Tuesday, 15th May.— ... Heard from Lord John “that he yesterday brought forward the question of Irish Tithes in a speech of two hours, in which he endeavoured to review the whole subject. Sir Thomas Acland then moved to rescind the resolution of 1835. He spoke temperately and well. Lord Stanley made a short speech professing a desire to settle the Question; Lord Morpeth finished the debate for the night with a very vigorous and very effective speech. The division will probably take place tonight, and may be rather early.” Lord Melbourne told me yesterday that he thought Sir Robert Peel’s speech at the dinner on Saturday very moderate; but that the whole thing seemed to have been “rather flat....” Lord Melbourne said he did not know what the Council (today) was to be about; I said neither did I know, but that it was Lord Glenelg who wished for it. “They always run everything so very late in that Colonial Office,” he said; that they never thought when they would want a Council, and when they did, they said they wanted it immediately, and always upon the most inconvenient days; that to-day was a most inconvenient day for the Members of the House of Commons.... Lord Melbourne said that Lord Munster had been to see him this morning, about their (the Fitzclarences’) Pensions, on the Civil List, which there was some fear the Committee might make some difficulty about, which Lord Melbourne said would be very hard; Lord Munster came to show Lord Melbourne the letter he meant to write (to Mr. Rice, I think) about it. This pension was granted them by George IV. Lord Munster told Lord Melbourne that the late King always imagined that Lord Egremont[482] would leave Lord Munster a great deal; and whenever he gave Lord Munster anything, he used to write to Lord Egremont to tell him he had done so, which Lord Egremont did not at all like and said, “This is a scheme from the beginning,” meaning that the King promoted the match on account of the money. Lord Melbourne said, “Lord Egremont was a very good man but rather suspicious”; from always having had a very large fortune he fancied people wanted to get it from him. He gave Lord Munster £5,000 about a fortnight before he died. Spoke of this new Election Committee Bill which Sir Robert Peel asked for leave to bring in. He proposes that at the beginning of each session the Speaker should name 6 or 4 Members who should then choose the Committees to try the Elections. Formerly, as Lord Melbourne told me once before, the Elections used to be tried by the whole House, and it was considered such a mark of want of confidence in the Ministers if their Member was unseated, that Sir Robert Walpole resigned when the Member for Chippenham was unseated. When this became “too flagrant” Lord Melbourne said, George Grenville, great-grandfather to the present Duke of Buckingham, made what is called “the Grenville Act,” which is as they are tried now; viz. the Speaker draws 40 names from glasses, with which Lists the different parties retire and strike off names from each list until they get it down to 15; and that’s the Committee. Now this, Lord Melbourne said, is found to be partial,[483] and a new mode must be devised.
Don Fernando Prince of Portugal
from recollection
P.V. del. Ken. Palace. April, 1836.
H.S.H. PRINCE FERDINAND OF SAXE-COBURG,
AFTERWARDS KING CONSORT OF PORTUGAL.
From a sketch by Princess Victoria.
Lord Melbourne said Lord Redesdale[484] brought him the Duke of Wellington’s letter yesterday. Lord Melbourne had seen Lord John this morning, who thinks we shall only have a majority of 11 to-night, and that Mr. Hobhouse said we should have more in order to delude us into security.
Wednesday, 16th May.—Got up at 10 and heard from Lord John that on a Division we had a majority of 19, which he said was more than he expected. How thankful I am and feel! Lord Melbourne said he heard that Ferdinand was annoyed at our pressing the Portuguese Government about the Slave Trade; and that it would be well, if I were to state to Ferdinand that the feeling was so strong in this country about Slavery, and we were so pressed about it, that it was impossible for us to do otherwise. I spoke to Lord Melbourne of these Resolutions relative to the Irish Tithe Bill, which I thought excellent, but which he said a very great number of people were against. I observed that Lord John had told me at Windsor that he thought we should not carry it, but that it might be compromised. Lord Melbourne then again repeated that the Established Church was generally kept up for the Poor, as the rich could afford that themselves; whereas in Ireland, 700,000 are Roman Catholics, and the Established Church is only kept up for the Protestant feeling in the United Kingdom, and not for the Poor who are almost all Roman Catholics. I then asked about who should stand Sponsor in my place at the Christening of Col. and Lady Catharine Buckley’s[485] little boy, who is to be christened down in the New Forest where they lived. I said the child was to be called Victor, which I thought an ugly name; he did not, and said laughing that “Sir Victor Buckley” would sound very well....
