 4th of February, in which he gave his sanction to this Bill, he will find in it a strong expression of the appre- hension even then entertained by him, ' of a quarrel between these two branches of the legislature, to be viewed as a great national and political calamity ;' and he will find it to have been more or less dwelt upon in 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 273 subsequent communications, and more especially in his letter of tlie 24th of April. It has also been the subject of his conversations with Earl Grey, and has suggested steps taken by His Majesty, with his concurrence, to endeavour to moderate and disarm the opposition and the hostility which were anticipated. His Majesty's reasons for agreeing to a dissolution of Parliament, in order to enable his Government to carry the Eeform Bill, have been fully stated in his letter to Earl Grey of the 21st of April. These reasons retain their full weight upon his mind ; and Earl Grey and his colleagues will do him the justice to admit, that every step he has taken, every act of His Majesty, has tended to offer proof of his determination to support his Go- vernment, and has given the lie to the reports which have been insidiously raised and circulated, that his opinions and intentions had undergone a change. His Majesty's confidential servants ought therefore to be satisfied, that the stability of his Government and the success of its measures have not ceased to be the objects of his solicitude, and that the anxiety and the appre- hension which now harrass his mind are produced by a deep conviction, that the security of any Government in this country, the peace and tranquillity of the country, and his own comfort and credit, depend mainly upon the success of his endeavours to avert that collision be- tween the two Houses of Parliament which has, since the introduction of this perilous question, been the object of his alarm. His Majesty cannot but feel how essential it is not to lose sight of the attempts which the demagogues are making to dissolve the connexion which has so long VOL. I. T 274 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 28 subsisted between the Monarchy and the Aristocracy of this country; and he does not deny that he looks for- ward with dread to the possible occurrence of circum- stances which may have the effect of weakening that Aristocracy, and of depriving it of the influence in the state which the Constitution of the country has assigned, to it. The King has reason to believe, that there are few members of the House of Lords who do not admit the propriety and necessity of some measure of Eeform ; but the majority object, more or less, to the extent of the proposed Bill; and His Majesty fears they will persist in their opposition to it at every risk, unless they shall be encouraged to expect and hope for some disposition, on the part of the framers of the Bill and the Govern- ment, to endeavour to reconcile their objections. His Majesty believes that they feel, as he does, as his Government doubtless feels, as all must feel who value the peace and prosperity of this country, and take an interest in the maintenance of that Constitution which has hitherto ensured both, amidst the convulsions and the desolation of other states, the extreme importance of preventing a collision between the two Houses of Parhament, and that they would readily consent to sacrifice much of their prejudice, and of what they may consider to be the interests of their body, collectively and individually, to the attainment of this end, provided they felt assured of meeting with a corresponding feel- ing. Earl Grey is perfectly aware of the King's sen- timents with regard to the general state of the country, and of his dread of ulterior projects entertained by many who have eagerly embraced this measure of 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 275 Eeform, not on account of its abstract merits, but as a stepping-stone to those projects. He is aware also of BQs Majesty's anxiety to unite tlie respectable and well- disposed portion of the community with his Government, in support of the Monarchy and of the established Con- stitution of the country ; and he must feel how solicitous His Majesty must be, not to detach himself from the great body of the Aristocracy, and not to be reduced to the alternative of seeking, under difficulties which may arise, the precarious support of a democracy, of which the spirit and the principles are at variance with the existence of that state of things which it his duty to endeavour to transmit to his posterity unimpaired, so far as circumstances, Avhich have borne upon him with so much weight and accumulation, may admit. His Majesty is, therefore, induced again to call Earl Grey's attention to his letter of the 24th of April, and to urge his serious re-consideration, and that of his other confidential servants, of the earnest recommen- dation which it conveys, that they should endeavour to moderate the further opposition to the Bill by the in- troduction of such modifications as may, without aban- doning the principle of it, show a disposition to con- ciliate and to remove the objections which may be considered to have been reasonably urged in the course of the previous