''W<'6'"' •© ® ®- Columbia (Bntomitp mtfjeCttptflruigork THE LIBRARIES From the Library of Henry S, and Juliana Ha? 1948 CORRESPONDENCE PRINCESS LIEVEN AND EARL GREY 64^~ CORRESPONDENCE PRINCESS LIEVEN EARL GREY EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY GUY LE STRANGE VOL. III. 1834 TO 184I LONDON-' RICHARD 1 -V E N T t E Y A N D SO N $ubl:ehcvs;m t ®xUmk£ ir .I^cr ^tl ijcstu the flQtteen 1390 '[.;// r'Ms re served] From the library of Henry S. and Juliana Haskell 1948 I CT> O CM PRE FA TOR V NO TE. The present volume contains the close of the correspon- dence between Princess Lievcn and Lord Grey, from August of the year 1834, when Prince Lieven was recalled from the Embassy in London and appointed Governor of the young Czarewitch (afterwards Alexander PL), down to August of the year 1841, when the correspondence ends. Earl Grey died July //, 1845, but apparently during the last four years of his life ceased to correspond with the Princess. Princess Lievcn survived her friend by nearly twelve years, and died in Paris January 26, i8 57 . With reference to the injunction imposed on the Princess by Lord Grey (see p. 38, vol. Hi.), that his letters should ' never fall into other hands' as also to the intimation that he had ' no desire that they should be preserved as materials for history] it should be stated that the present Earl Grey at one time placed his veto on the publication of his fathers letters — considering it PREFATORY NOTE. would be a direct violation of the understanding on which they had been written. On learning, however, that there existed in Russia a copy, made by order of Princess Lieven, of the whole correspondence, Lord Grey withdrew his opposition to the publication of these letters, the first volumes of which appeared last year. Some short phrases in the letters of Madame dc Lieven are written in English; these are in the p?'csent translation given verbatim, and marked with inverted commas. G. le S. 46, Charles Street, Mayfair, London. September, 1 890. CONTENTS OF VOL. III. CHAPTER I. RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. PAGE Windsor— Ministerial Defeat— The Irish Tithe Bill — The Death of Mrs. Arbuthnot — Lady Jersey — Addresses to Lord Grey — Invita- tion to Edinburgh — Dangers of the Baltic — St. Petersburg — The Czarewitch — Mr. Bligh — Life at the RussianCourt — LordPalmer- ston — Death of Don Pedro— Prosperous State of England— The Dinner at Edinburgh to Lord Grey— M. Arago — The Emperor Alexander I.'s Monument, and the Anniversary Cere- mony—Gardens and Palace of Czarskose"lo — Russian nota- bilities—The Marriage of Donna Maria of Portugal— The Due de Richelieu— Lord Palmerston and Count Medem — Life at Czarskoselo — Affairs in Spain — Burning of the Houses of Parliament — Quarrel between Lord Brougham and Lord Durham — The Czarewitch at Czarskoselo— Lord Grey's Letters— Lord Palmerston and India— Affairs in Spain — Life at Court— Lord Durham's Speech at Glasgow — The Edinburgh Review — Radical Measures — Prince Talleyrand ..... 1—38 CHAPTER II. ST. PETERSBURG. Dismissal of Lord Melbourne— Sir R. Peel travelling in Italy— The King sends for him — Lord J. Russell — The Emperor at Moscow — Portugal — Palmella — Louis Philippe — The Czarewitch at Moscow — Voyage to Berlin— The Duke of Wellington under- takes the Government till Sir R. Peel's Return — The Ministerial Crisis in France — Society at St. Petersburg— The Due de Bassano— Lord Palmerston— The Globe— Sir R. Peel and the • Tamworth Manifesto— The Elections— Lady Jersey— M. de Talleyrand— Sir R. Peel's Ministry— The Duke of Northumber- CONTENTS. land and Lord Howick — Lord Howick's Success — The Elections —Ministerial Appointments — Lord Lyndhurst — The Whigs and the Radicals— Death of the Duke of Gloucester — Lord Stanley • and the Whigs — The New House of Commons — Sebastiani — The Cold in Russia — Illness of the Princess — The English Ambassador in Russia — Sir R. Peel and the Duke — Count Pozzo — The Queen said to be enceinte — Lord Londonderry's Appoint- ment to Petersburg ...... 39 — 76 CHAPTER III. ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. The Meeting of Parliament — The Speakership — Sir R. Peel — Marechal Maison — Sir C. Sutton — Lord Stanley — The Moderate Whigs and the Radicals — Lord Palmerston's Defeat in Hamp- shire — Quarrel between the United States and France — The Amendment carried against the Government- -Lord J. Russell — Lord Stanley and Lord Howick — Death of the Emperor Francis I. — Illness of Prince George Lieven — The House of* Lords— Sebastiani and Alava — Lord Londonderry's Appoint- ment cancelled — Death of Prince George Lieven — Illness of Prince Arthur Lieven — Count Pahlen — Resignation of Sir R. Peel — The King sends for Lord Grey, who refuses Office — Lord Melbourne forms a Government — Lord Howick — Death of the Duke of Leuchtenberg — Lord Mulgrave — Defeat of Lord J. Russell in Devonshire — Death of Prince Arthur Lieven — Princess Lieven sets out for Berlin — M. Ancillon — Lord Palmerston's Return to the Foreign Office — Lord W. Russell — M. de Talley- rand and Valengay — The Elections and the Tories — Lord - Howick's Success — Duel between Lord Alvanly and Mr. Morgan O'Connell ....... 77—112 CHAPTER IV. BADEN-BADEN. Count Chreptowitch — Lord Grey and the Government — Lord W. Russell — Baden-Baden — Lord J. Russell's Election — Elections in Yorkshire— Lord Durham appointed Ambassador at Peters- burg — Sir R. Peel's Speech in the City — The Monster Trial in Paris — Palmella — Defeat of Mr. Littleton in Staffordshire — Frankfort — Sir R. Peel and the Ultra-Tories — Don Carlos and Queen Christina — The Corporation Bill — Intervention in Spain — The British Legion under General de Lacy Evans — Lord Brougham on Theology— Society at Baden — The Irish Tithe CONTENTS. Bill — Prince Lieven named Minister of Foreign Affairs — Lord Durham's Journey — The Irish Tithe Bill in the Commons — The Duchesse de Dino and Valencay— Lord Howick — Lady Cowper's Letter to Princess Lieven — Fieschi's Attempt against Louis Philippe — The Irish Tithe Bill in the House of Lords — The Corporation Bill ...... 113 — 143 CHAPTER V. PARIS. Carlists and Christinos — The British Legion — The Press Law in France — Interview at Toplitz — The House of Lords and the Corporation Bill— Sir R. Peel and the Tories— Chalons-sur-Marne —Society in Paris— The Power of the House of Lords— Mr. O'Connell's Speeches— Diplomatists in Paris— M. Thiers and the Due de Broglie— Spanish Affairs— Mr. O'Connell in Scotland- Accident to the Cleopatra in the Baltic— The Due d' Orleans setting out for Algeria— Mendizabal and Queen Christina — Lord Durham at St. Petersburg— Lord Lansdowne and the 'Garter'— M. Mole— France and the United States— The Czar's Speech at Warsaw— King Leopold in Paris— The ' Doctrinaires ' —The Duke of Cumberland and the Orange Lodges— Mr. Ellice in Paris— Lord Minto and M. Bresson— The Dowager Lady Salisbury burnt at Hatfield— Fieschi's Trial— Mr. O'Connell and the Ministers— Mr. Ellice and Lord Grey— France and Russia- General Distrust of Russia— Lord Minto and M. Ancillon — The Taking of Mascara ...... '44 — 1 74 CHAPTER VI. PARIS AND BADEN. Prince Adam Czartoryski in England— Lord Durham at St. Peters- burg—The ' Portfolio '—Mr. O'Connell and the Government— M. de Talleyrand's Little Dinners— The New Law Peers— M. de Broglie's Speech on Poland— Mr. Ellice— The Turkish Empire — Lord Grey's Views of Mr. O'Connell— The Division on the Address— Defeat of the Due de Broglie— Lord Granville— M. Dupin— A Feminine Ministry— Louis Philippe's Hobby— M. Thiers' Administration —The Duke of Cumberland and the Orange Lodges— Lord Palmerston and the Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi— Lady Cowper and Mr. O'Connell— Alava— Intervention in Spain— Visit of the Due d' Orleans and the Due de Nemours to Berlin and Vienna— General Dislike of Lord Palmerston— CONTENTS. Mr. Ellice and Lord Grey — Case of Norton v. Lord Melbourne— Description of Valenc^ay — Marriage of Two of Lord Grey's Sons — The Irish Municipal Bill — M. Thiers — Speeches of Lord Grey and the Duke of Wellington — Prince Emile of Hesse . . 175 — 207 CHAPTER VII. WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. The Insurrection of La Granja — Fall of M. Thiers — France and Switzerland— M. Mold's Ministry — Life in Paris — Prince Schon- bourg — Alava at Tours — Attempt of Prince Louis Napoleon at Strasburg — Queen Hortense — Death of Charles X. — The Due d'Angouleme and the Comte de Chambord — The Revolution and Counter-Revolution at Lisbon — M. de Polignac — Lady Clanricarde — Lord Douro — Mr. Ellice and the French — Louis Philippe and Spain — The Siege of Bilbao — The King's Speech — M. Mole and M. Guizot — The Influenza — Re-introduction of the Irish Municipal Bill — Lord de Ros — The Abolition of Church Rates — The Disjunction Law — Settlement for the Due de Nemours— The British Legion in Spain, Defeat of General Evans — The Case of the Vixen — The Irish Corporation Bill in the Lords— The Irish Tithe Bill — Death of Lady de l'Isle — Marriage of the Due d Orleans — Prince Lieven's Journey — Sir F. Burdett and the Westminster Election— Illness and Death of William IV. — Queen Victoria's First Council — Princess Lieven's Visit to England — Death of the Bishop of Hereford . . 208 — 242 CHAPTER VIII. LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. Lord Melbourne and the Queen— M. Mold— Princess Marie and Prince Alexander of Wiirtemburg— Lord Durham and Mr. Ellice — -The Fall of Constantine —Lord John Russell and the Radicals — Lady Durham — M. Thiers and M. Guizot — Lord Durham ap- pointed Governor-General of Canada — M. Guizot and the Govern- ment—Affairs in Spain — Sir R. Peel and the Whigs — The 'Diary' — Lady C. Bury — Lord Maidstone's Motion against Mr. O'Connell — England and Abd el Kader — Comte Flahault's Troubles at Court — Lord Brougham — Queen Victoria and her Court — Lord Durham and his Successor at Petersburg— Comte Flahault and the Special Embassy — The Canadian Revolt — Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. O'Connell — Lord Brougham's Article in the Quarterly Review — Marshal Soult and the Special Embassy — The King of CONTENTS. Hanover— Lady Cowper — The Duke and Sir R. Peel— Madame de Flahault's Disappointment — Death of M. de Talleyrand — His Letter to the Pope — The Coronation of Queen Victoria — Mr. Turton, Lord Wharncliffe's Motion— Lord Shelburne— Lady Jersey — The Queen and the Corps Diplomatique— Lord Clanri- carde Ambassador to Petersburg — Birth of the Comte de Paris — Coronation of Ferdinand I. at Milan — Switzerland and the Refugees ....... 243 — 276 CHAPTER IX. THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. Lord Durham's Ordinance disallowed — Lord Clanricarde — Resigna- tion of Lord Durham — Lady Holland — The Settlement of the Belgian Question — Alava — Death of Prince Constantine Lieven ■ — Lord Durham's Proclamation — The Commercial Treaty with the Porte — Marriage of the Grand-Duchess Marie to the Duke of Leuchtenberg — Count Pahlen— Lady Cowper — M. Desages — Comte and Comtesse de Flahault — Lord Aberdeen — Death of Prince Lieven — Accident to Lord Grey — Retirement of Lord Glenelg — The French Ministry — Visit of the Czarewitch to England— Count Orloff — M. Mole" — The Jamaica Bill — Resigna- tion of Lord Melbourne — Sir R. Peel and the Bedchamber Question— Lord Melbourne recalled — Marshal Soult forms a Ministry — Count Orloff— The Sultan and Mehemet Ali — The Eastern Question — The Chartists — The State of Hanover — Russia and the Whig Government — Count Pozzo— Marriage of Lady Cowper to Lord Palmerston — Lord Brougham — The Coalition, Messrs. Thiers, Guizot, and Odillon Barrot — The Duchesse de Talleyrand and her Sister's Will — Lord Howick's Resignation — The Queen's Marriage — Prince Albert— Sir R. Peel — Louis Philippe ..... 277 — 312 CHAPTER X. THE FALL OF THE WHIGS. Marshal Soult resigns— M. Guizot appointed Ambassador in London — M. Thiers Premier— The Queen's Marriage — Prince Albert — The Division on the China Question — Mehemet Ali's Advance on Constantinople — The Remains of the Emperor Napoleon brought from St. Helena — Illness and Death of Lord Durham — Mehemet Ali's Conquest of Syria — Lord Palmerston and the French Government — The Treaty of London of July 15, 1840 — Resignation of M. Thiers — Marshal Soult Premier — M. Guizot's CONTENTS. Speeches — Lord Palmerston's Note of November 2— Ill-feeling produced by it in France — The Birth of the Princess Royal — Queen Christina leaves Spain — Death of Lord Holland— M. Thiers and M. Guizot— Lady Palmerston's Letter— The Fall of Acre — Mehemet Ali driven out of Syria — Mr. Cobden and the Sugar Duties — Defeat of the Government — M. Guizot's Success — The Elopement of the Infanta Isabella — Sir R. Peel's Speech — Vote of Confidence carried against the Government — The Disso- lution of Parliament — The Elections, the Conservatives in the Majority — The Visits made by the Queen — Unpopularity of Lord Palmerston — Resignation of Lord Melbourne — Sir R. Peel forms his Administration — Lord Grey's last Letter — His Message to M. Guizot ...... 313—341 Index to the Three Volumes .... 345—360 ^tyrf&K- t^j & U ^^> ^ ^!fc-«„ &^*m^ 0^2^T" *** CORRESPONDENCE OF THE PRINCESS LIEVEN AND OF EARL GREY. CHAPTER I. RUSSIA CZARSKOSELO. Windsor — Ministerial Defeat — The Irish Tithe Bill — The Death of Mrs. Arbuthnot — Lady Jersey — Addresses to Lord Grey — Invitation to Edinburgh — Dangers of the Baltic — St. Petersburg — -The Czarewitch — Mr. Bligh— Life at the Russian Court — Lord Palmerston — Death of Don Pedro — Prosperous State of England — The Dinner at Edinburgh to Lord Grey — M. Arago — The Emperor Alexander I.'s Monument, and the Anniversary Ceremony — Gardens and Palace of Czarskoselo — Russian notabilities — The Marriage of Donna Maria of Portugal — The Due de Richelieu — Lord Palmerston and Count Medem — Life at Czarskoselo — Affairs in Spain — Burning of the Houses of Parliament — Quarrel between Lord Brougham and Lord Durham — The Czarewitch at Czarskoselo — Lord Grey's Letters — Lord Palmerston and India — Affairs in Spain — Life at Court — Lord Durham's Speech at Glasgow— The Edinburgh Review — Radical Measures — -Prince Talleyrand. [No. i.] Downing Street, Aug. 7t/i, 1834. Dearest Princess, The few days that have passed since you left us afford me little to say, after repeating my deep regret for the loss which we have all sustained, but nobody so much as myself, by your departure. But I remember my promise, and, indeed, it is necessary to my own comfort that I should lose no opportunity of conversing with you in the only way that is now left vol. in. 1 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [aug. me. How poor a substitute for the constant and inti- mate intercourse which I have had the happiness of enjoying for so many years ! . . . Little has occurred since Saturday last to interest you. I paid my visit at Windsor on Monday last, and stayed till Wednesday. I need not say that I was graciously received, for the King has always been most kind to me, and on this occasion more so than ever. I had a great deal of conversation with him. He is evidently uneasy at the present state of things, but has confidence in Melbourne, which I am sure is well placed ; and, as far as he is concerned, I have no doubt that things will go on well. But he has great difficulties to contend with, both external and internal, which you are too well acquainted with our carte du pays to make it necessary for me to explain to you. You will have seen in the papers that the Ministers were in a minority, in the House of Lords, on the question of admitting Dissenters into the Universities. It was not a Government question, and was unad- visedly brought forward. This defeat, therefore, was of no consequence, further than showing the strength which the Tories possess in the House of Lords, whenever they think proper to exert it. I was not present at this discussion, and, indeed, have not been in the House of Lords since I saw you. An occasion is approaching, however, on which there will be a more important struggle. The Irish Tithe Bill is to be read a second time on Monday, and if I am to believe information which comes from a good source, I have no doubt that it will be thrown out, though it passed the House of Commons by a large majority. What the Ministers will do on this 1834] THE IRISH TITHE BILL. result I have no means of knowing, but I suppose they will immediately prorogue, which will prevent the collision which might otherwise take place between the two Houses. They will then have till the next Session to take such measures as may be necessary to strengthen themselves ; and as the country, notwith- standing these political divisions, is prospering in its finances, in its commerce, and in its manufactures beyond all example, and the people are generally con- tented with their condition, I am sanguine in my ex- pectations of the most favourable results. I am sure you will have been struck with the sudden and melancholy death of poor Mrs. Arbuthnot. The Duke of Wellington is said to feel it deeply through his triple case of iron, but it has not made him relax in his attendance in the House of Lords. My present intention is to set out for Howick on Thursday next — alas ! no longer with the hope that you might have it in your power — I am sure it was in your inclination — to pay me a visit there. I probably shall stay there till Easter. Talleyrand and Madame de Dino were very pressing in their invitations to Valencay, and Lady Grey and Georgiana had a great desire to go there. But I really want to be at home. God bless and preserve you. Lady Grey desires a thousand kind remembrances. Ever yours most affectionately, Grey. No. 2. Downing Street, Dearest Princess, Aug - isth > l834 ' How much I am obliged to you for your kind little letter of the 5th from Hamburg!"" It was very * Vol. ii., p. 508. I 2 4 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [aug. good of you to think of me at such a moment of suffer- ing, your account of which affected me very deeply. . . . I follow you through your melancholy voyage. I now see you established at Petersburg, I hope in health, and with all the comforts which a kind attention, which you so well deserve, can afford. I wish I knew something of the locale, that I might figure you to myself more perfectly. As I told you was expected, the Irish Tithe Bill was thrown out by a large majority in the House of Lords/"" and, as I also told you, Parliament will be pro- rogued to-day. But the embarrassments that may occur before the next Session may be very great, and I do not envy the Ministers the prospect before them. I had long looked to the possibility of such an event as this, if the Tories should determine to exert their power, and was resolved, the moment any important measure of Government should be defeated in this manner, to resign. Nothing could have induced me to remain in office after being refused the means of acting in the way that I thought necessary for the public interest ; and this, in such a case, appears to be the natural course. The Ministers have determined otherwise, and I hope the event will prove that they have done right. I did not attend the debate, but sent my proxy to Melbourne to show my goodwill to the Government. We have no news. The presence of Don Carlos in Spain is still doubtful, and I have doubted, as you know, from the beginning. The Quadruple Treaty certainly imposes no obligation upon us beyond the expulsion of the two Princes"*" from Portugal, but its * August ii, 189 to 122. t Don Miguel and Don Carlos. I834-] AFFAIRS IN SPAIN. 5 spirit and object would require our active exertions to restore peace to the Peninsula. What is doing on this subject I know not, having had no communication with Palmerston on this or any other public matter since I left office. It is possible, therefore, that our conduct may be more in accordance with your wishes than it would have been if I had remained. I write this in all the confusion of preparations for setting out to-morrow for Howick, where I hope to arrive on Tuesday, though I shall be stopped on the road to receive addresses. I must, before I conclude, give you an anecdote of Lady Jersey. The other night in the House of Lords the gallery was nearly full before she arrived. But she elbowed her way, pushing people to the right and left, and amongst others a poor girl who went into hysterics. When she got near the wife of the Bishop of Derry, Lady Grey's sister-in-law, she desired her to make way. She replied in the mildest way — and she really is the most gentle and best-bred person in the world — that it was not in her power. Lady Jersey then said, ' But at any rate you have no right to wear a bonnet,' caught hold of the riband by which it was tied, and pulled it off. This is the fact without exag- geration. Did you ever hear of such conduct except amongst the poissardes of Paris and London ? God bless you, dearest Princess ; never forget me, and believe me ever, Yours most affectionately, G. P.S. — I wrote last Friday, and will number my letters in future, that you may know whether any are missing. 6 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [AUG. No. 3. Howick, Aug. 25//1, 1S34. Dearest Princess, As the time approaches when I may hope to hear from you, I become very impatient for that pleasure, and pray incessantly that I may receive good accounts of your further voyage, arrival, and of your being established in health and comfort at St. Peters- burg. . . . I know nothing of politics, either foreign or domestic, since I left London, except what I learn from the newspapers. Perhaps there is nothing to be known. But I enjoy myself here exceedingly, free from the interruption of red boxes, and no longer harassed either by wrong-headed friends or by those who call themselves so, while their own interests are their only care. I have many satisfactory reflections on quitting office — but some painful ones also — and not the least of these are such as arise from the know- ledge of human nature which power has afforded me. I have, however, to be thankful for many instances of sincere and disinterested attachment ; and I received on my journey hither proofs of general regard and good opinion, which were gratifying to me in the highest degree. At Newcastle the expression of public favour and approbation were really extra- ordinary, and in all the towns through which I passed from thence to Howick I met with the same demon- strations of goodwill and respect. The necessity of answering the addresses was rather a heavy corvt'e, but I should be most unreasonable and ungrateful if I were to allow myself to complain of it. Lambton, with whom I stopped for two nights, 1 834-] ADDRESSES TO LORD GREY. 7 accompanied me to Newcastle, where I received several addresses in the Town Hall. I never saw such a crowd, or witnessed greater enthusiasm. But what gratified me most, though I made a very Conser- vative speech, was Lambton's declaring that he agreed in every word that I said, and expressing himself personally, in regard to me, in the handsomest manner. When I say I made a ' Conservative speech,' I mean that I recommended the pursuit of reasonable reforms with caution and moderation, and upon the principle of upholding the settled institutions of the State, and the efficiency of regular government. Since I have been here, I have had a deputation from Edinburgh, consisting of the Lord Provost and another, with ad- dresses, and an invitation to a public dinner to be given to me about the middle of next month, which I would fain have declined, but found it impossible to do so. I have run on most unreasonably about myself, but I have done so in the confidence that I am writing to one to whom what interests me personally will not be indifferent. . . . Think of me sometimes — nay, I am sure you do — and when you look at my little shabby bracelet, do not estimate the affection of the giver by the value of the present. God bless you. We are all well, and Lady Grey desires her kindest remembrances. Ever yours, G. No. 4. Howick, Sept. yd, 1S34. Dearest Princess, I am disappointed at not having yet heard of your arrival at St. Petersburg, and, having no letter to answer, have very little to say. . . . 8 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [SEPT. Of politics I really know nothing, except what I read in the papers, for, however odd it may appear, I never have had a single line from Palmerston since I left office, except the letter which I showed you. From Holland I hear now and then, but he is at Ampthill, and seems to know little more than I do. From the Chancellor* I have heard once or twice on the subject of a dinner which is to be given to me at Edinburgh on the 15th of this month. I had at first declined it, wishing to remain quiet here, but I found it impossible to resist. They are making immense preparations, and not being able to find a room large enough, are building one to contain 2,000 people. All this is very flattering, but I repeat I should have pre- ferred remaining quietly here, if I could have followed my own inclination. I am in hopes of uniting all my sons here in the course of the autumn. It is long since I have seen them all together, and probably shall never do so again. Howick is returned from his Continental trip without much benefit, I am sorry to say, to his wife. My eldest sailor is just returned from Constantinople, and we expect him here in a few days, after an absence of nearly four years. The other is also by this time on his way home, having been promoted. Am I too vain in believing that these domestic details may not be without interest to you ? Lady Grey has put your print up in her dressing-room. We often look at it, but it was not wanted to remind us of you. It cer- tainly is like, but it is not you, and by no means does you justice. She desires her best and kindest remem- brances. * Lord Brougham. 1 834-] THE BALTIC VOYAGE. My last letter, No. 3, was written on the 25th of the last month. I direct, as you desired, to Ashburn- ham House. Pray remember me most kindly to the Prince, and believe me ever, dearest Princess, Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey* [No. 2.] St. Petersburg, Aug. 6t/i/i8t/i, 1834. Your first letter was indeed a pleasure to me, my dear lord, and its arrival afforded me the one happy moment I have experienced since I bid you good-bye. Ours was indeed a sad parting, and every day I realize more and more the pain and the bitter- ness of what I feel. Time brings healing to every grief, but what I have lost in this separation so wounds me that I hardly imagine I shall ever get the better of this sorrow. I wrote to you from Hamburg. The Baltic voyage, after leaving that port, was most horrible. We struck on a rock near the desolate island I was telling you about at Woburn, where the post only comes once a year. During ten long hours we hung literally between life and death. You were often in my thoughts, my dear lord, and I knew you would have given me all your pity. At times it seemed sad to me to have to die 'so soon ; but I had lost England, and I felt I had little in life to regret. You can imagine what my condition was on arriv- ing at Petersburg after all this. During the first few * The correspondence in the present volume has been arranged in the order in which Lord Grey received and answered the letters of the Princess. io RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [aug. days I was too ill to go out to the country to see the Emperor and Empress. They, however, have come in to Petersburg, and I have been passing the last two days at the Palace. Their reception of me was most friendly. The Emperor well understands all my regrets, and thus I find myself at liberty to give free expression to all I feel — and I make full use of my freedom. It is a sort of pleasure to me, and I have no inclination for any other just now, unless it be the pleasure of seeing their Majesties again, for I love all the Imperial Family with my whole heart. The young Czarewitch* is most charming. You cannot imagine anybody more handsome. He is in every way interesting ; he has a most intelligent, sweet face, and a manner of speech and ways that are all one can most desire. I shall love him, I know, as my own son, and in his service I have both interest and occu- pation, as also my pleasure. It remains to be seen how I shall get on in my dear native land. The climate, the manners, and the society will all be somewhat of trials to me. To begin with, we are to be left all alone with our young charge. The Emperor sets out in three weeks on a voyage that will take him as far as Siberia. The Empress is going to pass two months at Berlin. The Ministers remain in Petersburg. My husband, therefore, in three weeks' time enters on his important charge of Governor to the Heir of the Crown. Till then we shall be occupied in setting up house. We have found one that I think will suit us perfectly, and it has what to my eyes is the merit of being situated on the English Quay. * Afterwards Alexander II. ; he was at this time in his seventeenth year. 1 834.] LORD MELBOURNE. Poor Mrs. Arbuthnot's death shocked me greatly. I should not be at all surprised if this event were to lead to the Duke of Wellington marrying again. I wish he would choose Georo-ina Bathurst, for he could not do better. All the news you send interests me in the highest degree. I wish 1 could agree with you in thinking that your present Premier has in him the qualities necessary for carrying on the Government as one would wish ; but frankly I have no faith in his principles. He may become Radical or he may turn Tory ; at least, this is my opinion of him — but I should hasten to add that as a private individual I like and esteem him very highly. There is in him the naivete of a child, and this used to charm me com- pletely ; but he never seemed to have the stuff in him for the Premier Minister. I trust the event will prove me to have been in the wrong. Aug. gt/i 1 21 st. Until to-day I was prevented from finishing my letter, and now I am in the midst of my packing before going into the country to join the Court. So I must close this. I met Mr. Bligh* again with the greatest possible delight ; he is English, and we talked of England ! He is a most agreeable man, and is very popular both in general society and at our Foreign Office. Adieu, my dear lord ; I would I could travel to Howick in the place of this letter. You must not forget me ; I trust to having news of you every fort- night, and this will be to me a great, great pleasure. Write of everything. Your letters reach me perfectly safely, and I am curious to hear of all that goes on in England. * British Charge d'Affaires. 12 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. A thousand kindest regards to Lady Grey, to Lady Georgiana, and to your son Charles. I love them all with my whole heart, and you more than all of them put together. P.S. — You cannot conceive the astonishment which was caused here by the news of your retirement, or rather of the manner in which it was brought about. They understand nothing of these things, and I have failed to give them any lucid explanation of what has taken place. Your conduct is clear enough, but what the others have done — ah, mon Dicu ! You would, however, be satisfied if you heard how they judge you and know you here ; and it is such a pleasure to me to hear you thus spoken of. To Earl Grey. No. 3. St. Petersburg, Aug. 2£,th\Sept. $tk, 1S34. Many, many thanks, my dear lord, for your letter of August 15. No one cares for me here as you do — at any rate, no one tells me they do — and I have now more need than ever of your friendship. ... It is all a sad change for me. Everything you write of your family affairs is to me of the greatest interest, and I entreat you to con- tinue, and by so doing enable me still to live on, in fancy, the life of your own dear and beautiful country. My other correspondents do little or nothing for me. Lady Cowper very naturally pro- phesies that all must go well, and that her brother* * Lord Melbourne. 1834-] LADY COW PER. 13 will find everything come easy to his hand. She has her interests so bound up in the present Ministry that her opinions, and even her facts, must be taken with caution. One must stand among the spectators to see the play fairly ; the actors themselves cannot possibly judge of the effect. And this, believe me, is the fruit of my observations during the twenty-two years I passed in England watching those who in turn have been at the head of affairs. I have found no excep- tions, not even in your case. The statesman in power is surrounded by flatterers. He is naturally little prone to give credence to uncomfortable facts, and those who are interested in obtaining Ministerial favours keep all disagreeable matters from his knowledge It is the way in all countries, and your country in particular forms no exception. Now pray write me all the news you hear, and your opinions on it all. The present Government has your goodwill, but you will not fail to see their faults, and the greatest of all faults is for them to imagine themselves indispensable. This is abject folly, and I was surprised to hear that Lord Melbourne could be such a coxcomb. I really did not give him credit for it. You will see by all this that my heart is still in England. You wish, however, to have news of me, and hence I must recall the fact that I am writing to you from Russia. My dear lord, I spend my day wearying my body and resting my mind. No one would imagine that this suited me remarkably well, but I have no other choice at present. Life at Court is not what I was made for. I rarely now dine with their Majesties in private, or with so few at table as i 4 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. to allow of pleasant conversation. There are generally dinners of a hundred or two hundred people, after which in the evening there is card-playing or a ball, following on which comes supper. And this is my day. At these soirees I no longer play a prominent part ; I am only a spectator, and I regret I am no longer twenty years of age, for then I should be able to amuse myself. I turn my eyes to right and to left looking for succour, but those who might aid me go and establish themselves at the whist-tables, where everybody has to play extremely well and stake ex- tremely high. I therefore remain glued to my chair, suffer ennui with resignation — and the next day begin it all over again. I know nothing as to what life we shall lead when the Emperor and Empress are away. Nothing has been settled as yet, except that we are to pass the time in the country, with our young charge. On the i st November I go and establish myself in town. I shall be wondrous well cared for there in all material points, but whether my mental requirements will be equally well provided for remains to be seen. I should like to send you the plan of my house, or, at any rate, that of the floor I am to occupy, in order that you may be able to form an idea of me when I am at home. Your bracelet I always wear, and the ring Lady Grey gave me, and I shall never leave either of them off. Sept. 6th. The Russian messenger who arrived yesterday brought me your letter No. 3 ; thank you once more for so faithfully writing to me. Of all the friends I have left in England, it is you who are the most constant in friendship ; and I only hope you will not I.834-] LORD BROUGHAM. 15 weary of me. I had seen in the papers the account of your triumphal march through the North Country ; it pleased me, and made me feel very proud for you. I am delighted also to learn that you are on such good terms with Lord Durham. For everything that is of concern to you interests me. What the Times says amuses me greatly ; its stric- tures on the Chancellor are most biting. If, as you have always told me, the Times represents public opinion, all this is not very favourable to the Government. And if the Ministry really does not enjoy the public favour (and seeing they have no great talents in the Cabinet), I am curious to know how they will manage to keep on their legs. They will take a good deal of beating, however, to make them resign, for they have a marvellous tenacity of will for keeping in office. Lord Palmerston has become very amiably disposed towards Russia, now that he no longer has my husband to deal with. This is what I had foreseen, and for Russia a good understanding with England is of too great importance for me to complain of the personal sacrifice. . . . Your letters reach me perfectly securely. I tell you this once and for all, so you can write everything to me without any fear of the Foreign Office. Sept. St/i. I must close this now. The great fete is just going to begin. Ever since early morning Petersburg has been inundated with masses of troops — a hundred thousand men in all, they say. It will be very fine and imposing, and it is being done as a last tribute to the memory of the Emperor Alexander I. 16 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. Adieu, my dear lord. Pray keep in mind the very great pleasure your letters afford me. A thousand most friendly regards. No. 5. Falloden, Sept. zyd, 1834. Dearest Princess, I found it impossible to write to you by last Friday's post, when a letter for you was due. But my time was so occupied by receiving and answering addresses, and by my journey to Edinburgh, that I really could not find a moment to write comfortably. I have now to thank you for your two dear letters of the 1 8th August and 5th September. . . . I have no news to send you, and for the reason I before gave you, that my only source of intelligence now is the public press. From this I conclude that things are not going on very well in Spain, that Pedro is not long for this world," and in other quarters — at least, I hope so — that nothing is likely to interrupt the general peace. As to our domestic concerns, I am quite satisfied that we want nothing but a firm and united Administration, disposed to govern on just prin- ciples and according to the spirit of the age, and at the same time to support its own authority, to ensure a most prosperous state of things. After taking off all the war taxes to an immense amount, we have paid off above eighty millions of our debt, have considerably reduced the interest of the remainder, and, even since I took the Government, reduced six millions of taxes. Commerce and manufactures are flourishing to the greatest degree, and I have been convinced by all that * The ex-Emperor of Brazil died on September 24. 1834.] THE DINNER AT EDINBURGH. 17 has occurred since I left office, and more especially by my late visit to Edinburgh, that the disposition of the people generally is most satisfactory. I have already told you in how gratifying a manner I was received on my return to Northumberland, but I must leave you to learn from others, and from the public journals, the manner of my reception throughout the whole of my journey, and more particularly at Edinburgh. It exceeded everything I could have imagined, and I wish it were possible to convey to you an idea of the magnificence of the scene in that city. The day was beautiful ; the crowds assembled greater, it is acknowledged even by the Tories, than on the visit of the late King ; and the whole rendered peculiarly interesting by the singular character of the town and its local situation, far exceeding in beauty and in grandeur anything that exists in Europe, Naples not excepted. For the dinner a room was constructed which held exactly 2,768 persons, and the order and, at the same time, the enthusiasm that prevailed in so large an assembly of the most intelligent people in the world is not to be described. To me, I need not say, it was most gratifying, and perhaps you will think that I have said enough to show that it has inspired me with some feelings of vanity and pride. Of the speeches I will say nothing, referring you again to the papers if you think it worth while to wade through them — except that, to my deep regret, Durham's was very mischievous, and those of the Ministers present neither in tone nor feeling, though exceedingly com- plimentary to me, such as I could approve. But to return to what I was saying as to the con- viction which I have derived from these occurrences of vol. in. 2 18 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. the satisfactory disposition of the people. My speeches — and I was obliged to make one at least at every town through which I passed — were uniformly and strongly Conservative in the true sense of the word, and in no parts of them were they more favourably received than in those which recommended patience and moderation in the prosecution of salutary re- forms, and abstinence from all violent and extensive changes. Two not unimportant observations, as connected with these appearances, obviously present themselves. The first is that these marks of confidence and appro- bation have been bestowed on a public man, retiring from office at an age which makes his return to power impossible. The second is that his retirement was occasioned by his having been baffled — I will not say by what means — in carrying measures of a coercive character,"" which he thought necessary, but which might have 'been expected to prove fatal to his popu- larity. Under such circumstances, are not the marks of popular favour which I have received most gratifying to me, and at the same time strongly indicative of the disposition of the people, if justice is done to them, to assist the Government in maintaining its necessary authority against the violence of democratic faction ? Will the present Administration so conduct itself as to insure this result ? I must fairly say, fen doute, acknowledging that there is too much justice in the remarks you make upon the characters of those who compose it. I confess, therefore, that, looking to the character of the Government on the one hand, and to the disposition of the party that opposes them in the * The Irish Coercion Act. 1834-1 M. ARAGO'S SPEECH. 19 House of Lords on the other, I am not without the most serious apprehension that the next Session of Parliament may produce a conflict of the most dan- gerous nature. Will you think me quite overcome by vanity if I say that I believe I had the means, more than any person, of preventing such a collision ; and that the Tories will live to repent the difficulties which they threw in my way. I may still be called upon to interfere, and I shall do so, if necessary, fearlessly and decisively, but I never will return to office. I have written to you a volume on what relates chiefly to myself — a subject which I never like, but which I flatter myself will not be without interest to you. Still, I must add a word. M. Arao-o, the famous French savant and ultra- Liberal, who came to Edinburgh to attend the scientific meeting, was at the dinner. Upon his health being given, he made a short speech in French, remarkable for its neatness, but particularly for its last phrase, w r hich personal vanity makes me give you. After stating the report he should make on his return to his countrymen of all he had seen, he concluded : ' Enfin je leur dirai que j'ai vu qu'en Angleterre on peut descendre du pouvoir en grandissant dans l'opinion.' . . . You will have seen that the Government of India is vacant by the resignation of Lord William Bentinck on account of his health. I hear there is more than one candidate for it amongst the members of the Cabinet, and that Palmerston is one of them. Lady Grey had a letter two days ago from Madame de Dino from Valencay. She writes, though she does not say so, as if they were not to come back ; but I am told that Talleyrand, in taking leave of Melbourne, assured RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. him that he would be here by the beginning of November. Well, I really now will finish, only repeating how constantly I think of you, how much I regret you, and how strong and sincere is the attachment which I must always bear you. . . . Pray remember me most kindly to the Prince. God bless you. Continue to love me as I do you, sincerely and for ever. G. To Earl Grey. No. 4. Czarskoselo, Sept. <3,/Jiji6t/i, 1834. I am waiting for the arrival of the packet- boat, my dear lord, or, in other words, am expecting a letter from you. The Court life that goes on round me here cannot keep my thoughts from flying back to England, for great entertainments afford but little pleasure or distraction ; and as for friends, one does not find them in a Court. Does not this prove to you that both in heart and mind I still remain, and ever shall remain, with you and yours in Eng- land ? By this time I imagine that you must have under- gone the infliction of your Edinburgh dinner ; but what possessed the Chancellor to go and push himself into the matter ? To me it would appear that he must have been very much de trop. The anniversary solemnized at Petersburg on the nth was a magnificent affair; there were a hundred thousand men under arms, and a saluting battery of two hundred guns. The clergy, the Empress, and the whole Court were present. The hundred thousand men 1834.] THE ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY. 21 marched past the monument of the Emperor Alexander and saluted, after having previously taken part in the church service (all the men kneeling) in the Palace Square. I assure you it was a sight grand beyond description. The solemn devotion of the spectators, and the enthusiasm of the troops as they saluted the monument of the late Emperor, impressed me more than I can say. The old soldiers and the old servants of the Czar were all moved to tears ; I, too, did not escape the infection. The Emperor himself was deeply affected, and it was touching to see him kneel in prayer, all alone, out in the middle of the square. The ceremony was one I shall never forget. Since that day the aforesaid hundred thousand troops have come here, and are now manoeuvring in the neighbourhood of the Imperial Palace, where we are living. Every night there is an entertainment of some sort, or a ball. To-day there is to be a dinner of six hundred people, but to-morrow we have a respite, I trust. The day after to-morrow everybody goes away, and we remain here alone with the Czarewitch. They tell me I shall die of ennui, and, indeed, it is more than probable. The place is most beautiful. I have a fine apartment facing south, and looking over the garden, with a lawn and trees that remind me of England. There is a superb colonnade of marble that leads down to the lake ; it is all built in the most magnificent style, and the gardens are kept up with a care that you would hardly find equalled even in England. The park is very fine, too ; in short, there is no lack of drives and walks ; but I shall find little occasion for venturing forth, for very soon everything will be nipped and grow hideous, as of late the season RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. has begun to change. When bad weather sets in, I shall confine my walks to the interior of the Palace, in which we live, and its size is quite sufficient to tire me out. I have met lately, assembled here, all the notabili- ties of the Empire. Among them I have come across some very intelligent persons. Of those I have found occasion to talk with, the following are, perhaps, the most worth)- of remark : Prince Mentschikoff, Minister of Marine; OuvarorT, Minister of Public Instruction; Prince Galitzin, the friend and confidant of the late Emperor Alexander and likewise of the Emperor Nicholas. Prince Galitzin never absents himself from the Palace, and we are therefore destined to inhabit this solitude together. His manners in society are not unlike those ol Lord Alvanley, for his gaiety never fails him. He will be our greatest resource. Count OrlofT is among those 1 count on most — you know him well ; he loses in no way by being seen at home. He is a most able man, and a courtier in the best sense of the term. Such, my dear lord, are our chief per- sonages. Probably later I shall have others to add to the list. As for Count Nesselrode, I have talked of him so often to you that I need only mention his name. As you well know, he is the man of all others 1 like best in Russia, and my good opinion of him goes on increasing. Among the Corps Diplomatique the gens (Vesprit are M. de Ficquelmont, the Austrian Ambas- sador, and M. de Heeckcren, the Dutch Minister. The English Minister* has no need of wit to make him liked by me. Further, he in no wise lacks in the matter of being agreeable, and is much liked here. It * The Hon. J. I). Bligh. 1 834.] THE EDINBURGH DINNER. 23 is, however, only in Petersburg that I shall see diplo- matists in society, for during the summer they do not come out to the Court. I have just been interrupted, and have only a minute to add my assurance to you of devoted friend- ship. No. 6. Howick, Oct. 1th, 1834. Dearest Princess, I have received your No. 4, 4/16 September, with all the pleasure which your letters never fail to give me. . . . The ceremony at the inauguration of the statue of the Emperor Alexander must indeed have been mag- nificent, and I am not surprised that you should have been deeply affected by it. There is something in the assemblage of a great multitude on an occasion of this sort, animated by one sentiment, with a mingled ex- pression of enthusiasm and devotion, more overpower- ing to the feelings than anything that I know. This I experienced in a still stronger degree at Edinburgh, being myself the object of it. It really was, at times, all that I could do to suppress emotions which were more than once on the point of making me expose myself. I am sure you will have read with pleasure the account of everything that passed on this occasion. Your remarks in anticipation of it are, as usual, just. The Chancellor would have done much better not to have been there, and I believe his presence was not generally desired. His exhibitions at other places have exposed him to much censure, and to some ridicule ; and I do not believe that his letters to the 24 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [oct. King will have had much success. But this I say only from my previous knowledge of the feeling which existed in that quarter, my correspondence there having entirely ceased. Don Pedro has died in good time for his reputation, crowned with success, and withdrawn from the danger of a reverse, which the difficulties of his situation and his own character rendered equally probable. Our friend Palmella* has my best wishes for the success of his Administration. But when I look at the list of his colleagues, and when I consider the disposition of the leading men in Portugal, and the character of the people, I confess I see more to fear than to hope. Much will depend upon the choice of a good husband for the voungf Oueen. I believe the Duke of Leuch- tenberg + would be the best ; but Louis Philippe will do all he can to prevent it. Since my return I have been enjoying perfect quiet, hardly interrupted even by visitors. We have had Tankerville and ce petit Poulet (without my lady) for one day, and have now Rogers staying with us. We expect the Harrowbys and John Russell on Thursday, the former to stay only two nights. Lord Harrowby is one of those who are most adverse to my politics ; but I have a sincere personal respect for him, and admire both his talents and his agreeable qualities in society. We also expect at the same time the Due de Richelieu, of whom I cannot say quite so much. I had a letter two days ago from Talleyrand. I do not lie had been recently created Duke de Palmella, and was at this time President of the Chamber of Peers and Prime Minister. + Queen Donna Maria married Augustus, Duke of Leuchtenberg, in Tanuary, 1835, but he died two months after the marriage. The Duke was brother of Donna Maria's stepmother, the widow of the ex-Emperor Don Pedro. I834-] LORD PALMERSTON. 25 collect from it anything certain as to his intention of returning ; but the impression it leaves on me is that he will not come back. God bless you, dearest Prin- cess. Lady Grey desires her kindest remembrances. Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 5. Czarskoselo, Sept. 12M/24///, 1834. Your letter No. 4 reached me, my dear lord, the day after I had despatched my last to you. Let me once for all assure you of the great interest your letters afford me, and of the pleasure I derive from them ; and believe me when I say that among all the friends I have left behind in England, you are the person most often present in my recollection — the one in whom I place the most unlimited confidence, and for whom I feel the greatest tenderness. In truth, it is on you that I shall count, when all others fail me ; treat me, therefore, in like manner, for I am worthy of your trust. It surprises me in no way to hear of Lord Palmerston's silence towards you. I can be surprised at nothing, unless it be at seeing you place your con- fidence in one who so little merited it. Ah, well ! for a long time past, about very many things, I have wished you could have had your eyes opened. How differ- ently events would have fallen out ! To begin with, I should then still have been with you in England ; for more than ever do I repeat to you, in all certainty, it was Lord Palmerston who drove us away. He is crafty in his hatreds, and then, as M. de Talleyrand used to say to me, ' The Minister of Foreign Affairs, 26 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [sept. however pitiable a creature he may he, can always get rid of an Ambassador who displeases him.' And so it all fell out. . . . Lord Palmerston gets on admirably with Count Medem.* I am charmed at it, for Russian affairs prosper thereby ; but our Court has never acted differ- ently from what it is now doing, and we have at all times merited the confidence which only now, at the eleventh hour, is being shown towards us. My dear lord, had you only believed me in time, had you only listened to what I said, it would all have been so different. But let us leave the past — we cannot bring it back. . . . We are living here in the most complete solitude. The Imperial children, and the few persons who are in immediate attendance on them, form the whole circle of our society. In the morning I go and make my visit to the little Grand-Duchesses. Sometimes I have a few persons to dinner. In the evening I throw open my drawing-room ; the Czarewitch comes, and my visitors amount to some twenty persons. It is life in a country house ; but ah ! where are my old friends ? and where is your beautiful climate ? The death of the wife of Don Carlos + is no bad * The Russian Charge d'Affaires in England. Lord Palmerston (' Life,' by Sir Henry Bulwer, Book XL), in a private letter to his brother at Naples, written June 27, 1S34, says : ' With Russia we are where we were, bickering and on the point of a quarrel. The Lievens go away in a fortnight ; Medem is already arrived. I am very sorry on private grounds to lose old friends and agreeable members of society, but on public grounds I do not know that their loss will be great. I suspect that Nicholas has discovered that he has made a great mistake in recalling them ; but I hear that Orloff and others like him are delighted.' This hardly tallies with Princess Lieven's view, that Lord Palmerston had urged the recoil of her husband. See, however, the account of a conversation that took place about this time between Lord Melbourne and Mr. C. C. Greville : 'Diary,' 1st Series, iii., p. 136. See also above, vol. ii., p. 501. t Don Carlos, brother of Ferdinand VII., had married Maria Francesca d'Assisc, daughter of John VI. of Portugal, and sister of Don Miguel 1 834.] AFFAIRS IN SPAIN. 27 matter for the Queen Regent, and it would not sur- prise me if Don Carlos (who was only King by the grace of his wife) were now to turn monk. The Peninsula, however, would neither gain nor lose much by his abdication. The civil war will last a long time yet, and all the treaties in the world cannot stop it, while any active intervention would only make bad worse. King Ferdinand's last Will was a huge mistake ; they would have done far better to have left matters to the old routine, and the Will has thrown everything into endless confusion. We look on at it all here from afar ; you in England may possibly find yourselves much embarrassed by the commotions — in diplomatic dealings with certain of your good friends. Adieu, my dear lord, but send me letters — and letters ; for I shall never cease importuning you for them. A thousand kindest messages to Lady Grey. Remember me to all your children, and my special compliments to Lord Howick, who has won my heart by his speech in the House of Commons on the occa- sion of your retirement. I am quick to love those I esteem. A thousand most friendly regards. No. 7. Howick, Oct. zoth, 1834. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your very kind letter of the 24th September. ... I have little to say. Our life has been passed without variety and without any event to interest us, till the news arrived yesterday of the destruction of the two Houses of Parliament. * A quelque chose le malheur est don, and * Burnt down October 16. 28 RUSSIA— CZ A RSKOSELO. [OCT. this will produce buildings more convenient, and better suited in their appearance and structure to the im- portant matters to be transacted in them. But I cannot help feeling a pang of regret for places where I have been present at so many debates during the most eventful period in the history of Europe, and where I have met, either in contention or in amity, all the most illustrious persons of the age. The last time I was in the House of Lords, I said to myself in coming away, ' I probably shall never be in this house again.' I little thought that this foreboding would be verified in such a manner. The Harrowbys came, as, I believe, I told you I expected, and stayed with us two nights. I alw r ays thought her very agreeable, and her visit confirmed that opinion. He was couleur de rose. I, of course, avoided all subjects which might produce a difference of opinion. Lady Harriet was with them — a most incessant talker, but cheerful and good-natured. The Due de Richelieu and Rogers were here at the same time, and John Russell and Lord Russell came the day before the Harrowbys left us, and are still here, but will remain, I fear, only two or three days more. Of John I need say nothing ; you know him, like him, and correspond with him. The nephew is the most impenetrable person I ever met with.* More silent even than a Russell, it is impossible to get a word from him ; but he seems contented and good-humoured. After they leave us we expect nobody till the middle of next month, when the Seftons talk of paying us a visit. Of politics I have nothing to tell you. The thing * Afterwards eighth Duke of Bedford ; died 1872. 1 834.] LORD BROUGHAM AND LORD DURHAM. 29 that at this moment interests and, at the same time, annoys me most, is the war that is going on between the Chancellor and Durham. You will see in the papers the manner, little creditable to either, in which they are attacking and answering one another at public meetings. Both, as generally happens in such cases, are in the wrong ; but the Chancellor the most so, if it be true, and it is hardly possible to doubt it, that he is the author of an article in the Edinburgh Review, in which, for the purpose of attacking Lambton, he states (and very incorrectly) what passed in the Cabinet in the preparation of the Reform Bill. This I can con- sider as nothing less than a most unjustifiable breach of private confidence and of public duty. This must lead to very mischievous and perhaps, in relation to the Government, to very important consequences, of which it will be my endeavour to keep myself as clear as possible. Lambton has already written to the Edin- burgh Reviewer to contradict, and to complain of his statement. He is to be here on his way to Glasgow, where the dinner, for which he goes, will probably pro- duce more mischief. My advice, to keep him quiet, will be wanting. It really is not becoming his character or station to make such matters the subject of discussion at such meetings ; and if he feels it necessary to vindi- cate himself, or to repel an unjust attack, there are only two proper ways of doing so : either by writing to the Chancellor, or stating what he has to say in the House of Lords. . . . I have not been able to give your message to Howick. He has been detained by the continued bad state of his wife's health ; and I am sure you will be sorry to hear that our last accounts of her are far 3° RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [OCT. from satisfactory. We hope, however, that they will arrive here erelong. God bless you, best and dearest Princess. Lady Grey desires her kindest remem- brances, and pray offer mine to the Prince. Ever most sincerely and affectionately yours, Grey. P.S. — It is reported that Althorp is to marry Lady Clinton. A very suitable match. To Earl Grey. [No. 6.] Czarskoselo, Oct. 6th, 1834. The arrival of the mail-steamer is expected at every instant, and I look forward to receiving a letter from you, my dear lord. I should have wished to await its coming before beginning to write, in order that I might have at least had something to answer ; but as the post goes out again immediately on arrival, I must perforce resign myself to writing, with no letter to answer. And really my present monotonous oxistence furnishes no subject-matter for a correspond- ence, and I already foresee the time coming when my letters will begin to bore you, with the sad result to myself that you will cease giving to one who has so little to give you in return. It is then that I shall believe myself really dead and buried, even before these snows and frosts have taken their last hold of this poor body of mine. What we have here is truly a frightful climate, and so ridiculous, too, at the same time, for the trees still keep green ; and though there is hardly a yellow leaf to be seen, the lawns are all covered with snow. The 1 834.] LIFE AT CZARSKOSELO. 31 only compensation is that our apartments in the Palace are charmingly warmed, without being over-heated, this last being an evil state to which the houses are very prone here in Russia — with most deleterious effects to the health of their inhabitants. I have begun my routine of life. It has all the charm of absolute regularity. Every morning I go and pay my visit to the Imperial children, who are really quite charming, and are a great source of interest to me. This is my only duty, and having undertaken it voluntarily makes it all the more pleasant to me. I generally dine in my own rooms, and always at four o'clock. I invite some few persons, or dine alone, as best suits my humour. At eight o'clock my friends begin assembling in the drawing-room. I have gener- ally about a dozen people — never fewer, and often more. I talk, and make them talk. The Czarewitch shows a desire to profit by my evening gatherings, and accustom himself to the forms and ways of general society. He asks many questions, and listens atten- tively to what is said in reply. I try to get him to talk and tell stories. Above all, I try not to bore him, and he seems to have taken a liking to what might really at his age have been considered rather a weari- some duty. We have supper at ten, and by eleven my soiree is finished. This is what I do six days out of the seven. On Sundays it is I who dine with the Czarewitch, and in the evening I give a dance for him in my apartments. You now know exactly how I pass my time. And as to my mental occupations, do you know what is the greatest source of my pleasure ? It is the putting in order of all my voluminous correspondences with my 32 RUSSIA — CZ A RSKOSELO. [OCT. friends ; and among them all the first place is taken by your letters. It is such a pleasure to me reading them over and arranging them. You have made me very rich, my dear lord. Your letters are the history of the times we have lived through. I find therein mention of every occurrence of importance, and what was your judgment upon each at the time ; and history must one day have in them ample proof (for your letters ought not to be lost) — proof, I would add, of a kind least subject to doubt — of your consistency in all times to your political principles ; of the nobility of your character ; of the prescience of your mind, and of an enlightened judgment — at times almost foretelling the future — on all the events we saw taking place before our eyes. It would, I am sure, make you happy, this reading over of your letters. Our corre- spondence begins in the year 1819.* The year '30 was the time during which you wrote most to me. How many curious facts have I not found among all these letters ! As yet, however, I have only glanced through them, but it has greatly rejoiced me to see how much pleasure there is yet in store for me, when I shall have time to read them all through attentively. As I must live in future on my souvenirs, you can judge how much value I set on all this that I have in my possession. The Emperor is to be back in a fortnight. He met with such extremely inclement weather that his journey has been an unpleasant one. I do not know how, when he returns, he will content himself with our solitary existence here, but they say he is determined * The earliest of Lord Grey's letters preserved in the present correspondence is dated October 16, 1S23. 1 834] LORD PALMERSTON. 33 to share it with us. The Empress being away will make it all very lonely for him. His love and attach- ment to her are beyond anything that I could have imagined. He is in all things a model husband and father. Oct. jth. I have just received your letter of the 23rd ultimo, my dear lord, charmingly long and interesting, and precious to me in every way. Most sincerely do I thank you for it. The Edinburgh dinner is one to be remembered, and I can well endorse all the conclusions you draw from what took place there. It is all very honourable to public feeling. . . . My other London letters give me no hope that Lord Palmerston will go to India. Doubtless, he would not like to grieve all the Courts of Europe by leaving the F. O., where they all have so much need of his genius. They tell me that Lord Melbourne is beginning to feel the vexatious character of the re- lations existing between your country and mine, and that he begins to foresee what grave political conse- quences may follow. He is desirous now of sending us an Ambassador. j\ am curious to see whether this personal arrogance of Lord Palmerston will at last be made to bow before the necessities of State. I doubt it much, for his way is always to make the policy of Great Britain espouse the cause of his private dislikes. / All I myself know is that the Emperor will have no Ambassador at your Court until one has been sent here by England ; and further, that had you some months ago sent one, I should have been still with you in England at this present moment of my writing to you. vol. in. 3 34 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO.. [OCT. My dear lord, to-day we have here a most British fog, and you will hardly imagine what a pleasant feel- ing it has given me. You see how far my sentiments for your clear country have carried me. Adieu — a thousand times adieu, and a thousand friendly remembrances. Your letters are my greatest, almost my only pleasure ; so pray bear this in mind. P.S. — My husband sends you many messages of friendship. To Earl Grey. No. 7- Czarskoselo, Oct. istjiyh, 1834. The last mail-boat, my dear lord, brought me nothing from you. I am, therefore, living on your letter No. 5 ; but since it was both voluminous and amiable, I am still fairly satisfied by its re-perusal. Up to the present moment we remain uncertain when the Emperor will return ; he may appear any day. Meanwhile, our daily life goes on as hereto- fore. I had my usual Sunday ball last night, and it was numerously attended. The Cabinet Ministers all came — Orloff, too — and we talked much of you. You can easily imagine the pleasure it gives me meeting people who have known you. The Times of the 3rd announces the death of Don Pedro. This event may possibly simplify matters in Portugal, but I do not conceive it will put an end to ;ill the troubles of that unhappy country. Palmella is lacking in two very essential qualities — a firm will and a lucky star. Factions spring up and flourish around him, and I do not think a general panacea is to be i834-] THE DUC DE PALMELLA. 35 found in this policy of attempting to suit the case of both Portugal and Spain at once. However, he has all my good wishes, and I never care a jot about Portugal except in so far as it may concern him. Is M. de Talleyrand coming back to England ? and what has become of Billow ? They tell me he is in Berlin. Had he gone back earlier it would have been better. Lord Douro and Mr. Canning have just arrived in Petersburg. I am so sorry they have come here during these stupid autumn months. Society only begins in Petersburg in December, and I am here tied to a country life which prevents my doing any- thing for their entertainment, though, as they are Englishmen, I should have wished to have done my uttermost to be of service to them. The account of your dinner at Edinburgh was in all the foreign papers. It was a notable day in your life, my dear lord. How it must have rejoiced dear Lady Grey ! I wondered at not finding Lord Howick's name among the guests. The Queen has been kind enough to write to me. She appears somewhat put out by the state of affairs she found when she got home to England,* but was much rejoiced by the King's excellent state of health, and was very happy to find herself back with him again. Adieu, my dear lord ; I very often think of you, but it is constantly in my mind that were I not here at Czarskoselo, I should possibly be visiting you now at Howick. Ah, what a different scene it would be ! A thousand most faithful regards, * Queen Adelaide had lately been abroad, and had visited her former home at Meiningen. 