I might tell this to Lord Melbourne, and say that if he was totally disconnected from his Party, instead of being the acknowledged head, there would not be the same objection.

He said, Remind Lord Melbourne of the time immediately after the Queen's accession, when he had promised the King of the Belgians to write to him from time to time an account of all that was going on in this country; and upon Lord Melbourne telling him of this promise, he replied, This will not do.

It cannot be kept a secret that you keep up this correspondence, and jealousy and distrust will be the fruit of a knowledge of it.

"Leave it to me," he said, "to arrange with the King; you cease to write, and I will put it straight with the King." The Baron seemed to expect Lord Melbourne to draw the inference from this that a correspondence between Lord Melbourne and the Queen was fraught with the same danger, and would, when known, be followed by distrust and jealousy on the part of Sir Robert Peel.

I said I reconciled it to myself because I felt that it had been productive of much good and no harm--and that, feeling that it was conducted on such honourable terms, I should not, if it were necessary, scruple to acquaint Sir Robert Peel of its existence.