[19] [James Stephen, Esq., then law adviser of the Colonial
Office, and afterwards Under-Secretary of State for the
Colonies. Mr. Henry Taylor, the accomplished author of
'Philip von Artevelde,' was at the head of the West
India department of the office. Sir George Murray was
Secretary of State.]

I might as well have put in on the 25th of November what the King
said to me, as it seems to have amused everybody. I was standing
close to him at the Council, and he put down his head and
whispered, 'Which are you for, Cadland or the mare?' (meaning the
match between Cadland and Bess of Bedlam); so I put my head down
too and said, 'The horse;' and then as we retired he said to the
Duke, 'A little bit of Newmarket.'

December 30th, 1828 {p.148}

Hyde Villiers brought me on Thursday or Friday last a copy of the
Duke's letter to Dr. Curtis,[20] which had been sent to him from
Dublin under strict injunction of not showing it. The next day it
appeared in all the newspapers, O'Connell having read it to the
Association. It has made a great noise, and being as usual
ambiguous, both parties affect to consider it to be in their
favour. I fancy the Duke is very angry at its publication, at
least judging from what his secretaries say.

[20] [The Duke of Wellington had corresponded with Dr.
Curtis, the titular Roman Catholic Primate of Ireland,
for many years. Indeed, as appears in the text, he had
known him long before at Salamanca, when this prelate
was at the Irish College there. Several excellent
letters by Dr. Curtis to the Duke are published in the
second volume of the Duke's 'Correspondence,' New
Series. The letter adverted to in the text was that in
which the Duke said (not very wisely) that 'if men
could bury the subject (of Catholic Emancipation) in
oblivion for a short time, it might be possible to
discover a satisfactory remedy.' Curtis put a copy of
the letter in O'Connell's hands, and he read it aloud
at the Catholic Association. Curtis sent a copy of the
letter and his own reply to the Lord-Lieutenant, who
answered him in another letter, in which he said that
'he did not before know the precise sentiments of the
Duke upon the present state of the Catholic question.'
This lette