Volume I Part 19 (2/2)

April 8th, 1829 {p200}

I have mentioned above (March 4th[14]), p 180, the Chancellor, the Duke, and Peel going to the King, and the alarreat jeopardy They went to tell the King that unless he would give them his real, efficient support, and not throw his indirect influence into the opposite scale, they would resign He refused to give thenations in his hands and ca then sent to Eldon, and asked him if he would undertake to form a Government He deliberated (then it was that it was question of the Duke of Rich First Lord or Lord-Lieutenant), but eventually said he could not undertake it On his refusal the King yielded, and the Bill went on; but if Eldon had accepted, the Duke and his colleagues would have been out, and God knoould have happened It was, of course, of all theseinterview they had the other day He is very sulky at the great majority in the House of Lords, as I kneould be

[14] [It was on the 3rd of March that this interview took place, as related by Sir R Peel hi asked his Ministers to explain the details of thein They informed his Majesty that it would be necessary to modify in the case of the Roman Catholics that part of the oath of supremacy which relates to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction and supre said he could not possibly consent

Upon this Mr Peel and his colleagues inforn His Majesty accepted the resignations, and the Ministers returned to London (after an audience of five hours) under the full persuasion that the Government was dissolved In the interval some atte of the following day, the 4th of March, the King wrote a letter to the Duke of Wellington, infor him that his Majesty anticipated so much difficulty in the attempt to form another Administration that he could not dispense with his Ministers' services, and that they were at liberty to proceed with the iven in Parlialesey, and goes about saying he insulted her in the House of Lords the other night She was sitting on one of the steps of the throne, and the duchess of Richlesey had spoken he came to talk to the duchess, who said, 'Hoell you did speak;'

on which he said, 'Hush!+ you must take care what you say, for here is Lady Jersey, and she reports for the newspapers;' on which Lady Jersey said very angrily, 'Lady Jersey is here for her own a for newspapers?' to which he replied with a profound bow, 'I beg your Ladyshi+p's pardon; I did notto y' This is his version; hers, of course, is different He says that heas a joke It was a very bad joke if it was one, and as he kno she abuses hi in it

The other night Lord Grey had called Lord Falmouth to order, and after the debate Fal air and said, 'My Lord Grey, I wish to inforress in the slightest degree the orders of the House, I shall most certainly call you to order' Lord Grey, who expected fro more hostile, ht, and whenever I aot a dressing again froe Head: O'CONNELL AT DINNER]

April 9th, 1829 {p202}

Met O'Connell at dinner yesterday at Williaitators) were he and O'Goruard, and he would not invite hi remarkable in his manner, appearance, or conversation, but he seems lively, well bred, and at his ease I asked him after dinner 'whether Catholics had not taken the oath of supremacy till it was coupled with the declaration;' he said, 'in ns of Elizabeth, James, and Charles, because at that time it was considered to apply to the civil supremacy of the Pope only, and that the Government admitted of that interpretation of it, but that no Catholic could take it now, because that construction is never given to the oath' Duncannon told me that O'Connell has no wish to be in Parliament, that he reat loss to him to attend Parliaerald, by which he may be ad that he will not oppose Vesey in the next; not that I see how that is to be done, except by an Act of Parliament (which would never pass) in his favour Besides, the Duke detests hiive him for all he has done and all he has made them do O'Gorman, the secretary of the Catholic association, appears a heavy, civil, vulgar man I sat next to Stanley, who told me a story which amused me Macintosh, in the course of the recent debates, went one day to the House of Co to take a place They were all taken on the benches below the gangway, and on asking the doorkeeper how they happened to be all taken so early, he said, 'Oh, sir, there is no chance of getting a place, for Colonel Sibthorpe sleeps at a tavern close by, and coht o'clock and takes places for all the saints'

April 13th, 1829 {p203}

On Friday last the Catholic Bill was read a third time, after a very dull debate Lord Eldon atte and wretched speech which lasted two hours nobody spoke well

The Duke in his reply dropped all the terms of courtesy and friendshi+p he had hitherto used in speaking of old Eldon, and broke off with hiusted at his opposition out of doors, and at his having been the constant adviser of the Duke of cu the King at Windsor; and he is acquainted with all his tricks and underhand proceedings, probably with more of them than we know of He thanked the Opposition for their support--thanks which they well merit from him--but of course nobody is satisfied He was before accused of ingratitude in never taking notice of their conduct, and even it is said that he gave them to understand he had no more need of their services, and wished to ; he intended to thank theh it is probably true that he does not wish to continue in alliance with them, and is anxious to see the Tories put theain On Saturday he sent the conature, with other papers as a ht be no fresh discussion between the to the Old Bailey to hear the trials, particularly that of the wouilty, and will be hanged to-day--has been by this ti scene of wretchedness and poverty, such as ought not to exist in any community, especially in one which pretends to be so flourishi+ng and happy as this is It is, I suppose, one case of h various stages of s were described to be in the lowest state of s to cover thehteen or nineteen hours a day, without being per to church on Sunday I never hearddetails than this trial elicited, or a case which calls ation into the law and the systes are possible Poverty, and vice, and misery htful contrasts between the excess of luxury and splendour and these scenes of starvation and brutality ought not to be possible; but I am afraid there is more vice, more misery and penury in this country than in any other, and at the sa, and such an unnatural, artificial, and unjust state of things neither can nor ought to be permanent

