ements of intrigue do
not seem wanting in this embryo Court. Besides the Duchess of Kent
and Leopold, and Conroy of course, Caradoc[8] is suspected of a
design and an expectation to become a personage; and Lord Durham
is on his way home, and his return is regarded with no little
curiosity, because he may endeavour to play a great political
part, and materially to influence the opinions, or at least the
councils, of the Queen. What renders speculation so easy, and
events uncertain, is the absolute ignorance of everybody, without
exception, of the character, disposition, and capacity of the
Princess. She has been kept in such jealous seclusion by her
mother (never having slept out of her bedroom, nor been alone with
anybody but herself and the Baroness Lehzen), that not one of her
acquaintance, none of the attendants at Kensington, not even the
Duchess of Northumberland, her governess, have any idea what she
is, or what she promises to be. It is therefore no difficult
matter to form and utter conjectures which nobody can contradict
or gainsay but by other conjectures equally uncertain and
fallacious. The Tories are in great consternation at the King's
approaching death, from the advantage which they foresee their
opponents must derive from it as far as the extension of their
term of power is concerned, and they prognosticate, according to
their custom, all sorts of dismal consequences, none of which, of
course, will come to pass. _Nothing_ will happen, because, in this
country, _nothing_ ever does. The Whigs, to do them justice,
behave with great decency; whatever they may really feel, they
express a very proper concern, and I have no doubt Melbourne
really feels the concern he expresses. The public in general don't
seem to care much, and only wonder what will happen.

[8] [Colonel Caradoc, afterwards Lord Howden: died in
1873.]

June 17th, 1837 {p.403}

Yesterday the King was better, so as to promise a prolongation of
his existence, though not his recovery. An intimation came from
Windsor, that it was desired prayers should be offered up in the
Churches for him; so the Privy Council assembled to order this,
but on assembling the Bishop of London objected to the form which
had been used upon the last and other occasions (an order made by
the Lords to the Archbishop of Canterbury to prepare a form of
prayer), asserting that _the Lords_ had no power to make such an
order, and it was even doubted by l