the members of the government who had seats in the lower House, Mr. Huskisson, on the other hand, expressed doubts of the propriety of the nomination, not doubts as to the fitness of lord Althorpe to be on the committee, but doubts whether his industry and talents, however great they might be, had been specially directed to such subjects as would qualify him for presiding over a committee of that nature. "Turn it over in your mind," said lord Goderich; and they parted. This conversation, lord Goderich had communicated to Mr. Tierney; for a few days after wards (19th November) the latter asked Mr. Huskisson, "whether he had turned over in his mind the conversation he had had with lord Goderich ?"-Mr. Huskisson answered, that he had been considering the subject; and that, notwithstanding his first impressions, he now believed it would be for the public interest to endeavour to secure the services of lord Althorpe as chairman of the committee. This was on the 19th of November; and Mr. Huskisson heard no more of the matter till the 27th, when lord Goderich told him he had learned from Mr. Tierney that he (Mr. Tierney) had been sounding lord Spencer, lord Althorpe's father, as to the probability of the latter accepting the chair of the committee, if it should be offered to him. It was at this conversation that the name of the Chancellor of the Exchequer was mentioned for the first time. Lord Goderich said, Mr. Huskisson asked, "is the Chancellor of the Exchequer acquainted with this ?" I immediately replied, that I did not know whether he was acquainted with it or not; and that I had not been desired, or author

ised, to make any communication to him on the subject; but that I took it for granted, he had been made acquainted with it. My noble friend said,' that, if he had not, it was an oversight. I remarked that it was not my oversight; and that I did not hold myself responsible for it. He then requested me to see the Chancellor of the Exchequer and state to him what had occurred. The next day the Chancellor of the Exchequer called on me at my office; and I stated to him all that had passed on the subject between me and my noble friend at the head of the government, as well as between me and my right hon. friend the master of the Mint. And here I am bound to say, that, when I made that communication to my right hon. friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he seemed to take the same view of the case that we had done. We then entered into a discussion on other matters, in the course of which, my right hon. friend the master of the Mint, quite unexpectedly, and by accident, called on me. I told him what had passed. He said, "I am going to Brighton to-mor◄ row, and under those circumstances I called upon you to talk to you about this very affair of the Finance Committee." We then discussed the subject; compared lists of the members of the intended committee, and, as I supposed, advanced a good deal in the business. On the next day, however, the 29th of November, I received a communication from my right hon. friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, expressing a wish to see me; and, when we met, he informed me that he had some reason to take a different view of the subject from that

which occurred to him on the day before, with respect to the person to be appointed chairman of the Finance Committee. He expressed his regret, that the intention of appointing lord Althorpe chairman had become a subject of conversation about town, and he also mentioned, as a great inconvenience, that several other names of the intended members of the committee were publicly spoken of. Immediately on receiving this communication, I wrote to the master of the Mint at Brighton, expressing my deep regret at hearing that these matters had been divulged, and adding my earnest and anxious request, that the best means should be taken to prevent in future the repetition of any such improper disclosures, and that, above all, no other application should be made for any member to be upon the committee, without further consideration. A copy of this letter I sent, on the same evening, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to show the feeling which I entertained upon these informal statements, and in order, as far as the means were in my power, to allay any unpleasant sensation which might have been raised in his mind, from what had passed upon this business. The master of the Mint answered on the 2nd of December, that he had never mentioned the name of a single member of the committee; and that, with respect to lord Althorpe, we were at perfect liberty, either to put him into the chair of the Finance Committee, or not, as we pleased; and, as a proof of this being the case, he enclosed to me an extract of a letter which he had received from lord Althorpe, in reply to one transmitted by him to the noble lord, to know

