YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

MY RECOLLECTIONS.

VOL. I.

MT RECOLLECTIONS

FROM

1806 TO 1873.

LORD WILLIAM PITT LENNOX.

" Though far sway,
Though ruthless time has scattered memory's dream,
Some scenes can ne'er decay,
But rest, where all is changed, like islands on a stream.11
BRYDSON.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL I.

LONDON:
HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS,
13, GREAT MARLBOROTJOH STREET,
1874.
All rights reserved.

London: Printed by a' Sclulze, 13, Poland Street.

CONTENTS OF
THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.
La Bruyere on Memoirs — Youthful Days — Charles, third Duke
of Eichmond — William Pitt — Hard Drinkers — Sir Eobert
Viner and King Charles II. — Bacchanalian Song — Anecdotes
of George the Fourth — Past and Present Dinners — Wines
and Malt Liquors — Lord Normanby — Charles Mathews —
Modern Innovations ....... 3
CHAPTER II.
Goodwood — Practical Joke — Miss Le Clerc — The Earl of Egre-
mont — Westminster School — Four in Hand Club — Eomeo
Coates — The Amateur of Fashion — Sadler's Wells Theatre —
The Margravine of Anspach— Great Frost of 1813— Welling
ton — Anecdotes of a French Officer at Waterloo — Captains
Adair and Burgess  27

TI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
The Army as it was, and as it is— The Blues— The Princess
Charlotte of Wales— Her Early Life— Marriage and Funeral
— Prince Leopold of Saxe- Coburg — Queen Caroline's Eiots —
A Eadical embedded in Mud — A Timid Magistrate — Anecdote
of Eobert William Ellington — Unpopularity of George
IV  55
CHAPTER IV.
Social Character of the Blues — A Trusty Batman — Eeview in
Honour of Dom Miguel — Sanguinary Code — The Ingoldsby
Legends — Lord TomNoddy — Pugilistic Encounters — The
Fighting Life-Guardsman — Byron's Fistic Career — A Pugi
listic Guard of Honour — George IV. a Patron of the Eing —
Prize-Fights  87
CHAPTER V.
Duelling — Sanguinary Duel between Messrs. Munro and Green
— Travelling as it was — As it is — A Stage- Coach Dinner —
Strange Passengers — Journey of the Prince of Denmark in
1703 — State of the Eoads — Journey from Goodwood to
London — Journey described by Vanbrugh — Anecdote of the
Eoad — Oxonians fairly taken in . . . . .115
CHAPTER VI.
The Cato Street Conspiracy — Thistlewood in Newgate — Lord
Fitz Clarence and the Turnpike- man — A Dinner at the Garrick
—William Jerdan— The Dead Dog— An Unexpected Sur
prise .  137

CONTEXTS. vii
CHAPTER VII.
The Westminster Play — Terence's First Comedy — Denunciation
of the Stage by the Clergy — The Drama — Loyalty of the
Players — Garrick and the M.P. — Funeral of the English
Eoscius — Garrick's Verses — Pamphlet against Licensing
Theatres — French Compliment paid to Shakespeare . 151
CHAPTER VIII.
Extraordinary Changes in Theatres — Joseph Grimaldi — Metro
politan Theatres Fifty Years ago — Eun of the Old Comedies
at the Present Day — Improvements in the Comforts of
Theatres — Miss O'Neill — Bannister — Braham — Malibran —
Barclay aud Perkins — The M.P. staggered — Actors of the
Day . . . . . . .165
CHAPTER IX.
Amateur Theatricals at Carton, Wynnstay, Knebworth, aud
Hitchin Priory — Peculiarities of Amateurs — Contretemps at
some French Theatres — Actresses engaged for Private
Theatricals — Acting Charades — An Awkward Fix — Ovation
to Lord Lytton — King's Theatre, Haymarket.. . 197
CHAPTER X.
Eeturned as M.P. for King's Lynn— Election Expenses — Lord
George Bentinck as a Public Speaker — A Belgian Orator —
My Maiden Speech — Speeches in Parliament on the Beform
Bill ; on the Anatomy Bill ; on the Bill for Regulating the
Labour of Children and Young Persons— Defence of my
Brother, the Postmaster- General . . .229

Vill CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL
Begging- Letter Impostors — Fleeced by a Soi-Disant Elector —
Another Victim of a Certain " Industrious Class" — Jack
Turner's Yarn — " Dodge " of a Gallant Captain — A Sharp
Capture — Humours of an Election — A Political Mongrel —
The Member for King's Lynn captured as a Rickburner —
Narrow Escape . . . . .271
CHAPTER XII.
The Law of Primogeniture — Gavelkind — Gambling — " Keep off
the Turf "—Clubs— Brooks'— Whites'— Lines on Fox— Fifth
Earl of Carlisle — His Letter to George Selwyn — Letters from
John Hare — " The Hare with many Friends" — William Pitt —
Female Gamesters— Lady Elizabeth Luttrell . . 293

CHAPTER I.

LA BEUYEEE ON MEMOIES — YOUTHFUL DAYS — CHAELES, THIED
DUKE OF EICHMOND — WILLIAM PITT— HAED DEINKEES —
SIE EOBEET VINES AND KING CHAELES II. — BACCHANALIAN
SONG — ANECDOTES OF GEOEGE THE FOURTH — PAST AND
PEESENT DINNEES — WINES AND MALT LIQUOES — LOED NOE-
MANBY — CHAELES MATHEWS — MODEEN INNOVATIONS.

VOL. I.

CHAPTER I.
" Though far away,
Though ruthless time has scattered memory's dream,
Some scenes can ne'er decay,
But rest, where all is changed, like islands on a stream."
BRYDSON".
" TJN vieillard qui a vecu a la cour, qui a
un grand sens et une memoire fidele, est
un tresor inestimable; il est plein de faits et
de maximes : Ton y trouve l'hisfcoire du siecle
revetue de circonstances tres curieuses, et qui
ne se lisent nulle part ; Ton y apprend des regies
pour la conduite et pour les mceurs, qui sont
toujours sures, parce qu'elles sont fondees sur
l'experience." So writes La Bruyere, in his
celebrated work, " Les Caracteres ou les Moeurs
de ce Siecle," and although, unlike De Villeroi,
to whom the writer refers, I can scarcely boast
b 2

4 MEMOIRS.
of having lived at Court, or of possessing
great wisdom, I may lay claim to a faithful
memory, which I trust will enable me to
describe scenes I have witnessed, to record
anecdotes I have heard, and to bring before
the reader photographic likenesses of many
worthies, and unworthies, who have figured
upon the world's stage in high, middle, and
low life, during the present century. In many
similar works, the author, when giving a racy
anecdote, mars, to my mind, the effect by a
number of asterisks, describing how the Earl
of  , the Lady  , Sir  , and General
 conducted themselves ; my idea is that,
if names ought not to be given for fear of
wounding the sensibilities of relations, the
anecdote ought to be entirely suppressed.
After all, the asterisks furnish a very flimsy
veil, as anyone bent on discovering the real
names may easily do so by referring to the
Peerage, Baronetage, or Annual Register. Acting
upon this, while avoiding all offence, I shall
certainly give my characters " a local habitation
and a name."
As at the time of my birth, September 20th,

CHARLES, THIED DUKE OE RICHMOND. 5
1799, my father, then Major-General Lennox,
was second in command of the Yorkshire
Military District, under Major-General Lord
Mulgrave, then stationed at Hull, I first saw
light at a most romantic spot, Winestead Abbey ;
from thence we removed to Sussex, where we
occupied Stoke, then and now belonging to
the Richmond family. I well remember my first
visit to Goodwood, and my introduction to my
father's uncle, the third Duke of Richmond,
who was then in his 70th year.*
* The Duke of Richmond here referred to was the third of the
line, and came to the title and estates at the early age of fifteen.
Like his predecessors, he chose the military profession, and ar
rived at the rank of major-general. Great attention was paid to
his education, and when only sixteen he set out on his travels,
and remained some time abroad. While on the Continent, the
Duke of Richmond imbibed a taste for the fine arts, and there is
but little doubt that the encouragemeut first afforded by him to
British artists finally led to the establishment of the present
Royal Academy. In March, 1758, he opened a gallery at his
house in Whitehall, in which was displayed a large collection of
original plaster casts taken from the best ancient statues and
busts, both of Rome and Florence. Every painter, sculptor, or
student was freely admitted ; and for the further encouragement
of genius, His Grace bestowed two medals annually on such as had
exhibited the two best models. In 1756 His Grace took his seat

6 CHARLES, THIRD DUKE OP RICHMOND.
For the last eleven years of his life, His Grace
turned farmer, and devoted himself to the im
provement of his estates in Sussex, and at
the period I saw him never shall I forget the
snub he gave me when, upon inquiring what
profession I was inclined to follow, I replied
in the House of Lords, and attached himself to the Whig interest,
which, at that period, was headed by the first Duke of New
castle. In 1776 he was appointed Secretary of State for the Southern de
partment, under Lord Rockingham, who held the seals of office
but for a short time, and gave place to Lord North. From 1767
to 1782 the Duke continued uniformly in the opposition, during
which period he denounced the American War. On the retire
ment of Lord North in 1782, Lord Rockingham and the Whigs
came again into office, and the Duke of Richmond was appointed
Master-General of the Ordnance. Within a few months, however,
this administration was dissolved, and His Grace joined a strong
opposition under a young and eloquent leader, William Pitt,
who, in 1783, drove their enemies from the field. The Duke
again accepted his old office at the Ordnance, which he retained
till the latter end of the year 1795. His Grace was a thorough
reformer, and supported annual parliaments and universal
suffrage. Among his intimate friends and guests were the first
Duke of Newcastle, Lord Rockingham, the Duke of Norfolk, and
other leading Whigs of the day. Romney, the eminent portrait-
painter, constantly partook of the hospitalities of Goodwood, and
has left there a memorial of his talent in a well executed likeness
of his patron.

WILLIAM PITT. /
the army. " Better take to farming," said he,
" like your brother — I call him Farmer George."
The Duke not only called him "Farmer George,"
but in admiration for his juvenile predilection
for agricultural pursuits, bequeathed valuable
property to him in Sussex. My brother, how
ever, entered the army, and served with dis
tinction during the Peninsular campaign and at
Waterloo. I have omitted to mention that the Right
Honourable William Pitt stood as one of my
sponsors ; but as that illustrious statesman died
when I was in my sixth year, I have only a
faint recollection of him. Still I do remember
a tallish spare man, with a rather red face,
asking me what I intended . to be, and, upon my
mother responding " a soldier," Mr. Pitt for
warded me a very handsome sword, which haot
been presented to him by some public body,
upon his appointment as Lord Warden of the
Cinque Ports. Upon the blade of this sword
Mr. Pitt's crest is beautifully engraved, and I
need scarcely add it is treasured by me as the gift
of one of whom it has been truly said by his
noble biographers, " Glorious was his course,

8 HARD DRINKING.
and long the track of light he left behind him.
May that course be followed, nay, may that
track of light be trod in by many — very many
statesmen of the coming time. Some only can
partake of its glory, but all may be guided by
its ray."
To resume — at the time I write of, drinking
was one of the grossest vices of the day, and
as the Goodwood Hunt was then in its glory,
Stoke was the scene of many vivacious and
bibacious nights. Six o'clock was the latest
hour at which people sat down to dinner, indeed
in many houses, it took place an hour earlier,
and as among the fox-hunters there were at
least some half-dozen four-bottle men, what
ought to have proved the " feast of reason "
ended in being " the flow of bowl." No sooner
had the ladies left the room than a horse-shoe-
shaped mahogany table was placed before the fire ;
fresh glasses, deviled biscuits, and a magnum
of port made their appearance, and the orgies
began. Toasts were drunk, fines of salt water
were inflicted upon those who would not fill
their glasses, Bacchanalian songs were sung,
and by midnight those who were not under

CHARLES II. AND SIR ROBERT VINER. S)
the table were able to shout forth practically
the burden of a song then much in vogue : —
" 1 was drunk with my passion — so mortally drunk,
That nothing would do but a reel,"
and forthwith those who could stand upon
their legs reeled into the . drawing-room, where
none but a few strong-minded women accustomed
to such scenes were to be found, the weaker
and more prudent having retired to their rooms.
Among other songs, the following, written by
Thomas Shadwell, was a universal favourite
among those who indulged in " potations pottle
deep," and there is an anecdote connected with
it which may not prove uninteresting.
After the great fire of London, Sir Robert
Viner built a stately mansion, eastward of,
but immediately adjoining St. Mary Wool-
noth church. Here he was visited by King
Charles the Second, and being the' royal
banker, was consulted on pecuniary matters,
more particularly during his mayoralty in 1674-5.
On one occasion the Kings of England and
London became gloriously mellow ; and Charles,
when about to enter his coach, on his return

10 BACCHANALIAN SONG.
westward, was urgently entreated by Sir Robert
to "'stay and take another bottle." Seducing
and seduced, to this the King jovially consented,
and thrusting his arm within the Lord Mayor's,
the reeling potentates returned to the table,
singing jollily,
" For a man that is drunk is as great as a king,"
Jacob Henry Burn, in his most interesting
work, " A Descriptive Catalogue of the London
Traders', Tavern, and Coffee-house Tokens," thus
describes the song, " That the line above
quoted was derived from some Bacchanalian
ballad, and one the King, possibly, sang among
his dissolute midnight companions, has been
generally conceded, but it has hitherto eluded
discovery; chance has, however, shown it to
be a portion of the following : —
" Oome, hang up your care, and cast away sorrow ;
Drink on ; he's a sot that e'er thinks of to-morrow,
Good store of tierce claret supplies everything,
For a man that is drunk is as great as a king.
Let no one with crosses or losses repine,
But take a full dose of the juice of the vine,
Diseases and troubles are ne'er to be found,
But in that dull place where the glass goes not round.
Come, hang up your care, &o."
Westminster Drollery, 1672.

OATCH DEDICATED TO BACCHUS. 11
To this a note is appended. — The catch,
" Come lay by your cares," was written by
Thomas Shadwell, and sung in the third act
of his comedy of " The Miser," at Drury Lane
in 1671-2. Sir Richard Steele, Spectator, No.
462, refers the incident to Guildhall, during
the mayoralty dinner of that year. The freaks
of royalty were sufficiently absurd, but that
this should have occurred at a public festival is
past credence.*
In a work entitled " The Words of the Favourite
Catches and Glees," performed at Ranelagh
House, on the 12th of May, 1767, I find the
following catch dedicated to Bacchus, the writer
of which evidently owes his inspiration to the
juice of the grape : —
* Sir John Sinclair, in his " Code of Health," relates that a Mr.
Vantom drank 36,688 bottles, or 59 pipes of port wine, in the
space of twenty-three years, and not many years ago a friend of
mine consulted Dr. Jephson, at Leamington, for an incipient
attack of delirium tremens, which eventually carried him off.
" What wine do you drink P" asked the doctor. " I can easily
answer that question,'' responded the patient, " five hundred and
forty-seven bottles and a half." The worthy M.D. looked sur
prised. " Yes," replied the other, " a bottle and a half of port
every day, and if I miss it one day, I soon make up the loss by an
extra allowance the next."

12 GEORGE THE FOURTH.
Q. Which is the properest day to drink ? Saturday, Sunday,
or Monday ?
A. Each is the properest day, I think. Why should we name
but one day ?
Q. Tell me but yours, I'll mention my day. Let us but fix
upon some day ?
A. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sun
day, Monday.
George the Fourth in early days, as Prince
Regent, loved his bottle, and, in company with
his friend Sheridan, indulged in it pretty freely,
and this reminds me of an anecdote connected
with His Royal Highness : —
Upon one occasion, during a visit to the third
Lord Bathurst, for so many years Secretary of
State for the Department of War and the
Colonies, the Prince Regent was in wonderfully
high spirits, and delighted the whole company
by his smart sayings. In those days drinking
was the fashion, unlike the present, when at
eleven o'clock (according to the song),
" John informs the company he's taken up the tea."
About midnight, after a large dinner, the
noble host asked his illustrious visitor whether
he wo«ld like another bottle of claret (genuine

DINNERS PAST AND PRESENT. 13
Sneyd, and not the weak washy stuff of the
present time), or coffee. There was a hesita
tion, many of the wine-bibbers were anxious
for the last, or what was called the "host's
bottle;" but all waited for the Prince's opinion.
"A bottle of claret or coffee, Your Royal
Highness ?" asked the butler, a fine portly old
servant of the by-gone day.
" Oh !" responded the Heir to the Throne,
" a magnum of coffee, if you please."
A magnum of the juice of the grape, not the
berry of the Ethiopian plant, was brought, and
this was followed by "just one more bottle,"
before the gentlemen joined the ladies.
On another occasion George the Fourth re
ceived a reply to an invitation to dinner, in
which the writer expressed his sense of the
" honour he would have in waiting upon His
Majesty at dinner." " Waiting upon me at
dinner," said the modern Sardanapalus, " then I
hope he will bring his napkin."
What a contrast there is between the Apician
feasts of the. present day and the more humble
one of sixty years ago, when France was not
accessible to Englishmen, and Parisian men-

14 THE BILL OE FARE.
cooks were scarce articles. People early in the
present century dined at six o'clock, and were
content with a good plain soup, fish, a joint,
fowls, tongue, game, pastry, and jellies, to be
washed down with strong October ale, sherry,
bucelias, madeira, and port. The fashion pre
vailed of drinking' wine with one another during
dinner, and of filling bumpers after it to some
fair one. At the present day, the single simple
bill of fare no longer is written out in a good
round hand, but makes its appearance, and
is placed before every guest, in the shape of a
menu beautifully printed in gold letters, with
crests, coronets, and armorial bearings embossed
upon it in the richest colours. It contains soups
with names unknown to our ancestors — a la
Palestine and a la bonne femme ; fish, soles au
gratin, rouget en cardinal, saumon a la Tartare,
filets de merlans a la Ravigote, followed by two
" assiettes volantes," marrow and oyster patties.
Entrees named after celebrities of France in
ancient and modern times, from Madame Main-
tenon down to l'lmperatrice EugeYie. Releves,
rots, entremets, and dessert following, with
wines and liqueurs suitable to each dish. Punch,

MALT LIQUORS. 15
madeira, Marcobrunner, sauterne, amontillado,
champagne, dry and sweet, Lafitte claret, port,
and liqueurs.
-How our great grandfathers would stare if
they saw the word " les appetissants" heading
a bill of fare, which provocatives consist of
anchovy toast with olives ; a"nd their mouths
and eyes would have exceeded their usual dimen
sions if they had seen placed before them " chaud
froid de cotelettes d'agneau a, la Bellevue," which
in English means a cold lamb cutlet, with a
wonderful sauce, and which in warm weather is
considered more likely to pamper the appetite
than a hot entree. Malt liquors flourished up to
t-he reign of " Beau Brummell," when it was
considered vulgar to indulge in them ; previous
to that, beer glasses were placed before every
guest, and either home-brewed ale or the smallest
of beer was handed round, very much after the
manner that champagne is at the present day.
Lord Normanby thus alludes to the custom in
one of his works of fiction, " ' Is not that a
fashionable novelist opposite ?' says an exquisite,
' Well, I'll astonish the fellow. Here, bring me
a glass of table beer.' "

16 LORD NORMANBY.
The Lord Normanby here referred to, was one
of the most agreeable men I ever met ; for
although a great portion of his life was devoted
to political affairs, and he held office at home
and abroad, as Governor of Jamaica, Lord Privy
Seal, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Secretary for
the Colonies, Home Secretary, Ambassador to the
Court of France, Minister at Tuscany, he was
as delightful in all the generous offices of social
intercourse as he was great in the most onerous
duties of statesmanship. Nothing pleased him
more than to escape from the House of Lords,
after battling to procure the endowment of the
great towns with the electoral franchise, and the
purification of the House of Commons (for he
took an active part in the Reform Bill of 1832)
and to join a party at the Garrick Club, at Jer-
dan's, Barham's, Theodore Hook's, Rogers',
Lady Blessington's, or other "houses of call" for
literary and theatrical people. So popular was
Lord Normanby during his administration of
affairs in the Emerald Isle that O'Connell said of
him that he was the best Englishman Ireland
had ever seen.
During his residence in Italy, the private

A MODERN INNOVATION. 17
theatricals of Florence were the talk of the day.
Lord Normanby himself was a first-rate actor,
and, instead of pampering the vulgar taste, now
more prevalent, of performing burlesques and
screaming farces, he brought out the best pro
ductions of our best writers. It was at Florence
that the present Charles Mathews, the " worthy
scion of a worthy sire," first imbibed that taste
for theatricals which has since raised him to the
highest pinnacle of histrionic art.
But revenons a nos moutons, and contrast the
meals of past times with those of the present day,
referring especially to that modern innovation — -
five o'clock tea. Our ancestors were content, and
thrived upon a hearty breakfast, a light lunch of
cake, sweet wine, or a sandwich, and a six o'clock
dinner; but the present generation cannot keep
life together — I speak of a large proportion of
the gentler sex, and a considerable number of
the male species — without a cup of tea and a
slice of bread and butter upon being called, a
hot meat breakfast at ten o'clock, a heavy hot
luncheon at half past one, a tea at five o'clock —
the meal I protest against — including tea, coffee,
bread and butter and cakes, dinner at from
vol. i. c

18 A SLIGHT REPAST.
seven-thirty to eight ; tea and coffee to follow,
and wine and water, sandwiches and biscuits,
before retiring for the night.
To the above meals, with the exception of the
five o'clock tea, there cannot be the slightest
objection, but that one is a serious evil to those
who during a hard day's exercise, hunting,
shooting, riding, cricketing, rowing, or walk
ing, have partaken of nothing, since breakfast,
except a slight repast, and who look forward
to enjoying their dinner in company with others.
Such, however, is not the case, for as the ladies
only sip a few spoonfuls of soup, decline fish,
play with a pate des huitres, eat part of the
breast of a chicken, or a small portion of a lark
or snipe, the plates are quickly removed, and
the hungry lords of the creation find themselves
left alone in their glory, either to eat by them
selves, choke in their attempt to swallow their
food, or patiently to submit to their fate, and
send away the half-finished slice of venison,
beef, or mutton, being looked down upon the
whole time as great gormandizers by the tea-
drinkers. Another change has taken place for the worse.

