“Where did I leave off yesterday? At poor Lord and Lady
Grey’s believing that Brougham, in his intrigues unknown to Lord
Grey about the Coercion Bill, did not mean to get Lord
Grey out of office. Why, then he must be an idiot, or something
much worse! because he must have been quite sure that when this plot became
known to Lord Grey, the latter, as a man of honor, could
not remain a moment longer with such perfidious scamps. . . . I cannot help
thinking (tho’ I may be wrong) that Lord Grey is not
sorry Durham has taken the real Radical
line at last, and think it relieves him from any further political connection
with him, which has been one constant source of torment to Lord
Grey from Lambton’s unreasonable and
shameful conduct to him. . . . Lord Grey told me yesterday
that the applications made to him for peerages had been over
three hundred, and for baronetages absolutely endless. He says he is
in great disgrace with Col. Grey of Morrick for not making
him one—that his wife came to Downing Street in tears absolutely to
implore this favor from him, but he would not. . . . Lord
Grey told me that it was one of the first acts of his Government
to offer Coke a peerage—absolutely an
earldom—and Coke had chosen for a title
‘Castleacre,’ an estate purchased by the Lord Chief Justice Coke, joining Holkham; but just before our
William came to the throne,
Coke, at a dinner given him at Lynn, had made a most
violent speech against George the Third,
pointing to his picture which was in the room, and calling him ‘that
wretch covered with blood’ (meaning, of course, from the American
and French wars), an insufferable speech, particularly of a dead man; so that
all the Royal Family were in arms about it. The King put it to Lord
Grey whether, after such an attack upon his father, he
| 1834.] | OVERTURES TO LORD HOWICK. | 295 |
