as put herself implicitly in Melbourne's hands, in all
others she is her own mistress. From the beginning she resolved
to have nothing to do with Sir John Conroy, but to reward him
liberally for his services to her mother. She began by making him
a baronet, and she has given him a pension of L3,000 a year; but
he has never once been invited to the Palace, or distinguished by
the slightest mark of personal favour, so that nothing can be
more striking than the contrast between the magnitude of the
pecuniary bounty and the complete personal disregard of which he
is the object. The Queen has been extremely kind and civil to the
Queen Dowager, but she has taken no notice of the King's
children, good, bad, or indifferent. Lord Munster asked for an
audience to deliver up the keys of the Castle which he had, and
was very graciously received by her, but she did not give him
back the keys. Adolphus FitzClarence has lost his Lordship of the
Bedchamber, but then they only retained Peers, and he keeps the
command of the Royal yacht. He has had no intimation whether his
pension and his Rangership of Windsor Park are to be continued to
him. [In the end, however, they retained everything, and the
Queen behaved with equal liberality and kindness towards them
all.]

July 29th, 1837 {p.015}

The loss of Leeds, news which arrived last night, is a great blow
to the Tories, and the only important Radical triumph that has
occurred. George Byng[7] told me yesterday that all the
applications from the country for candidates sent to the Reform
Club desired that Whigs and not Radicals might be supplied to
them, which affords an additional proof of the decline of Radical
opinions. He owned that they are disappointed at the result of
the borough contests, having lost many places when they had no
idea there was any danger.

[7] [The Hon. George Byng, born 8th June 1806; succeeded
his father the Earl of Stafford, 3rd June 1860.]

July 30th, 1837 {p.015}

[Page Head: PRINCESS LIEVEN'S AUDIENCES.]

Madame de Lieven told me yesterday that she had an audience of
the Queen, who was very civil and gracious, but timid and
embarrassed, and talked of nothing but commonplaces. Her Majesty
had probably been told that the Princess was an _intrigante_, and
was afraid of committing herself. She had afterwards an interview
with the Duchess of Kent, who (she told me) it was plain to see
is overwhelmed with vexation and disappointment. He