36 RUSSIA— CZARSKOSELO. [NOV. No. 8. Howick, Nov. <\th, 1834. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letters of October 6 and 13. . . . Your account of the manner in which you pass y< >ur time interested me very much. You have made it, by the distribution of your occupations, as pleasant as a life at Court can be. But you know how little that would suit me. I have the same attachment to my King that you have for your Emperor, of whom I also am a great admirer. But there is a want of freedom in the etiquette of a Court, and freedom with me forms the greatest charm of society. I cannot bear, in the ordinary occupations of life, not to be my own master. Here, therefore, I lead the life which exactly suits me. I love regularity ; I find plenty of occupation in the improvement and care of my place ; I am happy in my family, and I can safely say that not an hour has been heavy on my hands, or been embittered with regret for loss of power, since my arrival here. My separation from you is the only affliction I have, and this, I confess, is a great draw- back on my other enjoyments. . . . We have had some visitors, but not many — the Harrowbys, as I believe I told you; the Duchess-Countess,* who was delighted with everything (query, was it sincere ?) ; and lastly the Dowager Lady Anson and her three daughters. This was a real visitation. Creevey arrived to-day, the forerunner of the Seftons, whom we expect next week, and others who are less known to you. I am afraid I like our family party best, but it The Duchess of Sutherland. 1834.] . LORD DURHAM AT GLASGOW. 37 is not good to live too much alone, particularly as life advances. One gets bad habits. I know nothing of politics, except what is forced upon me. You will have seen the accounts of Lord Durham's dinner at Glasgow. I saw him here on his way thither, and did all I could to keep him quiet. From the temper in which he left us I had hoped I had succeeded. But I could have anticipated nothing so bad as what has taken place. # No respectable person, except the chairman, attended him at the meeting. It was completely Radical, and he has entirely joined himself to that class. The measures to which he has pledged himself I feel myself bound, by every obligation of honour and duty, to oppose ; and if the Government does not take a decided line in that sense, I cannot support them. You may easily imagine the pain which this gives me. I shall abstain from all interference as long as I can ; but if obliged to take a part, I shall not shrink from the performance of my duty. The breach between Durham and the Chancellor is now irreparable, and must come to an open conflict. It is impossible for me to write to you what I should have to say if I could have the happiness of seeing you, but you may guess at the consequences of a contention between two such spirits. I had a letter about ten days ago from Madame de Dino. She says she doubts more than ever of their return, but I see their early arrival is announced in the newspapers. The truth is that Talleyrand has ex- pressed so openly his dislike of Palmerston, that it * For Lord Durham's speech (attacking Lord Brougham), see the report in Times of October 31 ; Lord Brougham's article in the Edinburgh Revietu had appeared in October, 1834. 3 S RUSSIA— CZARS KOSELO. [NOV. must be known to the latter, and would make it un- pleasant for Talleyrand to return while he is Minister. Of Btilow I know nothing, but that he is gone. He is one of those I can spare. God bless you, dearest Princess ; you see how freely I write to you, but it is only upon condition that my letters are never seen by anybody but yourself. What you say of those which you possess is very flat- tering, but I have no desire that they should be pre- served as materials for history. On the contrary, I must insist on your taking care that they never fall into other hands. This promise I must exact. With- out it I cannot continue to write with the freedom which 1 wish to prevail in our correspondence. Once more, God bless you. Yours ever, G. [39] CHAPTER II. ST. PETERSBURG. Dismissal of Lord Melbourne— Sir R. Peel travelling in Italy— The King sends for him — Lord J. Russell — The Emperor at Moscow — Portugal — Palmella — Louis Philippe — The Czarewitch at Moscow — Voyage to Berlin — The Duke of Wellington undertakes the Government till Sir R. Peel's Return — The Ministerial Crisis in France — Society at St. Petersburg — The Due de Bassano — Lord Palmerston — The Globe — Sir R. Peel and the Tamworth Manifesto — The Elections— Lady Jersey— M. de Talleyrand — Sir R. Peel's Ministry — The Duke of Northumberland and Lord Howick — Lord Howick's Success — The Elections — Ministerial Appointments — Lord Lyndhurst — The Whig-, and the Radicals — Death of the Duke of Gloucester — Lord Stanley and the Whigs — The New House of Commons — Sebastiani — The Cold in Russia — Illness of the Princess— The English Ambassador in Russia — Sir R. Peel and the Duke — Count Pozzo-The Queen said to be enceinte— Lord London- derry's Appointment to Petersburg. [Lord Althorp's presence in the House of Commons, as leader, had for long past been the only power that kept the Ministry from falling to pieces. In November he succeeded his father as Earl Spencer. The selection of a new leader in the Lower House, and the proposal of Lord J. Russell — whom the King refused, saying he would make 'a wretched figure'— led to the dismissal of Lord Melbourne on November 15. The King then sent for the Duke of Wellington.] No. 9. Howick, Nov. 19/I1, 1834. My Dearest Princess, Having had no letter from you since I last wrote, I have little to say — at least, little that I could safely commit to writing. Yet a great event has taken place in the dismissal of the Ministers, of which I 4° ST. PETERSBURG. [nov. received information yesterday by a letter from Mel- bourne from Brighton. Of all the circumstances attending this result, which appears from the letters I received from them up to the last moment not to have been at all expected by my late colleagues, I am not yet sufficiently informed to give you an account. But after all that has happened since the resignation of Stanley, the Duke of Rich- mond, etc., I confess the King's determination has caused me no surprise. I am not one of those who think there will be so much difficulty in forming a new Administration as many suppose. The events to which I have alluded have rendered the moment more favour- able for such an attempt than it would have been some time ago. Peel's absence, " however, must cause a great embarrassment ; and if a notion gets abroad that what has happened was caused by the interference of the Queen, which I do not believe, it may produce a strong and dangerous effect on public opinion."!" John Russell had made up his mind to succeed Althorp as leader in the House of Commons. He is most fortunate in having escaped a task to which I am persuaded he would have been found, from want of bodily strength, if from no other cause, quite unequal. In this opinion the Duke of Bedford, who is now here, quite agrees with me. Upon what is to follow, I will not pretend to specu- late ; but the future appears to me to afford more reason for apprehension than hope. I never cease to bless my stars for my fortunate escape from all responsibility * He was at this time travelling in Italy. f The Times, in the leading article (November 16, ascribed to Lord Brougham), concluded with the memorable words, ' The Queen has done it all.' The Times, however, contradicted this statement in its next issue. 1834.] CZARSKOSELO. 41 in the present confusion. How keenly this event has awakened all my regrets for your departure! If your recall had not been so hastily determined upon, you might have remained. This, to one at least, would have been a great consolation, whatever may happen. God bless you, dearest Princess. I have not, at present, time for more, and I have, as I have already said, nothing- to answer. Ever yours most devotedly, G. To Earl Grey. No. 8. Czarskoselo, Oct. wtlilzyd, 1834. The mail steamer has met with an accident, my dear lord, which prevents its leaving the day after to-morrow ; the steamer from Liibeck, which we have been expecting for the last four days, has not yet come in, all of which means that I have little to say and nothing to answer. I must send you my letter by the land post, and I write because I imagine you wish to hear from me, that you like my letters because you love me, and because I myself feel the sad need of a little talk with you. I have absolutely nothing of news to tell you. I have not stirred out of this place, and my days run on in the manner I have already described to you. The only variety is on Sunday, when the high officials of the Court, and the Ministers, come out to pay us a visit, and among them comes Count Nesselrode, whose society is always like a holi- day to me. The Emperor's return has been postponed ; he is making an inspection of the central provinces, and reviewing some of the army corps. He is to make a 42 ST. PETERSBURG. [OCT. short stay also at Moscow, and will in all probability only arrive here at the end of another fortnight. Having now told you all about myself, let me put some questions in return. Pray tell me what is taking place in England. What is the position of things between the Government, the Radicals and the Tories ? Is O'Connell content with it all ? I should be much grieved if he were. Do you not somewhat regret the death of Don Pedro? I myself imagine there is no one in Portugal who inherits either his strong will or his energy ; and certainly for keeping faction at bay the lack of these two qualities will make itself felt most disastrously. Pray tell me what you think about Portugal. As far as politics are concerned, she is too far away from us to interest me much ; but I take some thought in the matter on account of my liking for Palmella. Louis Philippe is doing well to inaugurate the etiquette of a Court at Fontainebleau. This best of Republican Governments would have been greatly amazed four years ago had they been told that Court state would again be held in their midst ! But heaven be praised that it has so fallen out ; you would never imagine how fond I am become of courtly ways ; possibly it is for that reason I so detest revolutions. Oct. 24th. Here is your letter No. 6 just arrived. Thank you a thousand times for it. You would be well pleased could you see how much happiness your letters give me. \\ hen they come I have such pleasant moments, for I make believe I am still at Ashburnham House. Heaven help me ! Matuscewitz has arrived, and I hope to meet him to-day, and am all impatience to talk J 834.] MARRIAGE OF DONNA MARIA. to him. Madame de Dino writes to me very regularly, but I do not gather from her letters, any more than you do, whether M. de Talleyrand is to return to London or not. He adores England, but then he hates Lord Palmerston ; of that there is no doubt. I do not understand why the French Government have shown themselves so adverse to Donna Maria marrying the Duke of Leuchtenberg. If I were the Portuguese, however, I should not approve of the marriage. The quarterings on his father's side leave much to be desired, # and they are a proud race, those Portuguese. From what they all say, however, he is personally a very proper sort of person. Adieu, mv dear lord. A thousand kind messages to Lady Grey. I am fully of your opinion as regards Lord Harrowby, as long as he keeps to English ; but when he talks French he bores me, for he is pre- tentious, is a purist in literature, recites verses, and has a grating voice, all of which are antipathetic to me. He has an excellent head for business, however, and has had great experience in dealing with people, so his advice is always worth listening to. His wife is charm- ing, very witty, and full of good sense, without an atom of pretence. And, although she has never, I fancy, confessed it, she has always had a strong liking for you. Adieu, once again. My love to Lady Georgiana, and a thousand kindest regards. My husband sends you many messages. * His father was Eugene Beauharnais, son of the Empress Josephine, by her first husband. 44 ST. PETERSBURG. [nov. To Earl Grey. No. 9. Czarskoselo, Nov. 1st, 1834. I grieve to say the steam-boats do not run any longer, my clear lord, for the frost cuts us off now from all direct communication with the outer world. At last I am beginning to realize what a very long way off I am from you, and the knowledge of it goes to my heart. We have two feet of snow here ; all our beautiful drives arc- stopped, and my solitude is more absolute than ever, for my husband has gone away. He left a few days ago for Moscow with the Czarewitch, for Moscow had clamoured to see her future ruler, and the Emperor was well pleased to grant our ancient capital this satis- faction, and to give so much pleasure at the same time to his son. He has, therefore, sent for him. They will only be twelve days away, after which both the Emperor and the Czarewitch come back here. I trust the Court will then take up residence in the capital, for till that happens I shall not be able to move from here. The disaster of the burning: of the Houses of Par- liament quite overwhelmed me. It is really a national calamity, and I can well imagine the immense sensation it must have caused. Will it not necessitate the imme- diate assembling of Parliament (only where are they going to assemble ?) in order to vote the sums necessary for rebuilding what has been burnt down ? I am looking forward with the greatest impatience for our next news from England. Unfortunately the mails are very much behind time here, and our latest news- papers are of the 17th of October, the very day 1834] RETURN OF THE CZAR. 45 after the fire. The last post brought me nothing from Howick. My latest news of you is therefore your letter No. 6, dated October 7. The Grand-Duchess Helene has just been brought to bed of a girl — they are much put out that it was not a boy, for she has had nothing but daughters, and this is the fifth little Grand- Duchess. Nov. 8///. The Emperor and the Czarewitch, my brother and my husband, have all come back together from Moscow, and all in good health. A few hours after their arrival the Court moved to Petersburg, and it is from the capital that I am finishing my letter. I am now settled for the winter. My house is superb, and, at the same time, so comfortable, that even in England I have hardly seen the like of it. I wish you could visit me here — you would be enchanted ; but, then, what is the good of it all with this vile climate, that I never can get accustomed to? The Emperor starts for Berlin to-day, accompanied by his son, and my brother goes with them. My husband remains behind ; he cannot stand the fatigue of such a journey. They travel night and day, and he is too old for this sort of thing now. The Emperor will only be absent a few weeks ; he is going to fetch back the Empress. I am at last to make acquaintance with Petersburg society, for up to the present I have seen nothing but society at the Court. I shall get to know the diplomats, too, which will give me great pleasure, for I must have something to remind me of Europe. I have lived in that quarter of the world too long: to be able to get on without news of it. Tell me of all that is taking place in England, and 46 ST. PETERSBURG. [nov what you foresee as likely to happen. I must beg the pardon of the Government, but really the present Ad- ministration* seems to me of so little account, that I cannot imagine how they will be able to meet Parlia- ment. What is happening in Portugal ? and whom does the Queen marry ? As to Spain, one need ask for no further news— with national bankruptcy, civil war, and cholera, she has all the plagues at once. And then, by way of a lucky inspiration, this last will and testa- ment of Ferdinand VII. ! Adieu, my dear lord ; I have not a scrap of news to offer you. We hear of nothing here unless it be of purely Russian affairs. The Emperor's journey went off well, and has done good. He visited various pro- vinces where the Czar had never been seen before. The enthusiasm shown was marvellous, so much so that in one town (Jaroslav, I think it was) he was obliged to change his apartment and live in rooms on a court, for the continuous cheering became perfectly deafening. At Moscow the young Czarewitch created quite a furore, and the Emperor was delighted to have sent for him there. The people were never tired of look- ing at him. I hope some day you will see him in England. Well, good-bye ; it is a sad life I lead here. It is snowing, and I feel we are such a long way off one from the other. [Until Sir R. Peel could be communicated with, the Duke of Wellington, by the King's command, temporarily assumed the duties of First Lord of the Treasury, and at the same time, pending the new arrangements, held the seals of the Home Office, and of the two * Meaning Lord Melbourne's. 1834-] SIR ROBERT PEEL. 47 other Secretaries of State. For himself the Duke refused the chief place ; the battle would have to be fought out in the House of Commons, and the Prime Minister would have to be personally present at the crisis of the struggle. The news of Lord Melbourne's dismissal reached Sir R. Peel in Rome, November 25 ; he imme- diately set out, and reached London on December 9.] [No. 10.] Howick, Dec. 1st, 1834. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letter of the 1 st November — No. 9. . . . You would naturally expect from me much in- formation at this interesting moment. I live here, in a great manner, excluded from the world, and the present state of uncertainty in which we await the return of Sir Robert Peel is likely to last at least ten days longer. In the meantime ' his Highness the Dictator ' is himself the Government, concentrating in himself all the power of the State, and uniting in a manner neither constitutional nor legal the appoint- ments of First Lord of the Treasury and Secretary of State. ' This is producing, according to the best infor- mation I can obtain, an effect very unfavourable to his ultimate success ; and the formation of a new Ministry will be a work of more difficulty than I at first thought it. The manner, too, in which the late Government was dismissed has greatly affected the public feeling. Living in this remote corner, and having, as I have already said, little intercourse with the active world, my means of information are necessarily very limited. Add to this that those with whom I communicate are chiefly persons whose opinions are strongly adverse to the change that has taken place. But with all the 4 8 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. allowances to be made on these accounts, I see strong reasons for believing that public opinion is receiving a powerful direction against the Duke of Wellington and his supporters, and that a conflict is likely to take place which, whatever party prevails, must produce results very unfortunate for the country. What afflicts me most is the tendency that things have to unite the Moderate Whigs with those whose views would still lead them to very extensive, and, as I think, dangerous changes, which it may become very difficult to pre- vent. All this is very vague, but I have nothing better to say in the present state of affairs, though if I could have the happiness of seeing you, I might explain more fully the view which I take of these matters, and the reasons on which it is founded. My time has lately been passed very pleasantly. The whole family of the Seftons, and others, have been here for the last fortnight, and our weather continues very line. . . . The favourite amusement of our visitors is to pass the morning on the rocks by the sea-shore ; and you know Sefton well enough to know that our evenings cannot be otherwise than pleasant. How different the climate which you describe, and for which I really pity you ! But I rejoice to hear that you are so well pleased with your new establishment at St. Petersburg, and always pray that every happi- ness may attend you. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, Grev. 1 834.] LORD DURHAM'S SPEECH. 49 To Earl Grey. No. 10. St. Petersburg, Nov. gfkfeist, 1834. I have just received your letter No. 7, my dear lord, and I realize by its date, October 20, how far separated we now are one from another. As long as the Baltic remained open, the fact was not so keenly brought home to me ; but this cutting off of one of our means of communication seems like a new separation. If this acts on you as it does on me, it will turn to the profit of our correspondence, for I feel myself urged to write to you now oftener even than before. I am more anxious than ever for my English letters, and, above all, for yours. I devour all the newspapers I can get with an inconceivable avidity, and I am better pleased by a visit from Mr. Bligh than from anyone else ; in short, it is English and of England that I must speak, in order to keep myself in passably good spirits. Lord Durham's speech at Glasgow was of a strong order ; we shall see if he will and can act up to the principles there expounded. The speech seems to have made much stir both in England and abroad. I see that France deems herself offended by it. I have just read the article in the Edinburgh Review which gave rise to Lord Durham's attack on the Chancellor. The latter was certainly the first offender. It all appears to me a war of words, in which the personal element has been carried much too far ; and what you say on the subject entirely coincides with the con- clusions I myself had already drawn. We as yet know nothing of the result of the recent vol. in. 4 5 o ST. PETERSBURG. [NOV. Ministerial crisis in France. It appears to be grave, and I wonder whether you will not feel the counter- shock of the contest over in England. Hitherto a certain sympathy in the matter of political crises has always been found to exist between the two countries. Further, it would seem to me likely that the present Government* in England will find some difficult)' in getting on comfortably, what between the Chancellor and certain other of its members. No Administration can hold its ground when its members are always quarrelling, and assuredly this present Whig Government can hardly be considered as united in the bonds of amity. What is become of M. de Talley- rand ? I have heard nothing of him, for, much to my annoyance, they have kept back in London a letter for me from Madame de Dino ; and it would have told me everything. Lady Cowper writes to me very often, but, then, she is so hand in glove with the present Ministry that I do not learn much from her letters. I prefer hearing from outsiders, for they at least do not try to mislead. It is astounding how like bad faith this Ministerial prudence too often becomes. Since the departure of the Emperor and his son, I have been trying to orient myself somewhat in Peters- burg society. I am at home every evening. Up to the present, however, I cannot say that I have made any very notable progress. I see plenty of people, but have found no society. I am very well pleased with your Minister here, and with the two Ambassadors of Austria and France. Marechal Maison is a soldier of the school of Bonaparte, with rather too much of garrison manners and methods of speech to be quite to * Meaning Lord Melbourne's. 1834.] MARSHAL MAI SON. 51 my taste ; but he is an intelligent man and full of tact, without either exaggerated ideas or diplomatic affecta- tions ; and he is, besides, full of good sense and very amusing. See what poor letters I write you now, my dear lord, and what a fine opportunity you have of showing your generosity towards me ! You have everything to give, and nothing to receive, unless it be the reiterated assurances of my constant and warm affection. My husband desires me to give you many messages from him, and both to Lady Grey and Lady Georgiana I send my most affectionate greetings. To Earl Grey. No. 11. St. Petersburg, Nov. 18////30M, 1834. Your letter No. 8 has just arrived to make my heart warm, my dear lord. It was some time since I had last heard from you. At least to me it all seems such a long time, and you are so far off. Thank you again and again for all your kind thoughts. But first I must answer the last paragraph of your letter : I give you my promise that your letters shall never go out of my hands. I hold your letters to be among the most precious of my possessions, and I only regret that it is I alone who can admire and enjoy them. Well, we have had plenty of events during the last few weeks, but I am now living too far away to judge of it all rightly. In France it seems as though the King wished to be sole master, and arbiter in every- thing. And he is quite right ; I only trust he will 4—2 5= ST. PETERSBURG. [nov. succeed, for his policy of peace is what will best suit the rest of the world as well as France. The: Bassano Ministry* was of very poor stuff, and it has made all haste to fall to pieces. Melbourne's Administration was, in truth, very little stronger than the other in its constituent parts, and as I foresaw had hardly better chances of life in it ; but I certainly did not imagine it would have fallen to pieces, as it has done, at the very first shock. Parliament was not even in session to incommode them. I do not yet know who are their successors ; but it is, at all events, a great gain to have Qfot rid of Lord Palmerston — and I trust for ever. If I am mistaken in this hope, and should he ever come to read this letter, he will hardly be surprised at this expression of my opinion ; and, further, it is the opinion held in every Cabinet of Europe, including even those Governments with whom he deems himself to be on the best of terms. You will readily understand how curious I am to hear everything, and how interested I shall be in all that is going on in England. I trust my friends will have thought of me a little, and will send me letters with all the details ; it is impossible to tell me enough about it all. Your views on the subject will be to me of the highest possible value, and I implore you to spend some of your time in writing to me. Peel's absence appears likely to act unfavourably for the formation of a Tory Government. The ultra-Tories seem as difficult to manage as ever ; indeed, they are most impracticable. I do not imagine the King will take Lord Durham as Premier, unless he really feels * In November the Due de Bassano became President of the Council and Minister of the Interior, but resigned almost immediately. 1834.] LORD ALTHOKP. 53 that the knife is at his throat ; and even then there is the Queen to count with. No other combinations seem possible, unless he should make up his mind to imitate Louis Philippe and take back the servants he has just dismissed ; but this would be too silly. Every- thing, however, is possible in the days we now live in. But all this is idle talk, for most probably by this time they will have got together a Tory Administration on moderate principles, and while awaiting Peel's arrival a nominal Premier will have been installed. Till I learn all about it, however, I shall be able to think of nothing else. Now Palmerston has gone, I suppose you will name some Ambassadors. Under his rule it was impossible there should be any dignity in the way things were managed. I cannot help laughing when I think of the diplomats who are at present in London. They are certainly a very sorry set. Sunday, Dec. 2nd. The English newspapers of November 15 tell me that it was the King who dismissed his Ministers. This was a surprise to me. When, however, I call to mind the great importance which you appeared to attach to Lord Althorp's personal influence (to which you also alluded in your speech in Parliament), I quite understand that, with no great attachment towards any of his other Ministers, the King was entirely in his right in looking upon Lord Althorp's translation to the Upper House as a virtual dissolution of the existing Administration. Also the pretext, if he really was waiting for one, was not ill chosen. My curiosity is greater than ever now to know how it will all turn 54 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. Out. The Globe [id est Lord Palmerston) draws the sword, and wants a war to the knife between the extreme parties. I make a thousand conjectures, and long to be able to give a peep into London. I can think of nothing else, in short, and look to you for charity. You must explain it all to me. I promise to believe all you tell me. Good-bye, my dear lord ; you see I can talk to you of nothing but England to-day. Besides, about myself I have nothing to tell you. I am vegetating in this most atrocious of climates. My husband and I take it in turns to be laid up. This week the Court returns. A thousand kindest regards. Yours ever, and with my whole heart, [After Sir R. Peel's return and acceptance of office there was for a time an idea that Lord Stanley (afterwards the fourteenth Earl of Derby) and Sir James Graham would have been prevailed upon to join the new Administration. Both, however, refused. On the 17th Sir R. Peel issued the famous letter to his con- stituents, known as the Tamworth Manifesto, indicating the principles which his Government would follow, and the reforms which he desired to carry through. Immediately after this, Parliament was dissolved.] No. 11. Howick, Dec. 15///, 1834. Dearest Princess, I received your letter of November 21, No. 10, two days ago. ... We are still he7 r e in the same uncertainty as to the formation of the new Government. We only know that Peel is first Minister, the Duke Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Lyndhurst Chancellor. The other appointments, I suppose, waited for Stanley's 1 834.] LORD STANLEY. 55 answer. His refusal having been now received, the further arrangements will of course proceed, and must be purely Tory, there being no other resource. Whether a Government of this colour can be now maintained more easily than at any former period, when the impossibility of it was acknowledged, remains to be seen. But all that passes under my now very limited observation leads me to apprehend increased difficulty and danger. The country will be more than ever divided between the extreme parties. The losers in the approaching elections will be the Moderate Whigs, and when the new Government fails — and fail I think it will — what is to follow ? All this might have been prevented if the faction in the House of Lords would have allowed me to carry the reforms which they now wish the country to believe they are themselves willing to undertake, and to settle the action of the Government on the principle of a pro- gressive but really Conservative improvement. In the meantime, you see that the controversy between Brougham and Durham has ceased ; the cry now is to sink all differences for the purpose of uniting against the common enemy, and I have little doubt you will see these two chiefs in close alliance at the meeting of Parliament. I am, thank God, in port, and am determined not to lose the advantages of that situation. Howick renewed his application to this county on the principles which I have described above, and declared himself frankly against any further alteration in the constitution of the House of Commons. This, however, has not prevented the Government, aided by the Duke of Northumberland, from sending down that puppy, 56 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. Liddell, to oppose him. He is attacked therefore, and must carry on the war with vigour against those who would not allow him to remain at peace. But I find myself involved in all the expense and trouble of a contest, which I did all I could to avoid, and which I think it would have been wise in my adversaries, with a view to their own interests, not to have provoked. Of Howick's success I have not the least doubt. The\' have also attacked the seat of the Lieutenant- Colonel* at Wycombe, giving their aid to his old opponent, who is a declared Radical. Such are your true Conservatives. What you say of the correspondence of persons connected with the Government is very true, and more especially, I should think, with respect to Lady Cowper. I am often amused when I recollect her horror of my over-Liberal principles, and see her now so anxious for a Ministry whose great merit, as proclaimed by their supporters, is that they were inclined to go greater lengths in the work of reform than I was. I hear Lady Jersey is more excited, more loud, more vulgar, and altogether more foolish, than ever. The last thing I heard of her was that a letter from her had been shown saying that ' old Grizzle ' (meaning me) will support the Duke. It must be confessed that they have shown in their conduct a great desire to obtain such a result ! We are now reduced to a small family party, and even that diminished by the dispersion of my five sons, who are at home, who are canvassing the county in all directions. Since my last the only visitor we have had is the Duchess of Bedford. She stayed with us * The Hon. Charles Grey. 1 834.] M. DE TALLEYRAND. 57 three days, and was very agreeable, passing all the mornings on the rocks, and enlivening us in the even- ing by her cheerfulness. Alas ! she has taken away my excellent confectioner, whom I could not any longer afford to keep. Lady Grey had a letter a few clays ago from Madame de Dino, announcing positively M. de Talleyrand's determination to relinquish his post. I am afraid this has been occasioned by the state of his health, of which the Duchess does not give a good account. She says his bad leg is much swelled, and his infirmity consequently increased. This is not a good symptom at his age. . . . God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. No. 12. St. Petersburg, Dec. 6th, 1834. Your letter No. 9, of November 19, is just come, my dear lord ; my best thanks for it. I was awaiting its arrival with the greatest possible im- patience to know what view you would take of the recent changes. Your opinions seem to me now, as heretofore, dictated by a far-sighted intelligence, un- biased by party spirit. You, however, tell me nothing but the fact of the Ministers having being dismissed, and of the Duke of Wellington having been sent for to form an Adminis- tration. His first acts after this appear to me to have been nobly conceived, and they should predispose the public in his favour. His is a proud position, and as 5 8 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. yet he manifests all due deference to the public will. He undertakes the burden of every office, but does so only on the understanding that he will render back his chargfes into other hands. Similar circumstances have o never occurred before, and whatever may follow, his present acts can surely not have prejudiced public opinion against him. Such is my view of these recent events, but seen from afar — though in thought I am very near to you, for England entirely occupies me just now, and I continually speculate on what is happening there, and what will follow on it all. To me things do not look very black, and in my opinion you could do much, if you would, to bring about a happy result. Your moral support would be of the greatest and most real benefit to the new Government. As I do not imagine that they can propose reversing what you have accomplished, and that you, on the other hand, are as far from being a Jacobin as any of the Tories, your support of their measures might very naturally, it appears to me, be given to them. They are, after all, the opponents of the policy advocated at the Glasgow dinner. The tone in which you have written to me about this celebrated banquet shows that you, at least, are not one of those who think well of the doctrines there put forth ; and however much you may now wish to keep in the background, a moment may come when keeping silence would be a grave error of judgment. This, surely, you would never willingly commit. And now, my dear lord, pray take pity on me and write, for it is only on you that I can count for getting at the truth. It is not those whose vanity has been so wounded who will afford me just views of the I834-] LORD PALMERSTON. 59 present state of things. I need not try and make believe that the fall of Lord Palmerston gives me any great matter of regret. In none of the European Cabinets will they waste much time in lamentation on this subject. It would be difficult to find any Secretary for Foreign Affairs who has been so thoroughly detested as he, both by friends and foes. His reinstatement in office must be impossible ; any- thing else may come to pass, but he cannot come back to Downing Street, # and I can rest in peace on this matter at least. . . . As yet we have neither Emperor, Empress, nor Czarewitch ; they are all expected the clay after to- morrow. Adieu, my dear lord ; my heartiest messages to all those you have with you, and, need I add ? accept my true assurances of friendship for yourself. [Sir R. Peel's Ministry was composed as follows : Sir R. Peel . Lord Lyndhurst Mr. Goulburne Duke of Wellington Earl of Aberdeen Sir H. Hardinge Mr. Herries . Lord Wharncliffe Earl de Grey Mr. A. Baring (afterwards Lord Ashburton) Mr. W. E. Gladstone First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Chancellor. Home Secretary. Foreign Secretary. War and the Colonies. Secretary for Ireland. Secretary at War. Privy Seal. Admiralty. Board of Trade. Under Secretary for the Colonies.] Events proved the contrary. 6o ST. PETERSBURG. [dfx. [No. 12.] Ilowick, Dec. 30M, 1S34. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your No. 12, December 6. You are anxious to receive accounts of what is passing here, and also my opinions upon it. When I first heard of the dissolution of the late Ministry, and before I had any accurate information of the manner in which it had taken place, I was inclined to think a new one might be formed with some hope of success. Ever since, my doubts and fears have been perpetually increasing, and now that the whole arrangement is before us, pure, unmixed, and unmiti- gated Toryism, constructed in a manner to be most offensive to the public feeling, I confess it seems to me nearly impossible that it should last. I endeavour as much as possible, in forming an opinion, to abstract myself from all personal and party feelings. I consider myself withdrawn from public life, and possessing no longer any interest that might be supposed to influence my views. I observe as well as I can, from this remote and quiet corner, those symptoms which are most indicative of public opinion, and when I see in the appeals that are made to the public, that they are on one side apologetic, timid and depreciating opposition, by holding out hopes incon- sistent with all their former conduct, and that on the other side they are of a bold and decisive character, and in those places where the popular feeling is most effective, resting their claims to support on the declara- tion of uncompromising hostility to the new Adminis- tration, I think I have the strongest evidence of the general tendency of opinion throughout the country. 1834] MR. LIDDELL. 61 Here I have had a strong practical instance in confirmation of this view. I told you that Liddell had been sent by the Conservative Club and the Duke of Northumberland to oppose Lord Howick. The enormous estate of the Duke, assisted by the influence of the Tory squires, was supposed to be irresistible ; and so it would have been, had it been supported even by a division of public opinion. Well, this attempt, urged on by the hope of making a strong impression by the defeat of my son, was in the course of one fort- night signally defeated ; and Liddell was obliged to retire, declaring in his farewell address that the only effect of his perseverence would be to endanger the seat of Lord Ossulston. Howick, who acted with the greatest promptitude and spirit, was received enthusi- astically, and is now so strong as to be unattackable. This is the more satisfactory, as his success has been obtained without the least courting of the Radicals. On the contrary, he declared in his first advertisement that he was against any further change in the repre- sentation, and this, one would think, if they had been wise, would have prevented the Tories from attacking him ; and he found throughout his canvass that the electors were as little disposed to Radicalism as they were to submit to the domination of an influence which has now been found to be as nothing when opposed to public opinion. This is another and satisfactory result, though it has not been obtained without some trouble, and more expense that was convenient to me. I have written more, perhaps, than you will thank me for on a matter which relates so exclusively to myself. But it affords a strong illustration of what I have supposed to be the state of public opinion, and is 62 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. confirmed by all that is passing in this neighbourhood. In this and the adjoining county I don't think the Ministers will gain a single member. At Newcastle there is an opposition, but the candidates are all reformers of different shades. Sir M. Ridley,"" a very old friend of mine, is in danger there from having shown an unwillingness to pledge himself to oppose the new Administration. My reports from London are of the same description. Those who superintend the new elections state positively, from the returns they have received, that the Ministers will not be able to command two hundred votes in the new Parliament. Whatever they gain will probably be at the expense of the Moderate Whigs, and this will only make the House of Commons more unmanageable for them and for those who may succeed them. Their late appointments seem to have been dictated by absolute infatuation. Lord Roden, in refusing the Stewardship, has shown more sense than they did in offering it. But what do you say to the choice of Lord Londonderry for St. Petersburg ? They surely must be as mad as he is. Their new Chancellorf seems to have taken a leaf out of Brougham's book. A mot of his is circulated in London — that the character of Peel's address^ was that of every sen- tence having 1 been beo;un at Brookes' and ended at the Conservative Club. This is very good and very true, but not very prudent for a leading Minister. ... Our Corps Diplomatique is, I hope, likely to improve. Alava, I hear, is coming from Spain, and Esterha/y is to return in May. Talleyrand I conceive * Member for Newcastle. He was re-elected. f Lord Lyndhurst. % The celebrated Tamworth Manifesto. i8i4.] THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. 63 to be out of the question, and I see an account in yesterday's paper of his having been taken seriously ill. This, from what we had heard of the declining state of his health, is, I fear, too probable, and at his age there must be great cause for alarm. We are all well, and are now reduced to a strictly family party, which I hope will continue till at least the end of February. Lady Grey and Georgiana desire their kindest remembrances. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours, G. To Bar I Grey. No. 13. St. Petersburg, Dec. 4t/i/i6t/i, 1834. I am awaiting your next letter, my dear lord, with more than ordinary impatience, for the last I received, dated November 19, recorded the bare fact only of the dismissal of the Whigs. Meanwhile I am trying to satisfy my cravings with newspapers, and some few London letters, all more or less coloured by party spirit. Lady Cowper, for instance, is not sufficiently dis- interested in this matter to be capable of an impartial statement, and my Tory correspondents may very well take too ' sanguine ' a view (as you would say in • English). To get the mean between the two extremes, therefore, I read the Times with due attention. You have always quoted that journal to me as a sort of weathercock for public opinion, and as being the one that best showed how the wind was likely to set. Now the Times, I see, is in favour of the new Ad- 64 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. ministration, or rather of the one that is going to be. It is clear that the Times had very little affection for the late Government, and held their talents in no esteem whatsoever. This is perhaps a sufficient reason for their support of the new Ministers. They tell me the union between the Whigs and the Radicals is completely consummated ; but I cannot believe all my Whig friends will have acted so badly as this, and 1 still count on hearing of some honourable excep- tions. Of you, my dear lord, I feel perfectly sure ; you will never consent to a fraternizing with the Radicals. The news of the Duke of Gloucester's death'" seemed to me at first rather like a weight taken off my chest — the poor man used to bore me so terribly. However, I almost regret him now he is really gone, I cling so to everything and everybody whom I have known in England. You will see the Duchess of Gloucester will now get perfectly well. There is nothing so bad for the healthf as small daily worries, and nothing so trying as continual ennui. Our Court is now back in Petersburg, and the Imperial Family are all fairly well. The Empress is perfectly recovered. The Czarewitch, however, sprained his ankle the day he arrived here, which will keep him confined to his room for the next few days. I see the Emperor constantly, and the Empress almost every other day, when I dine and pass the evening with her. The Emperor comes and pays me visits — in short, I am treated with all possible kindness. As soon as the Czarewitch is well, I shall begin my soirees * Died November 30. t The Duchess of Gloucester survived her husband nearly twenty-three years ; she died in 1857. 1 834.] THE WHIGS AND THE RADICALS. 65 again, and the Emperor and the Empress will come to these, which is an honour that has never been paid to anyone before. I tell you of all this because you insist on my writing about myself. This is the obverse of the medal, but it has its reverse side, which is that my health is daily getting feebler. The snow and ice seem to be penetrating into my very bones, and the doctors themselves do not quite know how I am to get through the winter. This all makes me very melan- choly. If you could only send me some of your soft English air when you send me your kind letters ! Adieu, my dear lord ; pray remember how full of curiosity I am, and how all that goes on in England interests me ; above all, remember that I greatly need your letters, and always need your friendship. A thousand kindest regards to you and yours, To Earl Grey. No. 14. St. Petersburg, Dec. i2t/iJ24?/i, 1S34. Your letter of the 1st December (which is without a number) has reached me, my dear lord, and I thank you heartily for it. . . . All we know here as yet is the bare fact that Peel has arrived in England. What I most hoped was that an alliance might have been brought about between him and Stanley, and I had imagined this now would have been quite possible. Above all, I had trusted to my friends the Whigs not being urged by party spirit into leaguing themselves with those whose principles ought to be so abhorrent to them. The newspaper accounts, however, give me now little hope that this will be vol. in. 5 66 ST. PETERSBURG. [dec. avoided. I see with regret that all the Whigs appear to be turning Radicals, and this, forsooth, simply be- cause they are no longer in office. Their conduct may doubtless be justified by every sort of specious reason, but in point of fact the real cause lies in this fact alone. I am quite of your opinion, my dear lord, and very well pleased that you at least are no longer mixed up in any of the present business. You retired with honour intact, and your political conduct was ever in harmony with those great principles which have been your guides from the outset of your career. I shall never have to hear it said that you have joined the ranks of the Radicals. The next post will doubtless bring us news that the new Administration has been formed. The papers speak of a dissolution, but this I can hardly credit ; for I do not see w r hy Sir R. Peel should not try and carry on the Government with the present Parliament. The cold here continues on the increase, and my pains in the chest keep pace with it. I hardly go out at all now, except to make my visits to the Empress. Otherwise I do not stir from my rooms. I see plenty of people at my soirees, and in a few days the Czare- witch will have sufficiently recovered from his sprain to come and pass his evenings with us again as hereto- fore. I have only been once to Court lately. It was on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday. The cere- monies lasted nearly the whole twenty -four hours through — from ten in the morning of the one day till two o'clock on the morning of the next, with only a few hours of rest in between. It was a splendid sight. We sat down to supper in a hall that made one think 1835.] M. DE TALLEYRAND. 6/ of other climes, being filled with orange-trees ; but out of doors, alas ! it was all very different. I see with regret that M. de Talleyrand returns to England no more. Certainly London will be pitifully conditioned now in the matter of diplomats, and he, too, will be miserable at being there no longer. I pity above all Madame de Dino, whom I hold as a most excellent and kindly person, whatever they may say to the contrary, and this in addition to her many brilliant social qualities. How we are all of us scattered abroad now ! and it all took place in a moment. It saddens me to think of it all. Adieu, my dear lord ; pray cheer me up occasionally by your letters. Tell me all the news, what you think, and what you and all your family are doing. In short, I want to hear a little of everything, and a great deal of your friend- ship. Good-bye once more, and a thousand kindest remembrances to Lady Grey. No. 13. Howick, Jan. \T,th, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letters of the 1 6th and 24th December, and cannot sufficiently express my gratitude for these proofs of your constant kindness and recollection. You ask for frequent communications, for informa- tion as to what is passing, for my opinions upon it. . . . Everything that I know, or can observe, tends to the confirmation of what I have already told you. The elections, of which the papers will give you 5—z 68 ST. PETERSBURG. [JAN. the best account, arc proceeding, as I expected, with gain in some places, which must have been previously calculated upon, to the Ministers; with advantage to the Radicals ; with loss to the Moderate Whigs ; and with a general excitement throughout the country, which strongly marks the opposition of public opinion to the new Government. The result will be the pro- duction of a new House of Commons, as I have already- more than once predicted, worse composed and more unmanageable than the last. Whatever gains they may boast of, there Mill still be a majority against the Ministers, containing more men of violent opinions and violent manners — men who will add personal to political enmity. In the late House of Commons the Minister must have failed if he had attempted to act on Tory r prin- ciples (can he act on any other ?), but his failure after the dissolution, which appears to me almost equally certain, will be more painful in its progress, and less remediable in its consequences. The country will thus have been subjected not only to a premature dissolu- tion, under circumstances of great popular excitement, most unnecessarily and rashly produced, but to the return of a new Parliament filled with persons the least fitted for wholesome legislation — persons from the two extremes. . . . It grieves me to hear that your health suffers so much from the severity of the climate. It must be a great change, after being so long accustomed to be out in an open carriage, more than I think was always prudent, at all seasons. I wish I could be allowed, as your physician, to prescribe your return to this more genial air; and, in a political view, it appears to me I835-] THE CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE. 69 that it would have been greatly to the advantage of your Court to have had a Minister here perfectly acquainted, like Prince Lieven, with the persons and parties whose influence will be the greatest in the present crisis. What you say of the Corps Diplo- matique in London is very true. Even Bacourt* is going, and I know little of any who remain. Ester- hazy they say, however, is speedily to return. I hear from Paris that we have objected to Sebastiani as Minister here. Upon what ground I know not. But if it is true, I think it very foolish. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. No. 15. St. Petersburg, Jan. 4th, 1835. Your letter No. 11, which I received a few days ago, gave me pain, my dear lord ; for I see you are to have fresh worries on account of these elections, and I feel so sorry for you. From what you tell me, it seems clear that the Government would have been better advised had they spared you this annoyance. It must, however, be admitted (public affairs standing as they do in England) that for the Tory Government an out-and-out Tory is always a more serviceable sup- porter than a Whig, however Conservative he may be ; and this is probably the plain and simple reason that has urged them to send down their candidate. Further, everything and anything is explicable on the ground * French Charge d' Affaires. 7o ST. PETERSBURG. [jan. of benefiting the party, for party spirit rules every- thing in England. In old clays I have often felt I had no patience with this ; but, after all, it must tend to good, since everything with you works out so well in the end. England truly is both curiously and admirably governed, but it is impossible to explain how it is all done to outsiders. Ah, my dear lord, there is a longing at my heart that hurts me more even than the climate ; how often do I not sigh for the life of the past ! I am really in a pitiable condition. You would hardly recognise me if we met. During the last ten days I have again been dangerously ill — so ill that the date for my being sent off South was fixed upon. The doctors recog- nised so many alarming symptoms, and my constitution was so weakened, that they told the Emperor if I were to remain on here in St. Petersburg, the month of January might prove fatal to me. The Emperor immediately came to see me, as also the Empress, and they both said there was no time to lose. All the necessary preparations had been made, and I was to have started on Saturday, the day before yester- day. My husband and my son George were to have gone with me as far as the frontier, and I was then to have been left by myself to go in search of the sun- shine and warmth of the South. When, however, the moment came for saying good-bye, and for beginning the last preparations, my courage failed me. I was able to convince them that I should never bear up against the mental worries occasioned by being sent forth like an exile, alone, without husband or child, to run the gauntlet of bad inns on all the highroads of Europe, with not a soul to take an interest in or care 1835.] COUNT POZZO. 71 for me. I could not now go back to England ; motives of delicacy would forbid this ; and there is no other place that I care for, and no other country where I have any friends. But it is impossible even to enter- tain the idea of now going to England. My weakness, however, has become so great that the doctors have agreed that, under existing circumstances, there is more danger in sending me away than in letting me stay. It has therefore been decided that I am to try and vegetate here quietly in my rooms till the month of February, without once putting foot out of doors ; and then in the spring I am to set out for Germany, and go on from thence to Italy. For the future, that is, if I survive, a Russian winter is forbidden me ; and this is how my fate remains for the present. I have been really deeply touched by the solicitude shown for my welfare by the whole of the Imperial Family. Every day they come and see me, one following after the other, and I see no one now but them ; I may say, too, that they are the only real friends I have here, and that I love them all as truly as though they were personages of a far less illustrious degree, and of my own kindred. Pozzo has just been named our Ambassador to England, and I am very well pleased that it should be so, for we send you our most distinguished diplomatist ; he has a European reputation. He is to go over to London as soon as the English Government have signified their willingness to receive him. The Duke of Wellington has behaved most handsomely in offer- ing to send the Emperor Lord Londonderry as English Ambassador. He and Pozzo are to be gazetted as soon as the replies have been received. Our despatch ST. PETERSBURG. [JAN. of acceptance leaves to-day. So now at last a proper state of things is again established in the diplomatic relations between our two countries. Had Lord Palmerston but understood the rudiments of common civility in affairs of this nature, things would never have reached the pass they did ; and I should now be still in England ! I await with curiosity to know your opinion of the composition of the new Cabinet. Sir Robert Peel was good enough to write to me soon after it was all arranged, and he sent me his ' Manifesto ' as he calls it (the Tamworth address). It appears to me to be very ably written, and it must have produced a great effect. I am unable to form any exact notion of what will take place in England, though my mind speculates freely on what I learn by letters and read in the newspapers. You tell me the Moderate Whigs will lose in the elections, but it seems to me doubtful whether this will be to the advantage of the Radicals, for I cannot believe that the majority of Englishmen are inclined that way. I therefore conclude the gain must be to the Conservatives, and it seems to me this is what is now most to be desired. But again I ask, is this what will actually take place? It is so difficult to foresee events. Peel is an extremely clever man, and has a head on his shoulders. He is an excellent man of business, and his four years of opposition have taught him much. He is, I think, now very capable of sustaining the part he has undertaken. He will play his cards well, too, I think, and will not allow of their beino- easily snatched from his hand. But do tell me a little what you think of it all, for this is what really interests me. Your letters reach me perfectly intact ; I am 1835.J THE ELECTIONS. 73 always careful to look to this, and as yet no accident has ever happened to any of them. Adieu, my dear lord ; my health is very feeble now ; and writing sometimes pains me much. . . . My kindest messages to all those who are with you. No. 14. Howick, Jan. 2-j/It, 1S35. Dearest Princess, I yesterday received your letter of the 4th instant, and I cannot express to you the pain with which I read the account of the sad state of your health. . . . The elections are now nearly over, and I see nothing in their results to alter the opinions I have already expressed. The Tories have latterly been more successful, and have, upon the whole, consider- ably increased their numbers. Still, they will not count more than two hundred and fifty firm supporters, which leaves them in a fearful minority of the whole House of Commons. But they have the advantage of being firmly united from a common sense of interest and danger, under an official leader, with authority to direct and to control. This is wanting to the Whigs, who, as a body, are numerically superior ; but then there are the Radicals, over whom there is no control, and a body of doubtfuls, balancing between Moderate Whigs and Tories, and who would be likely to vote with the Government upon any question prematurely brought forward, and directly aimed at their existence. I shall not be surprised to see, therefore, either upon the choice of the Speaker or on an Amendment to the 74 ST. PETERSBURG. [JAN. Address, a majority in favour of the Ministers. This would be a great help to them for the remainder of the Session ; but with the possibility of a majority being united at any moment against them, their situation must still be unpleasant and precarious. Thank God I am where I am, and I shall not stir from hence till the end of the next month or the beginning of March. It signifies to me personally very little who are to be now the Foreign Ministers here, as I shall probably see very little even of those with whom I was before acquainted. But if I had remained in office, there is nobody I should have disliked more to see here as your Minister (except Matuscewitz) than Pozzo. God knows how deeply I regret Prince Lieven's removal. But I must always think your Court very much in the wrong as to the cause which produced it. What do you say to the grossesse of the Queen ? It is certainly believed in the family. As she never had a child that lived, even in her younger days, she probably would not be more fortunate now. But for the country a long minority and Regency afford no very happy prospect. All our best wishes attend you. Ever, dearest Princess, most entirely yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 1 6. St. Petersburg, Jan. ^thjiblh, 1835. Your letter of the 30th of December gave me pain, my dear lord ; your presentiments are all of coming evil, and you seem to have but too good reason 1835.] THE RADICALS. 75 for them. I am awaiting further news from England with some anxiety. You give me little hope that the present Administration will remain long in office, and if your forecast be justified in the event, it will be a bad thing for England. As matters now stand, I see but two parties — the Conservatives and the Radicals ; and if the former are turned out of office their fall will of necessity throw all power into the hands of the latter, and the King will have no choice but to take his departure and go to end his reign in Hanover. All that will be left of the peerage of England will be the memory of a former greatness, and, my dear lord, when one thinks of this it is enough to make one weep. It is certainly very striking what you tell me of Lord Howick's triumph ; but, then, why have the Ministers dissolved if their chances are not to be bettered thereby ? I have already referred in my last letter to Lord Londonderry's nomination as Ambas- sador here. I think we shall get on with him well enough ; I imagine, however, he will not be sent till the Ministers know for certain whether they are going to keep in or not. My health gets worse every day, and I really do not know how I shall manage to keep alive till the spring comes. . . . The Emperor comes constantly to see me, and treats me in the kindest way possible ; and as to the Empress, she is a perfect angel of good- ness. I am writing you most stupid letters, but my invalid life is such a contrast to all the animation and interest that occupies your life far away in England. All Europe is watching England now, and great things are taking place there ; but how impossible it is to 76 ST. PETERSBURG. [JAN. estimate what will be the outcome ! Write to me, I beg of you, as often as possible. I ask it of you as an act of charity. It is the only thing that gives me pleasure and distracts my mind, so do not refuse me. Adieu, my dear lord, and do not forget to love me. 77 ] CHAPTER III. ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. The Meeting of Parliament — The Speakership — Sir R. Peel — Marechal Maison — Sir C. Sutton — Lord Stanley— The Moderate Whigs and the Radicals — Lord Palmerston's Defeat in Hampshire — Quarrel between the United States and France — The Amendment carried against the Government — Lord J. Russell — Lord Stanley and Lord Hovvick — Death of the Emperor Francis I. — Illness of Prince George Lieven — The House of Lords — Sebastiani and Alava — Lord Londonderry's Appointment cancelled — Death of Prince George Lieven — Illness of Prince Arthur Lieven — Count Pahlen — Resignation of Sir R. Peel — The King sends for Lord Grey, who refuses Office — Lord Melbourne forms a Government — Lord Howick — Death of the Duke of Leuchtenberg— Lord Mulgrave — Defeat of Lord J. Russell in Devonshire — Death of Prince Arthur Lieven — Princess Lieven ?ets out for Berlin — M. Ancillon — Lord Palmerston's Return to the Foreign Office— Lord W. Russell — M. de Talleyrand and Valencay — The Elections and the Tories — Lord Howick's Success — Duel between Lord Alvanley and Mr. Morgan O'Connell. No. 15. Howick, Feb. 8i/i, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letter of January 16. It grieves me to receive so distressing an account of the state of your health. I must look forward to the approach of a milder season. When will that be in your terrible climate ? I have heard from nobody, and seen nobody who could tell me anything worth repeating, since I wrote. Indeed, everything seems suspended whilst prepara- tions are making for the approaching conflict on the 7 8 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [feb. I9th, # when the first division will take place on the choice of a Speaker. In this the Ministers will have the advantage of union, and of commanding the attendance of all their supporters. Their opponents will be weakened by the reluctance many will feel to g-ive their first vote on such a question, and by the personal goodwill that many bear to Sir Charles Sutton.t Yet I am told the Opposition are very con- fident in their hopes of success. We shall see. In the meantime I shall remain at my secure anchorage here, a calm, but not an uninterested, spectator of the contest. Having said this, I really have nothing to add of any public interest, either in the way of fact or specu- lation. You are already in possession of my opinions, such as they are. I see ' as through a glass darkly,' and consequently have nothing, on which any depend- ence can be placed, to offer. But I must relieve you from the apprehension which you have formed, that if this Administration is overthrown, nothing but one which is Radical can succeed. Of this I do not see the least danger. I have little doubt, if the House of Commons, acting in unison with public opinion, which is by no means Radical, were to come to a vote expressing a want of confidence in the present Government, the means of formine a new one would be found, which would not find it necessary to go beyond reforms suited to the principles of the Constitution, and to the spirit of the ao-e, and which would soon banish from your mind the fear which seems to have possessed it, of the retreat of the Kine to Hanover and of the destruction of the * Day of the meeting of Parliament. t lie had occupied the chair in the House of Commons for nearly eighteen years. 1835.] LADY PONSONBY. 79 English peerage. It is true that the Tories, forgetting their present professions of reform, would revert to their former courses, and throw every embarrassment in their power in the way of the Government. But after the trial they have now made, and its failure, they would become very harmless. All this, however, is matter of distant and very uncertain speculation, and we must wait for the first events of the Session to form a satisfactory opinion. The Queen's grossesse seems now to be univer- sally believed. I think of setting out from home on March 2, but I shall pay some visits on the road, and do not expect to arrive in town till towards the end of the month. How I shall miss you ! We all continue well, but this morning has brought us an account of the death of poor Lady Ponsonby, the widow of Lady Grey's brother, Sir William, who was killed at Waterloo. