uty to your Majesty. This is a
matter of so much importance, and may have such grave results,
that any advice which Lord Melbourne could give would be of little
importance unless it coincided with the opinions of others, and
particularly of all those who were and intend still [to] continue to
be his colleagues.

It will depend upon their determination whether your Majesty is to be
supported or not. The best course will perhaps be that you should
hear Sir Robert Peel's determination, say nothing, but send for Lord
Melbourne, and lay the matter before him. Lord Melbourne will then
summon a Cabinet to consider of it.

[Pageheading: THE LADIES OF THE BEDCHAMBER]

_Extract from the Queen's Journal._

_9th May 1839._

At half-past six came Lord Melbourne and stayed with me till ten
minutes past seven.

[Pageheading: THE LADIES]

I then began by giving him a detailed account of the whole proceeding,
which I shall state here as briefly as possible. I first again related
what took place in the two first interviews, and when I said that
the Duke said he had assisted my Government often very much, Lord
Melbourne said: "Well, that is true enough, but the Duke did all he
could about this vote." "Well, then," I said, "when Sir Robert Peel
came this morning, he began first about the Ministry. I consented,
though I said I might have my personal feelings about Lord Lyndhurst
and Lord Aberdeen, but that I would suppress every personal feeling
and be quite fair. I then repeated that I wished to retain about me
those who were not in Parliament, and Sir Robert _pretended_ that
I had the preceding day expressed a wish to keep about me those who
_were_ in Parliament. I mentioned my wish to have Lord Liverpool, to
which Sir Robert readily acceded, saying he would offer him the place
of Lord Steward, or of Lord in Waiting. He then suggested my
having Lord Ashley,[36] which I said I should like, as Treasurer or
Comptroller. Soon after this Sir Robert said: 'Now, about the Ladies,'
upon which I said I could _not_ give up _any_ of my Ladies, and
never had imagined such a thing. He asked if I meant to retain _all_.
'_All_,' I said. 'The Mistress of the Robes and the Ladies of the
Bedchamber?' I replied, '_All_,'--for he said they were the wives
of the opponents of the Government, mentioning Lady Normanby[37] in
particular as one of the late Ministers' wives. I said that would not
interfere; that I never talked politics with them