I feel very indifferent about the result.

Dr. Seymour, Fitzgerald’s physician, represents him as very ill indeed, and in danger if he does any business; but Peel, who saw him to-day, thinks that much exaggerated.

January 14.

Chairs at 11.  I asked them to find out when Rothschild sold out his Indian stock.  It seems (by a note I received in the evening) that he began on October 15, and at different times sold out 42,000L stock.  I sent the Chairman’s note to Goulburn.

About ten received the promised circular from the Duke.  He was an hour and a half with the King, when he was obliged to leave him in consequence of his being unwell—­and the King afterwards sent to desire he would come again on Saturday.

For the first hour the King was in a state of irritated and contemptuous indignation.  However, the Duke thinks he brought him to feel he had nothing to complain of in the conduct of his Government.  He finished by getting into better temper and a good tone; but the Duke thinks he should have brought away his assent if he had been with him another hour.  The Duke wishes to hear the opinion of the Cabinet upon some points, and we meet at two to-morrow.

January 15.

The Duke gave the Cabinet an account of his interview with the King.  The King was with Munster and the Duke of Cumberland when he went; but the Duke was admitted in about forty minutes, which time he passed with the Lady Conyngham, who told him he must expect a storm.

The King was in bed, looking very ill.  He said, ’Well, what is your business?’ and seemed at first most indignant.  The Duke, however, corrected his misapprehensions—­showed him the dates, and proved that he had known from the first that it was probable Leopold would be proposed by France.  The proposition was made by us to Prince Frederick of Orange on November 13, his final answer received on August 11 (there may be a slight error in these dates, as I write from memory).  In the meantime the King of France had about November 29, when Leopold took leave of him, told him he would propose him.  This was known here immediately, and Leopold distinctly told he could not be heard of till our own candidate was disposed of.  The regular proposal of Leopold did not arrive here till January 1, and was communicated to the King with the projet of a protocol, for it was no more, on the 9th.

It was still only a proposition, and the Government now come to advise the King to consent to it.

The Duke showed the King that there had been ten candidates in all:—­

Prince Philip of Hesse Homburgh, Prince John of Saxony, Prince Frederick of Orange, Prince Charles of Bavaria, Prince Otho of Bavaria, the Archduke Maximilian, Prince Paul of Wurtemburgh, Prince Leopold, Prince Emilius of Hesse Darmstadt, and Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh.