Friday last, when I walked home with him from
the House of Lords. It was settled that the Doctor should write
to the Duke about them, who was to write an answer, after which
they were to be given up. But when the Doctor's letter arrived,
the Duke had forgotten the whole thing, and could not remember
what Lushington it was, and actually wrote a reply (which was not
sent, because my brother set him right) to Stephen Lushington,
the ex-Secretary to the Treasury. This is so remarkable in a man
so accurate, and whose memory is generally so retentive, that I
can't help noticing it, as the first clear and undoubted proof of
his failure in a particular faculty.

[Page Head: DINNER AT DEVONSHIRE HOUSE.]

I dined yesterday at Devonshire House, a dinner of forty people
to feast the Royalties of Sussex and Capua with their quasi-
Consorts, for I know not whether the Princess of Capua is
according to Neapolitan law a real Princess any more than our
Cecilia is a real Duchess,[1] which she certainly is not, nor
takes the title, though every now and then somebody gives it her.
However, there they were yesterday in full possession of all the
dignities of their husbands. The Duke made a mystery of the order
in which he meant them to go out to dinner, and would let nobody
know how it was all to be till the moment came. He then made the
Duke of Sussex go out first with the Princess of Capua, next the
Prince with Lady Cecilia, and he himself followed with the
Duchess of Somerset, and so on. After dinner the Duke of Sussex
discoursed to me about the oath and other matters. He is
dissatisfied on account of the banners of the Knights of the
Garter having been moved in St. George's Chapel, to make room for
Prince Albert's, I suppose; but I could not quite make out what
it was he complained of, only he said when such a disposition had
been shown in all quarters to meet Her Majesty's wishes, and
render to the Prince all honour, they ought not to push matters
farther than they can properly do, &c. ... something to this
effect. He is not altogether pleased with the Court; that is
evident.

[1] [The Duke of Sussex was married to Lady Cecilia
Underwood, though not according to the provisions of
the Royal Marriage Act. But the marriage was
recognised, and his lady was shortly afterwards created
by the Queen Duchess of Inverness.]

March 26th, 1840 {p.279}

Ministers were defeated by sixteen on