WINES. 19
In former times great care was taken, not only
to provide the best wine, but to get it into
perfect condition ; and as British wines were in
troduced at a meal that was then scarcely known
— the modern luncheon — foreign product was
kept for after-dinner consumption. Such is no
longer the custom ; sherry is drunk at luncheon,
and a glass of it constantly called for an hour
before dinner. The result is that few of the
Amphitryons keep up their cellars as they should
be kept up ; they are satisfied to go on the " hand
to mouth" system, or to patronise some cheap
Joint Stock Company, instead of annually in
specting their stock, replenishing it from a
respectable wine-merchant, and keeping it until
it is duly matured.
Since Mr. Gladstone's act of legislation, light
secondary growth Bordeaux takes the place of
the genuine Chateau-Margaux, and Haut Brion
claret ; Medoc of an inferior quality is substituted
for the Clos Vougeot ; Erbach and Hallenheim,
German wines, are introduced instead of the
nectar of the Rhine, Johannisberg and Stein
berg; champagne, sweetened with white
sugar from the Isle of Bourbon, is swallowed
c 2

20 SALE OP WINES AT PARIS.
by thousands instead of that grown on the
estates of M. Moet and Madame Cliquot at Eper-
nay; spurious port is passed off as the best
" beeswing " now to be procured from the Alto
Douro district in Portugal; adulterated sherry
does duty for that produced from the pure Xeres
grape ; and Madeira, instead of being allowed to
ripen under sundry voyages to the West or
East Indies (D'Orsay was wont to say of his
old Madeira, that it had got quite tired of so
many voyages), has probably come direct from
the island, originally of an inferior growth, and
rendered worse by an admixture of ingredients
well known to the trade, who advertise to sell
at " alarmingly ruinous prices."
And here, while upon the subject, I must give
an account of a sale that took place in Paris, in
1858, of the effects of the late Duchesse de Ra-
guse, including a pipe of Madeira. This famous
wine, known to all as the " 1814," was fished
up near Antwerp in 1814, where it had lain in
the carcase of a ship wrecked at the mouth of
the Scheldt in 1778, and which had been there
ever since. As soon as the valuable discovery
was mad© known, Louis XVIII despatched an

DEATH OE WILLIAM PITT. 21
agent to secure the precious relic. A share of
the glorious beverage was presented to the
French Consul who had assisted at its discovery,
and thus it came into the cellars of the Due
de Raguse. Only four and forty bottles re
mained, and these were literally sold for their
weight in gold to Rothschild, who was opposed
by Yeron and Millaud. Veron was angry,
because, he declared, he had made the re
putation of the wine by mentioning it in his
Memoirs, on the occasion of the dinner given to
Taglioni by the Duchesse de Raguse, whereat
the famous " 1814" was produced, as the highest
honour that could be paid to the great artiste,
" La De"esse de la Danse."
An event occurred, early in 1806, which threw
a sad gloom over my family at Goodwood and
Stoke ; it was the death of William Pitt, who
expired on the 23rd of January, being the twenty-
fifth anniversary of the day on which he had first
taken his seat in the House of Commons. The
House of Commons honoured his memory with
a public funeral, and voted the sum of forty
thousand pounds for the payment of his debts.
The death of this great Minister, who had served

22 DEATH OP WILLIAM PITT.
his country so long and so faithfully, was deeply
felt by all who knew how to appreciate true
greatness. " Poor Pitt," wrote Wilberforce, " I almost
believe died of a broken heart ; for it is only due
to him to declare that the love of his country
burned in him with as ardent a flame as ever
warmed the human bosom; and the accounts
from the armies " (this refers to the capitulation
of Ulm and battle of Austerlitz) " struck a
death's blow within."
Horner too says : " No one, even with all his
party antipathies, or with all his resentment for
the mischiefs which have been brought upon the
country, can be insensible to the death of so
eminent a man. In the place where I am sitting
now " (the gallery of the House of Commons),
" I feel this more than seems quite reasonable to
myself. I cannot forget how this space has
been filled with his magnificent and glowing de
clamations, or reflect with composure that that
fine instrument of sound is extinguished for
ever." Lord Wellesley, another mourner, wrote : " We
attended him to Westminster Abbey. There the

DEATH OP THE THIRD DUKE OP RICHMOND. 23
grave of his illustrious father was opened to
receive him, and we saw his remains deposited
on the coffin of his venerated parent. What
grave contains such a father and such a son ?
What sepulchre embosoms the remains of so
much excellence and glory ?"
His rival, Fox, while alluding to the prostrate
state of the suffering Minister, was deeply affect
ed : " Sunt lacrymce rerum," he said, " et mentem
mortalia tangunt."
Lord Grenville too, who, it appears, was not
on speaking terms with Pitt, broke into an
agony of tears when told that the dissolution
of his relative and rival was fast approaching.
But I must refer my readers to Earl Stanhope's
" Life of Pitt," and will only remark that there
were a few much-to-be lamented exceptions to the
rule, " Be mortuis nil nisi bonum" for Campbell, in
his " Lives of the Chaneellors," records that
Thurlow, to whom his old colleague and enemy's
death was announced when examining the
Townley Marbles at the British Museum, merely
said, "A d — d good hand at turning a period."
In the month of December, 1806, the third
Duke of Richmond died, and my father succeeded

24 NEW DIGNITIES.
to the title and estates. His Grace's death took
place at Goodwood on the 29th of December,
and in consequence of his severe illness our
Christmas festivities had been considerably cur
tailed. Great was my surprise one morning,
when sitting down to breakfast, to be told that
I was no longer Master Willy, but Lord William,
and that my elder brother, instead of being
Master Charles, was henceforth to be called the
Earl of March. Shortly after this we removed
from Stoke to Goodwood, and a brief descrip
tion of that domain may not be uninteresting.

CHAPTER II.

GOODWOOD — PEACTICAL JOKE — MISS LB CLEEC— THE EAEL OF
EGBEMONT — WESTMINSTER SCHOOL — FOUB IN HAND CLUB —
ROMEO COATES — THE AMATEUE OF FASHION — SADLEE'S WELLS
THEATRE — THE MAEGEAVINB OF ANSPACH — GBEAT FROST OF
1813 — WELLINGTON — ANECDOTES OF A FRENCH OFFICER AT
WATERLOO— CAPTAINS ADAIR AND BURGESS.

27

CHAPTER II.
r*\ OODWOOD, which derives its name from its
Saxon owner, Goduinus, was included in the
survey made of the kingdom by the direction of
the Norman conqueror, and appears in Domesday
Book as Godinwood. It is in the manor and
parish of Boxgrove. In the reign of Henry I.,
the Lordships of Boxgrove and Halnaker were
united, and given to Robert de Haia, who had
married a lady of royal blood. The joint pro
perty passed through his descendants by the
female side to Sir Thomas West, Lord de la
Warre, who was compelled by Henry VIII, to
exchange it for the Abbey of Whewill, in Hamp
shire, a.d. 1540. It remained vested in the
Crown until 1560, when Henry, Earl of Arundel,
obtained a grant to hold it in capite; in 1584,

28 goodwood.
John, Lord Lumley and Jane Fitzalan, his wife,
alienated it by sale to Henry Walrond, Esq. It
was thus described, " Rot. Par. 26th of Eliza
beth, Godinwood Manor, with its appendages,
two houses, four gardens, two orchards, two
hundred acres of park land, ten of arable, five
hundred of pasture, and three hundred of wood,
&c, in Hamptonet." In the reign of Charles II,
it was in the possession of the family of Caryll,
of Hastings, as appears by an act of attainder
against John Caryll, Esq., of Goodwood, passed in
the 26th year of his reign. About the year 1720,
the estate was purchased by Charles, first Duke
of Richmond, of the family of Compton, who
then held the manor of the adjacent parish of
East Lavant. Halnaker, or Halnecke, which
was built in the reign of Henry VIII., was pur
chased in 1765, by the third Duke of Richmond.
King Edward visited the place, July 27, 1551 ;
and in a " Legend of Halnecke," which I wrote
for an Annual some years ago, details of the
royal visit are given.
Among the hunting celebrities of the day, in
the county of Sussex, and a constant visitor
at Stoke, was a Miss Le Clerc, who after-

MISS LE CLERC. 29
wards married General Dorien of the Royal
Horse Guards (Blues). Tall, thin, muscular,
and endowed with a masculine mind, this lady
never allowed cold or wet to interfere with
her favourite pursuit, and as, at the period I
write of, hounds met. early in the morning, and
evening had long set in before the sport was
over, it required strength of body to undergo
such a day's fatigue. Although in appearance
Miss Le Clerc could hardly be said to personify
the Thracian huntress, she certainly equalled
her in the field : —
" Qualis equos Thre'issa fatigat
Harpalyce, volucremque fuga prsevertitur Enrum."
This lady was rather morose in her manner,
and very severe upon young people ; she seemed
quite to forget that she had been once young
herself, and never made the slightest allowance
for the frailty of boys. Upon one occasion
she reported a brother of mine and myself for
some juvenile folly, and called upon our tutor
to punish us severely, to which appeal he at
tended. The result was that, instead of being
allowed to go out coursing on our ponies, we

30 A BOY'S REVENGE.
were confined to the house for the best part
of the day, with extra work. Smarting under
the unjust infliction, we meditated revenge,
which, upon the following morning, we carried
out. It was the habit at Stoke, where Miss Le
Clerc was on a visit, to have the boots of
the sportsmen and sportswomen left at the
doors of their respective rooms, and among the
most conspicuous that we had noticed was a
pair with which this then spinster was in the
habit of encasing her legs ; so procuring a
bottle of red ink, one of black, and two
sponges, we soaked the latter in the liquid,
and deposited the whole in the boots. Early
in the morning, a cry, which might be heard
all over the house, proceeded from Miss Le
Clerc's room, and great was our consternation
when shortly afterwards the infuriated spinster
rushed into our schoolroom, boots in hand,
one stocking red, the other black.
" Shameful ! disgraceful !" she exclaimed. "I
hope you will punish them severely."
This was addressed to our tutor, who echoed
the sentiment, "Shameful, disgraceful!" but

EARL OP EGREMONT. 31
the lady was not a favourite in the house, and
considering the heinous nature of our crime, the
punishment was light. Happily a good day's
sport restored the huntress to good humour, and
at dessert we were forgiven. I own we felt
deep remorse at our unwarrantable revenge.
Among the Sussex worthies, a constant visitor
at Goodwood, with whom I was on terms
of friendly intercourse, was the late Earl of
Egremont, grandfather of the present Lord
Leconfield. He was a warm patron of the
arts, and Petworth was ever open to rising men
of talent ; his liberality was unbounded, and if
ever there was a man that merited the character
of a philanthropist, of one " who did good by
stealth, and blushed to find it fame," it was
the third Earl of Egremont. One anecdote,
among hundreds which I could quote, speaks
volumes for his sense of justice, and proves his
love of doing as he would be done by, while
it shows that he altogether repudiated that
modern slang version too often carried out,
" Do, or you will be done-brown."
During some great panic, when many banks,
especially country banks, had great runs upon

32 A BANK PANIC.
them, and there seemed every prospect of the
awful words, " Stopped payment," being issued,
a bank in Brighton was besieged, long before
the hour of opening had arrived, by nervous men
who had invested various sums in it, and who had
been strongly advised by the state of the money-
market to withdraw their deposits. Just as
the doors were about to be opened Lord
Egremont was seen to approach, and from a
feeling of respect to this truly popular noble
man, those near the entrance made way for
him. The countenances of all were now con
siderably elongated, for the natural conclusion
was that the Lord Lieutenant of Sussex had
come to draw out his balance, or at least part
of it. The doors were opened, Lord Egremont
entered, went up to the principal cashier, and
in a loud voice said: —
" As there appears to be an unexpected panic
in London, and as such a panic may have effect
upon country banks, I have come early to place
this sum to my account ;" handing over at
the same time notes to a large amount. The
effect produced was magical. Those that came
to draw remained to pay, or, at all events,
allowed their accounts to remain intact.

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL. 33
While on the subject of banks, I cannot help
recording an admirable saying of one of the
wittiest men of our age, perhaps of any day,
who, when Sir John Paul's bank stopped pay
ment, was met coming out of it by a friend.
" So Sir John has failed ?" said the' friend.
" Yes," replied the lawyer, " and I've been
victimised." " Really !" continued the other, " the news
must have quite upset you."
" Not at all, I was not upset, although I lost
my balance."
Early in the year 1808, I was sent to West
minster School, but as my adventures there
have been already recorded in a work of fiction
entitled "Percy Hamilton," I pass them over.
Flogging at that period was as much in vogue
as " tunding " has lately been at Winchester,
and I got my share of it. Whether Dr. Cary
imbibed the love of flogging from a celebrated
predecessor, 1 know not, but he certainly never
spoilt a child by sparing the rod, and it was
said that the system at that time pursued at
Westminster was founded upon the practice of
Dr. Busby, who for fifty-five years ruled over
vol. i. d

34 THE DRIVING CLUB.
the destinies of that school with a rod of iron,
or more strictly speaking one of birch, and who
was so notorious for his Spartan discipline that,
like the man referred to in one of Colman's
farces, he flogged the boys every Monday morn
ing, because he knew they would deserve it
during the week. An incident not hitherto
recorded merits a place.
During my third year at Westminster I was
highly delighted at receiving an invitation,
through a schoolfellow, to take an outside seat
on one of the four-horse drags belonging to a
distinguished member of the Driving Club, long
since gathered to his ancestors, but whose kind
ness upon this and many other occasions I shall
never forget. It was on the 3rd of June, 1811,
that this club met in Hyde Park, with a view of
driving to the Black Dog, Bedfont, where they
were to dine ; Sir Henry Peyton leading the van
in a barouche landau, with four bays, followed
by Mr. Annesley's ditto, four roans (thorough
bred).Mr. Stephen Glynn's ditto, four bays.
Lord Edward Somerset's ditto.

COSTUME OP THE DRIVERS. 35
Mr. Villebois' four bays.
Mr. Harrison's ditto.
Mr. Whitmore's ditto.
Mr. O'Conor's ditto.
Sir Henry Smith's ditto.
Mr. Pierrepoint's ditto.
Sir Thomas Mostyn's ditto.
Lord Foley's ditto.
Mr. J. Warde's ditto.
The costume of the drivers will surprise the
present generation ; indeed in the day I write
of, it was so outre that it was ridiculed by the
elder Mathews on the stage in "Hit or Miss,"
and by Grimaldi in a Christmas pantomime.
A light drab-coloured cloth coat, made full,
single-breasted, with three tiers of pockets, the
skirts reaching to the ancles, a mother-of-pearl
button of the size of a crown-piece; waistcoat
blue and yellow stripe, each stripe an inch in
depth ; small clothes, corded silk plush made
to button over the calf of the leg, with sixteen
strings, and rosettes to each knee; the boots
very short, and finished with very broad straps,
which hung over the tops, and down to the
ancle ; a hat three inches and a half deep in the
D 2

36 THE WHIP CLUB.
crown Only, and the same depth in the brim.
Each driver wore a large bouquet at the breast,
thus resembling the coachmen on a drawing-room
or levee day. After a very delightful drive, on
a bright, joyous, sunny day, when, as the
novelist would write, " the voice of summer is
on the meadow — her breath upon the breeze —
when earth is teeming with festivity, when
flowers blossom, when birds carol cheerfully,
when all is rife with happiness and glee," we
drove up to the " Black Dog ;" then dinner was
served, and after a considerable quantity of
wine had been imbibed, songs, sporting and
Bacchanalian, having been sung with full cho-
russes, we again started for London.
Another club, called the Whip Club, in rival-
ship with the above, met the following July in
Park Lane, and proceeded from thence to dine
at Harrow-on-the-Hill. There were fifteen
barouche landaus, with four horses, Lord Hawke,
Mr. Buxton, and the Honourable Lincoln Stan
hope being among the leaders. The carriages
were thus described in the fashionable organ of
the day :
" The following was the style of the set out :

RICHMOND DRIVING CLUB. 37
yellow-bodied carriages, with whip springs and
dicky boxes ; cattle of a bright bay colour, with
silver plate ornaments on the harness, and
rosettes to the ears."
Now turn we from 1811 to 1838, when 1
again found myself on the box of a first-rate
" drag" belonging to the kind-hearted president
of the Richmond Driving Club, the first meeting
of which took place at Chesterfield House early
in the Spring. No longer, as in olden time, did
the noblemen and gentlemen ape the manners
and costumes of stage coachmen. See the noble
president, the Earl of Chesterfield, or " Ches,"
as he was called by his familiar friends, in an
easy graceful attitude, with the most perfect
command over his team; see too, a nobleman,
not a member of the club, but one devoted to
every manly sport, enter the yard, the late head
of the Somerset family, " ay, every inch a
duke," and on the box a first-rate whip; his
" shooter" a gallant young Guardsman, a scien
tific judge of all the minutiae of coaching.
But I will not "individualize;" where all were
excellent it would be invidious to select any.
" In this famed driving club it were endless to trace,
All the notable ccachmen the ribbons who grace ;

38 MEMBERS OE THE CLUB.
Since Waterford* Paget.f and Pitt.J swell the stream,
And the eye dwells delighted on every team."
The club consisted of the following members :
President, Earl of Chesterfield, blue and red
coach, four greys.
Marquis of Waterford, brown and red coach ;
bay team.
Earl of Waldegrave, blue and red open
barouche ; bay team.
Earl of Sefton, dark coloured barouche ; bay
team. Earl of Rosslyn, dark-coloured coach; bay team.
Count Batthyany, dark blue and white coach;
bay team.
Viscount Powerscourt, open barouche; four
greys. Lord Alford, dark brown and red coach ; bay
team. Lord Alfred Paget, yellow and blue coach ;
mixed team.
Lord Macdonald, dark brown and red coach;
mixed team.
Honourable Horace Pitt, blue and red coach ;
mixed team.
* Marquis of Waterford. f Lord Alfred Paget.
X Present Earl Eivers.

