TALBOT3146

Lacock
7 Oct^r 1835

My Dear Mother

The comet ¹ will be in its greatest beauty about the time you get this letter, and for a week or two afterwards – Look for it in or near the Great Bear, you cannot mistake it, indeed it is already visible to the naked eye, except to shortsighted people. I am exceedingly disturbed at your not coming, as we expected to have had you all to ourselves, and then you would have become well acquainted with Constance ² an opportunity which will probably never recur. Poor M^lle Amélina ³ is destined to be disappointed also. I have been making preparations for a winter residence here among other things I have bought a poney carriage, harness and two poneys (my old one bought of M^r F. ⁴ being past service) I would willingly have dispensed with this expence of more than a hundred guineas, only one feels so dreadfully dépourvu ⁵ at one’s country residence without the means of locomotion or even returning a visit. Nevertheless the life of a country Gentleman is so little to my taste that I think I shall soon extinguish it – It is a profession which like all others one ought to be brought up to. There is much discussion in the papers about Reforming the House of Lords – I don’t know what to think of that. The mischief is the number of Tory peers made by M^r Pitt ⁶ which was unconstitutional of him, and the necessary cause of future disorders – There are 425 peers at present, what do you think of restricting the right of voting to the 200 older creations – nobody could then say that there was any partiality towards Whig or Tory – Or suppose the right of voting by were not acquired by a peer till 50 years after the creation of the title, then there would be no use in bestowing peerages on political partizans – It is better surely to lop off the modern mushroom peers than to acquire a majority by a deluge of 150 new peers – So I think the peers created prior to 1760 or 1770 would make a very pretty upper House, a fine cream of Aristocracy. To them I would add all the peers who have ever served the office of Chancellor, Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a few others – There is a fine scheme for you! If you prefer any other, I shall be contented with it just as well.

I don’t know how the country will get thro’ the Crisis, the best thing would be for Sir R. Peel ⁷ and half the Tory Lords to enter into a compromise with the Whig Leaders & form an administration of moderates – Unluckily mutual distrust prevents this approximating – During the first reformed parliament the Whigs were very anxious to follow moderate, in fact Conservative policy: but what did the Tories do? Instead of supporting them, pro bono patriæ, ⁸ they treacherously took advantage of the unpopularity which necessarily followed such an attempt to conciliate, in order to subvert the ministry. Just so, si parva licet componere magnis, ⁹ the Tories of Chippenham ¹⁰ throw in my teeth that I voted for upholding the pension list, contrary to my professions, they say, as a Reformer. Why, good heavens these pensions are enjoyed by the Tories alone, almost exclusively, and if I voted for them, in consequence of supposing they had a legal right to them, what wretched meanness in them, to take advantage of my generosity in order to depreciate me among my liberal supporters. Not that there are any liberals in Chippenham, they are all gone over to the Tories, convinced no doubt by argument. I have abandoned politics, as a troublesome game valant à peine l’épingle. ¹¹ What a mob the House of Commons is – I am glad I was not a member last session – I could not have attended – Constance’s illness would alone have been sufficient to prevent me for a long time. – What folly to have an assembly of 658 members. 300 would be enough. No assembly ever had so many as 658, and we surely cannot be right & the whole world wrong – It is like planting 658 young trees where we should put 200, they press upon & stifle each other, & no tree comes to perfection. Just so, you will find no oratory come to perfection in the Reformed House: Chesterfield in his Letters speaks of it as an awful thing for a young member to address the House. Not now! for if he lived now he would see every day, that Fools rush in where angels fear to tread! – Did you get my letter about the assizes? By way of doing my duty I attended there on a special Jury, the consequence was near being a very serious illness – What stuff, to require a jury to be unanimous about a road! Of course the fellow possessed of the most pigheaded obstinacy prevails unless the others possess health and strength enough to stand out.

Miladi
Miladi Feilding
Poste Restante
[illegible deletion]
Italie
Nice ¹²