, but furiously against the Bill.

September 8th, 1831 {p.189}

Dined with the Duke of Wellington yesterday; thirty-one people,
very handsome, and the Styrian Minstrels playing and singing all
dinner time, a thing I never saw before. I sat next to Esterhazy
and talked to him (a very little) about Belgian affairs. He said
Talleyrand had given positive assurances that the French troops
should be withdrawn whenever the Dutch retired, that the other
Powers were aware of Perier's difficulties, and were ready to
concede much to keep him in power, but that if he had not
sufficient influence to repress the violent war faction there was
no use in endeavouring to support him. Our Government had behaved
very well and had been very strong in their remonstrances.

[Page Head: ANECDOTES OF GEORGE IV.]

After dinner I had much talk with the Duke, who told me a good
deal about the late King and the Duchess of Kent; talked of his
extravagance and love of spending, provided that it was not his
own money that he spent; he told an old story he had heard of
Mrs. Fitzherbert's being obliged to borrow money for his
post-horses to take him to Newmarket, that not a guinea was
forthcoming to make stakes for some match, and when on George
Leigh's[7] entreaty he allowed some box to be searched that
L3,000 was found in it. He always had money. When he died they
found L10,000 in his boxes, and money scattered about everywhere,
a great deal of gold. There were about 500 pocket-books, of
different dates, and in every one money--guineas, one pound
notes, one, two, or three in each. There never was anything like
the quantity of trinkets and trash that they found. He had never
given away or parted with anything. There was a prodigious
quantity of hair--women's hair--of all colours and lengths, some
locks with the powder and pomatum still sticking to them, heaps
of women's gloves, _gages d'amour_ which he had got at balls, and
with the perspiration still marked on the fingers, notes and
letters in abundance, but not much that was of any political
consequence, and the whole was destroyed. Of his will he said
that it was made in 1823 by Lord Eldon, very well drawn, that he
desired his executors might take all he had to pay his debts and
such legacies as he might bequeath in any codicils he should
make. He made no codicils and left no debts, so the King got all
as heir-at-law. Knighton had managed his affairs very well, and
got him out of debt. A go