CHAP. II.]

CASTLEREAGH AND CANNING.

283

Perceval," writes Wilberforce. So much for the camels and gnats of that time!

Castlereagh

Before

It was during these proceedings that silence was enforced upon Mr. Canning by his chef and other colleagues, Quarrel beon the plea of Lord Castlereagh's adversities in tween Lord parliament; and then, as has been told, succeeded the and Mr. plea of the Walcheren expedition. Upon Canning, Canning. too, was laid the task of saying what could be said in excuse for the sinning minister under the accusations of the House. His position was so hard that on the last day of May he told his story to the King himself, thinking that the failing Duke of Portland might not have made all clear to the royal mind. But the King laid his commands upon him not to resign at present. "The sine quâ non with Canning," the Premier wrote to the Chancellor, (who could not endure Canning, but understood how indispensable he was to the Administration,)" is to take from Lord Castlereagh the conduct of the war.” the end of June, the Premier disclosed to Mr. Canning that changes were to be made in the War Office; and then, for the first time, Mr. Canning was informed that the whole matter had been concealed from Lord Castlereagh. During the whole of July, he was put off with assurances that new arrangements were making, and that Lord Castlereagh's mind was in course of preparation for the change. When he pressed for precision as to dates,2 he was told that in six weeks, when the issue of the Walcheren expedition should be known, he should either be satisfied or permitted to resign. At the appointed time he was urgent. The event of Walcheren was known on the 2d of September. On the 3d, he wrote to the Premier at his countryseat, and learned on the 6th, that no arrangement had been even considered; that Lord Castlereagh was, at that hour, ignorant of all that had been thought in regard to him for the last half year; and that if he, Canning, should persist in his resolution to resign, he must be responsible for the dissolution of the Ministry. No alternative was left, after such usage as this. Mr. Canning intimated that he should attend no more Cabinet councils, and should discharge the duties of his office only till his successor should be appointed.

3

Now, at last, Lord Castlereagh was informed of that which it so much concerned him to know. He immediately resigned. At the moment when his great Walcheren scheme had lapsed into humiliation and disgrace, he discovered that his colleagues had for many months been agreed upon his incapacity, at the instigation (as he conceived the matter) of Canning. He was never

1 Life of Lord Eldon, ii. p. 80.

2 Statement, Annual Register, 1809, p. 583.

3

8 Ibid. p. 584.

284

A DUEL AND ITS RESULTS.

ex

[Book II. clear-headed; and the tumult of feelings into which he was now plunged was not likely to make him more logical than usual. He wrote a long letter to his adversary; his adversary; 1 a letter abounding in mistakes of fact and false reasoning, and ending in a challenge. It would have been too absurd, even to his confused and narrow understanding, to challenge a man for thinking meanly of his abilities. He expressly declared that this was not his ground of complaint; but that Mr. Canning's justifiable demand was unjustifiably "executed." Mr. Canning might have declined. fighting on the ground that he was not concerned in the " ecution" of his own demand, and had, in fact, as much reason as anybody to complain of it; but Canning was a man of the world, and had the moral weaknesses of that character. He declared 2 that Lord Castlereagh was mistaken in his whole view; but he did not explain how or where; and he went out to fight as illogically as his challenger. The duel took place on the 21st of September, within sight of the windows of Pitt's death-chamber. They fired twice; and at the second discharge, Mr. Canning was wounded in the thigh. He was able, however, to attend the levee on the 11th of October, to resign the seals. His friend Huskisson went out with him.

Their duel.

It had been evident to the King in August that the Duke of Changes in Portland must retire; and the Chancellor was called the Cabinet. into consultation about it. Not the less angry was Lord Eldon now with Canning, whom he accused of breaking up the repose of the government of the government which had this year sunk to the lowest point of popular contempt. Now was the time for the Duke of Portland to retire. He did so, and died on the 29th of October.

