Yesterday a Council was held at St. James's for the coronation; the Princes, Ministers, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of London were present. The King read an address to the Lords desiring that his coronation might be short, and that all the ceremonies might be dispensed with except those in the church. Lord Grey had composed a paper in which he had made the King say that these ceremonies were at variance with the genius of the age we live in, and suited to another period of society; but the Archbishop objected to these expressions, and thought it better to give the injunction without the comments; so Lord Grey wrote another and shorter paper, but he showed the first to Lord Lansdowne and me, and we both told him that we thought the Archbishop was right and that the second paper was the best. The Duke of Gloucester was very indignant at not having been summoned in a more respectful way than by a common circular, and complained to the Lord President.[8] I told him to throw it all on me. He had been grumbling to the Duke of Sussex before, who did not care. Leopold was too much of a king to attend, so he came to the levee (but _en prince_ only) and not to the Council. Lieven told me it was true that the Grand Duke Constantine was dead, and that it was a very good thing. [8] [It is customary to summon the Royal Dukes to a Council by a letter This formality seems to have been overlooked in this instance.] CHAPTER XV. Preparations for the Coronation--Long Wellesley committed by the Chancellor for Contempt--Alderman Thompson and his Constituents--Prince Leopold goes to Belgium--Royal Tombs and Remains--The Lieutenancy of the Tower--The Cholera--The Belgian Fortresses--Secret Negotiations of Canning with the Whigs-- Transactions before the Close of the Liverpool Administration-- Duke of Wellington and Peel--The Dutch invade Belgium--Defeat of the Belgian Army--The French enter Belgium--Lord Grey's Composure--Audience at Windsor--Danger of Reform--Ellen Tree-- The French in Belgium--Goodwood--The Duke of Richmond--The Reform Bill in Difficulties--Duke of Wellington calls on Lord Grey--The King declines to be kissed by the Bishops-- Talleyrand's Conversation--State of Europe and France-- Coronation Squabbles--The King divides the old Great Seal between Brougham and Lyndhurst--Relations of the Duchess of Kent to George IV. and William IV.--The Coronation--Irritation of the King--The Cholera--A Dinner at St. James's--State of the Reform Bill--Sir Augustus d'Este--Madame Junot--State of France--Poland. July 15th, 1831 {p.165}