Wednesday, 22nd.—Mr. Tierney, Mr. Grenville, and Ld. Darnley dined.
Thursday, 23rd Nov.—Ministerial papers announce very triumphantly that Ld. Wellesley has accepted the office offered to him by them, and is to come home immediately and fill his place.
Ly. Eliz.[335] came, the first time I have seen her since her marriage with Duke of Devonshire; I could not utter a congratulation upon the occasion. The Lambs, Mr. Windham, S. Lockington, Sr. Robt. Wilson, Mr. Stuart, Duke of Argyle, Ld. Robt. FitzGerald, Ly. Affleck dined.
Mr. C.’s statement is not yet out. My mother returned from Gosport with Charles, whom she had been to see on acct. of his illness.
Friday, 24th Nov.—Ld. Wellesley has written to Mr. Canning assigning his reasons for accepting, but what they are I know not.
PANSHANGER
14th Dec., 1809.—The Whig Corporation of Nottingham having done Ld. H. the honour of choosing him their Recorder, vacant by the death of the D. of Portland, it was necessary for him to go there and take the oaths. Accordingly we took the opportunity of making the journey in part with him, and of paying some visits on our way, for change of air for me after a confinement is indispensable to keep off a whole train of nervous disorders, and I did not much relish the notion of a trip to Nottingham to share his civic honours. On this day we went to Panshanger, on the banks of the Mimram, a very Asiatic sound! A pretty place of Lord Cowper’s in Hertfordshire. We took Tierney with us. Found besides the family, Lds. Essex, Erskine, and Mr. Giles Lewis. No news of the result of the election at Oxford,[336] but the Grenvilles began to despond.
Drove out to see the new college at Haileybury, a large, ugly, mean-looking conventual building. In the eve, news came of Lord Grenville’s success at Oxford; carried it by a majority of 13.
15th.—Drove to Woolmers, a dismal, damp, ill-kept house, belonging to Ld. Stafford. It was too cold to walk to the spring, and, indeed, I am too lame to undertake any excursion on foot.
16th, Sunday.—We were to have gone away, but delayed our departure in order to see Ly. Melbourne, who was coming on the ensuing day.