Item 249 - William Whewell to Richard Jones

4 pp.

Trinity Lodge - WW agrees with RJ's gloomy analysis of Robert Peel: 'I think now, the sooner Peel is out the better. He has neither political wisdom nor good faith. A man who placed at the head of party combined for preserving the greatest objects of human and national action, civil and religious institutions, turns round upon them and says I have done that which I know will destroy you, can have no power, nor any feeling of the value of the objects'. Peel 'shews a previously settled determination to which the fear of famine is only a pretext I have little doubt that he has an equally settled determination to destroy the Irish church...I cannot think he can stay in long; and then I suppose we shall have the Whigs. For though he had not broken up the Conservative party enough for this when he resigned before he has done so now. - I am glad you are going to write about the effect of commuted Tithes on prices of corn; for Stanley's views appear to me very mischievous, and likely to work much harm to the clergy; especially if we come to times of scrambling for spoil which seems likely enough. - Dr Arnold's judgement of Peel, that he cared about nothing really but finance, is obviously quite correct'.