CLUB DINNER. 39
Sir E. Smythe, Bart., dark green coach ; three
greys and a piebald.
A. W. Hervey Aston, Esq., dark blue and
white coach ; two bays and two greys.
T. Bernand, Esq., dark brown coach; bay team.
J. Angerstein, Esq., dark brown coach ; bay
team. Colonel Copeland, yellow barouche ; four
browns. George Payne, Esq., yellow coach ; bay team.
Lewis Ricardo, Esq., dark blue and white
coach ; bay team.
H. Villebois, Esq,, Jun., yellow coach; four bays.
As nothing in England has the most remote
chance of prospering, unless accompanied by a
dinner, the club dined at Topham's Hotel,
Richmond. During the evening poor Charley
Sheridan sang two of his choicest songs, " The
Bottle" and "John Collin," the latter to the
air of " Sweet Jenny Jones," commencing :
" My name is John Collin, head waiter at Limmer's,
At the corner of Conduit Street, Hanover Square,
Where my chief occupation is filling up brimmers,
To solace young gentlemen laden with care."
The said Limmer's being probably known to

40 THE SHOOTER.
many as a most fashionable military resort. It
was here that the officers of the 10th Hussars,
commonly called the "Elegant Extracts," con
gregated, when in 1814 they were transferred
to different corps. Their arrival was thus an
nounced in the columns of the fashionable organ
of that day, "Prince of Wales' Hotel. Twenty-
four officers, late of the 1 Oth Royal Hussars."
In describing the above club, I have referred
to a " shooter," and as to the uninitiated the
term may be unknown, I must enlighten them
by saying that, strictly speaking, a " shooter"
means a guard; on an amateur coach, where
robberies no longer exist, this important per
sonage is expected to blow the horn or play the
key-bugle ; to be as quick as lightning at a
change of horses ; to know how to put a team
together, and to handle an awkward nag ; to
have all his senses on the qui vive ; to be ac
quainted with every piece of harness, from crup
per to nose-band ; to be quick at altering a
Coupling rein, taking up or letting out a trace
or pole-chain ; ready to take the shine out of a
refractory team ; to be off his seat and up again
in a second, should his services be required.

ROMEO COATES. 41
Among the carriages that graced Hyde Park
at the period I was at Westminster, was the
new curricle of Romeo Coates. Its colour was
rich maroon, approaching to what is now the
royal colour ; its form was truly eccentric. The
crest was a cock, surmounted with the motto
" While I live I'll crow." The amateur of fashion
(as he was termed par excellence) was but a
moderate actor, exciting the risible faculties
of his audience, where thejr sympathies ought
to have been moved. The dying scene in Romeo
and Juliet was universally encored, amidst the
shouts and jeers of the public ; and here I cannot
refrain from giving a criticism of his performance
from the pen of one of the most able writers of
the day in which Coates flourished.
" Really folly is a most fatiguing thing, its
fantasticalness is so destitute of invention, its
oddity is so without humour, its levity is so little
instinct with spirit, that the most patient obser
ver, however strong his taste for the ridiculous
may be, in a very short time finds his relish
dulled, and his laugh relaxed into a yawny sim
per. It is this that renders a foolish person so
legitimate an object of compassion ; after a few

42 ROMEO COATES.
absurd exhibitions his power of attraction entirely
and rapidly fails ; he has no resources to reanimate
departed notice ; he sinks into himself, becomes
a mere blank, and though such a being, from his
limited powers, is capable of only a small degree of
misery, yet he is such a burden to himself that,
if he cannot muster resolution to make his own
'quietus with a bare bodkin,' he must die of
ennui, unless his horse will be good-natured
enough to fling him and break his neck. These
melancholy meditations were suggested by the
fresh appearance of Mr. Coates at the Hay-
market. This gentleman has for some time
contrived to draw on himself the eyes of the
town by driving a curricle shaped like a tea
kettle, by his decided and ostentatious attach
ment to that magnanimous animal the cock, and
lastly by thrusting his Quixotic form into the
representation of lovers and heroes, he has en
gaged a considerable portion of the public
attention. Yet this attention evidently begins
to languish, and on Thursday, though his pecu
liarities were as prominent and his manner as
astounding as ever, in half an hour he seemed
to lose his powers of amusing, and the audience

CRITICISM OP HIS PERFORMANCE. 43
were driven to the necessity of framing bad jokes
among themselves to keep alive their merriment.
Yet it certainly was a most laughter-moving ex
hibition, and if, as some people say, the gods
really made man to laugh at, they never had a
finer opportunity of splitting their sides.
" The play opened, and a tall meagre youth
(Altamont) began to whine, whilst a strange
accompaniment in the shape of Horatio squeaked
in response; then came Sciolto, who, to add a
variety to the concert, forgot the dignity of the
Roman father, and fairly barked through his
part. Next darted on the stage, badly dressed
in white satin, an ungainly figure, loose limbed
and stooping in the shoulders, its legs thrust
out like the Knave of Clubs, and its head shaking
like a Mandarin on a chimney slab. In the name
of Apollo can this be ' that haughty, gallant,
gay Lothario,' that ' dear perfidious ?' Where is
the lady that could fall a victim to such a
seducer ? Behold her, a thin fantastic figure,
who floated about the stage with singular velo
city, very different from the line of grace, and
whose voice was less substantial than that of a
disembodied spirit. The seducer and the seducee

44 ROMEO COATES.
seemed worthy of each other ; and the audience,
who are always excellent judges of these things,
with one voice proclaimed the lady to be Mrs.
Coates. " Meanwhile Altamont, who had been absent
some time, contrived in the interval to get a
cold, and on his reappearance his whine was
exalted to all the dignity of a hoarse croak.
Thus the play went on, amidst croaking, squeak
ing, barking, to say nothing of the indescribable
sounds which issued from the amateur, till
Lothario died, when a struggle arose between
him and the audience, whether they should
most applaud, or he most deserve applause.
He writhed, they clapped; he stiffened his dis
torted limbs, they grew enthusiastic ; he fell
flat and died, ' and unextinguished laughter
shook the house.' After the death of the great
attraction, nothing could be heard with common
attention; Calista stabbed herself, Sciolto bled
to death, and Horatio squeaked his dirge over
them all in vain. The audience groaned, and
the curtain fell.
" In a short time the amateur reappeared in
a military jacket and cap, and repeated his

CRITICISM OF HIS PERFORMANCE. 45
' Hobbies.' The metre of this poem seemed as
various as Southey' s ' Thalaba,' though not so
musical ; it was as short, but not so pointed, as
an epigram, and concluded with professing the
reciter's ' hobby' to be ' doing good.'
" We have no doubt that this gentleman con
descends to play the fool for the above laudable
purpose ; but perhaps he may have heard some
where that the manner of doing a thing is
sometimes as much considered as the thing
done; it would be perhaps worth his while to
try if he cannot do a little good, without making
goodness ridiculous. We are aware that this
advice tends to deprive the town of much amuse
ment, but it might have the chance of rendering
this good-dispositioned amateur more amusing
to himself. We cannot hope, however, that
such a person as Mr. Coates will take our advice,
but perhaps his new coadjutor, the whining,
croaking Altamont and the barking Sciolto may
find it worth their attention."
It will thus be seen that Mr. Coates was a
lamentable proof of the truth of the saying,
" How little we know ourselves !" With an in
dependent fortune, a good education, and the

46 ROMEO COATES.
manners of a gentleman, he might have been a
brilliant ornament of society; nay, further, he
might have followed his acting mania, and shone
as a star in private theatricals, then at an extra
ordinarily low ebb ; but to appear on the public
boards was an act of folly that, after the novelty
had worn off, became a positive annoyance to
the play-going world.
I was introduced to Romeo Coates one nip-ht
behind the scenes of Covent Garden Theatre,
when, for a benefit, he recited " Bucks, have at
ye all." On retiring with him to the green-room,
I found him gentleman-like and agreeable, though
very egotistical, as he would dwell upon his Hay-
market performances, urging me strongly to
attend the next, which, as usual, was for a
charitable purpose. For many years I lost sight
of him, and only met him once more within a
short period of his death. We happened, by
chance, to sit next to one another in the stalls
of the Olympic Theatre, and recognising him at
once, I introduced myself. We talked of old
times, but I carefully avoided any mention of his
amateur performances. Some weeks afterwards,
I read of his death in the newspapers. In pri-

FIRST VISIT TO A LONDON THEATRE. 47
vate life Mr. Coates was much esteemed, and in
latter years made up for the eccentricity of his
earlier ones by a life of usefulness and benevo
lence. My first visit to a theatre in London was
when, as a Westminster boy, I was invited by
the Margravine of Anspach to accompany her
to Sadler's Wells Theatre, and never shall I
forget the delight of my brother Frederick
and myself, when the carriage of Her Serene
Highness drove up to the door of Mrs. Pack-
harness, irreverently called " Mother Pack," in
Great Dean's Yard. The coachman and two
Brobdingnag footmen were dressed in scarlet
liveries, and the Margravine's arms were em
blazoned on the panels of the chariot, and upon
the hammercloth. As this took place upon a
half-holiday during the Summer, no sooner did
the two gorgeous carriages arrive than every
window of the boarding-house was filled.
The presiding lady, Mrs. Packharness, was
splendidly got up in a new bright green silk
dress, tastefully ornamented with red ribbons,
rather suggestive of a paroquet, and Jane, the
housekeeper, had put on her Sunday attire. Dr.

48 EVENING DEESS OE YOUTHS.
Dodd, our tutor, had made rather an elaborate
toilet, and " Dick," the porter, or, strictly speak
ing, the man of all work, appeared in a new
jacket, a pair of cords, and high- low shoes,
shining under the influence of Day and Martin.
-Every boy, from the under first to the sixth
form, was at his respective window. A
polite message had been sent to the Margravine,
saying that tea had been prepared for her and
her party, for the second carriage contained
two of my sisters and their young friends ; but
the invitation was most graciously declined, on
the plea that the distance to Sadler's Wells (or
" the Wells " as it was more familiarly called)
was so great, and the roads so indifferent, that
there would not be sufficient time to reach it
for the opening, if any delay arose. Mrs. Pack-
harness, however, paid her respects to the Mar
gravine, as did Doctor Dodd.
It may not be out of place here to describe
the brilliant costume in which my brother and
myself appeared, and which was the fashionable
evening dress of youths between eight and
eleven years of age. It consisted of what
would now be termed a page's jacket, of light

DRIVE TO THE " WELLS. 49
blue cloth, richly ornamented with silver Spanish
filligree buttons, trousers to match, a huge
white embroidered collar, a light blue tie, white
silk stockings and thin shoes, at that period
called " pumps," and which led to the oft quoted
Joe Miller remark, that " pumps were best
for wet weather, as they let the water out."
As the carriages were pretty well filled, I volun
teered to take a seat by the side of the coach
man, which was most graciously acceded to
by a very stout, pompous, ruby-faced man,
who wore a very curly wig/ and a large three-
cornered hat. Off we started amidst the envy
of the boys at Mother Packs, those of Drif
field, and those of " Old Steaks," so the
Reverend Dr. Smedley was called, all of whose
houses we passed.
The seat I occupied was far from a comfortable
one, for the weight of the coachman had so
sunk the centre that I was on a sort of inclined
plane, and every jerk the carriage made, for
part of the road was execrable, I was jolted
against the driver. He was, however, very patient
under the infliction, and I amused him much
by telling him that I had a mania for driving,
VOL. I. b

50 VISIT TO THE THEATRE.
and that sooner than not get hold of the ribbons,
I was content to mount the box of a hackney-
coach, though I often failed from weakness in
my whip arm to get into a trot the two animals,
that dragged along at a miserable slow pace
the lumbering coach. After a drive of nearly
four miles we reached the Wells, standing on
a grassy mound, not hemmed in as it now is
with houses, and the road which led to it being
for the last mile bounded by green fields.
As two boxes had been secured in the name
of the Margravine of Brandenburg- Anspach
and Bayneuth, every attention was paid to us
as we approached the theatre ; and as we entered
the boxes, many eyes were turned upon us.
Had we been in Dublin, some wag in the gallery
might have had a word or two to say, for the
Margravine was gorgeously and rather eccen
trically dressed, with a colour that probably
some Madame Rachel of that day had furnished.
At the time I write of, she must have been
past sixty, extremely good-natured, and was
devoted to theatricals.
Her theatre at Brandenburg House, which
I afterwards attended upon the occasion of

THE FROST OP 1814. 51
some amateur performance, was an extremely
pretty one, and on its boards many of the best
unprofessional actors appeared. The Margravine
was an Englishwoman by birth, being a daughter
of Augustus, fourth Earl of Berkeley. She was
first married to William, sixth Baron Craven,
and was the mother of the seventh Baron, of
Berkeley Craven, so well known in sporting
circles, of Keppel Craven, the friend and cham
pion of Queen Caroline.
Few of my readers will remember the great
frost of 1814, which commenced on the 29th of
December, 1813, accompanied with an unusual
fog, which lasted eight days, and on February
the 4th, the Thames, from London Bridge to
Blackfriars ' became a thoroughly solid surface
of ice. Notices were placed at the ends of all
the streets leading to the city side of the river,
announcing a safe footway over ; and in a short
time thousands were attracted to cross and
recross it on the ice, and to pay a visit to Frost
Fair. An entire street of booths, contiguous
to each other, was built, inhabited by bakers,
barbers, butchers, cooks, suttlers, &c. This
was called Freezeland Street. Swings, book-stalls,
E 2

52 FAIR ON THE THAMES.
suttling booths, skittle-grounds, toy-shops, and
almost every appendage of a fair on land, ap
peared on the frozen Thames.
There were professors of E.O., rouge et noir,
the wheel of fortune, and pricking the garter;
pedlars, hawkers of ballads, fruit, oysters,
perambulating pie-men ; and purveyors of the
favourite luxuries, gin, beer, brandy-balls, and
gingerbread. There were huge fires for roasting,
boiling, frying, preparing food for the hungry,
and hot drinks for the thirsty. In short all was
eating, drinking, and rejoicing. A dozen print
ing presses were erected on the Grand Mall,
which extended from bridge to bridge, and the
frosty typographers issued, as a wit remarked,
many an ice article. While upon the subject of
jokes upon ice, I may record one of Theodore
Hook's, who during a severe frost saw the name
of Hawes, surgeon, over a door, and in
stantly said :
" Perpetual freezing, and perpetual thaws,
Though bad for Hips are good for Haws (Hawes)."
A tremendous fall of snow followed the frost
which was general throughout the three king
doms, and continued without intermission for
six weeks.

CHAPTER III.

THE AEMT AS IT WAS, AND AS IT IS — THE BLUES — THE PRIN
CESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES— HER EARLY LIFE— MARRIAGE,
AND FUNERAL — PRINCE LEOPOLD OF SAXE COBURG— QUEEN
CAROLINE'S RIOTS — A RADICAL EMBEDDED IN MUD — A TIMID
MAGISTEATE— ANECDOTE OF ROBERT WILLIAM ELLISTON—
UNPOPULARITY OF GEORGE IT.

55

CHAPTER III.
T\URING the time I was at Westminster I
received my commission in the Royal Horse
Guards (Blues), and shortly afterwards, with a
view of being prepared for the army, was sent to
a private tutor's in the country. There in 1814
I received a letter from my father's old friend,
the late Duke of Wellington, offering to take me
with him to Paris, where he had recently been
appointed ambassador to the newly restored
monarch of France, Louis XVIII. This I ac
cordingly did, and had the good fortune to
accompany His Grace to the Congress of Vienna.
Upon our return to Brussels in 1815, the Duke
told me that, as he was anxious to replace upon
his staff those officers who had served with him
^n the Peninsula, he could no longer retain me.

56 ANECDOTES OF WELLINGTON.
This sounded like a death-blow to my hopes, but
my disappointment was considerably lessened
by His Grace adding, " I will appoint you to
the first vacancy." Most strictly did he keep
his word, for previous to the Allied armies en
tering Paris after the battle of Waterloo, I, then
an extra aide-de-camp to General Maitland after
wards Sir Peregrine, received a few lines from
His Grace, saying that owing to the lamented
deaths of Colonel Gordon and Colonel Canning,
two vacancies had occurred, one of which I was
to fill up.
Anecdotes of Wellington are plentiful as black
berries, *nd many books have been written to
record his " saying and doings ;" many of them
remind me of a remark made by a celebrated
critic to a compiler of anecdotes,
" Sir, said he, " your book contains much
that is new and much that is true, but unfor
tunately that which is new is not true, and that
which is true is not new."
I could give many instances of anecdotes
made for the Duke, but prefer giving one which
has never yet, I believe, appeared in print.
Although Wellington fully appreciated, and was

DARING ACT OF A FRENCH HUSSAR. 57
always ready to reward heroic deeds, he was
ever averse to acts of recklessness, by which
the lives of brave men were placed in jeopardy.
I remember upon one occasion an enthusiastic
guest at his table vividly describing the daring
conduct of a young French cavalry officer at
Waterloo. " He was about to charge a body of the
Guards," said the narrator, " previous to their
taking possession of Hougomont. Before,
however, he could carry out the orders he had
received, his adversaries had gained their strong
hold, and had loop-holed the walls. Disap
pointed at this unexpected movement, the
dashing hussar, sword in hand, galloped forward
to within a few feet of the building, challenging
the occupants to come forth to single combat.
Many a musket was levelled at him ; but to the
honour of the British soldier, not a trigger was
pulled. After many unsuccessful attempts to
provoke a trial at arms, the gallant knight retired
and joined his regiment, crestfallen at the
failure of his enterprise."
"A rash act," said the Duke, "he ought to
have been broken for it. Napoleon bitterly re-

58 HORRORS OF WAR.
proached General Lannes for having uselessly
exposed himself and sacrificed, without any
object, a number of brave men, and his rebuke
to Bourrienne when the siege of St. Jean d'Acre
was raised, 'Wounded or killed, I would not
have noticed you in the bulletin, you would have
been laughed at, and that justly,' showed
how much he disapproved of foolish and useless
enterprise." War is always dreadful, and the effects of it
are more poignantly felt when an army has been
for some months in a state of quietude prepara
tory to it. Such was the case during the Belgian
campaign of 1815 ; for months the troops had
been in quarters in Brussels, or its neighbour
hood, and every sport and amusement had been
indulged in, throwing members of the service
into almost daily intercourse at one cantonment
or another. It was sad to think that many of
those who were at the Duchess of Richmond's
ball on the 15th June, should, in a few hours,
be buried, though in a glorious grave. But this
subject has been worn threadbare. Two anec
dotes, however, connected with the battle of
Waterloo have never, I believe, appeared in print.