The duel and its antecedents were sad and shameful enough from every point of view; but perhaps the worst results were those which manifested themselves in the temper of Canning, and the political career of both, for the next few years. Lord Castlereagh had so little mind, so amiable a temper, so superficial a sensibility, such accommodating manners, and, furthermore, the command of so many votes in parliament, that his mortifications were soon got rid of, by himself and the leaders of his party; and his country had the misfortune to be served by him for a long course of years after his exclusion from power forever seemed decided. Mr. Canning had done nothing which need even delay his return to office; and no man was so urgently needed so indispensable, as almost everybody but Lord Eldon said at the time. But his temper was not softened or sweetened by what had happened; and he was now to show himself more haughty

1 Statement, Annual Register, 1809, p. 562.

8 Life of Lord Eldon, ii. p. 78.

2 Ibid. p. 563.

CHAP. II.]

NEGOTIATION. FOUR PARTIES.

285

and irascible than ever before, while out of his right place, and unable to settle down in any other. He had "fluttered the Volces," and now he must go through a period of banishment, and bear it as he might. He had been injured; and he was angry; and the portion of his life now to come was far from being the happiest.

The Marquess Wellesley was at this time in Spain as our ambassador. He was doing good service in exposing to the English understanding the untrustworthiness of the Spaniards, and the weakness of their cause; but he was now wanted at home. Indeed, any man of ability was so precious in those days of Ministerial incapacity, that the difficulty was to decide where to put him, while every office was in pressing need of him. The Ministry had been ignominious in its coming in, and in its conduct; and now, the ignominy of its going out deprived its leaders of Canning their only able man at home. They sent at once for his friend Wellesley from Spain, appointing Henry Wellesley (afterwards Lord Cowley) to take his place as ambassador. This done, the time till Lord Wellesley could return must be employed in negotiation. The parties seem to have been these. First, the remaining Ministers, who still called themselves the Pittites. Next, the friends and constant allies, Lord Wellesley and Canning. Thirdly, the Addington group. Fourthly, the Grenville set. It was thought possible by Mr. Perceval, who was really amiable in his personal transactions, that Lord Wellesley, on his return, might accomplish Canning's resumption of office. One difficulty in the way was, that neither Perceval nor Canning could take the lead in the Commons,1 so as to compel the other to be his subordinate. Though it was desirable, on the whole, that the Premier should be in the Lower House, it might be arranged otherwise, so that the two men might remain on an equality before parliament. Canning would have liked that Perceval should be removed to the other House, by the gift of a peerage; but Perceval declared that this would be "clapping an extinguisher upon him in the shape of a coronet;" and besides, he had not fortune to support new rank. So Canning was left till Lord Wellesley should return; and the first application was made to Lords Grenville and Grey. It was so manifestly out of the question The Grenthat they should take office, on account of the Cath- ville party. olic question, that Lord Grey did not think it worth while to come to town from Northumberland. Lord Grenville, who was in Cornwall, thought it more respectful to the King to come to town; but did not for a moment admit the possibility of taking office. Their friends thought the application was merely

1 Ward's Memoirs, i. p. 208.

286

THE NEW ADMINISTRATION.

[BOOK II.

for the purpose of gaining time for Lord Wellesley's answer to

come.