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 17. St. Petersburg, Jan. 13////25///, 1835. I have an extra opportunity of writing, my dear lord, for a special messenger is to be despatched, and though he is to travel round via Paris, still, the very name of ' messenger ' has such a charm for my ear, that I shall seize the occasion and send you a letter. My letters must now, I fear, bore you extremely, for they contain nothing but an echo of the news from England, and the account of my alternating fits of So ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [jav. courage or terror must always be reaching you at the wrong moment. To-day I am in little better spirits, for the elections in the Midland Counties seem to be going on better and less in favour of the Radicals ; so I say to myself that after all they must give the Ministers a hearing, and that if they only give them time to propose such measures as will satisfy the Moderate Liberals, the Government cannot then be turned out simply because Peel has red hair and Wellington too big a nose. Further, it is unreason- able to suppose that — with the exception of the ultra- Radicals, who will not, I trust, be very numerous — the House of Commons will let itself be dominated by a blind hatred of names. I look to Peel to act with all manner of sagacity and moderation, and you know I have the highest possible opinion of him ; but whether you will agree with me in this, remains to be seen. What, however, we both desire is that England should not become the prey of revolution, and in spite of all you tell me about your advancing age, I am convinced 1 shall still see you putting yourself in the battle-front to ward off danger — if only the need be great enough. My health since I last wrote to you is neither better nor worse. I do not go out, and I see very few people ; for the great world just now is amusing itself with the Carnival, and I remain alone, ill, and rather sad. The kindness of the Imperial Family, however, never fails me. I tell you this once more, because in this country everything is judged by Court favour. It is a point of the greatest moment, so much so that to be in favour or out of favour is the whole question. How strange all this must seem to you ! I see some members of the Corps Diplomatique 1 835.] MARSHAL MAISON. almost every day ; so doing gives me at least people to talk with, and the news of both great and petty events is thus brought to me. Marechal Maison # is a very amusing personage. He has all the frankness and naivete of a soldier, and is most diverting". And with all his simplicity, he is extremely acute, has a good memory, and, in spite of certain peculiarities of manner, which are part of the uniform he wears, gets on very well in Russian society. I shall be sorry to lose Bligh, but I do not imagine he can remain on with London- derry coming. Adieu, my dear lord. A week after having re- ceived a letter from you, I begin to expect another. So my time passes ; I feed on my hopes and my re- membrances. Pray do not neglect me, for you would be wounding me deeply. A thousand kind messages to Lady Grey and Lady Georgiana, and all those who are with you. What is Lord Durham doing now ? Adieu, and a thousand kindest regards. No. 16. Howick, Feb. 17th, 1835. Dearest. Princess, Your letter of January 25, No. 17, reached me yesterday. Thank God that you were able at least to give me the assurance of your not being worse. . . . As the first battle is to be fought the clay after to- morrow^ and as the result will reach you from London as soon as this, it would be very useless waste of time * French Ambassador. f On the 19th, when Parliament assembled. VOL. III. 6 82 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [feb. to trouble you with the accounts which I receive and the speculations which I form. I will just say, how- ever — that you may compare it with the event — that none of the opinions which I have given you are changed ; that my friends, according to the best calcu- lations which they have formed, on what they conceive to be accurate data, are very confident of success in the vote on the Speakership ; # that my doubts remain, and that I think much will depend on the debate, and more on Stanley than on any other person. If he supports Sutton, I think he will be chosen. If not, Abercrombie will be the man. But, then, what is to happen ? ' Ay, there's the rub.' Ministers, I hear, if beaten on this question, will not go out. But how will they be able to go on ? And if they fall either imme- diately or after repeated defeats in the House of Com- mons, who are to succeed them ? or how, in their turn, are their successors to maintain themselves against the force which may be mustered against them ? These are questions which it requires a greater gift of prophecy than I possess to decide. But I must say that the opposition to the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel rests upon something more than an objection to the long nose of the one and the red hair of the other. Surely you have forgotten their conduct when in opposition, and the manner in which Mel- bourne's Administration was dismissed ? And can these men now propose large measures of reform which they pertinaciously resisted, without being suspected of a design, after obtaining confidence by their pro- fessions, to cheat the public expectations, or of exposing * The Whigs, asserting that Sir C. Sutton had busied himself in the subversion of the late Government, opposed his election, and put forward James Abercrombie, who was ultimately elected Speaker by 316 votes to 306. 1835.] THE TORIES. 83 themselves to the charge of having renounced the principles which, up to the moment of their obtaining office, they had uniformly professed ? They have done this once, on the Catholic Question. I defended them, not so much for the sake of the men, as for that of the cause. But this made a strong impres- sion, which has not, even now, been removed. Can they do the same thing again without incurring the contempt of every man who thinks public principle something: more than a mere name ? But I am at the end of my paper, and I will defer saying more till the first events of the Session afford surer grounds for an opinion. I shall go from hence about March 2, most unwillingly. Lady Grey and Georgiana desire their kindest remembrances. Mine to Prince Lieven. Ever, dearest Princess, Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 18. St. Petersburg, Feb. >jlh, 1S35. Your letter No. 13 reached me yesterday, my dear lord. Pray note how much I have already got the better of you in the number of my letters ; you see, I am not too proud to show myself forward in this matter, and only trust to get something in return for my humility. I must, however, admit that it is very noble and good of you not to forget me, for there is nothing in this country that can interest you. . . . From everything I can learn both from my corre- 6—2 84 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [FEB. spondents and from the newspapers, the Government would certainly appear to have gained very consider- ably in the late elections ; and if they can reckon with security on something like three hundred votes, this is more than many of the various Administrations I saw, when I was in England, were ever able to count on. Stanley's speech shows very plainly that he is better disposed towards the Government than he is towards its opponents. He seems convinced, too, that the Ministers may rely on the support of the Moderate Whigs, in their fisfht against the Radicals. This gives me hope that after all they may be able to keep in, and tide over the difficulties in their path. You, it is true, do not seem to be of this opinion, but, then, between your letter of the 13th and the 26th (up to which date we have now received the newspapers) so many of the county elections have turned out favour- able to the Government, that I imagine you may pos- sibly by this time have come round to the opinion I now hold. Lord Palmerston's discomfiture* has amused me greatly. A great man greatly fallen ! What do you say on this American Question ?t I am now so far away that it would be ridiculous in me even to speculate upon the subject, for by the time news arrives of the turn matters have taken, the actual solution always proves to be quite different from what the first reports would have led me to suppose as likely. I imagine, however, that in any case it will be a bad thing for * Defeated in his election for Hampshire. + In regard to claims made by the United States against France for losses sustained by American subjects in consequence of the Berlin and Milan decrees of Napoleon I. In the following year the arbitration of England was accepted by both parties, and the question was settled. It led at the time to the withdrawal of the French Minister from Washington. 1 835.] DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. 85 France, and particularly so because their honour is somewhat concerned therein. The French will always set their vanity in the forefront. . . . My departure from this is fixed for the spring as heretofore. ... My health remains as it was, and I am a prisoner in my house. I amuse myself three or four times a week by having grand receptions, to which the Czarewitch comes. The Emperor and Empress very often come there, and unannounced, which is completely novel to the etiquette of our Court, and for lack of other matters this is a subject of much gossip to the whole town. The Emperor and Empress are both of them as good and kind to me as it is possible to be. Adieu, my dear lord ; let me know how Pozzo gets on in London. How I envy you your sunshine at Howick ! . . . A thousand kindest regards. [On February 19 the Government were beaten on the question of the Speakership. On the 24th Parliament was formally opened by the King, and on the 26th Government were again beaten on the Address. An amendment was carried by 309 to 302, lamenting the unnecessary dissolution of Parliament and the interruption of the progress of reforms.] No. 17. Lambton Castle, March yd, 1835. Dearest Princess, I received your letter of the 7th of February, No. 18, just before I left Howick. After thanking you for it, and telling you, what the date of my letter will announce, that I am thus far on my way to London, I have little to say. For though great events 86 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march have taken place since my last, the accounts of them will have reached you before you can receive this, and my speculations upon them afford me little to add to the opinions I have already expressed to you on the present very critical state of public affairs. I must confess that the result of both the divisions was in a great degree unexpected by me. For though the friends with whom I communicate were very confident, and their calculations — which the event has proved to have been very accurate — precise to an extraordinary degree, I could not persuade myself that the positive force of the Tories, with the addition of Stanley's, would not produce a decided majority in favour of the Government. The result only affords stronger proof of the decided preponderance of public opinion against them. They talk of going on, but this appears to me absolutely impossible ; and their threats of another dissolution I consider only as marks of folly and desperation. Already even, upon the improbable ex- pectation of such a measure, the country is beginning to stir, and if it should be carried into effect, a scene of violence and agitation would take place of which we have yet had no example. In this case I should indeed fear that your worst anticipations, which perhaps I treated at the time too lightly, might be realized. But I had not then calculated upon the possibility of such a state of things. Nor can I even now bring myself to believe that the Duke of Wellington, with all his presumption and all his rash- ness, will hazard an extremity which may involve the country in utter and irremediable confusion. John Russell has acquired great credit by the ability 1835.] LORD HOWICK. 87 he has shown in debate, and I have received the greatest pleasure from the part which Howick has taken, not only on account of the goodness of his speech, but because he has drawn, so stoutly and unequivocally, the line of separation between himself and the Radicals. Indeed, the only difference between him and Stanley was in their votes.* In their views and reasons there appears to have been a great agreement, and I am not without hopes that out of this may arise the means of uniting those who with sound reforming principles combine moderate opinions as to the general policy of the Government, and a steady resolution not to suffer any tincture of Radicalism to prevail in their councils. But this must depend very much on time. If the con- test, so rashly provoked, continues long, a general excitement will prevail, in which the advice of reasonable men will find it difficult to obtain a hear- ing. Of the debates you will form your own opinion. But accounts are uniform that, with the exception of Peel, who was, as usual, artful, and in some parts of his speech powerful, the Government showed still greater weakness in the discussion than in the division. All this makes me regret more and more the necessity of leaving my quiet and happy retreat at Howick, where everything was looking so beautiful, and where my occupations were of so agreeable a nature. We stay here till Thursday, and proceed first to Lord Howden's, then to Woburn and Lord Dacre's, so that we shall not reach London much, if at all, before the 20th. I am in the greatest anxiety about * Lord Stanley, in the debate of the 26th, attacked both sides, but announced his intention to vote for the Government against the amendment. ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [feu. poor Sefton, of whom the accounts which we received yesterday were very alarming. God bless you, dearest Princess. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 19. St. Petersburg, Feb. yh\\~!th, 1835. I have just received your letter No. 14, my dear lord, and its contents confirm me in the opinion I had already come to, that your present Ministry will stand. . . . The Queen's grossessc, if the report be true, will lead to a most important event, and one entirely un- expected. I can well imagine the looks of all the people at the little Court at Kensington Palace. There never was anyone there who interested me much, except the little Princess, and I feel sorry for her, for she has already reached an age when such an immense change in her fortunes may produce distressing effects on her character. On the other hand, such a change would doubtless in reality make her lot the happier. But what a come-down it will be for those who are about her ! I can readily imagine the joy the King and Queen experience at the prospect before them, and with this I must fully sympathize. As to future conse- quences, all these are quite beyond our calculations, though I agree with you in deploring the prospect of a long minority. On the other hand, however, I hold to the manifold advantages of direct descent. I thank you heartily for taking such an interest in my health, and, indeed, the subject is become a grave I835-] LORD MELBOURNE. one with me, for each day I get worse. ... I thank you also, my dear lord, for regretting us as members of the Corps Diplomatique in London. We were both very happy there, and my husband is well pleased that he is not entirely forgotten, and vour regrets for him are to his honour. I see that Biilow has gone back to you, but you might very well have dispensed with him, for he is not of the kind you like. Whatever your newspapers may be saying, Pozzo is our permanent Ambassador in England. Esterhazy, however, you will only have for a short time longer. I am interrupted, and must close my letter in haste, my dear lord, but with the assurance of all my kindest regards. No. 1 8. Woburn Abbey, March 121/1, 1835. Dearest Princess, We arrived here on Sunday, and your letter of February 17, No. 19, reached me yesterday. We proceed on our journey to-morrow, stop two days at Lord Dacre's, and intend to be in town on Monday. As on my first arrival I may find it difficult to write, I send a line now, to show that I am not unmindful of my promise. How, indeed, should I be at this place, where I am so strongly reminded of you, and of the pleasant party which met here at the time of my last visit ! How I wish those days could be renewed, and that I could once more have the happi- ness of seeing you ! Melbourne and John Russell met me here, and though I have had a good deal of conversation with them, it has not furnished me with anything that I 9Q ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march can write. All I have heard from them has confirmed the view which I had previously taken of the present state of affairs, and has not diminished my sense of the difficulties resulting from it. I shall perhaps be able to send you something more satisfactory, when I have had time to look about me after my arrival in London. En attendant, I must refer you to the opinions I have already expressed. I will only add that Howick's con- duct has given me the greatest satisfaction. It has shown great good sense and discretion, and is in perfect concurrence with my sentiments as to the necessity of preserving a straight and manly course, equally avoiding any compromise of his principles on the one hand, or any tendency to violent measures on the other. John Russell has gained great credit by his speeches, but he looks very ill, and I do not think he will be able to stand the fatigue of every description to which his new situation exposes him/* The death of the Emperor of Austria^ gives a new interest to foreign politics. I regret it sincerely, fearing its effect on the Austrian Empire, and con- sequently on the state of Europe. Has your friend Metternich secured himself with the new Emperor, or is his power, of which he has had longer possession than most Ministers, likely to be subverted ? We have had rather a large, though chiefly a family, party here. The Duchess-Countess came for one day to state all her alarms to me. She feels, as well she may, great uneasiness at the present state of affairs, but seems very much disposed to place her confidence in me. My son George is gone to pass some months at * Leader of the Opposition in the Commons. f The Emperor Francis I. died March 2, 1835. He was succeeded by his son, Ferdinand I. i335-] PRINCE GEORGE LIEVEN. 91 Tours, to learn French. He had been at Rochecotte,* where he had received great kindness from Madame de Dino and Talleyrand, and says nobody can look in better health than the latter. What a miserable letter ! but it will at least assure you of my constant and most affectionate remem- brance. Yours ever, G. To Earl Grey. No. 20. St. Petersburg, March is/, 1835. I have received, since I last wrote to you, my dear lord, your letter No. 15, of February 8. It gives me great hope that all will now go well in Eng- land. . . . March yd. My letter has remained unfinished till to-day because of George'st having suddenly fallen seriously ill. He has got the scarlet fever, and you can easily imagine how anxious I am about him, and also how I fear for Arthur's health. Ever since I left England I have experienced one misery after another, and have known nothing but anxiety and worry. And now our house is isolated by a cordon sanitaire from all com- munication with the Court ; and here in Russia the Court means all the rest of the world besides. I have no longer now my wits about me, my dear lord, but I send you off this wretched scrap of a letter merely as proof how, through all the sorrows and anxieties of * Belonging to the Duchesse de Dino. t George and Arthur were the Princess's younger children. 92 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march my life, you are still always present to my mind. I beseech you to continue writing to me. A thousand kind messages to Lady Grey. No. 19. Berkeley Square, March 1S//1, 1835. Dearest Princess, I received your letter of the ist instant, No. 20, on my arrival in town two days ago. I felt deeply for your new distress arising from Prince George's illness. . . . Since my arrival I have been in such a constant turmoil that I have not had a moment to myself, and have not yet the power of settling my thoughts on any subject. I have seen everybody, have heard all opinions, not a few complaints, still more follies, and from the chaos have not been able to extract any certain light to guide me to a safe conclusion. Every- body seems to feel that things cannot go on as they are, but nobody has yet been able to point out to me the means of steering a safe course through the diffi- culties with which we are surrounded. I have only been at the House of Lords to take my seat, and oddly enough, the Chancellor and Lord Shaftesbury being absent, Brougham was on the Woolsack, whilst the Duke of Bedford, Lord Essex and I took the oaths. He looks well and seems in good spirits ; but we had no political conversation, and I have not seen him since. Such a place as the House of Lords* you never saw — so narrow, so small, and inconvenient. It will not diminish the disinclination which I feel to go there. * Until the new Houses could be built, the old House of Lords was occupied by the Commons, and the members of the Upper House held their debates in the Painted Chamber, which had been temporarily arranged for their reception. 1835] LORD LONDONDERRY. 93 At the Levee the King was, as he always has been, kind and gracious to me in his manner ; but nothing remarkable either one way or the other. I saw Pozzo there, your friend Billow, and the other foreign Ministers, with the exception of Esterhazy, whom I have not yet met, though he is the person I was most anxious to see. Sebastiani was there, and I made, for the first time, an acquaintance with him. I cannot say that his appearance made a very favour- able impression on me ; and he looks to me like a man whose days are numbered.* Alava,+ whom I was delighted to meet in a situation so different from that in which he was before, calls Sebastiani a mummy. I regretted Talleyrand, and the Russian Embassy more than ever ; and here, where I can see your house from my windows, and pass it every day, I think of you more constantly, and with increasing sorrow for your departure. In my next I may perhaps be able to say more about our situation and our prospects. But I find it difficult to write freely on such a matter. What would I not give for one hour's comfortable conversation with you ! I told you I thought those who appointed Lord Londonderry must be as mad as he is himself; and the event has proved that I was right. I cannot conceive anything more annoying — might I not say more degrading ? — to a Government, than the manner in which they have been compelled to recall this appoint- ment.^ It is said that Sir Robert Gordon (Aberdeen's * He only died in 1S51, and remained Ambassador in London until 1840. f At this time Spanish Ambassador in London ; he was shortly afterwards transferred to Paris. X The appointment of the Marquis of Londonderry (brother of the late Lord Castlereagh) to the vacant Embassy at St. Petersburg was called in question by. 94 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march brother) is to take the place of Londonderry, and Lord Stuart to go to Constantinople. To the former appoint- ment I don't know that anything can be objected. Nothing can be worse than the last. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. [On March 20, news reached London that Prince George Lieven had succumbed to the effects of the scarlet fever.] Berkeley Square, March 26th, 1835. Dearest Princess, How can I write, or what can I say to you ? Yet write I must, to relieve myself by the expression of the feelings which your dreadful affliction has occa- sioned. ... I heard of this melancholy event two days after the departure of my last letter. I then indulged better hopes, and I was quite astounded at the news. . . . I will not advert at such a moment to any other subject, nor can I expect you to write more than a line, if even that is not too painful to you, to give me some account of your health, for which I feel, impaired as it already was, increasing anxiety. May God bless and comfort you. Ever, dearest Princess, Yours most affectionately, Grey. R. Sheil (March 13) in the House of Commons, and Lord Stanley spoke strongly against it. Had the Government persisted in the appointment, they would, with- out doubt, have been beaten by a great majority ; and to spare them this humilia- tion, Lord Londonderry voluntarily resigned. 1835.] DEATH OF PRINCE GEORGE. 95 To Earl Grey. t No - 2I -3 Petersburg, MY DEAR LORD, March yh, 1835. You will have given me, I know, all your sympathy in my great sorrow. Can any ever be greater? My poor little son George! They want me now to leave Petersburg at once, and I only hope I may have the strength to get off. To-day I can do nothing but cry. My son* will always know where I am, so send your letters addressed to his care. And pray do not cease writing to me, for now more than ever do I need your friendship. Adieu, and compassionate your poor friend, Berkeley Square, Dearest Princess, March v th > l8 35- I have this moment received your letter, and hope this may still be in time to accompany mine of yesterday. How good of you to write ! How truly did you rely on my deep and sincere sympathy in your sorrow ! But all this I have already expressed, and I will only employ the short moment that is left to me to write, in saying how much I rejoice in your decision immediately to leave Petersburg. I shall not fail to write, and shall hope to hear from you on your journey, and of your future plans. Would it be pos- sible so to arrange them as to bring you here ? Once more, God bless you. Ever yours, G. P.S. — I ought not, perhaps, to write upon com- paratively indifferent subjects ; but I cannot help * Prince Paul Lieven, at the Russian Embassy in London. 96 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march adding that I consider the fate of the Ministry is quite decided, and that a change of some sort or other must immediately take place. To Earl Grey. No. 22. Petersburg, March 18////30///, 1S35. My dear Lord, I have nothing but tears left to write of. It is indeed the saddest time of my whole life. I was still all dazed by the frightful blow that had befallen me, and my friends were urging me to hasten and attend to the necessary preparations for my journey- thinking that this mechanical occupation would at least in some way distract my mind from those sad thoughts to which it was a prey from the recent loss of my poor child — when, on the very day before I was to set out, my Arthur, my poor Arthur, suddenly falls ill, and in twenty-four hours he, too, was at death's door. Only think how I was placed ! Do you not marvel that I did not either die or go mad ? During the last fortnight the danger has been at its height, and even now I am not without grave anxiety. He is still in bed, and this is the eighteenth day of the fever. I have never left his room ; I have done nothing but watch him and nurse him, and I am writing you this from his bedside. It is a wonder to me that he is still alive, and that I, too, am not dead of fatigue. Dear Lord Grey, your poor friend is indeed a fit object of all pity. I often thought of you, and of your tender friendship, and of all that you would have felt for me had you known what I was suffering. And my sufferings were so cruel. 1835.] LORD HOWICK. 97 In the midst of my despair, your two letters, Nos. 1 7 and 1 8, were brought to me, and they gave me a moment's pleasure. I thank you for them with all my heart. I had other letters too. I sometimes read the newspapers, and England interests me now as ever, and in spite of all that I have gone through. From what I read, I do not think the position of the Ministry so very bad, even after the two defeats in the Commons. The Ministerialists are numerous, and form a compact body. They will gain in numbers if the Opposition shows any tendency towards Radicalism, for surely the Radicals are now a discredited faction in England. I trust the Whigs and Radicals will never for long be able to pull together. From this it follows, as probable, that against either of the two singly the Government will hold a majority. Lord Howick's conduct and his speeches do him all honour. He has kept a position of dignity and a high moral standard through it all, but from your son nothing else could be looked for. I await with impatience your first speech in Parliament, and you may feel sure that every word of it will be read with avidity by me. The death of the Emperor of Austria gave my Emperor a very real sorrow. They had seen a good deal of one another, and there had passed between them much friendly intercourse, and they had become really intimate.* The views of the Emperor Francis had a moral weight in every Cabinet, and his loss will be felt all over Europe. I hear that his successor has just sufficient good sense to know that it will be wise to keep in his father's footsteps, and surely this is what will be best both for himself and for the rest of the world. * At the late meeting of the Sovereigns at Miinchengratz. VOL. III. 7 9 8 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [march We are sending as our Ambassador to Paris Pahlen's eldest brother. He is one of our most distinguished generals, and a man remarkable alike for nobility of sentiment and straightforward bearing. He has hitherto been a soldier, and nothing else, but for this very reason I think he will be the better able to fulfil the duties of his new post. A great empire has no need to be represented by cunning diplomatists, for Russia's politics should be perfectly straight- forward. And this is the Emperor's view of the matter. I am truly sorry for the mishap about Lord Londonderry, for he is a most good-natured creature, and he has been very badly treated. I imagine now that they will send us Bagot. As yet I can make up my mind about nothing as to my future plans. I can think of nothing while my poor child still keeps to his bed. . . . Adieu, my dear lord ; Lady Grey will, I am sure, have felt for me in my sorrow, for she is so compassionate and kind. Adieu again, my dear, dear friend, and do not forget me. [After holding office during four months, Sir R. Peel resigned, April 8, after a defeat in the House of Commons (285 to 258), on the motion carried by Lord John Russell, that the surplus revenues of the Irish Church should be applied to the general education of the Irish. After some delay Lord Melbourne was entrusted with the task of forming a Government.] No. 20. Berkeley Square, Dearest Princess, A f riI l6//l > lS 35- Since my last I have received a letter from Count Matuscewitz,"" and this evening yours of March $0. To say how constantly and how anxiously * Announcing the death of Prince George and the illness of Prince Arthur Lieven ; dated March 25, from St. Petersburg. 1835.] LORD GREY REFUSES OFFICE. 99 I have thought of you, how sincerely and how deeply I have sympathized in all your distresses, is quite impossible. . . . When you move, is there no hope of your coming here ? You would have the best advice, a good climate, and friends in whose society you would find comfort. What do you say to passing the good season in the pure sea air of Howick — where Arthur might recover his strength — and seeking a milder climate in the winter ? This is a chateau en Espagne which I have been building for myself, and wish it could be realized. As I hear Matuscewitz is likely to have left Peters- burg before this can arrive there, I do not write to thank him for his letter which I received two days ago, and shall be obliged to you to discharge this debt for me if he should not have taken his departure ; hoping to be able to do so in person when he arrives here, as I am told he will, on his way to Naples. I should have written last week, but everything was then in so uncertain a state that I could say nothing with respect to our internal politics. I do not feel myself at liberty to write much more distinctly now, more especially when my letters will be exposed to all the hazard of the foreign post ; but I will tell you as well as I can the present state of our affairs. You will probably have heard that immediately after the resignation of Sir Robert Peel I was sent for by the King. Nothing could be more gratifying to me person- ally than all that passed in my first and every subse- quent interview with him. His kindness and confidence were unbounded ; and it was with great pain that I found myself compelled, for reasons into which it cannot be necessary for me to enter, to decline taking 7—2 ioo ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [APRIL any active part in a new Administration. I therefore advised his Majesty to send for Lansdowne and Melbourne, which he did, but desired that I should be present at his first interviews with them. In these all the difficulties of the present crisis were discussed ; one appeared at one moment likely to put an end to the negotiations, but this has been removed, and Melbourne is now ordered to lay before him — which he probably will do in the course of the day — the plan of a new arrangement. As this cannot even now — at least, as far as I am informed — be said to be definitely settled, I cannot give you the names of the persons now in contemplation for office. I will not say that I approve of them all, but, having declined to take any place myself, I did not think myself authorized, after stating my objections, to press them further. Howick, who has shown great talents, which I always knew him to possess, in the late debates, will be in the Cabinet. You know that my opinion of Palmerston differs from yours, and that I think there has been great injustice in the feelings so strongly and so generally manifested against him. But I cannot but be conscious of the disadvantages of placing impor- tant affairs in the hands of/a man who is obnoxious to all the persons with whom he will have to treat. f I should have been glad, therefore, to have seen him placed in a situation equally honourable to himself, which might have obviated this objection. But at present I think the probability is that he will go back to the Foreign Office. As a counterpoise to this intelligence, which I well know will be disagreeable to you, I have to state that I believe Mulgrave* will be * Lord Mulgrave, afterwards Marquis of Normanby. 1835] THE DUKE OF LEUCHTENBERG. 101 the Ambassador to your Court. This, I feel certain, you will approve. But all this, as I have already said, remains to be finally settled, and to be submitted to the King for his approbation. In the other appoint- ments you are not so much interested ; I will therefore say nothing about them. I have taken up so much time (amidst frequent interruptions), and so much space, with our domestic politics, that I have none left for other matters. I agree with you in thinking the death of the Emperor Francis much to be lamented for the interests of his own country and of Europe. The loss of the Duke of Leuchtenberg is equally to be regretted.* Lady Grey has had two petites soirdes. We had most of the Foreign Ministers ; but how different from last year ! To-morrow we go to Sefton's at Stoke for the holidays. There again what a difference from my last visit, when I had the happiness of meeting you ! . . . Lady Grey, to whom I gave your kind message, and who has felt deeply for you, desires her best remembrances. Pray offer mine to Prince de Lieven. God bless you, and believe me ever, Yours most entirely, G. P.S. — The Duke of Bedford has had a severe attack — similar to that which he had some years ago. He is better, and I believe there is no present danger ; but it must have, I fear, a great effect on the comfort of his future existence. * Duke Augustus of Leuchtenberg married the young Queen of Portugal, Donna Maria, but died suddenly, two months after the wedding. ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [APRIL [Lord Melbourne's second Administration, as ultimately con- stituted, was as follows : Lord Melbourne Lord Duncannon Mr. Spring-Rice Lord J. Russell Lord Palmerston Lord Glenelg Lord Howick Lord Morpeth No. 21. First Lord of the Treasury. Privy Seal. Chancellor of the Exchequer. Home Secretary. Foreign Secretary. War and the Colonies. Secretary at War. Chief Secretary for Ireland.] Stoke Farm, April 23rd, 1835. Dearest Princess, When I wrote to you a few days ago, I had understood from Melbourne that Lord Mulgrave was O to go to St. Petersburg ; and this I thought a very good appointment. It has, I find, been changed since, and Lord Mulgrave is now destined for the higher situation of Lord- Lieutenant of Ireland ; but I have not heard who is now intended for your Court. You will see all the other appointments which were finally approved by the King the day after I wrote ; and as you know all the dramatis personcc, I will make no comment upon them. To judge from their papers, the Tories seem to be maddened to a degree of rage and bitterness of which there is no former example. The course they are pur- suing is one of extreme wickedness, tending to inflame religious dissension, and by any means, lawful or un- lawful, to excite hatred of the new Government. I would fain hope that it would counteract itself, by disgusting all the reasonable and moderate people of their own party ; and amongst the first Sir Robert Peel, who has too much sense not to see and to dis- approve the folly of those who would urge him, with- 1835-] DEATH OF PRINCE ARTHUR. 103 out any consideration of consequences, to the most violent measures. In every place where a contest can be produced, the re-election of the new Ministers in the House of Commons will be opposed. The Tories speak very confidently of their success against John Russell in Devonshire. The accounts I receive induce me to believe he will be returned, # but at the expense of a good deal of money and trouble. Howick will have no difficulty in Northumberland. We have been here since Saturday, and stay till Saturday next, when we return to London. You know the style of living here, and I will only say that it is gay and pleasant as usual ; but, oh, how much I regret the pleasure of my last visit ! I trust all your anxieties have ceased in the recovery of your dear Arthur. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours, Grey. From Count Matuscewitz to Lord GreyA St. Petersburg, April 8t/t, 1835. My Lord, It falls again to my unhappy lot to acquaint you with a fresh and most shocking calamity which poor Princess Lieven has just experienced. Her son Arthur was recovering: fast from his illness, and had been pronounced out of danger by all the physicians who had been attending him, when a sudden relapse, for which they cannot account, came on. The child * He was defeated, and ultimately brought in for Stroud, t Written in English. ro4 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [APRIL was unexpectedly seized with incessant fits of vomiting, which could not be stopped, and he died three days ago. It is all I can do myself to add that Madame de Lieven, in a situation the horror of which is not to be described, has found strength enough to set out for Berlin with Prince Lieven, and that I saw her start this morning. In the midst of her grief, she has been expressing the greatest anxiety to hear from you, and as her son, Prince Paul, has received leave to join her at Berlin, if you send your letters as usual to Ash- burnham House, they will reach her with all possible safety and expedition. I am so overwhelmed myself with these misfor- tunes, that I hope you will excuse my winding up rather abruptly this letter, and informing you only that, when I saw Madame de Lieven this morning, she was better than would have been expected. We all agree here in thinking that the journey will do her good. I am, with respectful regard, my lord, Yours very truly, Matuscewic. Berkeley Square, April 2Jt/i, 1835. Dearest, dearest Princess, How deeply and sincerely do I feel for you ! How great is my grief in the consciousness of my inability to convey to you any words of comfort under your aggravated and irreparable affliction ! Yet even under such a weight of sorrow, some assurance of the affection and sympathy of a sincere and attached friend may not be without its value, and I must at IS35-J LORD JOHN RUSSELL. 105 all events hope that in giving expression, however imperfectly, to the true feelings of my heart, I shall not increase the pain of wounds, such as few have endured. It was at Stoke, on Friday last, that I received from Matuscewitz the heart-breaking account of your second dreadful loss. ... I enclose a letter from Lady Grey, which I have encouraged her to send, hoping that it cannot add to your distress. ... I am very glad that Prince Paul, who is so good as to take charge of this letter, is going to meet you. This will be the best comfort you can receive, and God grant he may be successful in soothing a pain, which even time, it can hardly be hoped, will entirely heal. At such a moment I hardly know how to advert to any other subject. Indeed, I have little to add to what I have already written on the present state of affairs. Everything, except the violent attacks of the Tory papers, and the contests that are going on in the new elections, seems to be suspended till Parliament re-assembles. John Russell, I fear, is in considerable danger, and Lord Morpeth not safe ; but our sanguine friends say that both will be successful, though after sharp and expensive contests. Of the Court I know nothing;, having; had no com- munication with that quarter since the formation of the new Ministry was ultimately placed in Melbourne's hands. It requires no extraordinary intelligence, how- ever, to be certain that the new arrangements cannot be agreeable there. Though I was at Stoke a week, and it was known that I was there, I had no invitation to Windsor. God bless you, dearest Princess, you are never io6 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [APRIL absent from my thoughts ; I only wish I could express to you in person all the feelings of a heart sincerely devoted to you. Once more, God bless and support you. G. To Earl Grey. [No. 23.] Berlin, April 22nd, 1835. My dear friend, what can I write ? I have no words left, and what can you say to comfort me ? Was ever any bereavement more complete than mine ? To lose both my children, children whom I passionately adored, as perhaps few other mothers have ever adored their children. And still to live on when they are both dead, dead — under my very eyes. Arthur told me he was dying ; poor angel ! he felt the hand of death upon him ; and I have had to survive him. Tell me, what is to become of me ? I am now nothing but a waif in the world. My husband could only travel with me as far as Berlin ; and I feel that I shall never see him again. I am waiting now for Paul to come, # but he can only stay with me a few weeks. And then, where am I to go to ? What am I to do with my miserable existence ? Do not you, at least, abandon me ; continue to love me, and write me letters every week at furthest. Address your letters to Berlin. Send them to the Foreign Office. Are you Prime Minister now ? What has happened in England, and what is going to happen there, in that * From London. 1 835] AT BERLIN. 107 England that I still love, and where I was so happy ? Ah, if you only could have kept me there ! I know well you would have done it if you could, and you did do your best to prevent our going away. I, too, wanted so much to stay— and were not my tears as I left your shores prophetic of evil ? Sorrow even then seemed to weigh me down ; but I did not imagine I was destined for such sorrows as have now befallen me. No, it was too horrible even to be dreamt of. And even at this present moment I hardly believe it can be true — Never to see my children more ; all the joy, all the occupation of my daily life gone, and nothing left for my heart to love ! . . . I can think of nothing now. I can do nothing but weep. Here in Berlin they are very kind, and do all they can for me. The Duchess of Cumberland and all the Prussian Princes come to call, and what I ask of them is that they should talk, and make a noise, and take me out of my own sad thoughts. For I am frightful to my own self, and am crushed down by my misfortune. I often think of you, and indeed I know you would pity me. Write to me, tell me what you are doing and how matters go with you. This is the only subject to which I can turn in order to distract my mind. I am anxious to learn all that is passing in England. Your letters are to be forwarded on to me from Petersburg, and I await them every moment. But an answer to this might reach me more directly. Write me at length about everything, and do not cease to love your poor friend. io8 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [april To Earl Grey. No. 24. Berlin, April 2.9th, 1835. Write to me, my dear lord, and write much. Tell me about everything. I feel the only chance of keeping my mind from brooding is in turning my thoughts to affairs in England. My only consolation is in your friendship. Death seems to weigh me down ; and it would be so easy to me to die now, that I do not know why death does not come and take me. At times all remembrance of my cruel affliction slips from my memory ; then I begin to think that they must soon be coming home from their walk . . . some small detail of the routine of theirXife occurs to my mind, and then, of a sudden, it all flashes back, and I seem to see two graves, that rise up in my sight and stand before me, and my heart is as though turned to stone. . . . I am surrounded here by all sorts of people, but I have no friend to speak of. I receive everybody who comes, however, for I greedily seize on anything that can prevent me from thinking — even for five minutes. M. Ancillon* asked to see me. I had some talk with him, and it gave me some relief from my sad thoughts. He is an interesting person to meet. As you well know, my dear lord, my children and politics were the only subjects I cared for. As to my children, — I have no longer any children left ! Sons I may have still ; but my children are all dead and gone. Lord Palmerston's return to office will certainly give an unpleasant shock of surprise to the whole of * Minister of Foreign Affairs at Berlin. 1835.] LORD WILLIAM RUSSELL. 109 Europe. Everybody thought he had made himself sufficiently unpopular in political circles for foreign Governments to be spared the infliction of having again to do business with him. The Ministry will have much worry from him ; but I well know it was not you who would have recommended the choice. I gather that the Court of Berlin would be greatly rejoiced at having Lord William Russell sent here, for they do not suppose that Sir George Shee # will be reappointed. That would, in truth, be too much of a good thing, though really I should not now feel sur- prised at whatever emanated from your Foreign Office. Tell me something about your own affairs. The members of the new Administration do not seem to me to have been very wisely selected. The Cabinet is made up of Whigs only, and since this party is far from strong in the House of Commons, they will have to count on the charitable support of Tories and Radicals alternately. This will be but a precarious tenure on which to hold office. Here they all look upon the new Administration as merely a makeshift, and prophesy that it will not last.t Your refusal to take office at the present juncture was exactly what I had expected of you ; but do not conclude that I am without hope of other things later ; for to my mind the future of England would only be assured by a coalition between you and Peel. And it should never be too late to bring about so auspicious a union. Pray continue sending your letters to Ashburnham * English Minister at Berlin from October, 1834, to July, 1835 ; he was succeeded by Sir R. Adair, on a special mission, and November 24 of this year Lord William Russell was appointed Minister. f Lord Melbourne's Government remained in office over six years. no ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [april House. One of the secretaries of the Embassy has undertaken, during my son Paul's absence, to forward them to me. So there will be no danger of their being tampered with. As yet I know nothing of what I am going to do. I wish someone would give me counsel and suggest some ideas upon the matter, for I have neither wishes nor ideas of my own, unless it be to try and get back to my friends, for their company I need greatly. Before all this sorrow came on me, M. de Talleyrand had invited me to come and stay at Valencay ; but it is a long way off, and I want to get to some place less out of the way, and also the season is not yet far enough advanced for Valencay. And now adieu, for I am tired. They keep me lying down, and at times make me drive out to get the air. When I pass before a looking-glass I am inclined to ask who that person is. Adieu, and write to me ; give me also your prayers, and ask of God for me (what I, too, am always asking of Him), that He should soon release me from my present miserable existence. [No. 22.] Berkeley Square, May 5///, 1 S3 5. Dearest Princess, Your letters of the 22nd and 29th of April have reached me since my last, by Prince Paul — the first, the day after his departure ; the last, just now. . . . You ask me for accounts of what is going on here, and I find it almost impossible for me to send any that could be very satisfactory. The state of things here is too complicated to be discussed in a letter, which 1835.] THE ELECTIONS. could not afford scope for speculations as to the pro- bable consequences. You know so well the state of parties here, and all the difficulties which the present Ministers will have to encounter, that you will be able yourself to form as probable an opinion as to what is likely to ensue, as any that I could offer you. Indeed, what you say shows that you have a tolerably just view of our situation. That it is, as far as relates to the new Government, precarious, cannot be denied ; and I will also admit that, without some junction of parties, little hope of an effective and permanent Administration can be entertained. We must hope therefore that things may lead to the possibility of such a consum- mation. But there are almost insurmountable difficul- ties opposed to it at present, and it is too much to be feared that the increasing violence of the opposite parties, and more especially of their extremes, on which both parties are driven to lean too much, may rather increase than diminish those difficulties. My part will be to soothe asperities, to prevent violence, and ultimately to bring about if possible a junction between those whose difference consists rather in position than in principle or opinion ; but to take no office myself. I consider my account is made up, and by opening it again I might do harm to myself, but no good to the public. All the elections have hitherto gone in favour of the new Ministers. Howick has been returned for Northumberland without being obliged even to attend on the day of election. Yorkshire and Devonshire, the two most important places, yet remain. The former I consider as certain in favour of Lord Morpeth. In the latter, from the accounts received this morning:, it o ii2 ST. PETERSBURG AND BERLIN. [may appears certain that John Russell will be defeated — a severe blow to the leading Minister of the House of Commons, and a very inconvenient interruption to the progress of public business, as it will take at least a week or ten days, after the meeting of Parliament, before he can be returned for any other place. In the meantime the town is occupied with the affair between Lord Alvanley and O'Connell, of which you will see an account in the papers.* I think Alvanley would have done better, all things considered, to have let the matter alone ; but all must admit that he has shown good feeling and true spirit. To return to yourself, the subject that interests me most at this moment. What you say makes me fear very much for your health. I feel most anxious that you should adopt some plan which may afford some diversion to your thoughts, and procure you the com- fort of your real friends. Where is this to be found but in England, which is your second country ? And I was very glad to hear from Pozzo, whom I met at the Duchess of Kent's, that you had some thoughts of coming here. What would I not give to have this hope realized ! God bless you, dearest Princess, and protect and comfort you — He alone can. Ever most affectionately yours, G. * Mr. O'Connell, referring in the House of Commons to a speech of Lord Alvanley in the Lords, called Lord Alvanley a 'bloated buffoon.' Lord Alvanley sent him a challenge ; Mr. O'Connell screened himself behind his vow never to fight another duel, but allowed his son, Morgan O'Connell, to fight in his stead. This substitute Lord Alvanley accepted, and the duel took place. Three shots were exchanged, and no injuries resulted to either of the duellists. [ M3 ] CHAPTER IV. BADEN-BADEN. Count Chreptowitch — Lord Grey and the Government— Lord W. Russell — Baden- Baden — Lord J. Russell's Election — Elections in Yorkshire — Lord Durham appointed Ambassador at Petersburg — Sir R. Peel's Speech in the City — The Monster Trial in Paris— Palmella — Defeat of Mr. Littleton in Staffordshire — Frankfort — -Sir R. Peel and the Ultra-Tories — Don Carlos and Queen Christina — The Corporation Bill — Intervention in Spain — The British Legion under General de Lacy Evans — Lord Brougham on Theology — Society at Baden — The Irish Tithe Bill — -Prince Lieven named Minister of Foreign Affairs— Lord Durham's Journey — The Irish Tithe Bill in the Commons — The Duchesse de Dino and Valencay — Lord Howick — Lady Cowper's Letter to Princess Lieven — Fieschi's Attempt against Louis Philippe — The Irish Tithe Bill in the House of Lords — The Corporation Bill. To Earl Grey. No. 25. Berlin, May yd, 1835. I write, my dear lord, to introduce Count Chreptowitch to you.* He is son-in-law of Nesselrode (my only real friend in Russia), and is a very remark- able young man. I hope you will give him permission to come to Lady Grey's evening receptions. He has seen me, and will tell you all about my present condition. I become weaker every day ; my mind becomes more and more depressed, and I can as yet feel no resignation to my hard lot. . . . * In after-years, at the termination of the Crimean War, Russian Ambassador in London. VOL. III. 8 ii 4 BADEN-BADEN. [may I am still awaiting Paul's arrival, and am getting anxious because he does not come. At any moment I feel that my health may break down entirely. Do not forget me. Write to me and tell me about all your affairs ; it is the only subject I now care about. England still interests me, and will occupy my thoughts. Tell me also that you have not ceased to love me. To Earl Grey. No. 26. Berlin, May lit/i, 1835. I thank you most gratefully, my dear lord, for your kind letter of the 5th, received yesterday ; your sympathy has done me good, and brought some peace to my poor heart. . . . Your last letter gave me the greatest satisfaction. I see you now taking up the position you should ; doing your best, without prejudice and without passion, to achieve some good, and not insisting on reaching your end by any one exclusive road ; trying to calm others, and smoothe down asperities ; ready to give your counsel and aid to whatever party will bring in a stable and a Conservative Government (I have not forgotten how you one day told me your were yourself a Con- servative). All this must be doing real good, and I am proud and happy to see you so nobly occupied, with no view of personal ambition, and only the good of your country for an object. But I must add the hope that, should ever the time come, you would be willing to make the sacrifice of your personal' repose, and take the lead in order to 1835.] M. ANCILLON. 115 insure triumph to the good cause — the cause of order and stability in the State. Till that time comes, and the scene shifts, I think all will remain in confusion. An utter want of consistency in the measures, and in the policy pursued, is now very apparent, as also a total lack of dignity in the conduct of all the members of the Government. Europe sees it all in this light, and watches present events in England with a mixture of interest, curiosity, and astonishment, seeking in vain for any trace of the great principles which formerly guided England's policy. At present we see nothing but a struggle for power between two parties, who both act identically after the same fashion once they are in. The Tory Government, however, did not keep in merely by the goodwill of the Radicals, and in spite of all Lord Melbourne has said in the House of Lords, we all here continue firm to our conviction that he must have come to some sort of understanding with these people. Up to the present moment we know nothing as to the result of the Devonshire election, and I am very curious to know what has happened. You do not tell me who is to be your Ambassador here at Berlin. Perhaps they will give William Russell a step in the service, or will Prussia really have to submit once more to receiving Sir G. Shee ? As yet I only leave my room when I go to drive out in an open carriage. I see plenty of company. M. Ancillon, among others, often comes and has a talk with me. I am glad to note that foreign statesmen generally have a very just appreciation of your upright and noble conduct ; you are the only politician whom they really respect and esteem, and in whom they have not lost confidence. After you, they put Peel, and after 8—2 n6 BADEN-BADEN. him— nobody ; but unfortunately England is governed by neither of you two just at present. In about ten days I think I shall leave Berlin and travel via Frankfort to Baden, where I hope to remain the better part of the summer season. Madame de Dino has promised me to come. Madame Nesselrode also will be there. Perhaps, too, some wandering English people will turn up ; how I wish it might be so ! I want to meet my friends, but if I cannot get friends, at least I hope to see English people, for their nationality alone is enough to give them interest in my eyes. After Baden I hardly know what I shall do. My inclinations would tend to make me voyage towards England, but as yet I feel too sad to go there. . . . I shall probably spend next winter at Naples, but I can decide nothing at present. Everything depends on who is staying there. The place is quite indifferent to me, but I must live among my friends. May \yh. I close my letter to-day, as the post is going. I have nothing to add. It is not from a place like this that I can send you news. We, on the contrary, must look to you for this. I have just learnt that John Russell has lost his election, and this would seem to me likely to be a grave matter for the new Govern- ment ; but you will tell me all about it. Adieu, my dear lord ; you are my best of friends. Continue writing to me, and write often, for this is now my sole pleasure. 1 835.] COUNT CHREPTOWITCH. 117 No. 23. Berkeley Square, May 15///, 1835. Dearest Princess, I received the night before last your letter of the 3rd instant, which I conclude was brought by Count Chreptowitch, as I was informed by Count Pahlen, whom I met yesterday at dinner, at Lord Sefton's, that he had arrived. You cannot doubt my attention to any recommendation of yours ; but we now live comparatively very much retired ; Lady Grey has only had two very small soirees, and I do not know whether she will have any more ; if she has, he certainly will not be omitted. I wish I could see, though I could hardly expect it, more evidence of returning composure of mind in your letters. . . . Pozzo, who also dined at Lord Sefton's, told me that vou talked of going to Baden-Baden. I fear, therefore, that I must abandon the hope of seeing you here. And yet this is the place where, as I said before, you would find most friends, and the best sources of comfort. If the state of my family would allow it, I would myself make an excursion to the Continent, where I have never been since 1 786, but chiefly for the purpose of meeting you. This, however, for the present is im- possible, and I expect by the end of the next month to be re-established at Howick for the remainder of the year. I have not lately been quite well, and I feel more and more to require repose, and God knows there is nothing in the state of public affairs to with- draw me from the retirement which I always loved, and which is now best suited to my age. Of the course of events here I can give you no better information than you will obtain from the public i iS BADEN-BADEN. [may papers. Without any suspension of the bitterness by which the different parties, more especially the ex- tremes, are actuated, there is, and I suppose will be till the return of John Russell, a suspension of active proceedings in Parliament. As there is not likely to be any opposition to him at Stroud, we may look to his taking his seat before the end of next week. His rejection in Devonshire was a great triumph to the Tories, but it has been counter-balanced by the signal defeat of Lord Wharncliffe's son in Yorkshire ; and when it is considered that Lord John's is the only seat the Government has lost, the result of the elections seems to indicate a preponderance of public opinion in their favour. We shall soon, however, be able to form a better judgment as to their future prospects. They will have the best support that I can give them, in the more confined sphere in which I now find myself, and wish to be limited. I don't know yet anything certain as to the person destined for St. Petersburg. But I believe it is in- tended to send Lord Durham there.* My only objection to this appointment arises from my fear that neither his own health, nor that of my daughter and her children, will be found equal to the severity of the climate. Your absence will be a great loss to them, for I know that, for my sake, you would have shown them the greatest kindness. Lord Wellesley, who had accepted the office of Chamberlain, has resigned — why I know not. Indeed, I neither know nor seek to know anything of the interior arrangements of the Government. I do not believe the version in the Times of to-day, though I am aware that Wellesley was * He was appointed July S of this year. 1835.] LORD WELLESLEY. 119 very angry at not being sent back to Ireland."" This, however, would have been a reason for retaining the Chamberlainship, and not for resigning after it had been accepted. In the Foreign Office I am told every- thing is couleur de rose ; that all the subordinates are delighted with the kindness of their chief ; and that the foreign Ministers praise his manner of doing busi- ness. Pozzo in particular, I am told, expresses himself as being highly satisfied with him. All this, however, you must take as mere hearsay, for I have, with the exception of Alava, little communication with the Corps Diplomatique. Esterhazy and Billow I have not even seen during the last month. The former was prevented by the gout from dining yesterday at Sefton's. Lady Grey desires her kindest remembrances to you. We often think and talk of you ; and you may be assured of the unalterable affection with which I always am, dearest Princess, Yours most entirely, G. To Earl Grey. No. 27. Berlin, May 20th, 1835. I have not had anything from you since your letter of the 5th, my dear lord ; I count the days and the hours, for the only event I care for, my only pleasure now, is the moment of receiving my letters. I am getting rather tired of my acquaintances here ; I begin to find that they no longer amuse me. I relapse * He had been Lord-Lieutenant for the second time in September, 1S33, during Lord Grey's Administration. BADEN-BADEN. [may more and more often into fits of melancholy, and my health is again beginning to suffer — in short, I feel more miserable now, even, than when I arrived, and I have resolved to set out on my journey again in the course of the next week. . . . Peel's speech at the City dinner on the iith was magnificent. I feel sure that you must agree with me in this. What is happening in England now ? Is the Government still patronized by the Radicals ? I fear this is the support they must now look to. But, on the other hand, if the Administration wishes to keep in your good graces, this will hardly be the way of accom- plishing it ; and how they are going to manage between the two extreme parties is to me a matter of the greatest curiosity. Besides delighting in your letters because they are from you, I await their arrival with the utmost impatience, because they explain all these complicated affairs to my poor intelligence. And in truth we are at present confronted with many problems that are both grave and difficult of solution. Just as I had written the above, your letter of the 15th was brought me. Thank you a thousand times for it. What a pity it is you cannot come over to the Continent ! By the Rotterdam steamer you could reach Baden-Baden on the fourth day ; you would travel up the picturesque Rhine in a most comfortable boat, and reach the loveliest country in the world, where the air is of the purest and most health-giving description. Would not this be a fine thing for you to do, with Lady Georgiana ? You would see me and see Madame de Dino too, who will be there all the month of July. However, I fear all this will be too pleasant ever to come to pass. i835-] THE MONSTER TRIAL. 121 Your letter gives me very little news about affairs in E norland, and I foresee that nothing much will be done till John Russell takes his seat in Parliament ; so I must postpone the satisfying of my curiosity for some time to come. The Grand-Duchess Helene arrived here a few days back ; her husband is going to join her, and then they are to go to Carlsbad. What do you say to the trial that is going on in Paris ? # The French Government would seem to me to be laying themselves open to grave embarrassment in this matter. They are of opinion here that the cause of Don Carlos is beginning to look up again, but you say nothing about it in your letter. I should also much like to know what Palmella is doing in Portugal. Above all, however, my dear lord, I want to know what England is doing-, for, remember, this is my only real interest. I was so happy in your beautiful country ; but all happiness, alas ! is now like a dream of the past, and it can never more become a reality to me in this world ; and this is the saddest of all thoughts. Adieu. Continue loving me, for I need your affection now more than ever. I have at length re- ceived news of my husband's safe arrival, a week ago, in Petersburg. He found ice and snow there up as high as the carriage-windows. What a horrible climate it is ! * The ' monster trial,' as it was called at the time, of persons whom Louis Philippe (against the advice of his Ministers) was bent on punishing for Republicanism, and for alleged participation in the late seditious movements. Out of about a thousand accused persons, 164 were selected by the Chamber of Peers to stand their trial ; and the greater number were ultimately sentenced to transportation or to different periods of imprisonment. BADEN-BADEN. [may No. 24. Berkeley Square, May 2gt/t, 1835. Dearest Princess, Having no letter to answer, and little or nothing to say, I did not write last Friday. I have since received your letter of the 20th, and was glad to find that you intended leaving Berlin so soon, both because I considered it as a proof that you felt your health more equal to the fatigue of a journey, and because a change of scene might prove a useful dis- traction to you. I wish it was in my power to take the delightful journey you propose up the Rhine, and to join the party which will be assembled at Baden. But this at present is impossible. . . . I have little to say of public affairs. It does not appear likely that any serious trial of strength will take place before the Irish Church Bill, which the Govern- ment has postponed, not injudiciously for their own interests, till after the Corporation Question is settled. In the meantime Sir R. Peel has given decided indi- cations of hostility, which may create more difficulties in the way of any future union of parties than he per- haps may find convenient, when the time that might favour such a junction may arrive ; and I think he must have had experience enough to convince him that he cannot hope to carry on the Government with the Tories alone, who every day verify Talleyrand's description of the Bourbons : ' They have learnt nothing, and forgotten nothing.' In the House of Lords nothing has occurred but questions from Londonderry and others in the old style. I have not been there more than two or three times, and never have had occasion to open my lips. 1 835. J MR. LITTLETON. 