CHAPTER XIII.

The last parliament of George IV.’s reign--The country clamorous for retrenchment--The Tory _régime_ growing irksome--The king’s illness, 1830--John Doyle’s caricatures upon public events (HB’s “political sketches”)--“Present State of Public Feeling Partially Illustrated,” 1830--Death of the king--“The Mourning Journal: Alas! Poor Yorick!”--“The Magic Mirror; or, a Peep into Futurity”--The Princess Victoria--Accession of William IV.--Whig prospects reviving--Brougham, “A Gheber worshipping the Rising Sun”--Wellington, a “Detected Trespasser”--Party intrigues--“Anticipation; or, Queen Sarah’s Visit to Bushy”--The old campaigner--“_Un_-Holy Alliance; or, an Ominous Conjunction”--The general election, 1830--“Election Squibs and Crackers for 1830. Before and After the Election”--Caricaturists, as politicians, usually above party prejudices--W. Cobbett returned for Oldham--“Peter Porcupine” an M.P.--“A Characteristic Dialogue”--Changes of seats--“The Noodle Bazaar”--Heads for Cabinets--John Bull and the _Times_--“The man that is easily led by the nose”--“Resignation and Fortitude; or, the Gold Stick”--“The Rival Candidates;” Boai and Grant--Wellington’s leadership threatened: “The Unsuccessful Appeal”--The popular will--Attacks upon the Wellington and Peel Ministry--Results of the general election unfavourable to the Cabinet--“A Masked Battery”--“A Cabinet Picture”--“Guy Fawkes; or, the Anniversary of the Popish Plot”--Defeat foreshadowed--“False Alarm; or, Much Ado about Nothing”--The Eastern Question fatal to Wellington’s Ministry--“Scene from the Suppressed Tragedy entitled the Turco-Greek Conspiracy”--“His Honour the Beadle (William IV.) driving the Wagabonds out of the Parish”--The adoption of liberal progress--Preliminary skirmishing--“The Coquet”--The ministry thrown out--“Examples of the Laconic Style”--“A very Prophetical and Pathetical Allegory,” 1831--Reform on the road--“Leap-Frog down Constitution Hill,” 1831--Another appeal to the country--“Anticipated Radical Meeting”--The dissolution--“Great Reform” Specialists; John Bull and his constitutional deformity--“Hoo-Loo-Choo, _alias_ John Bull, and the Doctors”--“May-Day”--“Leap-Frog on a Level; or, Going Headlong to the Devil”--The Reformers having it all their own way--A swinging pace--Political squibs on the elections of 1831--The great battle of Lord Grey’s Reform Bill--“The New Chevy Chase,” a poetical version of the reform struggle--“Votaries at the Altar of Discord”--“Peerless Eloquence”--Slaughter of the Innocents--“Niobe Family”--Extinction of pocket boroughs--Reform at a breakneck pace--“John Gilpin”--William IV. carried away by the old Grey--“The Handwriting on the Wall: ‘Reform Bill!’”--A warning to reformers--Grey and “Brissot’s Ghost”--“Macbeth” and “The Tricoloured Witches”--Grey, Durham, and Brougham--Althorp and Russell--A tub to a whale--“A Tale of a Tub, and the Moral of the Tail”--Renovations at the King’s Head: “Varnishing--A Sign (of the Times)”--“The Rival Mount-o’-_Bankes_; or, the Dorsetshire Juggler”--Root-and-branch reform--“LINEal Descent of the Crown,” a hint from Hogarth’s works, 1832--Hobhouse in office--“The Cast-off Cloak”--Radicalism over-warm--“Mazeppa” (William IV.): “Again he urges on his wild career”--“Ministers in their Cups” 343