JET. 35.] AND THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. 167 



that now she was the aggressor before, she had been 

 the party attacked ; that now she attacked the Prince 

 at least this would be said even by her supporters, while 

 her enemies and the Carlton House set could desire no 

 better than the excuse she gave them nay, the neces- 

 sity she forced upon them of proceeding against her. 

 She at once said she approved of my desiring her not 

 to answer my question now ; and that I should hear 

 from her, as there could be no occasion further to argue 

 the subject now fully laid before her. It was for her 

 to determine one way or the other : as I had put the 

 matter, her determination alone must decide. I en- 

 tirely agreed, and I wrote to Whitbread that it was 

 impossible to say what would be her decision ; that 

 the way in which she had received my warning left 

 some uneasiness as to the result ; but that upon the 

 whole I believed she would go forward. "Whitbread 

 was of a contrary opinion. From Canning's particular 

 position it was clear he could not be consulted, and it 

 was only fair to him that he should know nothing 

 whatever of what was in contemplation. 



I received two days after a letter from Lady Char- 

 lotte Lindsay, by the Princess's command, simply 

 saying that the letter must go to the Prince. 



Lord King, in the proceedings on the bill against 

 her in 1820, I recollect, .said to me, how wrong the 

 people were who charged me with being a rash coun- 

 sellor, or even a too bold and confident one, for he 

 rather thought I might be accused of being over-cau- 

 tious, and beyond necessity circumspect. But I was at 

 that time acting professionally, and all I did was accord- 

 ing to the duty which we as counsel were conversant 

 with, and not he. In 1813, however, both Whitbread 



