ashed
the Master of the Rolls so severely that he would have got more
votes.[8] The truth is he was mightily nettled by Dr. Philpots'
pamphlet and at Copley making a speech taken entirely from it.
The Master protested that he had no idea of offending Canning,
and until he got up had no notion that Canning had taken offence
at his speech. The question was lost by accident; several
pro-Catholics were suddenly taken ill or arrived too late for the
division, and the election petitions went all against them.

[8] [Sir John Copley was then Master of the Rolls, but this
occurrence did not prevent Canning from making him Lord
Chancellor on the 2nd of May following, when he was
raised to the peerage with the title of Baron
Lyndhurst.]

[Page Head: INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE IV.]

March 16th, 1827 {p.091}

On Wednesday at the Council at St. James's the King desired I
would go down to Windsor, that he might speak to me. I went down
on Thursday to the Cottage, and, after waiting two hours and a
half, was ushered into his bedroom. I found him sitting at a
round table near his bed, in a _douillette_, and in pretty good
health and spirits. He talked about his horses and told some old
stories, lamented the death of the Duke of York, which he said
was a loss to him such as no one could conceive, and that he felt
it every instant. He kept me about an hour, was very civil, and
then dismissed me.

Canning made an apology to the Master of the Rolls for his
severity in the debate on the Catholic question.

March 25th, 1827 {p.091}

When the King heard of Lord Liverpool's illness he was in great
agitation. He sent for Peel in the night, and told him he must
see the Duke of Wellington. Peel endeavoured to dissuade him, but
in vain. The Duke was sent for, but he refused to go. He sent the
King word that he had nothing to say to him, and that it would
not be fair to his colleagues that he should see the King at such
a moment. Consequently he saw none of his Ministers till he saw
Canning, who was taken to the Pavilion in a chair one day. There
have been a variety of reports about Lord Liverpool's successor
and a new Administration, as always happens on such occasions.

The King is in very good health and excellent spirits. He had a
large party at the Lodge last week, and Canning, the Granvilles,
Carlisles, Lievens, are going there next week. Mount Charles told
me yesterday that next week h