Palmerston must have prepared for this conversation for quite some time; Arthur even suspected that this British Foreign Minister might have dispatched the intelligence department under the Foreign Office to conduct a background investigation on him over the past few weeks.
In a Parliament full of talented individuals, Palmerston was never known for his eloquence.
If one were to ask who in the Whig Party was most adept at leading debates in Parliament, winning public opinion, and shaping agendas, the first person that would come to mind would definitely not be Palmerston.
Most people might think of the High Chancellor, Lord Brougham, whom the Tory Party referred to as the "volcano of words," for delivering over six hours of speeches in two consecutive days of debates on parliamentary reform with scarcely any rest.
And in 1832 on Fleet Street, the most frequently quoted sayings also came from Lord Brougham.
