ledges not to be consistent with the condition which your Majesty had prescribed as irrevocable, and which he understands to be now repeated in your Majesty's letter; but he had hoped that, without disrespect to your Majesty, or an improper resistance of your Majesty's opinion, he might bring this matter again under your Majesty's consideration, believing, as he had the honour of stating to your Majesty on Wednesday last, that the addition of Commoners of high station and respectability, of ancient families and great opulence, would be that which would be least detrimental to the permanent influence and character of the House of Lords.

The lists enclosed are two, the first containing the names of those whose creation would seem to be the most advisable; the second, a supplementary list, from which any alteration in the former might be supplied. All which, &c. GREY.

No. 396.

Earl Grey to Sir H. Taylor.

(Private.) Downing Street, April 6, 1832. My dear Sir Herbert,—I have to acknowledge your letter accompanying that of His Majesty. I am not surprised at your being knocked up after the fatigue you have undergone.

I have sent the King's letter in circulation, and will assemble the Cabinet upon it as soon as I can. But this discussion has come very inconveniently upon me, at a moment when all my time is required to prepare for the battle we have to fight on Monday next.

I hope His Majesty will consider favourably even what may appear in opposition to his own opinions and to the conditions which he had annexed to his acquiescence in a creation of Peers. But I have experienced too many proofs of the candour and kindness with which he has at all times received any representations which I have made to him, to doubt his receiving this statement of my opinion in any other light, than that of my having been impelled by a sense of duty to submit it to him. Whatever His Majesty's decision may be, I shall bow to it with perfect respect, and with a full acknowledgment that I can have no right to complain of it.

My calculations certainly would leave little doubt that the second reading will be carried, though probably not by a large majority. But I know that our adversaries express great confidence in a contrary result, and they are indefatigable in their exertions. If the event should justify their expectations, the next day must see either our resignation, or the alternative which has been submitted to His Majesty. I ventured on this account to suggest to the King, how much it was to be desired that he should be in town at the time. His answer was, that he could be here, if a messenger were immediately sent to him, within à very few hours. This is quite true, but still, if not attended with inconvenience to His Majesty, I think there would be great advantage in his being on the spot.

In his letter His Majesty expresses himself, with repect to the suggestion that the new Bill should, in the first instance, be brought into the House of Lords, as if there were something inconsistent in that course with

what has previously been done. There does not appear to me to be any such inconsistency. A Bill of this nature may undoubtedly originate in either House, though, as it relates more particularly to the House of Commons, it would appear better, if there existed no particular reason for doing otherwise, that it should originate there. But, in the present case, it has twice passed the House of Commons. There can be no doubt of their opinion in its favour; and, by introducing it first in the Lords, the great difficulty which has hitherto obstructed it would be at once got over, and it afterwards would pass the House of Commons, there being no longer any hope of its ultimate rejection, with much less opposition than has hitherto been made to it. A long period of suspense and agitation would, therefore, be saved, and this business brought to a more speedy conclusion. I have not another moment, and am, &c. GREY.

No. 397.

Sir H. Taylor to Earl Grey.

Windsor Castle, April 7, 1832.

(Private.) My dear Lord, I did not delay submitting your Lordship's letter of yesterday to the King with that which you addressed to him, and His Majesty was anxious that should receive his answer as soon as you possible, in order that it might be taken into consideration with his letter of yesterday. He is sensible that this discussion must come very inconveniently upon you at this period, but it has not arisen from any fresh

difficulty or objection started by him, as His Majesty adheres in toto to the assurance he had given and the declarations he had made; and I am firmly persuaded that it would be in vain to attempt to prevail upon him to depart from either.

Your Lordship will observe that His Majesty, true to his purpose, has not hesitated to express his intention of sanctioning the nomination of the thirty-eight eldest sons and collaterals, and of Lord F. Osborne and Mr. Dundas, forty in all, without objecting to one; and you will gather from His Majesty's observations that, when he objected to any nominations which might produce a permanent increase of the Peerage, he did not do so with any expectation of limiting the resource placed at your disposal so as to defeat your object. He, therefore, naturally considers that it remains for the Peers who have professed themselves strenuous advocates and supporters of the measure of Parliamentary Reform and the present Bill, and for their sons or collateral heirs, to establish their adherence to principle and their claim to consistency by the sacrifice of any personal feeling which may produce their unwillingness to take advantage of the proffered advancement.

His Majesty hopes and believes that there exists no solid ground for apprehension that the Bill will be lost on the second reading; but, in consequence of the desire again expressed by your Lordship, that he should be in town at the time, His Majesty will go to St. James's on Tuesday next, and will arrive there at the usual hour, and will stay on if necessary.

The reports whieh reach His Majesty from various quarters of the probable numbers on a division, agree

in estimating the majority for the second reading at from twelve to fifteen.

I have, &c.

No. 398

H. TAYLOR.

The King to Earl Grey.

Windsor Castle, April 7, 1832.

The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's letter of yesterday, which reached him in the evening; and His Majesty will not delay, until he shall receive such further communication as may result from any meeting of the Cabinet, to assure Earl Grey of the satisfaction he has derived from his admission of the perfect accuracy of the recapitulation in His Majesty's letter of the 5th, of all that had passed respecting a further creation of Peers, and from his acknowledg ment of the undeviating consistency of his opinions and conduct. The King is sensible also of the unreserved and handsome manner in which Earl Grey has expressed his sentiments upon these points, and of the temper and spirit in which he has met His Majesty's communications upon this or any other occasion in which there may not have been a perfect accordance in their opinions.

But His Majesty's chief motive for not deferring to acknowledge Lord Grey's letter is to state his regret that, notwithstanding what has been represented to him in terms and on grounds for which he gives him full credit, and notwithstanding anything that may be submitted to him to the same effect in a more formal shape, he cannot reconcile it to the view which he has