May 21.

The King had a bad night.  The private letter gave a bad account.  He has been drinking again, very irritable, intolerably so.  Halford says, would neither sit in a chair nor lie in a bed, &c.  Halford at last held strong language, and I believe told him his life depended on his obeying his physician.

I am very much disappointed indeed at this.  I hoped he was really getting better and would live.

Aberdeen is to allow the instalments of the loan guaranteed to Leopold to be paid in four instead of eight years if he can keep him to his principality by doing so.

The French were off on the 18th.  There is a partial change in their Ministry.

May 23.

Rode to the Cabinet at three from Roehampton.  The bulletin is that the King had had embarrassments in his breathing.

The Duke waited two and a half hours before he saw him yesterday.  The King signed the two messages, and then said ’the Duke has just caught me in time!’ and in an instant there was a gurgling in his throat.  He seized Knighton’s arm.  The Duke ran for Halford, went out into the gallery where he did not find him, then into another room where he was.  Halford immediately took a bottle from the table and gave the King something which seemed to relieve him.

The Duke thinks the King was in pain three or four seconds; but it was a minute and a half before he was relieved.  He then did not speak; but made a motion with his hand for the Duke to go.

He had just before been talking of going to Ascot and then to Aix-la-Chapelle.

The King was perfectly satisfied with the proposed arrangement for the stamp.

He asked the news, was told Leopold was behaving very ill, and agreed.

As to Algiers he was told the note of the French Minister was unsatisfactory, and that it was under consideration whether a note should not be presented.  He thought it right.

The Duke’s opinion is that if the King should be seized with one of those attacks when no one was with him, he would die.

The opinion of Halford and the others is that the disorder is mortal; but he may live six weeks or two months.

The punctures are healed.  They are afraid of opening them again for fear of mortification, and can only proceed by medicines.

The King’s state seems distressing.  He can neither remain quiet in his chair or in his bed.  He is in a state of constant restlessness.

The Duke of Cumberland was there to-day, but the King had desired he might not see him.

Leopold has declined.  He sent a note to that effect on Friday night at twelve o’clock—­very well written, not by himself.  Aberdeen thinks Palmerston wrote it.  He takes popular ground, and cannot impose himself upon a reluctant people.  The fact is Friday’s bulletin wrote his letter.

The Duke thinks he will be shown up.  The papers presented to-morrow will be no more than it was before intended to present; but Aberdeen will announce the evasion of the sovereign, and say that that circumstance will render necessary the production of other papers which will be presented as soon as they can be printed.  The whole discussion will turn upon Leopold’s conduct.