There remained the Sidmouth party. Lord Sidmouth's sensiThe Addingtive vanity was sorely wounded by the awkwardness ton party. with which this negotiation was begun. Mr. Perceval's want of tact in a former address to Lord Melville was hardly greater than he now manifested in his dealings with Lord Sidmouth. First, he sent the marplot, Lord Chatham, on the 5th of October, to propose to Lord Sidmouth employments for his party, without any mention of his lordship himself. This extraordinary method of negotiation was explained by Mr. Perceval in a letter no less extraordinary. He hinted that some friends of his, at present indispensable, would not hear of Lord Sidmouth being in the government; but that the objection might hereafter give way, if the Addington coterie should render good service meanwhile.1 The letter, Lord Sidmouth said, amounted "in substance only to this: if you will persuade your friends to support me, I will endeavor to persuade mine to permit you to come into office some time or other." This was not a winning method to use with a vain man; and Mr. Bathurst and Mr. Vansittart, the friends sought, refused to take office without him. There was now nothing to be done but to construct an Administration out of the old materials, strengthened by the accession of Lord Wellesley, if he should come. He did come; and he succeeded to Canning's office, of Foreign Secretary. Mr. Perceval was Premier, being Chancellor of the Exchequer as well as First Lord of the Treasury. Lord Liverpool took Lord Castlereagh's place at the War Office, to the surprise of many who thought that the ablest man was wanted there; and his place at the Home Office was filled by the Hon. R. Ryder. The other offices were filled as before, except that Lord Palmerston became Under-Secretary at War, in the place of Sir James Pulteney. It was December before the arrangements were completed. In the midst of them the contest for the Chancellorship of the University of Oxford, vacated by the death of the Duke of Portland, was going on, Lord Grenville being a candidate against Lord Eldon and the Duke of Beaufort. The struggle was an important one, considering the pressure of the Catholic question at that time. The opinion entertained of Lord Grenville's soundness as a churchman was shown in his election by a majority of 13 over Lord Eldon. The King indeed remarked, that "it would be hard if Cambridge had a Unitarian Chancellor "2 (the Duke of Grafton), “and Oxford a Popish one;" but it is clear that the most zealous body of churchmen in the kingdom thought Protestantism safe in the 1 Life, iii. p. 8. 2 Life of Lord Eldon, ii. p. 110.

Mr. Perceval Prime Minister.

CHAP. II.] NAPOLEON'S DIVORCE AND MARRIAGE.

287

hands of Lord Grenville. The Catholic claims were not at that time decided to be a revolutionary question.

The Jubilee.

It was a melancholy season for a Jubilee, this close of the year 1809; yet a Jubilee there was, on the entrance on the fiftieth year of the King's reign. The old man himself was nearly blind, and his wits were wavering; he was at variance with his heir; his favorite son was just disgraced; and he was in displeasure with others of them. The "Pittites were in a state of collision among themselves; and the government in deep discredit at home and abroad, on account of the Horse Guards' exposure and the Walcheren affair. All hopes from Spain were dwindling away; and Napoleon was, at present, in the very insolence of his power.1 It was noticed that Napoleon no longer rendered an account to the legislature, as one responsible for the conduct of public affairs; but that he offered a narrative a history vouchsafed by himself to them of what he had thought proper to do and decree. It was pointed out that he now spoke of "my empire," instead of "the empire;” and that, in every direction, he had given up all pretence of being a popular ruler. Holding the Pope in imprisonment at Avignon, and having made four kings and a viceroy of his nearest relations, he was at this time meditating another step, to accomplish which he summoned his family to a grand meeting, the purpose of which was painfully suspected by his unhappy wife. Napo- Napoleon's leon represented to his family the necessity of provid- divorce. ing an heir to his throne. He caused them to see that it would be mere obedience to the Providence which had enthroned him; and they immediately discovered a secret article in the Treaty of Vienna, which favored his wishes. When Josephine hastened to meet her husband, after the battle of Wagram, she saw that something was wrong; 2 and when, after dinner one day, he took courage to tell her that he must, however unwillingly, divorce her, she had to be carried, by himself and the physician, in convulsions, and by a back staircase, to her apartments. But before the family council, she commanded herself, and agreed, though with a faltering voice, to the divorce. The Senate dissolved the marriage immediately, appointing to Josephine an income of 80,000l. a year, and the title of Empress. The Emperor of Austria lost his hold on the sympathies of Europe by eagerly giving his daughter to Napoleon; and so quickly His new were affairs managed that, within four months of poor marriage. Josephine's first alarm, the new wife was receiving the homage of France in the Tuileries. Thus was France apparently towering above the nations, while Spain was crumbling down 1 Annual Register, 1809, p. 242.

2 Alison's History of Europe, vii. p. 784.