30th.—Dined at Canterbury; Captain Thomas dined with us. Got late to Dover. We hear so much of French privateers that we have sent off an express to Admiral Peyton for a cutter to protect us.
Sailed on Monday, 2nd December, bad wind and bad day. Towards night the sea grew rough and I grew frightened. After a blowing passage, we got safe to Ostend in fifteen hours.
Tuesday, 3rd December.—Tormented by the impertinence and exactions of the people at the Douane. Set off at five in the evening, a winter night, for Bruges, which we reached with difficulty very late at night.
Wednesday.—We dined at Ghent, arrived at Bruxelles at three o’clock in the morning, cold and uncomfortable, and unnecessarily made to travel at these hours. We could get no other accommodations but the same bad ones we had before at the Belle Vue.
Thursday.—This place is crowded with people of my acquaintance, the Cholmondeleys, etc. She is in a low state, and really affected by the death of the Duchess,[107] who died at Lausanne. I passed the evening there. Lord Yarmouth gave us some curious details about the French prisoners; 4000 are marched into Hungary to work in the mines. He declaimed against the obstinacy of the French who will not accede to any cartel, although the Austrians have offered three French in exchange for one Austrian.
The hatred between the soldiery is so great that in the hospitals the sick will not share their food, or lie in the same room. He thinks Toulon quite untenable. I went to supper at Ld. Elgin’s. Nobody would credit that W. Wyndham was appointed Minister to Florence; ‘Comment donc, ce petit polisson, ce petit Jacobin.’ He passed last winter here, and belonged to the Jacobin Club at Paris, and was very much slighted here. Ld. Elgin frankly told me he doubted my story, it was impossible that such a man could be employed.
I had a long conversation with Ld. Malmesbury,[108] who is going to Ath to meet the D. of York. I desired him to deliver my message, which was from T. P., to say that he would obey his instructions in Parliament, what to say about Dunkirk, etc. Ld. M.’s private opinion is that the Duke’s friends ought to be silent, and leave Ministry to fight for their own measures, as they alone can be responsible. Whether the proposal originated with the Duke or at home is not material for his public character. I saw Ld. Darnley,[109] he is less farouche than he was. He has married Miss Bourke [sic]. I asked him how the Dss. of G. let him escape her; he said he was naturally obstinate, and the pains she took to prevent his marrying hastened it. He is going to Berlin with Ld. M.
LORD MALMESBURY’S MISSION
Barnave is executed; I am disposed to be sorry, as he latterly showed great humanity about the Queen. When condemned he spoke like a philosopher, ‘Citoyens, la Revolution tue les hommes, mais la postérité les jugera’; but he died like a coward, he scuffled when they tried to fasten him to the fatal plank. Ld. Moira is sailed to take the command of the army.[110] Lord Howe is out, and probably gone very far to the westward, as a frigate was brought in that had been taken off Ushant. Ld. Malmesbury thinks he shall not succeed in his attempts to obtain La Fayette’s release. He has no instructions whatever from Ministry, and all must be done through his own influence. The Duchess of Devonshire suggested the measure to him: she did not intend writing a letter herself to the Empress of Russia to beg her interference on behalf of the poor captive, but all will be fruitless. I went in the evening to the Baron de Breteuil’s.[111] He is in excellent spirits, and very sanguine about Lord Moira’s expedition. He praises d’Hervilly, who is the chief instigator of the scheme.
Saturday.—I had a narrow escape of being burnt in my bed last night. A very strong smell of burning made me uneasy, and I examined the room; upon taking up some of the floor we discovered that the beams near the hearth were burnt to cinders.