Wortley told me the Household betted the King would be at Ascot.
By-the-bye, Wortley did very well last night in not allowing Wynne to lead him into a speech on the half-castes. He spoke very officially and properly. I complimented him upon it. In fact it is an act of forbearance in any man, but especially in a young man, to throw away a speech.
Precedents have been looked into, and every necessary step is known, should the King die.
The Duke will immediately go in uniform to the Duke of Clarence and advise him to come to his house in town.
A sketch of the speech will be prepared, but kings like making the declaration to the Privy Council themselves, as it is the only thing they can do without advice.
Peel"s father died on the 3rd.
_May 6._
Left my card with Lord Combermere, who called yesterday.
The bulletin states the King to have been better yesterday, but to have had a bad night.
The private letter to the Duke says he pa.s.sed the night wretchedly, and with much inquietude. They find it necessary to make further punctures, and have sent for Brodie.
The King spoke to Halford for some time with much composure and piety as to his situation.
Lord Bathurst looked into the precedents in Queen Anne"s reign, and at the declarations of several kings on their first meeting their Privy Council.
House. A good and useful speech from Lord G.o.derich on the funded and expended debt. He showed that the receipt from taxes was about the same as in 1816, although 9 millions had been taken off, and that the interest of the National Debt would, in 1831, be reduced 44 millions below its amount in 1816.
Cabinet at half-past ten at Aberdeen"s. A letter from Leopold, endeavouring to throw upon us the blame of delay for two months, and treating acquiescence in his terms of loan as a _sine qua non_. Now the terms we propose are not _exactly_ the same, as we make a payment by annual instalments a part of it, and I expect he will break off at last; but he will wait till the King is actually dead.
_May 7._
A very good account of the King. He has pa.s.sed twenty-four hours with mitigated symptoms.
Dined with Sir J. Murray. I must next year have an Indian dinner.
_May 9._
Read as I went to town to Cabinet, and returned in the carriage Cabell"s memorandum on the Hyderabad transactions.
The Duke read the letter he had received from Sir H. Halford. It gave a bad account of the King. Yesterday was a day "of embarra.s.sment and distress,"
and he is swollen notwithstanding the punctures made by Brodie. He is anxious about himself, and must know his danger, yet he talks of the necessity of having a new dining-room at the Cottage ready by Ascot.
We had much conversation respecting the law a.s.serting his power of disposing of his property by will.
The Chancellor was not there. He went to Windsor.
The other matters considered were merely the mode of dealing with several questions to be brought on next week. It seems to be clear that no dependence whatever can be placed in the House of Commons. Every man will vote for his const.i.tuents.
No answer has been received from Prince Leopold.
My apprehension is that the King cannot live ten days.
Lord Londonderry went to Windsor yesterday and saw the physician. He had a dinner afterwards at his villa, and told every one, the Lievens being there, that the King was much worse than he had ever been. This was untrue, for the Duke left Windsor after Lord L., and when he left the Castle the King certainly was not worse, but rather better. I have no doubt Lord L.
managed to tell Wood, [Footnote: Lord Londonderry"s brother-in-law, having married Lady Caroline Stewart, also sister-in-law of Lord Ellenborough.]
and Wood would tell the Duke of Clarence, who would think he was ill-used and deceived.
_May 10._
The Duke will read the Hyderabad memorandum as he goes down to Windsor on Wednesday.
I told him of the alteration in the treaty with Nagpore.
The Chancellor was at Windsor yesterday. He did not see the King. The physicians seemed to think it could not last a week. He is greatly swollen, and generally.
Lord Bathurst went to Windsor to-day. His account was a little better, but his expectation did not go beyond a fortnight. In the meantime the physicians are afraid of telling the King of his danger.
Sir W. Knighton sat up with him last night, and was much alarmed by one of the attacks, not having seen one before. However, he did not call Sir H.
Halford.
The probability is that the new Parliament will meet in the last week in July.
The Speaker says the House of Commons is like a school two days before the holidays. They do not know what mischief to be at.
Lord Rosslyn seems to think all sorts of intrigues are going on, and has some little doubt as to the Duke of Clarence. I have none.
House. E. Retford again. Wrote to Lord Holland when I came home to call his attention to the Hickson Nullity of Marriage Bill. I cannot take a part; but he must do so if he wishes to preserve his grandfather"s clause.
_May 11._
Heard from Lord Holland, who is fully alive to the consequences of the Bill. He thinks I am right not to take a part.
There was an indigo-planter before the Committee to-day. It seems, as I supposed, to be just as unnecessary for indigo-manufacturers to be indigo- growers as it is for maltsters to be great farmers. This man took out no capital and he had no licence; yet he was permitted to reside and take a lease, and the agency houses lent him money at 10 and 12 per cent.
The judge, Sir T. Strange, was a sensible man. He deprecated the introduction of English law into the provinces.
The King is getting weaker, which the physicians dread more than his spasms. It is thought he can hardly last a week.
Read the memorandum on Hyderabad a second time, and sent it with the proposed letter and alterations to the Duke.
Prepared materials for Lord Stanhope"s motion about shipping on Thursday.
_May 12._
Cabinet dinner at Lord Rosslyn"s.