From James Loxdale 26 December 1825

Dear Henslow

I received your letter of the 22^dins.^tlate on Xmas Eve and have no objection to give you the information you request. I have no hesitation in letting you know that it is my intention to vote for the Attorney General for it is a matter of great satisfaction to me to be enabled to support a person so well qualified for the honorable situation to which he aspires and whose principles at the same time are so perfectly consonant with those which I have held from my earliest years and which after mature repeated consideration I have hitherto seen no reason to change. I have as little hesitation in telling you that I shall not support Mr Bankes. The only question then with me is between Lord Palmerston and Mr Goulburn. I differ from his Lordship on the Catholic question and feel so decidedly averse to any further concessions that I cannot vote for him; but as I differ from him only upon that point and he has represented the University for a considerable time and hitherto as far as I can collect has given satisfaction in other respects to the majority of his constituents I feel inclined by withholding my vote from Mr. Goulburn to leave His Lordships election to the determination of those who hitherto supported him. However I by no means pledge myself to this, for a considerable term must necessarily elapse before the election & circumstances may in the mean time occur to render it necessary for me to mark as strongly as I can the decided objection I feel to any further concessions to the Catholics. I shall also be guided in a great measure by the proceedings of the next session of Parliament & of the Catholics themselves, and if I see the advocates of this measure increasing I must tell you candidly I shall think it an imperative duty to oppose Lord Palmerston.

I have repeated in the foregoing part of my letter what I have in effect already stated to His Lordship personally. You will be assured by it that I shall not vote for him solely on account of his supporting the Catholic claims and that if I should at a future period come to the determination of voting against him it will be upon the conviction of the necessity of such a step from which neither influence or interest however great will send me and I will then communicate my intentions as readily as I have done in the present instance. I am sorry I cannot give you any information good or bad of the intentions of any other members of the University as I am aquainted with very few here & have not seen any of my country friends since the canvass. I believe my friend Lawrence Peel of the Middle Temple is inclined to support Lord Palmerston and he is I know a strenuous advocate for Catholic emancipation so you will encounter no obstacles from him on that point. I must request that no allusion is made to this information either directly or indirectly in any application which you may make to him as I have no authority from him to state his opinion or any right to subject him any application on the subject. If I have not the pleasure of seeing you before the election I hope I shall then & that though we may then as possible foes we shall be as good private friends as ever but pray remember that I am lately here almost constantly & that I shall be very happy to see you whenever inclination or business may lead you to London and believe me to remain

Dear Henslow

yours very truly

James Loxdale