The Speaker a Knight of the Bath--Lord Wellesley Lord Lieutenant of Ireland--M. Thiers in England--Prince Esterhazy's Opinion of the State of England--Queen of Portugal at Windsor--The Duke of Leuchtenberg--Macaulay and Sydney Smith--Brougham's Anecdotes of Queen Caroline--Judicial Committee of the Privy Council--Sir Stratford Canning and M. Dedel--Sydney Smith and the 'Siege of Saragossa'--Edward Irving--The Unknown Tongues--Tribute to Lord Eldon--W. J. Fox--Lord Tavistock on the Prospects of his Party--Moore at the State Paper Office--Russia and England-- Belvoir Castle--The Duke of Wellington at Belvoir--Visit to Mrs. Arkwright--Sir Thomas Lawrence and the Misses Siddons--A Murder at Runton--Sandon--Lord and Lady Harrowby--Burghley-- Railroads talked of--Gloomy Tory Prognostications--State of Spain--Parliament opens--Quarrel of Sheil and Lord Althorp-- Unpopularity of Lord Palmerston--Mrs. Somerville--O'Connell's Attack on Baron Smith--Lord Althorp's Budget--The Pension List--Lord Althorp as Leader of the House--Sir R. Peel's Position in the House--Meeting of Supporters of Government--Mr. Villiers on the State of Spain--Predicament of Horne, the Attorney-General.
At Court yesterday, the Speaker[1] was made a Knight of the Bath to his great delight. It is a reward for his conduct during the Session, in which he has done Government good and handsome service. He told them before it began that he would undertake to ride the new House, but it must be with a snaffle bridle. Bosanquet and Sir Alexander Johnston were made Privy Councillors to sit in the Chancellor's new Court. The Privy Council is as numerous as a moderate-sized club, and about as well composed. Awful storms these last few days, and enormous damage done, the weather like the middle of winter.
[1] [Rt. Hon. Manners Sutton, afterwards Viscount Canterbury.]
Yesterday the announcement of Lord Wellesley's appointment to be Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was received with as great astonishment as I ever saw. Once very brilliant, probably never very efficient, he is now worn out and _effete_. It is astonishing that they should send such a man, and one does not see why, because it is difficult to find a good man, they should select one of the very worst they could hit upon. It is a ridiculous appointment, which is the most objectionable of all. For years past he has lived entirely out of the world. He comes to the House of Lords, and talks of making a speech every now and then, of which he is never delivered, and he comes to Court, where he sits in a corner and talks (as those who know him say) with as much fire and liveliness as ever, and with the same neat, shrewd causticity that formerly distinguished him; but such scintillations as these prove nothing as to his fitness for business and government, and as he was quite unfit for these long ago, it is scarcely to be supposed that retirement and increased age and infirmities should have made him less so now.[2] They have judiciously waited till Parliament is up before the appointment was made known. Lord Wellesley is said to be in the hands of Blake the Remembrancer, a dangerous Jesuitical fellow.