THE " BLUES " IN 1817. 59
One was connected with Captain Adair of the
Guards, who, just before the advance of that
gallant corps, received a mortal wound in his
breast. He staggered, and fell. " Forward,
Captain Adair," said the commanding officer,
thinking he had merely stumbled. Upon which the
dying man tore open his coat, showed the blood
streaming from the wound, and calmly responded :
" How can I go forward !" Poor fellow ! he
died shortly after. The other happened to Cap
tain Burgess, who was the Brummel of his
regiment. He was shot in the leg, and ampu
tation was deemed necessary. While undergoing
it (chloroform, which is now on such occasions
administered, was not then in prospective exis
tence), he said calmly to the surgeon, " I fear
this will cut short my waltzing."
The army is very different now from what it
was when, after serving three years on the
Duke of Wellington's personal staff, I joined my
regiment, the Blues, at Windsor Barracks early
in the year 1817. The hour for dinner was half
past six, and, except on State occasions, no wine
was allowed but hot sherry and fiery port;
the dinner was plain, for French cooks at a mess

60 RIGID ECONOMY.
were unheard of, but men sat over their wine
unconscionably late. Often have I, and some
youngsters, left the room in time for half-price
at the Windsor Theatre, and upon our return
have found the revellers still passing the bottle
round. No hot dishes were permitted at breakfast,
and the lunch consisted of a few slices of cold
meat, or bread and cheese and table beer.
Hence the monthly bills were not ruinous, and
it will surprise many a subaltern of the present
day to be informed that I lived for many years,
without getting into debt, upon a hundred
pounds a year, in addition to my pay as a lieute
nant. Of course, I was compelled to study the
most rigid economy, and to deprive myself of
many amusements which my brother-officers took
part in, such as hunting, boating, and driving
up to London ; but I found that I never suffered
in my comrades' estimation for declining expen
sive pursuits, and such I believe was, and is, the
feeling throughout the British Army, for, although
miserly habits were and are abominated, no
one ever loses caste for not spending more than
he can afford.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. 61
In those days, except when indulging in field
sports, every officer was expected to appear in
uniform, and, when dining out in the neigh
bourhood, turned out always in what is termed
" full fig." During the first Winter, after join
ing my corps, my troop was ordered to New
bury, and I there found the difference between
living at mess and at an hotel; but as we were
each granted three- month's leave, which I passed
with my relatives, I still managed to reverse
the line of the song which says :
" How happy's the soldier who lives on his pay,
Who spends half-a-crown out of sixpence a day."
The first time I ever witnessed corporal
punishment in the army, was in the Spring of
1818, when we again occupied Windsor Barracks,
and never shall I forget the horror I experienced
when I saw a poor fellow tied up to receive three
hundred lashes. In addition to the lash, there
was another punishment inflicted in the cavalry,
which was called " picketing;" it consisted of
making the culprit stand on one foot for an hour,
without his boot, on a small peg stuck into the
ground; his hands being strapped together, he

62 THE BRITISH ARMY.
was hoisted up to a raft, the whole weight of
his body resting on this instrument of torture
— a torture unworthy of a civilised Christian
country. When in Parliament, some years afterwards,
I strenuously opposed corporal punishment,
except in peculiar cases, such as mutiny. We
were then told that the discipline of the army
could not be carried on without the lash, but,
happily, we have lived to see better days, and
we have the authority of the " soldier's friend,"
the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, for
asserting that the British Army was never in a
higher state of discipline and efficiency than it is
at present. While all must wish that peace on honourable
terms may be kept, this nation, however averse
to war, cannot dwindle into a third-rate power.
While saying this, we hope the blood-stained
banner of war will long remain unfurled, for
war is a serious infliction on any country.
We forbear to catalogue its woes and suffer
ings which it would be harrowing to peruse.
The details are known to most of us ; the
human hecatombs sacrificed to the ambition of

THE PRICE OF WAR. 63
a ruler; the thousands and hundreds of thou
sands who melt away before fever, and famine,
and pestilence, and the sword; the terrible
decimation which the brave soldiers undergo by
disease; the appalling and aggravating agonies
of the wounded; the lingering tortures of a
death on the forsaken battle-field, or in the
crowded hospital, sometimes devoid of the
appliances of comfort and the consolations of
religion — these things we all know, and
there is no need to dwell upon them.
Melancholy also is it to contemplate the price
paid for war, in the shape of its retarding
effect upon social improvement. Amidst the
clash of arms, the voice of the philanthropist
and the social reformer is drowned ; for one
of the worst evils of war is that it absorbs
the whole attention of mankind. We do not
allude to the price we pay for war in money,
though it may well appal the man of slender
means who finds his taxes greatly increased,
but that, morally speaking, is as a feather in
the balance compared with the misery it entails
on families, high and low, rich and poor. The
titled noble, the accomplished gentleman, the

64 THE LIFE-GUARDS AT WATERLOO.
humble labourer, the hard-working mechanic,
alike have desolation spread over their
hearths. I pass over the prowess of the Blues at the
battle of Waterloo, and shall merely record
that the Duke of Wellington was pleased to
notice the conduct of Lord Edward Somerset's
Brigade in the following terms : —
" The enemy repeatedly charged our infantry
with his cavalry; but these attacks were uni
formly unsuccessful, and they afforded oppor
tunities for our cavalry to charge ; in one of
which Lord Edward Somerset's Brigade, con
sisting t>f the Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards,
and First Dragoon Guards, highly distinguished
themselves." Anxious to see my corps, one of my first
visits— after the Allied army took possession of
Paris, in July, 1815 — was to Nanterre, a small
village in the vicinity of Paris, where I was
most warmly welcomed by my future comrades,
and I continued to visit then at Louisanne and
Colombes, between the months of July and
the following January, entering into all their
sports, shooting and drag-hunting. During the

REVIEW OP THE ALLIED ARMY. 65
above period the regiment, with the whole of
the Allied armies, was reviewed by the Duke
of Wellington, accompanied by the Sovereigns
of Russia, Austria, Prussia, and France, be
tween the bridge of Neuilly and the Place de
Louis XV. (Paris).
The above magnificent spectacle took place
on the 24th July. On the 2nd of Septem
ber, the Blues, the Household Brigade, the
eighth Brigade of Cavalry, and one troop
of Horse Artillery, were reviewed by the
Emperor of Russia, and, being on Wellington's
Staff, I heard the Czar express his admiration
of their appearance and movements.
On the 22nd September, the whole of the
Allied army was reviewed by the Iron
Duke on the plain of St. Denis, and again
on the 11th of October, the whole of the
British and Hanoverian army, amounting to
between fifty and sixty thousand men, were
reviewed upon the same ground. Military
annals, in a period of peace, are comparatively
uninteresting, still I must refer to a few re
markable reviews and occasions upon which I
was present.
VOL. I. f

66 PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.
Having joined my regiment during the Winter
of 1816, the first review that I took part in
was at Hounslow, when on the 25th of July,
1817, the Household Brigade was reviewed
by the Prince Regent. Among other dis
tinguished personages for whom these reviews
were got up, were the Duke of York, Dom
Miguel Infanta of Portugal, and the Duke of
Orleans, afterwards Louis Philippe. The most
melancholy military pageant I ever attended,
was the funeral of the Princess Charlotte of
Wales. It was during the temporary residence of the
Princess Charlotte of Wales at the Dome House,
Bognor, that I first had the honour of being
introduced to Her Royal Highness, and nothing
could be more delightful than the affability of
her manner or the joyousness of her youthful
heart at that time, not borne down by care.
Fully did she seem to have realized the promise
of her childhood, and to have merited the
eulogium of Bishop Porteus, written in 1801.
" She is a most captivating and engaging child,
and considering the high station she may here
after fill, a most interesting and important one.

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. 67
She repeated to me several of her hymns with
great correctness and propriety, and on being
told that when she went to Southend — in Essex
— as she afterwards did, for the benefit of
sea-bathing, she would then be in my diocese,
she fell down on her knees and begged my
blessing. I gave it her with all my heart, and
with my earnest secret prayers to God that
she might adorn her illustrious station with
every Christian grace, and that, if ever she
became the queen of this truly great and
glorious country, she might be the means of
diffusing virtue, piety, and happiness through
every part of her dominions."
Although this ill-fated daughter of an unhappy
marriage was not spared to rule over the
destinies of this realm, she lived long enough
to endear herself to the hearts of all, and in
the person of her illustrious cousin, we have
a Sovereign who diffuses that piety, virtue, and
happiness which Bishop Porteus prayed might
attend " the fair-haired daughter of our isles,
the love of millions." At the time I write of,
the Princess was possessed of extreme beauty,
f 2

68 PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.
a cultivated mind, and, for one of such young
years, an energetic spirit.
I remember upon one occasion a man-of-war
anchoring off Bognor, and nothing would satisfy
Her Royal Highness but paying a visit to it.
The captain's gig took the Princess on board, and,
as she approached the vessel, a chair was about to
be lowered into the boat on which she was to be
hoisted on deck. Scorning, however, this mode
of transit, she, to the delight ofthe sailors, though
evidently to the surprise of the captain,
scrambled up the side-steps with an agility and
grace that delighted all. A salute was fired,
and instead of stopping up her ears to deaden
the noise, or exclaiming that she was awfully
frightened, as many a young lady of that and
this period would have done, or would do, she
stood on the quarter-deck braving the noise
" of battle and the breeze," for the wind was
blowing very fresh from the west-south-west.
I had, in company with my tutor, been taken
off in a shore-boat, and, when within hail, the
captain asked me to come on board, the good-
natured heir to the throne having expressed a
wish to that effect.

PRINCE LEOPOLD OF SAXE-COBURG. 69
During the Congress of Vienna, 1815, I, then
an attache to the Duke of . Wellington, had
the good fortune to be presented to the
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. A handsomer
young man I scarcely ever saw, and never did
noble blood and noble birth reveal themselves
more clearly than in the distinguished mien and
easy bearing of this illustrious scion of the
hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg- Saalfield.
Although Vienna was filled with emperors, kings,
princes, generals, and statesmen, no one at
tracted more attention than Leopold, who had
won laurels in a campaign against Napoleon I.,
and whose breast was decorated with the Military
Order of St. George of Russia, the Cross of
Maria Theresa of Austria, and the Iron Crown
of Prussia. He took part in the diversions of
the Court, had his place marked out in the
tableaux vivants and acting charades, which
were then in vogue, and according to a
chronicler of that time, Count A. de la Garde,
who published a work entitled, " Fetes and
Recollections of the Congress of Vienna,"
when the characters of Olympus were one
day to be distributed, that of Jupiter fell to

H

(0 DEATH OF THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.
the lot of Leopold, whose beauty was remark
able. In 1815 and 1817, I met Prince Leopold
constantly at the Duke of Wellington's, both
in Paris and at Cambray, during which time
I always found him amiable, unassuming, and
most affable. No wonder then, when the mar
riage of the Prince with the Princess Charlotte
of Wales was announced, that I took the
deepest interest in an event which promised so
much happiness to two of the kindest creatures
on earth ; and no one drank the health of the
bride and bridegroom with greater pleasure than
I did on the day of their nuptials, May 2nd,
1816. At that period I was on the Iron Duke's
Staff, with the Army of Occupation in France,
and did not return to England to join my
regiment until some months afterwards.
Upon more than one occasion I had the
honour of meeting the happy couple, for theirs
was the true " marriage of the soul." Great
then was my grief to hear, on the fifth of
November, 1817, of the death of this illustrious
lady. I was dining at the equerries' table at
Windsor Castle on that day, and the conver-

NATIONAL SORROW. 71
sation had naturally turned upon the approach
ing birth of an heir to the crown, when a
messenger arrived, informing us of the sad
and fatal event that had cut off England's
hope in her prime. Never before was national
and individual sorrow so strikingly or so
sincerely expressed, and never was it more
deservedly bestowed.
As a matter of course, the party broke up,
and every one retired to his home heart
broken at the thought that the young and
interesting wife had ceased to live, aud that
at one blow all the hopes and all the happi
ness of a fond and devoted husband were
annihilated. Nothing could exceed the sympathy of all
classes, and every demonstration was made to
console the Prince. The Regent, on his part,
granted him the title of royalty, with authority
to bear the arms of Great Britain, and con
ferred upon him the rank of Field-Marshal,
as well as the honours of a Privy Councillor.
Upon the evening before the funeral of the
Princess Charlotte, the duty devolved upon
me of forming part of the escort which was

72 UNPLEASANT DUTY.
to attend on the removal of the coffin from
Cumberland Lodge to Windsor Castle, and a
more melancholy public duty I never per
formed. The sad ceremony took place on a
dark, dreary November night, and the orders
I received were to ride close by the side of
the hearse. Unfortunately my charger, though
well broken, had not been accustomed to
torchlight, and as a body of the Foot Guards
lined the Long Walk, bearing torches, the
animal I rode became somewhat restive.
Happily, however, after a little capering about,
he became tractable, and nothing untoward
occurred. One of the most unpleasant duties that I
ever was called upon to undertake, was the
command of a troop or squadron of my
regiment during the riots which took place
in London, from the time Queen Caroline
first landed in England, up to the day of
her funeral. It constantly happened that we
were called out to clear some street in which
thousands of mischievous persons had as
sembled, and although we knew that among
the mob were men of desperate characters,

RIOTS IN LONDON. 73
bent upon stabbing or laming the troop horses,
cutting our reins, and trampling down any dis
mounted man, we were also aware that innocent
men, women, and children, from idle curiosity,
formed part of the throng, all of whom would
suffer if an order to fire upon or charge the
mob was given.
So hateful were the Military forces, especially
the Life Guards, who went by the name of
the " Piccadilly Butchers," that pamphlets were
printed and circulated, suggesting that iron
balls with sharpened spikes should be scattered
about the streets so as to maim the horses, and
that every man should carry a knife so as
to stab, or at all events cut the reins and
thus render them unmanageable. To prevent
the latter cowardly practice being carried into
execution, the officers had a chain rein covered
with leather. What rendered the affair worse was
the fact that, while the Life Guards were de
nounced by the mob, pelted, and insulted on
every occasion, the Blues were made much of,
and attempts were made to get them to fraternize
with the lawless rabble. Often did I witness
these attempts to win over the men of my

74 A MISCREANT IN THE MUD.
regiment by stealthily offering them money and
spirits, but thanks to their discipline the system
never flourished.
I remember that on one occasion, when being
relieved by the Life Guards at the Horse Guards,
a considerable number of the populace shewed
their hatred to that body, while they cheered my
corps to the skies. For a long time I kept my
eyes upon the leader of the mob, who, as we left
the Horse Guards and entered the street, was
evidently tampering or trying so to do with
some of my men, and was offering them small
bottles of spirits. Losing not a moment, I
trotted up to the miscreant, who patted my
horse on its neck, and shouted out " Three
cheers for the Blues," and " Long life to you,
Captain." Whether my life was to be prolonged by this
effusion I know not, but certainly his ran a
great chance of being shortened, for I suddenly
wheeled my charger round, and swept him into
a bed of slush which the scavengers had de
posited close to the pavement, ready for being
carted away. When he emerged from the mud,
he looked very much like Sir Walter Blunt, in

A TIMID MAGISTRATE. 75
Henry IV. " new lighted from his horse, stained
with the variation of each soil," or being a stout
punchy man, he perhaps more nearly resembled
the fat and amorous Falstaff, after being conveyed
in a buck-basket, full of dirty linen, and thrown
into the Thames.
At that period a squadron was always kept in
the barracks ready to turn out at a moment's
notice, and one day, when at dinner in the
Regent's Park, I was ordered at once to proceed
to Charlotte Street, Portland Place, to disperse a
mob assembled there, who were breaking win
dows and extinguishing the lamps. A magistrate
was in attendance to read tbe Riot Act, and the
affair began to get so serious, stones and brick
bats being hurled at my men, that it was found
necessary to put a stop to it.
" I shall read the Riot Act," said the timid
magistrate, " all I hope is, when you proceed to
clear the street, should resistance be made, that
you will order your men to fire over the head of
the mob, and pray be very careful not to have
them trampled upon."
" I hope," I replied, getting rather impatient
at the treatment my men were receiving, " that I

76 CLEARING THE STREETS.
shall do my duty in as humaue a manner as
possible, but if we are to be kept much longer a
passive mark for the mob to attack, I can hardly
answer for my men keeping their temper."
The Riot Act was read, and again was I ap
pealed to by the really kind-hearted but mistaken
magistrate. " Pray be careful," said he.
" Your duty is over," I replied, amidst a volley
of stones, " and mine begins." So, giving the word
" Draw swords," I hastily exclaimed, " Spare all
men not mischievously engaged, and above all
women and children ; but cut down anyone
attempting to unhorse you, or stab your horse,
or caught in the act of throwing a missile."
Following this exhortation by an order to trot,
the mob scampered away, and in less time than I
can narrate it the street was cleared. " Halt,
return swords," was the order, and forming my
squadron up in the road, I went about to see
if there were any wounded left in the field.
Happily, there were none with the exception of a
few who had been trod upon by the retreating
multitude. I once had a curious adventure with the great

STATE VISIT TO DRURY LANE THEATRE. 77
Robert William Elliston, at that time lessee of
the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The late George
Raymond has referred to it in his Life of Elliston,
but he has not given it correctly. Upon the
occasion of George the Fourth's state-visit to
the above theatre, I commanded the escort, and
upon reaching the theatre dismounted, and
followed the royal party into the ante-room of
the royal box, where many of the suite remained.
The rush at the doors of the theatre had been
so great, and people were so anxious to have a
sight of this monarch, who lived in a state of
seclusion, that many paid for the boxes, and
scrambled over them into the pit. The result
was that the entire house was crammed full,
and when the King advanced to the front of the
box to make his bow to the audience, so dense
was the mass that very uncouth sounds pro
ceeded from those who were being nearly
squeezed to death. "Hats off," was the cry,
but it was one that was easier to give than to
follow out. " Shame, shame !" exclaimed those
who had sufficient space to move their arms,
and doff their hats, while those that stood
covered in the august presence found it difficult

78 ANECDOTE OP ELLISTON.
— nay, almost impossible — to obey the man
date. The King, who was thoroughly aware of his
unpopularity with a great mass of the people,
imagined that the cries were levelled against him,
and seemed dreadfully put out. The perspiration
dropped down from his forehead, and he made
some remark to his Lord-in-waiting. The Vice-
Chamberlain, seeing His Majesty's look of dis
pleasure, immediately turned round to Elliston,
and in a somewhat excited state declared that
it was a great shame to have allowed more peo
ple to enter the theatre than it could conveniently
hold. The great lessee, being nettled at the tone
in which the reproof was given, made an answer
which did not mend the matter, and after a
rejoinder from the Vice-Chamberlain, retired with
an air of offended dignity.
Shortly afterwards a message was brought to
me, requesting my immediate attendance in the
manager's room; this summons I obeyed, and
upon entering it, I saw that the dramatic
monarch was in the greatest state of excitement,
and that his courage, instead of oozing out like
that of Bob Acres, had waxed hot through the

ANECDOTE OF ELLISTON. 79
aid of a few glasses of hot brandy and water.
" I have been insulted — grossly insulted," said
the player-king, " and I shall expect that satis
faction which one gentleman expects from
another, when his honour is attacked."
Of course I did all in my power to appease
the anger of the lessee, and so far succeeded
that when I left him I fully believed that the
storm had blown over.
" Bring some champagne," said Elliston, and
in a long speech to those present, for three or
four fashionable coureurs de coulisses had joined
the party, he proposed the health of His Majesty
George the Fourth. Of course this was drunk
by all, and then toast followed toast, until
the great Robert William had followed the ex
ample of King Artaxominous, and realized these
lines : — " Such was the case, the very action such,
Until at length he got a drop too much."
Being anxious to see that the escort was in
readiness, I took leave of the lessee, and
mounted my horse. As the King entered the
carriage he looked jaded, and evidently antici-

80 ESCORTING GEORGE IV.
pated a not over-flattering demonstration upon
his road home, for I was called up to the window,
and told by Lord Graves, who was in waiting,
to keep quite close to the side of the carriage
upon which His Majesty sat. This I did, and
soon found that it was a service of danger.
Just as we got to the top of Southampton
Street, where a few idle people had assembled,
some groans were heard, and thinking cab
bages might be hurled against the carriage,
I kept as close to it as possible. In those
days there was an iron bar with a small
toll-house across the lower part of the street,
erected by the Duke of Bedford, who is pro
prietor of Covent Garden Market, and the posts
were so placed that it was impossible to keep
one's place between them and the carriage. My
only alternative was to trot down the pavement,
which I did, thinking every moment my first
charger must come down upon his knees. How
ever, he bore me bravely on, and the moment I
passed the gates I again took my place, evidently
to the delight of the Fourth George, who, upon
dismissing the escort, thanked me in person for
my attention to orders.

