Volume I Part 5 (1/2)

[Page Head: THE QUEEN'S TRIAL]

July 8th, 1820 {p033}

I was in the House of Lords the night before last to hear Broughaham's speech was uncommonly clever, very insolent, and parts of it very eloquent

A very a episode was furnished by the Bishop of Exeter, who moved that the counsel should withdraw, and then asked the House whether they were not out of order Lord Holland cut hihter nobody came to the assistance of the Bishop, and the counsel were called in again and resu Chronicle' of yesterday word for word

July 14th, 1820 {p033}

I have been at Newmarket, where I had the first fortunate turn this year The conversation about the Queen begins to subside; everybody seereat injustice not to allow her lists of the witnesses; the excuse that it is not usual is bad, for the proceedings are anoether, and it is absurd to attempt to adhere to precedent; here there are no precedents and no analogies to guide to a decision London is drawing to a close, but in August it will be very full, as all the Peers must be here They say the trial will last six months

Luttrell's poeeneral but qualified; in fact, it was difficult to make such a sketch of life and manners sufficiently piquant without the infusion of a little satire, and his fear of giving offence has induced hiood-natured that he is occasionally rather insipid 'Il y a des tracasseries de societe' I cannot record theh perhaps years hence, when I ht be aotten jealousies and various interests extinguished by the lapse of tirave; still it would bebefore aiety and brilliancy of those who once shone the ed in for to our last home

[44] [Mr Luttrell's 'Advice to Julia,' published in 1820]

Read 'Les Liaisons dangereuses' Much has been said about the dangerous tendency of certain books, and probably this would be considered as one pregnant with h I would never recorossly indecent) I should never apprehend the ser to the most inexperienced mind or the warmest passions from its immoral tendency The principle upon which books of this description are considered pernicious is the notion that they represent vice in such glowing and attractive colours as to ination with the idea of its pleasures No one who has any feeling or a spark of generosity or hu moved with coust towards Valmont and Madame de Merteuil It raised in acy, and I felt that I would rather every pleasure that can flow from the intercourse of women were debarred me than run such a course

The er than any which ever resulted from the most didactic work, and if anyone wants to excite remorse in the most vicious ereuses' for the purpose

The duchess of York died on Sundayof water on her chest

She was insensible the last two days She is deeply regretted by her husband, her friends, and her servants Probably no person in such a situation was ever more really liked She has left 12,000 to her servants and soed all her affairs with the greatest exactitude, and left nothing undone

[Page Head: THE QUEEN'S TRIAL]

The Queen's letter was brought to the King whilst he was at dinner (at the Cottage) He said, 'Tell the Queen'scan receive no coh the hands of his Ministers' Esterhazy was present, and said he did this with extraordinary dignity

Newmarket, October 2nd, 1820 {p035}

I left town in the e Fox We went doith extraordinary rapidity I never was happier than to escape from London and to find e wasThe refineaiety, and hospitality which ahted me

London, October 8th, 1820 {p035}

I ca won a little at Newood story by the way A certain bishop in the House of Lords rose to speak, and announced that he should divide what he had to say into twelve parts, when the Duke of Wharton interrupted hied for a few minutes, as he had a story to tell which he could only introduce at thatby St

Paul's at night, and heard the clock slowly chi twelve He counted the strokes, and when it had finished looked towards the clock and said, 'daive us all that at once?' There was an end of the bishop's story

The town is still in an uproar about the trial, and nobody has any doubt that it will finish by the Bill being thrown out and the Ministers turned out Broughaument and oratory that has been heard for years, and they say that the impression it made upon the House was i Lord Lonsdale) were struck with ade Head: THE QUEEN'S TRIAL]

October 15th, 1820 {p035}

Since I came to town I have been to the trial every day I have occupied a place close to Brougha ivesto him and the other counsel, and putsall their conversation, their re to exa Since I have been in the world I never remember any question which so exclusively occupied everybody's attention, and so corossed conversation In the saree is the violence displayed It is taken up as a party question entirely, and the consequence is that everybody is gone mad about it Very few people ad the Queen quite innocent and judging her guilty and passing the Bill Until the evidence of Lieut Hownauilt anting, but since his adami slept under the tent with her all unprejudiced men seem to think the adultery sufficiently proved The strenuous opposers of the Bill, however, by no hty difference between sleeping dressed under a tent and being shut up at night in a rooether, which the supporters of the Bill contend would have been quite or nearly the sa The Duke of Portland, who is perfectly iainst the Bill, was so satisfied by Hownam's evidence that he told ht all further proceedings useless, and that it was ridiculous to listen to any more evidence, as the fact was proved; that he should attend no longer to any evidence upon the subject This view of the case will not, however, induce hirounds of expediency it ought not to pass The Ministers were elated in an extraordinary ton told Madarands succes fatiguent autant que les grands revers' They look upon the progress of this trial in the light of a cas as a sort of battle, and by the iained a victory or sustained a defeat Their anxiety that this Bill should pass is quite inconceivable, for it cannot be their interest that it should be carried; and as for the King, they have no feeling whatever for him The Duke of Portland told ton upon the subject, and urged as one of the reasons why this Bill should not pass the House of Lords the disgrace that it would entail upon the King by the recrimination that would ensue in the House of Coraded as low as he could be already' The vehemence hich they pursue this object produces a corresponding violence in their language and sentiments Lady Harroho is usually very indifferent upon political subjects, has taken this up with unusual eagerness In an argument which I had with her the day before yesterday, she said that if the House of Lords was to suffer itself to be influenced by the opinions and wishes of the people, it would be the most mean and pusillaninify what the people thought or what they expressed if the army was to be depended upon? I answered that I never had expected that the day would cos and wishes of the people of this country, and to look to our army for support In proportion as the Ministers were elated by what came out in Hownam's cross-examination so were they depressed by the unlucky affair of Rastelli,[45] which has given such an ie to their adversaries Mr Powell's explanation was extremely unsatisfactory, and in his examination yesterday they elicited from him what is tantamount to a contradiction of what he had said the day before It is not possible to doubt what is the real state of the case Rastelli is an active, useful agent, and they had occasion for his services; consequently they sent him off, and trusted that he would be back here before he could possibly be called for, if ever he should be called for again It was a rash speculation, which failed The last two days have beenones The debates in the House, a good deal of violence, and sos, which were getting very dull

Lord Holland made a violent speech, and Lord Carnarvon a clever one, which was violent enough too, on Rastelli's affair Lord Holland made one or two little speeches which were very comical

Lord Lauderdale made a violent speech the other day, and paid hied that the zeal of , displayed as it is not in the elucidation of the truth, but in furtherance of that cause of which they desire the success There is no one more violent than Lord Lauderdale,[46] and neither the Attorney-General nor the Solicitor-General can act with greater zeal than he does in support of the Bill Lord Liverpool is a model of fairness, impartiality, and candour The Chancellor is equally ial points which are referred to the House, his fairness has been conspicuous in having generally decided in favour of the Queen's counsel Yesterday ham put to Powell He asked hient The question was objected to, and he began to defend it in an uncom He introduced a very ingenious quotation which was suggested to hi of the airy, unsubstantial being as the principal, and one of the parties in this cause, he said he wished to meet