er at all submitted
or made known to the Queen the memorandum of the 15th
of April; and she knew nothing of it till she had
reached London, when all negotiation was broken off.
This fact Lord Brougham does not explain in his
'Memoirs;' but Lord Hutchinson declared in his report
to Lord Liverpool that in truth Brougham 'did not
appear to possess the smallest degree of power, weight,
or authority over the mind of the Queen' when at St.
Omer.]

[Page Head: CANNING AND GEORGE IV.]

Welbeck, November 16th, 1822 {p.058}

I have had a great deal of conversation with Titchfield,[12]
particularly about Canning, and he told me this curious fact about
his coming into office:--When the King had consented to receive
him he wrote a letter nearly in these words to Lord Liverpool:
'The King thinks that the brightest jewel in the crown is to
extend his forgiveness [I am not sure that this was the word[13]]
to a subject who has offended him, and he therefore informs Lord
L. that he consents to Mr. Canning forming a part of the Cabinet.'
This letter was communicated by Lord Liverpool to Canning, and
upon reading it he was indignant, as were his wife and his
daughter. The consequence was that he wrote a most violent and
indignant reply, addressed to the same person to whom the other
letter had been addressed, and which was intended in like manner
to be shown to the King, as the King's letter was to him. Upon
hearing what had passed, however, down came Lord Granville and
Mr. Ellis in a great hurry, and used every argument to dissuade him
from sending the letter, urging that he had entirely misunderstood
the purport of the letter which had offended him; that it was
intended as an invitation to reconciliation, and contained nothing
which could have been meant as offensive; that the country would
be so dissatisfied (which ardently desired and expected that he
should come into office) if he rejected this overture that he
would not be justified in refusing his services to the public, who
so anxiously wished for them. These arguments, vehemently urged
and put in every possible shape, prevailed, and the angry reply
was put in the fire, and another written full of gratitude, duty,
and acquiescence.

[12] [The Marquis of Titchfield, eldest son of the fourth
Duke of Portland, Mr. Greville's first cousin, died in
the twenty-eigh