ANECDOTE OF ELLISTON: 81
Upon reaching the Horse- Guards, rather tired
with my day's work, I at once retired to
bed, but in less than half an hour was awoke
out of a deep slumber by a loud knocking at my
door. " Come in," I exclaimed.
" Please, my Lord," said the Corporal of the
Guard, " there's a gentleman at the gate who
says he must see your lordship immediately. I
believe he comes from Carlton House, as he said
something about His Majesty's servants."
" Show him up at once, I will join him
shortly." Huddling on my uniform I entered
the room, where, to my great surprise, I saw
my friend Elliston, certainly in a state of ex
citement, if not of inebriation.
" Might I, before I begin upon the subject
that has brought me here, ask for a glass of
brandy and soda ?"
" Certainly," I replied, ringing the bell loudly
for the canteen waiter. The beverage was
brought, when Elliston began to renew his
grievance of the evening, and after a long and
pompous speech asked me to convey a hostile
message to the Vice-Chamberlain. Knowing
VOL. I. G

82 ANECDOTE OF ELLISTON.
that any argument of mine would fail to con
vince my belligerent visitor in the state in which
he was. I thought of a ruse that I hoped would
appease him for the moment, believing at the
same time that, if I once got rid of him, the
morning would bring about cool reflection.
" If the Lord Chamberlain had been present,"
I said, " you, as lessee of the Theatre Royal
Drury Lane, might have called upon his lord
ship for an explanation, or even an apology;
but as the Vice-Chamberlain only was present,
perhaps it would be better for your stage-manager
to take up the question, which was levelled
against the system of overcrowding the theatre,
and not personally against you."
After another glass of brandy and soda,
Elliston replied,
"Your Lordship is right. It might be infra
dig. in my position as lessee, and as one of His
Majesty's servants, to make the quarrel a personal
one. I shall leave Mr. Russell to espouse the
cause ofthe Theatre Royal Drury Lane."
After a good deal of humouring I succeeded in
getting rid of the disturber of my night's rest,
and the next day I received a note saying that

CORONATION OF GEORGE IV. 83
the Vice-Chamberlain had written a most hand
some letter expressing his regret if, in the per
formance of a duty, he had been led to utter a
word that was painful to Mr. Elliston's feelings.
This, of course, satisfied the wounded honour of
the great man, who from that moment never
ceased to thank rne for having carried him
through an affair which must, as he said, have
" led to bloodshed."
At the Coronation of George IV., the Blues
were present, and appeared for the first time in
cuirasses. A further alteration in their ap
pointments was the substitution of white for
buff belts, which had been worn since the year
1601, when the regiment was first raised.

G 2

CHAPTER IV.

SOCIAL CHARACTER OF THE BLUBS— A TRUSTY BATMAN— RE
VIEW IN HONOUR OF DOM MIGUEL — SANGUINARY CODE —
THE INGOLDSBY LEGENDS— LOED TOMNODDY— PUGILISTIC
ENCOUNTEES— THE FIGHTING LIFE-GUARDSMAN — BYEON'S
FISTIC CAREER.

87

CHAPTER IV.
"YTOTHING could exceed. the good fellowship
that existed between the officers of the
Blues ; and the non-commissioned officers and
men were devoted to them. Among many
instances, I can quote one which proved great
consideration upon the part of a corporal of
my troop, for we had no sergeants, and equal
sharpness on the part of my batman, one John
Hargreaves. We were at out-quarters at Salt
Hill and Slough, my captain and a subaltern at
Bothams, I at the Red Lion, Slough. One
morning I unexpectedly received a ticket for
Almacks, and in those days it required to be
on very friendly terms with one of the Lady
Patronesses, to obtain that favour. My captain,

88 A TRUSTV BATMAN.
albeit an excellent fellow and a good soldier, had
a horror of fashionable London parties, and when
I applied to him for leave to go to a ball at
Almacks, he replied
"I don't know who Mr. Almacks is, but he
seems to be giving lots of balls."
Not liking to be refused leave, and finding
that there was nothing to be done on the following
morning, I made up my mind to ride to London
for the ball, knowing that I should not be wanted
until stable time next day ; and that duty not
being imperative, I arranged with the Quarter
master to go round the stables, should I be un
avoidably absent. Arriving in London soon after
nine o'clock, I dressed and proceeded to Almacks,
where I danced until near three o'clock and
then I went home to the Bath Hotel, Piccadilly,
where I was to sleep. Upon entering the hall,
I, to my great surprise, found my trusty batman
there. " What has happened ?" I exclaimed.
"Please, my Lord, an after-order came out,
and there's a field-day this morning, the troop
will parade at half-past eight."
" Really !" I responded, half dead with fatigue.

A BALL DRESS. 89
" Corporal Hatton came to me, my Lord, and
said that if your Lordship was dining out, I had
better lose no time in informing you of the field-
day." The worthy corporal guessed pretty well that I
had gone up to London.
" I rode the brown horse up, my Lord, and
have brought your undress uniform with me, it's
laid out in your room."
Losing no time, I soon changed my ball dress,
a dress which seemed to strike Hargreaves with
awe and astonishment, and no wonder, when I
say that it consisted of a blue swallow-tail coat,
lined with buff, faced with the same coloured
silk, black velvet collar, white waistcoat, an
elaborately frilled shirt, buff net unmentionables,
white silk stockings, and cocked hat. After a
somewhat tedious ride, for my hack was jaded, I,
half slumbering in the saddle, arrived at Slough,
where my valued friend, Quarter-master Troy,
a Waterloo hero, was anxiously awaiting my
return. " The Captain, my Lord," said he, " has just
heard from head-quarters that Dom Megel,"
so he pronounced Dom Miguel, brother to

90 REVIEW IN HONOUR OP DOM MIGUEL.
Peter IV. of Portugal, is to inspect the regiment
in review order."
To an overfatigued man the encasing oneself in
tight leather pantaloons, stiff jack-boots, close-
fitting coat, and top-heavy helmet, is no very
pleasurable duty ; but after accomplishing it and
devouring a hasty breakfast, I marched with my
detachment to Salt Hill, and from thence to
Hounslow Heath. The manoeuvres were as
follows, and how I went through them I know
not, for to use a common though rather vulgar
expression " I was done to a tinder."
The regiment of four squadrons formed in line.
On the approach of the Dom and military Dons,
" Eyes centre," " General salute," " Draw
swords." After the salute, Dom Miguel, the
Commanding Officer and Staff, went down the
line. Then followed the marching past by
squadrons, ranks past by sections, cantering
past (not galloping as the practice now is) left
in front; wheeling into line, sword exercise.
Then the following manoeuvres. By columns
of troops the regiment changes position left
back and enters the new position at a
central point, advances in double column from

MANOEUVRES. 91
the centre, and on the move forms line to the
right. Retires in echelon of squadrons from the
left, the squadrons wheel to the left, front, and
the line is formed on the fourth squadron. The
regiment changes position half right back. The
line advances covered by skirmishers, skirmishers
called in, and the line attacks to the front. The
fourth squadron after the charge pursues, the
line retires, throwing its right back, and then
the regiment advances in parade order and salutes
the Dom. According to custom from time im
memorial, the Dom comes forward, says he is
most gratified at the appearance of the regiment,
and turning to one of the officials from the
Horse Guards, trusts that he would make
a most favourable report to His Grace the
Duke of Wellington, at that period Commander-
in-Chief. '
After the review was over we returned to our
quarters, and happy was I when, doffing my
military gear, I threw myself upon my bed and
slept till dinner time. In all my experience I
never remember to have undergone such fatigue-
A squadron drill in the morning at Windsor, a
ride to London, four hours dancing at Almacks,

92 SEVERITY OF OUR CRIMINAL CODE.
a ride back to Slough, a march to Hounslow, a
long field-day, and a march back to Slough. Total
number of miles performed on horseback, between
6 p.m., June 11th, and 7 p.m., June 12th, sixty-
seven, in addition to an hour and a half squadron
drill, and four hours in the field ; but youth can
accomplish almost anything, and after a few
hours' rest I arose fresh as a lark to enjoy one of
Botham's best dinners, for we had established an
out-quarter mess at his excellent hotel, the Castle,
Salt Hill.
Nothing could be more revolting than the san
guinary code which was so long allowed to
disgrace our statute book*, and among its in
jurious results may be mentioned the fact that
juries frequently forgot their oath, " to find a
true verdict according to the evidence," in fact
* "In the reign of Henry VIII. (thirty-eight years) it is shown
that no less a number than 72,000 criminals were executed." —
Stowe. " In the ten years, between 1820 and 1830, there were ex
ecuted in England alone 797 criminals. In the three years ending
1820, the executions in England and Wales amounted to 312 ; in
the three years ending 1830 they were reduced to 178 ; and in
the three years ending 1840, they had decreased to 62."— Parlia
mentary Beturns. Hanging criminals in chains was abolished by
Statute 4, William IV., 1834.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. 93
perjured themselves, by reducing the amount
sworn to as the value of stolen property, in order
to avoid the capital punishment ; for it was not
until the year 1832 that capital punishment was
abolished for larceny to the value of £5, as also
for cattle- stealing, horse-stealing, sheep-stealing,
coining and forgery, (except of wills and powers
of attorney to transfer stock) ; and to show what
the feeling of the House of Commons was, I have
only to remind the reader that in 1810 Sir S.
Romilly brought in small bills for the Abolition of
Capital Punishments.
1st. For stealing to the value of 5s. in shops,
"warehouses, coach-houses, &c.
2nd. For stealing to the value of 40s. in a
dwelling house.
3rd. For stealing to the value of 40s. on
navigable rivers.
The first Bill passed the House of Commons,
but made no further progress ; the second was
opposed by the Government, and lost by a
majority of two in a thin house ; the third Bill
was dropped for the session. In the following
year Sir S. Romilly again introduced the above
Bills, together with a Bill abolishing capital

94 SIR s. romilly's bills.
punishment for stealing from bleaching grounds,
and was enabled, in opposition to the Ministry
of the day, to carry his four Bills through the
House of Commons. The Bills were introduced
into the House of Lords by Lord Holland, sup
ported by Lord Lansdowne, and with the ex
ception of the Bill relating to bleaching grounds
(which was passed into a law) were strongly
opposed by the Lord Chancellor, and by Lords
Liverpool and Ellenborough, and were lost upon
a division. Lord Ellenborough, on this occasion
said, " These Bills went to alter laws which a
century had proved necessary, and which were'
now to be overturned by speculation and modern
philosophy ;" and again, " He trusted that laws,
which a century had proved to be beneficial,
would not be changed for the illusory opinions of
speculatists." The severity of our criminal code was so
great that juries were indisposed, as I have
already said, to convict in cases where the
penalty was incommensurate with the offence,
and they preferred to do violence to their con
sciences by acquitting the guilty rather than be

TESTIMONY OF ELIZABETH FRY. 95
the abettors of harsh and unjust legislation.
This was only one part of the evil consequences
of the severity that then existed, for the same
feeling which induced jurymen to acquit, indis
posed those, against whom crimes had been
committed, to prosecute.
The man who had been robbed or injured did
no violence to his conscience in witholding the
charge, for he was unfettered by the juryman's
oath ; and through this, many a malefactor es
caped. It was argued, by those who were
opposed to all changes in the system of criminal
legislation, that the terror the severity created
would be calculated to deter others from crime ;
but it produced the very contrary effect. Eliza
beth Fry, one of the greatest philanthropists the
age produced, gave the following testimony,
when examined before the Committee on the
Police ofthe Metropolis in 1818 : —
" I visited Newgate two days after the execu
tion of Elizabeth Fricker, and instead of finding,
as I expected, the whole of the criminals awfully
affected by what had passed, I found a spirit of
pity and lamentation over the sufferer, with
such an impression that the punishment exceeded

96 STATISTICS.
the crime, that it excited a feeling of great dis
pleasure, and even bitterness, not only towards
our laws, but to those who put them into execu
tion ; and so far from softening the heart, or
leading it from evil, it appeared to harden them,
and make them endeavour to justify their own
criminal conduct, as well as that of those who
suffered, and even to fortify themselves through
unbelief of the truths of religion, or to justify
themselves and those who suffered, by feeling
that they were not what they considered justly
done by."
The following statistics will show the numbers
that were sentenced to death, many for some
comparatively petty offence, committed possibly
through distress. In the year 1813, 713 were
sentenced to death, and 120 were executed, 25
alone for murder. In 1819-21, 3,684 were
sentenced to death, 329 executed, out of
which 47 were guilty of murder. Happily a
great change has taken place in our criminal
code, and that blot upon our civilization, that
reproach which cried day and night against our
Christianity, has been removed. Perhaps one
of the most important movements in the right

LORD TOMNODDY AT AN EXECUTION. 97
direction has been the abolition of public execu
tions, a remnant of a custom calculated to
debase the mind of the lower orders, and to
increase a love of horrors among a few of the
higher classes.
Most readers will remember the poem of " Lord
Tomnoddy " going to witness an execution at
Newgate, from the window of the " Magpie
and Stump," which forms one of the most
amusing of Barham's " Ingoldsby Legends," a
work of world-wide reputation. We are told
how his lordship, being in search of a new ex
citement, calls upon his Lilliputian groom to
assist him, in the following lines,
" Tiger, Tim, come tell me true,
What may a nobleman find to do ?"
The answer is ready, for Tim, after several
groomy evolutions, replies,
" Please you, my Lord, there's a man to be liang'd."
Off the noble lord drives in his cabriolet,
seeks some congenial spirits, secures a room,
and orders supper at the not very aristocratic
public-house above named. Here an orgie most
VOL. J. H

98 VIVID PICTURE.
humorously described takes place, and Lord Tom
noddy having drunk his toddy.
" Just as the dawn is beginning to peep,
The whole ofthe party are fast asleep."
The above description is most whimsical, and
the satire upon the degrading taste of such
amateurs of capital punishment, is justly
severe ; but the heart of the poet is touched,
and in a fervid apostrophe Barham turns
from the loathsome scene to give, in language
equally beautiful and pathetic, the following vivid
picture : —
" Sweetly, oh ! sweetly, the morning breaks, with roseate streaks,
Like the first faint blush on a maiden's cheeks,
Seem'd as that mild and clear blue sky
Smiled upon all things far and nigh,
On all — save the wretch condemn'd to die !
Alack ! that ever so fair a sun
As that which its course has now begun,
Should rise on such scene of misery !
Should gild with rays so light and free,
That dismal dark frowning gallows-tree,
And, hark ! — a sound comes, big with fate,
The clock from St. Sepulchre's tower strikes —Eight!
List to that low funereal bell ;
It is tolling, alas ! a living man's knell !

PUGILISTIC ENCOUNTERS. 99
And see ! from forth that opening door,
They come — He steps that threshold o'er,
Who never shall tread upon threshold more.
God ! tis a fearsome sight to see
That pale, wan man's mute agony —
The glare of that wild, despairing eye,
Now bent on the crowd, now turn'd to the sky ;
As though 'twere scanning, in doubt and fear,
The path of the spirit's unknown career —
Those pinioned arms — those hands 'that ne'er
Shall be lifted again — not even in prayer !
That heaving chest ! Enough — 'tis done !
The bolt has fallen, the spirit is gone —
For weal or for woe, is known but to One !
Oh ! 'twas a fearsome sight ! ah me !
A deed to shudder at — not to see."
To return to the sanguinary code, I could
record instances which the abolitionists of
capital punishment would probably take ad
vantage of; though it would not be with that
view that I should show how often innocent
persons have been falsely accused and executed.
At this period pugilistic encounters were very
much in vogue, and men of fashion patronized
the ring, and by their presence encouraged one
ofthe most degrading of modern amusements.
Although the authorities were not so much upon
h 2

100 FISTIC EXHIBITIONS.
the alert as they afterwards were to stop a fight,
it occasionally happened that some .respectable
land-proprietor, or some straight-laced clergy
man, gave information of an impending encounter,
and the country police, rather in the Dogberry
line, took measures to prevent it. To remedy
this, John Jackson, Byron's " corporal pastor "
gave (as it was termed) " the office " to the
leading amateurs, who were seldom balked in
their fancy.
Although I was never a patron of the ring, I
was occasionally led into joining a party, more
for the pleasure of the drive to the field of action
than to witness the edifying sight of two men
knocking one another about till they could no
longer stand, stimulants being given to them,
when half dead, to prevent their seconds crying
out, "Hold enough !" Great respect was always
shown to the " upper ten," even by the
roughs that attended Moulsey Hurst, Maiden
head Thicket, Hurley Bottom, and other places
devoted to these fistic exhibitions, and the front
rows, like the present reserved seats at concerts,
were always kept for the swells.
During a long period when " milling " was

ULYSSES AS A BOXER. 101
the fashion, I was present only at three fights,
two of them butcherly affairs, the other a scientific-
one. The amateurs of the prize-ring quoted
ancient authorities, and it is true that amongst
the general games celebrated in honour of
Patroclus, in Homer's Iliad, not only is boxing
mentioned, but the " stand-up " fight of Ulysses,
King of Ithaca and Dulichium, the "pet" of the
Greeks, forms one of the most graphic incidents
related in the Odyssey. Indeed the reputed
son of Laertes seems to have been well cal
culated for this formidable diversion, and, from
his strength, courage, and powers of endurance,
would have proved no contemptible opponent for
any of the pugilistic champions from the days of
Melesigenes, the Pierce Egan of that day, down to
those of the fistic reporter of " Bell's Life." The
"big beggar-boy," as he might have been aptly
termed, was a noble and generous antagonist,
who fought for honour rather than for revenge
or lucre, for we are told, when confident of
victory, and on the point of knocking his
opponent out of time, he
" Check'd half his might, yet, rising to the stroke,
His jaw-bone dash'd — the crashing jaw-bone broke ;"