I as will produce soreat convulsion

[15] [Tretched women named Hibner were tried, and one of them convicted for the e ill-treatuilty and executed on the 13th of April No such concourse of people had assembled to witness an execution since that of Fauntleroy The details of the crireat syist for 1829, Chronicle_, p 71]

[Page Head: THEATRICAL FUND DINNER]

After the Old Bailey I went and dined at the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund dinner The Duke of Clarence could not coton in the chair, who ive 'The memory of the Duke of York,' as the founder of the institution He prefaced this with a speech, but gave 'The health,' &c, on which Fawcett, who sat opposite, called out in an agony, 'The memory, ain 'The health' 'The ain roared Fawcett It was supreton on his left, and Lawless the agitator just opposite; he is a pale, thin, co little itator

May 14th, 1829 {p205}

I have been at Newmarket for three weeks, and have had no ti ca-room, the former of which was very numerously, the other shabbily attended At the levee he was remarkably civil to all the Peers, particularly the Duke of Richuished themselves in opposition to Government in the late debates, and he turned his back on the bishops who had voted for the Bill O'Connell and shi+el were both at the levee; the former had been presented in Ireland, so had not to be presented again, but the King took no notice of him, and when he went by said to somebody near him, 'danified

There was an odd circu-rooave orders at the Horse Guards that no carriages should be adton, when they presented themselves on their way to Court, were refused ade and said that such were his orders, but that he was sure they were not meant to extend to his Grace, and if he would authorise hiates to be opened The Duke said 'By no o round the other way Many people thought that this was a piece of impertinence of the Duke of cu was a mistake Be this as it ton do not speak, and whenever they meet, which often happens in society, the for Batchelor called onthe interior of Windsor and St Ja is well in health, except that since last September he has been afflicted with a complaint in his bladder, which both annoys and alarravel, but violent irritation, which is only subdued by laudanuone off The laudanueneral health He is attended by Sir Henry Holland, Brodie, and O'Reilly Sir A Cooper, who did attend him, is not now consulted, in consequence (Batchelor thinks) of soradually insinuated hi hiossip and tittle-tattle of the neighbourhood (being on the alert to pick up and retail all he can for the King's amusement), has made hireat annoyance of Knighton, who cannot bear hi, who hate hi's _valets de chas his bell every half-hour He talks of everybody and everything before his valets with great freedom, except of politics, on which he never utters a word in their presence, and he always sends them ahen he sees anybody or speaks on business of any kind Batchelor thinks that this new disorder is a sy thinks so hie Head: LADY CONYNGHAM]

In the ha can be done but by their permission, and they understand one another and play into each other's hands Knighton opposes every kind of expense, except that which is lavished on her The wealth she has accu continues to heap all kinds of presents upon her, and she lives at his expense; they do not possess a servant; even Lord Conyngham's _valet de chambre_ is not properly their servant

They all have situations in the King's household, from which they receive their pay, while they continue in the service of the Conynghams They dine every day while in London at St Jaive a dinner it is cooked at St Jaht up to Hamilton Place in hackney coaches and in machines made expressly for the purpose; there is s assees very little of her except of an evening; he lies in bed half the day or oes to her room for an hour or so in the afternoon, and that is all he sees of her A more despicable scene cannot be exhibited than that which the interior of our Court presents-- every base, low, and unmanly propensity, with selfishness, avarice, and a life of petty intrigue and mystery

May 16th, 1829 {p207}

O'Connell atteht, but the business was put off till Monday His case is exceedingly well got up, but too long There are ht; h he had failed to do so), that a Bill ought to be brought in to enable him to take the new oaths It was supposed Governe of some of the Ministers are rather unfavourable to hiument on the tenth clause of the Bill conclusive, but when he exaives a different signification to the words on which O'Connell relies Tierney thinks otherwise, and this they debated Bill in hand in Lady Jersey's rooht when he went up to the table He got, through the necessary forms in the Steward's office by means of the Commissioners whom Duncannon provided, and ere, I believe, Burdett and Ebrington He ought to be allowed to take his seat, but probably he will not; it is a very hard case[16] The Duke of Orleans is come, and his son, the Duke of Chartres; the latter was at the opera to-night in Prince Leopold's box