discussion. The King has sacrificed his own prejudices and scruples ; he has abandoned objections which were deeply seated and had been strongly urged ; and he claims from those whom it has been his study to sup- port, throughout the perilous struggle in which they have engaged, that they will so shape their further t2 270 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 29 course as to relieve him, if possible, from the serious embarrassment in which they may place him, by a too close and too rigid adherence to all the features of the Bill. His Majesty, therefore, considers that, at this stage of the question, when they have, in consequence of the decided step to which His Majesty consented, obtained the certainty of a siveeping majority in the House of Commons, it should be the object of their utmost atten- tion to avoid all that can afford a reasonable plea to the continued hostility of those whose concurrence is, after all, indispensable to the perfection and the eventual estabhshment of the measure for which this risk has been incurred. William E. No. 164. Earl Grey to the King. May 20, 1831. Earl Grey has the honour of acknowledging the receipt of your Majesty's letter of yesterday, which was not delivered to him till late in the evenina:. He will o immediately obey your Majesty's commands in submit- ting it to his colleagues, who were already appointed to meet for the purpose of continuing their deliberations on the Eeform Bill to-day at two o'clock. In the meantime. Earl Grey humbly begs your Majesty's permission to express individually some of his first impressions on reading your Majesty's letter. He never can refer, but with sentiments of the most heart-felt respect and gratitude, to every part of your Majesty's conduct towards himself and his colleagues, 1831] WITH KliXG WILLIAM IV. 277 since tliey had the honour of being admitted to your Majesty's councils. The calm and patient attention given by your Majesty to the plan of Eeform prepared by your Majesty's Minis- ters, when Earl Grey had first the honour of submitting it to your Majesty, — the fair exposition of your Majesty's early opinions upon the principle of that measure, — the anxiety with which your Majesty contemplated the possible eifects of its being carried into execution, — the enlightened views taken by your Majesty of what was required by a due consideration of the state of public opinion, in a moment of great and pressing difficulty, — the clear and explicit manner in which your Majesty's consent, not unaccompanied with apprehension, was finally given to a measure on every part of which your Majesty had bestowed the most careful attention, — the steady and unequivocal support Avhich your Majesty's Ministers received in every subsequent stage of the pro- ceedings upon it ; and, finally, the manner in which your Majesty acquiesced in the proposal of your Ma- jesty's Ministers, when no other course was left to them, to dissolve the Parliament, as they demand Earl Grey's warmest acknowledgments, must also ensure to your Majesty, whatever circumstances may arise, his un- changeable attachment and devotion. Earl Grey has never ceased to bear in mind the recommendations, to which it was his bounden duty to attend, in your Majesty's most gracious letters of the 21st and 24th of April. In answer to the first, your Majesty's servants pledged themselves ' to resist any attempt to introduce and to carry measures which would extend -the pro- visions of the Eeform BUI beyond those principles on 278 COKRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY May 29 whicli it had been framed, for the purpose of uniting in one common interest, by the safe and permanent settlement of this important question, the constitutional rights of the Monarchy, the influence and dignity of the Crown, and the liberties of the People.' To this pledge they have adhered ; by this pledge they continue to be bound, believing, as they then had the honour of stating to your Majesty, that these paramount interests ' would be as greatly endangered by granting too much as by conceding too little.' It therefore was, and is, ' their settled determination, to adhere to that prudent course which, up to the present moment, has been sanctioned by your Majesty, and which has gained the support o the great mass of the property, respectability, and in- telligence of the country.' In the same manner, upon the recommendation in your Majesty's letter of the 24th of April, they felt themselves bound to employ the interval afforded by the dissolution of Parliament in a careful revision of the provisions of the Eeform Bill, for the purpose of correcting defects, and obviating objections, as far as this could be done, without making changes which might incur the risk of producing a strong reaction in the public feeling and opinion which might be destruc- tive of aU the expected advantages of the measure, and would not be compensated by any adequate benefit, to be expected from them. Their attention to this matter was unavoidably inter- rupted and delayed by the occurrences of the elections, and by the absence of several Members of the Cabinet, on that account, from London. Their deliberations on this subject have now been 1831] WITH KING WILLLiM IV. 279 resumed, and