The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IVGreville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
The agitation the other night on the division was prodigious. The
Government, who stayed in the House, thought they had lost it by
ten, and the Opposition, who were crowded in the lobby, fancied
from their numbers that they were sure of winning. There was
betting going on all night long, and large sums have been won and
lost. The people in the lobby were miscounted, and they thought
they had 303. At the levee yesterday and Council; the Government
are by way of being satisfied, but hardly can be. I met the Duke
of Wellington afterwards, who owned to me that he thought this
small majority for the Bill was on the whole the best thing that
could have occurred, and that seems to be the opinion generally
of its opponents.
Nothing particularly at the levee; Brougham very good fun. The
King, who had put off going to the Opera on account of the death
of his son-in-law Kennedy, appeared in mourning (crape, that is),
which is reckoned bad taste; the public allow natural feeling to
supersede law and etiquette, but it is too much to extend that
courtesy to a 'son-in-law,' and his daughter is not in England.
Somebody said that 'it was the first time a King of England had
appeared in mourning that his subjects did not wear.' In the
evening to the Ancient Concert, where the Queen was, and
by-the-bye in mourning, and the Margravine and Duchess of
Gloucester too, but they (the two latter) could hardly be
mourning for Lord Cassilis's son. Horace Seymour, Meynell, and
Calvert were all turned out of their places in the Lord
Chamberlain's department on account of their votes the other
night.
The change of Ministers at Paris and Casimir Perier's speech have
restored something like confidence about French affairs. The
Prince of Orange is gone back to Holland, to his infinite
disgust; he was escorted by Lady Dudley Stewart and Mrs. Fox as
far as Gravesend, I believe, where they were found the next day
in their white satin shoes and evening dresses. He made a great
fool of himself here, and destroyed any sympathy there might have
been for his political misfortunes; supping, dancing, and acting,
and little (rather innocent) orgies at these ladies' houses
formed his habitual occupation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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