2J4 THE PRINCESS OF WALES [1814, 



moment, with pretty great blame of Whitbread and 

 myself. For the public at large felt much incensed 

 by what had been discovered, yet would apparently 

 have been well pleased that the matter had never 

 been brought before the public at all ; and some here 

 and there were even ready enough to blame us for 

 interfering between husband and wife, parent and 

 child, totally forgetting that the parties were mem- 

 bers of the royal family and the Government of the 

 country, and thus their conduct was a State affair. 

 A little reflection sufficed to set matters right, and in 

 a month I was quite confident that there would not 

 have been found twenty persons in any part of the 

 country unconnected with party, and beyond the in- 

 fluence of the Government, or rather of the Eegent, 

 that did not render us entire justice. I recollect that 

 at the time of the letter appearing, and the first 

 explosion it made, I was on the northern circuit, and 

 was loudly cried out against by all the leaders except 

 Scarlett, and to a certain degree Topping. As for the 

 body of the circuit, they looked upon me as doomed. 

 I had made a personal enemy of the Eegent, and could 

 never get over it ; and the youngest man among them 

 would not live to see me in a silk gown. It is singular 

 enough that the Regent did long afterwards keep me 

 out of my due rank, though after many intervening 

 causes of quarrel. 



Both Whitbread and I saw occasionally difficulties 

 raised by the Princess taking advice of others, such as 

 Lady Perceval and Lady Anne Hamilton, when she 

 conceived that we were too cautious in our councils. 



The subject, however, both of the high parties and 

 their advisers, was in the course of a short time 



