356 QUEEN CAROLINE. [1820. 



proceedings. Therefore it was quite certain that 

 those who had written to her whilst she was at 

 Geneva would influence her as she approached Eng- 

 land, by speaking in the name of the multitude, and 

 would advise her to throw herself on them for protec- 

 tion against the attempts of the Milan Commission 

 and those who had set it to work. So it happened. 

 I had taken the precaution of sending over my brother 

 James to confer with her, and to ascertain who had 

 been examined at Milan, and as far as possible to find 

 out what kind of evidence they had given. It ap- 

 peared that there was nothing of which she had any 

 reason to be apprehensive, except that almost all the 

 witnesses were Italians, and some of them turned-off 

 servants, and others of disreputable class. But I re- 

 mained of opinion, in which she entirely concurred, 

 that, however impossible it might be to prove any 

 misconduct, it was very much better to have an 

 arrangement which should supersede all necessity of 

 an inquiry, and leave her conduct entirely unim- 

 peached. 



She came to St Omer, where I went to meet her, 

 accompanied by Hutchinson and my brother William. 

 I was the bearer of a proposition that she should have 

 all the rights of Queen-Consort, especially as regarded 

 money and patronage, on consenting to live abroad. 

 Lord Hutchinson was the bearer of an intimation that 

 on her coming to England all negotiation must cease. 

 I found her surrounded by Italians, and resolved to 

 come to England. I advised her against this step, as 

 it must put an end to all negotiation ; for example, 

 upon the right to use a royal title, or even to be pre- 

 sented at foreign courts as Queen. My impression 



