AND THE DUKES OF RICHMOND. 163 



Sir Kobert Peel, finding his colleagues opposed to 

 the suspension of the Corn Laws by an Order in 

 Council, tendered his resignation, which, being 

 accepted, Lord John Russell attempted to form a 

 Whig Government, but failed. The Queen again 

 called in Sir Robert Peel. Upon his return to power, 

 that statesman brought forward the Repeal of the 

 Corn Laws, which caused the then Lord Stanley 

 (afterwards Earl of Derby) to resign the Colonial 

 Office, and caused the Duke of Wellington to make 

 the following speech. He said : " He had highly 

 applauded Sir Robert for consenting to resume office 

 under the circumstances of the case ; he had been 

 delighted at his conduct ; it was exactly the course 

 he should have followed under similar circumstances. 

 He had been determined that he himself for one would 

 stand by him ; he had felt it his duty to do so, think- 

 ing that the formation of a Government in which her 

 Majesty would have confidence, was of greater impor- 

 tance than any opinion of an individual on the Corn 

 Laws, or on any other. At the same time, he admitted 

 that when he, on this occasion, agreed to support the 

 Premier, he was fully aware that that Minister must 

 now, in consequence of the recent negotiations he had 

 entered into, propose a far more sweeping measure 

 than had hitherto been contemplated." 



This remarkable speech caused quite a consterna- 

 tion, being so diametrically opposite to what the 



