A Political Diary, 1828-1830 Part 23

Certainly nothing can have been more scandalous than the King's conduct to the Duke. He has never given his Government the fair support. Say what the Duke will, he of c.u.mberland is believed.

The Duke had a note about the King the other day from Lady Conyngham, written only to tell him the Duke of c.u.mberland had been four hours with His Majesty.

That Prince Leopold will make an efficient King of Greece I do not believe; but he is not likely to be hostile to England. Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh, named by Prussia, would be really Russian, and the tool of States not friendly to us.

Prince Leopold hopes, if he goes to Greece, that Government will purchase the lands he has bought, for which he has given 40,000 or 50,000.

Determined to have my letter respecting the acquisition of information in Central Asia and the navigation of the Indus sent to the Chairs _to- morrow_, that _it may_ be sent, and be on record as _mine_, in the event of His Majesty turning me out the next day, as he will very possibly do.

_January 12._

Henry [Footnote: The Honourable H. S, Law, Lord Ellenborough's brother.]

copied for transmission the letter in the Secret Department, and I took care it should be sent to the India House in the course of the day, that if I should be out to-morrow, I may have the credit of having originated a measure which, if effected, will be of incalculable value.

Cabinet at 2. Aberdeen was gone to the King at Windsor. It seemed to be expected he would do nothing, and that the Duke would be obliged to go down to-morrow--the Duke thinks he shall succeed--and no one seems to dread a _turn out_. I am not quite so sure. The mischief is that these _secousses_ make a weak Government.

I found in the box of drafts the letter to Sir Brook Taylor respecting Duke Charles of Mecklenburgh, which the King says he never saw or sanctioned. It bears his initials and approval, which have been traced out in ink over his pencil.

The Duke of c.u.mberland wants, if it be but for a week, a friendly administration that he may get out of the Exchequer 30,000 set apart for the annuity for his son's education, but to which he is not legally ent.i.tled, his son having been educated abroad. It is out of revenge for a hostile cheer, and to get this money, to which Lord Eldon and Lord Wynford have told him he has no right, that he is endeavouring to overthrow the Government.

_January 13._

After I came home read the minutes of the Governor-General and Council on the college at Calcutta. There is nothing so important as to preserve young men, who are to govern an Empire, from idleness, dissipation, and debt.

This must be done. The Governor-General's own superintendence may effect much. The suspension of the incompetent may do more; but while the habits of expense are given at Hayleybury, and continued by their residence without any control in the midst of a dissipated capital, nothing will reform the system.

Cabinet dinner at Aberdeen's. He was an hour and a half with the King yesterday. The King was much agitated in dressing himself for the interview. The man who shaved thought he should have cut him twenty times.

He had taken 100 drops of laudanum to prepare himself for the interview.

Aberdeen says it is a _real_ quarrel-not a plot to get rid of us--the King thoroughly hates Prince Leopold, and he has been made to think the Ministers have slighted him in this matter. The Duke goes down to him to- morrow. He can show the King that Leopold was first mentioned by France-- that he was made acquainted with the proposal or rather suggestion made by France to Leopold on November 9, that he was then told we could not hear of it till our candidates, Prince John of Saxony and Ferdinand of Orange, were disposed of. The subject was again mentioned on November 24.

In point of fact the earliest day on which it could have been made known to the King that France had distinctly proposed Leopold was Monday, and he was told on the Tuesday.

The King seems to have been violently agitated. He said sneeringly to Aberdeen, '_If I may be allowed to ask, is Prince Leopold to be married to a daughter of the Duke of Orleans?_' [Footnote: This marriage took place in August 1832, when Prince Leopold had become King of the Belgians, and the Duke of Orleans King of the French.] Aberdeen said he had seen it in the newspaper and knew nothing more of it. The King alluded to the possibility of Government going out, admitted the inconvenience just before the meeting of Parliament, but said he was immovable. Leopold might go to the devil, but he should not carry English money out of the country. In the morning, talking to the d.u.c.h.ess of Gloucester, he said, 'If they want a Prince of my family, they might have had the Duke of Gloucester,' upon which the d.u.c.h.ess burst out a-laughing.

The King seems thoroughly out of humour. He says 'Things seem going on very ill in India. Do not you mean to recall Lord William?' He had been made very angry in the morning by the 'Times' calling upon him to pay his brother's debts, and this morning the 'Morning Journal' places in juxtaposition the paragraphs in the 'Times,' and those for which it was lately prosecuted.

Lady Conyngham is bored to death, and talks and really thinks of removing.

She was to make a grand attack on the King to-day. I suppose she finds the d.u.c.h.ess of c.u.mberland gaining influence. Her note to the Duke the other day, to tell him the Duke of c.u.mberland had been four hours with the King, was intended to put him upon his guard.

The Duke does not mean to resign to-morrow, but to request, if he should not succeed (which Aberdeen thinks he will not do), that the King will allow the Cabinet to put their opinions in writing-which the King cannot refuse. We shall then meet on Friday and decide what we shall do.

