possessed of what had passed in the House of Commons, and he thought the Government ought to advise the Crown on its own responsibility what course it was expedient to adopt. After wasting an hour and a half in a very fruitless and not very interesting discussion (everybody looking bored to death except Brougham, who was talking all the time) the Council broke up without doing anything, and agreed to meet again on Friday next. Old Eldon was very busy and eager about it, and had all the papers sent to him; he could not attend, being wholly disabled by the gout. Of course the charter (at least _a_ charter) will be given, because the House of Commons in the plenitude of their ignorance, but of their power, have so decided. June 14th, 1835 {p.262} [Page Head: THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY.] Taken up with Epsom since I last wrote, and indisposed to journalising, besides having nothing to say. I did not attend the second meeting at the Privy Council on the London University question. Lord Eldon came to it, and there was some discussion, but without any violence; it ended by a report to the King, requesting he would dispense with the advice of the Council; so the matter remains with the Government. It is clear that they would have advised against granting the charter but for the answer which the King made to the address of the House of Commons, which was in fact a _promise_ to grant it. This answer was the work of Peel and Goulburn, and I can't imagine what induced them to put such an one into his Majesty's mouth, when they might have so properly made him say that he had referred the matter to the Privy Council, and was waiting for their report.