123 It is not unlikely that I may not do so before I go out of town, which I propose doing before the end of June, though all the material business of the Session will still remain to be done in the House of Lords. The Ministers have met with another defeat in Staf- fordshire,* and the blow is a heavy one. Of the appointment of a Minister to your Court I know no more than I before told you ; but I believe what I then mentioned is still in contemplation ; in the meantime Lord Durham is gone in his yacht, with two of my sons, to Ostend, and from thence to Brussels. I was at the Birthday yesterday, which was the most crowded I ever saw. How I missed you there ! but where do I not miss you ? I have met Pozzo two or three times at dinner. He hardly spoke, and looked like a man very much out of spirits. I dine at Ash- burnham House on Sunday. When I recollect old times, I really hate the thoughts of going there ; but I could not refuse without incivility. Count Chrepto- witch came one evening to Lady Grey ; I liked his appearance very much, and it was a pleasure to me to talk to a person who had seen you. I had the same opportunity with Lord Anglesey, but the account he gave me of the state of your health grieved me to the heart. The King and Queen were both very gracious to me yesterday — the latter is more so, I think, than when I was Minister. They go back to Windsor to-day, and are to have neither balls nor dinners at St. James's. Those which have been annually given to the knights of the different orders, though the invita- tions had been sent out, have also been put off. This * E. Littleton (afterwards Lord Hatherton) lost his seat. 124 BADEN-BADEN. [may is supposed to mark discontent at the present state of things — a very natural conclusion. Here is a very stupid letter, but I have nothing better to send, more especially with the fear, always upon my mind, of the insecurity of the foreign post. God bless you, dearest Princess, Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 28. Frankfort, June 6///, 1835. Your letter No. 24, my dear lord, reached me yesterday. ... I did not write to you during the last days of my stay in Berlin, for all my time was taken up by consultations with my physicians and the number- less visits, great and small, which, so to speak, rained down on me. Then w T hat with the entreaties that I should stay, and the tears, and the packing up, and the hundred and one things that always must be done before one can set out on a journey, I quite lost my head. However, personally I am only too glad to have anything that will make me lose my head, for this takes me out of myself, and turns my thoughts from my present existence, which is a burden to me. My journey so far has been a success ; the country was most beautiful, and the weather to match. The inns are very fair. I made short journeys, in order to husband my strength. I reached this place the day before yesterday, and to-morrow set out again for Baden. Judging from the newspapers, it appears to me that 1835.] SIR R. PEEL. 125 matters are still much as they were in England. Very little stability in the Government, and nothing de- finitely known of plans and projects. I await with impatience news of the first debate in the House of Commons, and hope to learn something definite of the relations now existing between the Ministers and the Radicals. I still persist in thinking that they have come to an understanding, but I should only be too happy to find myself mistaken. I sympathize entirely with the attitude assumed by the King, for really he has no reason to set about giving dinners and balls to amuse people. What you tell me of Peel surprises me, for both his conduct and his language seem to prove that he does not intend to allow himself to be influenced by the Ultras. He is too clever, and has too much good sense for that, and I always imagine him to hold views so little at variance with your own, that I should not be much surprised if you were some day to agree and act in concert. There are only two men in England at the present day, you and he, and thank God both of you wish to uphold the ancient monarchy, and you will uphold it. I am very poorly situated here for answering the interesting letters you send me, for there is no news to send you from this part of the world. People devour the newspapers, and that is really about all one has to do here. Don Carlos, Christina, the subject of intervention in the Peninsula, the Monster Trial, and, above all and everything, what goes on in England — these are the things that absorb and occupy my mind. I wish I could find someone to talk all these subjects over with, for gossip does not suffice me. I have been spoilt, and want the conversation of persons of under- 126 BADEN-BADEN. [JUNE standing, and they are not over-common at the present time. Adieu, my dear lord. ... I entreat you to con- tinue writing to me ; it is the only thing that gives me any pleasure. Again I would assure you of my warmest affection. No. 25. Berkeley Square, June wth, 1835. Dearest Princess, I was beginning to think the interval very long since your last letter from Berlin, when your letter of the 6th from Frankfort w T as brought to me this evening. In the meantime this has been a house of mourn- ing. Poor Captain Barrington (my son-in-law), after another attack which from the beginning left no hope of recovery, was carried off; and the next day deprived my daughter Mary* of her only child — a sweet little girl of two years old. . . . I have seen few people, and have not been out at all, on account of these misfortunes, for the last few days, and have less than usual to tell you. Besides, my feeling of the insecurity of the post by your change of place is stronger than ever, and makes it impossible for me to discuss as freely as I should otherwise be inclined to do the present state of affairs here, and its probable consequences. Nothing, indeed, has occurred since my last to afford better lights as to what is likely to happen, with the exception of the new Corporation Billt brought in by the Ministers. This seems to * Lady Mary Wood. + The Municipal Reform Act ; the Corporation of London alone was exempted from its operation. 1835] THE CORPORATION BILL. 127 have been well received, and may give them some popularity in the country, and is in itself, I think, a good measure. Peel has acted, for his own interests, judiciously, and for those of the public usefully, upon it ; but not very agreeably, I should think, to his High Tory friends, or very consistently with his former conduct and opinions. It is, as you say, very true that there now appears to be little difference between him and me (with one exception), on the most important question of our internal policy. Why was not this agreement sooner apparent ? I certainly have not changed. From the moment of the passing of the Reform Bill my object was to work out its necessary consequences on true Conservative principles. This necessity he now acknowledges, and I have only to add that if this conviction had broken upon him sooner, much difficulty, and perhaps much danger, might have been avoided. As to foreign politics, I have so little knowledge of what has been lately passing, that I can give no satis- factory opinion upon them. The question of interven- tion'" — that is, direct intervention — seems to be settled for the present. Louis Philippe appears to have been decidedly adverse to it, and has been encouraged, it is said, in that opinion by Talleyrand, who on that account is in great favour. What effect our more limited intervention — by suffering troops to be raised here, and officers to enter into the service of the infant Oueent — may have, remains to be seen. The Proccs Monstre seems to me the greatest act of political folly that ever was committed. I really have not temper or * In Spain. + Queen Isabella. A British Legion of volunteers shortly after went out, under Colonel de Lacy Evans, to help the Queen against her uncle, Don Carlos. 128 BADEN-BADEN. [june patience to follow its details. As far as I can judge, I should say that it is involved in insurmountable difficulties, and that if it had been the object of the Government to destroy any little character and con- sequence that the Chamber of Peers may possess in public opinion, it could not have hit on any measure better calculated for that purpose. We have now the most delightful weather, every- body complaining of the heat ; but this is never a subject of complaint with me. It puts me in mind of former pleasant days at Sheen and Richmond. By the way, Pozzo has been looking at my old house and at Sudbrook, but does not seem inclined to take either. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours most affectionately, G. P.S. — Brougham has published a book on theo- logy (!!!) which is making a great noise, and has already reached a second edition, # but which I do not feel at all inclined to read. To Earl Grey. No. 29. Baden-Baden, June 15///, 1835. Pray do write to me, my dear lord ; your last letter was of May 29, and this seems so very long ago. . . . I arrived here a week ago. It is the most pictur- esque and lovely and enjoyable place imaginable. . . . Among the people I see here are the William * 'Discourses of Natural Theology.' i835-] LORD WILLIAM RUSSELL. 129 Russells,* who literally have overwhelmed me with kindness and with marks of their sympathy. He has to go a good deal to Stuttgart, but she remains estab- lished here. Madame Nesselrode is here too, but only for a short time. In the matter of men friends I am badly off. There is only the Dutch Minister at St. Petersburg ; he is clever, but a man with a bad temper. Wessenberg arrived at Baden a quarter of an hour ago ; he has come to be with me here for a few days ; I am happy to be able to talk to someone who knew me during my happy days, and who knows and loves those whom I know and love. By this you can imagine what a pleasure it would be to me could I only have a talk with you. And will no one come from London to enjoy these lovely woods of Baden ? I know absolutely nothing now about your politics in England ; when I get no letters I am perfectly at a loss for news. Apparently the Ministry still keeps in — doubtless by O'Connell's good pleasure, and in spite of the very marked displeasure of the Court. But can this go on for long ? What, to my mind, gives the measure of the extreme feebleness of the Government is the way in which the King ventures publicly to show his ill-humour to his Ministers. He could not do that if the Ministry were really strong. In France, the subject of interventiont has usurped the place of the Trial, and the public mind is entirely absorbed in Spanish affairs. The resolve on the part of the French Government not to make any interven- tion now, is wise ; but whatever they may do, or may not do, the civil war will last a long time yet, and it is not the Queens who will gain in the end. . . . * At this time English Minister at Stuttgart. t In Spanish affairs. VOL. III. 9 130 BADEN-BADEN. [JUNE Wessenberg begs me to remember him to you ; you would hardly know him again, he is so improved in looks, his cheeks fat and rosy, and his clothes sitting tight about him — he is quite metamorphosed. I fancy the air of this place must be most health-giving (for those who have no sad hearts), for everybody in Baden appears to be well. The Duchesse de Dino will be here soon. Adieu, my dear lord ; pardon me the ennui and sadness of my letters. I know well there is need of much kindness and charity to bear with my present moods ; but, none the less, do not abandon me. To Earl Grey. No. 30. Baden-Baden, June igf/i, 1835. I had just sent off my last letter to you, my dear lord, when yours, No. 25, arrived. How much I can feel for you ! for do I not myself well know the anguish of such losses ? . . . Wessenberg has left me, and I am sorry for it — I have so few resources here, so little to divert my mind of the kind of amusement that I need. What I want is a little conversation, and European ideas, and someone who is interested in what is going on, espe- cially in England ; all this would take me out of myself; but it is difficult to find here. . . . I see your Irish Tithe Bill is again postponed ; what will be its fate in the Commons, and what will the Lords say to it ? This seems to me at present to be the only question of importance to the Govern- ment. Everything you tell me about Peel makes me i835-] SIR R - PEEL. 131 agree the more entirely with you in regretting that he did not make his present discoveries at an earlier date ; but may they not even now lead to a good result ? I do not give up hoping that a junction between you two may yet be possible, and I am convinced that this is what is imperiously demanded for the public good of England. The late news from Spain and Portugal is curious. It must be allowed that the countries possessing con- stitutions are not those just now most remarkable for tranquillity. They are always doing something astonishing, presumably for the edification of the countries that are not so blessedly situated. This is certainly not the best way for getting other Sovereigns to follow their lead, and it seems to me that nowadays less than ever is their example likely to prove con- tagious, especially remembering all that has taken place during the last five years. But how I should like to talk all this over with you ! what a happiness it would be to me ! Adieu, my dear lord. . . . Poor Lady Grey ! how I feel for her in all this sorrow that she has undergone on her daughter's account ! Pray give her many tender messages of sympathy from me. To Earl Grey. No. 31. Baden-Baden, July yd, 1835. Your letter of the 1 ith June is the last I have had, my dear lord, and you may easily imagine how grieved and perturbed I am at this long-continued silence on your part. ... I write to recall to you the 9—2 132 BADEN-BADEN. [JULY fact that I am alive, for I have really nothing to tell you. Madame de Dino has arrived. We often talk of you and of the happy past — of times that never, never can come back again. The King of Wurtemberg* has been spending some days here. His conversation was of interest to me. He will not hear of the Due d'Orleans as a husband for his daughter. The William Russells are most kind to me ; in truth, it is only English people who know how to love one, and to make one feel it. Would that I could come to England and be with you for a time ! . . . Have I told you that my husband has been made Minister of Foreign Affairs for the next three months and a half ? This will at least keep him from brooding over his sorrows ; but I have nothing of this kind to keep me from remembering mine. Adieu, my dear lord, and do not forget me quite. Berkeley Square, July gf//, 1835. Dearest Princess, I was prevented writing, as in duty bound, by last Friday's post, though I had to thank you for your two very kind letters of the 15th and 19th. I could not doubt your sympathy in the afflictions we have suffered. Thank God, both my daughters are as well as I could hope they would be under such circumstances ; and when we get comfortably settled at Howick, I trust I shall see them restored to a tranquil and even to a cheerful state .of mind. We are now * William I. 1835.] LORD DURHAM'S APPOINTMENT. making our preparations for the journey, and my present intention is to set out about the 20th. It is true that the real contest in Parliament will not have begun before that time, but I feel that I could be of no use in it, and I am tired of contention. I may perhaps be delayed a few days to wait for the arrival of my son George, to whom Talleyrand and Madame de Dino were so kind at Rochecotte, and who is to take my daughter Louisa* and her family to St. Petersburg. Lambton, you probably know, is to go round by Constantinople and Odessa, and my son the Colonel+ will accompany him, but is to return immediately from St. Petersburg. I am sure I need not ask you to secure them a good reception. Durham is delighted with his appointment, and more especially by the gracious manner in which it was received by your Emperor. It was not quite so palatable to our Master here ; but that difficulty was soon got over. I should also be very glad of this arrangement, which removes Durham from a scene in which he had very imprudently brought himself into a very false position, and will, I trust, be the means of bringing him back into a more cordial agreement with those from whom he ought never to have separated. But I dread the climate for my daughter and her children, as well as for himself and his eldest daughter, who has had some alarming symptoms of the com- plaint which carried off her sisters. I have no news to send you. The Ministers have certainly acquired strength in the House of Commons, where Howick, my nephew Sir George Grey, and Morpeth have distinguished themselves. They are * Lady Durham. t The Hon. Charles Grey. 134 BADEN-BADEN. [JULY very confident with respect to the Irish [Tithe] Bill in that House, and (if the country does not declare itself against it) not without reason. This appears to me, however, to be a doubtful question ; but perhaps this fear is produced by my opinion of the original impolicy of the course in which they have engaged. In the House of Lords there can be no doubt that those parts of the Bill which are most objected to will be thrown out ; but it does not appear to me that this would necessarily produce their resignation ; and I do not think the Court will venture to repeat the experience of last year. If Madame de Dino is with you, pray say every- thing that is most kind. I have behaved most abominably to her as a correspondent. God bless you. I feel that my letters are not worth reading ; but I cannot write with any freedom or comfort, subject to all the uncertainties of the post. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 32. Baden-Baden, July 14th, 1835. My dear lord, what has become of you ? or, rather, what have I become in your sight ? I know you to have been staying on in London, also that you are not ill; and yet, since June 11, you have not written me a line. I am disquieted, and much pained. I feel inclined to go over to England and down to Howick to inquire of you the reason for this silence. . . , 1835.] THE DUCHESSE DE DINO. 135 The Duchesse de Dino is here, and she is a great source of comfort to me. How often do we not speak of you and of the happy times gone by— gone by, and that never can return ! She wants you much to come to Valencay in September, and for me to come there too. But you would not come to Baden, and perhaps you will not come either to Valencay ? Would you like me to come to Ho wick ? Would you bear with me and my sorrows for some weeks ? Heaven help me ! I hardly know what to do or where to decide on going. And, meanwhile, what is doing in England ? How is the Irish Tithe Bill progressing ? I hear many good reports of Lord Howick, but I wish he were in a Government that appeared more likely to stand. There are some clever people here ; and at Baden, as elsewhere, when England is spoken of, it is always of you that mention is made. You have a great repu- tation all over Europe, and men look to you for a political restoration in the future. Only the future in England now seems to me to be more than ever precarious, and as you no longer write to me, I know nothing of the real truth. My eldest son left me a fortnight ago, and his brother has not yet arrived to take his place. This is a mischance that has put me out greatly, and made my lot seem the harder to bear ; for everything that upsets my nerves aggravates my sorrow. My husband is extremely busy just now, and this to me appears a great good fortune. Adieu, my dear lord. As you must see, when you fail me, everything else goes wrong, and I do not know what to write to you about. Baden gives me nothing to say ; it is, as ever, beautiful, admirable, but mono- 136 BADEN-BADEN. [july tonous, and to me sad — so sad that I want to die, and have done with it all. But, still, I entreat of you not to abandon me. [On July 21, after the second reading of the Irish Tithe Bill, and when it was proposed to go into Committee, Sir R. Peel renewed his opposition to the second part of the measure, namely, for the appro- priation of the surplus to the religious and moral instruction of all classes of the community, without distinction of religious persuasions. On a division, however, the Ministers had a majority of thirty-seven. The Bill ultimately passed the Commons on August 12.] Howick, July 2jth, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letters of the 3rd and the 14th. The first, the day before I left London ; the last, this morning. It was my intention to have written to you before I began my journey, but during the last days of my stay in town I was so con- stantly beset that I really had not a moment for any- thing. Some of my letters must, I think, have mis- carried, for I certainly have never been more than a fortnight without writing to you. . . . We arrived here on Friday, the party consisting only of Lady Grey, myself, Caroline* and her two lovely children. All the rest are left in town for the present ; but I expect the Colonel (who has given up his project of accompanying Lord Durham, as it would have detained him too long from his regiment) and two of his brothers ; but only for a short time, before the end of the week. I am never so happy as here. It suits both my age and my inclination. . . . * Lady C. Barrington. 1835-1 LORD HO WICK. 137 I never can cease, however, to take an active interest in the welfare of the country, and the success of the Government of which my son is now an active and important member. The accounts which I have of him from all quarters are most gratifying to my paternal feelings. Of his ability, of his courage, and of his high sense of honour I had no doubt. I only feared he might not do himself justice, from too modest an appreciation of his own powers, and a disposition to allow others to put themselves before him. But cir- cumstances have placed him in the rank which he ought to occupy, and from henceforward he may be looked to as one of the most distinguished speakers in the House of Commons. He has taken the right course by a steady attention to business and by taking a part in debate, rather than by set speeches ; and every exertion that he has made has obtained for him increased distinction. In the last debate, I am assured by those who would not flatter me, that his was decidedly the best speech. The division on Peel's motion, you will have seen, proved an increase of strength in the Government, the majority exceeding by- ten that which, on Lord John's resolution, * overthrew the last Administration. In the country the Ministers, I am assured from the best authority, have also gained in public estima- tion ; and I clo not believe, therefore, as I did some time ago, in the probability of a change. In the House of Commons they are quite secure, and mad as they appear to be, I cannot believe the Tories would risk a new experiment on the strength of their majority in the House of Lords, similar to that of last * See p. 98. 138 BADEN-BADEN. [july November. With the present House of Commons it is clear that they could not carry on the Government, and from all I hear, and from all that I can observe, another dissolution, if the King could be brought to venture upon so desperate a measure, would only make their case worse. This is very different from what you will read in the Times, which can no longer be regarded as any indication of public opinion, being now a complete party paper, and apparently under a different direction. I grieve to observe the melancholy tone of your letters. . . . How anxiously I should urge the accom- plishment of the hope you hold out of a visit to Howick — if I did not fear that this deep solitude, without anything except an occasional visitor to relieve it, might afford rather aliment than relief to the deep affliction under which you suffer. But nothing that I could do to soothe or divert your sorrow would be wanting ; and if, instead of weeks, you could come here for months, you need not fear my finding your visit too long. ... I speak for Lady Grey as well as myself in all that I have said to tempt you to make a visit so long expected, and constantly disappointed in happier times, to Howick. God bless you, dearest Princess, and believe me Ever yours most sincerely and affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 33. Baden-Baden, July sot/i, 1835. I have at last received your letter of July 9, my dear lord. I must not complain of having been 1835] LADY COWPER'S LETTER. 139 neglected by you, for at the present moment, when I have no longer the physical strength for writing letters,* I fear lest my friends should begin to tire of a corre- spondence that must be so ill repaid on my part ; and now more than ever do I feel the want of their friendship and kindness. My health becomes feebler every day ; my plans are still vague ; I long more than ever for England ; but being in England I could not go to London, for in London I should have too many sad recollections, and too many social calls, to make it possible for me to venture there now. My inclinations and affections would urge me to go to Howick. But would you believe it, my dear lord, Lady C[owper] has written me a letter filled with what she deems good reasons for preventing my coming to England ! And she cites, as the most cogent of these. Lord P[almerston], By this I am to understand that it is made a condition of my coming, that I should show all manner of adoration for him, seeing that his high position would render my stay in England very unpleasant in case I refused to treat him as a friend. Truly love must be very blind to urge anyone to such indelicacy of conduct as this ; and it has seemed to me that my wisest course would be not to reply to such a letter. Madame de Dino leaves to-morrow. I say good- bye to her with great regret ; she has been as kind and considerate to me as though she had been my sister. I have had a short visit from the Falcks, and I expect to see old Fagel,+ too, for a few days. Zea * This letter is written in another hand, at the dictation of the Princess, t Baron Robert de Fagel, Dutch Minister in Paris. MO BADEN-BADEN. [july also is here ; he professes to adore the late King more than ever now (but do you recollect what he used to say ?) ; all this is since his two Queens have come to the throne. And then he goes on about the pretender, and the civil war, and his own disgrace — et cetera. The fact is, the poor man has but one idea in his head, namely, hatred of the Radicals, and really I think he has some cause for it. July$\st. I must add a few lines in my own hand,'" although I am feeling extremely weak and ill. We have just heard the news of the attempt in Paris of the 2 8th. + I am quite aghast at it ; what horrible villainy it shows! The Ministerial victory, in England, is also in the papers, \ but it remains to be seen what the House of Lords will have to say to the Bill. I am so miserable, my dear lord, at being no longer able to write. My only means of diverting my mind from my affliction is now taken from me. You will, I know, sympathize with me in this, as in all else. To-morrow a year will have gone by since I saw you last, and God knows not a day have I passed since that sad date during which I have not shed tears, and you know what tears count with me. Write to me, I implore you. A thousand kindest regards. o D. LlEVEN. * What follows is in the Princess's writing, but written with a trembling hand. f Fieschi's attempt on Louis Philippe. The infernal machine was fired a moment after the King had passed, and he escaped, though between twenty and thirty other persons, and among them Marshal Mortier, were killed on the spot or died subsequently of their wounds. X The Irish Tithe Bill passing the Commons. 1835.] FIESCHPS ATTEMPT. 141 Howick, Aug. \2th, 1835. Dearest Princess, This being my day for writing to you, I was just sitting down for that purpose, when your letter of July 30 was brought to me. I was alarmed at seeing that it was not written in your own hand, and its contents have not quieted my apprehensions. . . . Amongst all the atrocities that we have witnessed during the last forty years, not one has exceeded this last attempt on Louis Philippe. Can it be possible that any number of persons could have been found wicked enough to conspire for such a purpose ? I was inclined at first, for the sake of human nature, to believe that it was the act of a mad enthusiast, excited by the daily instigations of the press, whether Carlist or Republican. But there seems now too much reason to believe that more persons were concerned, and that Fieschi is anything rather than a madman or an enthusiast — bold, daring, shrinking at nothing, per- fectly calm and collected, and making a joke of the most atrocious crimes. It will be of great use, as all such attempts are when they fail, to the Government. With respect to our home politics I have little to say. I really know nothing. As far as I can form an opinion from what I read and observe, the Govern- ment must derive advantage from the proceedings of the Tories. Peel loudly condemns what has been done in the House of Lords,* and the Duke of Wellington is said to have been himself drawn into a support of what he disapproved. With all the fault I * The rejection of the appropriation clauses of the Irish Tithe Bill ; the measure was accordingly abandoned. 142 BADEN-BADEN. [AUG. have to find with him, I did not think he was a man to be forced into measures against his opinion by persons possessing so little trace of discretion as the more violent members of his party. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. [The Corporation Bill, having passed the Commons by large majorities, was sent up to the Lords on July 21. On August 3 Lord Carnarvon insisted that the House should receive evidence and hear counsel, and his motion was carried against the Government by 124 votes to 54.] To Earl Grey. No. 34. Baden-Baden, Aug. lot h, 1835. You have given up the excellent habit of putting numbers to your letters, my dear lord, and this renders it impossible to know whether any of them are missing or not. I have received your letter dated Howick, July 27, and I thank you greatly for it. It proves to me that your friendship is still warm. . . . I am still very feeble ; it costs me much to write, and you must pardon my poor short letters, paying me back with interest. Tell me what is going on, and what is going to happen. Is the late defeat of the Government in the House of Lords on the Corporation Bill a matter of gravity, or is it unimportant ? To me it was quite unexpected, and I imagined from what I had heard, even from my Tory friends, that the Bill would pass. The language held by the Government newspapers must, it would seem to me, be very odious to the Court. In France the late atrocity would appear to have i835-] COUNT NESSELRODE. 143 turned out very much to the benefit of the King's popularity, and I only hope that what he has gained may last. But the French now are so demoralized and so fickle, one never knows. Count Nesselrode has joined us here, and remains till the beginning of next month, after which he goes to Toplitz to attend the meeting of the two Emperors. I have as yet decided nothing about my own move- ments ; but I shall probably go to Valencay for the end of September, after which I know not whither I shall turn my steps. . . . Old Fagel has come to Baden from Switzerland to pay me a visit. We talk about England together ; it is the only subject on which I take any pleasure or interest whatever. The 'William Russells are as ever all that is kind to me. Adieu, my dear lord. I have made an immense effort to write this, and can only add my warmest regards. A thousand kindest messages to Lady Grey and your daughters. 144 ] CHAPTER V. PARIS. Carlists and Christinos — The British Legion — The Press Law in France — Inter- view at Toplitz— The House of Lords and the Corporation Bill — Sir R. Peel and the Tories — Chalons-sur-Marne — Society in Paris — The Power of the House of Lords — Mr. O'Connell's Speeches— Diplomatists in Paris— M. Thiers and the Due de Broglie— Spanish Affairs— Mr. O'Connell in Scotland — Accident to the Cleopatra in the Baltic — The Due d'Orleans setting out for Algeria — Mendizabal and Queen Christina — Lord Durham at St. Petersburg — Lord Lansdowne and the 'Garter' — M. Mole — France and the United States — The Czar's Speech at Warsaw — King Leopold in Paris — -The ' Doc- trinaires ' — The Duke of Cumberland and the Orange Lodges — Mr. Ellice in Paris — Lord Minto and M. Bresson — The Dowager Lady Salisbury burnt at Hatfield— Fieschi's Trial— Mr. O'Connell and the Ministers — Mr. Ellice and Lord Grey — France and Russia — General Distrust of Russia — Lord Minto and M. Ancillon — The Taking of Mascara. No. I. Howick, Aug. 26///, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letter of the 10th, in which I am grieved to see too many proofs of the depressed state both of your health and spirits. . . . I shall envy them at Valencay, but I must confess that a visit there will be more likely to relieve you than our deep and uninterrupted solitude. I find, however, that an unvaried and uniform course of life, where every morning presents a renewal of the same routine of occupations for the day, suits admirably both I83S-] LADY COW PER. 145 my age and disposition. My health is much improved since I came, and if it were not for the sake of seeing a few valued friends, I should not wish ever again to leave a place where I have so many comforts and so much real enjoyment. . . . What you say of Lady Cowper's letter grieves me. I will not say that it very much surprises me, but I forbear from any further comment. We have not had a single visitor since we came home, and have none of our family with us, except Caroline and her children and William. George was called away in a hurry to take command of the Cleopatra, which is to take Louisa and her children to Petersburg. They expect to sail about September 10, Lambton's eldest daughter being to be married to John Ponsonby* two or three days before. This match makes them all very happy, and I am very glad on the girl's account that she is saved the danger of the winter at Petersburg. Lord Durham has been heard of from Gibraltar, all well. My other sailor son is coming here for a few days to take leave of us before he goes as Captain of the Jupiter to the East Indies with Lord Auckland, + and we expect Mary and Georgiana next week. Here is a long family detail. Am I too vain in thinking that it may have some interest for you ? It proves at least my willingness to write even when I have little to say. I should, how- ever, have much to say if we could meet, though I cannot write so freely. The conduct of the Lords has, I confess, surprised me. If one could suppose that they act with any * Afterwards fifth Earl of Bessborough. t Recently appointed Governor-General of India. VOL. III. IO 146 PARIS. [AUG. settled intention, one would conclude that they were prepared for a change of Government, and another dissolution. But I have reason to know that some of their proceedings have not only been without the con- currence, but directly against the opinion of Peel, and without him they can do nothing. A crisis, however, is at hand ; and a few days will probably produce results on which I have no data to enable me to specu- late with any confidence at present. God bless you, dearest Princess, and believe that I feel as I ought to do your constant and unvarying kindness. Yours affectionately, G. P.S. — I have omitted lately to number my letters, and begin again No. I. To Earl Grey. No. 35. Baden-Baden, Aug. 26th, 1835. I keep to numbering my letters, my dear lord, though you have left off doing so to yours, and have to thank you for your letter of the 9th,* which was all too short for my curiosity. I have nothing but your letters to depend on for keeping me informed of what takes place in England, so I entreat you to write at greater length to me. I have much need now of keeping my thoughts interested in what goes on in England, and I desire greatly to know all that takes place there. The recent events in Spain are truly frightful to * A mistake for August 12? 1 835.] CIVIL WAR IN SPAIN. 147 think of.* What horrors that poor country has suffered ! and as to the conduct of her allies, it passes my comprehension whether their conduct is to be justified from the point of view of their private interests, or of what they consider their national honour. They ought either not to have meddled in the matter at all, or to have meddled to such purpose as to have brought matters to a settlement. Either send a hundred thousand men into Spain, or keep out of the country altogether. But everything is done now in so mean a spirit and so clumsily. Further, as affairs stand in the Peninsula to-day, I imagine Louis Philippe cannot help wishing all success to Don Carlos. And it is he who in truth must gain by the present disorders. In France, everything will now go according to the King's wish, in spite of all the English Govern- ment may try to do to prevent the passing of the Press Law. There seems to me to be very little harmony of principles, at this present day, between the Governments in France and England ; and since it was common principles that originally forged the bond between the two countries, it would appear likely that the alliance, now, is in a precarious condition. The coming interview at Toplitz will deprive us before long of the company of Count Nesselrode. The Princess of Oranget is also going there to meet her brother the Emperor. All this going away deprives Baden of most of its charm for me, and in a * The civil war was raging between the Carlists and Christinos. The Spanish Legion, under command of General de Lacy Evans, and composed of English volunteers, enlisted under the powers of Lord Palmerston's Foreign Enlistment Act, was fighting the Carlists in the service of the young Queen Isabella. -j- Anna, sister of the Emperor Nicholas. IO 2 148 PARIS. [AUG. few weeks I, too, shall take my departure. Besides, the weather is beginning to get very rainy. How I wish I were with you, my dear lord ! How much I should like a talk with you ! How difficult it is now to find anyone who can talk on every subject, and yet with you it seems to me as though talking over everything would be so easy. The William Russells remain on here for part of September. They are really good people, and I love them both well ; it is only English people to whom I give my whole heart. Adieu, my dear lord ; write to me, think of me, and love me still. [After hearing counsel, the Lords had recast the Corporation Bill, and sent it back to the Lower House. The Peers' amend- ments, however, were rejected by the Commons, Sir R. Peel following Lord J. Russell and agreeing with him in all important points. The House of Lords now gave way. At a conference between the two Houses, explanations took place, the more important decisions of the Commons were accepted by the Peers, and the Ministers yielded in minor points. On the 7th the amendments of the Lords passed the Commons, and the Corporation Bill became law on September 9.] No. 2. Hovvick, Sept. 8t/i, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letter of August 26. You ask me for news ; I really have none to send that you will not find in the usual sources of public information. . . . I have indeed found myself lately greatly in default in my speculations. Whatever the more violent Tories might be willing and ready to do, without any regard to consequences, I could not bring myself to believe that the Duke of Wellington and Lord Lyndhurst 1835.] THE CORPORATION BILL. 149 would have proposed any alteration in the Corporation Bill without being sure beforehand of Peel's concur- rence. Without him they could not hope to fight a successful battle with the House of Commons, and the only alternative, if he failed them, was, after all their blustering, a not very creditable acquiescence. It has happened accordingly. Peel, without any scruple, threw overboard the most objectionable of their pro- positions, and the Ministers very judiciously acquiesced in those of minor importance, for the sake of carrying a Bill the great principles of which are established, and which certainly will be productive of great public advantages. So far all is well. But enough remains to make the task of government one of great difficulty, both on account of the state in which Ireland is left, and of the adverse disposition of the House of Lords, which has defeated so many of their measures. For the present, however, it does not seem probable that there will be any change ; but I do not pretend to foresee what may be the result of such a state of things when Parliament reassembles, or even during the previous interval of the recess. . . . By this time, I calculate, you will be preparing to leave Baden, and from what you say I conclude that Valencay will be your first destination. I shall envy them* the possession of you there. Lady Clanricarde, whom, by the way, we expect here in the autumn, speaks most favourably of their manner of living, and the pleasure of their society. But I am told it is very cold in winter. This will not suit you, and as the cholera is in Italy, and the difficulties of travelling * M. de Talleyrand and his niece. 150 PARIS. [sept. have much increased by the rigid quarantines which have been established in consequence, my hopes of your coming to England, and in that case certainly to Howick, are much increased. God bless you. Yours ever, G. To Earl Grey. No. 36. Chalons-sur-Marne. Sept. \\th, 1835. I am stopped by illness, my dear lord, in this little French town, and you can hardly conceive what I am suffering from ennui, and the general incommo- diousness of the place. And for me, who hate ennui more than I do illness, this delay is worse than it would be for anyone else ; which means that I must be feeling extraordinarily ill to be stopping here at all. However, I shall try and make the time pass by writing these few lines to you, and I will tell you first how pleasant to me is the thought that before long I shall be living so much nearer to you. In Paris it will seem to me as though there were hardly any distance between us, so wondrously close to England does that place seem in comparison with Petersburg (sad, hor- rible Petersburg !). I have just learnt by the papers that the House of Commons has accepted the amendments of the House of Lords, and the latter has, after all, only stuck to its rights and shown its independence. I do not know whether in this case the Lords have acted judiciously, but, at any rate, they have given a renewed sign of life. They have lain forgotten for so long past that I feel a certain pleasure in this assurance that they are still 1 8.35-] THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 151 alive. Will not the Ministry be somewhat shaken by this adverse vote ? I always considered them feeble, and thought their tenure of office was precarious. Having such a small following of their own party, they were of course bound to seek strength by courting one of the two parties that divide the Opposition. They have chosen the Radicals ; but will the Radicals be satisfied with what has recently taken place ? You must tell me what you think of all this. I have never believed that the existence of the House of Lords was really threatened. Had it been, you would have come up to speak in its defence, for after all, though it was your desire to reform the Constitution, it can never be your wish to see it laid in ruins. Affairs in Spain go as it was always said they would. Will this democracy be allowed to establish their Government ? I take it Christina's hopes must now be at an end. In that country any juste milieu seems perfectly impossible ; they will first have a republic, and then after that it will be Charles V.* As you see, Chalons inspires me with ideas, and I am full of political prognostics. I hope to reach Paris the day after to-morrow. Paris, Sept. \\th. Paris greets me pleasantly, my dear lord, for I find here your letter of the 8th of September. How happy I am to feel myself once more living so near you ! I got over my journey to this place passably well, but I am still so weak that I hardly know whether I shall be able to go down to Valenc^y. It is two long days' journey, and the roads are bad, which discourages me. * Don Carlos. 152 PARIS. [sept. The only people I have found in Paris are the Flahaults. They are at present in hot opposition to the Government, and are of the party of the Due d'Orleans, which causes them to be looked upon askance at the Tuileries. She has aged greatly. The Granvilles* are at Dieppe. The French Govern- ment are about to send a Minister to the Hague ; I suppose your Government will be doing the like also before long — that is, if you maintain your present terms of cordiality with the French Ministry, which is a subject on which I know nothing. Yet surely a Government that is advancing so rapidly in its Liberalism, and one that is crushing out liberty with so heavy a hand, can hardly continue on terms of intimacy. Adieu, my dear lord ; I am in a hurry to send off this letter, and so will only add a thousand kind mes- sages. Write to me often, and at length, and, as heretofore, send your letters to Ashburnham House. No. 3. Hovvick, Sept. 22nd, 1835. Dearest Princess, I yesterday received your letter, begun at Chalons and concluded at Paris. I cannot express to you the pleasure it gave me. . . . Though you speak with uncertainty about Valenc_ay, I think it will end in your going there. Nothing can be more pleasant, ac- cording to all accounts, than the manner of living and the society you will meet with there ; but I hope you will not be tempted to expose yourself to the severity of the winter there, which I am told is very great. Do * English Ambassador in Paris. 1835.] THE CORPORATION BILL. 153 not your thoughts turn to England and to Howick ? though, knowing that you dread ennui more even than sickness, the fear that you might have to encounter that greatest of all enemies here often comes over me. My last letter will have shown you that I do not regard, as you do, the result of the proceedings on the Corporation Bill as a triumph to the Lords. On the contrary, I am much afraid that it has done more to alienate the public opinion from them than anything that has yet occurred. You say right, that I should wish to defend them against any revolution, any attempt to destroy them as a branch of the Legislature. For I regard as nothing less the present cry that is raised for a reform in their House. I should not regard this if it were confined to the violence and abuse of O'Connell and the Radical assemblies which he is haranguing in his progress through the country. But I am afraid that too many reasonable and respectable men are beginning to ask themselves the question whether a majority, combined upon a party principle, is to be allowed to stand in the way, not of Radical, but of all salutary reform. I say I should wish to defend them, but they must not deprive me of all power to do so by persevering in the sort of conduct which they have lately pursued. The affairs both of France and Spain would afford too large a chapter for a letter. I will only say with respect to the former that I see no reason for thinking that anything that has occurred is at all calculated to diminish the friendly understanding which subsists between us, which, I am sure, is necessary to the interests of both, and which, in this view, it has always been my most anxious desire to promote. The Spaniards 154 PARIS. [sept. are a most extraordinary people, and there is no specu- lating with respect to them, as one would do with respect to any other nation. But I am still willing to hope and to believe that the Queen's cause will triumph. My daughter Louisa,* with her family, sailed on the 13th, and if they have had the same wind that we have had here, ought to be, by this time, at or near Cronstadt. We have accounts from Lord Durham from Malta, where he arrived after a passage of twenty- one days. God bless you. G. To Earl Grey. No. 37. Paris, Sept. 26th, 1835. 1 am waiting for a letter, my dear lord, but have waited so long that I begin mine to you, though I have nothing as yet to answer. . . . I read your English papers, my dear lord, and, among other things, have read Mr. O'Connell's speeches. Had you still been Premier, I do not imagine they would have been allowed to go unpunished. How can the Government possibly tolerate such language ? and the Globe, too, applauding him for it. Things are going on more peaceably here in Paris now. The Government is stronger, and makes its strength felt. While with you revolution is allowed to rise up and gain power, here they do their best to keep it in check. At the present hour I see very- little likeness between the principles in vogue in Paris * Lady Durham. 1835] LADY GRANVILLE. 155 and in London ; and I imagine the present friendly relations between the two countries must before long suffer from this. I have renewed my acquaintance with the Gran- villes with very great pleasure. She is as charming as ever. They expect the Carlisles to arrive to-day. Nicholas Pahlen has just turned up here ; and his brother* the Ambassador will be here in a fortnight. Madame de Flahault is very full of affairs, and quite taken up with her politics ; but she is always kind and amiable to me. Having told you all this, and men- tioned by name the Apponyis, my story ends ; for I know no one else in Paris. Why could not you come over here and just show yourself a little ? You surely need not be told what a pleasure this would be to me ; and Paris is really a most interesting place to visit ; one cannot be bored here for a single moment. Just turn over this suggestion of mine ; the idea surely is not so extravagant. Adieu, my dear lord ; I beseech you to write to me, for you know how happy it makes me. To Earl Grey. [No. 38.] Paris, Oct. yd, 1835. Your letter of the 22nd, my dear lord, was brought to me soon after I had sent off my last to you. Nothing much has happened here since then, needing comment ; and as to myself, I have nothing to tell you except that I greatly feel the emptiness of Paris — that is to say, the want of friends here, and the want of * Count Peter Pahlen, recently appointed Russian Ambassador in Paris. 156 PARIS. [oct. interests such as I have been accustomed to else- where. . . . The weather here is very bad, and Valencay seems to come no nearer to me. My health, too, is no better, and all this taken together makes me put off my visit to Madame de Dino. I am in hopes, also, that they will soon be coming into Paris. Their ex- cursion to Fontainebleau, of which they talked so much, and which was to have brought them North, is not now going to take place ; and Fieschi's trial, at which M. de Talleyrand must be present, will only be commenced at the end of this month or the beginning of next. Meanwhile, I try to content myself with the company of Lady Granville, Madame de Flahault, and Madame Apponyi ; and the various Ambassadors, among whom I like the Sardinian Minister perhaps the best. I occasionally see M. Thiers, who is very clever, but is not imposing in manner. M. de Broglie # also has paid me some visits ; he is personally the reverse of agreeable, but his wife, on the other hand, is quite charming. They all treat me most kindly ; but what I require is friendship. . . . Oct. $tA. I finish my letter to-day, for I have a good oppor- tunity for sending it to England. I wish I had some- thing interesting to add worthy of the occasion, but the world appears to be in a state of stagnation — every- where, except in that wretched Spain, which, in spite of her high protectors, is every day falling more and more into the abyss of anarchy. However, this is a subject on which it is impossible to write. How much * The Due de Broglie was at this time Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council. His wife was Albertine, daughter of Madame de Stael. 1 835.] AFFAIRS IN SPAIN. 157 should we not have to talk over were we together ! To think that it is Queen Christina, protected, aided, supported by you all, who is now being overthrown ; that Don Carlos is triumphing, whom everybody refused to help ; while Jacobinism consummates the ruin of all that you had promised to support ! However, so wags the world ; and we look on from afar. France is very peaceable just now, and Louis Philippe manages matters most cleverly. O'Connell's speeches occupy men's minds very much over here, much more so than they appear to do in England. Frankly, ought he not to be prosecuted for these said speeches ? and would not you have done so had you still been Premier ? My husband has had letters from Lord Durham, dated Constantinople. He wished to travel via Odessa and the Crimea, if the season per- mitted it, but I imagine the weather will have made him hasten his voyage, and doubtless by this time he will be very nearly arriving at St. Petersburg. Lady Durham had not yet arrived. My husband when he wrote was staying in the country with the Imperial children. Adieu, my dear lord. When shall we once more have a talk together ? Why will you not come over to Paris ? it would be such a pleasure to me. Adieu again, and a thousand kindest regards. No. 4. Howick, Oct, \2tJ1, 1835. Dearest Princess, Since my last I have received your letters of September 26 and October 3. After thanking you for them I have little to say. . . . I am not surprised that the accounts of O'Connell's 158 PARIS. [oct. progress through the country, and of his speeches, should greatly interest, and even alarm, those who watch with a friendly anxiety the course of affairs in this country. But you have lived long enough among us to know that there is often more noise than power in exhibitions of this nature. In the present case it has been remarkably so, and the result of O'Connell's visit to Scotland was, in truth, a failure. Not one person of respectability attended any of his meetings, and though there was a sufficient number of Radicals to cheer and to hurrah, the impression generally made upon the public was altogether flat and unprofitable. Of the tendency of his new system of agitation, and his avowed endeavour to ' overthrow,' as he himself expresses it, the House of Lords, it can hardly be necessary for me to say that I think as you do, and that I will resist it to the utmost of my power. But I do not concur with you as to the expediency of prosecuting him. Such measures seldom succeed. All experience from our Revolution in 1688, down- wards, is against them. Such prosecutions, if they fail, stamp the weakness of the Government ; if they succeed, the agitator is converted into a martyr, and his influence increased. All prudential reasons, there- fore, are, in my opinion, against measures of this nature, except in very extraordinary cases, and in the present instance I think the Government has judged rightly hitherto, in its forbearance. But then I think it is in duty bound not to leave any doubt as to its own views, and not to let it be supposed that the proceedings of Mr. O'Connell are in any degree countenanced, much less encouraged, by them. My interest in the affairs of Spain is increased by I83S-] ALAVA. 159 the important part which Alava has been called upon to take in them. I wish I could add that my hopes of his success are as great as my fear of the difficulty in which he may find himself involved. I cannot believe that the Government of Louis Philippe can have views different to ours on this question. Our interests are the same with respect to the establishment of the Queen ; and I shall be much surprised indeed, and my confidence in public men will be yet more shaken, if the Due cle Broglie should be found to lend himself to any measures that might prove favourable to the cause of Don Carlos. We have been in great anxiety about the Cleopatra and its precious cargo. Having seen that they had been on shore, though the same accounts stated that the ship arrived at Elsinore, we could not be happy till we heard directly of their safety. At length letters arrived and relieved our fears ; but their danger had been very great, and my son* says that when he found the night coming on, and the gale increasing, without any hope of their getting off before daylight, his anxiety for Louisa and her children was still greater than that which he felt for the ship, the crew, and himself. He says they all behaved admirably, and the accounts which have been received at the Admiralty of his conduct, of his coolness, presence of mind, and skill, are most satisfactory. The accident was owing to the fault of the pilot, but George excuses him on account of the extraordinary strength of the current, and the haze which prevented him seeing the land. They sailed from Elsinore on September 25, and expected to arrive at Cronstadt before October 1. . . . * The Hon. George Grey, captain of the Cleopatra, 160 PARIS. [OCT. I wish I could meet you at Paris. But various domestic ties render that, at present, impossible. Besides, I have not yet long enough ceased to be a public man to render my residence there as quiet and as free from observation and control as would be necessary for my comfort. For the present, therefore, I am fixed here till the spring, and then it is not impossible that I may make a rush across the Channel. But I am growing horribly old, and only fit to remain by my own fireside. As you say nothing of England, I despair of seeing you here. . . . God bless you. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 39. Paris, Oct. 23rd, 1835. Thank you very much, my dear lord, for your letter of the 12th ; do not, pray, tire of writing to me, for your letters give me so much pleasure ; they nourish both my heart and my mind, and I appreciate fully every word of them. What you tell me of the peril Lady Durham has escaped, recalls most vividly what we went through ourselves last year when we crossed the Baltic. Such moments are terrible to pass ; but, alas ! there are some moments in life worse even than these. My husband writes he has had the pleasure of meeting your daughter and all her family at Czarskoselo, and he has seen her since then in Petersburg, where (judging from what he tells me) she is now established in a charming house. They are all very well in health. 1835] SOCIETY IN PARIS. 161 So you will not come over to Paris. I hardly dared flatter myself you would, but your refusal has been none the less a great disappointment. And everybody here had so hoped you would come. M. de Broglie desires that I should convey his regrets at not seeing you. They one and all (both those who knew you and those who did not know you) wanted to have you here. I am beginning now to look about me a little. I see a few new people at my receptions, and I accept a few invitations to dine out when the party is not a large one, for all this diverts me from my troubles. Society here is very different from what it is anywhere else, and, above all, it is quite unlike what you have in England. There is esprit without stint, but then there is also much pretentiousness, much thoughtless chatter, and much self-sufficiency, much more than I used to notice in society in England. And when with all this a Frenchman wishes to sit in judgment on the English, the blunders he makes are really too laughable. They should leave such matters alone. As an exception to this sweeping judgment of the French as a nation, I must put the King ; he is really quite unlike other Frenchmen. He is clever, moderate in his views, and patient in listening in order to learn. He has a great knowledge of men, and is without either passion or thoughtless vivacity. On all these points he is not at all French. The Due d'Orleans is on the point of setting out for Algeria. It is his own wish, and the Ministers have favoured the scheme ; but the King and Queen are much chagrined at his going. In Paris they have not much confidence in the VOL. III. 1 1 1 62 PARIS. [OCT. success of what Mendizabal* is doing, and they have little hope of any good accruing from the meeting of the Cortes. The truce that has been patched up for the moment with the revolutionary party only proves what great concessions have been made to the latter ; and this is a sorry way of doing business. As to Don Carlos, he will be a great fool if he does not appear in Madrid now, for everything that is taking place at present in Spain must favour his pretensions. Madame de Dino is already here, and M. de Talleyrand arrives to-morrow — that is, if his wife does not die during the course of the day, which seems more than likely. I am so happy at having them again near me, and as most of M. de Talleyrand's old friends are now dead, I am in hopes that he will transfer their rights to me, and that I shall have his society for my evenings. There is a prodigious number of English here now, and of all sorts and kinds. Lady Canterbury is to be at Lady Granville's this evening. So much for the Liberal side. There are also Russians of all cateQ'ories. Adieu, my dear lord. I am interrupted, and have only time to add many friendly regards, and a thousand kind messages to Lady Grey. No. 5. Howick, Nov. 4f//, 1835. Dearest Princess, After thanking you for your letter of the 23rd of October, which I have received since my last, I have * M. Mendizabal, whose family was of Jewish origin, had been Finance Minister under Count Torreno, and on the retirement of the latter became Prime Minister to Queen Christina's Government. 1835.] M. DE TALLEYRAND. 163 little to say. We are now quite alone — see nobody and hear nothing. It gave me great pleasure to see that you begin to enioy the society of Paris. The arrival of Madame de Dino and M. de Talleyrand will be a great resource ; of the latter I think you will see a great deal. He is too clever himself, and has too much good taste, not to profit by your society as much as he can. In short, I am encouraged to hope that you will pass your time agreeably at Paris. You are there in the centre of everything that is agreeable and interesting. I only wish that I could partake of the enjoyments. But this is not permitted me, and in truth I am only fit for my own chimney corner. I am much flattered, however, by what you say of the wish to see me, and beg you will particularly express to M. de Broglie how much I have been gratified by his kind message. Howick left me last week, and I really know nothing of what there is going on, if there is anything to know. The Cabinet are to be assembled on the 1 2 th to prepare their measures for the ensuing Session. They will have enough to do, and I wish that the prospects before them were more encouraging. Spain, in spite of what you say, appears to me to be improv- ing. After all, there is too much ground for doubt and fear. But I will not believe that Don Carlos can succeed. Of all the events that could happen for Spain and for Europe, this would be the worst. I expect daily to hear of Lord Durham's arrival at Petersburg, and I cannot help fearing that he may suffer from the journey from Odessa. In the meantime a new misery is preparing for him. Lady Fanny, his eldest daughter, lately married to Duncannon's son, is 1 1 — 2 1 64 PARIS. [NOV. in a state of health which, with the example of her two sisters before us, must excite the greatest apprehen- sions.* I had a letter the other day from Duncannon, giving a most alarming account of her situation. Louisa tells me she has got a very nice house, though not quite large enough ; but she complains dreadfully of the bugs, which devour her children. My son, the captain, who took her to Cronstadt, is returned after a good, but tempestuous, passage. His ship had sustained little or no damage by being on shore. But the Admiralty has ordered him to be tried by a court-martial ; though no blame has been or can be imputed to him. But I am glad of it, as I am sure the result will be to his credit, and will silence all malicious reflections. After this we expect him here to take leave of us before he goes to some foreign station for three years. The winter has set in here earlier and more severely than usual. But we have yet neither frost nor snow, and f get out for some hours every day. Lord Lansdowne, I hear, has declined the Garter, and the Duke of Hamilton is to have it. How happy he will be ! God bless you. Most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 40. Paris, Nov. 16//1, 1835. I have just received your letter of the 4th, my dear lord, and as usual I hasten to answer it, that I may the sooner receive another from you in reply. . . . * Lady Frances Ponsonby died December 17 following. 1 835.] M. MOLE. 165 The circle of my acquaintance here becomes every day wider. I strive to keep it within bounds, for in the first place my fortune does not admit of my receiving on a great scale, and, in the second, I am not yet, as regards my health, in a condition to see many people. The people I chiefly depend on are the diplomats, and here we all stand on equal terms. I see them all, and every day, and we meet morning or evening, as best suits. I occasionally see our Ambassador even twice in the day. He is a straightforward and noble-minded man, who is acquitting himself most worthily in a posi- tion which began under strange auspices. I am begin- ning to like the French, and among them M. Mole pleases me more than most. He is an honourable, true-hearted politician. I see a great deal, too, of M. de Talleyrand and Madame de Dino. Everybody here is most kind to me, and the English, if possible, more than the rest, show me every attention ; not only the English whom I already knew, but even those I did not know when I was in England. . . . I do not know where to begin talking to you of politics, and yet if I were only with you I feel it would all come quite naturally. European affairs at this moment are so strangely situated, that less than ever do I conceive things can end peaceably for those most deeply concerned therein. Take, for instance, the present squabble between France and the United States ; # and as for Spain, matters never will get settled there. I will say nothing to you about the speech my Emperor is said to have made at Warsaw, t * See note, p. 84. The French eventually agreed to the payment of twenty-five millions of francs, and the matter was thus settled without recourse to arms. t The Emperor Nicholas, during a visit to Warsaw, where he had not been seen since the revolution of 1830, took occasion in his speech to the Municipality 1 66 PARIS. [nov. and about which so much is now beinQf talked. It is not yet known whether his speech has been accurately reported or not, and even if the reports we have of it be true, you know me well enough to be aware, with- out my telling you, what would be my view of the matter. My remarks on the political situation end here. My husband sends me excellent accounts of Lady Durham. Writing on October 28, he says she expected her husband within the week. Lady Fanny Ponsonby's state of health is indeed a hard trial to them ; they must too well foresee what will be the end. King Leopold remains on here from day to day ; they give great dinner-parties for him at Court, but nothing more ; and till the Fieschi affair is over there will be no great entertainments. They are always talk- ing, here in Paris, of impending changes in the Ministry, but I do not think anything of the kind is really likely to happen. If there had been any chance of change, the King would long ago have got rid of the Doctrinaires, for he is far from fond of them. Just at the present moment there is a strange little squabble going on about the Dc'bats newspaper. The King is very angry, and has shown himself much annoyed at the articles in this paper written against Russia. Now it is too well known that the Ddbats is subventioned by the Govern- ment, for any disclaimers on their part to be able to gain credence. Meantime the King has caused the Monitatr and the Journal de Paris to be warned to insert nothing in their columns about the Warsaw speech. Such is our small daily gossip. Your affairs, if anything is going on with you, are of graver import. to declare, among other things, that he would lay the city in ruins if the Poles were to attempt another rising. 1835] M. DE BROGLIE. 167 Adieu, my clear lord. Answer me without delay, for our correspondence needs whipping up, I think ; it gets sleepy. My friendship for you, however, is, believe me, as lively as ever. No. 6. Howick, Nov. 24///, 1835. Dearest Princess, I received on Sunday your letter of the 1 6th. . . . The account you give of the way in which you pass your time at Paris gave me the greatest pleasure. Your circle must be delightful ; I wish that I could be one of those who enjoy it. I like the French, and in society even those who may be dis- posed not to allow them a distinguished place as to moral qualities cannot deny that they are most agree- able. I have never had an opportunity of meeting M. Mole, but from those who have had the advantage of his acquaintance, I have heard the same report that you make of him. You include, of course, M. de Broglie amongst the Doctrinaires, and in that case I am sorry to learn that he is not pleasing to the King. My experience does not lead to a very favourable opinion of politicians who are too theoretical. This produces many practical disadvantages. But as a man of great talents and acquirements, but, above all, as a man of the highest integrity and honour, M. de Broglie commands my esteem. The advantage of having such a man at the head of the French Government in the present state of that country and of Europe cannot be too highly prized, and the little defect which may be set against it, of his being a Doctrinaire, will, I have 1 68 PARIS. [NOV. no doubt, be corrected, if it still exists, by the practical views which will be forced upon him by the conduct of public affairs. Of his colleagues I know nothing. Of some of them I have heard accounts which do not inspire respect. My whole confidence is in him. The effect of the speech assigned to your Emperor has not been less here than in France. You will have seen the comments on it in the Times, now the chief paper of the Tories. All I will permit myself to say upon it is, that I am sincerely glad to hear that there are still doubts of its authenticity, and that I shall rejoice to find that the version given of it is altogether false, or greatly exaggerated. Here politics seem to be in a state of stagnation. Yet I see in the papers, and indeed hear from Howick, that the Cabinet has constant meetings. But I know nothing either of the objects or of the results of their deliberations, except what my own observation fur- nishes. They certainly must have many difficult questions under consideration, both public and per- sonal. Amongst the latter is the affair of the Duke of Cumberland and the Orange Lodges,* and the dis- posal of the Great Seal. It cannot continue in com- mission beyond the meeting of Parliament, and if Brougham should find himself permanently excluded, he can hardly be expected to remain quiet. Our letters from Lord Durham are of October 30. Since my last, my son who took her [Lady Durham] to Cronstadt has * The Duke of Cumberland was Grand Master of the Orange Association. The conduct of the Lodges during the last few years had been so markedly dis- loyal as to lead (August, 1835) to a Committee of Inquiry being formed in the House of Commons to take cognizance of their proceedings. The Duke of Cumberland had received a broad hint from the Government to withhold himself from all connection with the Orange Association, but had refused to move in any way in the matter at present. 1 835.] THE RUSSIAN CLIMATE. 169 been here to take leave of us before he goes for three years to South America. What an account he gives of your climate ! The thermometer four degrees below freezing when he sailed on October 1 5 ! God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever yours, G. To Earl Grey. No. 40.