ning because he feels more comfortable in doing so. He will find a woeful difference. I have told him so, and given him warning that the first opportunity I shall, for one, fire into him very unmercifully. Indeed I deem this a sort of duty, and shall take some pleasure in it.

"All this is a very dull and long account of the matter; but whatever you may feel as to Ward, you may rest assured there is nothing base or shabby in him— quite the contrary. Now I say dull, because the subject is really not worth much trouble, one way or other, except as Ward is a friend, for I consider him a very weak public man in every point of view. His conduct might be pravi exempli, but Lamb dares not follow it; and Vernon, I am sure, would not, even if he were allowed. I had much rather have Ward, and Lamb too, fairly against us, than grumbling and doing us no earthly good. So much for this subject.

"What think you of the Americans? A little hasty, I presume all will allow, but they saw the majorities in March in favour of the 'Orders,' and it is not known whether they knew of the inquiry being gone into; certainly not when the president's message was delivered, June 1. Perceval's death was not known till three days after the Act passed, on 21st June.* I rejoice upon the whole; because it will make the peace

* The principal dates in the Recall of the Orders are-on 16th June, on "Mr Brougham's motion on the present state of Commerce and Manufactures, and for the repeal of the Orders in Council." On that occasion-referred to above, p. 20-Lord Castlereagh announced the intention to "suspend" the Orders. The Act of Council repealing or recalling the Act commonly called the "Orders in Council," was passed on the 23d of June, and on that day Mr Brougham addressed the House in a congratulatory speech, and re-moved that the order for a call of the House on his motion be discharged.

and good behaviour of this country lasting, when it begins. But for this Act we never should have believed in an American war. The message shows that the repeal will suspend hostilities-at any rate, that a short negotiation will lead to it, and our victory in this country will be then very complete.

"By the way, all the people I have seen, and all my correspondence with different meetings, evince how much the Opposition have gained in the country by this practical proof of the wisdom of these measures. They say a thousand times, 'Had Lord Grey been minister this would not have happened.' I also think the rejection of the prince's offer popular, though of this I am not so sure; it is less intelligible. But that you are very popular upon the whole, I plainly perceive. Indeed, such men as Roscoe, &c., are already quite reclaimed. I don't mean that things should be undertaken from mere love of popularity, but it is a good assisting reason, when they are excellent in themselves; therefore I hope we shall, next session, make a vigorous assault on the farmers' property-tax. I gave a general notice, in consequence of which hundreds of persons have written and applied to me. You remember talking of it four years ago. Northumberland should really take the lead in this matter; it belongs to it.

"There is a great wish at Liverpool, in the Tory party, to have a compromise-Canning and me-without any contest. I have not given my answer, but wish to know how it strikes you. Of course I mean on the supposition of our finding it quite impossible to carry two. My own feeling has always been rather to have nothing to do with it unless this were possible, and even easy, for it is as well for us to have the two

generals as Canning and me-indeed, on every account better; but I wish much to know how it strikes you.

"I have great hopes of being at Howick this day week. Eden † certainly, — Lamb‡ doubtful; but I think I shall at all events come over the hills in a gig, and see you, after the circuit. What you say of the plate, &c., biasses me against declining.-Ever yours, "H. BROUGHAM."

After the great victory in June, there were meetings in all the great manufacturing towns; resolutions of congratulations and of thanks to me for my successful efforts, and not a few votes of civic donations; but, except in one instance, I only knew of these things by the newspaper reports of proceedings. In that one case of Glasgow, the resolution was communicated to me in a letter, stating that £500 had been at once paid, after a meeting, for a present, and desiring to know in what form it would be most acceptable. This required much consideration, as such gifts were liable to be abused. I therefore assembled some friends to discuss the matter-Lord Holland, Lord Erskine, Romilly, and Baring, to whom I added Creevey, because he had expressed himself strongly on a similar subject. Lord Grey was not in town, but I afterwards wrote to him, and he answered as follows:

Gascoigne the Corporation, and Tarleton the Whig, member for Liverpool.

+ The Hon. George Eden, afterwards the second Lord Auckland. He was Governor-General of India, and in 1839 was created Earl of Auckland. Subsequently he was First Lord of the Admiralty; and died unmarried in January 1849.

The Hon. George Lamb, brother of William Lord Melbourne.

FROM EARL GREY.

"HOWICK, August 1, 1812.

"MY DEAR BROUGHAM,-I conclude this will find you at Durham, and I cannot help repeating my hope that your business will allow you to give us a day or two. We shall be happy to see Mr Strickland with you, and any other person that you can bring, particularly George Lamb and Eden.

"Since I came home I have looked at the Birmingham resolutions, as well as those of the other places which have commenced in a resolution to give you some mark of their gratitude for your exertions in procuring the repeal of the Orders in Council. I really see nothing in the resolutions which need put you under any difficulty. To say that, if you accept, there will be nobody found to blame you, would perhaps be too much. You stand in much too prominent a situation not to have detractors ready to seize any occasion, right or wrong, to attack you. If have gained great reputation and much well-deserved approbation on the one hand, you may be sure that you have excited some envy and ill-will on the other. But I am convinced no fair and reasonable man could find fault with you for not refusing an acknowledgment of public service which comes to you in the most honourable way, and quite unsought for.

you

"Both Grenville and I accepted from the Catholics of Glasgow a piece of plate-of no great value indeedafter we were turned out in 1807. I have thus given you my unbiassed opinion; but if you still feel scruples, I can only add, that it is impossible to err on the side of delicacy with respect to matters of this nature.

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Canning's negotiation is off, I hear, on some petty point of personal arrangements-the particulars I have not heard; but it will be on again, and I have little doubt that he will be in office before the opening of next session. He is vehemently desirous of office. The ministers must feel the necessity of strengthening themselves in the House of Commons to secure their own possession, and with these mutual inducements to accommodation, personal difficulties will in all probability be surmounted. Ward, I hear, has declared himself a follower of Canning in form. If he prefers office to a character for public principle and consistency, he has acted wisely. I have heard no other news of any kind that you will not see in the papers. If you cannot come now, do not deprive us of the hope of seeing you before your return to London.-Ever yours, "GREY."

Those whom I consulted in town, all but Creevey, held that it would be squeamish, and open to the charge of affectation, if I refused, as it was no offer of money. But Creevey agreed with me in thinking that it might be open to the observation that it was money's worth if taken in what could be converted into money, or if taken in things which were useful, whereby the purse was saved. Erskine dwelt on the gift long after the service performed, and compared it to a counsel receiving a present after a cause was gained, which, however, he was aware, we held to be irregular, and liable to objection; and I rather think we referred to Topping's refusal of a retainer of 1000 guineas in the Baltic risk cases, which he said would imply that for the ordinary retainers of five guineas he would not equally