318 CORRESPONDENCE. [1817. 



FROM THE MAKQUIS OF LANSDOWNE. (Private.} 



BOWOOD, July 28, 1817. 



" MY DEAR BROUGHAM, I am obliged to you for 

 your letter dated York, and for the frankness with 

 which you have explained yourself to me on the pre- 

 sent state of parties and opinions in Parliament, or 

 rather in the House of Commons, to which your obser- 

 vations more particularly apply. 



" I cannot have the least hesitation in communicat- 

 ing to you with the same openness and freedom what 

 occurs to me on the same subject, relying that you 

 will not attribute my dwelling upon it at so much 

 length as I fear I must, to any importance I myself 

 attach to that opinion, but to the supposition you 

 have stated, that it might possibly have some influence 

 with others. 



"The circumstances you complain of, as well as 

 much that is complained of by others, appear to me 

 to arise not so much out of any particular or personal 

 views entertained by individuals, as out of the state of 

 the party (if party it can be called) generally termed 

 Opposition. There are two modes in which a Parlia- 

 mentary opposition may be conducted : one, that of a 

 constant and confidential intercourse between persons 

 closely united in opinion, by means of which not only 

 the measures to be pursued, but the tone and spirit in 

 which they are to be pursued, is previously considered 

 and determined ; this necessarily implies either the ex- 

 istence of an efficient leader, or of some equally effec- 

 tual mode by which such a communication as I have 

 described can be regularly maintained ; the other, that 



