Scotland, and, being dissatisfied with
what was done, he nearly wrote it over again, and sent it up to
the editor. Some time after finding another copy of the proofs,
he forgot that he had corrected them before, and he rewrote these
also and sent them up, and the editor is at this moment engaged
in selecting from the two corrected copies the best parts of
each.

Yesterday I met the Chancellor at dinner at the Master of the
Rolls', when he told me about the King and Denman.[12] The King
would not have the Recorder's report last week, because the
Recorder was too ill to attend, and he was resolved not to see
Denman. The Duke went to him, when he threw himself into a
terrible tantrum, and was so violent and irritable that they were
obliged to let him have his own way for fear he should be ill,
which they thought he would otherwise certainly be. He is rather
the more furious with Denman from having been forced to consent
to his having the silk gown, and he said at that time that he
should never set his foot in any house of his; so that business
is at a standstill, and the unfortunate wretches under sentence
of death are suffered to linger on, because he does not choose to
do his duty and admit to his presence an officer to whom he has
taken an aversion. As the Chancellor said to me, 'the fact is, he
is mad.' The fact is that he is a spoiled, selfish, odious beast,
and has no idea of doing anything but what is agreeable to
himself, or of there being any duties attached to the office he
holds. The expenses of the Civil List exceed the allowance in
every branch, every quarter; but nobody can guess how the money
is spent, for the King makes no show and never has anybody there.
My belief is that ---- and ---- ---- plunder him, or rather the
country, between them, in certain stipulated proportions. Among
other expenses his tailor's bill is said to be L4,000 or L5,000 a
year. He is now employed in devising a new dress for the Guards.

[12] [Thomas Denman, afterwards Lord Denman and Lord Chief
Justice of England, was at this time Common Serjeant of
the City of London. George IV. hated him for the part
he had taken on the Queen's trial, and did all he could
to prevent his having a silk gown. _Vide supra_,
p. 156, January 16th, 1829.]

[Page Head: STRAWBERRY HILL]

November 21st, 1829 {p.247}

Maclane, the American Minister, could not come, but Irving did.
He is livel