tantly wrote to me, and in one
of his letters he told me he meant to make me his Minister. I
felt this was a very awkward subject for me to enter upon, and
that I could not, being the Minister of the King, with any
propriety treat with his successor, so I resolved to take no
notice whatever of this part of his letter, and I did not. He was
very indignant at this, and complained to his friends (to Lord
Cassilis, for instance) that I had behaved very rudely to him.
When I met him--for I met him constantly at Windsor, and in the
King's room--he was very cold in his manner, but I took no
notice, and went on as before.'

June 21st, 1837 {p.406}

[Page Head: FIRST COUNCIL OF QUEEN VICTORIA.]

The King died at twenty minutes after two yesterday morning, and
the young Queen met the Council at Kensington Palace at eleven.
Never was anything like the first impression she produced, or the
chorus of praise and admiration which is raised about her manner
and behaviour, and certainly not without justice. It was very
extraordinary, and something far beyond what was looked for. Her
extreme youth and inexperience, and the ignorance of the world
concerning her, naturally excited intense curiosity to see how she
would act on this trying occasion, and there was a considerable
assemblage at the Palace, notwithstanding the short notice which
was given. The first thing to be done was to teach her her lesson,
which for this purpose Melbourne had himself to learn. I gave him
the Council papers, and explained all that was to be done, and he
went and explained all this to her. He asked her if she would
enter the room accompanied by the Great Officers of State, but she
said she would come in alone. When the Lords were assembled the
Lord President informed them of the King's death, and suggested,
as they were so numerous, that a few of them should repair to the
presence of the Queen and inform her of the event, and that their
Lordships were assembled in consequence; and accordingly the two
Royal Dukes, the two Archbishops, the Chancellor, and Melbourne
went with him. The Queen received them in the adjoining room
alone. As soon as they had returned the proclamation was read and
the usual order passed, when the doors were thrown open and the
Queen entered, accompanied by her two uncles, who advanced to meet
her. She bowed to the Lords, took her seat, and then read her
speech in a clear, distinct, and audible voice, and without any
appearance