will be proceeded upon with aU possible care and diligence, and at the same time with the earnest desire of removing from your Majesty's mind those causes of anxiety which are so strongly expressed in your Majesty's letter, and which Earl Grey grieves to find have given your Majesty so much uneasiness. Of the evils which would result from a collision between the two Houses, Earl Grey is deeply sensible. There is nothing he would not do to avert such a calamity, that would be consistent with his character and honour, and with the duty which he owes to your Majesty and to his country. He feels confident that it is only under the influence of these considerations that, on this or on any other public question, your Majesty would require him to act. But it would be inconsistent with that frank- ness which your Majesty has been graciously pleased to allow him to use in all his communications with your Majesty, if he were to withhold from your Majesty his firm and settled conviction, that no concessions that could be made, short of a total destruction of aU the beneficial efiects of the Bill, would satisfy those by whom it has hitherto been most violently opposed ; and that the great and important object of uniting the two Houses of Parliament, and of obtaining for both the support of pubhc opinion, would not be secured by any such changes as, materially altering the provisions of the Bill, and narrowing its principle, would disappoint the just expectations which it had raised, and appear to be a departure from the grounds on which it had received the public approbation. Your Majesty's Ministers, should they deviate into such a course, could only expect to draw upon them- 280 CORRESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 29 selves general distrust and censure, by enlisting tliein- selves on the side of those wlio have engaged in a dangerous and, as Earl Grey beheves, an unavailing resistance to the strong current of public opinion. Eecurring, therefore, to what he has heretofore had the honour of stating to your Majesty, Earl Grey has only to repeat his sincere and anxious desire to intro- duce into the details of the Eeform Bill, all such cor- rections as may at once give vigour to its principle, and render it convenient and safe in practice. To any thing of a different character Earl Grey could not be a party, without depriving himself of all hope of having it in his power hereafter to render to your Majesty any useful service. • To popular clamour he never has yielded; he never will yield. To popular obloquy he has more than once exposed himself, when required to do so by a sense of duty ; and he would not hesitate at any time to en- counter the same risk for the real advantage of your Majesty's service. For your Majesty's personal ease and comfort there is nothing short of a useless sacrifice of his character and honour to which he does not feel himself personally bound. But he could not place himself in opposition ' to the strongly expressed opinion of the sound part of the community, by forfeiting the pledges by which so general and so decisive a support has been obtained for your Majesty's Government. Of such a conduct much more disastrous effects than those which would fall personally on Earl Grey and the rest of your Majesty's confidential servants would be the infallible result. All confidence in public men ISai] WITH XINCl WILLIAM IV. 281 woiild again be destroyed, and the danger to the insti- tutions of the country, and particuhirly to the House of Lords, would be incalculably increased. To the risk of such consequences Earl Grey is con- fident your Majesty wordd do everything to prevent your Government and the country from being exposed. But when it is stated to be the object of your Majesty's present connnunication to open a way for conciliating persons who, though now professing to acknowledge the necessity of conceding something on the principle of Eeform, have hitherto obstinately re- sisted every the most trifling advance towards it ; and whose conduct has afforded but too much reason to feai% that any attempt of this kind would only be used as affording advantage for futm^e misrepresentation and attack. Earl Grey coidd not help fearing that some such extensive changes might be contemplated, as might lead to the consequences which he has described. It is under this impression that Earl Grey, Avithout waiting for the result of the communication which it will be his duty to make this day to the Cabinet, has felt himself impelled humbly to submit to your Majesty the expression of his individual feelings and opinions, for which he further solicits your Majesty's kind consider- ation and indulgence. All which, &c. Gret. No. 165. The King to Earl Grey. St. James's Palace, May 29, 1831. The King Avas at chapel when Earl Grey's letter was brought here, and did not receive it until three o'clock. 