. Blackburn, now a
judge at the Mauritius, comes home, he shall be made a Privy
Councillor; that Sir Alexander Johnston, who now attends the
sittings of the Council, shall be dismissed, and Blackburn invited
to attend instead of him, and that he shall have L400 a year
(which by the Act he may). This, if it takes place, will be one of
the grossest and most barefaced jobs that ever were perpetrated;
but I think it can never be. What makes it worse is that Brougham
introduced this clause for the express purpose of meeting
Blackburn's case; so he told Sefton, but I suppose it means that
he made the stipend receivable by an ex-judge in _any colony_,
when the pretext for it was the power of obtaining the assistance
of Indian judges.[4]

[3] [In addition to other reasons, which are obvious,
against this proceeding, it would have been an
unprecedented thing to call on an important appeal for
hearing at the end of August, in the midst of the long
vacation.]

[4] [No colonial judge has ever been appointed to one of
the assessorships of the Judicial Committee, except Sir
Alexander Johnston, who had been Chief Justice of
Ceylon; but Sir Alexander refused to accept the stipend
(L400 a year) attached to the office, and never did
receive it.]

September 4th, 1834 {p.125}

At Court yesterday. The King came to town to receive the address of
the City on the Queen's return--the most ridiculous address I ever
heard. The Queen was too ill to appear. Her visit to Germany knocked
her up, and well it might, considering the life she led--always up
at six and never in bed till twelve, continual receptions and
ceremonies. Errol told me she showed them her old bedroom in the
palace (as they call it) at Meiningen--a hole that an English
housemaid would think it a hardship to sleep in.

Stanley (not the ex-Secretary, but the Under-Secretary) told me
last night an anecdote of Melbourne which I can very easily
believe. When the King sent for him he told Young 'he thought it a
damned bore, and that he was in many minds what he should do--be
Minister or no.' Young said, 'Why, damn it, such a position never
was occupied by any Greek or Roman, and, if it only lasts two
months, it is well worth while to have been Prime Minister of
England.' 'By God that's true,' said Melbourne; 'I'll go.' Young
is his private secretary--a vulgar, familiar, impud