My dear B——,
No one who does not reside the greatest part of his time in London, can possess real influence in public affairs. Lord Chatham at Hayes, and Lord Grenville at Dropmore, neither of them half your distance, are instances of the loss of political consequence at a time when from the extreme multiplication of correspondence, Parliamentary inquiries, &c., every single department was not over-worked and over-occupied to the degree they now are. There really now is no time even for communication among the different members of the Government, each member of which manages his own department almost without interference from his colleagues, except when he thinks it necessary to call a Cabinet on any point of peculiar importance.
Plunket arrived yesterday evening, and I have had a long conversation with him to-day. He is harassed and fatigued to a great degree by all he has lately been going through. The dismissals of Sir C. Vernon, St. George, and Stanhope, have taken place since he left Dublin, he having dissuaded Lord W——y strongly from the removal of the former before he went, and as he thought with success, he being just the good-natured, silly animal whom everybody would compassionate, and the women in particular.
The particular offence is their presence at the Beef-steak Club, where the Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief also dined, when the Lord-Lieutenant was drunk to the tune of "Now Phœbus sinketh in the west," with dead silence, and Lord Talbot with great applause; and afterwards the toast, which you will read in the Courier.
Now really, as the Dublin paper observes, for poor Charley Vernon to have got up, and in the presence of the Chancellor and Lord Combermere to have objected to the toast which they joined in because the Lord-Lieutenant was clearly the person who wished to "subvert the constitution," would have been rather a strong measure; and it seems pitiful to resent conduct in the Chamberlain, because he was part of his household, which the Lord-Lieutenant dare not notice in the Chancellor.
He [Plunket] has seen Liverpool, who, as is usual with him, dealt in generals, and avoided any particular conversation on the late events.
It seems to me that the proposition for extending the Act against secret and affiliated societies to Ireland (which has not yet been decided upon by the Cabinet) will probably bring the matter to an upshot. If that is agreed to, it will be evident that the Government are determined to support Lord Wellesley, and if not, that they are willing to resign Ireland to the tyranny of the lodges.
Plunket describes the flame in Dublin as beyond description, and regretted Wellesley being surrounded by a set of people totally incapable of assisting or advising him, and who merely carry rumours to irritate him.
I have no time to write more.
Ever affectionately yours,