Read all the papers relating to the education of the Princess Victoria, who seems to have been admirably brought up.

At the Cabinet room read a long and excellent letter of Hardinge’s respecting the state of Ireland.

The 87th Regiment at Newry, when paraded for church, refused to march without music, to which it had been accustomed in the south.  It had been discontinued in the north to avoid displeasing the Orangemen.

The captain sent for the Lieutenant-Colonel Blair, who was at first disobeyed, but he placed a drum to have a drum-head court martial, and then they marched.  The Duke says it is, and always has been, the worst regiment in the service.  It ran away at Salamanca and exposed him to being taken prisoner.  It has always been unmilitary, and from the same cause, a disposition to seek popularity on the part of its officers.  Hardinge proposes embarking it at once for the West Indies.  The Duke prefers bringing it to Dublin, where there are other regiments to keep it in order, and soon sending it to England, and by detachments at no distant period to Botany Bay.  They do not expect there will be any further exhibition of mutinous spirit.  The only mischief of this is the effect at this time.

There have been apprehensions of an attempt to scale the Pigeon House, and a full garrison has been ordered into it, with directions to add to its defences on the seaside so as to protect it from escalade.

Hardinge can bring twenty guns together in a very short time, at any point in Dublin.  He talks of arming the students in Trinity College in the event of an explosion.

They rather expect an explosion about the 18th or 19th, when probably there will be the first meeting of the new Association.

This it will be the first object to put down by the Act of 1829.  The meeting to petition for the repeal of the Union will be permitted.

Hardinge is quite himself on horseback.  The only fear is that he should be too lively.  Peel seems to think he is; but it is a great comfort to have him there instead of Lord Francis Leveson, who was always wrong.

The King of the Netherlands has called his States at the Hague, the Constitution requiring them to meet this year in Belgium.  He takes advantage of the provision in the Constitution which permits him to call the States in Holland in case of war.  They fear the loss of Antwerp.  The Prince of Orange thinks things look better.

The Netherland Ambassador is much annoyed at the refusal of pecuniary assistance; but, as was expected, the Dutch have got their money, only paying a little more for it.

Our depots are only 160 strong.  We have hardly a battalion.  One or two at least of those which were going abroad will be retained for a time.

The Duke of Brunswick does not much like abdicating.  The Duke of Wellington thought he had brought him to make his brother Governor-General for his life, retaining the succession for his children.  However, Aberdeen seems to have blundered him back again.  He is to go to see the King on Saturday.  The King desired he might come early, that he might not be obliged to have him to dinner, and he desired Aberdeen would remain in the room.