whether, in case he should be applied to, to become chairman of the committee, he would consent to fulfil its duties. Lord Althorpe's answer was, that, if, at the proper time, his name should be suggested by Mr. Tierney, and the suggestion be concurred in by the other members of the government, and if also certain arrangements were made in relation to the committee, he would not be indisposed to accept the chair. On the day of my receiving this answer, I transmitted it under cover to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who subsequently returned it to me, unaccompanied by a single observation. "This," continued Mr. Huskisson, "is the whole of what passed regarding the nomination of lord Althorpe, so far as I am informed or concerned. I beg to add, that the matter as it has occurred, strikes me as being of the most trifling and unimportant nature; and, although the Chancellor of the Exchequer might have felt that some slight was conveyed by the name not having been originally mentioned to him, I am persuaded, that every one, who impartially views the question at issue, will feel that it was only an apparent slight. It would certainly have been a slight, had it been so intended; but I solemnly declare, that, on my part, no slight whatever was intended."

Mr. Huskisson went on to state, that, from the 2nd up to the 26th of December, he never heard a word more about the matter. He allowed, that, in the interval, many circumstances had occurred to shake the stability of the administration-that the government was exposed to the greatest difficulties-that there were to him

ominous signs which he could not mistake" that he had determined, however, himself, and expressed his opinion to his colleagues, that it would be better to meet parliament than appear to shrink from the struggle. So late as the 26th of December, he had the firmest intention of remaining in the councils of the country. Of this he could not give a stronger proof than by stating, that, after that time, two persons of great eminence, politically opposed to him, had intimated plainly, that the embarrassments of the government were so evident, that some measures ought to be taken, and that they were disposed to address the king upon the subject.

To this communication he had answered, that the point was one upon which he could give no opinion; but that, whatever resolution they might take, he thought they ought decidedly to state it first to lord Goderich. It was in consequence of this occurrence, that lord Goderich had waited on his majesty on the 8th of January; and at that time he had absolutely not been aware, whether the noble lord went to submit his grievances to the king, or to propose some plan by which those grievances might be remedied.

It was

in these circumstances, that, on the 26th December, he learned from lord Goderich the determination of Mr. Herries to resign, if the appointment of lord Althorpe were persevered in; and then indeed he did feel, and expressed his feeling, that the administration was at an end; that there was no prospect of that cordiality and cooperation, without which any endeavour on his part to promote the public interests must be useless-and that he could not, with

out risking his character, continue a member of a cabinet so constituted. On the 28th of December, he stated to lord Goderich the conclusion to which he had come. Lord Goderich said distinctly, that the question as to the chairman of the committee was, in the abstract, of trifling importance. "But I could not dissemble," said Mr. Huskisson, "that the manner in which this obstacle had unfortunately arisen, could not, in my judgment, be easily overcome; and that, from the moment it was indispensably required that this particular arrangement should be abandoned, I could not recede, without admitting such a concession as I knew would be hailed by some as a subject of triumph-would tend to lower me in the public mind— would expose me even in this House to be taunted for my want of firmness-and would have consequently much diminished the measure of my usefulness in the official sphere which I then occupied.

The abstract question was itself, I repeat, of no moment; but it became raised by accompanying circumstances into vital importance, and assumed a pregnant and imposing form." On the 29th of December, therefore, he informed lord Goderich, that he meant to tender his resignation, and had prepared a letter to his majesty to that effect. Lord Goderich immediately said, "Then, if you have come to this determination, my administration is altogether at an end; for if you retire, I will not remain an hour longer in office, and the inevitable consequence is, that there is an end of the administration." Lord Dudley, and the marquis of Lansdown, the Foreign and Home Secreta