282 CORKESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 29 Deisirous as His Majesty, therefore, is to reply to it while the Cabinet may be sitting, he must confine himself to a few leading points of it, and notice even those briefly. But he cannot do so without assuring Earl Grey of the satisfaction which he has derived from the general character of this communication, and from the expres- sion of sentiments as regarding the course pursued by Earl Grey, and the principles upon which he acts, to which no person is more disposed to do justice than is the King, or more highly to appreciate the value. His Majesty has learnt with pleasure, that the atten- tion of his confidential servants has been engaged, and continues to be engaged, in a careful revision of the pro- visions of the Reform Bill, for the purpose of correcting defects and obviating objections as far as this may be done, without infringing the principle of the Bill. The King readily admits that no changes should be made which might produce the risk of a re-action in the pub- lic opinion ; and he owes it to himself to remind Earl Grey that he has not, upon any occasion, urged the introduction of any modification which could cause a departure from the principle of the Bill, sensible as he was that his Government was pledged to the main- tenance of that, and had declared that it would stand or fall by it. The King has too high an opinion of Earl Grey's character, and places too firm a rehance upon his integrity, to have admitted for a mojnent a thought that his conduct would, under any circumstances of difficulty and embarrassment, be influenced by consi- derations not strictly consistent with his character and his honour ; and His Majesty would consider himself 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 283 imwortliy of tlie station in which he is himself placed, if he could wish those whom he employs ever to yield to such influence. He is grieved to gather from Earl Grey's letter, that no concession short of a total abandonment of aU the beneficial effects of the Bill would, in his opinion, satisfy those by whom it has hitherto been most violently opposed. But it is not those whose opposi- tion it had been His Majesty's hope to moderate and concihate. Those whom he wished to endeavour to influence by conciliation, are that portion of the House of Lords which, feehng and dreading the effect of a collision be- tween the two Houses, might be disposed to sacrifice their objections to the necessity of averting this evil, and thvis give to Earl Grey and the Government that preponderance in the House of Lords, which they have already secured in the House of Commons ; or, at least, such an accession of force as would render unavailing the attempts of the more violent opponents of the Bill to establish and keep up the dreaded collision. This has been the tendency of the King's recent com- munications, and he had not despaired of attaining so desirable an end by what he has suggested, and parti- cularly by what is suggested, in his letter of the 24th of April. The introduction of corrections and modifi- cations in the details of the Eeform Bill, which shall appear to have been made without prejudice, and with a desire to meet the reasonable objections of the oppo- nents, so far as these shall not apply to the principle of the Bill, is all that His Majesty has ever contemplated. William E. 284 COERESPONDENCE OF EARL GREY [May 29 No. 166. Earl Grey to Sir II. Taylor. Downing Street, May 29, 1831. My dear Sir, — Together with the Cabinet Minute herewith enclosed, I return His Majesty's letter, ac- cording to your desire, which you may give to me again to-morrow, when I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you at Windsor. The King's second letter has afforded me a great relief. I never could imagine that His Majesty, whose high sense of honour and kind consideration I have experienced on every occasion, would expect from me anything that might appear to violate the pledges which I have given to the public ; but I must confess that I was fearful His Majesty might contemplate changes in the Bill, as not inconsistent with the prin- ciple to which it miglit have been impossible for me to consent. I am, &c. Geey. (Enclosure.) Cabinet Minute. Downing- Street, May 29, 1831. At a meeting of your Majesty's servants, held this day at the house of the First Lord of the Treasury, the following Minute was unanimously agreed upon : — PEESENT : The Lord Chancellor. The Viscount Goderich. The Lord President. The Lord Holland. The Duke of Kichmond. The Viscount Althorp. 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 285 The Earl of Carlisle. The Viscount Palmerston. The Earl Grrey. Sir J. Graham. The Lord Privy Seal and Viscount Melbourne absent from illness, and Mr. Grant not yet returned from Scotland. Your Majesty's servants having had before them your Majesty's letter to Earl Grey of yesterday's date, together with Earl Grey's answer, beg leave humbly to state their general concurrence in the sentiments ex- pressed by Earl Grey, and more especially in renewing their acknowledgments of the debt of gratitude which they owe to your Majesty, for all the proofs of confi- dence with which they have been honoured. Whilst engaged in considering the matters to which this communication referred, your Majesty's second letter in answer to Earl Grey's was laid before them. 