at
Stafford House, the most magnificent assembly I ever saw, and such
as I think no crowned head in Europe could display, so grand and
picturesque. The appearance of the hall was exactly like one of Paul
Veronese's pictures, and only wanted some tapestry to be hung over
the balustrades. Such prodigious space, so cool, so blazing with
light; everybody was _comfortable_ even, and the concert combined
the greatest talents in Europe all together--Grisi, Malibran,
Tamburini, Lablache, Rubini, and Ivanhoff. The splendour, the
profusion, and the perfect ease of it all were really admirable.

Dined yesterday with the Vice-Chancellor; sixteen people whom I
never saw before, almost all lawyers and lawyeresses. He told me
that he believed Melbourne had no intention as long as he was
Minister of changing the present arrangement with regard to the
Great Seal,[12] that he was of opinion that a Chancellor was of
no use, and that it was more convenient to keep in his own hands
the law patronage of the Great Seal, that this obviated the
disputes between Ministers and Chancellors, which have generally
been very violent, as between Thurlow and Pitt, and still more
between Eldon and Liverpool, which were incessant, and that
nothing could exceed the hatred Eldon had for Lord Liverpool, as
he knew.

[12] [The Great Seal was still in Commission.]

Tavistock told me a day or two ago that his Majesty's Ministers
are intolerably disgusted at his behaviour to them and his
studied incivility to everybody connected with them. The other
day the Speaker was treated by him with shocking rudeness at the
drawing-room. He not only took no notice of him, but studiously
overlooked him while he was standing opposite, and called up
Manners Sutton and somebody else to mark the difference by
extreme graciousness to the latter. Seymour, who was with him as
Serjeant-at-Arms, said he had never seen a Speaker so used in the
five-and-twenty years he had been there, and that it was most
painful. The Speaker asked him if he had ever seen a man in his
situation so received at Court. Since he has been Speaker the
King has never taken the slightest notice of him. It is
monstrous, equally undignified and foolish.

July 18th, 1835 {p.279}

[Page Head: DECISION OF THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE.]

Yesterday I sat all day at my office wondering why I heard nothing
of the Committee, till at half-past four o'clock Graham and Lord
Lincoln came in with smiling coun