nours of
an Ambassadress.]

They say the King is exceedingly bullied by the _batards_, though
Errol told me they were all afraid of him. Dolly Fitzclarence
lost L100, betting 100 to 10 that he would go to Guildhall, and
he told the King he had lost him L100, so the King gave him the
money. It seems that the Duke certainly did make some overtures
to Palmerston, though I do not exactly know when, but I heard
that they were very fair ones.

November 11th, 1830 {p.057}

Yesterday the funds rose, and people's apprehensions began to
subside. Everybody is occupied with speculating about the numbers
on Tuesday next, and what majority the Ministers will get.
Yesterday came a letter from Lord Heytesbury from St. Petersburg,[14]
saying that there was reason to believe that the disorder now
raging in Russia is a sort of plague, but that they will not admit
it, and that it is impossible to get at the truth. We ordered
Russian ships to be put under a precautionary quarantine, and made
a minute to record what we had done.

[14] [This is the first mention of the cholera morbus, or
Asiatic cholera, then first appearing in Europe. The
quarantine establishments are under the control of the
Privy Council, and Mr. Greville, as Clerk of the
Council, was actively employed in superintending them.
A Board of Health was afterwards established at the
Council Office during the prevalence of the cholera.]

November 12th, 1830 {p.058}

The funds have kept advancing, everything is quiet, and Ministers
begin to take courage. The Duke means if he has a majority of
twenty on Tuesday to stay in. It seems his idea is that the
resolutions of Brougham will be framed in general terms on purpose
to obtain as many votes as possible; that they will be no test of
the real opinion of the House, because most of those who may
concur in a general resolution in favour of Reform would disagree
entirely as to specific measures, if any were introduced; but it
is evident that the support of the Duke's friends is growing
feebler every day. Yesterday morning I met Robert Clive, a thick
and thin Government man, and he began with the usual topic, for
everybody asks after the State, as one does about a sick friend;
and then he went on to say (concurring with my opinion that
everything went on ill), 'Why won't the Duke strengthen himself?'
'He can't; he has tried, and you see he can't do a