'It is with the greatest satisfaction that they have re- ceived the assurance that your Majesty would not think it expedient ' to make any changes which might produce the risk of a re-action in the public opinion, and that your Majesty has never contemplated a de- parture from the principle of the Bill, to which your Government is pledged.' Your Majesty's servants have, therefore, only to repeat what has already been stated by Earl Grey, that they consider any alterations in the detailed provisions of the Bill consistent with this hmitation, which may be . found necessary to correct defects, or to obviate objec- tions, as open to consideration ; and it will give them sincere pleasure, if, by the adoption of any such altera- tions, they should be enabled to conciliate ' that portion of the House of Lords which, feeling and dreading the 286 COKRESPONDENOE OF EARL GREY [June 6 effect of collision between the two Houses, might be disposed to sacrifice their objections to the necessity of averting this evil.' It appears that Earl Grey had in some degree mis- understood that part of your Majesty's letter of yester- day, which referred to this matter, for which Earl Grey, for himself, begs leave to offer to your Majesty his humble apologies. Your Majesty's servants have only further to repeat the assurance, that they will pursue the further consi- deration of this important subject with all the deference which is due to your Majesty's expressed opinions, and with a view, as is expressed in Earl Grey's letter, at once ' to give vigour to the principle of the Bill, and to render it convenient and safe in practice.' No. 167. Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor. Downing Street, Juno 6, 1831. I send, for His Majesty's information, a letter which I have this morning received from Lord Belhaven, with the enclosed return of the new Scotch Eepresenta- tive Peei's. The result is unfortunate. It has been pro- duced by a good deal of bad luck, and, I am afraid, some mismanagement. As Lord Belhaven gives me no particulars, I can only guess as to his being elected, that he could not transfer his votes so as to secure a friend, and that he was obliged to come in himself to keep out an enemy. I am very much vexed at Kinnaird's 1831] WITH KING WILLIAM IV. 287 defeat, and the whole return adds considerably to the majority against us in the House of Lords. I learnt with great regret, that Lord as well as Lord are decidedly against the Government. I had hoped that, with respect to the former at least, it might have been otherwise. The truth is, that persons of this description, if they find that by voting against the Government they lose nothing, either in their official situation, or in the favour of the Court, will follow the dictates of their own feelings, or of their party attachments. I feel that it would be im- proper for me to urge His Majesty more on this head than I have already done, but I must also feel the greatest regret in contemplating the embarrassments which the conduct of these persons may produce, not only to the Ministers, but to the King himself. Li truth the Government is, at this moment, deprived of a great part of the support which it ought to com- mand, or rather finds a considerable portion of what may be considered as its natural strength turned against it. I enclose letters from Mr. Stanley with a very satis- factory account of the progress of the Special Commis- sion in the county Clare, as well as in Limerick. The measure of sending the convicts immediately [to the transports], which had been pre\Tiously determined upon, is much to be approved. It is much better, I am persuaded, as an example, than their execution could have been, which, where the number was so great, would have been cried out against as a butchery, and would have produced a very bad effect on the pubhc feeling. 288 CORRESrONDENCE OP EARL GREY. [June From Mertliyr Tydvil, I am sorry to say the accounts continue to be of a very unpleasant nature : the town remained quiet, but tliere were still assemblages in the country with some arms among them, and a small corps of yeomanry, Mr. George Lamb has just told me, had suffered itself to be surrounded and disarmed. I enclose also a letter which I received late last night from Lord Ponsonby. It was brought by a Mr. White, the gentleman who went with General Belliard to Antwerp, and with Mr. Abercromby to Maestricht. He has been for some time resident in the country, and seems to be well acquainted with its circumstances. He confirms, to the full extent, all that Lord Ponsonby has said ; and enforces strongly the opinion, that tlie choice now left us is between acquiescing in the election of Prince Leopold under all the circumstances attending it, and seeing the Netherlands immediately joined to France. I need not state to you all the diffi- culties arising out of the adoption of either side of this alternative. Mr. White adds that the Ehenish Pro- vinces, belonging to Prussia, are quite ripe for revolt, if the Tricolor flag should be hoisted in Belgium. I am, &c. Geey. P.S. — I forgot to state, with respect to the dreadful state of distress described in Mr. Stanley's letters, that every thing that it was in our power to do has already been done by the Government : £ 1 7,000, a saving from the Commissary's department, has been placed at the disposal of the Irish Government; and Captain Hill, of the Victualling Board, a very intelligent person, who has been much employed in the Commissariat, gees to- ni