JET. 37.] HER SOJOURN ABROAD. 2/5 



facility to her going abroad had been afforded by the 

 addition which the House of Commons made to her 

 income, when the unjustifiable conduct of the Eegent 

 and the Queen towards her, on the arrival of the 

 sovereigns in 1814, had excited universal indignation. 

 Every attempt was made, by part, at least, of the min- 

 isters, to prevent her going abroad, but they failed. 



We had a remarkable proof, or at least illustration, 

 of the prevalence of opinion and feeling in our favour 

 during the discussions of the summer 1814. One day, 

 very early, when Whitbread and I were considering 

 some point of the case, I had been complaining of the 

 pertinacious antagonism of the ' Times ' and some 

 paper (possibly the 'Morning Post') devoted to Carlton 

 House. The ' Times' had mingled occasional assertions 

 of belief in her innocence, but on the subject of her treat- 

 ment and that of Princess Charlotte had been strongly 

 against us. Our conversation was interrupted that I 

 might write a few lines to the Princess upon what we 

 had been discussing ; and while I was doing so, Whit- 

 bread looked at the papers which had just come in. 

 " Heyday ! " he cried ; " what's the matter now ? 

 Here's the ' Times ' turned right round, and all in the 

 Princess's favour ! " And so it certainly was, and so 

 it continued to be, not only to the end of the contro- 

 versy then going on, but ever after, and rendered us 

 most essential service in the great struggle of 1820. 

 Since that time it has apparently changed again, at 

 least in 1855, on the occasion of Denman's death, it 

 published the most bitter abuse of the Queen, and 

 expressed unbounded astonishment at the popular 

 feeling in her favour, which its own exertions had so 

 greatly assisted in exciting. At the trial in 1820, 



