od deal of money was disbursed in
charity, a good deal through the medium of two or three old
women. The Duke, talking of his love of ordering and expense,
said that when he was to ride at the last coronation the King
said, 'You must have a very fine saddle.' 'What sort of saddle
does your Majesty wish me to have?' 'Send Cuffe to me.'
Accordingly Cuffe went to him, and the Duke had to pay some
hundreds for his saddle. (While I am writing the King and Queen
with their _cortege_ are passing down to Westminster Abbey to the
coronation, a grand procession, a fine day, an immense crowd, and
great acclamations.)

[7] [Colonel George Leigh, who managed his race-horses; he
was married to Lord Byron's half-sister.]

[Page Head: THE DUCHESS OF KENT.]

We then talked of the Duchess of Kent, and I asked him why she
set herself in such opposition to the Court. He said that Sir
John Conroy was her adviser, that he was sure of it. What he then
told me throws some light upon her ill-humour and displays her
wrong-headedness. In the first place the late King disliked her;
the Duke of Cumberland too was her enemy, and George IV., who was
as great a despot as ever lived, was always talking of taking her
child from her, which he inevitably would have done but for the
Duke, who, wishing to prevent quarrels, did all in his power to
deter the King, not by opposing him when he talked of it, which
he often did, but by putting the thing off as well as he could.
However, when the Duchess of Cumberland came over, and there was
a question how the Royal Family would receive her, he thought he
might reconcile the Cumberlands to the Duchess of Kent by
engaging her to be civil to the Duchess of Cumberland, so he
desired Leopold to advise his sister (who was in the country)
from him very strongly to write to the Duchess of Cumberland and
express her regret at being absent on her arrival, and so
prevented from calling on her. The Duchess sent Leopold back to
the Duke to ask why he gave her this advice? The Duke replied
that he should not say why, that he knew more of what was going
on than she possibly could, that he gave her this advice for her
own benefit, and again repeated that she had better act on it.
The Duchess said she was ready to give him credit for the
goodness of his counsel, though he would not say what his reasons
were, and she did as he suggested. This succeeded, and the Duke
of Cumberland ceased to blow the coals. Ma