274 THE PRINCESS OF WALES. [1814. 



a great scale, yet it seemed to me that in case any 

 mischief were done by the skirmish, it would be fair 

 to you, and beneficial to Princess Charlotte, to show 

 her your letter, or tell her the substance, and throw 

 the blame on me. 



"But we agreed, if all went right, to tell her 

 nothing about the matter; and your yesterday's let- 

 ters confirm this, as you plainly approve of what has 

 been done ; so now she knows nothing of it. 



" What think you of the Carlton House report, that 

 the Prince wants you to go to Vienna, and to recall 

 Castlereagh ? He will send me } as your secretary, no 

 doubt. They say he is in love with Lord Grenville. 

 Halford as good as confirmed this to me t'other day, 

 and Cholmondelly states it broadly. 



" For gossip take this, which is inimitable : Mrs 

 Perceval is to be married forthwith (pension and all) 

 to a colonel somebody, a handsome officer at Ealing, 

 son of the parson there.* Eomilly continues better. 

 Yours ever, H. B." 



Unhappily all our remonstrances [against the Prin- 

 cess going abroad] proved vain ; and what I had fore- 

 told happened, if not immediately, yet as soon as her 

 enemies had collected proof enough in the market of 

 perjury, when she lost her daughter. The steps were 

 taken in less than three years after she went abroad, 

 to prepare for proceeding against her as soon as she 

 should lose her father-in-law also. But she was sur- 

 rounded with spies from the first, and the Milan Com- 

 mission was only sent to reduce these stories to a 

 regular statement. It must be added that a great 



* Lieutenant- Colonel Sir Henry Carr, K.C.B. 



