y
throwing over the new Poor Law, which was a base compliance.
However, though I would not vote, I was rather glad he came in,
and somewhat like Lord Grey, who said last night, 'he was glad at
Leader's defeat, and sorry for Burdett's success.'

[7] [A contested election in Westminster between Mr. Leader
(Radical) and Sir Francis Burdett (Conservative).
Burdett was returned by a majority of 515. It was a
chivalrous contest. Burdett had resigned his seat
voluntarily to test the feeling of his constituents,
and Leader resigned a seat for Bridgewater solely to
meet Burdett in Westminster.]

May 23rd, 1837 {p.398}

There was great triumph among the Conservatives at Burdett's
success, raised to a higher pitch by that of Broadwood at
Bridgewater, which makes the whole thing very complete, Leader
having fallen between the two stools, and now they expect to get
Glasgow, if they succeed in which there will be no bounds to
their exultation. Then it is suspected that there have been
difficulties and divisions in the Cabinet. There was a meeting at
Lord Grey's of Ministers and Ministerial adherents, it was
supposed for the purpose of his patching up matters, but I know
nothing of what occurred. The Duke of Wellington, too, had an
audience of the King on Wednesday last, and all these things set
surmises afloat. At another time I should probably have bestirred
myself and found out what all this meant, but I have been so
occupied and absorbed with the Derby that I could think of
nothing else.

The King prayed that he might live till the Princess Victoria was
of age, and he was very nearly dying just as the event arrived.
He is better, but supposed to be in a very precarious state.
There has been a fresh squabble between Windsor and Kensington
about a proposed allowance to the Princess.

June 2nd, 1836 {p.399}

[Page Head: ILLNESS OF THE KING.]

The King has been desperately ill, his pulse down at thirty; they
think he will now get over it for this time. His recovery will
not have been accelerated by the Duchess of Kent's answer to the
City of London's address, in which she went into the history of
her life, and talked of her 'friendless state' on arriving in
this country, the gist of it being that, having been abandoned or
neglected by the Royal Family, she had thrown herself on the
country.

June 11th, 1836 {p.399}

At Buckhurst last week for Ascot