Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/187

 1827.] Death of Castlereagh to Canning's Premiership. 173 was, twenty members, who could not find room in the lobby, formed an unwilling minority, 372 votes being recorded in favour of the amendment. After this Canning had no further trouble in the House of Commons on account of his foreign policy. His real oppo- nents sat with him in the Cabinet, and their enmity was not likely to be lessened by the fact that the ultra-Liberals warmly supported the action of their obnoxious colleague. The disintegration of the Tory party went on all the more rapidly because of the public triumph of the foreign secretary. The old ministers had their revenge in seeing the differences which were excited between Canning and the Whigs by the conduct which he was compelled to pursue with regard to the Catholic question. He could not make concession on this point a condition of joining the Cabinet, and he well knew that the formation of any other Ministry accepting emancipa- tion as a part of its programme was impossible. He could only do as Pitt had done before him, and as Castlereagh had done throughout his whole late career accept the situation, retaining his freedom of speech and vote on the subject. When, however, he went a little further than this, and advised that the question should not be pressed forward in that session, he aroused the indignation of some of the Whigs and Radicals. Burdett, protesting against the position which Canning had taken, formally withdrew from what he said was a useless discussion.* Brougham was more violent, and declared that Canning had " exhibited a specimen, the most incredible specimen, of monstrous truckling, for the purpose of obtaining office, that the whole history of political tergiversa- tion could furnish." When he had reached this point, Canning started to his feet, exclaiming, " I rise to say that this is false ! " A scene followed, which was only closed by one of those arrangements which seem so absurd, and yet are almost indispensable in such a case, wherein Brougham said that he applied the description not to Canning personally for he entertained the highest respect, and so on but politically ;
 * The debate was on the I7th of April, 1823.