JET." 50.] LORD ROSSLYN. 495 



to become Chief Baron ; but it was so obviously a 

 desire to remove you from all political life, and taking 

 example, perhaps, from his own acceptance of Portugal 

 and India to bribe you to leave him without a rival 

 in the House of Commons, that I never could have 

 conceived you to be so devoid of all honest ambition 

 as to submit to be extinguished in that manner. Be 

 assured that I value as I ought to do your confidence 

 in me; and that it is with the most sincere regret 

 I perceive that the present aspect of political affairs 

 presents itself to our two minds in lights so very dif- 

 ferent ; that while you seem to entertain the most 

 sanguine expectations from the ministers, I cannot 

 help despairing of success in those objects to the pur- 

 suit of which our political lives have been devoted, and 

 all consideration of personal interest sacrificed. 



" I am sure that this disagreement will make no 

 difference in our friendship ; and I wish for nothing 

 more earnestly than that the result may justify your 

 confidence and prove that I have been mistaken. 

 Yours faithfully, KOSSLYN." 



"DYSART, December 22, 1827. 



" MY DEAR BROUGHAM, I have to thank you for 

 two letters, containing the history of Lord Goderich's 

 vagary and the result of it ; and it must be confessed 

 that the whole transaction manifests a degree of weak- 

 ness in him, and of want of spirit and energy in his 

 colleagues, sufficient to disgrace and ruin any Adminis- 

 tration. In these times, however, no degree of in- 

 sufficiency and humiliation seems to disqualify men 

 for the conduct of the public interests. The King, as 

 you truly say, is nearly absolute ; but that he is so is 