* Paris, Dec. 3rd, 1835. I thank you a thousand times, my dear lord, for your letter of the 24th. . . . We all hope that you may be induced to change your mind on the point of not coming to Paris. Your friends think you would derive pleasure from the trip, and I am quite of their opinion, even leaving the fact of my being in Paris out of the question. I see a good deal of Mr. Ellice.t I like him first because you like him, and next for himself, for he has a subtle mind that understands all that is going on. In short, he is a man who suits me perfectly. Lord William Russell's departure for Berlin has been a great loss to me. He, too, is one of those with whom it is a pleasure to become intimate. After all, it is only the English in whom one finds constancy in friendship ; they always take you up again just where they left you. And the Russells in particular are friends of the right sort. . . . Adair was quite adored in Berlin, but they say that M. Bresson did not find him as docile as Lord Minto, who never went to call on M. Ancillon * Should be numbered 41. f Lord Grey's brother-indaw, the Right Hon. Edward Ellice, commonly called ' Bear' Ellice. 17° PARIS. [DEC. without taking Bresson with him, which is one of the reasons that decided them to send William Russell there without further delay. But whatever may be the cause of the change, I am delighted that he, William Russell, should have got so good a post. In Paris there is nothing new, only gossip, and quantities of it ; and one must live in the midst of it to know the importance they can attach here to such stuff. There are certain notable personages in Paris whose business it seems to be to make gratuitous imbroglios. But I must get you to come over to me before I can give you the full explanation of this last ambiguous phrase. The horrible catastrophe at Hatfield hangs on me like a nightmare, and you will, I am sure, have felt it as deeply as I do.* It is awful to think of one who was the last of the great ladies of the old school, and good as she was great, dying in this horrible manner! Fieschi's trial is only to begin on January 15. I do not know why it has been put off so long. What an extraordinary Ministerial revolution this is that has occurred at Lisbon. Strange things certainly take place in the world nowadays. . . . My husband writes to me that Lord Durham has arrived in Petersburg, and has been very much pleased by the reception given him by the Emperor. He has also been much interested by his journey through Russia. I trust his good humour will last. You must tell me about all this from time to time. The Duke of Beaufort's -death has put an end to any entertainments at the English Embassy, and Lady Granville is only too happy to be * November 27, the west wing of Hatfield House caught fire, and the Dowager Lady Salisbury (wife of James, first Marquis) was burnt in her bed. 1 835.] MR. ELLICE. 171 able to shut her doors on everybody for three weeks. But in the whole of Paris there is no other house open to all comers as is the English Embassy. How is your Ministry getting on, and how are they managing with O'Connell's friendship and Brougham's hostility ? It would seem to me better to count them both as enemies, and have done with the matter, for they would then at least get friends elsewhere. Adieu, my dear lord ; pray continue writing to me, and often, for my greatest pleasure is in receiv- ing your letters. Yours ever, D. LlEVEN. No. 7. Howick, Dec. \i,th, 1835. Dearest Princess, Many, many thanks for your kind letter of the 3rd, which I lose no time in acknowledging. Your account of Paris increases my regrets at not being able to put aside the difficulties which continue to prevent my seeking you there. Ellice confirms all you say as to the agreeable and interesting occupations which that capital affords, and where there are at present so many of my friends whose society would be most pleasant to me. But it is in vain to dwell upon what I cannot at present accomplish. ... I am glad you like Ellice ; he has strong and excellent sense, and I rely with entire confidence on the sincerity of his friendship for me. But as to some very important points on domestic concerns our opinions by no means coincide. You will not find it difficult to guess in what we differ. I quite agree to all you say about Lord William Russell. ... At Berlin I have no doubt 172 PARIS. [dec. he will do very well ; but believe me when I tell you it will be difficult to replace Lord Minto, who, you may be assured, was not at all governed by Bresson, except in as far as their opinions and their duties were the same. Everybody must have felt as you did upon the horrible catastrophe at Hatfield. It is to be hoped that the sufferings of the poor old woman were short. Overcome by the fright, and feeble as she was, suffo- cation must have been almost immediate. There are few persons whom I have known so long, having been acquainted with her from the time I was a boy ; and in her good days there were few people more agree- able. It does not seem probable that any of her remains will now be found. I think I can guess at the persons whom you describe as making it their business ' de faire gratuite- ment des embarras.' As you speak in the plural, I conclude there is more than one. This letter is really too stupid, so God bless you, dearest Princess, and believe me, Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. No. 41.* Paris, Dec. 2$t/i, 1835. Thank you a thousand times, my dear lord, for your letter of the 14th instant ; but alas that it gives us no prospect of seeing you over here at present ! Mr. Ellice had given us some hopes, and now you have dashed them all to the ground. I can most deeply * Or No. 42, No. 40 occurring twice over. 1 835.] MR. O'CONNELL. 173 sympathize with poor Lord Durham for the loss he has just sustained. There are so many unhappy people in this world. . . . Our letters and what we see in the papers have kept people here in constant expectation of a Ministerial crisis in England. I do not understand how any change in the Government can well take place just now, although I see very clearly that a great alteration has taken place in the public opinion of the country at large. The great question seems to be whether Ministers, when they meet Parliament, will have made up their minds to reject O'Connell's proffers of friend- ship, or whether they will accept him and make their use of him. Here in Paris the debate on the Address begins to-morrow, and it will give rise, they say, to very hostile comments on Russia and on the Emperor. How the Emperor takes it all you will see. He desires that the Russians should hear all that is said of them throughout Europe. They hate us so in France and elsewhere, that the Emperor wishes the Russians in future to return the compliment ; and assuredly the publication in Russia of all the stupid things that are said about us abroad will have this effect. This hatred of one nation for another does not please me, and for this very reason I have always regretted that any en- couragement should be given to the present style of abuse in public speeches. . . . M. de Talleyrand has completely recovered his health, and is as young as ever. He regrets so much that you cannot come over to Paris — i.s, in fact, do all your other friends. And just now it would have been such an excellent time for you to have visited us. We had arranged that you were to have come in February 174 PARIS. [DEC. and stayed till May, when we were to have carried you off to Valencay. In July we should all have gone to the Pyrenees, and then wintered afterwards at Nice. And all this in the company of friends who love you well, and who would not have caused you ennui. . . . What you write me about Lord Minto you would hardly have said had you been in Berlin. M. Ancillon himself told me that your Minister never used to come to him, except in the company of his French colleague, which made the Prussian Cabinet feel that they were no longer on terms of intimacy with you. And this to such a degree that M. Ancillon, when talking over the diplomatists whom your Government would be likely to send to Berlin, used to ask me if so-and-so would be able to get on without a dry-nurse or not. What I am telling you, you may rely on as the exact truth, neither more nor less. They seem to be extremely well pleased with Lord Durham in Petersburg, and he also, they tell me, looks as though he found his position an agreeable one. The success attending the expedition against Mascara # has been much to the credit of the Due d' Orleans, and for his sake I am well pleased it should be so ; for his good qualities have never been suffici- ently appreciated by the world at large. Adieu, my dear lord. I close my letter in haste. Pray write. Yours ever, * In Algeria. [ 175 ] CHAPTER VI. PARIS AND BADEN. Prince Adam Czartoryski in England — Lord Durham at St. Petersburg — The 'Portfolio' — Mr. O'Connell and the Government — M. de Talleyrand's little Dinners — The New Law Peers — M. de Broglie's Speech on Poland — Mr. Ellice— The Turkish Empire — Lord Grey's Views of Mr. O'Connell — The Division on the Address— Defeat of the Due de Broglie — Lord Granville — M. Dupin — A Feminine Ministry — Louis Philippe's Hobby — M. Thiers' Administration — The Duke of Cumberland and the Orange Lodges — Lord Palmerston and the Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi — Lady Cowper and Mr. O'Connell — Alava — Intervention in Spain — Visit of the Due d'Orleans and the Due de Nemours to Berlin and Vienna — General Dislike of Lord Palmer- ston — Mr. Ellice and Lord Grey — Case of Norton v. Lord Melbourne — Description of Valencay — Marriage of Two of Lord Grey's Sons — The Irish Municipal bill — M. Thiers — Speeches of Lord Grey and the Duke of Wellington — Prince Emile of Hesse. No. 8. Howick, Jan 5///, 1836. Dearest Princess, I yesterday received your letter of the 28th ultimo, which I thought rather long in coming. . . . I cannot but feel regret at not being able to enter into the tempting scheme which you hold out to me. A month or two at Paris, and afterwards at Valencay, would be delightful. The rest of the project would be hardly less pleasant, but it would require a longer absence than my concerns of various kinds in this country would permit. Lately our seclusion has been less complete than usual. We had Czartoryski,* his * Prince Adam Czartoryski, who had been head of the National Government during the Polish insurrection of 1830. 176 PARIS AND BADEN. [jan. nephew, and Lord Dudley Stuart, for a week, and, since, other visitors. You must forgive the deep feeling with which Czartoryski inspires me, and my sympathy with his misfortunes, which he bears in a way that must add to the esteem which all who know must feel for him. This sentiment has certainly been very widely spread,, and creates a disposition to view with more than ordinary jealousy the policy of your Government. I agree with you that it is too probable that feelings so widely disseminated may produce a new crisis in Europe, which it will require the greatest possible prudence and moderation to prevent. My first wish is always for peace, and I shall be very glad if the favourable disposition which Lord Durham has created at St. Petersburg may lead to explanations which may secure this result. I do not hear from him, but my daughter writes, much pleased with everything except her separation from her family, and the climate. She complains more of the partial thaws than of the frost. At the date of their last letters they had not heard of Lady Fanny's death, but were prepared for it by the melancholy accounts of her rapid decline, which had already reached them. You have seen the ' Portfolio.'* How did the letter signed by Prince Lieven and Matuscewitz get into it ? Is it genuine ? I never saw or heard of it before. What will the Duke of Wellington say to it ? I could not help being amused by the way in which Palmerston * Prince Adam Czartoryski had brought with him to England a collection of Russian official diplomatic papers, which had fallen into the hands of the Poles at Warsaw during the insurrection of 1830. They were published by Mr. Urquhart, under the title of the ' Portfolio,' and contained copies of various letters sent home by the Russian diplomatic agents abroad, which had been forwarded from time to time to Warsaw for the information of the Grand-Duke Constantine, when Viceroy of Poland. 1836.] LORD MINTO. 177 is exalted into one of the greatest orators in Parlia- ment. I will not continue the controversy about Minto, but my opinion of him is too well founded to be easily changed, and I thought the assertions of Ancillon had nowhere been received as gospel. You will have seen in the papers the account of the corporation elections. It is extremely favourable to the Ministers, and I hope will give them strength enough to pursue a resolute and steady course between the two extremes of ultra- Tory violence and Radical agitation. The Parliament will now soon meet, and we shall have better materials to form a judgment. The papers, I see, announce the previous appointment of a Chancellor, and I believe it, because it has always appeared to me impossible that it should be delayed beyond that time. If this be so, I conclude Brougham, who I see is in Westmoreland, and said to be seriously ill, will not be the man. But I conclude with my usual refrain that I know nothing. God bless you. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 42. Paris, Jan. nt/i, 1836. A very long time has elapsed, my dear lord, since I last heard from you. . . . The loss the poor Flahaults have sustained will have called forth all your sympathy.* It is sad that as one advances in age one must needs admit how much the sorrow in life surpasses the sum of its joys. . . . * The Hon. Clementine, daughter of Lady Keith and Count Flahault, died January 5. VOL. III. 12 178 PARIS AND BADEN. [JAN. On this side of the Continent, as you will see, nothing particular is going on. Paris and France are both perfectly quiet. The general wish of all classes is for peace, and the commercial prosperity of the country is at present immensely on the increase. How is England getting on, and what is going to take place there ? The position of your Government does not appear to me to be very clearly defined, nor are they as firm on their feet as our present French Ministry seem to be. Your Ministers must either make common cause with O'Connell, or get rid of him. Would not the last ultimately be the least dangerous course to follow ? it would certainly be the one most conducive to their honour. From a distance, however, it is impossible to judge of what may be the necessities of the Government ; but the fact none the less is that before the eyes of Europe your Ministry do not occupy a very noble position just at present. It is O'Connell, not Lord Melbourne, on whom our eyes are at present fixed. I often see Mr. Ellice — almost daily, in fact ; he is very popular over here, and with men of all parties. His leaving Paris will be a great loss to me. I have always a weakness for an Englishman, and when he begins by showing a liking for me, I am very soon taken in the toils. The fact is, it is only with English people that I feel any confidence in the matter of friendship, either as regards constancy or perfect loyalty ; but I must beg pardon of all other nations for such heresy. M. de Talleyrand is quite well again now. I see him constantly, and in society he is, as ever, charming. We have little dinners at his house that are perfectly delightful — he and Madame de 1836.] M. DE TALLEYRAND'S DINNERS. 179 Dino, with M. Thiers, M. Guizot, or M. Mole, alter- nately. Never more than six in all. The conver- sation is of the pleasantest. We very often talk about you, and we all long for you to come ; but, then, nothing will tempt you. My husband mentions Lord Durham to me in almost every letter. In the last he says he had not seen him, but that he, Lord Durham, had just had news of the alarming- state of his daughter's health. Poor man, how I pity him ! In your next you must tell me something about him. The Duke of Devon- shire is here now, and so Lady Granville has got all her family with her. The Duchess of Sutherland is followed about by the people in the streets, who are loud in admiration of la belle Ditchcsse An^laise, as they call her. Her husband is delighted with it all. Tell me if you have made any plans as yet for the spring or for next summer. I will tell you mine when I have learnt yours. Adieu, my dear lord. Continue writing to me, I beg of you, and love me as heretofore. No. 9. ' Howick, Jan. 17th, 1836. Dearest Princess, I yesterday received your letter of the nth, and answer it immediately. ... I feel for the Fla- haults from the very bottom of my heart. There are blows which nothing but a deep sense of religion can mitigate, and I am not at all surprised at the melan- choly reflections to which they led you. . . . Your account of the tranquillity which prevails in France, of the increasing prosperity of the country, and 1 2 — 2 i So PARIS AND BADEN. [JAN. of the stability of the Government, gave me the greatest pleasure. These afford the best securities for the peace of the world, and will be much assisted by a corresponding state of things here. I do not believe there ever was a period when the country was more generally thriving as to all its most essential interests. Even as to those of the landed proprietors, which in France also appear to be similarly depressed, I believe the complaints to be much exaggerated. The Ministers, therefore, will have a very satisfactory expose to make at the opening of the Session. They are, I hear, very confident in their own strength, perhaps more so than I am ; but, upon the whole, I think circumstances much more favourable to them than they were. I will not, however, venture any strong opinion till I see the opposing forces fairly marshalled against each other. In the meantime, all I have to say is that they have my best wishes, and will have all the support I can give them, trusting that nothing will induce them to give any countenance whatever to the dangerous pro- jects of O'Connell. In Parliament, however, he is generally more moderate both in his language and his measures. He will be kept so by his fear of a Tory Ministry, and having got his annual rent, his violence and his agitation will be suspended till the next recess. The law arrangements* are, I believe, as good as possible, with respect to the administration of the law. But I confess three law peerages at once are more than are quite suited to my taste, particularly * Sir C. Pepys, Master of the Rolls, became Lord Chancellor, and was raised to the peerage as Lord Cottenham. Mr. Bickersteth succeeded him as Master of the Rolls, and was created Lord Langdale. Sir John Campbell, the Attorney- General, accepted a peerage for his wife, who became Baroness Stratheden. 1836.] THE LAW PEERS. 1S1 when I look at the tribe which has already been intro- duced into the House of Lords. Bickersteth, how- ever, will be of great use there in debate, and quite equal to a conflict with Brougham, if resentment at being set aside should excite him to active hostility against the Government. In this opinion, however, it is possible that I may be mistaken, as he has not yet been tried in Parliament. Your dinners at Talleyrand's must be delightful. How I wish I could partake of them ! As to my own plans, I can say nothing more than that I shall pro- bably be in town at Easter. God bless you. Yours affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. No. 43. Paris, Jan. \7tl1, 1836. Your letter of the 5th, my dear lord, reached me just after I had sent off my last to you ; I should have acknowledged it before, had I not been afraid of wearying you with my too frequent corre- spondence. . . . I can tell you nothing about the ' Portfolio ;' and it is not for me to decide whether the documents that appear therein are authentic or the contrary. Here its publication has made no stir whatever, for nothing occupies the public mind in France except what directly affects French interests ; the French are always taken up with themselves. If they believe these documents to be genuine in England, there are certainly some among them that are not much to the credit of the 1 82 PARIS AND BADEN. [JAN. Duke of Wellington. It must be allowed, however, that the portrait of him is an excellent likeness. If I remember rightly, in the year '29 everybody, both Whigs and Tories, gave Palmerston credit for some talent ; since then the world in general (and both Whigs and Tories) have taken to thinking differently. I wonder if you will see William Russell during his stay in England ? I wish you could ; he is the best- hearted man in the world, and has a great feeling of affection for you. The French Government seems to me rather in a disordered state. M. de Broglie's speech about Poland, in the Chamber of Deputies, has pleased no one. The King disavows all responsibility in the matter, and the other Ministers try to make it out as meaning exactly the contrary of what was said. M. Thiers wanted to have spoken in a directly opposite sense. On all this comes the little matter of dispute with M. Humann,* which as yet is not set straight. It does not, therefore, look as though the French Cabinet were all quite of one and the same mind, and it gives rise to much talk. M. de Broglie is odious to the King ; of this there can be no doubt. M. Thiers is very intimate with M. de Talleyrand, and is made very welcome at Court. Mr. Ellice has met with a most cordial reception here ; he is as popular as the Duchess of Sutherland, which is saying a good deal, and each, in their way, well sustains the credit of Great Britain. Mr. Ellice talks with men of all parties. He is a most amiable person, and accommodates himself to people of all ranks. He is extremely clear-sighted, and equally well informed on all that goes on, both here and in * At one time Minister of Finance during the Due de Bnxdie's Government. 1836.] LADY GRANVILLE. 183 England. His going away will be a real sorrow to me, for he has always shown himself most kind and amiable, and has been very constant in his visits. I am quite touched by the attention they all show me. Peace has been made between M. de Talleyrand and M. de Flahault ; but not as yet between their respective womenkind. They are all rather fond of quarrelling here. Madame de Dino complains some- what of Lady Granville. She has taken to Lord Melbourne's way of sitting quiet, and simply says, ' I don't care.' But, my dear lord, how is your Ministry getting on ? how will it all turn out ? I have had a bad opinion of them ever since you told me that you have no information of what they are doing. 1 have but very little esteem for those who think they can dispense with your counsel and need pay you no deference. We have charming weather here, but I keep in- doors, for during the last few days I have been feeling very poorly. Everybody speaks well of the Durhams. Your daughter is most popular in society at Petersburg, and they both of them seem to have made many friends. . . . Adieu, and do not forget me. No. 10. Howick, Feb. 2)i d, 1S36. Dearest Princess, Your last kind, but melancholy, letter of the 1 7th arrived during my absence from home, on a visit of a few days to my brother, which has prevented my thanking you for it as soon as I otherwise should have done. . . . 1 84 PARIS AND BADEN. [feb. In answer to your question about our Ministry, I have no more information to give you than before. I think their prospects are improved. But there is nothing to give confidence, and their greatest difficulty will arise from their position with respect to O'Connell. You know my opinion with respect to that unprincipled ruffian. As long as it can be said that in accepting his support they make no improper concessions to obtain it, I have no objections to make. But how long can such a state of things endure ? Must they not lean towards him more than I and all honourable men can approve, or must he not, at no distant period, become more hostile to them ? This is a doubt which I leave it to time and the approaching discussions in Parliament to solve. My own course with respect to this point is clear. I never have had, and never will have, any communications with a man whose conduct has been beyond any example, except that of the worst men at the beginning of the French Revolution, unprincipled and brutal. Ellice and I have had many battles on this subject, and I am afraid he does not see even now the impolicy — might I not add the disgrace ? — of even the slightest advance to conciliate (which, by the way, is impossible) the leader of a party whose views have no direction but to the objects of his own sordid interest or dishonest ambition. My pen has run away with me on this subject, on which I certainly feel very strongly ; but I am sure you will not repeat what I have said to anybody, and I trust there is no danger that this letter will find its way into any of the expected numbers of the ' Portfolio.' Your answer upon that publication quite satisfies me. Indeed, when these letters have been 1836.] PRINCE METTERNICH. 185 suffered to remain without contradiction, it is impos- sible to doubt their authenticity. l Lc plus grand fourbe du monde ' (do you remember that expression ?)* comes in, I see, for his share of censure in the last number. After what appears there, I do not think the Duke of Wellington will be very ready to repeat his attacks on me for not supporting the Turkish Empire. Indeed, when he showed a disposition to do so in the beginning of 1834, and I answered that the Greek War, whether right or wrong, and the Treaty of Adrianople, must be looked to as the original cause of the state of things, of which he appeared to lay the blame on my Government, he did not resume the subject. But I again ask, How were the letters obtained ? Have you any guess ? We have very melancholy letters, both from Lord Durham and Louisa, and I cannot help being very uneasy at the account she gives of the health of the two youngest children, the only boy and the little Alice, whom you must remember. . . . God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. No. 44. Paris, Feb. gt/i, 1836. I received yesterday, my dear lord, your letter of the 2nd. What you tell me of your views of O'Connell in no way astonishes me, and I should only have been surprised had you expressed yourself otherwise. The way you acted towards him when you were in office * Prince Metternich. See vol. i., pp. 234, 237. iS6 PARIS AND BADEN. [FEB. proved that you had taken the measure of the man ; and what was your opinion of him then, he has since had the complaisance fully to justify. He is a most dangerous enemy to England, and it is a disgrace to the Government to have entered into any alliance with him ; for in whatever way they may turn the words, he is now become their ally. What took place at the meeting of Parliament astonished everybody. A majority of forty-two* shows a great increase of strength for the Government, but we must see if it will last. The easy way that the Ministers take things in the Upper House is wonderful; but one must be on the spot to understand all this. If you have lately been reading with some atten- tion the debates of the Chamber of Deputies, you will not have been astonished at the change which is in progress.* The Chamber has never shown itself much in love with the Doctrinaires. They are con- sidered arrogant, and the recent speeches of the Ministers — those of M. de Broglie in particular — have exasperated the Deputies. Before the Ministry made up their minds to oppose tooth and nail any conversion of the Rentes, they ought to have had some better knowledge of the temper in which the Chamber would regard the matter. The Departments wish this measure to be carried, and so of course the depart- mental Deputies have voted for it ; but Paris does not wish it, and the Ministers have espoused the cause of Paris against (as it is said) the interests of France in general. They have thus brought into relief a rivalry of interests that is most embarrassing. With a little * In the division on the Address. + The Due de Broglie was defeated on the Budget, and resigned. 1836.] M. DE BROGUE. 187 better management this catastrophe might have been avoided. But the Doctrinaires, with their arrogant ways, are always doing this sort of thing ; and they imagined that they had nothing to do but to lay down the law. M. de Broglie, when he found himself too closely pressed by the Opposition on this point, turned disdainfully on the House, and said: 'We do not wish this question of the conversion should come under debate. We will not have it. Do you under- stand ?' The last phrase made the worst possible impres- sion. The self-respect of the House was wounded by this domineering speech, and every day showed that the spirit of mutiny was gaining ground. A resolution to turn out the Government (or at all costs to compel M. de Broglie to resign) was taken and kept to ; and now he has fallen by what is to a certain extent his own fault. At the debate, where the fate of the Ministry was practically decided, a deputy, speaking from the tribune, turned to the Ministers and said : ' The Chamber will have nothing more to do with you. Do you understand 7 All the Ministers have insisted on sharing the fate of the President, and so M. Thiers is out like the rest. The King is much annoyed at this crisis having taken place, and only consoles himself by the pleasure he feels at having got rid of M. de Broglie, whom he detested. With the sole exception of Lord Granville, no one here is sorry for his being turned out ; and the diplomats in general will look on with great indifference at whatever may happen. The King, without doubt, will try to find Ministers who are willing to continue the peace system, which has been the 1 88 PARIS AND BADEN. [fee. characteristic of his Government during; the last five years. They would like to get M. Mole to take office, but he makes too many difficulties — everybody is making difficulties — and it is only the third party, under the leadership of M. Dupin, who is ready to come forward and form a Government. The King, however, is not yet in so reduced a condition as to be obliged to put himself into M. Dupin's hands. M. de Talleyrand is constantly being consulted, and if his doctors did not forbid it, would himself become President of the Council, and take Thiers and Mole into his Ministry. Up to the present moment nothing has been decided upon, nor even begun to be decided upon. Paris keeps very quiet, and only shows herself curious for what is to come. . . . Feb. ixth. I shall wait and send off my letter to-morrow, when I hope to be able to add something definite as regards the present crisis. Meanwhile I shall try and enter- tain you with the detail of some of the by-play. M. Dupin has been sending round a list of Ministers, among whom is M. de Flahault, with the portfolio of Foreign Affairs. The King on learning this declared that under no circumstances would he accept Flahault. He told M. Dupin at the next audience that he could not accept as his Minister a person who had voted in both Chambers against the September Press Laws, and that, further, he must reserve to himself the right of nominating the Minister of Foreign Affairs. M. Dupin's list after this was not worth taking into much account. Since, therefore, the Dupin Cabinet is not likely to come into office, and as it is impossible for the King to throw himself into the arms of the 1836.] A FEMININE MINISTRY. 189 Left,* and likewise impossible that he should have a Carlist Ministry, t nothing remains for his Majesty but to take back his old servants. The difficulty, however, lies with M. de Broglie, with whom the Chamber has refused absolutely to treat, whom the King is enchanted at having got rid of, and yet who will not release his colleagues from their allegiance. This is now the crux. If we are not to have a masculine Ministry, here is a feminine one, which was arranged and was passing about from hand to hand yesterday: President of the Council: Madame Adelaide. Interior : La Comtesse de Boigne (you saw her in England once, the daughter of the Marquis d'Osmond, Louis XVI 1 1. 's Ambassador).^ Justice and Religion : The Duchesse de Broglie. Foreign Affairs : The Duchesse de Dino. War : The Comtesse de Flahault. The saying also is current, how astonishing it is ' that a King who is such an excellent architect (and this is his hobby) § should have his two Chambers, and yet not be able to construct a Cabinet.' You see I send you the jests before telling you of the serious part of the business. Feb. \ith. The King sent for M. Dupin yesterday, who in- formed his Majesty that the difficulties he would have to encounter in the Chamber of Peers must prevent his attempting to form an Administration, but that he held himself in readiness to come forward and join any Administration that might be formed under another * The Republicans, under M. Odillon Barrot. f The Right (Legitimists), under M. Berryer. % In London from 1815 to 1819. § The Arc de l'Etoile was just being built, and the Madeleine Church had been completed by him. igo PARIS AND BADEN. [feb. leader. On this the King dismissed him, and sent for M. Mole. This is all I know at present. It, how- ever, confirms me in my prognostic that Messieurs Thiers and Guizot will, after all, remain in office, although M. de Broglie may be excluded. The papers make a great outcry about the intrigues that are going on, but I hardly know whether there is any foundation for all they say. Of gossip and stories there is enough and to spare, Heaven knows, and of all sorts and kinds. What an opportunity it is for the worthy Parisians ! Adieu, my dear lord. Write to me, I beg of you. Lord William Russell is here, and adds somewhat to the other curious sights of the week. A thousand kindest regards to Lady Grey, and for yourself the like. P.S. — The probability seems to be that M. Mole will be named President of the Council, and have the port- folio of Foreign Affairs ; and that Thiers and Guizot will retain their places — in short, the old Administra- tion, minus M. de Broglie. [Lord Grey's letter, dated February 23, No. 11, is missing from the correspondence. In the interval the new Ministry came into power in France, headed by M. Thiers as President of the Council and Secretary for Foreign Affairs. M. Guizot and the Doctrinaires (forming the party of the Right Centre), and M. de Broglie, retired. In England the Government had proposed a resolution for an address to the King, praying that his Majesty would take such measures as should be effectual for the suppression of the Orange Lodges. This was carried unanimously. The King's reply, echoing the resolution, was received two days later. The Duke of Cumber- land, immediately on receipt of this, proceeded to dissolve the various Orange societies, of which he was Grand Master.] 1836.] THE ORANGE LODGES. 191 To Earl Grey. No. 45. Paris, March yd, 1836. I have at last heard from you, my dear lord, but a long time had already elapsed before your letter of February 23 arrived to gratify my longings. You judge of recent events, both here and in England, with your usual moderation and perspicuity. Since the despatch of your letter, from what I learn, the Orange Lodges have received a blow that must prove fatal to their influence, and the Government, it seems to me, must have gained a great accession of strength by what they have done. Lord John Russell's action in the matter has been masterly — his speech on the subject, at least, met with every success. The Duke of Cumberland, too, seems to have behaved in a manner that does him honour in thus frankly sub- mitting to orders. I cannot say that the debate on Spanish affairs was equally favourable to Lord Pal- merston's reputation. The new Ministry in Paris has not as yet gained any very strong position in the Chamber of Deputies. The Doctrinaires are making a covert opposition, which is none the less dangerous to the new Govern- ment for being masked. The Left, on the other hand, are making advances to them which are inconvenient to accept, and at the same time perilous to refuse. All this will put M. Thiers' statesmanship very fully to the test, but I do not think his wits will fail him. He made an excellent impression by his first speeches — on the Diplomatic Corps especially. Even your Ambas- sador showed himself satisfied, in spite of his predi- 192 PARIS AND BADEN. [march lections for M. de Broglie. M. Thiers' manner is frank and easy, and his policy is peace. With this he can please everybody, for I do not imagine that you have any desire for war. Besides, Lord Palmerston has at last avowed himself to be convinced of a fact that we Russians have been stating for the last three years — namely, that our Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi # goes for nothing, so long as there is no possibility of our putting it into practice. Had he only made this discovery before, what a number of annoying events we should all have been spared ! . . . Adieu. Pray bear me in mind, and write to me often. [Lord Grey's letter No. 12, in answer to the preceding, is missing. Apparently there was also a letter from the Princess, No. 46, which is wanting in the correspondence.] To Earl Grey. No. 47. Paris, April i$th, 1836. Your letter No. 12, my dear lord, announced to me the fact that you were preparing to go up to town. I have therefore let some time elapse before sending you my answer, which otherwise might per- chance not even have had the honour of beino- read in the first hurried moments of your arrival. I well know how, during the first days after returning into the great world, one is absorbed by every variety of busi- ness ; for a person may have correspondents by the score, and yet have everything to learn and unlearn * Concluded in July, 1S33, by which the Dardanelles were to be closed to all but Russian vessels. See vol. ii., p. 456. 1836.] MR. ELLICE. 193 when brought once again into contact with practical politics. Were I to come over to you, I think I should hardly recognise my old surroundings, so much does it appear to me that everything must now be changed. Opinions, too, change like everything else. When, however, I remember the horror that Lady Cowper used to cherish for the very name of O'Connell, and hear that she is now apparently so taken with him, I do feel somewhat astonished, though I will not allow myself to blame her. And I have lived long enough now not to be easily astonished at anything. Mr. Ellice is here, very popular with men of all parties, and on terms of great intimacy with M. Thiers. He is listened to by everybody, and they all ask his advice ; he is always agreeable to hear talk, and in society he is so pleasant and easy to please. People all say the new Ministry is not strong, but they have a good majority in the Chamber, which, after all, seems to me the essential point. What further is a fact not to be denied is, that the King's power is very considerable, and this for all parties must be a matter of congratulation. Alava* does not seem to me to be much reassured by the news from Madrid. He fears the rabid Repub- licans much more than the party of Don Carlos. As your intervention hereint has of late become direct and most active, there is reason to hope that the Carlists will soon be put hors de combat. Will you turn your arms elsewhere then ? and when is all this confusion going to be put a stop to ? King Louis * At this time Spanish Ambassador in Paris. t The British Legion of Volunteers fighting in Spain. VOL. III. I 3 194 PARIS AND BADEN. [april Philippe, it appears to me, acts very wisely in holding himself aloof from all participation in these matters. M. de Tallevrand is going to leave Paris in three weeks' time for Valencay, and I shall join them there at the end of May. I shall stay with them about a fortnight, and then intend going to Baden ; after which I must see what I can manage to do next. . . . I await your first letter from London with eagerness. Adieu ; and pray do not forget me. No. 13. Berkeley Square, April 2$th, 1836. Dearest Princess, It is near a week since I received your letter of the 13th, which I thought rather long in coming, but which I should have answered by the next post had I not been prevented by accidental but unavoid- able interruptions. I am now just returned from Windsor, where I have passed the last two days, having gone there on Saturday for the dinner of the Knights of the Garter. . . . I have nothing to tell you that you will not learn equally well from the papers. When my opinion is asked, I am ready to give it ; but I never seek to know what is not voluntarily communicated to me, and, to say the truth, I see so little that is inviting in the present state of things, that I am only too happy to be exempt from all obligation to meddle with it. The strength of the Government, I should say, was increased both in Parliament and in the country, and the general tone and manner of the King leads me to the conclusion that he neither meditates nor desires any change. He was most kind, as indeed he 1836.] WILLIAM IV. 195 always has been, to me, and I had a good deal of general conversation with him ; but of course he did not enter into any of those matters the discussion of which is properly confined to him and his Ministers. The Tories, I am told, do not grow more moderate as their prospects grow worse. Everybody, indeed, tells me that their bitterness increases. But of this I am no longer the first object, and those of them who were at Windsor for the dinner were at least civil in their manner to me. You will not improbably have heard that my second son, the Colonel, is going to be married. Things have gone so far that I do not see how it can be otherwise, but how they are to exist it is not easy to comprehend. You may perhaps remember the young lady — Miss Farquhar ; she is very pretty, and from all accounts equally good and amiable. The only news I have heard is that Pozzo is recalled, and a report that he is to be replaced by Nesselrode. This appears to me most improbable. I wish I had the naming of his successor. Can you guess who it would be ? God bless you, dearest Princess, and believe me ever most sincerely and affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, May 1st, 1836. I am writing in answer to your letter of April 25, my dear lord, and thank you heartily for it. . . . The great subject of talk here in Paris is about 13 — 2 196 PARIS AND BADEN. [may the Princes,* who are setting off to-morrow for Berlin and Vienna. The voyage is a subject of much rejoic- ing here. The vanity of the French nation is flattered thereby. It is of considerable political importance, too, for it proves on what excellent terms, and how intimately connected, the French Royal Family is with the great Continental Courts ; further, it is all done, without doubt, in prospect of a possible mar- riage — an event that everybody much desires. The Jacobin Party here is greatly enraged at this move, and the Carlists are in consternation. One does not perceive how or when the struggle in Spain is ever to be brought to a close. What Alava says is no guide in the present chaos, for he will state two or three contrary opinions during one and the same day. He is a droll x^mbassador, though a most worthy creature personally. Mr. Ellice's departure has caused me much regret, he was so kind and considerate to me. He never let a day pass without coming to see me, always interesting me by his conversation, his honest and straightforward views, and constant good-humour. Everybody in Paris likes him, and (with the exception of Lord Palmerston) England in general over here is most popular. All over Europe, as I am told, they view with regret Lord Palmerston's being at the head of your Foreign Office ; but, then, you in England will insist on keeping him there. I quite agree with you in thinking that your present Government has had an accession of strength, though I note that the hostility of the House of Lords remains the same as* ever. But this will in no way * The Due d'Orleans and the Due de Nemours. 1836.] THE PEACE POLICY. 197 imperil the peace of the country, and for the present I do not foresee that any real danger is threatening you. All Europe is very calm and tranquil, and as to the Peninsula, they must manage their own business. Other nations, luckily, are not likely to take example by them, for there is nothing very seductive in the present condition of affairs there. They will have trouble and confusion for many a long day yet. I hope to leave Paris about May 20, and shall go to spend a few weeks at Valen^ay, for which place M. de Talleyrand is shortly setting out. He is in good health, but looking rather thin. You will have the Flahaults with you before long in England. I hear from Petersburg that Lord Durham is as popular there as ever, but that he is not looking well. The late spring tries him much. Adieu, and write to me ; you are becoming quite lazy, my dear lord ; I answer your letters immediately, but you do not do the like by mine. A thousand kindest regards to Lady Grey, and the same to yourself. D. Lieven. P.S. — The marriage of your son, the Colonel, I rejoice at, if it only leads to his happiness ; and, after all, I do not see that money is of absolute necessity for this. As you know, I am a great friend of your son's. There is not a word of truth in the report that Count Nesselrode is going to replace Pozzo, and the latter will, I think, come back again to London after a few months' leave of absence. Lady Granville and Madame de Dino have been en froid for some time past, but it is all made up again now. Lord Gran- ville and M. Thiers do not get on as well as the 198 PARIS AND BADEN. [may former used to do with the Due de Broglie. Your Ambassador, it seems, has shown too exclusive a pre- ference for that Duke, and rather gives the cold shoulder to M. Thiers. The common civilities of social intercourse, however, are kept up. But Ellice must give you all the latest news on this as on other points. No. 14. Berkeley Square, May 6t/i, 1836. Dearest Princess, Your letter of the ist reached me yesterday, and I lose no time in thanking you for it. . . . Ellice is come back full of the kindness and attention he met with in Paris. I fully subscribe to all you say of him. I only wish he could restrain his conversation a little more. He is too apt to think aloud, not always con- sistently, and is often betrayed into great imprudences. His views as to foreign and domestic matters do not always agree with mine, and, actuated by the feeling of the moment, he seldom sees more than one side of a question, and, above all, looks too little to future consequences. But his faults are those of indiscretion only. No man has a better heart, or is actuated by a more sincere desire to promote to the utmost of his power the advantages of his friends. This I am especi- ally bound to acknowledge, for amongst many things of which I have had reason to complain, I have always received from him the strongest marks of regard and attachment. Your view of what is passing here is very just. Party heat and bitterness are at their height, and I deeply lament the course which the House of Lords is taking. But our institutions are so solidly fixed, and 1836.] LORD DURHAM. 199 the good sense of the people is so sure ultimately to prevail, that I have no fear of the result. . . . The accounts of Lord Durham's health, I am sorry to say, are very distressing, and I am more anxious than ever that he should remove from a climate which appears to disagree with him so much, before the approach of another winter. But for this he would like his present situation very much. He is very sensible of the kindness he has met with from the Emperor and his Ministers, and here, I understand, his conduct has been very much approved. . . . God bless you. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, May 24//*, 1836. I have been delayed longer than I should have wished in answering your letter from London, my dear lord ; but these are the last moments of my stay in Paris, and you can hardly conceive how my time is at the mercy of my friends. I am so hunted and driven just now that, after having forgiven me this delay, you must, in the second place, forgive also the poor scrap of a letter that I am writing to you. I have really nothing of news to write about — nothing that you will not already know from other sources. The King is steadfastly determined not to let England draw him into the struggle that is going on in Spain, for which the want of success that attended all Bonaparte's campaigns in the Peninsula offers no very seductive example. Any intervention would, in fact, tax all the strength France could bring into the field, 200 PARIS AND BADEN. [may and would offer her no kind of advantage in return. Spain, in the King's opinion, is a country that for long years to come will be the theatre of confusion ; it will be a republic, and Heaven knows what besides, before the end is reached. But France, at any rate, has nothing to fear from Spain ; and the danger to France would only begin the day she undertook to interfere actively in Spanish affairs. The King's views are of a similar hue on other matters, viz., not to meddle in the affairs of others, and not to put France into positions where nothing but kicks are to be gained ; and all Lord Palmerston's sagacious advice will not move him from this point. Mean- while in France everything is very tranquil, and the people are happy, and prospering to a remarkable degree. Affairs with you seem to me to be taking a less good turn. Will the Government allow their ally, O'Connell, to make a direct attack on the very exist- ence of the House of Lords, and still show no sign of dissent ? Can the first Minister of the Crown go and take his seat in the Upper House at five o'clock, when during the forenoon he has been summoned to appear as defendant in a law court ?* This suit, if it be allowed to come to trial, will offer a most deplorable spectacle ; and be the rights what they may, such a position, according to my view of the case, is one that is quite untenable for the head of the Government. Radicalism, however, has rendered this, as well as many other things, possible. The Pembroke-Jersey affair must have formed a diverting episode for the * Lord Melbourne was at this time threatened with having to appear per- sonally as defendant in the case of Norton v. Lord Melbourne. The case came on in due course, and ended in a verdict for the defendant. 1836.] LADY JERSEY. delectation of London society. I have read the corre- spondence, and am above all astounded that it should have been Lady Jersey who should have given it currency. I start the day after to-morrow for Valen^ay. Prince Talleyrand is becoming very feeble in health, but he loves society and politics, and when his time comes, you will see that he will die with a newspaper \n his hand. The Flahaults are starting for England very shortly. They have been so good to me here ; I cannot help feeling eternal gratitude to all those who have been compassionate enough to bear with my dolorous society. After some weeks spent at Valencay, I go on to Baden. But, pray, remember the Rhine is quite close to England. Adieu, my dear lord ; I love you, and think of you always, so do not forget me, and let us try and meet somewhere. P.S. — All my husband's letters are full of the praises of Lord Durham. Everybody likes him, and he is much appreciated at Petersburg. Lady Durham, too, is most popular. All the members of the family are quite well again now. To Earl Grey Valenjay, June 20th, 1836. Your letter of the 8th, # my dear lord, has reached me in this place, where you are every day mentioned in our conversations, for we all love you, * Missing. PARIS AND BADEN. [june appreciate you, and regret most sincerely your not being able to be with us. . . . I have passed three most agreeable weeks here. It is a really beautiful place, royally magnificent in its surroundings. There are beautiful shady drives, and upwards of ninety English miles of roadway through the forests. The chateau is large, and very well arranged. The rooms are comfortable ; the society is charming ; fine terraces planted with beautiful orange- trees, and the general situation is extremely pic- turesque. The daily programme is so arranged that the time flies by with wondrous rapidity. In short, everything here is as it should be, and the only thing lacking is your presence. I leave to-morrow, and shall stay for two or three days in Paris. I congratulate you sincerely on receiving Lady Georgina Hervey* as an accession to your family circle. She is a very charming person, and will add greatly to the agreeability of your home party. I am extremely curious to learn how the dispute between the two Houses will end.t The present position of things would seem to be one of considerable tension on both sides. The Peers have advanced much too far to be able to draw back now with any honour to themselves ; the Ministers also are pledged to carry their views ; therefore one or the other party must of necessity give way. I quite agree with you that Lord Melbourne has not acted worse than others * Daughter of the first Marquis of Bristol ; she married Lord Grey's son, John, Canon of Durham Cathedral. t The Irish Municipal Bill had been carried this year in the House of Commons by a majority of sixty-one, but the Lords had refused to accept the amendments introduced in the Lower House. As altered by the Lords, the Bill was ultimately rejected by the Commons. 1836.] M. THIERS. 203 in his love - affairs, but, then, it is unusual for a Premier Minister to have such publicity given to his escapades. Paris, June 2\tli. I finish my letter here, for I am delayed by difficulties in the posting arrangements. I have only been in Paris twenty-four hours, and yet all the world has come to see me — M. Thiers among others. I think he has gained greatly in power during the past three weeks. He has displayed great moderation and talent in the recent debates in the Chamber. His success on all sides is remarkable, and his position is much strengthened. He is proud, but yet makes no display of arrogance. The visit of the French Princes has been as great a success at Vienna as it was at Berlin, and everybody in France takes the strongest interest in all their proceedings. In a few days' time the Flahaults are setting out for England ; the Granvilles also go in a fortnight. How I wish I were going with them ! Adieu, my dear lord, and believe in the assurance of my most devoted friendship. No. 16. London, July 1st, 1836. Dearest Princess, I received two days ago your letter begun on the 20th at Valencay, and concluded on the 24th at Paris. Your account of your visit to the former place adds to my regrets of it having been out of my power to meet you there, and the more so as I can hardly hope that such an opportunity can ever again occur. . . . 204 PARIS AND BADEN. [jULY Since my last many things have occurred about which it would be easier for me to talk to you than to write. The prosecution of Melbourne has turned out most triumphantly for him ; has extinguished the hopes which the Tories had founded upon it, and has even silenced the attacks which it had encouraged them to make. In other respects things remain pretty- much as they were. You will have seen in the papers that I had been induced to appear again in the House of Lords,* to perform the part, which is the only one that now becomes me, of endeavouring to promote peace. The compromise which I offered, without any communica- tion with the Government, was one which the Tory Lords might have accepted with honour, and would have obviated the difficulties which they have created for themselves, and which will press upon them at no distant period. I confess I was surprised at the decisive and peremptory tone in which my proposition was at once rejected by the Duke of Wellington — perhaps because it came from me. I really believe, if they had been left to their own unbiased judgment, that a majority of the Peers would have been glad to have accepted the terms which I offered them. Their papers now turn upon me. This is a matter of great indifference to me. I have done all I could to prevent mischief, and whatever may be the result, I at least shall have nothing to reproach myself with. The Duke of Wellington's was about the worst speech I ever heard, even from him, and that is saying a good deal ; and, indeed, the whole debate was very indifferent. * On June 28 Lord Grey spoke strongly in favour of the Irish Municipal Bill, and endeavoured to effect a compromise. His action was unsuccessful. 1836.] MADAME DE FLAHAULT. 205 One of our marriages will take place next week, and the other about the 20th ; and then our steps will immediately be directed to Howick, where, alas ! I have no longer the hope of ever seeing you, and where I hope to remain, at least, as long as I did last year, though I think it probable that Parliament will meet in November. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Eaden, July \\th, 1836. Your letter of July 1, my dear lord, reached me just as I was leaving Paris. I was very little mistress of my time there, and the excessive heat quite upset me. . . . I need not talk to you of Paris, and of the late events there, for the Flahaults, whom you will doubt- less have seen in London before this letter reaches you, must ere now have put you in possession of all the latest news from France. On this subject their views do not need to be received with suspicion. Madame de Flahault, at any rate, knows France and the French well. But what will she now find to do in England ? Will not this fresh appeal which O'Connell has been making to the passions of his countrymen be fraught with new danger to the State ? I have always held that England was safe from any revolu- tionary movement, and do so still ; but you must now tell me if I am not mistaken in this comfortable 206 PARIS AND BADEN. [JULY optimism. . . . The William Russells are here ; but he, I imagine, will be leaving us before long. My social resources in Baden are confined to the minor diplomats of the little Grand-Duchy, and to Prince Emile of Hesse, who is a very amiable personage. He was one of the princes they had thought of for the throne of Greece, and it is to him that Bonaparte said (I do not remember before which of his battles), ' Adieu, King- of Prussia !' The weather is admirable here, and the country superb ; but nothing now is good in my eyes that does not serve to arouse an interest in my mind, for my heart is always sad and full of melancholy recollec- tions. . . . You must deal charitably with me. Do not forget me, and love me as ever. Berkeley Square, July 2&th, 1S36. Dearest Princess, I received two days ago your letter of the 14th from Baden. ... I am sorry the William Russells are so soon to leave you ; but Lady Cowper, who was here last night at a little soiree given by Lady Grey, told me she is to set out on Tuesday on a tour up the Rhine, and that she hoped very soon to see you. I know the pleasure this will give you, and envy her that which she will have in meeting you. I have been very much occupied since my last with my family concerns. Our two marriages have both taken place — the last on Tuesday. I like both my new daughters-in-law very much ; but the want of fortune in both cases is, to those who are old enough to look to such worldly matters, a great drawback. It 1836.] MADAME DE FLAHAULT. 207 is, however, the only one, and we must hope that everything will turn out for the best. I have also been occupied in making arrangements for placing my son William in an establishment at Dresden for a year, to learn German and other things that may be useful to him. He left us a fortnight ago, and we have heard from him from Bonn, from whence he will go straight to Dresden. I saw the Flahaults yesterday at Holland House, where they had arrived the day before from Brighton, having been delayed a week at Calais by a constant succession of storms most unusual at this season. They come to town to-day, and are to set out for Scotland on Monday. We are now waiting only for my daughter Caroline, whom we expect on Monday from Edinburgh on her way to Lady Barrington's. This will detain us till Saturday, the 6th, when we set out ourselves for Howick, where, alas ! I have no longer any hope of seeing you, and wmere we shall remain, I hope, at least till April next. If you are at Paris, perhaps I may make an effort to make my long-intended visit there, though I feel I am no longer fit for anything but to remain at my own fireside. I cannot, indeed, con- ceal from myself that the commencement de la fin has decidedly taken place, and that my progress down- wards is becoming very rapid. On politics I have nothing to say. I see nothing satisfactory, to whatever quarter I may look. But you are quite right in your confidence that we shall have no serious convulsion here. God bless you. Yours affectionately, Grey. [ 2o8 ] CHAPTER VII. WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. The Insurrection of La Granja— Fall of M. Thiers — France and Switzerland — M. Mole's Ministry — Life in Paris — Prince Schonbourg — Alava at Tours — Attempt of Prince Louis Napoleon at Strasburg— Queen Hortense — Death of Charles X. — The Due d'Angouleme and the Comte de Chambord — The Revolution and Counter-Revolution at Lisbon — M. de Polignac — Lady Clanricarde.— Lord Douro — Mr. Ellice and the French — Louis Philippe and Spain — The Siege of Bilbao — The King's Speech — M. Mole and M. Guizot — The Influenza — Re-introduction of the Irish Municipal Bill — Lord de Ros — The Abolition of Church Rates — The Dis- junction Law — Settlement for the Due de Nemours — The British Legion in Spain : Defeat of General Evans — The Case of the Vixen — The Irish Cor- poration Bill in the Lords — The Irish Tithe Bill — Death of Lady de l'Isle — Marriage of the Due d'Orleans — Prince Lieven's Journey — Sir F. Burdett and the Westminster Election — Illness and Death of William IV. — Queen Victoria's First Council — -Princess Lieven's Visit to England — Death of the Bishop of Hereford. [After the insurrection on August 14 at La Granja, Sergeant Garcia had forced Queen Christina once again to accept the im- practicable constitution of 181 2. Mendizabal was turned out of office, and Isturitz (of the Progresista party) became Prime Minister. In France, M. Thiers had been turned out of office at the end of August, after trying to retrieve his waning power by proposing an armed intervention on behalf of the Constitutional party in Spain. The peace-loving Louis Philippe would not hear of it ; his Minister positively refused to surrender his own opinion, and his Cabinet in consequence resigned. One of M. Thiers' last acts was directed against Switzerland. Political refugees made that country their headquarters, and there concocted their plots in safety against existing Governments. Another attempt on Louis Philippe's life had called attention to this fact, and the French Government had demanded, and ultimately obtained, the expulsion of the refugees.] 1836.] AFFAIRS IN SPAIN. 709 To Earl Grey. Baden, Sept. yd, 1836. I am very penitent, my clear lord, for having remained so long without writing to you and answering your letter of July 28. . . . The fact, however, is, that ever since my arrival here in Baden I have been un- well ; every day I seemed to be getting worse, and matters reached such a point that I almost lost the use of my arms, in consequence of a rheumatic attack that came on some six weeks ago. . . . The letters I receive from my husband leave me no hope of seeing him here for the present, even on a flying visit ; and I therefore shall return to Paris during the course of the present month. I have there, at any rate, friends and acquaintances, also many interests that will occupy my mind. But forgive me, my dear friend, for all this about my personal affairs. The news I get from England I read with the greatest interest and attention. The Parliamentary Session has not closed very brilliantly for the Ministry ; but, then, the times in which we live allow of no decisive victories. We must all do our best to live, and look forward to the morrow and no further ; and no glory is to be gained by either one side or the other. Everything has to give way to the needs of a temporizing policy, and this spirit rules everything, turn where one may. But what horrors they are per- petrating in Spain ! Is not all this a proof of the evil of meddling in the affairs of other nations ? Not that the semi-intervention of France and E no-land has had aught really to do with the revolution that has just vol. in. 14 210 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [sept. taken place — only that, as a sequel to this semi-inter- vention, there now remains no reasonable course for them to follow but to withdraw completely. Further, whatever does not lead to direct success in these affairs is, by the necessity of the case, of the nature of a defeat. Surely it would have been better never to have begun, since the business was not to be carried through to the end. Spain for a long time yet to come must be the arena of a sanguinary struggle, and at the end of it all, you will see, Don Carlos will gain the day. You may be sure of that, and it must be allowed that despotism could not be worse than this present show of liberty, and at least order would then reiofn. As to France, and I mean by France Louis Philippe, his first wish is for order ; also, what he wished to re-establish in Spain was this, and this only ; and certainly it is not Queen Christina who will re- establish it. The present Ministerial crisis here is very perplexing, for these constant changes of Ministry always make trouble. I should advise every Minister in France to make himself the King's man ; for the King has more experience and far-sighted statesman- ship than all his servants put together, be they as clever as you please, and certainly M. Thiers is pro- digiously gifted in this respect. It would not in the least astonish me if it were he — Thiers — after all, who should again return to power. I hear that the Swiss are extremely irate against the French. You may judge of this by the answer they have sent to the French Note. In the South everything seems to me to be in a state of unrest. I am not particularly in favour of despotic government, but certainly it must be allowed that it is not countries where liberty reigns 1S36.] PRUSSIA. 211 that are just at present enjoying the advantages of repose. Now I should cite Prussia as an example for the nations of Europe to follow. It is a kingdom that is admirably governed, and the people are extremely happy there. . . . In Baden we have of English friends, Lady William Russell — her husband is shortly to arrive from Wies- baden to spend a few days with her ; Lord and Lady Sheffield — she is a very charming and noble creature ; Lord de Ros, who has the manners of an old flirt, but is witty with it all ; with him is his sister, Mrs. Wellesley. Then the Cadogans (insupportable), and the George Seymours, who appear to be very worthy people. Bacourt I see every day, as also Prince Emile of Hesse. These are all the people I meet, and there are not too many of them. Adieu, my dear lord. Pray write, and do not forpfet me or cease to love me. o [After ,the fall of M. Thiers, M. Mole' became Premier, and the leaders of the Doctrinaire party took office under him, with the ex- clusion, however, of the Due de Broglie. M. Guizot became Minister of Public Instruction. In Portugal the late revolution at La Granja had caused the over- throw of the Government, and an insurrection broke out in Lisbon.] To Earl Grey. Paris, Oct. 8t/i, 1S36. I thank you most heartily, my dear lord, for your letter of September 20. # It found me already established in Paris, where I feel myself to a certain extent ' at home,' after my long sojourn here of last * Missing. 14 2 212 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [OCT. year. I do not know, however, how long my present peaceful life may be allowed to last. My fate is very uncertain, for it is subject not only to my own caprices, but to the will of those in power at Petersburg. My own inclinations would prompt me to spend the winter in this place, and this for the same reasons that brought me here last year — namely, friends, acquaint- ances, and the various means of intelligent occupation that abound in Paris ; for as to social gaieties, I am not more in the mood for them now than I was a year ago. I do my best not to stir from my own fireside. Chance has brouQ-ht many of my friends over here — the Peels, the Pembrokes, and Lord Lyndhurst. The Cowpers write that they are coming on the 15th, if, indeed, poor Lord Cowper's condition allows of his being brought to Paris alive. Peel has been staying at Valencay. In Paris he is treated by the King with much distinction. He is returning: to England again, however, in a few days. Prince Esterhazy is here, too, on his way to London, whither he is going in order to present his letters of recall. You are to have the greatest of bores in his place, Prince Schonbourg. Pozzo is much pleased at being back again for a time in his old haunts. I found him here, and do not imagine he will return to London before November. The new French Ministry is gathering its forces together ; they have been very w r ell received by the Corps Diplomatique ; they have shown every desire to comprehend and carry out the various ideas of the King, and these are, in all points, of a Conservative nature. The Swiss affair is the embarrassing point just at present. Is it not curious that the only mis- understandings the French monarchy of July should 1 8.36.] A LA VA A T TO UR S. yet have had were with the Governments of the two republics ? # But matters seem to be going on tranquilly here now, and Heaven grant the plots against the King's life may all have been stamped out. As to England, everything there, too, appears now to be 'very quiet.' O'Connell's speeches are much modified in tone, and even those of the Jacobin Radicals are not particularly dangerous. England's foreign policy, in the Peninsula at any rate, has not been marked by any very brilliant success. You will have been having the Flahaults with you at Howick. How I envy them this pleasure! Alava is about to return to his voluntary place of exile at Tours, f He is much respected for the line of conduct he has taken. He finds himself in noble companion- ship. All the grandees of Spain are now fleeing the country to avoid the despotism of the democratic Government and the stilettos of their minions. I am becoming anxious for news of Palmella. What will have become of him in the midst of all these wretched brawls at Lisbon? If you have heard anything of him, pray let me know. The picture you draw of your happy home at Howick, my dear lord, is well calculated to arouse my envy. But, alas ! it is very. easy to love retirement, when retirement means living amongst one's children ; and it is only hard to bear when one has suffered bereave- ments such as mine, and when one is condemned, as I am condemned by our terrible climate, to live exiled from my native land, separated (though 1 trust but * The United States and Switzerland. f He refused to accept the Constitution of 1S12, re-established after the in- surrection at La Granja. 