July 17.

St. James’s at 2.  The Lord Mayor and Aldermen first came up with their address, then the same with the Common Council.  The King received the addresses, which were very loyal, on the throne.  He read the answers very well.  The Ministers stood on his left and the household on his right.  About seven gentlemen pensioners were on each side from the door to the foot of the throne.  The Lord Mayor, &c., were introduced by the Lord Chamberlain.  It was well done, and is rather an imposing ceremony.

Cabinet.  First a question as to what should be done about Ashe, the man who wrote a libel on the Duke of Cumberland, which he sent to him and now reclaims.  He has written many letters indicative of an intention to assassinate, and is now come up from Carlisle on foot, and has been walking opposite the Duke’s house for three hours, having first written another letter of a threatening nature.

Lord Wynford wrote to Peel on the Duke of Cumberland’s part; but the Duke will not exhibit articles of the peace.  Colonel Peter gave Ashe 5_s_. and he went away.

The question was what could be done with him?  I suggested that, as in the case of an expected duel, a magistrate on mere information that a breach of the peace was apprehended would take persons into custody and hold them to bail; so here the same thing might be done, one of the letters distinctly threatening a breach of the peace.  This would secure the man till it could be discovered whether there was legal ground to indict him for the letters.  This will be done.

We then came to the consideration of the East Retford question.  All the press were for giving up the Bill.  I took some part in the discussion.  However, Peel was so strongly for the Lords going as the Commons had done, and for preventing the appearance of disunion in the Cabinet, that his wishes were acceded to, and we support the Bill.  The Duke thinks it will be thrown out, and I hope it will.  It will be very difficult to make a speech in favour of the Bill which will not commit us to a bad precedent.  However, I shall try.  Peel was very obstinate and disagreeable.  In fact the interfering with the existing franchise never was made a Cabinet question.  The giving the franchise to Bassetlaw [Footnote:  The Hundred of Bassetlaw, forming the existing borough of East Retford.] rather than to Birmingham was, and it was because after an agreement that we should all vote for Bassetlaw, Huskisson voted for Birmingham and then resigned, that the separation took place.

These questions never were made Government questions before, and it is much better they should not be.

Peel thinks he will not be able to oppose reform in general if we do not show a disposition to punish individual cases of corruption.