llowed himself to be
driven into, _against his own and better conviction_, the Queen must
have received a most pernicious bias, which on any future occasion
would make her inclined to act in a similar position similarly to that
what she does now, being convinced that what she does _now_ must be
right on all future occasions, or else Lord Melbourne would not have
sanctioned it. Upon this, Lord Melbourne endeavoured to palliate, to
represent the danger, which would arise from his secret correspondence
with the Queen as very little, to adduce precedents from history,
and to screen his present conduct behind what he imagined Lord Bute's
conduct had been under George III.[145] I listened patiently, and
replied in the end: All this might be mighty fine and quite calculated
to lay a flattering unction on his own soul, or it might suffice to
tranquillize the minds of the Prince and Anson, but that I was too old
to find the slightest argument in what I had just now heard, nor could
it in any way allay my apprehension. I began then to dissect all
that he had produced for his excusation, and showed him--as I thought
clearly, and as he admitted convincingly--that it would be impossible
to carry on this secret commerce with the Sovereign for any length
of time without exposing the Queen's character and creating mighty
embarrassments in the quiet and regular working of a Constitutional
machine.

My representations seemed to make a very deep impression, and Lord
Melbourne became visibly nervous, perplexed, and distressed. After
he had recovered a little I said, "I never was inclined to obtrude
advice; but if you don't dislike to hear my opinion, I am prepared to
give it to you." He said, "What is it?" I said, "You allow the Queen's
confinement to pass over quietly, and you wait till her perfect
recovery of it. As soon as this period has arrived, you state of
your own accord to Her Majesty that this secret and confidential
correspondence with her must cease; that you gave in to it, much
against your feelings, and with a decided notion of its impropriety
and danger, and merely out of a sincere solicitude to calm Her
Majesty's mind in a critical time, and to prevent the ill effects
which great and mental agitation might have produced on her health.
That this part of your purpose now being most happily achieved, you
thought yourself in duty bound to advise Her Majesty to _cease all
her communications_ to you on political subjects, as you