214 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [OCT. temporarily) from my husband, and forbidden by a thousand social reasons to go and live in the country that I love best of all in the world after my own. My lot is indeed a sad one. But write to me, I beg of you. Your letters are always to me a real pleasure ; for I do not feel I am a castaway when I read these proofs of your remembrance and of your affection. Adieu, my dear lord. ' Ever, ever yours,' No. 19. Howick, Oct. 10th, 1836. Dearest Princess, I received your letter of the 8th a few days ago. . . . We have had more company than usual— the Flahaults for a fortnight, who are amongst my oldest friends, and those whom I see with the greatest pleasure. I was very sorry when their visit ended. I think Emily a charming girl, and Lady Keith, more quiet in manner, was more agreeable than I ever saw her. But she goes far beyond me in politics. Indeed, I see few people with whom I can agree. I hate equally the Radicals and the ultra-Tories, and there appears little prospect of the more moderate of the opposing parties sinking their differences to meet upon ground on which a moderate and efficient Government might be formed. We have had other company, an account of whom would not interest you, and are ex- pecting the Clanricardes to-morrow ; to be followed by Lady Tankerville and others in the course of the week. . . . The state of the Peninsula is indeed most deplor- able. What a people ! But in spite of all that they could do to prevent it, I cannot help believing that .] THE STATE OF SPAIN. 215 everything might have been settled there if the Court of France had pursued a wise and faithful policy. Mind, when I say this I utter only an opinion, perhaps a very false one, founded on what I collect from public sources of information — knowing nothing otherwise. I deeply regret Alava's renewed exile. I am sure his conduct has been dictated by the purest and most honourable motives ; but I do not see why he might not have acquiesced in a constitution which he had formerly supported, and to which his allegiance was only required till the Cortes had come to a determina- tion upon it. I have no doubt he will be sufficiently applauded by those whose political views may be expected to derive some advantage from the part he has taken. But what will they do for him if the results should doom him to poverty and exile ? Ellice has returned, as you will probably have heard from himself, and talks of coming here, which would have formed an additional agrimeut, if you could have paid us your long-promised visit. This letter is very stupid, but it will only get worse if I go on ; so good-bye, and God bless you. Ever most entirely yours, Grev. [On the morning of October 30, Prince Louis Napoleon (who was at this time a captain of artillery in the Swiss service) appeared in Strassburg before the garrison there, in a costume resembling that worn by Napoleon I., and proposed to call France to arms to place him on the throne of his uncle. He was immediately arrested, and the attempt led to nothing. In Portugal the charter which Don Pedro promulgated in 1826 was a constitutional form of government, nearly modelled on our own. Donna Maria, however, had been compelled in August of the present year, under pressure of a revolutionary rising, to restore the 216 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [nov. impracticable constitution of 1820, which established what almost amounted to universal suffrage, and took all power out of the hands of the Crown. In November a counter-revolution was attempted by the Court party, but failed through want of energy and the cowardice of the leaders.] To Earl Grey. Paris, Nov. \<)t/i, 1836. Thank you a thousand times, my clear lord, for your letter of the 30th October. . . . I am expecting the arrival of the Flahaults to-day or to-morrow, and shall be impatient to learn from them all they have to tell me about Howick. I am very well pleased that Flahault himself should have been absent from France during this business of young Bonaparte's, whose mother* has been stopping in Paris all this time. Had he been here, he would have been drawn into showing her some attention and calling on her, and his going to see her would have led him into a very disagreeable position. The business is now at an end — at least, as regards the Bonaparte family. The young man himself has already started for America, and his mother has gone back to Switzerland to pack up her trunks preparatory to re- joining him ; for they made her understand that if in four weeks' time she were still staying in Switzerland, they would demand her expulsion. The French Government cannot tolerate Switzerland becoming a focus of intrigue and conspiracy, that country lying as it does on the very frontiers of France. Louis Napoleon's mother had information throughout of the plot in all its details. The ineffable silliness of this childish attempt at a revolution is almost incon- * Queen Hortense. 1836.] LOUIS NAPOLEON. 217 ceivable ; he imagined that at the present day a cocked hat and a cloak could upset a Government ! They are afraid, however, that the jury will acquit all the accomplices.* The death of Charles X.t has made no noise here. The Due d'Angouleme, as he cannot any longer bear the title of Dauphin (the King being dead), takes the title of Comte de Marne, and this is to be his name henceforth — at least, so he writes to his friends in Paris. The Due de Bordeaux is for the future to be known as the Comte de Chambord. He is to remain under his uncle's guardianship, which appears to me a wise arrangement, for his mother is a foolish person. I have spoken with people who have been seeing him lately, and they tell me he is a charming boy, with a fine open face and a cheerful and amiable disposition of character. Poor youth, I feel for him ! The attempt at a counter-revolution in Lisbon, which has just failed, seems to have been a very dis- agreeable business. To be in the riofht, one must succeed ; failure always means being in the wrong. All this does not, I imagine, tell in favour of Lord Palmerston's sagacity, nor is it much to England's glory. They are very curious here to know what explanation your Government will offer of these strange events. France in this, as in other things, to my mind, does well not to expose herself to such humiliating reverses. M. de Polignac has been set at liberty, J and was to have set out yesterday for Munich, where he * The accomplices were all acquitted. t On October 6, at Goiitz. J In December, 1830, M. de Polignac, with some other of Charles X.'s Ministers, had been condemned by the Chamber of Peers to imprisonment for life. They were now set at liberty, but M. de Tolignac was banished from France for twenty years. This act of clemency had followed the news of Charles X.'s death. 218 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [nov. is going to buy himself a property. The Talleyrands are still in the country, and only return here for the close of the year. I can understand spending the winter in a comfortable English country house, but in the country elsewhere I do not understand anyone doing this ; and as to the comfort of a French chateau, that is too bad a joke to be tolerated. What are you going to do with O'Connell, my dear lord ? It seems to me that he is becoming more insolent and more dangerous than ever. Will the Ministers still accept him as an ally ? I now know and understand very little about your ' English politics,' but seen from afar this matter does not look well. All I know is that you would never have frater- nized with this man, whom you long ago characterized as an enemy of the public peace. It is generally re- ported that the will Charles X. has left, and which is only to be opened in the presence of a commissioner from Vienna, will contain some excellent counsels for the guidance of his grandson, and will exhort him never to lend himself to schemes that would lead to civil war in France. All the French of the Legitimist party have gone into mourning. The Court here has not gone into mourning, which I think is a pity. Adieu, my dear lord. Let me hear from you a little more frequently, and send me news to enlighten me as to what is going on with you in England. England still interests me more than does any other country. A thousand kind messages to Lady Grey. ' Ever yours,' and with all my heart, 1836.] LADY CLANRICARDE. 219 Ilowick, Dec. 5///, 1836. Dearest Princess, Your letter, though dated the 19th November, only reached me two days ago. . . . We have had more company than usual. Never many at a time, but always some, and those generally agreeable people — most of them Tories, however, of which the eager politicians will not approve. Whether she is to be placed in this category, which would be very different from that of her husband, I know not, though I suspect she may ; but, Whig or Tory, I place Lady Clanricarde in the very first rank of agreeable women. She has been with us more than a month without appearing to be bored, and stays a fortnight longer. With this addition to our society, I should not have been afraid of your finding your time pass heavily, if Fate had allowed you to pay us your long- promised and long-hoped for visit ; more especially as I think you would have found here all the real com- forts of a ' chateau Anglais] which it has been my study to create without any attempt at anything beyond them. But this is a happiness I can no longer look for. Amongst our men-visitors, of whom I am not giving you a list, we have had Lord Burghersh and Lord Douro. I do not mention the first as agreeable, though he is very good-humoured, and seemed willing to be pleased with everything, but as one of the last persons, as well as Lord Douro, whom you would expect to hear of as being inmates of Howick. The last I like very much — cheerful, gay, possessing, I think, a good understanding. His likeness to his father, though on a smaller scale, in voice, in manner, 220 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [dec. and even in his turns of expression, is quite extra- ordinary. We are to have Lauderdale and his son for a few days to-morrow, and afterwards I do not expect anybody but those belonging to my own family for the remainder of the year. . . . It is a lamentable confession to make, but all curiosity in me is extinct ; I feel little interest except for the few friends, like yourself, whose kindness has attached me to them ; and my only wish is to pass the short remainder of my life in retirement and peace. But will this be permitted me ? I sometimes doubt. For things are going on in a way which may oblige me, from a sense of duty to myself and to the country, to vindicate the measures of my Government and the views with which they were proposed. This is, generally, all that I can state upon the present state of our politics here. As to Spain, I must say that I think the con- tinuance of the war, and the embarrassments which it may produce, very much to be attributed to the con- duct of the French Government, which I wish I could see in the hands of Ministers pursuing a policy suited to the circumstances of the country and the interests of the new dynasty, supported by public opinion, and thus affording a hope of strength and permanence. The mercy shown to young Bonaparte is both wise and generous. I cannot apply these epithets to the exclusion of his mother from the country in which she had established her residence. You say she certainly knew of her son's project. But did she encourage, or did she not do all she could to prevent it ? In any case, what could a helpless woman do that could give any cause of fear or anxiety to such a Power as 1836.] MR. O'CONNELL. France ? What you say of the late attempt in Portugal is quite true. One does not know which most to admire, the rashness with which it was made, or the pusillanim- ity with which it was abandoned. In the last, je reconnais not re ami Palmella, who, I am sorry to say, has shown himself miserably deficient in all the qualities which his position required. I should agree with you also in what you say of Palmerston if he had anything to do with this miserable affair ; but I am positively assured of the contrary. You ask me also about O'Connell. This would be a long chapter. But Ellice, I hear, is going to Paris, and he will not be slow to afford you all the lights which you vainly seek from me on this and other subjects. As to O'Connell, when you have heard his opinions, in taking the direct contrary, you will pro- bably not be very far from mine. God bless you ! Lady Grey desires me to say everything that is most kind to you. Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. Paris, Dec. 25///, 1836. A thousand heartiest thanks, my dear lord, for your letter of the 5th. .. . I do not know whether the meeting of Parliament will lead to the discussion of matters of interest and importance with you ; here, however, it appears certain that the reassembling of the Chambers will be a moment of great interest. They say that never since the Revolution of July has the position, both externally and internally, of PYance 222 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [dec. looked so grave. In a word, they regard the moment as one of crisis. I know the country and the men here too little, and the French character is too difficult of analysis, for it to be possible for me to form a reliable opinion on the matter. I listen to what is said, and believe what I hear up to a certain point. But I have strong predilections, and these are all in favour of the present Government, for I have a high opinion of its head.* Your Government does not seem to wish him success, if I am to judge by the tone of the Ministerial journals. Ellice, whom I often see, is not very happy at the present moment. He is a most active man, and it is of his nature to be so. He will, however, find it difficult just at present to maintain an equally friendly understanding with both parties, and they say his inclinations are veering more towards the Left than the Ministers here quite approve of. Whatever he may do, however, he is himself a most amiable man, and a most agreeable person in society. As yet I have only heard him talk on ' French politics.' Affairs in Eng- land, according to his view, are going so well, and are so stable, that he does not need to occupy himself very much about them. I see you still continue to blame the conduct of France in the matter of Spanish affairs. I think, however, King Louis Philippe has consulted his own interests in what he has been doing, and that it will all be satisfactorily explained in the Speech. Further, as no one knows his own affairs better than the King himself does, and since England above all things ought to desire that his Government should acquire * Count Mole. 1836] ENGLAND AND FRANCE. 223 stability, it should follow that England ought to be content and show confidence in what the King has been doing - . This, however, would not seem to be the actual case ; and the intimate relations of friendship and alliance between the two countries appear to have received a check. Some change for the worse was unavoidable in so unnatural an alliance ; and at the present day the ancient enmity between England and France seems on the point of bursting out again as fiercely as of old. M. de Talleyrand has come to town from the country looking quite young again, and with his health perfectly re-established. He certainly is a most wonderful person. Madame de Dino, too, is looking very well, and is getting fatter. What you say of the various people who have been staying with you at Howick agrees exactly with my recollections. Lady Clanricarde is a person of a very remarkable mind, and one of the most amiable women I know. Lord Burghersh is an excellent fellow, with nothing against him but his talent for musical compositions ; and Lord Douro pleases me, as he does you, by the originality of his mind, his good temper, and that curiously faithful likeness which he bears to his father ; indeed, the only amusing hours I spent at Petersburg were those when he used to come and see me. ' I wish I had been at Howick !' My health is improving. I spend my time in Paris very agreeably and with great regularity of occupation. I do not go out into the great world, but I am at home to a few friends every evening. Will you come there some evening? How often do I not hope this, but always with a sigh for conclusion ! Adieu, my dear lord ; both to you and to Lady 224 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [jan. Grey I offer a thousand best wishes for the New Year, which is coming in here very white and cold as regards the weather, and rather black as regards politics. All will become clear, doubtless, before long, but the world in general is now somewhat ' unsettled.' A thousand kindest regards. Howick, Jan. lGih, 1837. Dearest Princess, Many thanks for your letter of December 25, which I received some clays ago. My answer has been delayed by many circumstances, both of pleasure and business, which usually occur at this season. . . . Here we are within a fortnight of the meeting of Parliament, and I know no more, very possibly less, than you do of what is likely then to take place. I see in the papers that many important measures are to be brought forward, and so says Melbourne in his circular letter ; but I have no intimation of what they are to be. The raising of the siege of Bilbao will be of use to Palmerston, and must, I think, lead to the final over- throw of Don Carlos, if the French Government acts with good faith in preventing his receiving supplies over the frontier. It was to this I alluded in what I said in my last letter, and to this I think Louis Philippe is equally bound by the obligations of the Treaty,* and by the just view of his own interests. As to direct intervention, that is another matter in which I am not prepared to say that he may not be in the right. My future plans are not yet at all decided, * The Quadruple Treaty of 1834, between England, France, Spain and Portugal. Bilbao, which the Carlists surrendered on December 24, had been besieged by General Espartero, assisted by the British Legion. 1 837.] THE KING'S SPEECH. 225 further than that I think we probably shall leave this place about the middle of February. Whether we shall then remain in London, or execute our lone- projected visit to Paris, will depend upon the state in which we find things on our arrival. The very thought of any exertion is now become so painful to me that I shall be most unwilling to take any part in the House of Lords ; and I shall avoid it if possible. But I may find myself obliged to overcome this reluctance. . . . God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, Feb. yd, 1837. Thank you, my dear lord, for your letter of January 16, and thank you for not depriving me of the hope that I may still see you over here before the end of the winter. This visit is, above all other things, what I most desire; but perhaps this may be the very reason why it will not be allowed to take place. We have just received the account of the Speech from the Throne, at the opening of your Parliament. It has made a great sensation. The susceptibilities of the present French Government are much wounded by the coolness shown towards France in your not even mentioning this country ; on the other hand, the Opposition are enchanted, for it gives them the right of saying that the alliance between the two nations has come to an end. If your Government had any small matter for revenge, they could not have acted with greater astuteness. Being, however, no longer cognizant of all these matters, I do not know whether vol. in. 15 226 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [feb. any cause of offence really existed. Your Parliament has begun its Session so peaceably, that it hardly seems likely any affairs will be discussed of either great importance or interest. This is not, certainly, the case over here, where party spirit always runs so high. The present Administration has acquired no very firm position, and neither in the Chamber nor, according to what I hear, in their Cabinet Councils do they manifest much stability. M. Mole and M. Guizot do not love each other. The breach between them may easily become greater, and in that case the Ministry must fall ; for these two men are, in truth, the Govern- ment. M. Mole is sure of the King's support. M. Thiers is now entirely in opposition, and this does not appear to me the best of ways for compassing the portfolio of Minister, since I greatly doubt that the Chamber will ever force the King to accept a Minister of its choosing ; the King is stronger than the Chamber. M. Talleyrand keeps his health wonderfully. We celebrated his eighty-third birthday yesterday, and he is as young and eager as ever. The influenza has taken possession of Paris. It has not caught me as yet, but I fear I shall not escape in the end. The Duchess of Sutherland is very ill with it, her husband and children likewise. The Chevalier Acton died of it two days ago. What news have you of the Durhams ? The Londonderrys will bring us news of them before many weeks, for by this time they must already have left Petersburg. Adieu, my dear lord. ... A thousand most friendly regards. 1837.] THE IRISH MUNICIPAL BILL. 227 Howick, Feb. 27th, 1837. Dearest Princess, I have been very much occupied lately with various arrangements, preparatory to my departure, and this must be my excuse for having left your letter of the 3rd instant so long unanswered. . . . Our present purpose is to begin our journey towards the end of next week, and I hope to be in Berkeley Square by March 13 or 14. Beyond this, we have no fixed plan ; but it is now getting so late in the season, that I am afraid all expectation of our going to Paris must be given up. Perhaps it will not be right for me to be out of the way when the dis- cussions in the House of Lords, which are expected after Easter, take place. But I have less than ever any desire to take part in them. Indeed, my un- willingness to do so would be rather a motive for absenting myself, if I could without self-reproach. The majority in favour of the Ministers on the Irish Municipal Bill* surprised me, as I believe it did them. What the House of Lords will do now, remains to be seen ; but I am told that Lord Lyndhurst and his associates are determined to persevere in their opposition. In that case the majority cannot be doubtful, and, according to Lord John's speech, f the Ministers, on the question being carried against them, will resign. As I know nothing from them, or, indeed, from any source except the public papers, so that my opinion cannot compromise anybody, I may be allowed * Reintroduced February 7. On going into Committee the Government obtained a majority of eighty. t In reintroducing the Bill, Lord J. Russell had spoken of it as ' a vital ques- tion to the present Administration.' I q 2 228 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [feb. to give it ; and I have no hesitation in saying that in the present circumstances they will not have a justi- fiable ground for abandoning the Government ; and ultimately, I think, it will be found that they will be under the necessity of revising the determination which they have announced. I hear there is a great party endeavouring to support Lord de Ros. We certainly are arrived at a great degree of improvement, when such an interest can be taken by persons of high rank and station in favour of a convicted cheat. But I think, at least I hope, it will be found impossible to introduce him again into any respectable society, and that the attempt to do so will only bring discredit upon those who make it. Mrs. Norton, if the papers are to be believed, has been at an assembly at Lady Minto's. Our last accounts from St. Petersburg represent Lord Durham as being better. But the climate certainly disagrees with him so much, that it will be necessary for him to abandon his post there. They are to come away, on leave, as soon as the weather will permit them to undertake the journey ; and though Lord Durham likes his situation so much that he is anxious to return to it, I trust that he will not incur the hazard of another winter. Since my last, I have read Thiers' speech on the Spanish Question, and think it excellent. I really cannot understand the policy of Louis Philippe as to this matter. What are your plans after Paris ? No chance, 1 fear, of a visit to England ; and little hope for me of ever seeing you again in this world. Whatever we do, we shall certainly find ourselves re-established here the end of July ; and if I could promise you as agreeable 1837.] THE DISJUNCTION LAW. 229 a party as we had last year, I should strongly urge you to pass the autumn with us. God bless you. Ever affectionately yours, G. [In the House of Commons the scheme introduced by the Government for the Abolition of Church Rates was carried by the narrow majority of twenty-three. In the French Chamber the Ministry failed to carry the Disjunction Law (March 22), by which it was proposed to deprive the civil tribunals of their power of judging all civil offences, whether committed by soldiers or civilians.] To Earl Grey. Pans, March 2.2nd, 1837. I have to thank you, my dear lord, for your letter from Howick of February 27. I am addressing my answer to you in London, where I am told you have arrived, and apparently in excellent health. . . . Recent events in London, the events in Paris and in Spain, all seem to me to be tending to confusion worse confounded. Shall we ever see the end of it all ? Do you think a change of Ministry in England is on the cards ? And if no change is to take place, how is the Government to be carried on with this permanent opposition of the House of Lords to every measure of consequence that is proposed ? Over here the Ministry have not recovered from the blow they received by the rejection of the Dis- junction Law. They are very much enfeebled, and the principal members of the Cabinet, viz., M. Mole and M. Guizot, are far from being of one mind. In this state of weakness it is difficult to believe that they will be able to get the Chamber to pass a measure 230 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [march which is the reverse of popular in the country — that is to say, the vote for the Due de Nemours' settlement, which has already set the whole of France by the ears. In truth, the wind that blows just now is a malignant wind. The Government has no strength, and the King is treated with no sort of consideration. The French are a strange people. It is difficult to govern them, and equally difficult to understand what they want ; but to observe them is both a curious and an instructive spectacle. What is your Government going to do now that Evans has been defeated ? They say he has been completely crushed. Certainly England has gained neither honour nor profit by her intervention in Spanish affairs. The present condition of things, however, cannot last ; and they must either with- draw completely or push their way still further into the mire. King Louis Philippe must see in all these recent events good reason for congratulating himself at having kept clear of the whole affair. They say the English are now equally detested by both the Carlists and the Christinos. As to the Queen's generals, it is hard to distinguish what colours they bear. . . . Adieu, my dear lord ; I await with impatience news of you from London. I send a thousand kind messages to Lady Grey, and for yourself I can but reiterate my most friendly regards. D. Lieven. Berkeley Square, March 2\th, 1S37. Dearest Princess, I have been in daily expectation of an answer to my last letter, but as you give no sign of life, I will I837-] LORD MELBOURNE. no longer delay telling you what I am sure you will be glad to hear, that we arrived here on the 15th, and continue as well as this renewed winter, much more severe than anything we experienced in the North, will permit anyone to be. It puts an end, however, till a favourable change takes place, to the possibility of undertaking another journey ; and the season being now approaching when those whom we should most wish to see, particularly Talleyrand and Madame de Dino, will be leaving Paris, the probability of our making this long - projected excursion every day becomes less. Added to this, the state of France, which appears to me to threaten an approaching crisis, diminishes all my inclination to visit that country. Here things seem scarcely more settled, but they are infinitely more secure as to any danger of con- fusion. The most that could happen would be a change of Administration, and this would be very probable if there existed a party strong enough to carry on the Government. I will not, however, enter into speculations upon a matter with respect to which I see nothing clearly. My communications since I arrived have been few and of little importance. Of the Ministers, I have seen none in private, except Mel- bourne, Holland, and Lansdowne, and with them my conversation was very general. Melbourne looks well, and in good spirits, and not at all altered as to the easy, not to say indifferent, manner in which he takes everything. Palmerston I have not seen, but you will perceive in the Times, the most infamous of all papers, how much he is become the object of attack, more especially since the defeat of Evans.* The King was * Commander of the British Legion in Spain. 232 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [APRIL personally civil to me, both at the Chapter of the Garter for the investiture of Lord Carlisle, and at the Levee ; but except this I have had no communication of any kind, either from or with him. Of the foreign Ministers, Esterhazy only has called on me, and I was delighted to find he is to continue here some time longer. The rest I saw at the Levee, except Pozzo, who, I hear, is not well. Is it the Vixen that deranges him ?* That, by the way, is une affaire trcs grave, brought about, if you will, by faults on all sides, but one on which public feeling here is so much excited, that it will require great calmness and discretion to prevent an explosion. It rejoices me to hear from everybody that you are so well. God bless you, and believe me, Ever most affectionately yours, Grey. Berkeley Square, April 14!//, 1837. Dearest Princess, I ought to have answered your letter of the 22nd March sooner, but having written to you before I received it, and having little to say, I have found excuses for putting it off till the present moment. . . . Our Ministerial crisis appears to be at hand. According to Lord John Russell's declaration, the Ministers, if the Irish Corporation Bill is not carried, "j" * The Vixen, an English merchantman, had landed salt at a port on the Circassian coast, which the insurgent Circassians had lately recovered from the Russians. A Russian cruiser seized the Vixen on the plea that she had landed ammunition for the benefit of the insurgents. The legality of the seizure was much discussed at the time in the newspapers and also in Parliament, but the subject was ultimately allowed to drop, and no action was taken by the Govern- ment. f In the Lords. I837-] THE IRISH MUNICIPAL BILL. 233 will resign, and what Sir Robert Peel said in the last debate shows that, in that case, he will not hesitate to undertake the Government. I never doubted this, nor do I believe that he will find the difficulty either in forming or maintaining an Administration, which Ellice, and other wise men, would have us believe. To them, in truth, it is owing that this crisis has arrived, as it is by them that Stanley, et cetera, were forced out, and the first fatal blow given to my Government, which was so speedily followed by my resignation. This upon the face of things appears to be the probable result. There may, however, be delays, or possibly a change of circumstances which may prevent it. From what has passed, the House of Lords appears likely not to reject, but to postpone, on grounds not without plausibility, the Bill on which the Ministers have staked their existence. This, I think, would not afford them a justifiable ground for resigning, and if they should act upon it, Peel would have less difficulty in forming a new Government. This they will pro- bably find, when the time arrives, so unfavourable to their present determination, that, added to the deter- mination of their friends, who will naturally be desirous to prevent a change, they will be obliged to go on a little longer. Then will come the Irish Tithe Bill, in which they must either persist in retaining the appro- priation clause, or abandon that most unnecessary and obnoxious provision. In the first case the fate of the Bill in the Lords is certain, and, according to Lord John's declaration, they must resign, but upon grounds which will be far from popular in this country. In the last, under the circumstances in which that resolu- tion was moved, and the manner in which they were 234 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [april pledged to it, it seems equally difficult for them to remain in office. This, as far as I can judge from observation, for I am not consulted, is the present state of affairs, and having thus placed it before you, which, having no confidence to betray, I feel myself justified in doing, I leave you to form your own con- clusions. At Paris things seem to be no less in a most unsettled and critical state, and I confess the conduct and policy of Louis Philippe are beyond my comprehension. . . . The King, I hear, has been very much affected by the death of Lady de l'Isle, # but is well in health. From all I hear the Queen is not so, having had, now for many months, a bad cough. But this is only hearsay, as I have had no communication of any kind, since I left town last year, with Windsor. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, April igl/i, 1837. I thank you much, my dear lord, for your letter of the 14th, although it almost deprives me of my last hope of seeing you in Paris. . . . None of your Paris friends, however, will be leaving town before the end of June, for the marriage of the Due d'Orleans,t and the fetes that are to follow its celebration, will keep even M. de Talleyrand from going away. So pray reconsider your determination. * Lady Sophia Filzclarence, daughter of William IV. f The Due d'Orleans was to marry Princess Helena of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. I837-] THE NEW FRENCH MINISTRY. 235 The long Ministerial crisis over here has ended by the formation of a most insignificant Administration,* one with neither colour, nor consistency, nor valour in its composition, and possessing among its members not a single orator. . . . This wretched weakling keeps on its legs through the protection of Thiers, who will allow it to live, so lono- as it does not suit him to let it die. What I am saying is in no way an exaggeration. It is the exact truth. To bring back the Doctrinaires pure and simple would have alarmed France (I know not why) ; to bring back Thiers would have alarmed the King,t . . . (and for this I know well the reason why). Hence they have taken up with the present nullities. A crisis in England also appears to be imminent. You explain very clearly how things stand at present, and as one always takes more interest in what one under- stands, my curiosity is getting excited to know what will happen. Lord Lyndhurst is to be in London to-morrow. I trust you will let me know how matters turn out next week. Whatever occurs will, I think, be of importance. Your newspapers speak of a breach in the cordial relations between the Duchess of Kent and the Court. It appears to me that in general there is no lack of gossiping tales in your part of the world. I have good news of my husband. In a fortnight's time he is to set out on a journey through Russia with his pupil. J In the space of six months they are to travel over fifteen thousand miles (English), and will visit the White Sea, Siberia, the Caspian, and the Black Sea. It puts one * On April 15 a new Ministry was formed, of which Count Mole still remained the chief, as President of the Council. f A line of the letter has been scratched out by the Princess. X The Czarewitch. 236 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [MAY out of breath to think of it. During the interval I possibly may pay a visit to my beloved England. But I dare promise nothing as yet. Adieu, my dear lord ; write to me. Your letters are precious to me in every way. As ever my heartiest and most faithful regards. D. LlEVEN. [Lord Grey's letter, in answer to the above, is missing. Sir Francis Burdett, who had been returned for Westminster in the Radical interest, had of late joined the Tory party. He therefore voluntarily resigned his seat to test the feeling of his constituents. His opponent, Mr. Leader (Radical), was, however, defeated by 515 votes, and Sir Francis was re-elected for Westminster.] To Earl Grey. Paris, May igt/i, 1837. Thank you a thousand times, my dear lord, for your letter of the 12th. I answer it to-day in order to inform you that I am coming over to England, and shall probably arrive in London by July 1. Let me know if I shall still find you in town ; it will give me such pleasure. I intend to spend two months and a half in England, and shall certainly make time for coming down to Howick. I only hope my health will allow of my carrying out all the many excursions I am looking forward to. . . . At the present moment, since everything is going on quietly in Paris, what is taking place in England greatly occupies people's minds. Burdett's re-election for Westminster has been a matter of great interest to people here, and Lord Palmerston giving his vote for Mr. Leader has been the cause of universal astonish- I837-] M. MOLE. 237 ment. I alone have been astonished by nothing of all this. M. Mole has hatl the good fortune to carry through the Chambers many great and excellent measures, in spite of the feebleness of his Cabinet. Perhaps even this very feebleness has served him here in good stead. What has been happening in Paris is truly curious to note. M. Thiers and the Legitimists are both of them satisfied, and it is only M. Guizot who is not of this frame of mind. It appears very probable that the present Ministry will keep together, just as they are, till the opening of the next Session ; but then it will be necessary for either M. Thiers or M. Guizot to take the lead, for representative Government de- mands that the Premier at least should be able to speak. E very body is now occupied with discussing the fetes which are to take place at the wedding of the Due d'Orleans, and questions of toilette have completely usurped all other interests. So matters go in this queer country. But why did you not come over and see it all ? it would have diverted you greatly. Adieu, my dear lord. Write to me, I beg of you, and tell me if I am choosing the right moment for coming. I do not intend to stay more than ten clays in London ; but I want to find the people there with whom I can arrange my programme of visits. Let me know your own dates. A thousand kindest regards. What a pleasure it is thinking I shall soon see you again ! [William IV. 's illness was talked of in society during May, and in June became the cause of public anxiety. Throughout May the »38 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [june King's recovery was doubtful, by the middle of June it was hopeless. On June 18 the newspapers announced that his strength was failing, and on the 20th he died.] To Earl Grey. Paris, June lot It, 1837. Do pray write to me, my dear lord. The sad event which is about to befall your country should really not cause you to forget me, for I take so true an interest in all that may happen to endanger the tran- quillity and the happiness of my beloved England. What a moment of suspense it is ! What is this young Queen like who is destined to govern England ? (who perhaps has already begun to reign at this very moment during which I am writing to you). What is her character, what is her capacity, and what are her opinions ? Who will direct her ? These are all grave questions, and it would appear that no one is capable of answering them, so much has she hitherto been kept in the background and shrouded from all obser- vation. Now do tell me something, and write to me in any case. I wish it were of yourself that you might have to tell me at this moment. It would give me a most high opinion of your future Queen. The King will, I am sure, carrv with him to the tomb the regrets of his subjects ; at the moment of losing him nothing will be remembered but his good qualities ; and in truth he had many good qualities. I am writing as though he were already dead, and, although I hope he may still live, it is almost beyond probability. The gaze of all Europe will be fixed on London. 1837] DEATH OF WILLIAM IV. 239 Wednesday, June 9/21. They say here the King is dead. I close my letter reiterating to you my request for news. 4 Adieu, and God bless you, dear Lord Grey !' Berkeley Square, June 23rd, 1S37. Dearest Princess, I have just received your letter of the 20th, and am much disappointed at its not announcing posi- tively the day of your departure from Paris. I still hope it will not be delayed beyond the 28th, as the melancholy event of the King's death and the approach- ing dissolution of Parliament will hurry everybody out of town, and I, amongst the rest, must go, at latest, before July 15. I have felt most deeply and sincerely the loss of a sovereign who was to me a most kind and indulgent master. But the loss to the public is still greater, and this is universally felt. The expressions of regret are general, and, 1 am sure, sincere ; but everything is already going on in as steady and as quiet a course as if no change had taken place. Of the young Queen, as you are aware, little is known personally. She has been kept in a state of such seclusion, that even the Duchess of Northumberland, during the whole time that she was her governess, never once saw her alone. Yet wdien called upon for the first time to appear before the Privy Council, and to take upon herself the awful duties with which at so early an age she has been so suddenly charged, there was in her appearance and demeanour a composure, a propriety, an aplomb, which 240 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. [june were quite extraordinary. She never was in the least degree confused, embarrassed, or hurried ; read the Declaration beautifully ; went through the forms of business as if she had been accustomed to them all her life. Melbourne has, of course, seen her frequently as her Minister, but I know no particulars of what has passed between them, except that she at once signified her wish that the Ministry should continue as it is. I have had no communications with or from her, or from anybody connected with the new Court. I write this in a great hurry, because you desired it ; but it will give you little information that you do not already possess. We expect Lord Durham every hour. God bless you. Yours most affectionately, Grey. [Early in the month of July Princess Lieven came over to London on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland] To Earl Grey. Stafford House, July 2<)th, 1S37. Dear Lord Grey, I have not had a moment of health or quiet since you left town, which must account for your having had no letter from me. And yet I have been wishing again and again to tell you how sad I felt at that last supper-party, when I took your hand in good- bye. I hope, desire, and believe I shall see you again ; but meantime I am sad, my heart is full, and my thoughts are of you. I have been so unwell in England that I find 1 837.] THE BISHOP OF HEREFORD. 241 myself obliged to take the same resolution with regard to my other visits that was forced on me in the matter of Howick. I have given up all idea of visiting in country houses. I go nowhere. It is now very evident to me that the air, the mode of life, and the sad souvenirs awakened by my visit to this country, are not at all conducive to a better state of health. For fear of worse arriving, I return to the place where I found myself tolerably well, namely, Paris. I have seen all my friends in London, and shall now make the best of my way back to France. I set out, Tuesday, August 1, and shall go and see Lady Cowper at Broadstairs ; after which I shall cross to Boulogne. Address your letters as heretofore to Ashburnham House. I have written to my husband to beg him to try and meet me at Dieppe, and trust he will be able to come. It was with real sorrow, my dear lord, that I heard of the loss you so recently have sustained in your family circle. # The blow was so sudden that I know you must have felt it the more acutely. Send me word, pray, how you are. It appears to me that the electionst are going to the satisfaction of most honest people. I see that many of the ultra- Radicals have been beaten ; and this seems to me a good thing for everybody, even for the Ministers. Lady Durham's appointment as Lady-in-waiting on the Queen is just as it should be. She could certainly not have chosen a better or nobler woman. I saw Lord Durham last night at the Queen's party ; they had most * By the death of Lord Grey's brother, Edward, Bishop of Hereford, on July 24.. t For Queen Victoria's first Parliament. VOL. III. l6 242 WILLIAM IV. AND QUEEN VICTORIA. excellent music, such as would have pleased you to hear. Adieu, my dear lord. I await news of you with impatience. Write to me, I beg of you, often and much, and love me as ever. A thousand kindest regards to Lady Grey. [ ^43 ] CHAPTER VIII. lord Durham's mission. Lord Melbourne and the Queen — M. Mole— Princess Marie and Prince Alexander of Wiirtemburg — Lord Durham and Mr. Ellice — The Fall of Constantine — Lord John Russell and the Radicals — Lady Durham — M. Thiers and M. Guizot — Lord Durham appointed Governor-General of Canada— M. Guizot and the Government — Affairs in Spain — Sir R. Peel and the Whigs — The ' Diary ' — Lady C. Bury — Lord Maidstone's Motion against Mr. O'Connell — England and Abd el Kader — Comte Flahault's Troubles at Court— Lord Brougham — Queen Victoria and her Court — Lord Durham and his Successor at Petersburg — Comte Flahault and the Special Embassy — The Canadian Revolt — Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. O'Connell — Lord Brougham's Article in the Quarterly Review — Marshal Soult and the Special Embassy — The King of Hanover — Lady Cowper — The Duke and Sir R. Peel — Madame de Flahault's Disappointment — Death of M. de Talleyrand — His Letter to .the Pope — The Coronation of Queen Victoria — Mr. Turton : Lord Whaincliffe's Motion — Lord Shelburne — Lady Jersey— The Queen and the Corps Diplo- matique — Lord Clanricarde Ambassador to Petersburg — Birth of the Comte de Paris — Coronation of Ferdinand I. at Milan — Switzerland and the Refugees. To Earl Grey. Paris, Sept. 26th, 1837. I must invoke your friendship and indul- gence, my dear lord, to forgive my long silence ; you must first hear me, and will then admit how much I deserve such indulgence ; for since that abominable crossing from Dover to Boulogne I have not had a day's good health. Even at the present time, though I am up again, and well enough to take my regular drives to the Bois de Boulogne, I am still so weak l6 2 244 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [sept. that it is only by great exertion that I can apply my mind to anything. England gave me a nervous shock ; I had to a certain degree foreseen it, but not, indeed, to this extent. Your kind letter* gave me much pleasure, but I come now again to ask charity of you, and I beg you to write to me at once. I hear nothing from England ; I have hardly any correspondents there. I know nothing of what is going on except by the papers, and these represent Lord Melbourne as so assiduous in his attendance on the Oueen — as being so con- stantly and so perpetually with her — that I for myself cannot help imagining that she must be going to marry him. It is all, however, according to rule, and I find it both proper and in his own interest that Lord Melbourne should keep himself absolute master of the situation. He will stand before the new Parliament in the position of one very high placed in Court favour ; but will this be enough to keep him in office ? It seems to me that the experience of Sir R. Peel's Pre- miership is a case in point to the contrary. What do you think, my dear lord, of the forces and the chances of the Opposition ? To me they appear not incon- siderable. What is Lord Durham doing in the midst of it all ? Will he return to Petersburg ? Here in Paris everything is in perfect tranquillity —so quiet, indeed, that it amounts almost to ennui. The Ministers are going to dissolve the Chamber ; the new elections will, they hope, take place under favour- able auspices, and M. Mole counts on a session of un- disputed supremacy. This is possible ; everything is possible over here ; and also, as far as that goes, with * Missing. 1 837.] PRINCESS MARIE. 245 the present state of things, in all the rest of the world besides. Hence it is difficult to predict anything or calculate the chances. But above all, nothing should be deemed impossible. It is neither merit nor proba- bility that rules nowadays ; it is chance alone, and naught else. The only piece of undoubted good policy for all the world is the maintenance of peace between the great Powers. I do not speak here of the Peninsula, for that is given over (or rather, has been given over by its protectors) to eternal confusion ; for which state of things your Government, amongst others, does not derive the greater glory. I live in Paris exactly as I used to do. I receive every evening, and the diplomats form the main source of my society, with such birds of passage as will come to call on me. The Parisians are still at their country places, and will be so yet for some time to come. The Granvilles have just come back from Dieppe, and he seems to be far from strong in health. Pozzo is pre- paring (much to his regret) to return to London on November 1. The King wants to marry one of his daughters* to one of the Wurtemberg princes, but the alliance has not met with the full approval of the head of the Prince's family. The King certainly has bad luck in these matters. . . . Good-bye, and a thousand kindest regards. D. Lieven. Ho wick, Oct. 22nd, 1837. Dearest Princess, I had almost begun to feel that you had for- gotten me, when I was relieved by seeing your hand- The Princess Marie ; she did eventually marry Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg. 246 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [OCT. writing once more in your letter of September 26. A constant succession of company which has filled the house, and various other interruptions, have prevented my answering it sooner. Amongst our other visitors, we have had both Lord Durham and le grand faiscur Ellice. The former, with all his family, stayed with us a fortnight, and, I am sorry to say, had in that time so many attacks of indisposition that I deprecate more than ever his return to Russia. He talks, however, of re- turning when the good season commences, but, I hope, only for the summer, and to come back before the winter sets in. In this case he probably will not take his family with him. All this, however, is liable to further change from the political occurrences which may take place, either from a change in the Adminis- tration, or his obtaining a place in it. Which of these is most probable I will not pretend to determine. Of the former, according to Ellice, there is no danger. Having contributed so much to produce the present state of things, it is natural he should be an optimist to all that is passing. He has accordingly discovered that the security and comfort of the Ministers will be much greater with the very small majority that they now have, than it was before. According to this reasoning, I tell him that it would have been still better if they had had no majority at all. But you will have all his views at full length from him in person, as he talks of going to Paris when the first business of Parliament is over. Lord Durham has the same pro- ject. Referring you, therefore, to these better sources of information, and really having none to give you that you will not find in the papers, I will not trouble you 1 837.] LORD SEFTON. 247 with views and speculations in which I should not probably agree with them. . . . What do you hear of Talleyrand and Madame de Dino ? I hope both are well. The accounts of Sefton are much better, but still, I think, not good. He con- tinues miserably weak. Lady Grey desires her kindest remembrances. God bless you. Ever yours affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, Nov. 8//1, 1837. Thank you most heartily, my dear lord, for your letter of October 22. I read in it much kind thoughtful ness of yours on my account. I truly appreciate this, and it has touched me deeply. I fear coming over to London did me no good. I felt it when I got there, and I still feel the effects of all I went through. ... I am become very sad, my dear lord, and my situation is full of difficulty. The Emperor does not allow my husband leave of absence for coming to see me. The doctors, on the other hand, absolutely forbid my travelling. Even that short voyage I undertook going over to England has done my health much harm. All exertion is forbidden me. No one in Russia, on the other hand, will believe that I am really ill ; and hence I am fallen a prey to vexa- tious imputations which it will be very difficult for me, as time goes on, to combat. This all the more because my husband, placed as he is at the mercy of Court favour or disfavour, also gives credence to what he hears said, and makes me feel his disapproval of what I am 248 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [nov. forced to do in a way that is hard for me to bear. . . . In a word, they wish me to come and live at Peters- burg, and in order to force me to this they are going to deprive me of the means of living elsewhere. Now for me to go to live at Petersburg is simply to go to my death ; and however miserable one may be, one still clings to life. . . . My husband, after passing some weeks at Geneva, has gone to Italy. He must be back in Petersburg again by the month of May, and is then to commence travelling through Europe with the Czarewitch. I see by your letter that you have no intention of going up to London for the meeting of Parliament. I imagine the beginning of the Session will be easy work, and that the Ministers, in spite of their small majority, will be allowed a quiet life. But how will they manage as time goes on ? Court favour, how- ever, seems to be theirs certainly and entirely. Over here M. Mole's position is an excellent one. The fall of Constantine* has gratified the national vanity, and the Government has much benefited in the recent elections. These last have turned out for the most part Conservative in hue. M. Lafitte has not been able to get in anywhere. M. Thiers proclaims him- self a Ministerialist, and M. Guizot will support the Government if need be ; that is to say, if it be attacked by the Left, or hampered by them in measures of a Conservative tendency. The situation, however, will still be an odd one, for the battle will be fought over the heads of the Ministers. They have not a single good speaker in the whole Cabinet. * In Eastern Algeria, taken by the second expedition under General Damre- mont and the Due de Nemours. 1837.] THE CHOLERA. 249 The cholera has just broken out at Constantine, and the place seems likely to prove a most embarrass- ing possession to the French. Peel has been here for the last two days, and leaves to-morrow for London. He is very well in health ; indeed, I never saw him looking better, or more reso- lute. If the Government try and carry through any further measures of reform, either by new ' encroach- ments,' or by any other violent means, he will resist them to the utmost. (He has a great future before him.) Otherwise, for the present he will oppose them in nothing. He will vote for the re-election of the present Speaker, and the measures anent the Civil List. What do you think Lord Durham is going to do ? for I do not see that a position is being opened for him in the Ministerial ranks. Adieu, my dear lord ; write to me, I beg of you. Your letters, your kind recollection of me, and your friendship, remain always what they were to me ; I appreciate them, indeed, now more than ever I did. This you know well, do you not ? and the knowledge should please you. Howick, Nov. 28///, 1S37. A thousand and a thousand thanks, dearest Princess, for your kind letter of the 8th. It made me very melancholy, however. I cannot bear to think of vour suffering both from bad health and from mental vexation, which surely ought to have been spared you, after all you have gone through, and after all you have deserved. . . . You will have read in the papers the account of 250 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [NOV. the opening of the Session, and I have little to add to what you will have learnt from that source. The Radicals acted as I expected, and John Russell seems to have plucked up a little spirit for the moment, though his speech was feeble, and in some respects injudicious. But he appears to have become immedi- ately alarmed at what he had done, and has since been making concessions to the Power which he ought to have defied, at whatever risk ; and Ellice boasts that by these means the Radicals will be brought back to support the Government, a support which can give no permanent security, and which is purchased at a price which no support can be worth. Brougham, too, you see, has buckled on his Radical armour, so that the lovers of what is sport to those who are not engaged in the conflict will be amply gratified. In the meantime Peel seems to be acting with prudence and judgment. I admired his speech on the first day very much. From him and his friends the Government would probably have met with little trouble before Christmas, but Ellice has given him an opening by the outrageous proposition which the Government, to my great surprise, seems inclined to adopt, for suspending the trial of all the election petitions till a new law oh that subject can be passed. Peel at once seized upon this advantage, and, if the Ministers support this Radical project, will, I have no doubt, turn it to good account. Lambton has not yet done anything, and has had frequent attacks of indisposition since he has been in town. He has given too much countenance to the schemes for giving a greater latitude to the principles of the Reform Bill, and still professes his approbation 1837.] LORD DURHAM. 251 of them, though willing to suspend them for the pre- sent. This is not the way to office, nor to the attain- ment of influence with the rational part of the com- munity. His children, with the exception of the eldest daughter, who is with them in London, are here. Nothing can equal the kindness of the Oueen to my daughter Caroline, who is now in waiting, and who has her little girl with her, the most charming child I ever saw, in the Palace. She has also given Caroline an apartment at Windsor, where she will reside per- manently. I do not pretend to understand French politics. All I wish for is external peace, and internal security for a country the situation of which is so intimately connected with the general interests of Europe. I believe their African conquests to be anything but useful to them. . . . Lord Bathurst was here for three days last week. We are now quite alone, but expect the Shelleys to-day, which is not the most agreeable interruption to our solitude. God bless you, dearest Princess. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, Dec. 2W1, 1837. You have written me a kind, good letter, my dear lord, and I should have been very ungrateful to have left it so long unanswered, had I not been in daily expectation of news from Russia that would enable me to acquaint you with what my future fate is to be. These letters have at last arrived, and 252 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [dec. their contents are satisfactory. It is clear that people in authority are now of opinion that my husband has been over-zealous in acting under the orders of his master. They disavow what he has done, and all I am now waiting to learn is that my husband, as a consequence of this disavowal, is willing to revoke the extreme measures which he had resolved to put in force against me. To me it is all, I must confess, a very miserable piece of business. . . . Tell me now, what am I to conclude as to the strength of your Government? It seems to me that at times they get less Radical, and sometimes even appear willing to throw their hero O'Connell overboard. Brougham, I think, has shown himself stronger than ever. Do you think there is likely to be any rapproche- ment between Melbourne and the Conservatives ? Over here, before very long, you will see that we shall have a crisis. M. Mole must make up his mind to get support either from M. Guizot's followers, or from those of M. Thiers, for without the aid of the one party or of the other, he cannot keep much longer in office ; in point of fact he only now commands forty votes in the Chamber. But then the patronage of either the one or the other of these two parties is not to be had without an accompanying burden ; for no one gives protection for long gratis. M. Thiers would be an auxiliary of very dangerous principles ; but M. Guizot, on the other hand, is unpopular. So you see there is much difficulty whichever way he turns. The Bedfords and the Abercorns are here. The Duchess had to return to London to see after a sick child ; but she is coming back, and then I think they will make up their minds to go on to Nice. I expected 1 837.] LORD DURHAM. 253 to have seen Lady Clanricarde, but I hardly know if the very short Parliamentary recess will allow of her coming over. Adieu, my dear lord. Give me, I beg of you, news of yourself more often. Love me also, I pray, as heretofore ; and believe that I, too, am and shall ever remain, Your most faithful and sincere friend, P.S. — Well, and so Lord Durham does not come over here ? and Lord Durham is not going to enter the Cabinet ? but what, then, is to become of Lord Durham ? Howick, Jan. 17 th, 1838. Dearest Princess, The date of your last letter (December 28) reminds me that I have delayed answering it too long. . . . I have this morning received a piece of news which gives me the greatest pain. You ask, ' What is to become of Lord Durham ?' and you will have heard probably before this reaches you that he is going to Canada as Governor- General of all the British Provinces in North America. Of the political con- siderations attending this appointment I say little. The difficulties arising from the state of the Colony itself, from the inefficiency of the Minister at the head of the Colonial Department,* and the feeble and uncertain state of the Administration generally, are sufficiently discouraging. But what I dread most is the effect of the climate on the health of Lord Durham * Lord Glenelg. :54 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [jan. himself, my daughter, and her children. It is, no doubt, infinitely better than that of Russia ; but it is very severe and trying for constitutions which are none of them so strong as I could wish. In this view I look to it as a great misfortune. I had not intended to go to London till the middle or end of March, if it all ; but I must see as much of them as I can before they go, and am now making my arrangements to be there before the end of the next month. . . . I never can understand French politics, and have no ground on which I can estimate the probable conduct of the different parties there, even if one could count on their consistent pursuit of what would appear to be their interest. But as far as I can judge, I should think the Administration was likely to go on/ It is equally difficult to pronounce upon the state of things here, which is, in truth, most unsatisfactory, and can, I think, hardly be expected to last without some change. God bless you. Yours most affectionately, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, Jan. 29///, 1S38. Thank you heartily, my dear lord, for your letter of January 17. I can fully sympathize in the anxiety you must feel at the prospect of such a lengthened separation from Lady Durham and her family. I had, indeed, thought much of you when I first heard of Lord Durham's appointment to Canada. On the other hand, I cannot help thinking that the choice, from the Ministerial point of view, is an excel- lent one. . . . Here in Paris the Ministrv seem to be much in the 1838.I M. THIERS. 255 same position as they are with you, being forced to work their way as best they can with two parties, both opposed to them, because they are unable frankly to accept the help of either. They make, in truth, but a sorry figure of it ; for the triumph the Ministers obtained on the amendment of the clause relating to Spanish affairs was in truth a triumph for M. Guizot, as it was he who had proposed the amendment and insisted on its being carried. Thiers put himself com- pletely in the wrong ; he got in a passion, lost his temper, and made several statements of the most offensive nature in regard to the King. He set himself up to play the part very nearly of a Masaniello ; and even if he does not become absolutely dangerous to the Government he will always be a most incommodious ally. Spanish affairs appear to me to be at their worst ; nobody seems able to do any good, or to get themselves quit of the matter once they have begun to meddle. It is only by the action of all the Powers of Europe, united, that Spain will ever be set to rights ; but when this is to be, Heaven alone knows. Lady Clanricarde is charming everyone over here. She is a very superior woman, and amiable too withal. I shall be very sorry when she leaves us. Write to me more often, I beg of you. Tell me what I am to conclude of the position of the Ministry with you, since they have found themselves obliged to accept the amendments proposed by Sir R. Peel. Adieu, my dear lord. I love you as ever, and think of you as often as I did in old times ; I trust your con- science is able to answer an interrogatory with a like avowal in regard to myself. 256 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [keb. Howick, Feb. 6///, 1838. Dearest Princess, Many thanks for your letter of January 29. . . . I am making my preparations for setting out for London about the 20th. I hate the thoughts of going there, and I do not think I should be induced to move, except to see as much as I can of the Lambtons before they go. The manner in which his appointment has been received has been very flattering, and it certainly has proved very serviceable to the Government ; which otherwise has not been very successful in the dis- cussions which have taken place in both Houses of Parliament. You ask me what I think of their situa- tion. This is a question not very difficult to answer. They were before very weak numerically. They are now politically and morally much more so. But what is to result from this, it is not, in these extraordinary times, so easy to foretell. They may struggle on, as the French Government appears to be doing, between the two parties which are opposed to them. But this cannot, I think, go on very long ; and on the slightest new disaster Peel will probably take the government, with the general support and approbation of the country. He has played his game extremely well, and has made the most of the advantages which the Government gave him ; increasing, as much as they have lost, in public estimation. But he, too, has wild and intractable followers to deal with ; and if he cannot control them, all the chances, which are now so favour- able to him, may be destroyed. . . . Have you read the ' Diary ?'* If it is Lady * 'Diary, illustrative of the Times of George IV., interspersed with Original Letters from the late Queen Caroline,' etc., 2 vols., 1838. 1838.] LADY C. BURY'S 'DIARY.' 