ls. [This was the famous
case of La Ronciere, very inaccurately stated above. There is now
little doubt that La Ronciere was innocent, and that the story
was got up by the girl to revenge herself on him for some
slight.]

[Page Head: THE KING'S WHIMS.]

My brothers tell me that the Duke is bored to death with the
King, who thinks it necessary to be giving advice and opinions
upon different matters, always to the last degree ridiculous and
absurd. He is just now mightily indignant at Lord Napier's affair
at Canton, and wants to go to war with China. He writes in this
strain to the Duke, who is obliged to write long answers, very
respectfully telling him what an old fool he is. Another crotchet
of his is to buy the Island of St. Bartholomew (which belongs to
Denmark, and which the Danes want to sell) for fear the Russians
should buy it, as he is very jealous of Russia. The Duke told him
that it would cost L70,000 or L80,000, for which they must go to
Parliament; and he did not think any House of Commons we were
likely to have would vote such a sum for such a purpose. Then he
does not at all like Pozzo di Borgo's coming here, and wrote to
say that since he was to come, it was well that he would have the
vigilant eye of the Duke to watch him, for he never could look
upon him in any other light than as the servile tool of advancing
the ambitious objects of an aggrandising and unprincipled Power,
or words to that effect. He thinks his present Ministers do not
treat him well, inasmuch as they do not tell him enough. The
last, it seems, constantly fed him with scraps of information
which he twaddled over, and probably talked nonsense about; but
it is difficult to imagine anything more irksome for a Government
beset with difficulties like this than to have to discuss the
various details of their measures with a silly bustling old
fellow, who can by no possibility comprehend the scope and
bearing of anything.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Speakership--Temporary Houses of Parliament--Church Reform--
Dissenters' Marriage Bill--Peel's False Position--Burke--
Palmerston's Talents as a Man of Business and Unpopularity--
Sympathy of Continental Courts with the Tories--Abercromby
elected Speaker--Defeat of the Government--Tactics of the
Opposition--The Speaker does not dine with Peel--Meeting of
Stanley's Friends--Debate on the Address--Lord John Russell
leads the Opposition--The Stanley Part