re going to mount
it a servant came from the Duchess (who had heard of it) and told
the coachman that her Royal Highness knew nothing of it, had not
ordered it, and that the curricle must go home, which it
accordingly did.

September 3rd, 1818 {p.007}

I went to Oatlands for the Egham races. The party lasted more
than a week; there was a great number of people, and it was very
agreeable. Erskine was extremely mad; he read me some of his
verses, and we had a dispute upon religious subjects one morning,
which he finished by declaring his entire disbelief in the Mosaic
history. We played at whist every night that the Duke was there,
and I always won. The Duchess was unwell most of the time. We
showed her a _galanterie_ which pleased her very much. She
produced a picture of herself one evening, which she said she was
going to send to the Duchess of Orleans; we all cried out, said
it was bad, and asked her why she did not let Lawrence paint her
picture, and send a miniature copied from that. She declared she
could not afford it; we then said, if she would sit, we would pay
for the picture, which she consented to do, when all the men
present signed a paper, desiring that a picture should be painted
and a print taken from it of her Royal Highness. Lawrence is to
be invited to Oatlands at Christmas to paint the picture. The men
who subscribe are Culling Smith, Alvanley, B. Craven, Worcester,
Armstrong, A. Upton, Rogers, Luttrell, and myself, who were
present. The Duchess desired that Greenwood and Taylor might be
added. From Oatlands I went to Cirencester, where I stayed a week
and then returned to Oatlands, expecting to find the Queen dead
and the house empty, but I found the party still there.

Ampthill,[10] September 9th, 1818 {p.008}

I rode down here to-day, Alvanley and Montrond came in a chaise
and four, and were only three hours and three-quarters coming
from town. Luttrell and Rogers are here. The dinner very bad,
because the cook is out of humour. The evening passed off
heavily.

[10] [Ampthill Park, at that time the seat of Lord and Lady
Holland, who had inherited it from the Earl of Upper
Ossory. On the death of Lady Holland Ampthill was
purchased by the Duke of Bedford, and has since been
inhabited by Lord and Lady Wensleydale.]

Ampthill, September 11th, 1818 {p.008}

The Duke and Duchess of San Carlos came yesterday with their two
daughters, one of wh