Secretary for the Colonies--The Russians go to the
Assistance of the Porte--Lord Goderich has the Privy Seal, an
Earldom, and the Garter--Embarrassments of the Government--The
Appeal of Drax _v._ Grosvenor at the Privy Council--Hobhouse
defeated in Westminster--Bill for Negro Emancipation--The
Russians on the Bosphorus--Mr. Littleton Chief Secretary for
Ireland--Respect shown to the Duke of Wellington--Moral of a
'Book on the Derby'--The Oaks--A Betting Incident--Ascot--
Government beaten in the Lords on Foreign Policy--Vote of
Confidence in the Commons--Drax _v._ Grosvenor decided--Lord
Eldon's Last Judgment--His Character--Duke of Wellington as
Leader of Opposition--West India Affairs--Irish Church Bill--
Appropriation Clause--A Fancy Bazaar--The King writes to the
Bishops--Local Court Bill--Mirabeau.

February 16th, 1833 {p.357}

Madame de Lieven gave me an account (the day before yesterday) of
the quarrel between the two Courts about Stratford Canning. When
the present Ministry came in, Nesselrode wrote to Madame de
Lieven and desired her to beg that Lord Heytesbury might be left
there--'Conservez-nous Heytesbury.' She asked Palmerston and Lord
Grey, and they both promised her he should stay. Some time after
he asked to be recalled. She wrote word to Nesselrode, and told
him that either Adair or Canning would succeed him. He replied,
'Don't let it be Canning; he is a most impracticable man,
_soupconneux, pointilleux, defiant_;' that he had been personally
uncivil to the Emperor when he was Grand Duke; in short the plain
truth was they would not receive him, and it was therefore
desirable somebody, anybody, else should be sent. She told this
to Palmerston, and he engaged that Stratford Canning should not
be named. Nothing more was done till some time ago, when to her
astonishment Palmerston told her that he was going to send
Canning to St. Petersburg. She remonstrated, urged all the
objections of her Court, his own engagement, but in vain; the
discussions between them grew bitter; Palmerston would not give
way, and Canning was one day to her horror gazetted. As might
have been expected, Nesselrode positively refused to receive him.
Durham, who in the meantime had been to Russia and _bien comble_
with civilities, promised that Canning should not go there,
trusting he had sufficient influence to prevent it; and since he
has been at home it is one of the things he has been most violent