The Duke of Wellington on the Afghan War--Charles Buller--Lord Ellenborough's Extravagance--Assassination of Edward Drummond--Nomination of Sheriffs--Opening of the Session of Parliament--Lord Ellenborough's Position--Disclosure of Evidence on the Boundary Question--Debate on Lord Ellenborough's Proclamation--Lord Ellenborough Vindicated--Lord Brougham's Activity--Lord Palmerston attacks the American Treaty--Lord Althorp's Accession to Office in 1830--Death of John Allen--Death of the Duke of Sussex--Death of Mr. Arkwright--Death of Lady William Bentinck--Death of Lord Fitz Gerald--Lady W. Bentinck's Funeral--The Temple Church--Racing--State of the Country--The Privy Council Register--Ascot; the King of Hanover--Difficulties of the Government--A Tour on the Continent--The Rothschilds. _January 19th, 1843._--I went to Apsley House yesterday to see my brother,[53] and while I was in his room the Duke came in. He was looking remarkably well, strong, hearty, and of a good colour. He was in very good spirits and humour, and began talking about everything, but particularly about Lieut. Eyre's book, the recent Indian campaign, the blunders committed, and Ellenborough's strange behaviour. He said that Lord Auckland had been unfortunate in having lost successively all his commanding officers, first Sir Henry Fane, then Lord Keane, who, when he had done the job on which he was employed, had come home; then Sir Willoughby Cotton, who would have done well enough, for he had marched his men up very well, and why he came away, he never had understood. So at last the command devolved on Elphinstone, who was unfit, and the end was that there was not one head amongst them. 'I know,' he said, 'very well what they ought to have done, and how all these disasters might have been avoided, if they had acted as they should have done, in time; but if you ask me what they ought to have done, or what I should have done myself at a later period, about the middle of November, I could not give you any answer. I do not know what they could have done and I do not know what I should have done myself; I cannot tell you. What they ought to have done at first, was this: the moment Burnes was murdered, and the first symptom of an outbreak appeared, they should have occupied the Bala Hissar with 500 or 600 men, instantly taken military possession of Cabul, and of all the forts in the neighbourhood of the entrenchment, calculated the amount of stores and provision requisite, and set about their collection in Cabul itself; and if this had been promptly done they would have been able to maintain themselves without any difficulty, and none of these events would have occurred. But the great error they committed was in the breach of a fundamental rule universally established in our intercourse with the Native Powers, that no troops should be employed in the collection of the revenue. They sent Shah