Thursday, 22nd March.—Lord Melbourne said he had been to see the Duke of Wellington this morning about asking him to be at the head of a Commission to be appointed to inquire into the promotions in the Army and in the Marines, which were so very slow in the time of peace and about which they were being attacked in the House of Commons. Lord Melbourne said the Duke had consented to it; and that his being at the head of it “will give it authority”; the Duke wished to know who was to be in the Commission; Lord Melbourne named them to him and he was very well satisfied with them. Lord Melbourne told me some of them, which are: Lord Hill, Sir Hussey Vivian, Sir Alexander Dickson,[415] Sir Thomas Hardy,[416] the First Lord of the Admiralty,[417] and the Secretary at War.[418] Lord Melbourne said, with the tears in his eyes (kind, excellent man), that the Duke was in very good humour, and “a very pleasant man to do business with, I think; he is so plain and speaks to the point.” The Duke had been reviewing the Battalions which are going to Canada, and praised them very much, and said “particularly my regiment.” The Duke said that Lord Brougham’s speech on the Poor Laws was the best he ever heard him make. I told Lord Melbourne that Diet was the best physician for him; he said laughing, he drank too much champagne, and I added, mixed too many wines; at which he laughed a good deal. Spoke of the Queen Dowager who he is going to see at ½ p. 1 on Saturday; spoke of my calling her Queen Adelaide and not Queen Dowager, as it was painful to people to receive that name. Spoke of all changes of that kind; of the Queen Dowager’s having signed “Subject” to me the day after the King died.[419]
Friday, 23rd March.—Lord Cowper is very shy and reserved and speaks but little. He really is the image of his mother,[420] and has exactly the same voice and manner of speaking. The cut of the features is so exactly his mother’s—he looks delicate and is very thin; he has a mild and pleasing countenance. Lord Melbourne spoke to me of these Portuguese despatches which he had not yet seen. He said: “I am very glad the Queen has shown courage; it gives confidence....”
Sunday, 25th March.—I said I had heard from Uncle Leopold, who seems a good deal vexed at this recommencement of this Belgian Question; we spoke of this and Lord Melbourne said: “I don’t like it at all; I think we shall get into a quarrel somehow or other, which is a bad thing.” He said Uncle Leopold had written to Lord Palmerston about this and about this Portuguese Affair; Lord Melbourne said that Uncle wrote that people complained and with truth that Ferdinand did not show himself; upon which Dietz[421] wrote that a King should not show himself when his subjects are spilling their blood. Whereupon Uncle observed: that was a very fine German sentiment, but that if Louis Philippe had followed that principle, he would have lost his head like Louis xvi.... Of the late hurricane in Ireland; Lord Melbourne said trees never grew so well in Ireland and were all a little bent from the wind blowing across the Atlantic. He dislikes trees near a house, and he is very fond of thinning trees. Spoke of Claremont and the trees there. We then spoke of names (Xtian names) for a long while, about which Lord Melbourne was very amusing and very funny. He said Lady Ashley was always called Minny. He said: “I think Mary beautiful.” We spoke of Molly; “Molly is beautiful; it’s such a soft word, there are more liquids in it than in almost any word.” Then Bess he thinks “quite beautiful,” as also Jane, and Kate, and Alice; “Jane and Joan,” he said, “are John.” “Louisa,” he says, “is a fastidious name....”
Tuesday, 27th March.—At ½ p. 12 I rode out with Lord Conyngham, Lord Uxbridge, Lord Byron,[422] Lady Mary, dearest Lehzen, Miss Cavendish, Miss Quentin, Sir F. Stovin and Col. Cavendish, and came home at ½ p. 3, having ridden 22 miles!!! We rode very hard and Tartar went most delightfully, never was there such a dear horse. We rode to Richmond, through part of the Richmond Park, out at Robin Hood Gate, and home over Wimbledon Common and Vauxhall Bridge. It was as hot as summer, and going I thought I should have melted; coming over Wimbledon Common there was some delicious air. It was a heavenly day. At 6 m. p. 4 came Lord Melbourne and stayed with me till 20 m. to 5. He seemed well. Spoke a good deal of my ride. The Debate lasted till 11 last night, and he dined and stayed at home. Spoke of the Archbishop’s having made a long speech last night about the Indian Worship; spoke of that. Spoke of the Duke of Sussex and what he told me about the rank a Prime Minister should have, viz. that of Lord High Treasurer; Lord Melbourne said: “I think it had better remain as it is.”[423]
Wednesday, 28th March.—Spoke of my ride; of Mr. Bulwer’s novels, none of which Lord Melbourne has read. Lady Durham said it was very odd that so clever a man should be vain about his personal appearance. Lord Melbourne replied: “I think clever people generally have more of those weaknesses than others.” Lord Melbourne said: “I always predicted he would be a genius when he was a boy; and I was sure he would make a figure; he used to come over to Brocket when he was 17, and show me his poetry.” I asked Lord Melbourne if he was fond of novels; he said “very fond,” but that he had no time to read them now. Spoke of Lady Wilhelmina, who Lord Melbourne says is certainly much grown since last year. I said “Everybody grows but me.” He laughed and said, “I think you are grown....”
