The people of Brunswick, very justly provoked, have turned the Duke [Footnote:  This was the eccentric Duke who died a few years ago at Geneva, bequeathing his whole property to the city, who have erected a monument to him.] out of the town and burnt his palace.  He escaped with ten Hussars.  He deserves his fate.  I believe he is mad.  He is a complete vaurien.

When Parliament is prorogued, as to-day, the peers are without their robes.  The Chancellor was in his legal dress.  The Commons appear without a summons by their clerks, and the Chancellor merely desires the proclamation to be read.  However, as it is held, improperly, to be the first day of the sitting of Parliament, the return of the Scotch peers is laid on the table.  All this is sanctioned by precedent, but contrary to reason.

September 20, 1830.

Wrote a long letter to Hardinge upon the political consequences of Huskisson’s death, [Footnote:  He was killed, as is well known, at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.] urging the introduction of Palmerston and Stanley.  The latter to Vent the junction of the Whig aristocracy with the Radicals.

I am sure, if measures are not taken immediately, we shall have all the Huskissonians, Whigs and Ultra-Tories (the last are insane), united against us.

Received from Sir J. Malcolm a letter with some enclosures about suttees.  He has reluctantly and fearfully abolished suttee, making it culpable homicide to assist, and murder to force the victim.  He has done it, I think, wisely by a repeal of a clause in one regulation and an amendment.  Thus not putting it vainly forward as Lord William did in a pompous document.

He has abolished the Military Board, I believe, very wisely; but there may be a difficulty with the Duke, if I cannot do it without talking to him about it.  I believe Sir J. Malcolm is quite right, and that there would have been no hope of preserving a system of real economy had the Military Board been permitted to remain.

I am curious to see his measure of checks on expenditure, that if it be good it may be adopted at the other Presidencies.

Received some letters from Lord W. Bentinck.  Lord Dalhousie has been very ill, and the command of the army would fall, Lord William says, into the weakest hands, if anything happened to him.

The spirit of the army was becoming better, I gather from Lord William’s letter, but it required much attention.  I have been thinking all day of what measures may be adopted for improving it.

September 21.

Office.  Read to Cabell my memorandum on the alterations which might be introduced into the army, which I wrote hurriedly this morning.  He was long in the military department, and can be of much use.  Cabinet room.  I think the result of Lord Stuart’s dispatches is that the moderate party are gaining strength.  I should say the facts we see in the newspapers lead to a different conclusion.