XXIII. 1832. tion of the community of the privileges which they at CHAP. present enjoy." "Should this amendment be carried," said Earl Grey, in reply, "it may be necessary for me to consider what course I shall take. I dread the effect of the House of Lords opposing itself as an insurmountable barrier to what the people think necessary for the good government of the country." The House being in committee, proxies could not be taken, and, after an angry 1 Parl. Deb. debate, the amendment was carried by a majority of 35 718. -the numbers being 151 to 116.1 xii. 717, 107. resign, and is accepted. Ministers next day held a cabinet council, at which it was resolved to resign unless the King would give Ministers them power to create a number of peers sufficient to give their resig them such a working majority as might be necessary to nation carry the bill unimpaired in its leading provisions. The May 9. King refused to do so, and the Ministers immediately tendered their resignations, which were accepted. Lord Althorpe made this announcement in the House of Commons on the 9th, and Lord Grey did the same in the House of Lords. Matters had now come to the crisis which had long been foreseen on both sides. The Crown and the House of Lords had taken their stand to resist. the bill, the Commons to force it upon them. When xii. 787; Charles I. planted his standard at Nottingham the crisis ii. 281,282; was scarcely more violent, nor the dreadful alternative of ii. 59, 60. civil war to all appearance more imminent.2 2 Parl. Deb. Roebuck, Martineau, sends for to form a In this extremity the King applied to his former 108. Chancellor, Lord Lyndhurst, who advised his Majesty to The King send for the Duke of Wellington. The old soldier at the Duke of once obeyed the perilous summons. "I should have been Wellington ashamed," said he, "to show my face in the streets, if I ministry. had refused to assist my Sovereign in the distressing circumstances in which he was placed." The King frankly stated to the Duke of Wellington that, in his opinion, a large measure of reform was necessary; and the Duke, though strongly of opinion that such a measure was unnecessary, consented to assist the King in forming an ad 1832. CHAP. ministration on this basis; but he declined the situation XXIII. of Premier, or indeed any situation in the Cabinet, for himself. Sir R. Peel, to whom the premiership was offered, at once refused it, saying, that "no authority nor example of any man or number of men could shake his determination not to accept office upon such conditions." Upon this determination being reported to the 1 Mirror of King, the Duke, at his request, immediately agreed to 1832, 2074; accept the perilous post of prime-minister. Mr Manners Roebuck, ii. Sutton was to be leader of the House of Commons; Mr Baring, Chancellor of the Exchequer; and Lord Lyndhurst, Chancellor; and for the next five days the Duke was busily engaged in endeavouring to form an administration.1 Parliament, 285, 286; Parl. Deb. xii. 997, 107. 109. excitement in the coun try. No sooner was the resignation of the Ministry known, Vehement and that the King had sent for Lord Lyndhurst and the Duke of Wellington, than a storm arose in the country more violent than any which had been yet experienced, and which demonstrated how well founded was the opinion of the King that an extensive measure of reform had now become necessary. Meetings were called in all the great towns, at which the most violent language was used; and insurrection was openly threatened if the bill was not instantly carried, and the late Ministry restored to office. Non-payment of taxes was universally recommended, and this not merely by the leaders of political unions, but by some of the greatest and proudest magnates of the land. Lord Milton, now Earl Fitzwilliam, desired the taxgatherer who called upon him at this time, to call again a week after, as "he was not certain that circumstances might not arise which would oblige him to resist the payment." The Sovereign, so recently the object of the 2 Mirror of most fulsome flattery, could no longer show himself in 1832,2456. public without being insulted.2 The Queen, to whose Parliament, influence the change was generally ascribed, was the victim "At a quarter past twelve the royal carriage reached Hounslow, where a strong guard of honour of the 9th lancers joined the royal carriage, in which was the King and Queen. The postilions passed on at a rapid rate, and on XXIII. 1832. of general abuse, and the public meetings often ended with CHAP. "three groans for the Queen." * Then were seen the infernal placards in the streets of London, " To stop the Duke, go for gold;" and with such success was the suggestion adopted, that in three days no less than £1,800,000 was drawn out of the Bank of England in specie. In Manchester, placards appeared in the windows, "Notice No taxes paid till the Reform Bill is passed;" and a petition, signed by 25,000 persons, was speedily got up, calling on the Commons to stop the supplies till this was done. The Common Council of London petitioned the House of Commons to the same effect. Attempts were made to seduce some privates of the Scots Greys, then stationed at Birmingham. In a word, Great Britain was on the verge of a civil war; the leaders of the political unions were quite prepared to embark in it; and although it is not yet known how far these frantic designs were countenanced by persons authority, it was proved at the trial of Smith O'Brien, in 1848, that, at this period, questions of a very sinister kind were put to a distinguished officer at Manchester by a 173. person in the confidence of a late cabinet minister.1+ 1 in Roebuck, Martineau, ii. 291, 292; entering the town of Brentford, the people, who had assembled in great numbers, began to groan, hiss, and make the most tremendous noises that can be imagined. The escort kept behind and close to the carriage-windows, or in all probability mischief would have ensued, as we were told a number of clots of dirt were hurled at the carriage. Along the road to London the people expressed their feelings in a similar manner; and when the carriage entered the Park, the mob saluted their Majesties with yells and execrations of every description, which we refrain from publishing."