MT. 35.] THE OPPOSITION. 79 



thing which they seem unanimous in refusing, and 

 that is, to hold together in a compact mass against 

 the Government. Truly things may be said to be 

 desperate when the most unpopular King since James 

 II., at the most alarming crisis, is able to do exactly 

 what he pleases, and by whom. We owe it to his 

 forbearance that Macmahon and Tyrwhitt are not 

 appointed Lord High Treasurer and Lord High Ad- 

 miral; indeed they would be probably better than 

 Vansittart and Melville, which may be one reason for 

 their not being appointed. 



" I can't help being mortified (perhaps more than I 

 should if I had been more aware of the particulars) 

 at seeing the Duke of Devonshire, who is a more inde- 

 pendent man than the Prince, led away by ' a fiddle 

 and bow?" of punch' (as the lower people say), and 

 dangling at Carlton House. I wish there may be no 

 reason to suspect that they are going to make a great 

 fool of him, but I have heard odd things, and he may 

 be very sure that if he leaves his party, and has the 

 smallest idea of marrying into the family, the ' bour- 

 geois gentilhomme ' (as Lord Thanet justly calls him) 

 will turn round upon him, and bid him recollect that 

 there is some difference between their stations. 



" If there is reason for croaking about the Caven- 

 dishes, I own that I am a thousand times more morti- 

 fied when anything is imputed to a far better breed 

 the Russells. The reason given for giving up the 

 sheep-shearing at Woburn has, I understand, seriously 

 injured the Duke of Bedford's popularity, which I 

 consider to be a great national calamity. He could 

 not probably state the true reason the expense ; and 

 certainly it would not have done to put the saddle 