Thursday, 29th March.—I showed Lord Melbourne a bracelet with my portrait by Ross in it, which I’m going to give Lady Durham, which he thought very like.
Friday, 30th March.—Got up at 10 m. to 10, and breakfasted at a ¼ to 11. Heard from Lord John before breakfast, that Sir George Strickland[424] brought on this Motion for emancipating the Apprentices this year, last night, and was seconded by Mr. Pease[425] (the Quaker). Sir George Grey[426] made a speech of 2 hours and fifty minutes, and completely exhausted the subject. The speech was a very able one and Lord John thinks will change many Votes.
Sunday, 1st April.—I told him of the Duke of Cambridge and what he had said about his wish of going to the Emperor of Austria’s Coronation; and also that he said he could not dine with me on Tuesday, but invited himself to dine with me another day without the Duchess; Lord Melbourne laughed and said, “That’s very odd; Your Majesty should have said ‘That’s not right.’” Spoke of Little Holland House, which Lord Melbourne says is quite near Holland House and a very nice place, with a very pretty garden; spoke of Miss Fox, Lord Holland’s sister, who is such an amiable person; we were not sure of her age; Lord Melbourne said she was grown up when he was a boy at school; spoke of Lady Holland, who has been very handsome though he always remembers her very large; and she has a vulgar mouth and used always to say, “A vulgar ordinary mouth I have.” Spoke of her and Lady Lilford, who, Lord Melbourne said laughing, “never had the use of her legs.” Lady Holland is about 68, he thinks; she was married in 1786 to her 1st husband, Sir Godfrey Webster, when she was only 16. Spoke of Portugal &c....
Monday, 2nd April.—I said to Lord Melbourne I was so stupid that I must beg him to explain to me about Sir William Follett[427] again; he answered very kindly, “It is not stupid, but I daresay you can’t understand it,” and he explained it to me like a kind father would do to his child; he has something so fatherly, and so affectionate and kind in him, that one must love him.... I rode Lord Uxbridge’s little horse, which I have Christened Uxbridge, and which is the most charming, delightful, quiet horse possible. It has a most beautiful little head, is of a dark chestnut colour, if possible quieter than Tartar, for it never takes notice of anything; full of spirit, and very easy and pleasant in its canter which is faster than Tartar’s. It is delightful to have two such horses as Tartar and Uxbridge. It was a very warm, bright, clear, pleasant day. We rode to Hanwell through Acton; home by Castle Hill, Acton again, and in at the Victoria Gate, and home by the garden gate; we rode about 19 or 20 miles. When we were near Notting Hill, or rather more at Brookgreen, I sent on a groom to inform Lord Melbourne (who told me last night he would come to me at four today), that I should be at home in a few minutes; but when I came home, they said Lord Melbourne had been at the gate a few minutes before, and on hearing I was still out, said “Very well,” and walked his horse away. I waited in my habit till 5, the hour for the House of Lords, when I felt that my good Lord Melbourne could not come, and I wrote to him. It is my own fault....
Wednesday, 4th April.—Spoke of the Coronation, and the fuss the Princesses were in about their robes; I told Lord Melbourne that the Duchess of Gloucester had offered to hold the tip of my train when I was being crowned, as the Duchess of Brunswick had done for Queen Charlotte, and that I thought this very kind of the Duchess; which quite touched my good friend. Spoke of Hanwell, and rail-roads; I said I feared there were so many rail-roads that they could not all answer; Lord Melbourne said he feared they would not, but that he was sorry for it, as he was engaged in one. “I was fool enough to engage in one and to take 50 shares; I have already paid £1,000, and have lately had a call for £500 more,” he added. This rail-road is in Nottingham and he engaged in it about 4 years ago. I asked him if he liked rail-roads in general; he replied, “I don’t care about them,” which made me laugh; and he added that they were bad for the country as they brought such a shocking set of people “who commit every horror.” “They are picked men, who mind neither Lord nor laws, and commit every species of violence; nothing is safe,” he added; and “it’s more like a country in time of war” than peace. He spoke of Dorsetshire to Lady Portman, and she said it was so poor; he replied, “That’s because you don’t give enough wages.”