I consider the death of the King to have been one of the fortunate events which have often saved the Duke of Wellington.  I really do not know how we could have gone on, had he lived two months.

The King wishes to make Lord Combermere a Privy Councillor, thinking all gold sticks have been so.  We find he is misinformed, and the Duke means to show him the list of gold-sticks not Privy Councillors, and at the same time to tell him how Lord Combermere stands, having within these few months been censured by the Government.  The Duke will show the King the correspondence which passed lately, and leave it to him to decide.  There would be no objection to making him a Privy Councillor some months or a year hence.

Brougham made a violent speech against Lord Conyngham for not being in readiness to swear in the House of Commons.

June 28.

Went to St. James’s at eleven.  The Household, the Royal family, and the Ministers only were there.  The King was dressed in plain black.  He went to a large window looking into the courtyard, and stood forward.  There were but few people there at first, the Horse Guards and the Heralds.  The King’s band played God Save the King, and those who were there cheered, upon which numbers of people came round from before the Palace and filled the courtyard.  They then cheered well.

As the King passed through the line we formed for him to go to the window he came up to me and said he must begin by chiding me for not coming to him yesterday.  In fact he had forgot I was a Cabinet Minister, and he therefore would see me to-day.  I said ’it was my first and I hoped it would be my last fault.’  After the Proclamation he sent for the Duke of Wellington, and when the Duke left him, for me.  He asked about China.  I told him how we stood there.  That there was an interruption which would probably prevent the arrival of any ships this year; that orders had been given for a double investment next year.  I said the state of affairs generally was by no means satisfactory.  The King said he was afraid Lord W. Bentinck had not been doing well.  I said I feared he had let down the dignity of his office, and had when he first went there run after popularity too much, and allowed the press to get ahead.  It would now be very difficult to check it.  I added that he went to make great reductions and had made some.  That that had rendered him unpopular.  He was honest and well-meaning.  The King said he should go down to Bushey soon, and as I was living near he would have me over at eleven o’clock some morning, and give me some hours to make him acquainted with the state of India.  I told him of the secret letter to the Bengal Government about the Nagpore Treaty, and the principles laid down, of which he highly approved.  He then expressed apprehension of Russia.  I told him all that had been done upon that subject, and of the present to Runjeet Singh, and the navigation of the Indus, with all which he seemed much pleased.  I said I would send him the secret letters, and get together information that would bring the whole state of India before him as concisely as possible.  As I was led to mention Sir J. Macdonald, I asked a coat for him, and the King granted it, thinking it very proper.