Page:A letter to the Right Hon. Chichester Fortescue, M.P. on the state of Ireland.djvu/52

 of a superstructure, founded on what was justly due to Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. The minority of the Cabinet, consisting of Lord Stanley, Sir James Graham, the Duke of Richmond, and the Earl of Ripon, dissented from this proposal, and left the Government of Lord Grey. Soon afterwards a fresh dissension arose, on the question of the renewal of the Coercion Act; Lord Grey's Government was broken up, and Lord Melbourne, at the King's request, took the lead in the renewed Administration. Lord Duncannon, who, although he was not a member of the Cabinet, was on terms of entire confidence with the leading ministers, was at this time in correspondence with the King. In one, or more than one, of his letters, he shadowed forth the proposal to divert from the purposes of the Protestant Establishment part of the revenues of the Irish Church. This prospect alarmed to a great degree the royal mind, so that, when Lord Spencer died, in Nov. 1834, Lord Melbourne received from the King a letter of dismissal for himself and his colleagues. This course was premature and unfortunate. The country could not understand or approve the abrupt banishment from the King's councils of the Ministers who had carried the Reform Bill. Sir Robert Peel, who had not been consulted, and who had been brought from Rome, unwillingly, could not obtain by a dissolution and general election a majority for his ministry. He was defeated on an amendment to the address; defeated on the London University; defeated on almost every division, and it soon became evident