102 AMYOUS AND POLLUX.
an instance of magnanimity that has been seldom
recorded in the annals of the ring. Amycus, too,
a monarch who reigned over the Bebryces, a
nation extremely expert in the battle of the
cestus, and who challenged all strangers, found
an awkward customer in one of the Spartan
brothers, " Pollux del Giove," who realized the
lines of Pulci in the Morgante Maggiore : —
" Vedendosi venuto il porco adosso,
Gli dette in su la testa un gran punzone,
Per modo che gl' infranse insino a l'osso,
E morto allato a quell' altro lo pone."
Which Byron thus translates : —
" Perceiving that the pig was on him close,
He gave him such a punch upon the head,
As floor'd him so that he no more arose,
Smashing the very bone ; and he fell dead
Next to the other."
It is not my intention to enter into any detail
of the " mills " of other days, when the members
of the Greek and Roman Prize Ring were not
content with Nature's simple weapon, " the bunch
of fives," but had recourse to a most formidable
weapon, a boxing-glove of several thicknesses

LORD CHIEE-JDSTICE BEST ON BOXING. 103
of raw hides strongly fastened together, to
which gauntlet might be ascribed the familiar
school term of a good Mde-ing. Plautus wrote
" Onerandus est pugnis probe," which has thus
been translated, " my fists must lay a good load
on him," and in our days many arguments have
been advanced in favour of the art of self-defence.
Among those which merit attention, are the re
marks made by that highly respected loyal
authority the late Lord Chief-Justice Best, after
wards Baron Wynford, in his charge to the
Grand Jury of Wiltshire.
" The practice of boxing," said the learned
Judge, " has often been a subject of discussion in
this country. I must say that it seems to me a
practice that may very advantageously be en
couraged to a limited extent. It is in some sort
a law of peace, for it discourages the use of
unfair means of attack; it prevents malicious
retaliation ; it only enables men to employ the
full advantages they may naturally possess, and
in the use of which they are restrained by the
point of honour ; and while it encourages a proper
English spirit, it prevents courage from de
generating into brutality, and secures men from

104 SHAW THE LIFE-GUARDSMAN.
the treachery and malignity of those whom they
may have offended."
Our great novelists and poets have not thought
it beneath their notice to allude to fistic en
counters. In " Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk,"
Walter Scott thus refers to a celebrated boxer
who was known in sporting circles as " Heavy
and Handy," the fighting Life-Guardsman.
" Amid the confusion presented by the fiercest
and closest cavalry fights that had ever been,
many individuals distinguished themselves by feats
of personal strength and valour. Among these
should not be forgotten, Shaw, a corporal of the
Life-Guards, well known as a pugilistic champion,
and equally formidable as a swordsman. He is
supposed to have slain or disabled ten French
men with his own hand, before he was killed by
a musket or pistol shot."
Anacreon Moore has immortalized the " Fancy,"
in his lines on Shaw : —
" Oh ! shade of the cheesemonger, you, who, alas !
Doubled up, by the dozen, those Mounseers in brass,
Oh, that great day of milling, when blood lay in lakes,
When kings held the bottle, and Europe the stakes."
This reminds me of an incident which oc-

byron's prowess at school. 105
curred at the mess of the 1st Life-Guards many
years ago, when an incautious visitor, Bacchi
plenus, referred to the sobriquet that gallant
corps bore.
" What do you mean by cheesemongers ?"
asked an infuriated Irish cornet, bent on parading
the libeller next morning.
" Cheesemongers," replied the other with
great quickness, " so called after their mity
(mighty) deeds."
Bad as was the pun, it restored good-humour,
and saved the necessity of giving the order, so
prevalent in those days, " of coffee and pistols at
half-past five in the morning."
Byron, who in early days excelled in swimming,
fencing, boating, pistol-shooting, and sparring,
thus records his prowess at school : —
" At Harrow I fought my way very fairly. I
think I lost but one battle out of seven, and that
was to H  ; and the rascal did not win it but
by the unfair treatment of his own boarding
house where we boxed, — I had not even a second.
I never forgave him, and I should be sorry to
meet him now, as I am sure we should quarrel.
My most memorable combats were with Morgan,

106 JACKSON.
Rice, Rainsford, ahd Lord Jocelyn, — but we were
always friendly afterwards."
In 1813, the author of " Childe Harold," then
about to publish the " Bride of Abydos," writes
as follows : —
" Jackson has been here ; the boxing world
much as usual ; but the club increases. I shall
dine at Cribb's to-morrow. I like energy — even
animal energy of all kinds, and I have need of
both mental and corporeal."
The dinner is thus described : —
" Twelve, mezza notte. Just returned from
dinner, with Jackson (the Emperor of Pugilism),
and another of the select, at Cribb's, the Cham
pion. I drank more than I like, and have
brought away some three bottles of very fair
claret, for I have no headache. We had Tom
up after dinner ; — very facetious, though some
what prolix. He don't like his situation — wants
to fight again. Pray Pollux (or Castor, if he
was the miller) he may ! Tom has been a sailor,
a coalheaver, and some other genteel profession,
before he took to the cestus. Tom has been in
action at sea, and is now only three-and-thirty —
a great man ! Conversations well — bating some

BYRON AND THE RING. 107
sad omissions and misapplications of the aspirate.
Tom is an old friend of mine ; I have seen some
of his best battles in my nonage. He is now a
publican, and, I fear, a sinner."
In a note to the lines from " Hints to
Horace," " And men, unpractised in exchanging knocks
Must go to Jackson ere they dare to box,"
the noble poet's biographer, Moore, adds the
following remark : —
" Lord Byron's taste for boxing brought him
acquainted, at an early period, with this dis
tinguished, and, it is not too much to say,
respected professor of the art, for whom
throughout life he continued to entertain a
sincere regard. In the 11th Canto of 'Don
Juan,' he calls him his old friend, and corporeal
pastor and master, winding up the compliment
by saying, ' who, I trust, still retains the strength
and symmetry of his model of a form, together
with his good-humour, and athletic as well as
mental accomplishments.' "
In " The Curse of Minerva," Byron again
refers to the Ring : —

108 A PECULIARITY OF GENIUS.
"Be all the bruisers cull'd from all St. Giles',
That art and nature may compare their styles :
While brawny brutes in stupid wonder stare,
And marvel at his lordship's ' stone-shop '* there."
In reference to Byron's prowess, as a pugilist
at Harrow, Moore adds this note : —
" Mr. Disraeli, in his ingenious work, ' On the
Literary Character,' has given it as his opinion
that a disinclination to athletic sports and ex
ercises will be, in general, found among the
peculiarities which mark a youth of genius. In
support of this notion, he quotes Beattie, who
thus describes his ideal minstrel : —
" ' Concourse, and noise, and toil he ever fled,
Nor cared to mingle in the clamorous fray
Of squabbling imps, but to the forest sped.' "
His highest authority, however, is Milton,
who says of himself: —
" When I was yet a child, no childish play
To me was pleasing."
Such general rules, however, are as little ap-
* Poor Cribb was sadly puzzled when the marbles were first
exhibited at Elgin House ; he asked if it was not " a stone-shop ?"
He was right, it is a shop.

GEORGE IV. A PATRON OE THE RING. 109
plicable to the dispositions of men of genius as
to their powers. If, in the instances which Mr.
Disraeli adduces, an indisposition to bodily ex
ertion was manifested, as many others may be
cited in which the directly opposite propensity
was remarkable. In war, the most turbulent of
exercises, iEschylus, Dante, Camoens, and a
long list of other poets, distinguished them
selves ; and though it may be granted that Horace
was a bad rider, and Virgil no tennis-player,
yet, on the other hand, Dante was, we know,
a falconer as well as a swordsman ; Tasso
expert both as a swordsman and dancer; Alfieri
a great rider; Klopstock a skater; Cowper
famous in his youth at cricket and football ; and
Lord Byron pre-eminent in all sorts of exercises.
In early life, George IV., when Prince of
Wales, was a staunch patron of the ring ; and
upon the occasion of his Coronation the prestige
of fighting men revived, and eighteen of the
most distinguished pugilists of the day, under
the command of Mr. Jackson, were engaged to
guard the external avenues leading to West
minster Hall, and check all unwelcome or de
signing intruders. The conduct of these men

110 A PUGILISTIC GUARD OF HONOUR.
was so excellent that they each received a
letter of thanks from the Lord Great Chamber
lain. This guard of honour, which included among
its number Richmond the black, were dressed in
the costume of pages, and certainly, for size,
symmetry, and strength could not be equalled,
and both on the day of the august ceremony, and
the subsequent one, when the Hall was thrown
open to the public, nothing could exceed the
good-humour and forbearance that characterized
their proceedings. I have now quoted all that
can be fairly advanced in favour of that science
described by the poet.
" Ingenuas pugni didicissi fideliter artes,
Emollit mores, nee sinit esse feros."
Which has thus been translated :—
" The faithful study of the fistic art,
From mawkish softness guards a Briton's heart."
But I own, myself, that I cannot see the fun
of two men entering the ring for the express
purpose of pommeling one another, breaking
ribs, damaging noses, knocking out teeth, and

FISTIC HEROES. Ill
cracking jaws. The taste, like that of eating
lava, caviare, or olives, must evidently be an
acquired one. It is true that the graphic pen
of the prize-fight reporter gives such a figurative
description of the proceedings that half the
horror is disguised. We read of "claret" being
tapped, of " caputs or knowledge-boxes " being
damaged, of the " smeller " being injured, of
the " corpus " being hurt, of getting a head in
" chancery," of coming to the " scratch," of
"bird's eye fogies" nailed to the rails, of
"ogles" being "queered," of "optics" being
extinguished, of the " frontispiece " or " dial-
plate " being disfigured, of the " conk " being
enlarged, of "ivories" being extracted without
mechanical aid, of the " mug " being defaced.
We are told in poetical language : —
" Time was, when John Bull little difference spied,
'Twixt the foe at his feet, and the friend at his side ;
When he found (such his humour in fighting and eating)
His foe, like his beefsteak, the sweeter for beating."
And we read of heroes with the euphonious-
sounding titles of the Wychwood Forester, the
Enthusiastic Pot-boy, the Jolly Trump, the

112 PRIZE-EIGHTS.
Chelsea Snob, the Mite, Tiny the Flatcatcher,
and the Slasher. To be serious, although I feel
that England will rue the day when the fist gives
way to the stiletto, and much as everyone must
wish to preserve that indomitable courage which
has characterised our countrymen from the
earliest days of our history, I never was prepared
to admit that prize-fights were essentially neces
sary to keep up that spirit. To settle a quarrel
in the true British style is far different from train
ing men to enter the ring for lucre, and I am
firmly convinced that the unconquerable prowess
of our soldiers and sailors would have been as
conspicuous on the boundless ocean, in the burn
ing gorges of the Indian passes, in the pine-
forests and on the vast lakes of North America,
amid the Pyrenean mountains, in the citron groves
and vine-clad hills of Portugal and Spain, in the
picturesque valleys of France, in the waving corn
fields of Belgium, in the pestilential clime of
China, on the rugged steppes of the Crimea, had
no man ever entered the prize-ring from the days
of Figg and Broughton down to those of Sayers
and Heenan.

CHAPTER V

DUELLING— SANGUINARY DUEL BETWEEN MESSRS. MUNRO AND
GREEN — TRAVELLING AS IT WAS— AS IT IS — A STAGE-COACH
DINNER— STRANGE PASSENGERS— JOURNEY OP THE PRINCE
OP DENMARK IN 1703 — STATE OP THE ROADS  A JOURNEY
PROM GOODWOOD TO LONDON — JOURNEY DESCRIBED BY VAN-
BRUGH — ANECDOTE OP THE ROAD— OXONIANS PAIRLY TAKEN
IN.

VOL. I.

115

CHAPTER V.
rpHE present generation has many advan
tages over the preceding one, and among
them may be mentioned the repeal of that code
of honour, duelling. Although no advocate
for this species of refined rnurder, there can be
no doubt that such an appeal to arms produced
a most salutary effect upon society, and in some
cases gave a check to crime, but it was the abuse,
and not the use, that brought it into disrepute.
Among the evils of duelling, the greatest was
that an innocent, unassuming man might be
dragged into a quarrel which led to a meeting,
" twelve yards on the daisies," the following
morning. In a crowd, the accidental shoving against a
Sir Lucius 0' Trigger would often lead to angry
I 2 '

1 1 6 DUELLING.
words or blows ; the quarrel of two dogs, as in
the fatal case of Macnamara and Montgomery,
in which the latter was killed, might also end in
the duello; at a ball, the treading on a lady's
dress, or inadvertently pressing against her, might
cause an exchange of cards ; a supposed slight,
a few unguarded words over the wine, a political
argument, a disputed bet, were quite sufficient
reasons for demanding satisfaction, and so
strict was the code that none could refuse a
challenge. In the army, under such a circumstance, an
officer would be tried by court-martial, or be
compelled to leave his regiment, albeit an
order existed against duelling. In private life,
a challenged man who did not respond to the
call would be shunned by society. At the period
I refer to, the United Kingdom swarmed with
professed duellists, men who could hit the ace of
clubs at five-and-twenty paces, and who gloried
in having been the heroes in many affairs of
honour ; nay more, in the Emerald Isle, especially,
pistol-barrels were notched, so as to show
how many unerring shots had been fired from
them.

SANGUINARY DUEL. 117
One of the most sanguinary duels that took
plade in England (for I believe in the United
States such meetings as the following are not un
common) occurred on the 17th of October, 1783,
when Messrs. Munro and Green met to decide
some bitter quarrel. The distance at which the
combatants were placed was six yards, and at
the third shot Green was wounded. His ad
versary's second then asked if he was satisfied,
to which he replied :
" Not without an apology from Mr. Munro."
Munro replied, " Not now."
" Then," contined the wounded man, " one of
us must fall."
They then fired two pistols more each ; in the
last shot, a ball entered Munro's knee, and Green
received a bullet in the groin, which proved
fatal. The seconds who stood by to witness
this murderous affair ought to have been tried
for their lives, as they would be in our day,
with very little chance of escaping the last
penalty of the law, although it is said it requires
a great deal of interest to get hanged at the
present time.
In our day many people are very apt to

118 TRAVELLING BY COACH.
complain if a train is ten minutes after its
time, and like the " Widows of Ashur " are
"loud in their wail." Had they lived in my
early days, they would really then have had
much to complain of. I refer to those who
travelled by the mail or stage-coach. First, it
was necessary to secure a place some days
before the day of your departure, and half fare
had to be paid down, which was forfeited in
case of non-appearance ; then, if the weather
was cold, raw, or wet, the outside was not
a very desirable position, with the rain pour
ing down your neck from the umbrella of some
neighbour. The dinner, though generally very good,
was rather a scrambling affair, for much time
was consumed in uncasing oneself from the
heavy lumbering driving-coat, and recasing
oneself. The inside passengers were often
times much worse off, for the vehicles, espe
cially the royal mails, were so small that
the occupiers appeared trussed like fowls.
It was not very pleasant to make one of
four, the other three consisting of a stout
farmer, rude both in health and manners, a

FELLOW-PASSENGEBS. 119
fat nurse with a squalling child, and an elderly
invalid who insisted upon having both windows
up. Early in the present century I have made one
of six in a coach between Chichester and
London, when, in addition to the above-named
party, there might be seen a painted old
Jezabel, redolent of Macassar oil and pachouli,
a fledgling dandy strong of musk, a bloated
publican on the verge of delirium tremens, who,
as the old song says,
" Kept his spirits up by pouring spirits down,"
a snuffy old maid, whose nasal organ was
supplied with so much Lundy Foot that it set
her companions sneezing immoderately. The
inside passengers, too, were to be fed, and a
strong odour of cheese, apples, oranges, cakes,
" poloyne " sausages, brandy, rum, gin, and
beer prevailed everywhere.
Many hours were wasted in travelling, and the
expense attending it was great. The day coaches
usually started at six o'clock in the morning,
sometimes earlier, for one of our satirical poets
tells us : —

120 EXPENSE OF POSTING.
" The coachman, so impatient of delay,
Puts to at three, and swears he cannot stay,
Four dismal hours ere the break of day."
A journey of a hundred miles would occupy
about ten hours, the flying coaches doing the
distance in less time ; and although on a fine
Summer's day the drive might be pleasant, it
was execrable in bad weather. Posting, to
those who could afford to have a good light
travelling chariot with four horses, was very
agreeable ; but the expense was enormous,
for a long journey entailed beds at an hotel,
and an ordinary one involved a dinner. I have
before me an old posting book, and an extract
from it may not be uninteresting.
London to Holyhead, two hundred and sixty-
four miles. £ s. d.
Charge for four Horses . . 38 11 4
Ditto Post-Boys . 9 6 10
Ditto Gates . . .591
Ditto . Ostlers . . .12 6

54 9 9

Expenses on road, four nights, beds, dinners, and

AVERAGE POSTING PACE.

121

breakfasts for two persons and one maid, £5 8s.
Steamboat, Holyhead to Kingstown.

Three Passages
Carriage .
Shipping .
Lunch Steward
Cabin Sailors

£

s.

d.