257 C. Bury's, and there seems to be little room for doubt- ing it, she ought to be excluded from society. I am provoked, too, at its excessive stupidity. Everything that is her own bears eminently this character, and even with respect to the poor Queen, she tells us nothing that was not generally known. Her whole object seems to have been to make money, and in this she has succeeded to the extent of ,£1,000, by pander- ing to the appetite for scandal which so generally prevails. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. [Monday, February 26, Lord Maidstone brought forward his motion in the House of Commons accusing Mr. O'Connell of breach of privilege committed in his speech at the Crown and Anchor Tavern. He had accused the members of the election committees of foul perjuries. Lord Maidstone carried his motion (against the Government) by nine votes, and Mr. O'Connell's statement was characterized as ' a false and scandalous imputation upon the honour ' of the House.] To Earl Grey. Paris, March 2nd, 1838. You must be in London, my dear lord, by this time, so I shall address my letter to you there ; and the thought is very pleasant to me, for we are now so much nearer to one another. You will have come up just in time for an event of much interest — I refer to Lord Maidstone's motion against O'Connell, and the success attending it appears to me a matter of much moment. Let me know, pray, if all this really has the importance which I attribute to it. . . . Also tell me something about the Durhams. vol. in. 17 253 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION [march It is very sad to think of their going so far away, and I can easily imagine how the thought must pain you. Who is to be his successor at Petersburg ? The Ministry over here is always much in the same position as heretofore — very weak, and in a very tottering condition. They keep in simply because no one seems to find the present moment an auspicious one for turning them out. They are allowed to exist under conditions that must be very humiliating ; but, then, with certain people bare existence in office is all that is required. Africa will give them occupation for some time yet to come. They say that England is about to play the same game in Africa that she tried to play in Circassia, and that the war which before long will be set aflame by Abd-el-Kader can be no matter of surprise to Lord Palmerston. ' This between you and me.' The Flahaults during the last few months have been involved in the most ridiculous quarrel with the Court. # It was a piece of Louis Ouatorze etiquette, pure, and simple. ' Le fond du carosse' was literally at the bottom of the whole business. Just imagine what a droll appearance this has at the present day, and in such a country as is France of the nineteenth century. The Due d'Orleans had to choose between his Governor and his friend. He gave his Governor the preference, who is, they say, a very honest individual — General Baudrand. The Queen is entirely on his side, and, according to what is said, the King also was only too glad to rid himself of Flahault. You would hardly conceive how tenacious Margaret was of her position at * After the Due d'Orleans' marriage, Comte Flahault had been appointed his Premier Eaiyer ; this post he shortly afterwards resigned. 1838.] COMTE DE FLAHAULT. 259 Court, and really, as between 'gentlemen,' the matter was pushed rather too far. She must have a perfect rage for domestic service ; since, after all, one has to wear livery when one accepts a position at Court, and for my part, I cannot understand being fond of this slavery, when one has the means of freeing one's self. I beg you, however, to keep my remarks on this head to yourself, for with all her good qualities, Madame de Flahault is a focus of gossip and tittle- tattle such as I have seldom seen elsewhere. She and Madame de Dino are just now on the most friendly of terms — how times do change ! M. de Talleyrand is failing visibly ; he feels it too, and it makes him very melancholy. I go and see him almost every day, for it keeps him amused. My health is worse this year than ever, and all my domestic worries (which are by no means over and done with as yet) keep me from getting well. Distance deadens all sense of pity, and nobody cares whether I am ill or well. The extraordinary injustice shown towards me is, indeed, not to be believed. But I hate myself for even telling you of it at all, and do not answer me about it in your letters. Write to me, I beg of you, often and at length ; my only real friends are in England, and I entreat of them all to remain true to me. Adieu. A thousand kindest regards. Beikelcy Square, April 6th, 1838. Dearest Princess, What excuse can I make to you for my long and unpardonable silence ? But to what can I resort 1 7—2 26o LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [april either to interest or amuse you ? Of the state of our domestic politics I can say nothing that you will not have been able to collect from the public journals. There has been much that I deeply lament, much at which I have been greatly disgusted. But after a variety of struggles, in which the weakness of the Government, both in debate and in numbers, has been but too apparent, all immediate danger of their over- throw seems, for the present, to have passed away, and it is probable that they will continue to exist till the end of the Session, and consequently till the begin- ning of the next. I have never been in the House of Lords, except on two occasions for the purpose of presenting peti- tions, and then did not remain there after having dis- charged that duty. But you will have seen that Lord Brougham has been both bitter and frequent in his attacks on the Ministers. He is, according to all accounts, in a strange state of excitement, which, how- ever, seems to add both to the abundance and to the power of his oratory. Some of his displays even those who dislike him most acknowledge to have been most extraordinary ; but they have not served to raise his credit or to extend his influence either in or out of Parliament, though he has neglected no means of in- creasing both by his appeals to popular feeling, with- out any regard either to his own consistency or to the real interests of the country. The truth is, that, with the most extraordinary talents and the most favourable opportunities, he has left himself no power, except for mischief, and for this, indeed, his power is tremendous. All this, remember, is only for yourself. As he is now in Paris, you will probably have seen him. At any 1838.] LORD BROUGHAM. 261 rate, you must have heard of him, and I shall be very curious to learn what effect he has produced there. I have dined once since I came to town at the Palace, and was charmed, as everybody is, with our little Queen's appearance and manner. Hitherto, there does not seem to be any improper influence of any kind to divert her from the course prescribed to her by her real good sense and her kindly disposition ; and at present everything encourages the hope that her conduct as she advances in life, and acquires confi- dence in herself, will ensure her own personal comfort and the happiness of her country. We are now arrived at the last days of my daughters' stay in London. They expect to go about the 1 6th, and I shall part with them with a heavy heart. The mission is, I think, a very disagreeable one, and I dread the effect of the severity of the climate for them all. So long a separation, too, when the prospect of my seeing its termination becomes hourly more uncertain, is doubly painful. Lord Dur- ham himself has not lately been very well, and I am afraid he has been much annoyed by the attacks made on him both in Parliament and in the papers. He showed me the other day a letter from the Emperor, and one from Nesselrode, most complimentary and most gratifying. There could not be more honourable testimonials to his conduct whilst in Russia, and he was, of course, much pleased with them. I have not yet heard who is to be his successor. But somebody the other day mentioned Sir Charles Vaughan (Sir H. Halford's brother) as likely to have that appointment. God bless you. Ever vours most affectionately, G. 262 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [APRIL To Earl Grey. Paris, April dt h, 1838. Really, my dear lord, you are treating me too badly. Not a word have I received since you arrived in London ! You must have found a letter of mine awaiting you there. Now, when am I to have one from you in return ? . . . Lord Brougham is just arrived in Paris, and I am looking forward to being much diverted by his com- pany. You will have the Flahaults with you before long. He wants to be made Ambassador Extra- ordinary for the Coronation. I suppose this will be done, but it certainly surprises me that, being a peeress of England in her own right, his wife is willing to appear on such an occasion as this in the position of a foreign Ambassadress. Perhaps, too, you in England will think France might send over someone rather more of a grand seigneur than Flahault. Be this as it may, the Flahaults have had worries enough over here in their Court quarrels, and they are both of them looking thin from it all. ' No news here.' Things go on without making any advance. The Ministry is feeble in the extreme, but has a great wish to live. Over with you things appear to be in much the same way. If the happy time for a Government is the dull time, then this must indeed be a happy time. . . . Adieu ! A thousand most friendly regards for yourself and for all those who are with you. D. Lieven. [The Canadians, towards the end of 1837, had broken out in rebellion, on the Government refusing; to redress their grievances. 1838.] AFFAIRS OF CANADA. 263 The revolt was put down at once, and with little difficulty ; but the state of the Province continued to be in every way unsatisfactory. The Government resolved that a full inquiry was to be made into Canadian affairs on the spot, with a view to the redress of grievances and to measures of practical reform. Lord Durham was appointed Governor-General of Canada, and invested with powers as Lord High Commissioner to inquire into and, if possible, adjust all questions concerning the civil administration of the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada.] Berkeley Square, April iqth, 1S3S. The kindness of your letter, dearest Princess, had more effect than any reproaches could have had, in making; me feel how little I deserved it. In the meantime my letter would have proved to you that I had felt and wished to atone for my omission. . . . At this moment I feel very melancholy at the thoughts of parting with my daughter and her family within a very few days, the ship being now at Ports- mouth, and everything prepared for their sailing the bep'inninef of next week. I cannot bear this mission, and do not augur well of its success — at least, as to their personal comfort and interests, from the circum- stances under which it is undertaken. In a public view, both as regards the internal situation of the British Provinces and the questions which may arise with the United States, in my opinion it cannot fail but by the greatest mismanagement. Everything is at this moment in a state of stagna- tion in the political world, with the exception of Sir Francis Burdett's not very consistent or creditable exhibitions in the provinces.* I do not know whether * Sir F. Burdett had been an ardent supporter of the Reform Bill. After the General Election which followed the Queen's accession he threw his influence on the side of the Conservatives, and openly reprobated the so-called alliance between the Whigs and Mr. O'Connell. 264 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [april you take the trouble of reading his speeches, but if you do, it cannot but surprise you to hear that in the spring of 1834, not long before I left office, he wrote to me, strongly urging the necessity of my coming to a good understanding with O'Connell, and proposing that for this purpose I should meet him at his (Burdett's) house. I received the letter when I was at Woburn, and at once peremptorily refused it. I shall be curious to hear some account of Brougham's proceedings at Paris. I had three lines from him just after his arrival there, in which he says that being often asked who are now our Ministers, he really could not recollect the names of above three or four of them. You probably have seen an article written by him in the Edinburgh Review* grounded on Lady Charlotte Bury's scandalous publication, in which he takes the opportunity to give the characters of several persons, and amongst the rest of George IV. As a contrast with this, there appears in the Memoirs of Sir William Knighton (a book not worth reading) a letter from the same Brougham, speaking of the same George IV. as one of the ' quickest, cleverest, and most accomplished men ' in his dominions. . . . The papers say that Woronsoff is coming here for the Coronation. Is anything settled about Flahault ? I do not yet hear anybody named for the Embassy to Petersburg. God bless you. Yours most affectionately, G. * No. exxxv., April, 1837, ' Diary of the Times of George IV.' See p. 256. 1838.] COMTE DE FLAHAULT. 265 To Earl Grey. Paris, April 2yd, 1838. I am writing to-day in answer to two of your kind, good letters, my dear lord, and I thank you for them most heartily. I have often told you, but repeat it once more, that the friendship and kind recollection of my friends are now my only riches. And these at least cannot be taken from me. You, at any rate, do not ask the Emperor Nicholas if you may dare to love me, and whether you may dare tell me so ! I can easily imagine how much this parting with Lady Durham affects you. . . . As you will have heard shortly after writing your last letter to me, it is Marechal Soult who is to be sent over for the Queen's Coronation. The Flahaults had been allowed to hope for this Embassy rather too long, and, indeed, it had been almost promised to them ; but on the day of Sebastiani's arrival in Paris the King told Flahault that his appointing him to the special Embassy was impossible, seeing that in London they did not appear to approve of the choice. You can easily imagine how affronted they both were, Madame de Flahault especially. They have certainly been ill-used in this affair, and I hope it will cure them of their mania for Court appointments. They possess quite enough of themselves to be independent of it all, and it is far better never to have to count on the words of Princes. Lord Brougham has been amusing me extremely. I used to see him every day, before he set out for Cannes. He is to come back by May 1. He is a strange creature. He seems in no way embittered by 266 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [april the present turn of affairs, and apparently only thinks of amusing himself and talking. He entertains me and astonishes me much, and I only wish Paris might divert him sufficiently to make him come and live here. It would also, I think, suit Lord Melbourne very well. I very often hear from the King of Hanover. # He is doing all sorts of foolish things, but appears very well pleased with himself, and does not seem troubled with any presentiments of evil. They say the Duke of Cambridge is either mad or perpetually tipsy. Is your Queen as popular as ever ? Tell me if they say anything of Lady Cowper's marrying again. Do you believe it will take place ? For her sake I should be sorry. Adieu, my dear, dear friend. Have I sufficiently expressed to you how much pleasure your letters give me ? Do not forget me, but love me as heretofore. May yd, 1838. Dearest Princess, Though I have nothing to write that will be worth the trouble of reading, I must thank you for your last very kind letter of April 23. Lord Durham and his family are actually gone, and are now on the Atlantic. Having had a fair wind ever since they sailed, I trust they are now nearly half-way over. My son the Colonel is also on his passage with his regiment for the same destination, so that I have a deep stake in the happy result of this mission. There are many things that make me deeply regret Lord Durham's having engaged in it, independently of my sorrow for so long a separation from my daughter and * Ernest, Duke of Cumberland. 1838.] THE DUKE AND SIR R. PEEL. 267 her children. As to the political objects connected with it, though the Americans do not appear to be actuated by a friendly spirit, I have little fear for the issue, if there is not very great mismanagement. Everything here is in statu quo, but I suppose the present tranquillity will not last long. The Duke of Wellington and Peel appear to me to be playing a very prudent game, and I should add a very sure one, if it is not spoilt by the violence of their followers. But your correspondent Ellice will, no doubt, give you a full account of all that is passing, though probably in very different colours from those in which it appears to me. From what you say, the Flahaults appear to have been very ill-used. There has been something very wrong somewhere or other, and it probably will not be long before the true cause of their disappointment is discovered. The only thing that I will venture to pronounce with positive certainty is, that it has not arisen from any objection on the part of this Court. I am quite sure that the Queen neither objected to Flahault nor asked for Soult, and that she would not have objected to anybody proposed by the French Government. God bless you. Ever affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Paris, May 15///, 1838. A thousand thanks, my dear lord, for your letter of the 3rd. Do not, pray, become dilatory in writing to me. . . . LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [may Lord Brougham is gone back to London. He is perfectly mad, and it is a great pity, for he has a most extraordinary mind, and capacities such as are rarely met with ; but then he is always in a fever. His state seems to me rather alarming:, and his society gets in the end to be very fatiguing — it acts on one's nerves. I do not tell you anything about ' French politics,' for Madame de Flahault will doubtless inform you fully on this point. I am very happy that the Flahaults should have been so well received in London. Really the mystification put upon them here was shameful, not for them, but for those who practised it, and I do not think Sebastiani played any very honourable part in this matter. Friday, \$>th. My letter has been delayed, and to-day I have to announce to you M. de Talleyrand's death, which took place yesterday at four o'clock in the afternoon. He retained his consciousness up to the very end. He yesterday morning signed a letter to the Pope which contained the retractation of his principles. They are making a great fuss about it all. He received absolution, and the Church is overwhelming his memory with her praise. It appears to me that this last act of his life has been dictated solely by political considerations ; he saw that a good purpose would be served in setting the example. Pious people say that God enlightened his understanding. I have my doubts on it. Be it, however, as it may, a great scandal has been avoided in the eyes of the world. Madame de Dino has busied herself much in the matter, as you may well imagine. Good Catholics and the Faubourg St. Germain party are delighted at all she has done. 1838.] DEATH OF PRINCE TALLEYRAND. 269 I am not very well just now, and on this account must make my letter somewhat short, but I send you a thousand regards and assurances of my most faithful friendship. D. Lieven. Berkeley Square, June zqt/i, 1838. Dearest Princess, My silence has been very long, and the cause of it very distressing. For near six weeks a lovely little girl, a child of my daughter Caroline,* has been in the most precarious state. ... I really could do nothing, and think of nothing, but this poor child ; and except a letter of condolence to Madame de Dino on Talleyrand's death, I do not think I have written to anybody. Nor have I been out except two evenings, when the child was beoqnnino; to get better, to the Palace, but I stayed there a very short time. I saw all the new-imported Ambassadors, etc., but have not been introduced to any of them except the Prince de Licrne. To-morrow I am to dine with Soult, but with this exception I have no invitations, which I do not regret. From what I have stated, you will expect no news from me. I have seen nothing, and I hear nothing, except the bustle in the streets, which are nearly impassable from the crowds of people and of carriages. The Coronation yesterday, which I attended as a peer, was very brilliant ; but I saw nothing but the ceremony in the Abbey. This was exactly the same as at the Coronation of the late King, at which you were present. * Lady C. Barrington. 270 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [JUNE But the attendance in the Abbey was, particularly of peers, I think, more numerous, and the whole more brilliant. The Queen went through the part with grace and dignity, as usual, but she looked very much tired (and no wonder), and less well than usual ; but this may be accounted for by the crown, which, it must be acknowledged, whatever other advantages it may have, is a most unbecoming headdress. The Duke of Wellington, who is now a bent old man, was, after the Queen, the person most applauded. . . . Of politics I have only to repeat what I have so constantly said, that I have nothing to tell you, as I know nothing. From what I read of the proceedings in Parliament, I should say that the Ministers are now safe till another Session ; but their situation is anything but an object of envy. Our accounts from Canada, I mean of our children there, are very satisfactory ; as to public matters, I hope they will be equally so, and I see no reason to fear that they will not. This is a sad. stupid letter ; but what can you expect from the old and useless ? God bless you. And believe me ever, most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. Paris July Jt/i, 1838. Your letter of the 29th reassured me, my dear lord, for such a long time had elapsed since you had given me news of yourself that I was beginning to be very much disquieted. . . . I am delighted to learn that vou have s^ood news 1838.] MR. TURTON. 271 from Canada. But what is this affair about Mr. Turton ? # It seems to be a strange beginning of things. In the recent debate in the House of Lords, Lord Melbourne appeared to have disavowed Lord Durham's acts. How will the latter take the news of all this ? They say the conferences on Belgian affairs are to begin over again. Is Belgium never to be settled ? King Leopold is to arrive here to-morrow. Next month they are expecting the confinement of the Duchesse d'Orleans ; but there will be but little fuss over it all, for they are not so monarchically inclined, over here in France, as they are with you ; in fact, people seem perfectly indifferent about the whole matter. Pray tell me something about Lord Shel- burne.t They talk much of his marrying Emily de Flahault. She is a charming girl, and I should like her to have a charming man for a husband. It would appear, however, from what I have heard said, that he is far from being all this — that he is, in fact, a puny creature, and that there is nothing in him. ' What a pity !' Lady Jersey appears to be in very little favour at the present Court. How does she bear the lack of invitations to the Palace? If you see Lady Clanri- carde, pray reproach her on my behalf, for she has completely forgotten me. I counted much on her letters during the great events of the Coronation, and she did not write me a sino-le line. . . . o * Mr. Turton, who had been convicted in a court of law some years pre- viously of the seduction of his wife's sister, was taken out by Lord Dm ham to Canada, as second secretary to the Government. The Ministers had acquiesced in Mr. Turton's appointment before Lord Durham's departure, but they subse- quently expressed censure for it, when Lord Wharncliffe, on July 2, directed the attention of the House of Lords to the subject. f Afterwards fourth Marquis of Lansdowne, whom Lady Emily married. 272 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [JULY Adieu. A thousand messages of regard to Lady Grey, and for yourself the assurances of my most faithful friendship. ' Write very soon.' Berkeley Square, July 2gf/t, 1838. Dearest Princess, I intended to have answered your letter of the 7th sooner, but various causes have prevented it. . . . I am now in all the hurry of preparing to set out for Howick to-morrow morning, and hope to arrive there on Tuesday to dinner. Here is another obstacle, therefore, to my writing in a way to make a letter agreeable. News I have none to send you, except what you will read in the papers ; and you have Ellice at hand, who knows much more than I do of every- thing that is passing, to whom I can therefore refer you, though not as to his views and opinions, in few of which I can concur. The little Queen continues to win golden opinions from all descriptions of persons, though she has in one or two instances, from the fault of her advisers, and not her own, made mistakes which some of the Corps Diplomatique took up rather too warmly. Of course you will have heard all this, and I have only to add that I trust, if any unpleasant feel- ings were for a moment excited, they have now been entirely removed by the desire which she has shown to please, and her kind and gracious manner to every- body. I have heard nothing lately of Lord Shelburne and Emily de Flahault, so that if there ever was anything, I suppose that it has gone off. He certainly appeared 1838.] LORD SHELBURNE. 273 very attentive to her, and the opinion seems to be that she did not encourage him. There could be only one objection that I know of on the part of her friends, viz., his health, which does not appear to be strong, and which, from the fate of his elder brother, may give ground for apprehension. But otherwise it would have been an excellent match — high rank, great fortune, and a station in the world which leaves nothing: to be desired ; and I hear from everybody, having little or no acquaintance with him myself, the most favourable accounts of his character and disposition. I wish, therefore, that the report had turned out to be true. I will write again when I get to Howick ; but really at this moment I am so tormented by people coming in every moment about one thing or another, that I don't know what I do or say. What are your plans for the summer ? Paris just now must, I think, be very dull. Howick, I fear, would be still duller ; but still 1 cannot help wishing that you could come there. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. Howick, Aug. 7th, 1838. Dearest Princess, I have now been here a week, and the hurry and the various interruptions occasioned by a first arrival having subsided, I will no longer delay the performance of my promise to write to you. . . . I have heard, since I arrived here, of the appoint- ment of Lord Clanricarde to St. Petersburg-."- I had o observed for some time that he had appeared to be * Gazetted October 6, 1S3S. VOL. III. l8 274 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [AUG. less active in the House of Lords, where he had before shown, as I thought, some symptoms of a disposition not quite friendly to the Government. It appeared to me, therefore, not improbable that he might become more intimately connected with them if any new arrangement should take place. But I confess this appointment rather surprised me, as I thought that Lady Clanricarde, however well qualified in other respects to fill the place of an Ambassadress, could not like this separation from all her friends, and from a society in which she is so much distinguished, and which she so much adorns. How this may be, I know not, but their going i s certain ; and I regret the loss of a person whom I so greatly admire and like. This is all the political news I have to tell you, and even this will be no news probably when this letter reaches you. Where is Ellice, or what is he doing ? Has he taken the French Administration under his pro- tection as well as ours ? A dream came across me the other day that he might perhaps persuade you to come to England, and make a tour under his auspices in Scot- land. I should highly approve of this, inasmuch as you could not pass so near me without paying us the long- expected, but, I fear, never-to-be-accomplished, visit. God bless you. Forgive my stupidity, and believe me ever, Most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. Paris, Sept. lT,t/i, 1838. I am much to blame, my dear lord, for having remained so long without writing to you, but could you 1838.] LORD CLANRICARDE. 275 see me, could you, above all, know all the worries and anxieties I have undergone, you would understand how it is I lack courage to write to my friends. . . . I have often lately been thinking of Lord Durham, and have wondered what determination he would ulti- mately take. I hope, for his own sake, and for the sake of the Canadians, that it will be to remain in Canada ; but I can understand what a struggle it will have cost him. Lord Clanricarde's appointment af- forded me the greatest satisfaction. I think that for a certain time, at any rate, Lady Clanricarde will enjoy playing the part of Ambassadress, and will take an interest in all public matters. She will represent ad- mirably, for she is one of the cleverest of women. They will give her a very cordial reception at Peters- burg, and show every appreciation of her ; but I should doubt if the physical and moral cold of the place will suit her long. Paris has been extremely ' dull ' all this summer, and I have been very sad of late. The state of my health will not allow me to travel. The Czarewitch, too, has been verv ill, and instead of brino-inor his travels to a conclusion this year, he is going to spend the winter in Italy, which puts off the date when my husband will be able to rejoin me for another whole year. I am already so weary of this bivouac life that I am obliged to lead. Paris has shown no emotion whatever at the birth of its Count* The event has been a matter of rejoicing to the Royal Family, and nothing more. In France the public seem to have left off either rejoicing or sorrowing about such things, and the most perfect indifference reigns supreme. * The Comte de Paris, born August 24, eldest son of the Due d'Orleans. l8—2 j 7 6 LORD DURHAM'S MISSION. [sept. The Hollands are to arrive to-day, but I doubt if they will find much in Paris to amuse them. The Granvilles are already back from their tour in Switzer- land. It seems to me that all London society is going down to Italy this year. Italy, by the way, has been witnessing a very fine Coronation lately. # The Act of Amnesty was received with transports by all parties. M. de Metternich has been very clever in it all. He lately had a long interview with little Thiers, and they came out of it each in love with the other, although there cannot be many points of resemblance between the two. Politics here q-o on as of old ; M. Mole still in power, though feeble ; the Opposition in a pitiable state, though very numerous ; and the King keeping to him- self all the real power, whatever the Chartc may say to the contrary. When the Chambers meet, there will be much talk (as with you in England), but nothing else. The Swiss affair will get itself settled somehow" 1 ' — that is to say, Switzerland will submit, for they will force her to it. Send me, my dear lord, some good news of Lady- Grey's health. I heard through Madame de Flahault that she had been unwell ; I hope she is now re- covered, and is in ' good spirits.' Pray offer her my tenderest remembrances. 'Adieu, dear Lord Grey.' Do not forget me ; I think of you always, and ever with the warmest and most lively friendship. -'■" The Emperor Ferdinand I., crowned at Milan in September. t Referring to the expulsion of the refugees. The French demands were backed up by Metternich, and the threat of a blockade ultimately compelled the Swiss to give way. [ V7 ] CHAPTER IX. THE DECLINE OE THE WHIGS. Lord Durham's Ordinance disallowed — Lord Clanricarde — Resignation of Lord Durham —Lady Holland — The Settlement of the Belgian Question — Alava — Death of Prince Constantine Lieven — Lord Durham's Proclamation — The Commercial Treaty with the Porte — Marriage of the Grand-Duchess Marie to the Duke of Leuchtenberg — Count Pahlen- Lady Cowper — M. Desages — Comte and Comtesse de Flahault — Lord Aberdeen — Death of Prince Lieven — Accident to Lord Grey — Retirement of Lord Glenelg — The French Ministry ■ — Visit of the Czarewitch to England — Count Orloff — M. Mole — The Jamaica Bill — Resignation of Lord Melbourne — Sir R. Peel and the Bedchamber Question — Lord Melbourne recalled — Marshal Soult forms a Ministry — Count Orloff — The Sultan and Mehemet AH — The Eastern Question — The Chartists — The State of Hanover — Russia and the Whig Government — Count Pozzo — Marriage of Lady Cowper to Lord Palmerston — Lord Brougham — The Coalition, Messrs. Thiers, Guizot, and Odillon Barrot — The Duchesse de Talleyrand and her Sister's Will —Lord Howick's Resignation — The Queen's Marriage — Prince Albert — Sir R. Peel — Louis Philippe. [On August 10, after violent attacks from Lord Brougham, the Ministers disallowed the Ordinance which Lord Durham had pub- lished at Quebec on June 28, the day of the Queen's Coronation. By this Ordinance the eight rebel leaders, who had acknowledged their guilt and submitted to the Queen's pleasure, were sentenced to transportation to Bermuda, while it was directed that fifteen other Canadians, who had already left the colony, should suffer death in the event of their return. A proclamation of a general amnesty to all Canadians (except the persons previously named) accompanied the Ordinance.] Howick, Oct. 15th, 1838. Dearest Princess, I did indeed think your letter very long in coming, and almost began to fear that you had for- gotten me. . . . 278 THE DECLINE OE THE WHIGS. [OCT. I have been made very happy by the return of the youngest of my naval sons, after an absence of three years, from South America. Pray tell Madame de Dino this, as she was very kind to him during a visit he paid her at Rochecotte. But this pleasure was immediately succeeded by a severe disappointment. He was scarcely arrived, and all our expectations of seeing him eagerly raised, when our clever Admiralty could find that no other ship was so fit as his to take Lord Clanricarde to Petersburg. He is now, there- fore, fighting with the winds in this stormy season in the Baltic, with a chance of being frozen up there for the winter, without our having had a glimpse of him. Lady Cowper is now at Chillingham, and had pro- mised us a visit, which, if it is not put off so late as to be prevented by a short excursion which we think of making into Scotland, will give me very great pleasure. How I wish you could meet her! During her Scotch tour I hear Lord Emlyn has appeared to pay great attention to Lady Fanny, and that a match is expected to be the consequence. It is now very long since we had any letters from Canada, and I am very anxious ; and not a little anxious to know how Lord Durham will act on hear- ing of the disallowance of his ordinances by the Government. Their conduct has been, in my opinion, very shabby as regards him, and very discreditable to themselves. But I have happily been relieved from the necessity of giving any opinion upon it, as I have had no communication either from him or from them as to anything that has passed. Whatever his deter- mination, therefore, may be, it cannot be said to have been influenced in any degree by me. 1838.] LORD DURHAM'S RESIGNATION. 279 Our weather has begun very early to be severe, and I think with constant anxiety of my poor sailor in the Baltic. Lady Grey is much in her usual state, and desires to be very kindly remembered to you. Ever, dearest Princess, most affectionately yours, Grey. To Earl Grey. Paris, Oct. 2.7th, 1838. I have to thank you, my dear lord, for your good letter of the 15th, which I received just as the news reached us that Lord Durham had sent in his resignation of the governorship. What you have already told me makes me foresee what will be your comment on this news. Now that it is an accom- plished fact, everybody expresses astonishment that there could ever have been any doubts held as to the issue. It certainly did not require that Lord Durham should have been as sensitive to an affront as he is known to be, to decide a statesman in his position to throw up a post where, from the beginning, all that he had done had met with such public disapproval on the part of the Government. None the less, however, I regard Lord Durham's resolution of resigning as a great misfortune for your rule in Canada, where he had gained the favour and confidence of the public to a very remarkable degree. The Government, also, will find it a matter of the greatest embarrassment to them. It appears, too, as though the Ministers had already begun to feel this to be the case. The Hollands have left to-day with the hope of reaching London in about ten days. They go away 2So THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [OCT. quite charmed with their stay in Paris, where every- body has been most eager to offer them every kind of attention. M. Mole has completely captivated Lady Holland. They did not meet the other notables of the Chamber, for society is still at the country- places. Lord Holland dined at Court. Lady Holland did not go ; but the Queen sent her all her boxes for the theatres, by which piece of attention Lady Holland appeared to be much gratified. We are expecting Pozzo here as soon as the Belgian affair is finally brought to its termination. This will doubtless be next week, and then after eight years of waiting the matter will at last be finally settled.* The other ques- tions will remain for a long time yet in statu quo ; the protection of England certainly does not appear to have advanced the interests of Queen Christina to any very great degree. Alava has started for London, but in very ' low spirits.' He is a good man, but he showed to better advantage as a political refugee than he now does as an Ambassador. The Sutherlands and the Carlisles have passed through here on their way down to Italy. All the world appears to be going there this year. Prince Lieven is going to pass the winter there, too, with the Czarewitch, whose health has already begun to improve. You are to have them in London in May. I see no hopes as yet of rejoining my husband, and the present provisional state of things seems likely to go on in- definitely and in a manner that for me is very pain- ful. And the circumstances are such that I should have your sympathy could you know of all the details * It was not till January 22, 1839, that William I. of Holland finally con- sented to accept the twenty-four articles, and in a definite treaty formally recognised the existence of the kingdom of Belgium. 1838.] THE DUCHESSE DE TALLEYRAND. 281 of the case ; but I would rather not begin upon this sad subject. The Duchesse de Talleyrand* appears to me hardly to have settled down into her new position. She wishes to be on good terms with all the world, but with this object in view she flatters people rather too much, and indiscriminately both to right and to left. Her atten- tions thereby lose much of their value, and she some- times makes such a mess of things that it must require the greatest cleverness on her part to get out of the imbroglio. But, then, she is very clever. I trust the Clanricardes will have had a prosperous voyage to Petersburg, and your son will soon, I hope, be back with you again. Send me news of him, I beg you, as soon as you have any. Tell me also what you know of the Durhams. My son from Naples has just left me, after passing three weeks in Paris. I find myself very solitary now, with no one near me to love. Adieu, my dear lord. Your letters are, believe me, my greatest happiness, and I count on them more now than ever. A thousand heartiest good wishes. D. LlEVEN. To Earl Grey. Paris, Nov. \y/i, 1838. A few days after writing you my last letter, my dear lord, I was overwhelmed by the news of a fresh sorrow that had befallen me. I have lost my son Constantine, but I am totally ignorant as yet as to where his death took place, as also of all details. * Formerly Madame de Dino. Her father-in-law, the Due de Talleyrand, died about a month before his elder brother, Prince Talleyrand. THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [NOV. In short, I know nothing but the bare fact, and this was first made known to me by my letters to him being sent back. They bear simply the statement, written on the cover, that he is ' dead,' and I have gathered that the event occurred as long ago as the beginning of last June. The Petersburg banker, whom I at length have forced to write the truth to me, in referring to the fact, tells me that on the 6th of July he had sent news of this bereavement to my husband. And yet the father of this son — my hus- band — has left me in total ignorance of the event ; apparently wishing me to learn it in the brutal manner I have just done ! He thought neither of his wife nor of his other children. Ah, my dear lord, this is really horrible, and my heart is in revolt at it. My poor boy ! he was maltreated by his father during his life, and now that he is dead his father refuses to recognise him. For my husband has been living all through the summer in the society of people who know both him and me. Not one of them, apparently, has ever noticed in his demeanour or dress the slightest mark of mourning. And then to me, the boy's mother, he does not write, because I am out of favour at Court. Russia is indeed a horrible country when a man must thus abdicate all natural sentiments, and shrink from fulfilling the most common and sacred duties of life. I have been completely overwhelmed by the blow, and have hardly as yet recovered the first shock. My friends have been very kind to me, and they have come to my aid. They have been most active and thoughtful in my behalf. Some of them have written to my husband to make him understand how universal 1838.] DEATH OF PRINCE CONST ANTINE LI EVEN. 283 has been the reprobation expressed at his conduct. They have written to acquaint such of their friends as he is likely to be meeting in Italy of the circumstances of the case. Perhaps a sense of what is due from a worldly point of view will force him to make some advances towards me in my sorrow, and to treat me with somewhat less of savage harshness. But have you ever known any creature more persistently the sport of evil fortune than I am ? . . . Apv. 15///. I take up my sad letter again to-day. I have had news from Lady Cowper from Howick. She appears enchanted with all she has seen. She gives me a delightful description of the place, and has enjoyed her visit to you extremely. I can easily believe it all, and I envy her her good fortune. Lord Durham's proclamation* has made a great noise over here. It is considered a very statesmanlike act, and it gives an excellent measure of his capacity. It is a bad business for the Government, and really I shall be very curious to see what happens in the House of Lords when he appears there to answer his enemies. There have been Tories — the King of Hanover, for example — who have in past times ex- pressed unmeasured blame for the acts of their friends ; Lord Aberdeen, too, for instance, often said he con- sidered the conduct of his party as extremely incon- sistent. But this was when they all were in opposition. Here, however, the Government are disavowing their own nominee ! surely they ought to have shown greater courage than to do this. Lord Palmerston has become very active of late, * Issued October 9, before leaving Canada. 284 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [NOV. and his efforts have been crowned with success*— it would appear at our expense. While we have been running about all over Germanv and amusing ourselves, he has been getting his treaty made. Is not this the first bit of success he has had since he returned to office ? As I am no longer now mixed up in politics, I do not know how these affairs in the East are likely to affect the relations between our two countries. But what I do trust is that in any case they will not lead to war. Belgium is not yet out of the wood, although we all thought her affairs were now going to be finally settled. It appears the Emperor will marry the eldest of his daughters" 1 " to the Prince of Leuchtenberg. I am really perfectly amazed ; but such wonderful things do take place in my barbarous country ! I hope before long to see Ellice again over here ; I shall so enjoy meeting him, and shall question him about Howick. At present, however, I see nobody. I live in complete seclusion, and am very, very sad. Our Ambassador herej and Lady Granville are the two persons who have shown me the liveliest sympathy in this last terrible blow, and both have done their best for me. But what is there left to me to hope for after such a proof of forgetful ness ? Adieu, my dear lord ; let me have news of you. Your friendship is more than ever dear to me now. And you must know well that on mine you may count without fear of its failing you. * The Commercial Treaty made with the Porte. f The Grand-Duchess JMarie. She married Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg (son of Eugene Beauharnais), younger brother of Duke Augustus, who had married Queen Donna Maria of Portugal in 1S35, and had died two months after the marriage. See p. 24. ± Count Pahlen. 183S.] LADY COWPER. 285 Howick, Nov. 7.2nd, 1838. Dearest Princess, I was yesterday, after too long an interval, intending to answer your kind letter of October 27, when I received that of the 13th instant with the melancholy intelligence of your son's death. I had before heard the report, but a letter from Lady Keith, positively contradicting it, made me hope that you had been spared this new affliction. ... I feel for you from the bottom of my heart, and experience no less indignation at the barbarous manner in which you have been treated. How I wish you could come here and receive all the consolation which your truest friends would endeavour to afford you ! I thought of you much when Lady Cowper was here. With her society, even this remote corner of the world would, I am sure, have afforded you some pleasure. She was most amiable and agreeable ; in- deed, she always is so, and I only regretted the short- ness of her visit. I was at one time very angry with her at the language she held about the Reform Bill. But all these feelings are long since passed ; and now it rather amuses me to see her so anxious in the support of an Administration which is praised by its supporters as carrying the principles of Reform further than I did, It is indeed a truth exemplified by the events of every day, that nothing under the sun ought to surprise one . . . You may easily conceive that the termination of Lambton's mission has given me great concern. In the first instance, he was, I think, shamefully used by the Government here, whose conduct, even with a >86 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [nov. view to their own interests, was totally devoid both of sense and courage. But he has put himself dreadfully in the wrong by his proclamation, which, however well it may be written, and however strong the case he makes against the Government, his best friends cannot justify. Had he acted with a becoming dignity and forbearance in leaving the Province, and reserved his defence till he came home, his case would have been triumphant. But to issue a proclamation as Governor, which can only be considered as a manifesto against the Government under which he served, is an act which nobody can defend. It appears, accordingly, to be so considered by all parties, and I quite dread the trial which he will have to undergo in the House of Lords. We have letters to-day of October 20, giving rather an unfavourable account of the state of things on the frontiers of the Provinces. He had therefore given up his intention of passing through the United States, and was to sail direct from Quebec on the 1st, so he may be hourly expected. My son has got home safe from the Baltic, after a stormy passage in which he lost two of his best men, who fell overboard, probably from their hands being numbed by the severe cold. The passage out was very good, and Lady Clanricarde, in a letter to Lady- Grey, says she should have enjoyed it very much if it had not been for sea-sickness. God bless you, dearest Princess. Let me hear from you soon, and assure me, if possible, that your health has not suffered from the distress and persecu- tion you have undergone. Yours most affectionately, G. 1838.] LORD DURHAM'S PROCLAMATION. 287 Paris, Dec. 10///, 1838. ' Dear Lord Grey,' Your letter of November 22 did me good. Thank you most heartily for the assurance it gave me of your tender sympathy with me in my troubles. . . . No news as yet has come to clear up the dark mystery of this sad story. I have not had a word more from anyone, and not a single line from my husband. You must at this moment be much preoccupied by Lord Durham's affairs. I, too, often think over it all, and I cannot conceive of a stranger position than his. I beofin to fear that his conduct has been most blameworthy, for has he not abandoned his Govern- ment without orders, and without permission ? leaving it, too, at the very moment of danger, and when he knew that the peril was most imminent ? And then for him to pass judgment on the Ministers who sent him out, and denounce their measures ! The Government would seem to have ample justification were they on their side to arraign and pass sentence of judgment on him in return for what he did to them. How will these difficulties be solved ? People are most curious over here to learn what will happen. The question that occupies the world, however, most in Paris, just now, is that of Belgium. The conference has decided that the twenty-four articles # must be put in force now and without delay, also, nolens volens, as regards the parties concerned. Four Powers have agreed on this point. France does not give her consent because the braves Beiges are very * See p. 280. THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [dec. adverse to the separation of Limburg and Luxemburg. This will none the less have to take place, for in spite of all the noise they are making, no one in France will go to war about that. If, however, this separa- tion were to be carried into effect before the debate on the Address comes on, the Ministers might very possibly be turned out upon this very point ; and this is what they naturally desire to avoid. They have, therefore, despatched M. Desages (first secretary at the Foreign Office here) to London to try and gain a delay of at least some weeks. Your Government has no great reason to want them to keep in, and this known fact renders the position here just at present rather embarrassing. The general situation of the Ministers is certainly a rickety one. But, then, the present epoch seems especially favourable to rickety Ministries, and possibly they may get out of their scrape as cleverly as they did last year. Our discussions with your Government about the Eastern Question are now of a more friendly character ; things, however, are not yet entirely settled Mean- while I hear that the Clanricardes express themselves very well satisfied with the reception they meet with in Petersburg. Have you heard anything from them ? I wish the Flahaults were coming back to Paris again. It appears to me that the position they have in London is a very inferior one to that which they occupied here. What are their projects ? There are no English here this year ; they have all passed through and gone on to Italy. What do you say to the marriage of one of our Grand-Duchesses to a Leuchtenberg ? Adieu, my dear lord ; I beg of you to write to me, it always gives me the greatest of pleasures when one .] MADAME DE FLAHAULT. 289 of your letters arrives. A thousand kindest regards to Lady Grey and Lady Georgiana, and to you my most faithful regards. Howick, Jan. %t/i, 1839. Dearest Princess, My silence, looking at the date of your last letter, the 10th of December, covers me with shame, and I have no better excuse to make for it than the increasing inertness of age, which makes even the exertion of writing a letter difficult to me. . . . We had for some time a succession of visitors — amongst the rest, the Flahaults. She was ill almost the whole time that she was here. She is full of estimable qualities, and has shown a degree of right feeling, uninfluenced by any considerations of worldly advantage, with respect to the marriage of her daughter, which I candidly own I did not expect from her. But I cannot say that I think her manners agreeable, and I can easily understand, particularly when she gets warm on the subject of politics, how it happens that she is so unpopular. Emily is a charm- ing girl, but I am not one of those who are violent admirers of a beauty. As far as I can judge from appearances, there is not much chance of Lord Shel- burne's succeeding in his persevering suit. If it were not for his health, I should regret this very much. His fortune, rank, and station, are all that can be desired, and, what is more in my eyes, I believe him to be of a most amiable disposition, a high spirit, and of excellent sense, if not of high talents ; but of the latter one cannot judge till an opportunity occurs of calling vol. in. 19 290 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [JAN. for their exertion. Flahault was as usual most amiable and agreeable. There are few persons for whom I have a higher regard. He seems to have been much more taken with the advantages of a marriage with o fc> Lord Shelburne than Madame, which, again, is exactly the reverse of what I should have expected. . . . Georgiana and George went about ten days ago to Saltram"" for the theatricals. I am never so happy as here, in my dole e far niente, or engaged in such occu- pations as amount to little more. I probably should go to town sooner if it were not for the very disagree- able state of politics, and particularly of the Canada business. I could be of no use to Durham in the latter. It would afford him little advantage to state my strong disapprobation of the treatment he has met with from the Ministers, if I should be obliged, as would be inevitable, to do the same thing with respect to his proclamation, and the manner of his resignation. He could not stay, indeed, after the disallowance of his ordinances, but he should have waited for the result of his communication on that subject with the Ministers. At the moment when he came away, Sir J. Colborne's + opinion was so strongly expressed as to the necessity of his doing so that he stands completely relieved from the base insinuation of running away from the danger which had arisen. God bless you, dearest Princess. Believe me ever most affectionately yours, Grev. P.S. — I have just had a letter from Lord Lauder- dale, telling me that Lord Aberdeen's hair had suddenly * In Devonshire, belonging to Lord Morley. + Appointed Governor-General of Canada, in succession to Lord Durham. 1839] LORD ABERDEEN. 291 turned quite white, and had fallen off so that he is obliged to wear a wig. But his health was perfectly good. [Prince Lieven died suddenly in Rome, on January 10, 1839.] Howick, Feb. nth, 1839. Dearest Princess, You must have been surprised, if you had not heard of its cause, at my silence after hearing of your new affliction. . . . I heard of this sad event just after an accident of the most serious nature, my escape from which was almost miraculous. It was occasioned by the fall of a picture, a full length of Lady Grey, with a heavy frame, on my head. I was alone, undressing to go to bed, but fortunately had strength and recollection enough to extricate myself from the mass which lay upon me, and to ring for assistance. Though severely bruised and wounded, I have had not a bad symptom from the beginning, and now consider myself as nearly well. But this is the first letter that I have been allowed or able to write, and even now, from the contused and strained condition of the ligaments of my neck and shoulders, the position in which I sit to write is productive of so much pain that I must con- clude this short letter. God bless you, dearest Princess. Let me hear from you, and Believe me ever most affectionately yours, Grey. 19- THE DECLIKE OF THE WHIGS. [feb. To Earl Grey. Paris, Feb. 1 8///, 1839. The first sentiment of pleasure that I have felt for a long time past has been afforded me by the receipt of your good kind letter, my dear lord, assuring me that you are getting well again, that you sym- pathize with me, and that you love me as hereto- fore. . . . In the beginning of January I had already some moments of anxiety about my husband, but he got better. My son Alexander wrote me word that he was convalescent, and the last letter told me that he was shortly to set out for Naples. It was under such circumstances that I suddenly learnt the horrible news of his death. The last few years of my life have, as you know, been spent away from him, and for the last few months my husband had almost ceased corre- sponding with me, in deference to the command of the Emperor, which he had felt it his duty to obey. He wrote very rarely to me, but in almost all his letters promised a verbal explanation before very long of the reasons for this change in a correspondence which, during the three previous years, had been kept up almost from day to day. That we should remain separated during the four years which he had to pass in attend- ance on the Czarewitch was an understood thing be- tween us. He knew well I could not live in Russia, and he wished me to take up my abode wherever my poor heart and my bodily ailments would best o^et relief. Once the education and the travels of o the Czarewitch were ended, he was to have come to me, and to have lived with me in peace and 1 839.] THE DEATH OF PRINCE LI EVEN. 293 quietness, and taken a rest after his fifty years of active service. Such were our plans, my dear lord ; and it was just on the eve of seeing these realized (for it was during this next summer he was to have joined me) that death has come and taken from me the man to whom I have been united during thirty-eight years of married life, beside whom I had passed through both good and evil fortune, with whom I had experienced alike the greatest of joys and the most terrible of earthly sorrows. ... I have not received a word of sympathy or of recollection from the Emperor ! Such is the gratitude of Princes. ... You do not tell me when you think of going up to London. Your letter, however, rejoices me, for I learn that your accident is now only an unpleasant recollection of the past. The changes in the Govern- ment in no way surprise me ; but I had imagined that Lord Howick would have succeeded to the post held by Lord Glenelg.* Lord Durham seems to have become much milder in tone towards the Ministers. His report to the Oueen+ has the reputation of being a very notable document. The situation of affairs in France will only be made clear in three weeks' time, and no conjecture is worth forming as to the result of the elections, the French character being so extremely uncertain. I live a very sad life now. ... I pass my days in solitude. I think of all that is passed — passed never to return — and I have no future to look forward to. . . . * Lord Glenelg had in one of his despatches emphatically signified his approval of Lord Durham's ordinance. When the Government disallowed this act he resigned, and was succeeded as Colonial Secretary by Lord Normanby. t On Canadian affairs. 294 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [april The great world only likes those who are happy ; each day I know better the truth of this from sad experi- ence, and the knowledge is hard to bear. Adieu. Accept the assurance of my heartfelt friendship. Let me know that you are well again ; also that you still love me, and will continue so to do for all time to come. To Earl Grey. Paris, April Utk, 1S39. I must send you a letter by Mr. Ellice, my dear lord, to give you my heartiest thanks for yours of the 2nd instant.* But, pray, do not remain so long again without writing ; your letters and your kind remembrance are most necessary to me. I need friend- ship now, and, above all, your friendship. I have my two sons staying with me at this moment, but this pleasure is not to last very long. They set out next week for Russia, and Heaven knows when I shall see them again. They are going there to see after and settle both their affairs and mine. I am as yet per- fectly ignorant of what will be my fate, and this state of uncertainty is extremely hard to bear, for it prevents my making any plans for the future. My husband left no will. The Russian law in these matters is but very imperfectly known to me, and in any case there are certain to be difficulties and complications in the settlement of our affairs. . . . Ellice will give you a full account of all the in- trigues that are going on over here in Paris. He has been looking into it all very closely, and the spectacle * Missing. 1839.] AFFAIRS IN FRANCE. 295 presented seems to have interested him. What you say to me is extremely true ; the King is certainly playing a very hazardous game. As soon as a President of the Chamber is elected, they must of necessity name a responsible Ministry, for the present one is only fit to be a laughing-stock ; and should the King show any disposition to prolong the present crisis, the Chamber might well take on themselves the nomination of a Ministry according to their own liking. You will let me know what is likely to take place with you in England, for matters there are also, it seems to me, in a critical condition. I do not think, however, that the Tories have any great desire for the victory, and they would be more embarrassed than pleased were they really to gain the day. Such, at least, is what I gather from Lord Lyndhurst's con- versation. It is not impossible that I may go over and take a look at England myself this summer. Nothing is fixed yet as to my plans, but I see some chance of my having to do this for business reasons which I have communicated in detail to Ellice. I am so happy to learn that you are now completely restored to health ; everybody I see assures me of this. Adieu, my dear lord. If I were to come over to England, what a pleasure it would be seeing you once more ! I send you again my heartiest and tenderest good wishes. To Earl Grey. Paris, May "jt/i, 1839. You write to me no longer, my dear lord. I trust London is not making you forget me, and 296 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [may London is just the place that, now more than ever, occupies my thoughts. You have my Czare- witch with you there, whom I love with my whole heart. He is a noble youth, and worthy by his ex- cellent disposition of all the high destinies that await him. I had greatly wished to come over to England to see him, but it was necessary for me first to know whether I should be received by him in a way that the widow of Prince Lieven had a right to expect. I put the question in a letter to Count Orloff at The Hague. He has never answered me. His silence proves to me that superior orders would prevent the Czarewitch showing me any recollection now of the kind feelings and the intimacy which of old used to exist between us. Hence it is impossible for me to think of going to a place where he is staying. This is a painful thought ; but, then, my whole life now is all one continual pain. But tell me about the Czarewitch, my dear lord ; tell me all you can gather. How I wish I were now still in England ! If only I had never left it, w T hat a pleasure and satisfaction this visit of the Czarewitch would have been to me ! They apparently continue in a state of Ministerial crisis with you, just as is the case here. What a strange situation things have come to ! And, my dear lord, they talk of you as the person who might come forward and extricate the country from its present anomalous position. Is it true? Are you thinking of doing this ? If you only would set yourself to the busi- ness, I cannot doubt for a moment but that you would have perfect success. I am sending you this letter by the post to-day, for I missed the messenger yesterday. I839-] THE CZARE WITCH IN LONDON. 297 I am most anxious to learn what impression the Czare- witch will have made on you, and I beg you to write to me at length on the subject. Have you had any talk with Orloff? The Ministerial crisis over here will continue for some time yet, and during the next ten or twelve days nothing can be settled. One must wait and see what the Chamber will do. M. Mole set out for England yesterday. Tell me what you think of him. I know him tolerably intimately, and I think his manners and conversation will please you. Let me know if he has much success in London. He has taken Lady Holland's heart by storm. Adieu, my dear lord ; a thousand kindest regards. But write — pray write ! [The disturbed state of Jamaica compelled the Government to bring in a Bill for suspending the constitution of that island for five years. The Bill met with great opposition, and when the decisive division took place early in the morning of May 7, the Ministerial majority in a full House was only five. That afternoon Lord Mel- bourne resigned, and the Queen sent for Sir Robert Peel.] Berkeley Square, May loth, 1839. Dearest Princess, Your kind letter has awakened me to a full sense of the inexcusable length of my silence. It has not been occasioned by the occupations or the amuse- ments of London, still less by any want of remem- brance or affection ; but by the increasing inertness of age. I live like a snail in my shell, seldom peeping out, going nowhere, and seldom seeing anybody. Of this you will be conversant, when I tell you that I have THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [may not yet seen either the Grand-Duke or Orloff. I was asked to meet them at Palmerston's at dinner on a day when I could not go ; and to several evening parties, to none of which I went. I shall see them to-night at a ball at the Palace, and to-morrow at dinner at Pozzo's ; and I shall write to you again to give you an account of all I observe the beginning of next week. I had long foreseen the fate of the Ministry. It was unavoidable, but so far they were lucky that they were (in my opinion, at least) in the right on the question which produced their resignation. Lord J. Russell and Ellice now see the full effect of their handiwork, which drove me out in 1834. Everybody yesterday was in expectation that the new Ministry would be immediately formed. And reasonably, as Peel and Co. must have been long pre- pared for the crisis that has arisen, and had all the people, of whom their Government must be formed, at hand. But there has arisen a sudden and unexpected difficulty, which for the present has suspended, and may eventually put an end to, all further negotiation. Peel has insisted on the removal of all the Ladies of the Bedchamber. This the Queen has peremptorily refused, as contrary to usage and repugnant to her feelings ; and upon this being definitely signified to him, it is to be expected that Peel will resign the com- mission which he had received to form an Administra- tion. What will be the result of this ? Can Mel- bourne's Government, if it is re-established, stand after all that has happened ? And this depends upon another question : will the public sympathize with and support the Queen in her resistance ? In favour of which she has this recent precedent to plead : In 1830 1839.] THE BEDCHAMBER QUESTION. 299 I left not only the Ladies of the Bedchamber, but the whole household of the Queen* unmolested; and it was not till after Lord Howe had voted against me on a vital question that I insisted on his removal. You know how this moderate and unavoidable act was complained of as an unheard-of outrage to the Queen by those who now demand the dismissal of all the Queen's Ladies. That there might be inconvenience in their remaining, and that some of them might have been expected to resign, I cannot deny. But the demand to the extent to which it was urged was, I think, on the part of Peel, impolitic, and the manner, as I am informed, harsh and peremptory. End how- it may, he will have left an impression on the Queen of an unfavourable nature, and, according to the accounts I have received, she has conducted herself throughout the whole business with great calmness, resolution, and self-possession. I have not time to write more at present, but will do so the beginning of next week. I will only add that, happen what may, nothing is so completely out of the question as my being called upon to take any part. I am like one who died and was buried five years ago. God bless you. Yours most affectionately, Grey. [The promised letter from Lord Grey was. as we learn from the Princess's answer, duly received, but it has not, unfortunately, been preserved. It must have contained his account of the Czarewitch and other private matters, and was possibly destroyed on purpose by the Princess. * Queen Adelaide. 