completely
in awe of him. It will be long before a correct and impartial
estimate is formed of the Duke's character and abilities; his
talents, however, must be of a very superior, though not of the
most shining description. Whatever he may be, he is at this
moment one of the most powerful Ministers this country has ever
seen. The greatest Ministers have been obliged to bend to the
King, or the aristocracy, or the Commons, but he commands them
all. M---- told me that he had not seen the King, but that he
heard he was as sulky as a bear, and that he was sure he would
be very glad if anything happened to defeat this measure, though
he is too much afraid of the Duke to do anything himself tending
to thwart it.

The Emperor of Russia is extremely disgusted at the language of
the newspapers here, and desired his Minister to complain of it,
and the Duke wrote the answer himself, in which he entered at
great length into the character and utility of the press in this
country, a dissertation affording a proof certainly of his
quickness and industry, overwhelmed as he is with business. The
Duke of Richmond offered to give up his Garter, but the Duke
would not take it back.

[Page Head: DEBATE OF THE ROYAL DUKES.]

February 26th, 1829 {p.177}

The debate on Monday night in the House of Lords was very
amusing. It was understood the Duke of Clarence was to speak, and
there was a good deal of curiosity to hear him. Lord Bathurst was
in a great fright lest he should be violent and foolish. He made
a very tolerable speech, of course with a good deal of stuff in
it, but such as it was it has exceedingly disconcerted the other
party. The three royal Dukes Clarence, Cumberland, and Sussex got
up one after another, and attacked each other (that is, Clarence
and Sussex attacked Cumberland, and he them) very vehemently, and
they used towards each other language that nobody else could have
ventured to employ; so it was a very droll scene. The Duke of
Clarence said the attacks on the Duke [of Wellington] had been
_infamous_; the Duke of Cumberland took this to himself, but when
he began to answer it could not recollect the expression, which
the Duke of Clarence directly supplied. 'I said "infamous."' The
Duke of Sussex said that the Duke of Clarence had not intended to
apply the word to the Duke of Cumberland, but if he chose to take
it to himself he might. Then the Duke of Clarence said that the
Duke of Cumberland had lived so long