Secretary when Lord Anglesey was Lord Lieutenant.]

In the meantime the affairs of Belgium are in a very critical
state; the Prince of Orange has entirely failed in reducing the
malcontents to submission, and after passing two or three days at
or near Brussels in fruitless negotiation and the interchange of
proud civilities, he was obliged to retire and carry back to the
King a proposal that Belgium and Holland should be separated and
a Federal Union established between them. Last night, however, a
proclamation of the King appeared, well drawn up, and couched in
firm, temperate, and sensible language, in which he declares that
he will do all that the circumstances of the case may render
necessary, but that all shall be referred to the States-General,
and they shall decide upon the measures to be adopted. This will
probably excite great discontent, and it is at least doubtful
whether the Belgian Deputies will consent to go to the Hague at
all. My belief is that this proclamation is the result of
encouragement from Prussia.

The night before last I had a letter from the Duc de Dalberg with
a very sensible view of the state of France and of affairs
generally in Europe, auguring well of the stability of the
present Government, provided the other Powers of Europe do
nothing to disturb the general tranquillity. I never was so
astonished as when I read in the newspaper of the appointment of
Talleyrand to be Ambassador here. He must be nearer eighty than
seventy, and though his faculties are said to be as bright as
ever (which I doubt), his infirmities are so great that it is
inconceivable he should think of leaving his own home, and above
all for another country, where public representation is
unavoidable. Dalberg told me that several of the Ministers are
going out--Guizot, Marshal Gerard, and Baron Louis, the two
latter _accables_ with the _travail_, and the first unused to and
unfit for official business;[5] Louis is seventy-three.

[5] [A curious estimate, taken at the time, of the man who
for the next eighteen years had a larger share of
official life and business than any other Frenchman.]

[Page Head: BAD PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION.]

In the meantime the Duke does nothing here towards strengthening
his Government, and he will probably meet Parliament as he is.
There are some circumstances in his favour, and I think it
possible he may still extricate himself from his difficulties.