course of those ten months
every man in his army was twice in hospital. Never did
an army suffer more severely from sickness.]

January 25th, 1829 {p.159}

Lord Anglesey's departure from Dublin was very fine, and his
answer to the addresses good. I fancy George Villiers had some
hand in penning them. The Duke when he dined with us the other
day said that a Russian Extraordinary Ambassador was coming here
to overhaul Lieven, a M. Matuscewitz. He is the principal writer
in their Foreign Office, a clever man. Their despatches are more
able than they used to be, but the Duke said that the Turkish
offices are better conducted than any, and the Turkish Ministers
extremely able. Lord Bathurst told me he had lately read the
minutes of a conversation between the Reis-Effendi and the Allied
Ministers after the battle of Navarino, when they were ignorant
whether the Turk had received intelligence of the event, and that
his superiority over them was exceedingly striking. This was the
conference in which when they asked him 'supposing such an event
had happened, what he should say to it,' he replied 'that in his
country they never named a child till its sex was ascertained.'

Everybody thinks the appointment of the Duke of Northumberland a
very good one, and that the Duke is in great luck to get him. It
is surprising that he should have consented to go, but he
probably likes to do something and display his magnificence. He
is a very good sort of man, with a very narrow understanding, an
eternal talker, and prodigious bore. The Duchess is a more
sensible woman, and amiable and good-humoured. He is supposed to
be ruled in all things by her advice; he has no political
opinions, and though he has hitherto voted against the Catholics,
he is one of the people who pin their faith on the Duke, and who
are made to vote in any way and upon anything as he may please to
desire them.

This pension of Lady Westmeath's makes a great noise, and it is
generally believed that when Lord Anglesey refused to grant it
the Duke got the King's sign manual for it, and the job was done.
The truth is that Lord Anglesey had at first refused, or rather
expressed his disapprobation, and asked the Duke if the King had
commanded it, to which the Duke sent an angry answer that he
might have been sure he should not have recommended it but by the
King's commands. M---- told me the pension (L400) was granted
four months ago, for he signed