3

3

0

2

2

0

0

10

6

0

7

6

0

10

0

0

5

0

0

5

0

Steamboat 7 3 0

Total journey, expenses and passage £67 Os. 6d.
Now, two first class tickets and one second by
rail to Holyhead ; three best cabin fares, and
*
refreshments amount to about £9, a sum under
the price paid to post-boys in bygone days.
Ten miles an hour, including stoppages, was
about the average posting pace ; and the charge
for a pair of horses, postboy, ostler, and turn
pikes, amounted to about two shillings a mile.
Hence a journey of a hundred miles would cost
ten pounds ; with four horses, twenty ; in addition
to the tax, purchase, wear and tear of a travelling
carriage, for to make a journey in a rattling post-

122 EXPENSES ON THE ROAD.
chaise, a sort of dice-box on wheels was a most
miserable affair. With regard to expenses on the
road, good as the accommodation was at many
posting-houses, and delightful as was the sensation
of driving up to the door of some rural inn,
whose porch was covered with the sweet-scented
jessamine, the fragrant honeysuckle, the odorous
rose, the traveller had to pay for his luxuries.
I will suppose that he stopped for dinner, which,
if left to the landlord, usually consisted of eels
dressed in a variety of ways, pike or other
fresh-water fish, roast fowl, lamb or mutton
cutlets, bread, cheese, and celery, for which
a charge of six or seven shillings per head
was made.
If the meal took place after dark, there was an
additional item of two shillings or half-a-crown
for wax-lights. Then there was a bottle of fiery
sherry from the wood, six shillings, or a bottle of
fine military port (as a most potent composition
was called), seven shillings ; to the above must
be added the waiter's fee of about a shilling a
head. Sleeping on the road was equally expen
sive, as it involved tea or supper, chambermaid,
waiter, and "boots." Breakfast, with ham and

A RAILWAY GRIEVANCE. 123
eggs, three shillings; tea, with a few slices of
thin bread and butter, two shillings, and a bottle
of soda and brandy eighteen-pence.
There is a cause for grumbling in our day,
namely, the hasty meals that the railway traveller
is compelled to put up with, and there can be no
doubt that in many instances the grievance is a
just one. It too often happens that, in conse
quence of a train being behind its time, the ten or
twenty minutes is considerably decreased, and as
the hungry victim is scalding his throat with hot
soup, devouring an indigestible Melton pork-pie,
or enjoying a somewhat stale bun, the bell for
departure is heard ; but bad as that is, the hurried
stage-coach dinner of bygone times was infinitely
worse. Let me attempt to describe it.
About two o'clock you drove up to some inn,
where a bustling waiter informed the passengers
that half-an-hour was allowed for dinner ; but by
the time you had descended from the outside, and
uncased yourself of your great-coat, some three or
four minutes had passed away. Upon entering
the room, a huge sirloin of beef, or a boiled leg
of mutton, with scalding greens, and potatoes
hot outside and hard within, greeted you. As a

124 THE RECKONING.
matter of course the ladies were to be helped first,
and so more time fled away, before a plate of raw
beef, or underdone mutton, with caper sauce, the
butter of which reminded one of bill-sticker's
paste, was placed before you.
Then began the demands for a glass of porter,
a pint of ale, a tumbler of brandy-and-water,
which of course took the waiter out of the room.
In the midst of the feast, the guard or coach
man, sometimes both, would make their ap
pearance, to inform the ladies and gentlemen
that they went no further, and begged to be
remembered; an announcement which was fol
lowed by the process of paying them, and the re
appearance of the waiter ; and long before you had
finished your meal, it was intimated to you that the
coach was about to start. Then came the reckon
ing, " Dinner half-a-crown," " Beer sixpence,"
"Please to remember the waiter," followed by
sundry exclamations, " Where's my hat," " That's
my coat," " Bring me change for half-a-crown"
(a trifle of course was not forthcoming,) " You
forgot my order, look sharp, a glass of hot gin
and water." At this moment the landlord would
be heard exclaiming, " This way, ladies and

ANNOYANCES IN TRAVELLING BY COACH. 125
gentlemen," when showing the passengers
of the up-coach, the " Regulator," just arrived,
into the room about to be vacated by those
of the " Herald," down-coach. How the
second arrivals fared will be easily surmised,
for they had to dine off the joints heated
up. In rainy weather, the thoroughly wet-through
great-coats, cloaks, and hats produced a damp
feeling throughout the small, ill-ventilated room,
which, with the smell of the dinner, created a
most villainous compound of odours, not by any
means agreeable to the olfactory sense. A
snack at a way-side inn upon home-made bread,
a good cheese, and a glass of ale was a different
affair, and a traveller might enjoy that to his
heart's content, but the dinners, with few ex
ceptions, were execrable.
Another annoyance in stage or mail-coach
travelling, was being awoke out of a sound
slumber by the coachman or guard begging to
be remembered. Of course the demand to show
your ticket in a railway carriage is not very
agreeable when dozing or sleeping, but then it
is the work of a minute, whereas the paying the

126 QUADRUPEDS AS PASSENGERS.
coachman and guard required calculation as to
the distance performed, and entailed the draw
ing of one's purse-strings.
And here I may remark that the stage-coaches
were not always occupied by bipeds, as will be
seen by the following statement, which I
found in an old Scotch newspaper, and by which
it appears that early in the present century it
frequently happened that all the places from
Edinburgh to Glasgow, outside and in, were
occupied by early lambs going to the Glasgow
markets. At that time inside seats were sixteen
and outside ten shillings, from which may be cal
culated the price of a pound of lamb so con
veyed. So great was the demand for places
that the seats had to be secured, and the money
paid, eight or ten days before the coach started
from Glasgow to London.
Macaulay in his "History of England" gives
a graphic description of the state of the roads
in by-gone days, and Pepys tells us of his
accidents by road and flood. I will therefore
content myself by saying that, upon referring
to the pages of Clarendon, I find that in 1642
the Lord-Keeper Littleton " sending his horses

JOURNEY OF THE PRINCE OF DENMARK. 127
out of town (London), put himself into his coach
very early the next morning ; and as soon
as they were out of the town, he and the
Sergeant (Lee), and one groom, took their
horses and made so great a journey that day,
(it being about the beginning of June) that
before the end of the third day he kissed the
King's hand at York."
Another work records that in December, 1703,
Charles III, King of Spain, slept at Ports
mouth, on his way from Portsmouth to Windsor,
and George, Prince of Denmark, went to meet
him, by desire of the Queen. In the relation
of the journey given by one of the Prince's
attendants, he states : " We set out at six in
the morning by torchlight to Petworth, and
did not get out of the coaches (save only when
we were overturned or stuck fast in the mire)
till we arrived at our journey's end. 'Twas a
hard service for the Prince to sit fourteen
hours in the coach that day without eating
anything, and passing through the worst ways
I ever saw in my life. We were thrown but
once, indeed, in going ; but our coach, which
was the leading one, and His Highness's body-

128 STATE OF THE ROADS.
coach, would have suffered very much if the
nimble boors of Sussex had not frequently
pushed it, or supported it, with their shoulders
from Godalming almost to Petworth ; and the
nearer we approached the Duke's house, the
more inaccessible it seemed to be. The last
nine miles of the way cost us six horses' time
to conquer them; and, indeed, we had never
done it if our good master had not several
times lent us a pair of horses out of his own
coach, whereby we were able to trace out
the way for him."
Afterwards, writing of his departure on the
following day from Petworth to Guildford, and
thence to Windsor, he says :
" I saw him (the Prince) no more till I
found him at supper at Windsor, for there
we were overturned (as we had been
once before the same morning), and broke our
coach. My Lord Delaware had the same
fate, and so had several others."
Although the roads in my days were not as
bad as they were during the preceding century,
it occasionally happened that one found the
coach imbedded in a quagmire, or " oneself

JOURNEY FROM GOODWOOD TO LONDON. 129
jolted to a jelly," as Mrs. Hardcastle calls it,
caused by large ruts and heaps of stones hastily
put down to fill up gaps ; and I recollect well
my first visit from Goodwood to London, a dis
tance of sixty miles, in the family coach, which,
owing to the state of the roads, occupied more
than sixteen hours, and during which we were
compelled to borrow two farm-horses to drag
the lumbering vehicle over five miles of stones
and slough. I never think of this journey
without being reminded of the one described by
Vanbrugh, and as it is probably unknown to
many of my readers, I will transfer it to these
pages. The scene takes place at Uncle Richard's
house in London, previous to the arrival of his
nephew, Sir Francis Headpiece, a country gentle
man and parliament man, who was strongly
addicted to malt-liquor and field-sports. Al
though only about forty-two years of age, it
appears that Sir Francis had drunk two-and-
thirty tuns of ale, and in the pursuit of the
chase had broken his right arm, his left leg,
and both his collar-bones.
Uncle Richard had just read his wiseacre
VOL. I. k

130 SCENE FROM VANBRUGH.
nephew's letter, when James, the footman,
enters hastily,
" Sir, sir !" he exclaims. " They are all
a-coming. Here's John Moody arrived already ;
he's stumping about the streets in his dirty
boots, and asking every man he meets if they
can tell where he may have a good lodging for
a parliament man, till he can hire such a house
as becomes him. He tells them his lady and all
the family are coming too ; and that they are so
nobly attended they care not a fig for anybody.
Sir, they have added two cart-horses to the four
old bays, because my Lady will have it said
she came to town in her coach and six, and,
ha ! ha ! heavy George, the ploughman, rides
postilion." " Very well, James," responds his master,
" The journey begins as it should do. Dost
know whether they bring all the children with
them ?"
" Only Squire Humphrey and Miss Betty, Sir,
the other six are put to board at half-a-crown a
week a head, with Joan Grouse, at Smokedung-
hill Farm."
"Dost know when they'll be here ?"

SCENE FROM VANBRUGH. 131
John says, " Sir, they'd have been here
last night, but that the old wheezy wheel horse
tired, and the two fore-wheels came crash down
in Waggonrut Lane, .Sir — they were cruelly
loaden, as I understand ; my lady herself, he
says, laid on four mail trunks, besides the great
deal box, which fat Tom and the monkey sat
upon behind."
" So."
" Then, within the coach there was Sir
Francis, my Lady, and the great fat lap-dog,
Squire Humphrey, Miss Betty, my Lady's maid,
Mrs. Handy, and Dolly the cook ; but she was
so ill with sitting backward that they mounted
her into the coach-box."
" Very well."
" Then, Sir, for fear of a famine before they
should get to a baiting-place, there was such
baskets of plum-cake, Dutch gingerbread,
Cheshire cakes, Naples biscuits, macaroons,
neats' tongues, and cold boiled beef; and in case
of sickness, such bottles of usquebaugh, black
cherry -brandy, cinnamon water, sack, tent, and
strong beer, as made the old coach crack again."
" Well said." k 2

132 ADVENTURE OF 'YOUNG OXONIANS.
"And for defence of this good cheer, and
my Lady's little pearl necklace, there was the
family basket-hilt sword, the great Turkish
scimitar, the old blunderbuss, a good bag of
bullets, and a great horn of gunpowder."
"Admirable!"
" Then for band-boxes, they were so bepiled
up to Sir Francis's nose that he could only peep
out of a chance hole with one eye, as if he
were viewing the country through a perspective
glass." Let me now turn to an adventure of some
young Oxonians, which was recounted to
me by John Adams, familiarly known as Jack
Adams, who for many years drove the Windsor
coach, and was wont to " teach the young idea "
of Eton " how to drive." Term was over, the
" Defiance " coach was full of under-graduates
returning to their respective colleges, the day
was cold, wet, and miserable, when the well-
appointed •" drag" drove up to the White Horse
Cellar, Piccadily.
" Have you room for one inside to Oxford ?"
asked as pretty a girl as you would wish to see
on a Summer's day.

OXONIANS FAIRLY TAKEN IN. 133
" What a beauty !" exclaimed one.
" Quite lovely," said another.
" Perfect," lisped a third.
" Quite full, Miss," replied the coachman,
" inside and out."
" Surely you could make room for one,"
persevered the fair applicant.
" Quite impossible Miss, without the gentle
men's consent."
" Lots of room," cried the insides. " We
are not very large, we can manage to take one
more." " If the young gentlemen consent," said the
driver, who was one of the best-tempered fellows
On earth, and as honest as Aristides, " I have
no objection."
" We agree," said the inside quartet.
" All right," responded the driver. The fare
was paid, and the guard proceeded to open the
door, and let down the steps.
" Now, Miss, if you please, we are behind
our time."
" Come along, grandfather," cried the damsel,
addressing a most respectable-looking, portly,
elderly gentleman, " the money is paid, get in,

134 OXONIANS FAIRLY TAKEN IN.
and be sure you thank the young gentlemen," at
the same time suiting the action to the word,
and with a wicked smile assisting her respected
grandfather into the coach.
" Here's some mistake, you'll squeeze us to
death," cried the astonished party.
" Sorry to incommode you, gentlemen," replied
the intruder, " Fanny, dear, give me my umbrella
and carpet-bag." The articles dripping with wet
were handed in. *' I hope you won't object to
have both windows up," continued the new
arrival, " I'm sadly troubled with a cough."
At this moment " All right," " Sit fast," was
heard, and away rattled the " Defiance," at its best
pace, drowning the voices of the astonished
Oxonians.

CHAPTER VI.

THE CATO STREET CONSPIRACY — THISTLEWOOD IN NEWGATE —
LORD ADOLPHUS FITZCLARENCE AND THE TURNPIKE-MAN
—A DINNER AT THE GARRICK — WILLIAM JERDAN — THE
DEAD DOG — AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE.

137

CHAPTER VI.
FlARLY in the year 1820, an event occurred
which caused a considerable sensation in
London, namely the Cato Street Conspiracy.
To me it had an additional interest, as one of
my most intimate friends, Captain, afterwards
Lord Frederick FitzClarence, then a subaltern
in the Coldstream Guards, bore a prominent
part in the capture of the traitors.
I had first seen Frederick FitzClarence at
Bushy, afterwards at Cambray during the occu
pation of the Allied Army in France, and, at
the time of the above attempt to murder the
King's Ministers, I lived almost entirely in his
society. We had parted soon after breakfast
on the morning of the 23rd of February, and

138 CATO STREET CONSPIRACY.
had agreed to meet at the Clarendon Hotel for
an early dinner at six o'clock. After waiting
a considerable time for my companion, I started
ofl' for his lodgings in Berkeley Square, and
there found that he had been summoned to the
barracks in Portman Street on an important
duty. Losing no time in proceeding there,
I in due course of time heard the particulars of
my young friend's first " baptism by fire," and
of his narrow escape.
Had the detachment of Guards been sent for
in proper time, probably no murder would have
taken place, as they would have surrounded the
building when not one of the conspirators could
have escaped. The civil authorities appear to
have been jealous upon this occasion of the
military, and wished to have all the credit,
and probably the reward for seizing the traitors.
Be that as it may, the Guards, as they always
do, whether against the enemy, or when assisting
the civil power, did their duty admirably,
and young Frederick FitzClarence felt, when he
awoke the next morning, that he had gone
to bed comparatively speaking unknown, and
had risen a hero.

THISTLEWOOD IN PRISON. 139
Anxious to see Thistlewood and the other
four conspirators then under sentence of death,
I happened to mention my wish to Fitz
Clarence, who told me that our common friend,
the late Marquis of Anglesey, had procured an
order, and that I had better see him
upon the subject. This I did, and it was ar
ranged that upon the following morning we
should proceed to Newgate. Upon reaching
that most dreary pile, we were most cour
teously received by the Governor, and, being
armed with the necessary document, soon found
ourselves in the condemned cells. The first
we entered was the one in which the leader
of the conspiracy was confined. The Governor
approached the prisoner, and asked him some
question, which we did not hear, as, not wishing
to obtrude ourselves upon such an awful
occasion, and being only desirous of
seeing Thistlewood, we remained near the
door. " Won't the gentlemen come forward ?" said
the prisoner, ih the calmest manner imagin
able. We obeyed the request ; a few common-place

1 40 LORD' ADOLPHUS FITZCLARENCE
remarks were made. The only one worth
recording was when Thistlewood, iri a tone
that showed no emotion, said,
" On Monday next I shall know the grand
secret." We left the cell, dreadfully shocked at the
cool indifference of a man about to pay the
last penalty of the law, and did not care to visit
his partners in guilt, Brent, Davidson, lugs,
and Tidd, all of whom were executed on the
morning of the 1st of May.
An incident in some degree connected with
the Cato Street affair must not be omitted. One of
the conspirators had either been sent abroad with
what the thieves term " a letter of introduction
from the Secretary-of-State for the Home De
partment," and had served his time, or had
absented himself voluntarily, and had found his
way to the Cape of Good Hope, where the cir
cumstance I am about to relate took place.
Many years after Thistlewood's execution the
late Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, then Captain
FitzClarence, was anchored off the Cape in the
Pallas frigate ; and being on shore one day, he re
ceived a pressing request, from the officer left in

IN AN AWFUL FIX. 141
charge, that he would immediately return onboard.
Captain FitzClarence hastened to comply, and
engaged a conveyance to take him to the nearest
point of embarkation. After driving some miles
he approached a turnpike, and the usual pay
ment was demanded. In the hurry of departure
the gallant blue-jacket had forgotten to take his
purse with him ; and upon beginning to explain
who he was, he had the gate banged in his
face, the keeper standing within it with a very
uncompromising expression.
" I am a Captain in the Navy," said Fitz
Clarence, " and command the Pallas frigate."
" That won't do," responded the other,
" we've plenty of those little games played
here." " But  "
" It's no use," said the Cerberus. " If you
haven't got any money, you must return and
get it, for without that you can't pass here."
So saying, he locked the gate and entered his
small hut.
FitzClarence now found himself in what the
Americans term " an awful fix." Happily for
him a man happened to pass by, to whom he

142 UNEXPECTED RECOGNITION.
entrusted the reins, and descended from the
vehicle with a view of trying to get the keeper
to alter his determination.
"Look you, my man," said he, "you will see
by this button that I belong to the Navy, and
I pledge you my word that the toll and a trifle
for yourself shall be sent by me, or given to
you on my return."
" We've had so many tricks played," responded
the other, " and my orders are so peremptory,
that I dare not disobey them."
" Is there anybody near here I could appeal
to ?" continued the Captain. " If so, just send
and say that Captain FitzClarence of the Pallas
frigate — "
" FitzClarence !" interrupted the man, " are
you Captain FitzClarence ? I know that name
well." " I am  "
" Jump in — I'll advance the money out of
my own pocket, that's not against orders."
Adolphus was completely taken aback, and
looked steadfastly at the man, trying to remember
if ever he had seen him before.
" Look here," said the gate-keeper. " I now

A CATO STREET CONSPIRATOR. 143
see a likeness between you and that officer who
captured us in Cato Street. He was kind and
gentle to us, and treated us very differently
from those Bow Street officers."
" He is my brother."
" That's enough, send the money back at
your convenience. My offence has been for
given, and I am now doing all in my power to
show my gratitude to the government who ap
pointed me to this post."
FitzClarence shook the man by the hand, re
entered his vehicle, joined his ship, arranged the
business for which he had been summoned, and
returned to Cape Town. I need hardly add
that the money advanced was returned with
interest — in the shape of a handsome present.
The above anecdote goes a great way to prove
that fact often exceeds fiction ; for had such an
incident been introduced into a novel, it would
most likely have been denounced as improbable,
and said to have been merely lugged in, head and
shoulders, to extricate the author from some
difficulty. A version of the above story appeared
in a work written by the late William Jerdan,
for many years editor of the " Literary

144 DINING WITH JERDAN AT THE GARRICK.
Gazette," and he obtained it in the following
manner. One evening at the Garrick Club, Jerdan, with
whom I had been on terms of intimacy for many
years, invited me to join a dinner that he was
about to give to a friend, under whose tuition his
son had been. At first I refused, being anxious
to attend Albert Smith's entertainment at the
Egyptian Hall, but, as he pressed me strongly, I
agreed to make a third in a snug corner in the
visitor's room. Before we sat down to dinner,
it was quite clear to me, from remarks that
were dropped, that Jerdan wished to give a
favourable impression of the Club to his guest,
and to make him enjoy the evening. Hamlet,
the steward, had received instructions to order
the best of dinners, and to place the best
of wines upon the table, and anxious to
assist my friend, no sooner was the cloth
removed than I began to rattle away, and
tell all the stories that were uppermost in
my mind. Among them was the one above
related. No sooner had I finished it than off
started Jerdan out of the room, and remained
away for some minutes. Upon his return

JERDAN. 145
he encouraged me to tell another, which I
did, and at its conclusion the worthy editor
left the room ; this occurred three times ; but
it did not make any impression on my mind,
knowing as I did that Jerdan was always up
to his head and ears (as the phrase goes)
in business.
A few weeks after this dinner, I happened
to call one morning upon Lord Adolphus
FitzClarence, who asked me if I had seen
a new book written by Jerdan. I replied that
I had not.
" Strange," said he; " it contains three
anecdotes about me, a little embroidered per
haps, but true in spirit."
"You don't mean the Cape story, the dog
overboard, and Coutts' bank ?" asked I.
" Yes," he replied, " the very same ; but as
my grandfather George III. was supposed to
have said of the apple in the dumpling,
' How the devil did they get there ?' "
I then told him of the dinner at the
Garrick Club, which for the first time ex
plained to me the cause of Jerdan's leaving
the room.
VOL. I. L

146 THE DOG OVERBOARD.
The other two anecdotes, namely that of
the dog overboard, and Coutts' bank, I should
not refer to, except with a view of satisfying
any curious reader, should such a being exist.
I know myself that I have often wished to
hear the particulars of the story of " Old
Grouse in the Gun-room," which Hardcastle
refers to in that most admirable comedy,
" She Stoops to Conquer," and which set his
establishment into roars of laughter ; and there
fore, judging by my own feelings, I will briefly
state on the authority of that Prince of good
fellows, Dolly FitzClarence, as he was familiarly
called, that in a voyage to India he passed
a vessel, whether coming in or out of har
bour I know not, out of which a dead dog
had been thrown overboard, that he im
mediately recognised the animal as having
belonged to a brother, and by that knew
that his brother, who was returning home,
must be on board, a supposition which on
hailing the vessel was found to be true.
This anecdote bears much of the marvellous
about it, and may have been, after all, a
sailor's yam; still it is not more curious than

STORY OF A BANK. 147
the story of the ring found in the mouth of the
fish, so admirably told in a book entitled " Dame
Rebecca Bury."
The story of the bank — if I remember right,
Coutts' — was that one day Lord Adolphus
entered it in company with a friend who
was about to have a cheque cashed for a
hundred or two hundred pounds.
" I wish I could draw that," said Fitz
Clarence, in a good-humoured, jocose manner,
"it would come well in at Christmas time."
" You can draw it," said the civil cashier.
" You mistake me," responded his lordship,
" I have no account here."
The man turned round, produced a ledger,
and handed it to Lord Adolphus, and there
to his surprise he found that the above-
mentioned amount was due to him by money
paid in by William IV., the existence of which
he had not been aware of.

l 2

CHAPTER VII.