The Chancellor took me aside and said it would be a foolish thing to go out about Leopold. So it would; but if we allow ourselves to be beaten in this, we may be beaten round the whole circle of public questions.

When the Duke has proved the proposition was not made by us, that it came from France, the King will say, 'Well, if you did not think it worth while to propose him, why should you not reject him? Why adhere to him?'

I feel very indifferent about the result.

Dr. Seymour, Fitzgerald's physician, represents him as very ill indeed, and in _danger_ if he does any business; but Peel, who saw him to-day, thinks that much exaggerated.

_January 14._

Chairs at 11. I asked them to find out when Rothschild sold out his Indian stock. It seems (by a note I received in the evening) that he began on October 15, and at different times sold out 42,000 stock. I sent the Chairman's note to Goulburn.

About ten received the promised circular from the Duke. He was an hour and a half with the King, when he was obliged to leave him in consequence of his being unwell--and the King afterwards sent to desire he would come again on Sat.u.r.day.

For the first hour the King was in a state of irritated and contemptuous indignation. However, the Duke thinks he brought him to feel he had nothing to complain of in the conduct of his Government. He finished by getting into better temper and a good tone; but the Duke thinks he should have brought away his a.s.sent if he had been with him another hour. The Duke wishes to hear the opinion of the Cabinet upon some points, and we meet at two to-morrow.

_January 15._

The Duke gave the Cabinet an account of his interview with the King. The King was with Munster and the Duke of c.u.mberland when he went; but the Duke was admitted in about forty minutes, which time he pa.s.sed with the Lady Conyngham, who told him he must expect a storm.

The King was in bed, looking very ill. He said, 'Well, what is your business?' and seemed at first most indignant. The Duke, however, corrected his misapprehensions--showed him the dates, and proved that he had known from the first that it was probable Leopold would be proposed by France.

The proposition was made by us to Prince Frederick of Orange on November 13, his final answer received on August 11 (there may be a slight error in these dates, as I write from memory). In the meantime the King of France had about November 29, when Leopold took leave of him, told him he would propose him. This was known here immediately, and Leopold distinctly told he could not be heard of till our own candidate was disposed of. The regular proposal of Leopold did not arrive here till January 1, and was communicated to the King with the _projet_ of a protocol, for it was no more, on the 9th.

It was still only a proposition, and the Government now come to advise the King to consent to it.

The Duke showed the King that there had been ten candidates in all:--

Prince Philip of Hesse Homburgh, Prince John of Saxony, Prince Frederick of Orange, Prince Charles of Bavaria, Prince Otho of Bavaria, the Archduke Maximilian, Prince Paul of Wurtemburgh, Prince Leopold, Prince Emilius of Hesse Darmstadt, and Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh.

The seven first either declined or were rejected. Prince Emilius of Hesse Darmstadt was an aide-de-camp of Bonaparte, and the King would not have him, and with regard to the last, Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh, the Duke showed the King he was much more nearly connected with Prussia, and so with Russia, than with England. The King admitted this, and seemed to have been brought into good humour, when he became so ill that he was obliged to beg the Duke to leave him, and soon after sent him word he would see him in two days. The Duke says he was really unwell, and in fact was taking physic all the time he was with him.

The Duke showed the King that _he alone_ had not the power of nomination.

He had one voice out of three, and there were ten candidates.

'At any rate,' said the King, 'Claremont reverts to the Crown.' The Duke, fearing he might wish to give it to the Duke of c.u.mberland, or somebody, asked the Chancellor to-day to look at the Act of Parliament and tell us what becomes of Claremont in the event of Leopold's being made King of Greece. The Chancellor looked and thought Claremont would certainly remain to Leopold, and if he died or gave it up go, not to the Crown, that is, not to the King, but, by specific enactment, become a portion of the revenue under the Woods and Forests. Of course Leopold will give up Claremont, which is in fact a source of expense. The Duke said Leopold would be at least innocuous, and he might be of use. The King asked how we could be such fools as to think he would be of any use.

While the Duke was with the King the Duke of c.u.mberland was with Lady Conyngham, and told her, amongst other things, that the 'Times' was the Duke of Wellington's paper.

The 'Morning Journal' is _his_ paper, and uses the expressions he puts into the King's mouth.

Aberdeen says Leopold is quite aware of all he will have to go through.

He has written to Lord Stuart to ascertain whether there is any truth in the report of his being engaged to the daughter of the Duke of Orleans.

I cannot help thinking that is so, and that the French proposition originates in that.

_January 16._

Read last night a very interesting report by Captain Wade of his mission to Runjeet Singh in 1827.

Received a box from the Duke with a circular note saying the King is not well enough to see him before Tuesday. He has seen no one since he saw the Duke, and the Duke hears he was not mistaken in his judgment of the effect he thought he had produced upon the King's mind; so I suppose this matter, which looked threatening at first, may be considered as settled, although not yet formally terminated.