will be disappointed if he cannot put them into
execution.

The Belgian Ministers resigned after the Prince of Orange's Proclamation.
He is left without advisers. He has endeavoured to get Sir Charles Bagot to
join him, and Grasioff. He sends for Cartwright. He seems much embarrassed.
In fact he is in heart a Belgian, and would sacrifice everything to be King
of Belgium. He never knew the Dutch, and not unnaturally likes the Belgians
better. They are indignant at his conduct in Holland, and with reason. He
seems to intend to rule the Dutch by means of the Belgians. This he cannot
do.

The Duke of Wellington always thought him a silly fellow.

The Provisional Government is going to send some mission here.

We had a long talk about the Regency. Really it does us little credit to
begin now, within ten days of the meeting of Parliament, to consider that
question seriously.

The Chief Justices will be asked whether, supposing the Queen to be
pregnant at the death of the King, the next living heir would succeed? How
in the event of the birth of a child the _de facto_ Sovereign is to be put
aside? And what should be done if the Queen only may be with child? The
difficulty consists in the oath of allegiance, which must be altered and
made conditional. But what a curious position the Queen Victoria would be
placed in, if a baby were to oust her after eight months of reign!

I think the course adopted will be this--to make an oath of allegiance
conditional, saving the rights of a child to be born; to appoint the Regent
who would be named for the Princess Victoria, with the provision that on
the birth of a child the child's mother shall be Regent.

_October 25._

Cabinet at 4. Peel read letters he had received from Mr. Foster, the
magistrate of Manchester, Mr. Hulton, of Hulton, and a manufacturer whose
name I forget. They all give an alarming account of the state of
Manchester. The colliers have turned out in some districts, and where they
have turned out the mills are necessarily stopped. This has thrown numbers
out of employment. These colliers can earn 10_s_. a day; that is, as much
as many clergymen. The spinners can earn 5_s_. a day. Yet they turn out.

This seems to be a manoeuvre like that of Lafitte when he refused to
discount bills. To stop the supply of coal is to throw all mills out of
work, and every one out of employment. The question is, Shall the masters
resist? If they do, there will be an early collis