that
time, but the newspapers by some means immediately got hold of
this project and violently attacked the Government for thinking
of sending him out. He does not appear to have known what
intermediate deliberation led to a change in the determination of
the Ministers in regard to himself. He says that Lord Chatham,
who was much attached to him, and was then a Cabinet Minister,
came to him one day, and told him he was betrayed, and that he
was sacrificed to make way for Sir A. Wellesley; that soon after
this Lord L. sent for him, and said that he was extremely sorry
that public opinion was so strongly against his appointment to
the command of the army that it was impossible for Government to
confer it upon him. Soon after this the expedition was formed,
and Sir A. Wellesley was appointed to the command. This was the
Duke's own version of the transaction.

1823.

[Page Head: GEORGE THE THIRD'S WILL.]

Some particulars concerning the late King's will were told me by
the Duke of York as we were going to Oatlands to shoot on
Wednesday, the 8th of January, 1823. The King was empowered by
Act of Parliament to make a will about the year 1766. In 1770 he
made a will, by which he left all he had to the Queen for her
life, Buckingham House to the Duke of Clarence, some property to
the Duke of Kent, and to the Duke of York his second best George
and some other trifling remembrance. He considered the Duke of
York provided for by the Bishopric of Osnaburgh. Of this will
three copies were made; one was deposited in the German
_chancellerie_ in England, one in Hanover, and the other it was
believed the King kept himself. He afterwards resolved to cancel
this will, and two of the copies of it were destroyed, the third
still existing (I could not make out by what means--if he told me
I have forgotten--or which copy it was that survived). In 1810
the King made another will, but for various reasons he always put
off signing it, once or twice because he wished to make
alterations in it; at length he appointed a day to sign it, but
when the Chancellor brought it one of the witnesses was absent,
and the signature was again postponed. Other days were afterwards
fixed for this purpose, but before the signature was affixed the
King was taken ill, and consequently the will never was signed.
After the death of the King the only good will, therefore, was
his original will of 1770, which was produced and re