Friday, 18th May.—We spoke of various things; I asked him if he liked my headdress which was done in plaits round my ears,[486] for I know in general he only likes the hair in front crêpé in 2 puffs. He said, looking at me and making one of his funny faces, “It’s pretty; isn’t it rather curious—something new?”
Saturday, 19th May.—At a little after 2 I rode out with Mamma, Lord Uxbridge, Lord Torrington, Lady Forbes, dearest Lehzen, Lord Alfred, Miss Dillon, Mr. Murray, Lord Headfort, Lady Flora, Miss Quentin, and Col. Cavendish, and came home at 6 m. to 5. I rode dear little Uxbridge who went perfectly. We met Lord Melbourne in going out, who was riding his pony. We rode out by the Harrow Road and home by the Uxbridge Road and Park. Heard from Lord John that “he yesterday stated to the House of Commons the course respecting the Irish Bills, which he had the honour to explain to Your Majesty yesterday. Sir Robert Peel asked for a delay till Friday, and appeared much agitated; but what afterwards fell from him gives every reason to suppose that the Municipal Corporations Bill will not be opposed. Nor is it probable that the Irish Tithe Bill will meet with resistance from the Radical party in the House of Commons. The Chancellor of the Exchequer made a very clear financial statement, and the deficiency of the Revenue being before known, no disappointment was caused by the announcement. Should matters proceed smoothly another fortnight will end the chief party questions in the House of Commons.” This was delightful news.... “Very nice party” (my Concert), Lord M. said, “and everybody very much pleased.” I smiled and said I feared I had done it very ill; that I was quite angry with myself and thought I had done it so ill; and was not civil enough. He said most kindly, “Oh! no, quite the contrary, for I should have told you if it had been otherwise.” I then said I had felt so nervous and shy. “That wasn’t at all observed,” he said. I said that I often stood before a person not knowing what to say; and Lord Melbourne said that the longer one stood thinking the worse it was; and he really thought the best thing to do was to say anything commonplace and foolish, better than to say nothing.
Sunday, 20th May.—Lord Melbourne was in delightful spirits and so talkative and so kind and so very agreeable throughout the evening. I almost fear therefore (in consequence of our having talked so much) that I may have forgotten some of the things we talked about. I asked him if he had dined at Lord Shrewsbury’s the night before; he said no, that it was all a mistake; he went there, was shown upstairs, where he found Lord Shrewsbury alone with his books and papers, who said that all his family were gone to the Opera; Lord Melbourne said, “I came to dine here”; upon which Lord S. told him that it was next Saturday; Lord Melbourne said it was very stupid of himself to forget it, as Lord Shrewsbury had put off the dinner on account of him. He walked home, found his people at home, got his dinner in ½ an hour, and went to his sister’s. Spoke of the Preachers being so badly appointed at the Chapel Royal, which Lord Melbourne said was a great pity, as it would have been such “an instrument of good” if it had been the contrary. We looked at some prints, and amongst others there was a very clever one of Capt. Macheath with Polly and Lucy in The Beggar’s Opera; Lord Melbourne said that The Beggar’s Opera was written by Gay, and was used by the Tory Party in order to show up Lord Townshend[487] and Sir Robert Walpole; was very clever, and had an immense run; but is coarse beyond conception; it was likewise performed with great success when Lord Sandwich brought forward an indictment against Mr. Wilkes for immorality. Of Lord Teynham[488] wanting to have a Private Audience of me, which Lord Melbourne stopped; he said Peers are only allowed to have these Private Audiences to speak on Public Affairs, and not on Private concerns; that when the Regent wanted to prevent Lady Jersey going so often to see Princess Charlotte, Lord Jersey asked for a Private audience; and the Regent said to him, “Of course you come to speak of Public matters, for if you come to speak about your wife, I cannot speak to you,” and he spoke to him upon ordinary matters and dismissed him. Talleyrand is dead—at last!
Monday, 21st May.—Spoke of Talleyrand’s death, which Lord Melbourne said he heard was quite like that of the former French Ministers—like Mazarin—the house full of people to see him die. He (Ld. Melbourne) said he had heard that Louis Philippe and Mme. Adelaide had been to see Talleyrand. Spoke of his fear of dying, which Lord Melbourne said people always said of persons whose feelings on religion were rather loose. Lord Melbourne said he heard that Talleyrand had signed a sort of recantation to the Pope, for something he had done, at the time of the Revolution—for having performed Mass upon some occasion or other....[489]