Sunday, 28th Jan., 1810, Pall Mall.—A belief afloat that Prince Stahremberg is the bearer of an offer of peace from Ld. Wellesley to Napoleon. He went yesterday to Paris.
Lds. Thanet, Erskine, Sr. Philip Francis, and Don Domingo de Souza[344] dined.
WINDHAM’S WILL
June, 1810.—It appears that Windham from the period of his leaving College had kept a diary; the last entry was on the day the operation was decided.[345] He says: ‘This day sentence has been passed upon me,’ It fills 15 vols. in 4to., and according to his will is annexed as an heirloom to the proprietor of Fellbrigge; so in case of failure of issue in Capt. Lukin, it will fall into the hands of the Egremont family. A curious instance of weakness in Windham, and one that probably never would have been drawn forth, but for the feelings stirred up by the French Revolution: he has put Lord Egremont into the entail of his estate, treating him as a relation. During his life the relationship was never claimed, and certainly not admitted, either by him or by Ld. Egremont; the mode of spelling the name is quite different. He left six thousand pr. ann., at least, to his wife, who has most indecorously exposed to public sale all his books and common pamphlets; the latter especially are scribbled over entirely with his own observations on the margin. These have been bought up by the booksellers, and will hereafter be sold as immensely valuable from possessing his notes. There is a pamphlet of Sr. S. Romilly’s upon the state of Criminal Law, which is entirely written over by W.; and the strictures intended merely for himself to reply to in the H. of Commons are most likely not calculated to please Romilly, or indeed could they have been designed for his eye.
When Perceval proposed last year, 1809, to Lord Grenville and Grey to form a part of his Administration, some private correspondence in consequence of this overture took place between these Lords. They agreed perfectly in the propriety of rejecting the terms as proposed, but as it was just possible they might be addressed again upon a similar occasion, they discussed the state of their own views, &c. Ld. Grenville told Grey that whenever they came into office, and were enabled to make the concessions deemed necessary to the Irish Catholics, he intended to propose that his brother, Lord Buckingham, should be the person sent over; that he had always contributed so disinterestedly to the support of the party, that as it was his wish to go, he considered him entitled to it. This hint was not relished, nor was it combated; but the Grenvilles are great graspers and encroachers.
At the Installation[346] Lord Grenville promised the heads of Houses to supply them with venison, having been promised by his brother 15 brace. A few days before the festival Ld. B. sent to say he could not furnish any venison, and but for the good nature of private friends he would not have been able to fulfil his engagement. The Duke of Bedford told me this, and was one of the persons applied to, and gave 4 brace. Ld. B. is envious of his brother, and enjoys his feeling any mortification.
THE LAKE COUNTRY
We made an excursion for seven weeks to the North in order to amuse Henry, and try the effect of change of air, as he was not well. We went by Derby and Lancashire to Appleby Castle, Ld. Thanet’s. We stayed there a few days in order that Ld. H. might get some fishing; from thence we went to the Lake of Ullswater, and dined at Patterdale. Returned and slept at Penrith.