made Governor and Captain of the Isle of
Wight, and Governor of Carisbrooke Castle.]

[Pageheading: MELBOURNE AND PEEL]

_Memorandum by Mr Anson._

ROYAL LODGE, _21st September 1841._

Saw Baron Stockmar this morning at the Castle, and had a good deal of
conversation with him on various matters. He is very apprehensive that
evil will spring out of the correspondence now carried on between the
Queen and Lord Melbourne. He thinks it is productive of the greatest
possible danger, and especially to Lord Melbourne; he thought no
Government could stand such undermining influence. I might tell this
to Lord Melbourne, and say that if he was totally disconnected from
his Party, instead of being the acknowledged head, there would not
be the same objection. He said, Remind Lord Melbourne of the time
immediately after the Queen's accession, when he had promised the King
of the Belgians to write to him from time to time an account of all
that was going on in this country; and upon Lord Melbourne telling
him of this promise, he replied, This will not do. It cannot be kept a
secret that you keep up this correspondence, and jealousy and distrust
will be the fruit of a knowledge of it. "Leave it to me," he said, "to
arrange with the King; you cease to write, and I will put it straight
with the King."

The Baron seemed to expect Lord Melbourne to draw the inference from
this that a correspondence between Lord Melbourne and the Queen was
fraught with the same danger, and would, when known, be followed
by distrust and jealousy on the part of Sir Robert Peel. I said I
reconciled it to myself because I felt that it had been productive of
much good and no harm--and that, feeling that it was conducted on
such honourable terms, I should not, if it were necessary, scruple to
acquaint Sir Robert Peel of its existence. The Baron said, "Ask Lord
Melbourne whether he would object to it." He said Peel, when he heard
it, would not, on the first impression, at all approve of it; but
prudence and caution would be immediately summoned to his aid, and he
would see that it was his policy to play the generous part--and would
say he felt all was honourably intended, and he had no objection to
offer--"but," said the Baron, "look to the result. Distrust, being
implanted from the first, whenever the first misunderstanding arose,
or things took a wrong turn, all would, in Peel's mind, be immediately
attributed to this cause."

_Queen V