AND THE DUKES OF EICEMOND. 153 



impaired constitution led him to doubt his capacity 

 for such a responsible position. 



With the exception of the Postmaster-Generalship, 

 he never accepted an office in any Government. 

 During the time of excitement, when the House of 

 Lords was being coerced into passing a measure of 

 which the majority disapproved. Lady Sidney drove 

 in the middle of the night to the door of a near 

 relation of the Duke of Eichmond's, and pointed out 

 the danger which beset the throne and monarch, and 

 that nothing could extricate the country but the 

 support of the Duke of Richmond and those politically 

 connected with his Grace. The difficulties under 

 which the Government laboured were ere long re- 

 moved, and the noble Duke was spared the heavy 

 responsibilities of the high office he was entreated 

 to fill. 



The first general election under the New Reform 

 Bill took place in January, 1833, when the ministerial 

 candidates were successful in the boroughs, but in 

 the counties they were not. 



In August, 1833, his Grace supported a bill intro- 

 duced by the Government for the abolition of slavery, 

 the ninth clause of which, viz. " apprenticed labourers 

 not to be removed from the colonies," was opposed 

 by the Duke of "Wellington. The Duke of Richmond 

 replied : "It was well known that slaves had an ex- 

 cessive repugnance to being removed from one place 



