-^ Reign of Queen Victoria, 1 837-1901 



Under date, June iith, 1837, Mr. C. C. Greville gives 

 a vivid sidelight on the illness of the King. He 

 writes: — "At Buckhurst last week for Ascot; went on 

 Monday and returned on Friday. On Tuesday the Queen 

 came to the course, but only stayed an hour. They had 

 an immense party at the Castle, notwithstanding the 

 King's illness. I met Adolphus FitzClarence at the 

 Course, who gave me an account of the King's state, 

 which was bad enough, though not for the moment 

 alarming ; no disease, but excessive weakness without 

 power of rallying. He also gave me an account of the 

 Kensington quarrel. 



" On the Wednesday, during the Races, it was 

 announced for the first time, that the King was alarmingly 

 ill, and on Thursday the account was no better, and in 

 the course of Wednesday and Thursday his immediate 

 dissolution appeared so probable, that I concerted with 

 Erroll that I should send to the Castle at 9 o'clock 

 on Thursday evening for the last report, that I might 

 know whether to go to London or not." 



Even the journey to the Course was anything but 

 pleasant, and when the cavalcade from London arrived 

 on the heath, so great had been the dust on the road 

 that the appearance of all and sundry was as of a mighty 

 host that had been crossing a desert. Dust was every- 

 where ; outside the rails it was over the ladies' ankles, 

 and the principal topic of conversation was — dust. 



The very superior character of the racing, however, 

 in some measure made up for the inconvenience of getting 

 there. One of the closest races, short of a dead heat, that 

 had been seen, was run between Mr. Greville's Mango 



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