"The Queen and Kenyon for ever!" Nothing on earth could have annoyed him more, and he was forced to run for it through the town and escape. We were much amused. He implores peace, and that this bad woman, by being no more noticed, may be allowed to drop with her infamy into oblivion. November 21st. Rode with the Vice-Chancellor (Sir John Leach) in the Park. He did not like things, of course. He said there had been a blow given to the morals of the country, in inducing people to believe that adultery and the grossest licentiousness might yet be thought innocence, and triumph. That Ministers ought to have gone on with the Bill to the House of Commons, where he thought (to me most erroneously) that it would have passed. He could not conceive a reason for Ld. Liverpool's opinion, if he would have gone on with the original majority of twenty-eight why not with nine? The difference was nothing. I expected him to talk of the small majorities at the Revolution, but he did. not. He said Wilberforce and the saints were all for the Bill; there would have been a great deal of sedition, but it would have passed; that the King had been greatly annoyed, but was much recovered. Speaking of the Opposition, he said nothing could have begun better, but they could not resist their old leaven of striving to take advantage of popular excitement against duty, and now nothing could be worse; he could not comprehend the change, particularly in such a man as his good friend, Ld. Essex, whose sentiments now were the reverse, in the ex treme, to what they had been in the beginning of the affair. It was needless to tell him I thought differently from him as to the House of Commons, particularly as to Wilberforce; he said, the case would have been made out much more strongly than in the Lds. by fresh witnesses that had arrived. When I told him Ministers meant to stand or fall by what the Commons might decide as to the Liturgy and the refusal of the Palace, he said, he did not see how any set of men could support the King through the affair so well as the present; that the Whigs, from their latter conduct, certainly could not. All this I understood, and it confirmed to me what we had so often heard, that at first the Whigs were flirting with the King through Sir John himself, probably by means of Ld. Essex. When I asked upon whom he could build, when such a man as Ld. Arden spoke so churlishly, and voted so totally against all that was expected from his principles, he observed, "That was a mere tribute to Perceval his brother's memory, who had been the friend of the Queen, when really persecuted by the Talents." Sir Colin Campbell, who commands at the Tower, told us the mob insulted, and had even beaten some of the soldiers who were out on leave. Six of the mob against two soldiers. They began by asking if they were the King's men or Queen's men. They not answering, the mob thrashed them. The soldiers complained to their comrades, who conferred together, and said, if this was to be, they would come out in parties and see who would have the worst. November 22nd, 1820. Was with Vansittart by appointment. We had some politics. He hoped and believed things would cool after the prorogation on the 23rd; and, as to next session, had more fear about the Palace than the Liturgy. He grounded this on Wilberforce, and those who had been most for the restoration before, giving it up for the reasons stated. What would they now after such evidence? Met the Duke just come to town. He took me under the arm, and walked me to Ld. Bathurst's. He was in excellent having, as he said, humour, and asked what news; been a country gentleman for two days. I said I thought the heat a little, and but a little, subsiding. He observed he thought so too, and that it would more after to-morrow, the prorogation. He was more convinced than ever of the wisdom of that measure, and of withdrawing the Bill." The remaining portion of Mr. Ward's diary, though embracing many curious and interesting political details, and professedly intended for publication, appears to me to comprehend a period too recent to make its continuance expedient. It will be seen by the extracts already given, that he both entertains and expresses very decided opinions as to the political conduct of his opponents, and even occasionally of his own party. I know, too, from the warm kindliness of his nature, he would have been the last to wish that any pain should be given to their surviving connexions, through expressions of opinion which he considered justified, and even required, by the events upon which he was commenting. It is upon this principle that many omissions of names and of particular anecdotes have been determined on, and it is with the same views that I have stopped short at a period when such omissions would too frequently interrupt the continuity of the journal. As a party politician, taking strong views and expressing them openly, brought in contact, as we have seen, with men of both sides, both in and out of the House, and put forward on many occasions to receive and repel official attacks, I believe few have retired from the political arena with more cordial feelings of personal good-will. LISHED BY COLBURN.REASONS FOR PRESERVING INCOGNITO.— FASHIONABLE NOVELISTS IN THE FIELD. VIAN GREY." "DE VERE.”. NING, FROM AN ANONYMOUS - THE death of that beloved wife to whom he had been now united for upwards of a quarter of a century affected him deeply, and he began to think of retiring from active public life, in which he had been so long engaged during times of unexampled interest and excitement. He gave up his seat at the Board of Ordnance, and retired from Parliament after the session of 1823, being soon afterwards appointed Auditor of the Civil List. Before, however, he took leave of the House of Commons, he had occasion to make a reply to a vehement attack of Mr. Hume on the Ordnance Estimates, which called forth the following congratulatory letter from one of his oldest college friends. |