ble, for she has as much nature, and feeling,
and passion as I ever saw, this will be a curious anecdote. [She
married Charles Kean, lost her good looks, and became a tiresome,
second-rate actress.]

August 12th, 1831 {p.181}

Yesterday a Committee of Council met to settle the order of the
coronation and submit the estimates, which we have brought under
L30,000 instead of L240,000, which they were last time.

The question now is whether our Ministry shall go along with
France, or whether France shall be pulled up; and it is brought
to this point by Leopold's having sent to the French to thank
them for their aid, but to say that he can do without them, and
to beg they will retire, which they have refused to do. It was
known yesterday that they are at Mons, and strongly suspected
they will not so easily be got out of it; but the French
Government will not venture to quarrel with us if we take a
peremptory tone. It is not, however, clear that the French
Government can control the French army; and I have heard it said
that if they had not ordered the troops to march, the troops
would have marched without orders. L. is all for curbing France;
so a very short time must bring matters to a crisis, and it will
be seen if the Government has authority to check the war party
there. In the meantime the French have taken the Portuguese ships
without any intention of giving them back; and this our Ministers
know, and do not remonstrate. J. asked L. if it was true, and he
said, 'Oh, yes,' for that having been compelled to force the
Tagus, they were placed in a state of war, and the ships became
lawful prizes. If it was not for Reform I doubt that this
Government could stand a moment, but that will bring them up. In
the country it is too clear that there are no symptoms of a
reaction, and if a state of indifference can be produced it is
all that can be hoped and more than should be expected. I do not
think the Government by any means responsible for the embroiled
state of Europe, but they certainly appear to have no fixed plan
or enlightened view of foreign policy, and if they have not been
to blame hitherto (which in acting with all the Allies, and
endeavouring to keep things quiet, they have not been), they are
evidently in great danger of floundering now.

Goodwood, August 20th, 1831 {p.182}

Here I have been a week to-day for the races, and here I should
not be now--for everybody else is gone--if it were not for the
gou