ries, to whom the communication had likewise been made, said the same thing that what he intended to do, would be the dissolution of the ministry. He had been prevented from sending in his resignation as he intended, by the arrival of the Infant of Portugal, and his visit to Windsor just at that time. Then he had postponed sending it for a few days, for this reason, that it was very strongly suggested to him by those with whom he had communicated, whether, as the step he was about to take would necessarily break up the administration, it would not be better to request lord Goderich to consider of the resignation tendered by the Chan cellor of the Exchequer. He yielded to this suggestion; and, on the 1st of January, wrote a letter to lord Goderich, requesting him to ascertain distinctly from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he persisted in his resignation; and telling him that he would suspend any step, until the result was known. Lord Goderich carried on the correspon dence with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging him to recall his determination, but without success. On the 8th of January, lord Goderich went to Windsor, waited on his majesty, and, telling, the whole difficulties of the case, opened to his majesty the situation of the government. In doing so, he did what he was bound in duty to do he laid before his majesty fully, fairly, and honestly, the real state of the difficulties and perplexities into which the government was thrown-and the administration was at an end. "So far as regards myself," said Mr. Huskisson, "up to the last moment of its existence-up to the

last moment when it could possi bly administer the affairs of the country-I used every effort to keep the elements, of which it was composed, together. I appeal to every member of the late government, whether there has been any want of zeal or industry on my part-whether I did not sacrifice time, health, every thing that was dear to me, to the endeavour to prevent the breaking-up of the administration. I have been charged with having made a communication to all my colleagues, except the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with respect to the appointment of the noble lord as chairman of the Committee of Finance: and I have also been charged with having canvassed my colleagues to support that appointment against the feelings of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I state distinctly now, what must have been known to many persons before, that I never communicated on that subject with any person except lord Goderich and Mr. Tierney, before the transaction took a course which rendered further communication necessary."

On the second part of the case, the footing on which he had joined the new administration, so soon as that to which he had belonged was at an end; and the nature of the guarantees which, it was said, he had assured his constituents at Liverpool, he had received from the duke of Wellington as conditions of his accession, Mr. Huskis son said, that he had been under great apprehensions from the very first, that the members of the new government were very likely to differ among themselves with respect to political principles, and the measures growing out of them. There were, no doubt, certain

measures and principles, in relation to which it was absolutely necessary to have an understand ing, or it was impossible for a cabinet to agree; but still, if a fair and distinct understanding subsisted among the members of a government as to general principles, that was sufficient; and of such an understanding in favour of the general principles which he had always maintained, he had found an assurance in the very construction of the new government. Before joining it, he had sought explanations both regarding general principles and pending measures; and having received what seemed to him satisfactory explanations, he considered that the best guarantee, which could be offered for the execution of these measures, the furtherance of these principles, and the understanding that they would be adhered to, was, that the individuals, who were, in some respects, the framers of those measures, and whose duty it would be to carry them into operation, were to continue in the offices which they held. When the duke of Wellington applied to him to form part of the administration, he told his grace, that he expected that lord Dudley, Mr. Grant, and Mr. Lamb, should be members of it; but he did not ask for any stipulation on this point; nor communicate with any one of those individuals. He left it to the duke to do that, if he thought proper. The duke made a separate communication to each. If he had omitted to do so, he (Mr. Huskisson) should have considered himself at liberty to withdraw from any connexion with the administration. Each having received a separate proposal and

a separate explanation from his grace, they communicated with each other. Then all jointly requested an interview with his grace, in order that they might understand the explanations which they had received separately, in the same sense, one with the other. Up to the very morning when a list of the new government, by some accident, appeared in a newspaper, the duke of Wellington considered, that Mr. Huskisson was at liberty to wait (notwithstanding the explanations which had been given) until he should see the construction of the whole government, in order to judge whether that construction afforded the best security for the enforcement of the principles and measures to which he had alluded. It was that security, and that alone, that he had meant, when he used the word "guarantee," about which misconception and malice had been so busy. "Suppose for a moment," said Mr. Huskisson, "that the noble duke at the head of the government had communicated with me on the principles of a contract to be made a bargain to be entered into-between parties, having between them opposite and conflicting interests-if they had thus bartered their own honour and character, how could they expect to keep the matter a secret? Is it to be believed that the noble duke would have sent to five or six gentlemen of untarnished honour and reputation, for the purpose of offering them such an insult? Can it be imagined that the duke of Wellington, with his exalted notions and nice sense of honour, was such a driveller as not to see that the offensive proposition, even if accepted, would