-Sun, May 12, 1832. * "Mr Hume told the multitude,' that there were 150 peers against them, but he did not know how many women, though he had heard there were some -an allusion which was immediately followed by three groans for the Queen; and her Majesty shortly after, while taking an airing, was grossly insulted by the populace."—Ann. Reg. 1832, p. 172. + The petition from Birmingham bore: "Your petitioners find it declared, that the people of England may have arms for their defence suitable to their condition, and as allowed by law; and your petitioners apprehend that this right will be put in force generally, and that the whole of the people of England will think it necessary to have arms for their defence, in order that they may be prepared for any circumstances which may arise. Your petitioners, therefore, pray your honourable House forthwith to present a petition to his Majesty not to allow the resignation of his Ministers, but instantly to create a sufficient ii. 65, 66; Ann. Reg. 1832, 172, CHAP. 1832. 110. fails in forming an Administra Great as were the difficulties in the way of the formation of a new administration, from this vehement excitement of the public mind, it was not these which caused The Duke the attempt to fail. The insurmountable obstacles were found in the division of opinion which prevailed among tion. those who would necessarily form the new Cabinet, on the subject of reform. The courage of the Duke was equal to the emergency, and he showed that he was willing to brave all the dangers, and incur all the obloquy consequent on accepting office, on condition of carrying through an extensive measure of reform, rather than desert his Sovereign on this crisis. Sir R. Peel, on the other hand, who was sensitively alive to the danger of change of conduct, felt CC that, if he was now to carry a measure to which he had on principle given a most decided opposition, and which he had declared to be dangerous to the existence of our monarchical institutions and to the peace of the country, he might obtain power at the moment, but he would ruin himself in the estimation of the judicious, the honest, and the instructed portion of his countrymen. He saw clearly, from the excitement which the retirement of Lord Grey created, that the Reform Bill must be carried; and he was desirous, for many reasons, that it xii. 1073, should become law under the auspices of its authors 1074; Roe- and original proposers." "1 These were the sentiments 286; Ann of the great majority of his followers, and the consequence was that the negotiation failed; and on the 17th it was announced in the House of Commons, that 1 Parl. Deb. buck, ii. Reg. 1832, 175. number of peers to insure the carrying of the bill of reform unimpaired into a law; and that your honourable House will instantly withhold all supplies, and adopt any other measures whatever which may be necessary to carry the bill of reform, and to insure the safety and liberty of the country."—Birmingham Petition, May 12, 1832; Ann. Reg. 1832, p. 172. "The political unions everywhere began to organise their members for actual insurrection. Meetings in London were held by day and by night, at which the most violent language was employed, not by unknown or inferior persons, but by men of rank and substance.”—ROEBUCK, vol. ii. p. 291; and Mirror of Parl., 1832, p. 245. the commission granted to the Duke of Wellington had CHAP. failed. XXIII. 1832. 111. Grey's Lord Ebof the mon present of Com rington's motion in the House ried by Meanwhile the Commons had not been idle. On the very night when Lord Althorpe announced Earl resignation, Lord Ebrington moved for a call House, and an address to his Majesty on the state of public affairs. The motion was resisted by the mons carwhole strength of the Tories, and carried by a majority eighty. of 80 only the numbers being 288 to 208. This majority, though sufficiently large to insure the creation of peers and the forcing through of the bill, was a considerable falling off from that which formerly supported Ministers, for on the third reading of the last Reform Bill the majority had been 139. This change, though mainly owing to their own violence and threats of revolution, excited no small indignation and some alarm in the minds of the Reformers, and a rigid inquiry was instituted into the conduct of every defaulter, with a view to excluding him from the next Parliament. The debate was characterised by extreme violence rather than great ability, and the passions on both sides were so strongly roused as to exclude the reason. Among the rest, Mr Macaulay said, "The new Ministry will go forth to the contest without arms, either offensive or defensive. If they have recourse to force, they will find it vain; if they attempt gagging bills, they will be divided; in short, in taking office they will present a most miserable example of impotent ambition, and appear as if they wished to show to the world a melancholy example of little men xii. 856, bringing a great empire to destruction." A curious proof 857; Roeof excitement, as Mr Roebuck remarks, when we recol- 305; Ann. Reg. 1832, lect that among these little men "the Duke of Welling- 184, 185. ton was numbered."1 * * The violence of the public press at this period was such as, in more calm and happier times, appears scarcely credible. Take, for example, the Times of May 14, 1832: "But of the multitudinous feelings produced by this temporary 1 Parl. Deb. buck, ii. |