300 THE DECLINE OE THE WHIGS. [may On May 10, after the Queen's refusal to admit the proposed changes in the Ladies of the Bedchamber, Sir R. Peel declined to accept office, and Lord Melbourne was recalled. In France, during the recent elections, a coalition had been formed between Messieurs Thiers, Guizot, and Odillon Barrot, which was strong enough to overturn M. Mole's Government. Quarrels, however, had immediately broken out among the victors over the division of the spoil, and before these were settled the public peace was imperilled by a Socialist outbreak. Military force, however, soon put down the revolt, and the King then seized the opportunity to form a Ministry under Marshal Soult (May 12), from which the leaders of the coalition were excluded.] To Earl Grey. Paris May zyd, 1839. Thank you most heartily, my clear lord, for your two letters, both of them so full of kind thought for me. I was very much touched by all that you said in my behalf when talking with Count Orloff. ('He never answered my letter, though he said he had to you.') # What you said cannot fail to leave on his mind an impression in my favour, and lor this I am deeply grateful to you. I count little on any kindly feelino- he may have for me, but I count much on the respect with which he regards you, and your words will be authoritative with him. It seems to me that you in England have escaped from your Ministerial crisis very peaceably. Peel, it is very evident, displayed an extraordinary talent for bungling. What has become very evident, too, is the Queen's partiality and attachment to Lord Melbourne. But how is he going to recover the majority in the House of Commons which he admits he has lost ? You will know about all this far better than I can do, * Added in English as a note, at the foot of the page, by Princess Lieven. 1839.] MARSHAL SOULT'S MINISTRY. 301 for it is difficult from a distance to guess at the true position of affairs. The long-continued Ministerial crisis here is now at an end, but we are not much better off, for all that. They used to complain of the late Govern- ment being feeble, but the one they have at present is even feebler. The power of the Crown, how- ever, which had lately appeared to be much on the wane, has now been re-established. For the moment the King has found means of neutralizing the opposi- tion of the various parties in the Chamber, and he is making his power felt more strongly than ever in the creation of a Ministry which, while it has an appear- ance of satisfying the Left, in reality vests all power in the hands of the party that is devoted to Court interests. It cannot be denied that all this has been very cleverly done, but we must wait and see whether it will last. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to hear of all the popularity the Czarewitch has gained in your country. Everybody seems to have been pleased with him. I feel for him what is almost a mother's love, and the news of his success rejoices me to the heart ; but I think it hard that they should have forbidden my coming over to enjoy the pleasure of seeing it all. What Orloff told you of the amount of my husband's fortune is substantially correct ; and ,£6,000 or ,£7.000 a year is a good income. But of this sum I only get a seventh part, which reduces it, as far as I am concerned, to ' one thousand a year ' at the utmost. Orloff apparently wished to close what was an un- pleasant subject by talking thus at random of what he really knew nothing. However, all the business con- 3Q2 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [JUNE nected with the inheritance will shortly be made public at Petersburg and settled. And would to God, my dear Lord Grey, that I had no other grief at heart than this ! But forgive my thus talking to you of what only concerns myself ; it is your kindness that prompts me thereto. Write to me again, and before very long, I beg of you. Let me know what is the general impression left by the Czarewitch's visit. It ought, I should imagine, to have a good effect on the relations between the two countries, and tend to soften the prejudice which is felt in England against Russia. It is rumoured that hostilities have recommenced between the Sultan and the Pasha of Egypt. # If this proves to be true, it is an event of great moment, for it may lead to the worst results. Adieu, my dear Lord Grey. Remain for me always the true and tender friend you have ever been, and believe that my friendship for you is eternally faithful. To Earl Grey. Baden, June 26th, 1839. You have not answered my last letter, my dear lord, but I will not quarrel with you about this forgetfulness ; I only wish to compel you by my perseverance to recall me to mind. . . . I know as yet absolutely nothing of my future fate. I have come here to wait for the denouements and shall then be able to make up my mind where the means at * Mehemet Ali. 1839.] THE EASTERN QUESTION. 303 my disposal will allow of my taking up my abode. I have given over the management of all my affairs into my brother's hands,* and I feel no doubt that he will show every care and tenderness as regards my interests. My sons were received by the Emperor in the most affectionate manner possible. He treats them as though they were members of his own family, and tells them that he considers them as such. I am very happy it should be so. As to myself, they tell me that he never mentions my name, and that it is as though I were dead. ' So much for my expectations !' I imagine your Parliamentary Session is now draw- ing very near its close. The Ministry will last, I suppose, till next Session at least. In France the new Government is by no means firm on its feet, and the public mind seems much agitated. The Republican faction is full of life and courage, and I fear there may be some outbreak before long. The various Cabinets of Europe are just now much occupied about the Eastern Question. How will it all turn out ? They are making every possible effort to prevent war again breaking out between the two infidel potentates ;t but if it should break out, the Christian Powers will be dragged in, and then Heaven knows where it will all end. We want cool heads to direct all this business. I learn by the papers that your London season has been a brilliant one. I imagine that by this time you will have seen Lady Clanricarde ; pray beg her to w T rite me a letter here to Baden. I should be so happy to see her again, and wish I knew what her future move- ments are to be. Write to me, my dear Lord Grey ; tell me all about yourself. Tell me of all that is going * Count Alexander Benkendorf. f The Sultan and Mehemet Ali. 304 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [JULY on with you ; for you know that my interest is always great in all that concerns England. . . . Adieu, and a thousand most friendly regards. ' D. L. Berkeley Square, July 16//1, 1839. Dearest Princess, You have indeed great reason to complain of my silence. . . . The season, I believe, has been very brilliant, but I know little of it personally, as I do not think I have been out three times to any great assemblies, except at the Palace, since I have been in town. I am now preparing to leave it in the course of next week, for my usual six months' residence at Howick. The Ministers I never see. Even my own son can seldom find time from his occupations, and from the business of the House of Commons, to come to me. At Holland House I have only dined once since I have been in town. I therefore know nothing but what you will learn from the papers. In these you will see that the business of the Session is over. The Ministry is stronger than ever in the Queen's favour, but weaker in public opinion. They have, however, a new lease till the commencement of next Session. Whether in the interval they will be able or will attempt to make any changes amongst themselves, to give to the Government some additional efficiency and strength, I know not ; from any other quarter I see no possibility of their being able to gain any useful acces- sion. You will see in the papers accounts of the pro- ceedings of the Chartists, but you know this country ?.] THE CHARTISTS. 305 too well to attach any importance to them. They are a most contemptible set, upheld in no degree by public opinion, and have become troublesome only by the culpable remissness of the Government, who will find no difficulty in putting them down. God bless you, dearest Princess. Ever most affectionately yours, G. To Earl Grey. Baden, Aug. "Jth, 1839. You wrote me a kind, good letter, my dear lord, and I thank you heartily for it. . . . Are you interested in what is passing in the East ? does the matter occupy your thoughts ? It seems to me as though the Ottoman Empire were at the crisis of its fate, and I unfortunately do not foresee the manner in which this great question can be settled without sooner or later entailing: a general war. Yet everybody goes on repeating, now more than ever, that the peace must not be broken. We shall see. In Germany people are much occupied about the follies of the Hanoverian Government. It may all end very badly for the King. The other constitutional Monarchs are furious against him. Your Parliament seems to be in perpetual session. The newspapers talk much of changes to be effected in the Ministry ; but will these make it any stronger? The present Government in France will probably manage to keep their places, at any rate, until the next Session. I am waiting on here for the winding up of my vol. in. 20 306 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [AUG. poor husband's affairs. Nothing as yet has been settled. All I can say is that the promises made by Orloff have hitherto borne no fruit (like most promises made without any intention of fulfilling them). As to the legal part, and what is to be mine of my husband's fortune, nothing has been fixed as yet, and I really know nothing as to what will be given me to live upon. All this uncertainty is very painful. Address your next letter to Paris, under cover to the Embassy. This, after all, is the most certain way of letters reaching me. Forgive so stupid a letter ; I am ill both in body and mind. Adieu, my dear lord ; love me always as heretofore. ' I feel so wretched.' My only happy moments are when I receive some token that my friends do not forget me. It is only in England that I have friends ; and it is on you, and on your faithful friendship, that I can count most. Adieu once more, and a thousand kindest regards. To Earl Grey. Paris, Dec. 2211 J, 1839. My last letter to you. my dear lord, was written at Baden. It was written very long ago, doubt- less ; but, then, you never answered it, and you have left me all this time without a word to show that you remembered me. Since then I have had many troubles and worries. Quite lately, too, I have been very ill from inflammation of the lungs, which for a time even threatened to prove fatal, and from the effects of which I am still very weak. . . . 1839] LORD MELBOURNE. 307 Pray tell me when you are coming up to London ; and (though, perhaps, this is more difficult to say) what you think of the present situation of things in England. Many things are about to happen. The Queen is to get a husband, and, if we are to place any credence on public rumour, the favour which Lord Melbourne used to enjoy at Court is before long to suffer eclipse. What do these two events presage for the next meeting of Parliament ? As you must know, we in Russia have of late become great friends with your Government, and at the present moment any change of Ministry in England would be an unfeigned sorrow to us ; for we do not imagine that the Tories would show us the same amiability as Lord Palmerston is doing. At this present moment it is France who longs for the Tories, and it is Russia who fears them. In this, as in many other things, all is now the inverse of what used to be. But these are the vicissitudes of life. Pozzo has become imbecile. I do not know who will replace him ; but, at any rate, he is done for at last. He will die in a fine palace, surrounded by mag- nificence, but always pursued by imaginary terrors, for he sees burglars and poisoners on every side. He is without a single friend to cheer the last moments of his life, for there is not a soul in the world who cares for him. It is all very sad. I, who have no palace, who am not overwhelmed with magnificence, who see no good reason why they should poison me, have, it is true, some good friends in the world ; but my hearth is desolate — so very, very desolate. It is this that pains me and wounds me deeply. My heart is ever in mourning now, and matches the clothes I wear. 20 — 2 308 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [dec. What do you think of the marriage of our dear Lady Cowper ? # She wrote to me on the subject, and such a simple, natural, good letter, so full of yearn- ing for that happiness and comfort and support which every woman needs, that I am quite convinced she is right in what she does. I hope she will find the happiness she seeks, and I look forward to it as more than probable. What do you hear is going to be done with the children ? They tell me the Ashleys refused to go to the wedding. Is this true ? Lord Brougham is here, in good health, and with no great burden at heart, apparently. He went with Lady Clanricarde to Aix-la-Chapelle. He has nothing good to say of the present Administration in England ; he has no belief, on the other hand, in the Tories. I suppose he thinks they will take him for Premier ! Over here the situation is certainly not good, either. The Ministry is the feeblest that has been seen since the revolution of '30 ; but those who are its opponents dare not attack it from the front. The Coalition^ will not be got together again ; it all ended too sillily last time. The King is his own First Minister. Further, with the political situation in this deplorable condition, the relations also between France and England are extremely strained. The old alliance between the two countries is at an end, and no other alliance has taken its place. The various pretenders are plucking up courage, and the Republicans show more hope and audacity than ever. I don't know what is not going to happen in the coming year of 1840, on which everybody seems to look with a certain terror. For myself, I intend * To Lord Palmerston, December II, 1S39. t Messieurs Thiers, Guizot, and Odillon Barrot. 1 839-] THE DUCHESSE DE TALLEYRAND. 309 making it as joyous a year as may be, and going over to England during its course, in the month of June at latest, to pass the three summer months. We shall meet, my dear lord, that is very sure, and I venture to add, too, that we both shall be happy so to do. The Duchesse de Talleyrand has lost her eldest sister, but, contrary to her expectations, she has not been left even the wherewithal to buy her mourning dresses.* Adieu, my dear lord. I shall await news of you with impatience. I add many messages of friendly affection both to you and to Lady Grey, for I rely on your continuing to reciprocate my regard, partially, if not, indeed, wholly. ' Ever yours,' D. Li even. Ho wick, Dec. 25th, 1839. Dearest Princess, It would be impossible to express the pleasure which your most kind letter gave me. This pleasure, however, was accompanied by a painful reflection that I had not deserved it. You forbid apologies, and I will not make any. ... I turn with delight to the expectation you hold out of our meeting in June. You may be assured that, whatever pleasure you may feel in this prospect, it cannot be exceeded by mine. . . . I am more than ever without political information of any kind, except what I collect from the sources that are open to everybody. I have not sought, perhaps I have discouraged, all such correspondence. * Dorothee, Duchesse de Talleyrand, was daughter of Pierre, Due de Cour- lande, who d ed in 1800. Her sister, Pauline, had married Prince Frederic of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. 3io THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [dec. In truth, there are few, if any, of those with whom I was formerly connected, with whom I could now corre- spond with that agreement of opinion or that confi- dence which can alone make correspondence either pleasant or useful. I have long seen with great pain the course things have been taking here. That feeling has not been diminished by Howick's ceasing to be a member of the Administration. I cannot go into the particulars of his leaving office, further than to say that, from the manner in which the new changes were made, without consulting: him, the character which the persons introduced gave to the Administration, and the way in which he was treated, indicating, in my opinion, a desire to get rid of him, it was impossible for him to remain with honour to himself or with advantage to the public* The result of all this is certainly not an addition of strength to the Administration, and if it were not presumptuous to speak with anything like confidence of what may happen in times so extra- ordinary as those we live in, I should say the Ministers could not long survive the meeting of Parliament. Their majority, small as it w r as, has suffered a further diminution since the prorogation ; and the Tories, I hear, speak very confidently of an addition to their numbers, on the elections which must take place immediately after the opening of the Session, in con- sequence of the vacancies produced by the new appointments to office. As to the [Queen's] marriage, it seems to me to be * At the close of the Parliamentary Session Lord J. Russell had become Colonial Secretary in the place of Lord Normanby, who took the Home Office. Mr. F. Baring became Chancellor of the Exchequer in place of Mr. Spring-Rice, created Lord Monteagle. Lord Howick resigned the post of Secretary at War, and was replaced by Mr. T. B. Macaulay. 1839.] THE QUEEN'S MARRIAGE. 311 regarded with great indifference by the public. That it may produce important consequences cannot be doubted, but of their character it is not easy before- hand to form an opinion. Much will depend on the character of the Prince Albert, much on his personal disposition and opinions, and on the influence of those about him. Of these at present I can know nothing, and probably nobody knows much. Melbourne's favour, I have no reason to believe, is yet at all diminished. But there can be no doubt that it may be materially affected hereafter by the influence of a husband. I have said that, according to all the usual grounds of speculation, it is not probable that the Administra- tion will last. But on the other hand the difficulties in the way of a new one are very great. Peel's personal character, his want of cordiality, not to say his repul- sive coldness, his too great caution, and his fear of taking any bold and decisive step, make him a bad leader ; and the excessive gaucherie by which his negotiation for office last summer was broken off has lost him entirely all favour at Court. He will have great difficulty also in managing the inconsiderate and violent members of his party ; in short, all the difficul- ties which he himself described, in his explanation,* are not at all diminished, if they are not increased. The Duke of Wellington might succeed if he would take the post of ostensible as well as real head of the Tories. But this is, I am afraid, put too much out of the question by his age and the state of his health. The best hope would be in a third person who would * The explanation given by Sir R. Peel in Parliament after the episode of the Bedchamber Question. 312 THE DECLINE OF THE WHIGS. [dec. rally round him all that is most respectable and has the greatest influence in both parties. But this would be at any rate difficult in such a state of things, and there is no such person. Of foreign politics, what I hear from you is alone to be depended on. It is confirmed by what I collect from that most uncertain of all sources of information, the public papers. I do not understand what can have produced any coldness between our Court and that of the Tuileries. Our interests, properly viewed, are the same. But I am afraid Louis Philippe is one of those persons whose capacity will be found to bear the character of cunning rather than wisdom, and that in the end, in seeking selfishly his own advantage, he will lose the confidence and support of those in whom, by a straightforward course, he might have found sup- porters. . . . We all continue well, and our house is full of children and grandchildren, the whole family of Durham included. They leave us to-morrow, as he intends being in town for the meeting of Parliament. I shall remain here, being fit for nothing else. God bless you, dearest Princess, and believe me ever, Most affectionately yours, Grew \ 313 ] CHAPTER X. THE FALL OF THE WHIGS. Marshal Soult resigns — M. Guizot appointed Ambassador in London — M. Thiers Premier — The Queen's Marriage — Prince Albert — The Division on the China Question — Mehemet Ali's Advance on Constantinople — The Remains of the Emperor Napoleon brought from St. Helena — Illness and Death of Lord Durham — Mehemet Ali's Conquest of Syria — Lord Palmerston and the French Government — The Treaty of London of July 15th, 1840 — Resignation of M. Thiers — Marshal S l6 3> ^2, 176, 178, 196 Blockade of the Dutch Coast, ii., 419 Boigne, Comtesse de, iii., 189 Bologna, Austrians in, ii., 200, 20 J Bordeaux, Due de, ii., 42 ; iii., 217 Braganza, Duchess of, ii., 462, 466 Brandt, Major, ii., 204 Brazil and the Argentine Government, i., 222 Bresson, M. de, iii., 169, 172, 174 Brighton in 1831, ii., 151 ; elections at, 428 ; the Court at, 496 Broglie, Due de, ii., 52 ; Premier, iii., 156, 161, 167 ; speech on Poland, 182 ; resigns, 186 Brougham, Mr. (afterwards Lord), i., 224, 355 ; and the Duke of Devon- shire, 427-429 ; speech of, 432 Vol. ii., 20, 83 ; elected for York- shire, 89 ; Chancellor, 124, 183, 205 Vol. iii., 8 ; at Edinburgh, 20, 23 ; quarrel with Lord Durham, 29, 37, 49, 92 ; work on Theology, 128, 177, 252, 260 ; in Paris, 262, 265 ; opinions on George IV., 264, 268, 3oS, 339 Brunswick, Duke of, and George IV., i., 76 ; and William IV., ii., 91, 106 Buckingham, Duke of, i., 475, 476 ; ii., 9, 167 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 347 Buckingham Palace, i., 258 Biilow, Baron, ii., 361, 470 ; iii. 89 Burdett, Sir F., iii. , 236, 263 Burgas, i., 155 ; occupied, 279 Burke and Hare, Murders by, i., 212 Bury, Lady C, iii., 257, 264 Canadian rebellion of 1837, iii., 262 Candia or Crete, Question of, i., 433, 437, 439 Canning, Mr., i., 12, 26, 29, ^^ ; be- comes Premier, 36, 37, 39, 40, 42, 43 ; death of, 49, 52 Canning, Lady, Pamphlet by, L, 464, 467 _ Canningites, The, i., 106, 15S Canning, Sir Stratford, i., 357 ; sent to Spain, ii., 427 ; the Czar re- fuses to receive him as Ambassador, 434, 436, 445, 501 Capitan Pasha, The, i., 180, 181 Capo dTstria, Count, in England, i., 51, 55-57, 60 ; in Greece, 66, 420 Carlisle, Earl of, iii., 232 Carlos, Don, leaves Spain, ii. , 504 ; iii., 4; death of his wife, 26, 121, 147, 162 Carlsbad Decrees, ii., 368 Catalonia, Insurrection in, i., 62, 63 Catholic Relief Bill, i., 34, 121 ; under- taken by the Duke of Wellington, 201, 226 ; Bill recommended in the King's Speech, 238 ; the Bill passed, 244 ; the Duke's letter to Dr. Curtis, 214, 217, 219, 221 Celles, Comte de, ii., 86 Chabot, Comte de, ii., 55 Chandos, Marquis of, i., 424, 426 Charles X., King, i. , 6 ; bold language of, 309 ; proposes the Ordonnances, 405 ; speech at opening of the Chambers, 463 Signs the Ordonnances, ii., 29 ; ab- dicates, 39, 42; comes to England, 59)63; goes to Holyrood, no, 112 Death of, iii., 217 ; his will, 218 Charlotte, Queen of Portugal, death of, i., 421 Chartists, The, iii., 304 Chasse, General, defends Antwerp Citadel, ii., 414 ; capitulates, 430 Chateaubiiand, M. de, i., 286 Chaves, Marquis de, i., 1371 Chesterfield, Earl of, ii., 187 China question, The, iii., 316 Choiseuil-Gouffier, Marquis de, ii., 57, 59 ( holera in England, ii., 299, 381 ; in Poland, 219, 222, 231 Chreptowich, Count, iii., 113, 117, 123 Christina, Queen, ii., 479, 481, 484, 489 ; the insurrection at La Granja, iii., 208, 210; leaves Spain, 327 Christmas-trees at Panshanger, i., 400 Church, Colonel, i., 82 Church Commission Bill (Irish), ii., 5°3> 5°5 Church Tithe Bill (Irish), iii., 2, 4, 122, 13°. U4, 136, 140, 141 Church Rates Bill, iii., 229 Clanricarde, Marquis of, Ambassador at Petersburg, iii., 273, 275, 288 Clanricarde, Marchioness of, iii., 219, 255, 274, 275, 308, 336 Clanwiliiam, Earl of, i., 47 Clarence, H.R.H. the Duke of, i., 48 ; resigns appointment of Lord High Admiral, 114, 128, 132, 137, 306. See also under William IV. Clausel, General, ii., 38 Cleveland, Marquis of, i., 428, 429 Clifden, Viscount, i., 189 Cockburn, Sir George, i., 1 14, 132 Codrington, Sir E., i., 71, 88, 91, 148, 152 ; and the court-martial, 293, 300 ; ii., 265 Coercion Bill (Irish), ii., 447 Colbourne, Sir J., iii., 290 Collingwood, Lord, opinion on the blockade of the Dardanelles, i., 159 Comliermere, Viscount, i., 303 Constantine, Grand Duke, son of the Emperor Paul, i., 18-20; abdicates, 21-25 > at ms brother's coronation, 26, 194, 198 ; ii., 22, 24 Consantine, Grand Duke, son of Czar Nicholas, i., 393 Constantine (Algeria), fall of, iii., 248 Constantinople, the Ambassadors leave, i., 97 ; return, 255 ; Russian advance on, 281, 282 Conyngham, Marquis of, i., 303 Conyngham, Marchioness of, i., 151, *53> I 56; her position at Court, 289, 293, 326, 356, 358, 360, 363 375, 379 Corporation Bill, iii., 126, 142, 148- ! 53 Cowley, Lord, iii., 338 Cowper, Countess of, ' Enclosure for,' i., 416 ; ii., 221, 465 ; iii., 12, 50 ; letter to the Princess about Lord Palmerston, 139, 145 ; and O'Con- nell, 193, 206, 241 ; to marry Lord Palmerston, 266, 283, 285 ; mar- riage of, 308 Crete. See Candia. 348 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. Cumberland, H.R.H. the Duke of, and the Catholic Question, i., 126 ; scandals about, 240 ; reported interview with Lord Grey, 252, 259 ; and Lady Lyndhurst, 266, 278, 2S0 ; scandals connected with Captain Garth, 240, 358, 364, 368, 375, 409 ; and Lady Graves, 425, 434, 43 6 > 440, 449 Vol. ii., 214, 224, 226, 228, 396, 403, 428, 429, 470, 471 Vol. iii., and the Orange Lodges, 168, 191, 266. See also under Hanover. Cumberland, H.R.H. the Duchess of, i., 247, 251, 261, 262, 289 ; ii., 466, 467, 469 Cumberland, H.R.H. Prince George of, accident to his eye, ii., 396, 403, 428, 429, 4S7 Curtis, Dr., i., 214, 217, 219, 221 Czarewitch (afterwards Czar Alex- ander II.), personal appearance, iii., 10; at Czarskoselo, 31 ; goes to Moscow, 44, 46; his journey through Russia, 235 ; in Italy, 280 ; visits London, 296 ; his popularity, 301 Czarskoselo, Description of, iii., 21, 26, 30, 41 Czartoryski, Prince Adam, ii., 204, 269 ; in England (1832), 305, 307 ; dines with Lord Grey, 310-322 In London (1S36), iii., 175 Dardanelles, Blockade of the, i., 150, 153. I5 6 » 159. 163, 172, 176, 178, 196 Dauphin (Due d'Angouleme), iii., 217 Dauphiness (Duchesse d'Angouleme), i., 270, 406; in England, ii., 394 Dawson, Mr., i., 133 Dedel, M., ii., 466, 470 Delessert, M., i., 406 De l'lsle, Lady, Death of, iii., 234 Denbigh, Earl of, ii., 437 Denman, Mr., i., 355, 356, 396 Derby, Riots at, ii., 290 De Ros, Lord, iii., 211, 228 De Ros, Hon. Olivia, ii., 466, 484 Desages, M., iii., 288 Devonshire, Duke of, i., 26, 29, 44, 427, 448, 453 Diary, The, by Lady C. Bury, iii., 256, 264 Dicken>on, Captain, i., 293 Diebitsch, General, gains the battle of Koulevtcha. i., 245, 248, 249 ; advances on Constantinople, 270, 282, 287 ; at Adrianople, 289, 290, 302 ; his ultimatum, 307 ; answer to the Ambassadors, 310, 377. Enters Poland, ii., 136, 175 ; de- feated, 209 ; succes.-es, 235, 236 ; death of, 245, 248, 251 Dino, Due de, i., 394 Dino, Duchesse de, ii., 101 ; iii., 132, 135, 183, 196 (becomes Duchesse de Talleyrand), 281, 309, 315 Disjunction Law, iii., 229 Dissenters Bill, iii., 2 Doctrinaires, The, iii., 187 Douro, Marquis of, i., 252 ; iii., 35, 219, 223 Drummond, Mr. Henry, ii., 295 Du Barry, Madame, Memoirs of, i., 313 ; ii., 54 Dudley, Lord, i., 66, 99, 101, 197, 201 Dupin, M., iii., 18b, 189 Dupont de l'Eure, M., ii., 1S9 Durham, Earl of, is sent on a special mission to Russia, ii. , 358 ; arrives at Petersburg, and is received by the Czar, 371-376 ; journey to Moscow, 379 ; to visit the German courts on his road home, 383, 386, 389 ; is given a passage in the imperial yacht, 395 ; returns to London, 405 ; the Czar's opinion of him, 456 Speech at Newcastle, iii., 7 ; quarrel with Lord Brougham, 29, 37 ; dinner at Glasgow, y], 49 ; appointed Am- bassador at Petersburg, nS, 133; arrives there, 170; at Petersburg, 179, 183, 196, 199, 201, 228; at Howick, 246; appointed Governor- General of Canada, 255, 261 ; sails, 263, 266 ; the appointment of Mr. Turton, 271 ; his ordinances dis- allowed, 277 ; resigns, 279 ; his proclamation, 283 ; his report to the Queen, 293; illness of, 319; death of, 320 Durham, Counters of, perils of the Baltic voyage, iii., 159 ; her house at Petersburg, 164 ; appointed Lady in Waiting on Queen Victoria, 241, 251 Ebrington, Viscount, ii., 2S8 Edinburgh, Dinner at, to Lord Grey, iii., 7, 17, 20, 34 Ellenborough, Lord, i., 101, 144, 155; and Sir J. Malcolm, 435, 436 ; divorce of, 306, 474-477 ' Ellenborough, Lady, r., 306 Ellice, Mr., iii., 169, 171, 178, 1S2, 184, 193, 196, 19S, 222, 246, 294 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 349 Ely, Marchioness of, ii., 230 Emile of Hesse, Prince, iii., 206, 211 Erivan, Fall of, i., 75 Ernest, King of Hanover. See under Cumberland and Hanover. Erzeroum, Fall of, i., 276 Esterhazy, Pnnce, i., 101, 263; ii., 462, 470 ; iii., 232 Eugene, Prince, of Wiirtemburg, i., 180 Evans, Colonel de Lacy, in Spain, iii., 127, 147, 193, 224; is de- feated, 230, 231 Eynard, M., i. 320 Fagel, Baron, ii., 414, iii., 139, 143 Falck, Bamn, i., 371 ; ii., 242, 29S, 303 Falkland, Viscountess, ii., 381 Ferdinand I., Emperor, Coronation of, at Milan, iii., 276 Ferdinand VII., King of Spain, i., 7, 62, 81 ; reported death of, ii., 39S, 403 ; death of, 477, 478 ; his will, 479 Ferronnays, M. de la, and the Due de Berri, i., 107, 219, 223 Fez, The, replaces the Turban, i., 116 Fieschi's attempt, iii., 140, 141 Fingall, Earl of, ii., 242 FitZA-illiam, Countess of, i., 3 Flahault de la Billardrie, Comte A. de, i., 29; ii., 157, 158; iii., 188; re- signs his Court appointment, 258 ; refused the special Embassy to London, 262, 265, 267 Flahault, Comtesse de (Baroness Keith and Nairn), i., 29, 309, 41 1 ; iii., 150 ; death of her daughter Lady Clementine, 177, 189, 205, 214 ; Quarrels at Court, 258, 268, 289 Flahault, Lady Emily de, iii., 271, 289 Fonton, M. de, mission of, i., 249 Fordwich, Viscount, ii., 462, 473, 478, 479 Foreign Quarterly Review, article on Greece in, i., 393, 397, 399 France : Death of Louis XVIII., i., 2, 6 ; M. de Villele, 76, 79, 98, 472, 476, 477 ; French troops sent to the Morea, 116, 118, 122, 123 The Revolution of July (1830), ii., 31-47 Quarrel with the United States, iii., 84, 165 ; the monster trial, 121, 127 ; the press law, 147 ; the refugees in Switzerland, 276 ; feel- ing of animosity against England, 324-330. See also under Guizot, Louis Philippe, Mole, Polignac, Thiers. jFrancis I., Emperor, Death of, iii., 90, 97, 101 Frankland-Lewis, Mr., i., 441 Free-trade agitation, iii., 331, 332 Froissac, Vicomte de, ii., 42 Galitzin, Prince, iii., 22 Galiizin, Princess, ii., 417 Galway Franchise Bill, ii., 8, 12 Garth, Captain, i , 240, 358 Gascoyne, General, ii., 211 Geismar, General, L, 368 ; ii., 184, 20S George IV., King, at the Cottage, i., 9 ; and the Duke of Brunswick, 76 ; remark on the battle of Nava- rino, 89 ; suffers from gout, 151, 153 ; prejudice against Lord Grey, 156, 158, 370, 392 ; bad state of health, 179, 183, 186; recovery, 194, 196, 218, 22 r ; speech at table about Russia, 2SS ; dislike of the Duke of Wellington, 356 ; ill- ness of, 409 ; dislike of Prince Leopold's becoming King of Greece, 413, 415, 462 ; audience with Leopold, 467 ; anger against Prince Lieven, 419 ; illness of, 479; becomes worse, ii., 2, 4, 5 ; rallies, 7; dies, 11, 16, 17 Gerard, Marshal, ii., 43, 52, 86 ; enters Belgium, 264, 268, 413, 425 ; re- tires, 433 German Diet, The, confirms the Carls- bad Decrees, ii., 36S Gielgud, General, ii., 271 Giurgevo, i., 316, 327, 368 Glasgow, Dinner to Lord Durham at, iii-, 37 Glenelg, Lord (Mr. C. Grant), i., 229, ii. , 165 ; iii., 253, 293 Gloucester, H.R.H. the Duke of, Death of, iii., 64 Gloucester, H.R.H. the Duchess of, ii., 381, 419, 429 Gordon, Sir R., i., 282, 357 ; iii., 93 Gore, Sir J., i., 78 Goderich, Viscount, Premier, i., 51 : resigns, 92, 95, 99 ; ' Lady Gode- rich's headaches,' 02 Gosford, Earl of, ii., 184 Graham, Sir James, i., 446, 457, 459, 464 ; ii., 253 ; iii., 54 Grant, Mr. C. (Lord Glenelg), i., 229, ii., 165 ; iii., 253, 293 Granville, Earl, i., 8; iii., 187, 338 Granville, Countess, i., 203 ; iii., 155, 170, 183, 196, 284 Graves, Lord, Suicide of, i., 434, 436 Graves, Lady, i., 425, 454 35° INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. Grebaiodoff, M., i., 352 Greece, Affairs of: Treaty of London, July 6, 1827, i., 45 ; affairs of, 54, 63 ; armistice granted by the Turks, 105, 107 ; French troops sent to the Morea to turn out Ibrahim Pasha, 116, 118, 122, 123 ; the Protocol of March 22, 1829, 255 ; the Greek question and the Powers, 290 ; the boundaries of Greece, 293, 294, 315, 326, 355 ; London Conferences on Greece, 306, 323, 341, 440 ; selection of a Sovereign for, 325, 342, 404 ; to be King or President, 354 ; Lord Aberdeen's view of the Protocol of March 22, 1S29, 32S ; article on Greece in the Foreign Quarterly Review, 393, 397, 399 ; Prince Leopold candidate for the throne, 404 ; named Sovereign, 407 ; ac- cepts provisionally, 409, 412, 413, 420; other candidates, 419 ; signa- ture of the Protocol, 426, 432 ; hesitation of Prince Leopold, 433, 440, 447 ; question of Candia, 433> 439 '■> ne accepts the sove- reignty, 451 Declines the sovereignty, ii., 2 ; dis- cussion of Greek affairs, 6 ; Otho named King of Greece, 385 Gregoire, Abbe, ii , 237 Grey, Earl : opinion of Mr. Canning's speech, i., 34; opinion of Mr. Canning, 52, 163 ; on the affairs of Greece, 54, 59 ; unable to meet Count Capo dTstria, 56 ; opinion on Navarino, 71, 77 ; speech in Parliament condemning the policy of Mr. Canning, 103 ; and the Duke of Wellington, 135 ; George IV.'s prejudice against him, 156, 158, 370, 392 ; not offered Privy Seal by the Duke of Welling- ton, 163, 243 ; conversation with Princess Lieven in 1823 on the subject of Turkey and Greece, 202, 204 ; opinion of the Duke's letter to Dr. Curtis, 217 ; and the Catholic Relief Bill, 241 ; reported inter- view with the Duke of Cumber- land, 252, 259 ; opinion of the Russian advance on Constanti- nople, 292 ; on the boundaries of Greece, 293, 315, 319, 326, 354, 355. 437. 44°- 445 ; opinion of the Treaty of Adrianople, 320, 333 ; proposal to join the Duke's Government, 349, 350 ; reasons for not joining the Duke, 378, 3SS- 390, 395 Introduces the Galway Franchise Bill, ii., 8, 12 ; moves amendment on the Address to William IV., 19; views on the Revolution of July, 1830, 33, 36; on the revolution in Belgium, 74-76 ; the treaty rights of Holland, 88, 103 ; declaration on the Reform question, 1 14; becomes Premier, 121 ; his Ad ministration constituted, 124 ; re- marks on the Poli>h insurrection. 132, 144, 147 ; lays the Reform Bill before the King, 145, 151 ; offers regarding Sir R. Peel, 176 ; reported remarks on the Polish insurrection, 184 ; opinion of the Reform Bill, 187 ; Government defeat on the Timber Duties, 191 ; letter to Kosciusko (18J4), 204 ; Knight of the Garter, 222, 227 ; alters the King's Speech, 243 ; grants an interview to M. Niemcewicz, 269 ; on the defeat of the Reform Bill in the Lords, 287 ; correspondence with Mr. H. Drummond, 295 ; receives Prince Adam Czartoryski, 310 ; corre- spondence with Princess Lieven on this subject 311-322 ; resigns on the third Reform Bill being re- jected by the Lords, 347 ; returns to office, 353 ; the Czar's opinion of Lord Grey, 354 ; vindication of the Czar during the debate on Poland, 361 ; remarks on the Belgian Question, 387 ; speech on the opening of the first reformed Parliament, 440, 441,443 ; speech in Parliament on Prince Lieven's recall, 502 ; resigns, 505 Interview with William IV., iii., 2 ; address at Newcastle, 6 ; the Edinburgh dinner, 7, 17, 20; re- marks on the prosperity of Eng- land, 16 ; injunctions to Princess Lieven in regard to his letters, 38 ; on Sir R. Peel's Cabinet, 60 ; the elections, 68, 73 ; the new Parlia- ment, 78, 82 ; sent for by the King, but refuses office, 99 ; his opinion of Mr. O'Connell, 184 ; interview with William IV., 195 ; opinion of Mr. Ellice, 198 ; speaks on the Irish Municipal Bill, 204; regret for William IV.'s death, 239 ; Queen Victoria, 239, 261, 269, 272 ; opinion of Lord Dur- INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 55' ham's action in Canada, 285, 290 ; accident to, 291 ; on Lord Howick's resignation, 310; opinion of Louis Philippe, 312, 334 ; opinion of M. Guizot, 315, 328, 341 Grey, Hon. Charles (Colonel), i., 86, 229 ; stands for Wycombe, iii., 56 ; marriage of, 195, 197, 206 Grey, Hon. and Rev. Edward, Preben- dary of Westminster, i., 125, 129 ; Bishop of Hereford, ii., 342 ; death of, iii., 241 Grey, Hon. and Rev. Francis, Marriage of, iii., 316 Grey, Hon. Frederick William, returns from South America, i., 179 Grey, Hon. George, at Navarino, i., 71, 9 6 . Grey, Sir George, Bart., Death of, i., 162 Grey, Hon. John, Marriage of, iii., 202, 206 Grey, Lady Mary (Wood), Marriage of, i., 250, 258 Guilleminot, M., ii., 216 Guizot, M., ii., 52; Minister of Public Instruction, iii., 211, 226, 229, 237, 248, 252, 255, 300 ; Ambassador in London, 313, 315, 318, 321 ; Minister of Foreign Affairs, 324 ; speeches of, 325, 331 ; and Lord Palmerston, 326, 328, 341 Gustavus, Prince, of Sweden, and his marriage, i., 127, 133, 136, 165, 168, 177, 178 Hamilton, Uuke of, iii., 164 Hanover, Ernest, King of, iii., 266, 305. See also under Cumberland. Hardinge, Sir H., ii., 161 Harrowby, Earl of, ii., 300, 330, 332 ; iii., 24, 28, 43 Hatti Sheriff, i., 199 Haugwitz, Count, ii., 51 Helene, Grand Duchess, ii., 236, 254, 274, 286-290; iii., 45, 121 Heron, Sir R., i., 472 Herries, Mr., Chancellor of the Ex- chequer, i., 54 Hesse, Prince Emile of, iii., 206, 211 Heyden, Count, i., 148, 152 Heytesbury, Lord (Sir W. A'Court), i., 76, 144, 412, 501 Hirsova taken, i., no Holland and Belgium, see Belgium. Holland, Lord : Austrian edict against, i., 2; speech, 112, 220; motion on Greece, 437, 439, 442, 456 ; ii., 2 7i 33 > on tne Belgian confer- ences, 402 ; iii., 8 ; death of, 327 ; 328 Holland, Lady, and her page, ii., 488 ; iii., 2S0 Holy Alliance, The, i., 204 Homburg, Prince Philip of, i., 419 ; ii., 15 Hortense, Queen, iii., 216, 220 Howe, Earl of, ii., 288 ; Chamberlain to Queen Adelaide, 381-383, 400, 41S Howe, Countess, ii., 481 Howick, Viscount, elected for North- umberland, i., 25 ; writes to Lord Cleveland, 429, 438 ; speeches 441, 445 Note from (March 1, 1831), ii., 178 ; marriage of, 366 ; resigns, 508 Re-elected for Northumberland (1834), iii., 61 ; speeches in Par- liament, 87, 97 ; joins Lord Mel- bourne's Cabinet as Secretary at War, 100, 102 ; speeches, 133 ; his success in debate, 137 ; resigns, 310 ; speeches in Parliament, 319 Hunt, ' Orator,' ii., 210, 305 Huskisson, Mr., i., 99 ; resigns, 106 ; 158, 208, 209 ; death of, ii., 90-92, 9 473 > an( l Lord Palmerston, 484, 490-492 Rudeness of, iii., 5 > remarks about ' old Grizzle,' 56 Jourdain, Marshal, ii., 47 352 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. Keith and Nairn, Baroness. See under Flahault, Comtesse de. Keinble, Miss, i., 459 Kent, H.R.H. the Duchess of, i., 381 ; the salutes at Cowes, ii., 453, 457: Hi., 235 Kerry, The Knight of, i., 474 Khosrou Mirza, Prince, i., 352 Kirk Kilissa, Battle of, i., 284 Kiss, Colonel, ii., 271 Knatchbull, Sir E., i., 431, 432 Knight, Mr. Gaily, i., 363, 370, 397 Kosciusko, Lord Grey's letter to, ii., 204 Koulevtcha, Battle of, i., 245, 295 Kustenji, Fall of, i., no La Bourdonnaye, M., i., 359 Lafayette, General, ii., 38, 6S, 70, 84, 129 Lafitte, M.,ii., 262 La Granja, Insurrection of, iii., 208 Lamarque, General, Riots at funeral of, "., 355 Lamb, Sir F. (afterwards Lord Beau- vale and Viscount Melbourne), i., 76 ; sends back the loan from Lisbon, 104, 122, 211 Lamb, Hon. George, Illness and death of, ii., 494, 496 Lambton, Hon. Charles, Death of, ii., 282 Lansdowne, Marquis of, i., 43 ; re- signs, 99, 435 ; ii., 287 ; iii., 164 Lauderdale, Earl of, i., 37, 39 ; iii., 220 Laval Montmorency, Due de, i., 279, 325, 340, 342, 345, 347, 352, 359, 360, 365 ; his generous conduct, 394,417, 422,478 ; ii-, 13 Lawrence, Sir T., Death of, i., 408 Leach, Sir J., i., 224 ; ii., 174 Lebzeltem, M. de, i., 170, 175, 180 Leopold, Prince, of Saxe - Coburg Gotha, i., 120; candidate for Greece, 404 ; named Sovereign, 407, 409, 412, 413, 433, 443, 447 ; accepts, 451, 455 Declines the Sovereignty, ii., 2 ; offered the crown of Belgium, 211 ; accepts, 249, 259 ; defeated at Tirlemont, 267, 275 ; marriage of, 378, 490 ; iii., 166, 323 Leuchtenberg, Duke Augustus of, ii., 144 ; marries Queen Donna Maria, iii , 24, 43 ; dies, 101 Leuchtenberg, Duke Maximilian of, marries the Grand-Duchess Marie, iii., 284 Leveson, Lord Granville, ii., 177 Liddell, Mr. H. T., i., 413, 421 : iii., 56,6l Lieven, Count, granted title of Prince, i., 26; interview with Lord Aber- deen, 315 ; persuades Prince Leo- pold to accept the Sovereignty of Greece, 455 Becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs ad interim, ii., 15 ; illness of, 32 ; and the blockade of the Scheldt, 126, 127 ; recalled and appointed Governor of the Czarewitch, 498, 500 Named Minister of Foreign Affairs, iii., 132 ; not allowed to join the Princess, 247 ; death of, in Rome, 291 Lieven, Princess, threatens Lord Grey in the matter of Greece, i., 58, 59 ; opinion of Navarino, 73 : account of the Duke of Wellington, 165, 167 ; opinion of M. de Metternich, 234 (ii., 138) ; of Prince Polignac, 234, 237 ; conversation with Lord Aberdeen, 329, 335 ; about Lord Grey and the King, 349 ; about the French Ministry, 361, 369, 401 ; her memoirs, 408 ; views of country life and a aire, 414 Journey to Russia, ii., 2 ; arrives at Warsaw, 14 ; the Court at War- saw, 21 ; accident to, 26 ; views on the Revolution of July, 34, 40 ; on the revolution in Brussels, 73 ; begs Lord Grey to alter a word in the King's Speech, 243 ; on Lord Grey's granting an interview to M. Niemcewicz, 270; as to a gallery for the Ambassadors in the House of Lords, 298 ; attacks Lord Grey on the' subject of Prince Adam Czartoryski, 306, 310-322 ; her in- terview with the Dauphiness, 394 ; requests that Lord Heytesbury may be sent again as Ambassador to Russia, 412 ; accident to, 427, 435 ; visit to Russia, 448, 450 ; at Peterhof, 455, 457, 459 ; returns to London, 460 ; her opinion of the Duchess of Cumberland, 469 ; of Lord Melbourne, 475 ; on Prince Lieven's recall, 499, 501 ; leaves England, 508 Voyage from Hamburg to Peters- burg, iii., 9 ; opinion of. Lord Mel- bourne, 11, 13 ; life at Court, 13 ; at Czarskoselo, 21, 26, 30, 41 ; opinion of Lord Palmerston, 25, 33, INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 55: 59, 72 ; remarks and promises concerning Lord Grey's letters, 32 ; opinion of M. Palmella, 34. ; life at Petersburg, 50, 64, 66 ; illness of, 70, 75 ; illness of her son George, 91 ; his death, 94, 95 ; illness of Arthur, 96 ; his death, 103, 106 ; travels to Berlin, 106 ; at Frankfort, 124 ; at Baden- Baden, 128 ; society in Paris, 161 ; opinion of Louis Philippe, 161 ; visit to London, 240 ; do- mestic troubles, 247, 252 ; hears of the death of her son Constantine, 281, 287 ; hears of Prince Lieven's death, 292 ; difficulties in regard to money matters, 294, 301, 303 ; letter to Count Orloff, 296, 300 ; visits London, 320 Lillo and Liefkenshoek, ii., 434 Lisbon, Insurrection in, iii., 211, 213; counter revolution, 217 Lithuania, Insurrection in, ii., 20S Littleton, Mr. E. (afterwards Lord Hatherton), iii., 123 London, Treaty of, July 5, iS 2 7, i-> 45 London, Bishop of, and the Reform Bill, ii., 263 Londonderry, Marquis of, i., 9 ; ii., 160, 170, 210, 502 ; appointed Ambas- sador at Petersburg, iii., J l, 75 ! resigns, 93, 98 Louis XVIII., King, i., 2 ; death of, 6 Louis Napoleon, Prince, Strasburg attempt, iii., 215-217, 220 Louis Phdippe, Due d'Orleans, becomes Lieutenant of the Kingdom, ii., 35 ; becomes King of the French, 47 ; recognised by most of the Courts of Europe, 69 ; by Russia, 79, 94, no ; attitude towards Bel- gium, 78, 81 ; vacillating conduct, 167 ; speech at the opening of the Chambers, 261 ; action during the riots at the funeral of General Lamarque, 355 Fieschi's attempt against, iii., 140 ; Princess Lieven's opinion of the King. 161 ; his dislike of the Doctrinaires, 166 ; Ministerial difficulties, 188 ; his building hobby, 189 ; no intervention in Spain, 199, 222, 228, 230 ; diffi- culty about the marriage of Prin- cess Marie, 245 Louise, U.K.. II. Princess, Illness of, ii., 361 ; marries King Leopold, 378 Louie, Marquise de, i., 120 VOL. III. Lublin, ii., 219 Ludolf, Count, ii., 134 Lyndhurst, Lord, his letters to the Duke of Cumberland, i., 265, 278, 280 ; accident to, 2S4, 430 ; ii., 97, 102, 105 ; fails to form a Government, 349 ; iii., 62, 227 Lyndhurst, Lady, i., 266, 272, 27S, 280, 284 Lyons, Riots at, ii., 296 Macaulay, Mr. T. B., ii., 30S Madeira resists Don Miguel, i., 134, . x 5 2 Maidstone, Viscount, iii., 257 Maison, Marshal, interview with Prince Metternich, ii., 136; iii., 50, 81 Malcolm, Sir J., i., 435, 436 Malt tax, ii., 447, 448 Mansfield, Earl of, ii., 261 Mareuil, M. de, ii., 385, 393 Maria, Donna, da Gloria, 1., 6}, 104; coming to Europe, 120 ; arrive-; in England, 145, 146, 1 5 1 ; to be called Queen or Princess, 152, 154, 161, 162 ; guardianship of, 165 ; appearance of, 1 71 ; received by George IV. at Windsor, 210 ; at Bushey Park, 228 About to sail for Portugal, ii., 238 ; to marry Don Sebastian, 299 ; proclaimed Queen at Lisbon, 461 ; at Windsor, 462 ; her appearance, 466 Marries Duke Augustus of Leuchten- berg, iii., 24, 43 ; restores the con- stitution of 1820, 216 Marie, the Empress- Mother, i., 18, 26; death of, 189-192 Mascara (Algeria), Fall of, iii. 174 Matuscewitz, Count, i., 233, 246, 331, 352, 356, 362, 417, 456; ii., 3, 4, 9, 101, 109, 203, 249; iii., 42, 98, 103 Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duke of, i., 419 Medem, Count, iii., 26 Mehemet Ali, in Syria, ii., 456 ; iii., 302 ; advances on Constantinople, 317 ; in Syria, 321 ; retires from, Melbourne, First Viscount, Death of, i., IJ 4 Melbourne, Second Viscount, i., 142, 143, 416,421 ; motion on Portugal, 437, 447, 45°, 453 5 »•> 475 5 be- comes Premier, 505, 50S ; the Prin- cess's opinion of him ; iii., II, 13 ; dismissed by the King, 39 ; re- 23 354 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. turns to office, 98, 100 ; members of his second Administration, 102 ; and Mrs. Norton, 200, 202, 204, 231, 240; and Queen Victoria, 244 ; resigns, 297 ; but is recalled, 300 ; dissolves Parliament, 336 ; resigns, 338, 340 Melbourne. See under Lamb. Melville, Viscount, i., 223 Mendizabal, M., iii., 162 Metternich, 1'rince, i., 64, 68 ; hears of Navarino, 73 ; and the Inter- nuncio, 95 ; affair of Prince Gus- tavus of Sweden, 128, 133 ; in- trigues with Prussia, France, and England against Russia, 207, 209, 215; Princess Lieven's opinion of him, 234 (ii., 138) ; as a cure, 416 His conversation with Marshal Maison. ii., 136 ; iii., 185, 276 Mexico, Spanish Expedition against, i., 368 Michael, Grand Duke, i., 380-382 Miguel, Don, i., 62, 69, 75, 79, 80, 85 ; in England, 97 ; his appearance, 98, 99 ; at Lisbon, 104 ; at Oporto, 113 ; recognition of, by England, 130 ; his cruelties, 137 ; declared King, 145 ; accident to, 194, 196, 198 ; expedition to Terceira, 286 ; not recognised by the Pope, 368, 451,466,473 Ill-treats British merchants, ii., 223, 224 ; at Oporto, 363, 366 ; his fleet captured, 461 ; offers to come to terms, 493 ; defeated by Don Pedro ; leaves Portugal, 504 ; iii., 4 Minto, Earl of, iii., 169, 172, 174 Mirabeau, Memoirs of, ii., 476 Mole, M., ii., 51, 52, 55 ; iii., 165, 167, 188, 190; Premier, 211, 222, 226, 229, 235, 237, 244, 248, 252 ; and Lady Holland, 2S0, 297 ; resigns, 300 Montmorency. See under Laval. Montrond, M., i., 345, 352 Morea, French troops in the, i., 1 16 Morley, Countess of, i., 21 JMorning Journal, proceedings against, i., 297, 299, 399, 401 Morpeth, Viscount, i., 344 ; iii., 105, in Mortemart, Due de, i., 223 Mount-Charles, Earl of, i., 425 Muffling, General, i., 269, 298 Mulgrave, Earl of iii., 100, 102 Miinchengratz, Meeting at, ii., 463 Municipal Bill (Irish), iii., 202, 204, 227 Municipal Reform Act (Corporation Bill), iii., 126, 142, 148-153 Munster, Count, i., 76, 86 ; ii., 166 Mycielski, Colonel, ii., 196 Napier, Captain Charles, ii., 417 ; captures Don Miguel's fleet, 461 Naples, Prince of, ii., 157, 161, 164 Napoleon, Emperor, his remains brought from St. Helena to the Invalides, iii., 318, 330 Navarino, Battle of. i., 70-75, 77, 88, 89 Nemours, Due de, offered the crown of Belgium, but refuses, ii., 152, 156, 165 ; visits Vienna and Berlin, iii., 196, 203 ; settlement for, 230, 313 Nesselrode, Count, ii., 14, 15,472 ; iii., 22, 41, 143 Newcastle, Duke of, letter to the Times, i., 151 Nicholas, Czar, accession, i., 22 ; coro- nation, 26 ; the death of his mother the Empress Marie, 190; dangerous illness of, 374, 376, 380 ; recovery, 385 ; true cause of his illness, 393 ; his opinion of Lord Grey, 456 Kindness to Princess Lieven, ii. , 14, 24 ; receives news of the Revolu- tion of July, 69 ; his opinion of Lord Grey, 354 ; spoken of in Parliament as ' a miscreant ' and ' a monster in human form,' 359 ; his reception of Lord Durham, 373 ; refuses to receive Sir S. Canning, 434, 445 ; dangerous voyage to Stettin, 462 His reception of Princess Lieven, iii., 10 ; at the anniversary of Alexander L, 21 ; with the Czare- witch at Moscow, 46 ; conies to Princess Lieven's receptions, 85 ; his speech at Warsaw, 165, 16S ; refuses to allow Prince Lieven to rejoin his wife, 247 ; ungenerous conduct towards Princess Lieven, 293, 303 Niemcewicz, M., ii., 269, 272 Northumberland, Duke of, i., 223,225 ; Viceroy of Ireland, 228, 229 ; iii., 55- 61 Northumberland, Duchess of, i. 89 ; ii., 215, 218 Norton, Hon. Mrs., iii., 200, 228 Nottingham, Riots at, ii., 290 O'Connell, Mr., elected for Clare, i., no, in, 253; re-elected, 264; INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 355 arrest of, ii., 141, 149 ; and the duel with Lord Alvanley, iii., 1 12 ; speeches of, 154, 157, 158, 173, 205, 213, 218, 221 ; and the Whigs, 178, 180, 184, 186, 193, 200, 252 ; breach of privilege, 257, 264 Omar Vrione, i., 180 Oporto abandoned by the Constitution- alists, i., no, 113 ; taken by Don Pedro, ii., 363, 367 Orange, Prince of, ii., 77, 135, 136, 140, 142, 145 ; on the Reform Bill, 178, 180, 190 ; in Brussels, 200, 237, 242, 298, 463 Orange, Princess of, iii., 147 Orange Lodges, iii., 168, 191 Orange meetings prohibited, i., 253 Ordoiuiances (of Charles X.), i., 405 Orleans, Due d', in Algeria, iii., 161, 174; visits Berlin and Vienna, 196, 203 ; marriage of, 234, 237 Orleans, Duchesse d', confinement of, iii., 271, 275 Orloff, Count, ii., 251 ; mission to the Hague, 330 ; in England, 336, 337, 340-344 ; letter from, 402, 403, 458 ; iii., 22, 34, 296, 300 Orsava, Fall of, i., 250 Ostrolenka, Battle of, ii., 234, 238 Otho, Prince, of Bavaria, King of Greece, ii., 3S5 ; to marry a Russian Princess, 388, 390 Ouvrard, M., ii., 304, 318 Ozarofsky, Count, i., 8 Paganini, M., ii., 252, 254 Pahlen, Count Peter, iii., 9S, 155, 165 Palmella, M. de, i., 98, 1 1 3, 154, 160, 259 ; salutes at Dover, 367, 375, 379 5 g° es to Terceira, 448, 454, 477 ; ii., 282, 284, 377, 381, 474 ; created Duke and becomes Premier ; iii., 24, 34, 213, 221 Palmerston, Viscount, i., 416, 421, 466 ; and the Duke of Wellington, ii., 105, 107, 108, 219 ; speech regret- ting the language used about Czar Nicholas, 360 ; and Holland, 404 ; and the Ambassador at Petersburg, 445 ; and Lady Jersey, 4S4, 490- 492 ; and Prince LieverT's recall, 501 (iii., 25, 26); iii., 15; to be Governor-General of India, 19, 25, 26, 33 ; and Prince Talleyrand, 37, 43 ; defeated for Plampshire, 84 ; joins Lord Melbourne's Govern- ment, 100 ; at the Foreign Office, 1 19, 182 ; on the Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi, 192, 196, 236; concludes commercial treaty with the Porte, 284 ; marries Lady Cowper, 308 ; policy in regard to Mehemet Ah, 321 ; at Tiverton, 323 ; note of November 2, 1840 (France), 326, 328 ; the capture of Acre, 330 ; opinion of Europe on, 332-. Paris, Comte de, born, iii., 2*75 Parliament, Burning of the Houses of, iii., 27 Parnell, Sir H., ii., 116 Paskievitch, Marshal, in Asia Minor, i., 265, 276; at Erzeroum, 376; ii., 168-170 ; succeeds Marshal. Diebitsch, 245 ; takes Warsaw, 278 Pedro I., Emperor of Brazil, i. 63 ; sends his daughter Donna Maria to Europe, 145 ; refuses to recognise Don Miguel's usurpation, 176 Abdicates the crown of Brazil, and comes to Europe to aid Donna Maria, ii., 238 ; arrives in England, 250, 257 ; lands at Oporto, and diives out the Miguelites, 363, 367 ; at Porto Ferrari, 370 ; mutiny in his fleet under the command of Admiral Sartorius, 417 ; captures Don Miguel's fleet, 461 ; defeats Don Miguel, who leaves Portugal, 504 ; death of, iii., 16, 24, 33 Peel, Mr. (afterwards Sir Robert), i., 99, 117, 118; and the Catholic ques- tion, 121, 123, 158 ; resigns his seat for Oxford, 238 Vol. ii., 159, 255, 261, 305; refuses to join the Duke, 349, 351 ; opinion on Ireland, 439 Absent in Italy, iii., 40 ; returns and. forms his Administration, 54, 59 ; Tamworth manifesto, 62, 72 ; re- signs, 98 ; speech in the city, 120 ; on the Irish Tithe Bill, 136, 141 ; on the Corporation Bill, 148, 233, 249, 250, 256 ; becomes Premier, 297, but refuses office (the Bed- chamber question), 300 ; explana- tion, 311 ; brings forward vote of want of confidence, 336 ; is sent for and forms his Administration, 338. 340 Pembroke-Jersey correspondence, iii., 200 Perier, M. Casimir, ii., 189 ; Premier, 196, 199, 206, 207, 33S ; death of, 35 1 Persia, Russian war with, i., 29, 31, 75, 86 ; peace of Turkmanchai, 107 ; war indemnity remitted, 352 356 INDEX TO THE THREE VOL CM lis. Peterhof, Fetes at, ii., 455, 457 Petersburg, Destructive floods at, i., 12: mutiny at, 22; fete in memory of Czar Alexander I., iii., 15, 21 Philip of Homburg, Prince, i., 419 ; "., 15 Polignac, Prince, i., 81 ; recalled from London, 227, 230, 234 ; and the Duke of Wellington, 239, 257, 260, 261-268, 271, 275 ; Premier, 265, 270 ; policy of, 281, 296, 359, 362 ; and Lord Aberdeen's advice, 382, 383 ; annuls the charier, 392 ; the Ordonnances, 405 ; his dismissal demanded, 447, 468 Vo!. ii., 3, 32 ; said to be a natural son of Charles X.. 54 ; arrested, 63, 67 ; his letter to the peers, 71, 72 ; pamphlet by, 333, 334 ; is set at liberty, iii., 217 Polignac, Princess, ii., 39 Polish Insurrection : the deputies of the Diet, ii., 22-24; outbreak at Warsaw, 128 ; General Diebitsch to .be sent to Poland, 136; Wal- e\\ ski and Wielopolski in England, 139; the Polish manifesto, 146 ; the Russian army enters Poland, 170, 175 ; march on Praga, 175 ; news- paper articles against Rus>ia, 182 ; General Geismar routed at Stoczek, 184; account from Die- bitsch, 188 ; the Poles in Warsaw, 196 ; condition of the Russians and of the Poles, 204 ; insurrec- tion in Samogitia, 208 ; and Lith- uania, 231 ; Russian defeat at Waver, 208, 212 ; Polish defeat at Lublin, 219 ; cholera in both camps, 219, 222, 231 ; Russian defeat at Ostrolenka, 234 ; Poland mentioned in the King's Speech, 243 ; Diebitsch dies, and is suc- ceeded by Paskievitch, 245 ; M. Niemcewicz sees Lord Grey, 269 ; insurgents at Witepsk, 271 ; mas- sacres at Warsaw, 272 ; Warsaw taken, 278 ; mobs in Paris, 279 ; Prince Adam Czartoryski in Lon- don, 310-322 ; debate on Poland, the Emperor Nicholas referred to as 'a miscreant ' and ' a monster,' 359 ; second debate on Poland, 376 Speech of Czar Nicholas at W r arsaw, iii., 165, 168 Ponsonby, Lord, i., 221, 41 1 ; ii., 142, 458 Ponsonby, Lady, iii., 79 Ponsonby, Lady F ranees, iii., 145, 164 172, 176 Portfolio, The, iii., 176, 181 Portugal, Affairs of, i., 32 ; British troops sent to the Tagus, 104 ; re- called, 105, 108 ; Oporto aban- doned by the Constitutionalists, no, 115; the Estates declare Don Miguel King, 145 ; Portuguese refugees assemble in England, 195, 200, 208, 209 ; they sail for Ter- ceira, 210, 214, 220; death of Queen Charlotte of, 421 Oporto taken by Don Pedro, ii., 363, 367 ; Treaty of Quadruple Alliance with England, France, Spain and Portugal, 504 Revolution and counter-revolution in Lisbon, iii., 211, 213, 217 See also under Maria, Queen Donna; and Miguel, Don ; Palmella ; and Pedro I. Poti, i., 317 Pozzo di Borgo, Count, i., 282, 283, 371,374,411 Vol. ii., 171 ; insulted by the Paris mob, 1S7, 189, 420, 423, 424, 426, 43L 436, 447 Russian Ambassador in England, iii., 71, 74, 89; recalled, 195, 212, 232 ; becomes imbecile, 307 Protocol of March 22, 1829 (Greece), i-255 Protocol of Eighteen Articles (Bel- gium), ii., 249, 259 Protocol of Twenty-four Articles (Bel- gium), ii., 291 Prussia urges the Sultan to make peace with Russia, i., 269 Radziwill, Prince, ii., 175 Rayneval, M. de, i., 114, 227, 359 Reform Bill, Question of the, ii., 116 ; the first Bill is laid before the King, 145, 151 ; views of, by Lord Londonderry, 160, 170 ; views of, by the Duke of Wellington, Lord Aberdeen and Sir R. Peel, 169 ; ' the Rubicon passed,' 172 ; first reading, 173-181 ; second reading, 192 ; question of the reduction of the numbers, 199, 210, 211 ; the Tory tactics, 203 ; General Gas- coyne's amendment, defeat of the Government, 21 1 ; dissolution of Parliament, 213 ; the elections, 215, 218; the new Parliament meets, 241 ; new peers, 242 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 357 The second Bill introduced, 246 ; second reading carried, 255 ; in Committee, 257 ; the Bill reported, 274 ; passes the Commons and sent up to the Lords, 278 ; defeated in the Lords on the second reading, 286 ; vote of confidence in the Commons, 208 ; riots at Derby and Nottingham, 290 ; Parliament prorogued, 291 The third Bill introduced into the Commons, 303 ; the second read- ing carried, 307 ; in Committee, 325; the 'waverers,' 330, 331; read a third time and passed, the Bill sent up to the Lords, 334 ; the second reading carried, 335 ; de- feated in Committee, Lord Grey resigns, 347 ; the Duke of Welling- ton fails to form a Government, 349 ; Lord Grey returns to office, and the Bill passes, 353 Reschid Pasha, Grand Vizier, i. , 245, 248, 262 Revolution of July, The, ii., 31-47 Richelieu, Due de, i., 144 Richemont, Baron de, Pamphlet by, i., 370, 374, 384 Richmond, Duke of, ii., 102, 295 Ricord, Admiral, ii., 3S8-390 Ridley, Sir M., iii., 62 Rigny, Admiral de, i., 148, 152 Roden, Earl of, iii., 62 Rosen, General, ii., 208 Ross, Captain, ii., 482 Rosslyn, Earl of, Privy Seal, i., 254, 305, 320 ; visit to Howick, 340, 348, 350, 390, 392, 427, 461, 469 ; ii-, 12, 33 Rovigo, Memoirs of the Due de, i., 121, 139, 157, l6l Riidiger, General, ii.. 220, 271 Russell, Lord (afterwards Eighth Duke of Bedford), iii., 28 Russell, Lord John, i., 457, 459 Vol. ii., 205, 209 ; enters the Cabi- net, 241, 256, 336 Vol. iii., 28 ; not tit to be Leader of the House of Commons, 40 ; suc- cess of in debate, 87, 90 ; defeated for Devonshire, 103, 105, 112, 1 16, 118 ; and the Orange Lodges, 191 ; speeches on the Irish Municipal Bill, 227, 232, 230 Russell, Lord William, i., 32; ap- pointed Minister at Berlin, iii., 109, 115; at Stuttgart, 129, 148, 169, 171 ; at Baden, 206, 211 Russia, Belligerent rights of, in the Mediterranean, i., 118, 121, 169, 172 Russo-Turkish War of 1828 : The Am bassadors leave Constantinople, i., 97 ; Russia declares war, 109 ; first success on the Danube, no, 115 ; and in Asia, 113 ; at Bazar- jik, 132 ; Shumla and Varna in- vested, 140 ; the blockade of the Dardanelles, 150, 153, 156, 159, 163, 172, 176, 178 ; ill success of the Russians, 157 ; retreat from before Shumla, 161 ; contradicted, 164 ; Silistria and Varna bom- barded, 171 ; Varna surrendered, 174, 177 ; Te Deum, 181 ; war to be continued, 185 ; battle of Kou- levtcha, 245, 248 ; Orsava taken, 250 ; advance to Aidos, 257 : Russians cross the Balkans, 265 ; Prussia urges the Sultan to make peace, 269 ; fall of Erzeroum, 276; Burgas and Aidos occupied, 279 ; advance on Constantinople, 281, 282 ; battle of Kirk Kilissa, 284 : Adrianople occupied, 289} 290 ; peace proposals, 295-298 ; General Diebitsch's ultimatum, 307 ; re- port of the Austrian officer, 309 ; Turkish bad faith, 311 ; details of peace of Adrianople, 316, 324, 325, 333 ; Embassy of the Turks to the Czar, 331, 362, 462; the war indemnity, 316, 334, 337 ; die occupation of the Principalities, 316, 334, 343 ; Turkish bad faith, 351 ; reported massacre of 200 Russians, 356 ; General Geismar fights the Pasha of Scutari, 368, 377 ; General Paskiewitch defeats the Turks at Erzeroum, 376 Rutland, Duke of, ii., 215 Salisbury, Marchioness of, i., 300 ; the Dowager Marchioness burnt at Hatfield House, iii., 170, 172 Samogitia, Insurrection in, ii., 208 Sandon, Viscount, ii., 377 Sartorius, Captain, ii., 378, 400, 408, 4 1 ? . r . Savary. Due de Rovigo, Memoirs of, 1., 121, 139, 157, IOI Saxe - Weimar, Duke of, i., 306; Duchess of, ii., 260, 418 Scheldt, Blockade of the, ii., 126 Schonbourg, Prince, iii., 212 Schwartzenberg, Prince Felix, ii., 481 Sebastian, Don, i., 199 ; ii., 299 358 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 289 127, Sebastiani, Marshal, ii., 52, 55, 136, 146, 154, 166, 200, 206, 207, 216, 309; ill-, 93, 265, 268, 313, 315 Sefton, Earl of, ii., 242 ; iii., 48, 101 Shee, Sir George, iii., 109, 115 Sheffield, Countess of, iii., 211 Sheil, Mr., ii., 193 Shelburne, Earl of, iii., 271, 273, Shumla, i., no, 113, 116, 119, 136 ; invested, 140 ; Russian re- treat from, 161 ; contradicted, 164, 171, 180, 185, 188 Sidmouth, Viscount, i., 12, 14 Siennica, ii., 212 Sierawski, General, ii., 219 Silistria bombarded, i., 171, 1S8 ; siege abandoned, 191, 207 ; fall of, 248 Sittard, route by, ii., 346 Skrzynecki, General, ii., 208, 234 Smith, Sir Cullen, ii., 177 Sontag, Madame, i., 108, 252 Soult, Marshal, Premier, ii., 420 ; Ambassador Extraordinary to Eng- land, iii., 265 ; Premier again, 300; resigns, 313; Premier again, .3 2 4 Spain, Affairs of, i., 4, 7, 35 ; insurrec- tion in Catalonia, 62, 63 ; King Ferdinand VIE, 81 Reported dead, ii., 398, 403 ; policy of Zea Bermudez, 409, 410, 420, 423 ; death of Ferdinand VII., 477, 478 ; his will, 479 ; Queen Chris- tina, 479, 481, 484, 4S9 ; Zea Bermudez becomes Premier, 484, 489 ; Don Carlos, 504 Vol. iii., 4, 26, 121, 147, 162; Men- dizabal, 62 ; the insurrection at La Granja, 208, 210 ; The British Legion in Spain, and the question of Intervention, 127, 129, 147, 193, 199, 222, 224 ; Colonel de Lacy Evans defeated, 230, 231 ; Queen Christina leaves Spain, 327 Stackelberg, Count, i., 96 Stanley, Mr. (afterwards Lord Stanley and Earl of Derby), ii., 241, 253, 504 ; refuses to join Sir R. Peel, iii-, 54, 55; speeches, 84, 87 Strangford, Viscount, i., no, 117, 122, 125 ; sent to the Brazils, 126, 137 ; and the Suit newspaper, 194, 199 Stuart, Sir Charles (afterwards Lord Stuart de Rothesay), i., 8, 26S ; the smuggling transaction, 335, 340, 3S1, 383 ; ii., 473 Stuart- Wortley, Mr., i., 426 Sugar Duty Bill, iii., 331 Sussex, H.R.H. the Duke of, i., 168,171 Sutherland, Duke of, ii., 437 Sutherland, Duchess-Countess of, ii., 508 ; iii., 36, 90 Sutherland, Duchess of, iii., 179, 182, 226 Sutton, Mr. (afterwards Sir Charles Manners), elected Speaker, ii., 440 ; not re-elected, iii., 78, 82 Sweden, King Bernadotte, and Prince Gustavus, i., 127, 133, 136, 165, 168 Switzerland, French refugees expelled from, iii., 276 Syria, Mehemet Ali in, ii., 456 ; iii., 302, 321 ; expelled from, 330 Tabreez, Fall of, i., 87 Talleyrand, Prince, Ambassador in England, ii., 85, 89, 106, 138, 166, 185, 341 ; on the Belgian question, 385, 390, 393 ; leaves England, 468, 471 His dislike of Lord Palmerston, iii., 37, 43 ; illness, 57, 67 ; in Paris, 162, 165; his little dinners, 178. 188, 201, 223; his eighty-third birthday, 226 ; death of, 268 Talleyrand, Duchesse de, see Dino. Tankerville, Earl of, i., 144, 184 Tattersall, Mr., i., 77 Terceira, Island of, resists Don Miguel, i., 134; Portuguese refugees go there, 210, 214, 220; declares k r Queen Donna Maria, 2S6 Thiers, M., iii., 156 ; Premier, 190, 191, 196, 203, 2IO, 226, 228, 235, 237, 248, 252, 255 ; interview with Prince Metternich, 276, 300 ; Premier again, 313 ; resigns, 324 ; speeches, 325, 328 ' Thompson, Mr., ii., 259 I Tierney, Mr. George, death of, i., 422, 427 I Timber Duties Bill, ii., 190, 191 Tirlemont, ii., 267 i Tithe Bill (Irish Church), iii., 2, 4, 122, 130, I34, I36, I40, I4I j Tolstoi, General, ii., 271 Tbplitz, Meeting at, iii., 143 j Treaty of Ackerman, i., 85, 199. Treaty of Adrianople, i., 289, 290, 301, 316, 320, 324, 325, 351, 352 Treaty of Commerce between England and Turkey (183S), iii., 284 Treaty of London of July 6, 1827 (Greece), i., 45 Treaty between France and England of October 22, 1832 (the Belgian ques- tion), ii., 411 INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. 359 Treaty between Russia, Austria, Prussia, and England of July 15, 1840 (the Eastern question), in., 324 Treaty of the Quadruple Alliance (England, France, Spain, and Portu- gal), April 22, 1834, ii., 504 Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi, ii., 456 ; iii., 193 Trial, The monster, in Paris, iii., 121, 127 Turkey. See Russo-Turkish War. Turkmanchai, Peace of, i., 107 Turton, Mr., iii., 271 Twiss, Mr. Horace, ii., 177 United States, Claims of,against France, iii., 84, 165 Unkiar Skelessi, Treaty of, ii., 456 ; iii., 193 Valdez, General, i., 134, 152 Valencay, description of, iii., 202 Valletort, Viscount, ii., 192 Van de Weyer, Count, ii., 378 Varna, invested, i., 140 ; bombarded, 171 ; surrendered, 174, 177, 181 Vaughan, Sir C. , iii., 261 Verstolk, Baron, ii. , 469 Victoria, H.R.H. Princess, iii., 88 ; becomes Queen, 238 ; her first Council, 239 ; Court of, 261 ; coro- nation of, 269, 272 ; marriage of, 307, 311, 314; country visits of, 337 Villa Flor, Count, i., 286, 448 Villa Real, i., 98 ; blow given him by Don Miguel, 106 ; ii., 364 Villain XIV., M., ii., 212 Villele, M. de, i., 76, 79 ; dismissed, 98, 472, 476, 477 Vixen, The case of the, iii., 232 Yyvyan, Sir R., ii., 193 Walewski, Count, ii., 139 Walmesley, Mr., ii., 205 Ward, Sir H., ii., 503 Warsaw, Insurrection breaks out at, ii., 128 ; massacres at, 272 ; city taken, 278 ; speech of Czar Nicholas at, iii., 165, 168 Waver, Russian defeat at, ii., 208, 212 Welloley, Marquis of, iii., ilS Wellington, Duke of, Commander in Chief, i., 33, 35 ; reappointed, 51, 53 ; interview with George IV., 46 ; takes office (January, 1828), 99 ; talks with Princess Lieven, 165, 167 ; undertakes the Catholic Relief Pill, 201, 226, 238 ; letter to Dr. Curtis, 214, 217; recalls Lord Anglesey, 219, 221, 225 ; his opinion of Prince Metternich, 234, 237 ; on the policy of Prince Polignac, 239, 240, 257, 268, 271, 274, 275 ; his opinion of him, 279, 296 ; asks for the recall of Prince Lieven, 39S, 4 1 6, 4 1 8 ; libels against, 2 97> 399> 4 QI 5 dines with M. de Lieven, 426 ; view of the Russian Turkish War, 442, 449 And William IV., ii., 18 ; his com- miseration for Charles X., 46 ; the question of Reform, 101, 102 ; declares against it, 114; resigns, 116 ; William IV. 's speech about him, 143 ; on the Reform Bill, 191, 217, 258 ; on Belgium, 265, 292 ; interview with Lord Grey, 269 ; fails to form a Government, 349 ; his opinion of Don Pedro's chances of success, 367 ; moves an address on British neutrality towards Portu- gal, 448-45 The death of Mrs. Arbuthnot, iii., 3 ; sent for by the King, 39 ; under- takes the Government during Sir R. Peel's absence, 47 ; the Irish Tithe Bill, 141 ; on the Turkish Empire, 185 ; speaks on the Irish Municipal Bill, 204 ; at the Queen's Coronation, 270 Wessenberg, Baron, ii., 361, 391 ; iii., 130 Westmeath, Countess of, ii., 381 Westmorland, Earl of, i., 147, 149 Wetherell, Sir C, ii., 198 Wharncliffe, Lord, ii., 252, 332 Wielopolski, Marquis, ii., 139 William I., King of Holland. See Belgium William I., King of Wiirtemberg, q.v. William IV., King, First Council of, ii., 17 ; closes the session, 26, 29 ; stories about him, 27, 28 ; his opinion of Louis Philippe, 48, 49, 56 ; his speeches at table, 51, 53, 143 ; sends for Lord Grey, 121 ; dissolves Parliament in person, 213 ; views of Reform, 224, 225, 233 ; and Lady Jersey, 233 ; coronation of, 256, 259, 274 ; at Brighton, 496 Receives Lord Grey, iii., 2 ; distress at Lady de l'lsle's death, 234 ; illness and death of, 238. See also- under Clarence. Wilson, Sir R., i., 39 ; ii., 101 Wilton, Countess of, i., 10 36o INDEX TO THE THREE VOLUMES. Windsor Castle, Description of new apartments at, i., 218 ; ii., 206 Witepsk, ii., 271 Wood, Sir C. (afterwards Lord Halifax), marries Lady Mary Grey, i., 250, 258 ; speeches in Parliament, iii., Wiirtemberg, King William I. of, ii., 28 ; refuses to let his daughter marry the Due d'Orleans, iii., 132 ; refuses to let his son marry Prin- cess Marie, daughter of Louis Philippe, 245 Wiirtemberg, Prince Eugene of, i., 180 Wiirtemberg, the Princes of, in England, ii-. 453 Wynford, Lord, ii., 189 York, H.R.H. the Duke of, Death of, i., 26-28 Vussuf Pasha, i., 179, 188, 197, 201 Zea Bermudez, M., ii., 409, 410, 420, 423 ; Prime Minister, 484, 489 ; iii., 140, 327 Zuylen, Baron, ii., 361, 406 'V THE END. BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. /. D. & Co. HH^^^H^ DATE DUE n FFR L r L.D JL O L U I 1 fc JFP n o ?nn? wtr v £UU£ nf f a e ?ii? (K 1 00 towt Pfin|«d In USA .v«S«f COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 0030171385 940.9 o m > a* m • O