THE WESTMINSTER PLAY — TERENCE S FIRST COMEDY — DENUN
CIATION OF THE STAGE BY THE CLERGY — THE DRAMA —
LOYALTY OP THE PLAYERS — GARRICK AND THE M.P. —
FUNERAL OP THE ENGLISH ROSCIUS — GARRICK's VERSES —
PAMPHLET AGAINST LICENSING THEATRES — FRENCH COMPLI
MENT PAID TO SHAKESPEARE.

151

CHAPTER VII.
T RATHER think that I imbibed my love
for the stage when, as a boy, I first
saw the annual Latin performance got up by
the Queen's scholars at Westminster; for
although I am ashamed to confess that I
could not follow the young actors through a
play of Terence's, I understood enough to
make me wish to be taking a part, instead
of being seated in front as one of the audience.
In those days there was no attentton paid to
costume, and modern dress was substituted
for Roman attire. Thanks to the late Judge
Talfourd the above reform took place, and
now ample justice, as regards acting, dresses,
and scenery, is done to the works of Terence,

152

TERENCE.

who as a comic author fully merits the
eulogium paid him by ancient writers.
Terence made his first appearance when
Ccecilius, an author whom Cicero declared to
to be the best of the comic writers, was at
the height of his reputation. It is said that
when Terence offered his first play to the
iEdiles they sent him to Ccecilius for his
judgment of the piece. Ccecilius was then at
supper; and, as the young bard was very
meanly dressed, he was bid to sit behind on a
low stool, and to read his composition. Scarcely,
however, had he read a few sentences when
Coecilius desired him to approach, and placed
him at the table next to himself. His reputation
arose at once to such a height that his
" Eunuchus," on its first appearance, was
publicly performed twice each day.
There is in the comedy of Terence a tone
of truth and nature which distinguishes all its
parts. It is discernible in the general simplicity
of the plot, in the feelings and sentiments of
his characters, in the perfect beauty and familiar
elegance of his language. But what Terence
wanted was that strong command of judicious

DRAMATISTS AND PLAYERS. 153
imagery, that vis comica, which are frequently to
bo traced in Plautus.
In all ages, and even in our refined days, the
stage has been denounced, not only from the
pulpit, but by those who describe themselves as
belonging to " serious families." Strange then
must be the feelings of an unprejudiced person
who, strolling through Westminster Abbey, finds
nearly the whole of Poet's Corner devoted to
the memory of dramatic writers and stage-
players. He will naturally ask how is it that
this denounced race, not long since described
as vagrants and vagabonds, should be so honoured
at their deaths by the Dean and Chapter of
that venerable pile which contains the ashes of
the great and the illustrious.
How truly has it been said that the players,
though the great instruments of innocent mirth,
rational amusement, and moral instruction of
all the subjects of this free kingdom, have, by
an unaccountable fatality, been least protected
and most persecuted. Even in the reign of
Elizabeth and James I., when, from the people's
fondness for theatrical representations, there
were no fewer than twenty play-houses open in

154 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.
the cities of London and Westminster, not only
the fanatics of those times, but some sour
divines of the Established Church, published
books against the players, in which they were
represented as persons who practised a pro
fession unlawful and profane, and contrary to
the religion of the Gospel.
The canons of the holy heads of the Holy
Roman Catholic Church were ransacked and
quoted against the poor players. When we ex
amine the arguments adduced against these
people, we find them either founded on misapplica
tions of the original text, or entirely supported
by ignorance, fanaticism, and folly. I will not
presume to say that the players are more ex
emplary in the lives, or more remarkable for
their piety than their neighbours, yet they will
be found, on inquiry, to have less disturbed the
peace of society, and to have committed fewer
crimes, than any other body of men.
One honour the player can boast, which
is entirely his own ; the greatest writer of this,
and perhaps of any nation, was one of their
profession, I refer to William Shakespeare.
The players, too, have ever merited a large

PLAYERS DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 155
claim to royal favour. In the breaking out of
the Civil War, in the reign of Charles I., they
were firm friends to the royal cause. Robinson,
the actor, was killed at the siege of Basingstoke,
by Harrison, who refused him quarter, and shot
him in the head when he had laid down his
arms. Mohun, who was a favourite actor of
Charles IL, was a captain; and after the
Civil Wars were ended he served in Flanders,
where he received pay as a major. The
famous Charles Hart, who shared with his
Sovereign the caresses of the celebrated Nell
Gwynn, was a lieutenant of horse in Prince
Rupert's troop. Burt, the first actor of Othello,
after the Restoration, was a cornet of the same
troop, and Shutterell quarter-master. Allen was
a major and quarter-master at Oxford, and I
will venture to assert that there is not on record
an actor, with the exception of Swanston, a
Presbyterian, who sided with the Parliament
against Charles I., who has not proved himself
a staunch supporter of Government.
Here I am reminded of a scene that took
place at St. Stephens towards the close
of the last century. In the Spring of 1777,

156 GARRICK IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Garrick happened to be present in the gallery
of the House of Commons during a certain
motion, when a discussion between two hon
ourable members proceeded to that degree of
warmth that the Speaker and the House
were obliged to interpose, to prevent some
apprehended bad consequences. Whilst the
Assembly was thus agitated, a Shropshire
member happened to observe that Mr. Garrick
was sitting in the gallery, and imme
diately moved to clear the House. Garrick,
however, contrived to keep himself concealed,
and avoided the consequence of the illiberal
motion ; but when the same gentleman, the day
after, began to harangue the House on the im
propriety of suffering players to hear their debates,
Mr. Burke arose and appealed to the honourable
assembly whether it could possibly be consistent
with the rules of decency and liberality to ex
clude from the hearing of their debates a man to
whom they were all obliged ; one who was the great
master of eloquence ; in whose school they had
all imbibed the art of speaking, and had been
taught the elements of rhetoric. For his part he
owned that he had been greatly indebted to

FUNERAL OF GARRICK. 157
his instructions. Much more he said in com
mendation of Mr. Garrick, and was warmly
seconded by Mr. Fox, Mr. Townshend,
and other distinguished members. The House
almost unaniriiously concurred in exempting Mr.
Garrick from the general order of quitting the
gallery. On Monday, February 1st, 1779, the body of
the English Roscius, who died on the 20th of the
previous month, was conveyed from his own
house in the Adelphi, and most magnificently
interred in Westminster Abbey, under the
monument of his beloved Shakespeare. He was
attended to the grave by persons of the first
rank ; by men illustrious for genius and famous
for science ; by those who loved him living, and
sincerely lamented his death. The body was
received at the great West door, by the Bishop of
Rochester, Dean of Westminster.
The pall was supported by the Duke of Devon
shire, the Earl of Ossory, Earl Spencer, Viscount
Palmerston, Lord Camden, Sir W. W. Wynne, the
Right Honourable Mr. Rigby, the Honourable Mr.
Stanley, J. Paterson, Esq., and Albany Wallis,
Esq.; Doctor Johnson, the Honourable Charles

158 VERSES ON SQUIRE B  N.
Fox, Lord Charles Spencer, Colonel Barre; and
a great number of gentlemen of distinction, either
as men of rank, or men of literary fame, followed
the hearse in mourning coaches. Twenty-four of
the principal actors of both theatres were also
attendants at the funeral.
Thomas Davies in his " Life of Garrick," gives
the following verses written by the subject of his
Memoir upon the affair in the House of Commons
above referred to : —
" Squire B  n* rose with deep intent,
And notified to Parliament
That I, it was a shame and sin,
When others were shut out, got in ;
Asserting in his wise oration,
I gloried in my situation.
I own my features might betray
Peculiar joy I felt that day.
I glory when my mind is feasted
With dainties it has seldom tasted ;
When reason chooses Fox's tongue,
To be more rapid clear and strong ;

* This gentleman's political creed is, that all government
whatsoever is to be supported ; a passive- obedience doctrine very
pleasing to every Minister and every Prince. With Mr. B  n
Nerc has as strong a title to allegiance as Titus Vespasian.

9

PREJUDICE AGAINST PLAYHOUSES. 159
When from his classic urn Burke pours
A. copious stream through banks of flowers;
When Barre stern, with accents deep,
Calls up Lord North, and murders sleep ;
And if his Lordship rise to speak,
Then wit and argument awake ;
When Bigby speaks, and all may hear him,
Who can withstand, ridendo verum ?
When Thurlow's words attention bind,
The spells of a superior mind.
Now, whether I were Whig or Tory,
This was a time for me to glory ;
My glory farther still extends,
For most of these I call my friends ;
But if Squire B  n you were hurt,
To see me, as you thought, so pert,
Vou might have furnished my transgression
And damp'd the ardour of expression.
A brute there is whose voice confounds,
And frights all others with strange sounds ;
Had you your matchless pow'r displaying,
Like him, Squire B  n, set a-braying,
I should have lost all exultation,
Nor gloried in my situation."
To show the prejudice that existed against
play-houses, I have only to lay the following
statement before my readers.
In February, 1767, a pamphlet was published,
entitled " Considerations on the Proposed Appli-

160 THE THEATRE IN EDINBURGH.
cation to His Majesty and to Parliament for
the Establishment of a Licensed Theatre in
Edinburgh," in which the writer argues against
granting the license on religious principles, to
which he declares the theatre to be no ways
favourable; asserting also that the audience, who-
overrule the economy of it, will never suffer such
restrictions as a serious regard to piety would
dictate to restrain their entertainments there.
He argues farther, from our statutes, that a
theatre is not lawful in a University town,
the Act 10, George IL, Cap. 19, prohibiting
any such representations in Oxford and Cam
bridge, or within five miles of either of
those Universities ; and his third argument is
that the establishment of a theatre is subversive
to the industry and morals of a trading town,
both as to masters and servants."
Notwithstanding the above appeal, and others
from many worthy old friends to the Kirk, the
license was granted, and the theatre in Auld
Reekie has ever since held, and still holds, the
highest position in the dramatic world.
As in this chapter I have been led to give
a good many quotations, with the fear of

BARON D'ORDRE ON SHAKESPEARE. 161
critics before me, I venture to hope that the
the following authorities upon the subject will
in some measure disarm them. Disraeli the
elder, in his clever work, the " Curiosities of
Literature," remarks : —
" Whenever we would prepare the mind by
a forcible appeal, an opening quotation is a
symphony preluding on the chords whose tones
we are about to harmonize ;" he adds, " to make
a happy quotation is a thing not easily to be done."
Cardinal de Perron used to say that the
application of a verse from Virgil was worth
a talent; and Bayle has insinuated that there
is "not less invention in a just and happy
application of thought found in a book than
in being the first author of the thought. To
resume, I must again quote from a foreign
writer, who thus defends the Bard of Avon
from an attack made upon him by M. Viennet.
The clever couplets are from the pen of the
Baron D'Ordre : —
" Tu meconnais celui qui, d'un crayon fidele,
Peignit du roi Lear la douleur paternelle ;
Monarque infortune, chasse de ses 6tats,
Bepousse tour a, tour par des enfans ingrats,
VOL. I. M

162 BARON D'ORDRE ON SHAKESPEARE.
Sans appui, sans secours, prive de la lumiere
Qui, seu], pendant I'orage, errant sur la bruyere,
Fait entendre du cceur les douloureux accens,
Et lutte avec le ciel, les malheurs, et les ans.
TT -Jf * * 3F ¦*
— " As-tu vu, dans un simple appareil,
L'epouse de Macbeth errer dans le sommeil,
Du meurtre de Duncan l'ame encore toute pleine,
En se frottant les mains, s'avancer sur la scene,
Se plaindre que le sang qu'elle vient de verser,
Malgre tous ses efforts, ne saurait s'effacer."

CHAPTER VIII.

EXTRAORDINARY CHANGES IN THEATRES— JOSEPH GRIMALDI —
METROPOLITAN THEATRES FIFTY YEARS AGO— RUN OP THE
OLD COMEDIES AT THE PRESENT DAY — IMPROVEMENT IN THE
COMFORTS OP THEATRES — MISS O'NEILL— BANNISTER — BRA-
HAM — MALIBRAN — BARCLAY AND PERKINS — THE M.P. STAG
GERED—ACTORS OP THE DAY.

M 2

165

CHAPTER VIII.
A MONG the " wild vicissitudes of taste," few
things have undergone more extraordinary
changes than the theatres. In my early days
there were only two what were termed legitimate
houses, namely Covent Garden and Drury Lane,
with a third which was a sort of hybrid, the
little theatre in the Haymarket. In addition to
the above, there was Arnold's Theatre on the site
of the present Lyceum, the Wych Street or
Olympic, and the Sanspareil, now the Adelphi.
I remember once at Arnold's Theatre a bold
experiment was tried, which proved to be unsuc
cessful, namely that there was a half-price to the
first half of the entertainment, a half price to the
second, and a full price for the whole of it.

166 LONDON THEATRES.
This was to give those who wished to retire early
an opportunity of doing so, and as in those days
the first piece was generally the best, it was
thought many would take advantage of it, but
few, when once seated, showed any disposition to
retire. At the Wych Street theatre I have seen pony
races introduced, a portion of the pit and stage
having been, between the entertainments, con
verted into a circus ring. At the Sanspareil, where
Miss Scott presided, "the guardian Naiad of the
Strand," as she was called, domestic burlettas
were performed — one of the most popular being
"Mary, the Maid of the Inn." At Sadler's
Wells, nautical dramas and pantomimes attracted
great houses ; at the two Winter theatres,
comedy, tragedy, and farce were the chief
features, Shakespeare being in ascendancy at
Covent Garden with the Kembles and Siddons ;
while some of our best comedies, " The Rivals,"
" School for Scandal," " Clandestine Marriage,"
" Jealous Wife," " Rule a Wife and have a Wife,"
"Belle's Stratagem," were admirably got up at
both houses. A tragedy or comedy, with one
of Dibdin's musical farces, " the Quaker," " Water-

THE CHE1STMAS PANTOMIME. 167
man," " Padlock," or a screaming farce for Liston,
Mathews, or J. Bannister, satisfied the playgoers
of that day, who did not require sensational
pieces or splendid pageants, except at Easter,
when a grand spectacular melodrama or fairy
tale was produced.
At Christmas there was always a comic
pantomime, and truly comic it was, when in the
hands of such a man as Joseph Grimaldi, irre
verently called " Old Joe." In those days the
services of the scene-painter were not so much
put into requisition as they are in ours. Those
beautiful artistic works now known as the trans
formation scenes were never heard of. There was
of course a comic opening, generally founded on
nursery lore, such as Mother Goose, Jack and
Jill, Jack the Giant-Killer, and occasionally the
scene was laid in fairy-land. The moment the
harlequinade began there was a succession of
pantomimic changes, really of a pointed and
humorous character ; there might be seen a
pump converted into a cow, suggestive of the
mi-eaux plan said to be adopted by dairymen;
a gold-beater's shop would be changed into
a view of the Mint; a large wicker-basket,

168 GRIMALDI.
with four cheeses for wheels, four black and-white
quadrupeds as horses, would suddenly become a
fashionable drag; and Grimaldi, equipped in a
driving-coat made out of blankets, large tin plates
for buttons, a bunch of carrots and greens as a
bouquet, and a low-crowned hat, would mount
the box, looking very much like one of the
members of the four-in-hand club. A view of
Tilbury Fort would be transformed into a man-of-
war. During the evening, Grimaldi introduced a
gong or two, which produced a perfect furore,
quite as much for his acting as for his singing.
The above, with graceful dances by the Harlequin
and Columbine, the senility of the Pantaloon, and
some daring leaps, kept the interest of the elder
portion of the audience alive, while the juveniles
were in a state of perfect rapture from the
drawing up of the curtain until its fall.
Such were the performances at the two Winter
theatres for years, but at last, owing, we presume,
to a depraved taste, or to a falling off of the
receipts, the legitimate managers introduced
horses, elephants, and dogs into " Blue Beard,"
" Timour the Tartar," and the " Caravan," which
took the place of Foote's, O'Keefe's, George

SHAKESPEARIAN BURLETTAS. 169
Colman's, Hook's, Dibdin's, O'Hara's, Garrick's,
and Murphy's farces. The transpontine theatres
were Astley's, which was highly in fashion during
the Summer season, and the Royal Circus, now
the Surrey. Here burletta and melodrama
flourished. As Shakespeare could only be performed, ac
cording to Act of Parliament, by the monopolists
of Covent Garden and Drury Lane, every attempt
was made to enable the illegitimists to represent
some of his best works. Accordingly " Macbeth "
and other plays were converted into burlettas by
the simple process of introducing a piano-forte
accompaniment during the performance. This of
course gave rise to many witticisms, and it was
said that " Othello" ought to be, in its converted
state, renamed "Is he Jealous?" "Macbeth,"
"Murder will out;" "Hamlet," "Mad as a
March Hare;" "Romeo and Juliet," "How to
die for Love; ""The Merchant of Venice,"
"The Jew;" and the "Tempest," "Raising the
Wind." Such was the state of the Metropolitan theatres
some fifty years ago, since which period the
Princess's, immortalized by Charles Kean for the

170 POPULARITY OF OLD COMEDIES'.
historical manner in which his Shakespearian
plays were produced, the Globe, the Strand,
famed for burlesque, the Opera Comique, the
St. James's, the Gaiety, Vaudeville, the Queen's,
the Court, the Holborn, the Charing Cross, and
the Prince of Wales' theatres have all sprung up,
and are nightly attracting crowded audiences.
The last-named theatre was well known some
years ago as a concert room, and afterwards as
the Tottenham Court Theatre, and was often
engaged by amateurs anxious to " fret their hour
away on the boards ;" but it was never truly
popular until it came into the hands of the
present spirited lessee.
Perhaps the most extraordinary feature of
the present day is the unparalleled run some
of our old comedies have had, the " School for
Scandal " and the " Rivals " having proved
highly attractive at the Vaudeville and Charing
Cross Theatres.
Many an old playgoer talks of the bygone
palmy days of the drama, and of its present
degeneracy ; but I venture to assert that there
never was a time when better entertainment
was provided for the public than at the

THEATRICAL IMPROVEMENTS. 171
present moment. We have excellent actors and
actresses — it would be invidious to select any
one in particular ; we have dramatic writers
of the greatest ability ; and as for the auxi
liaries of scenery, dresses, and decorations,
they are as superior to what our fathers and
grand-fathers were accustomed to, as the
bright jets of gas are to the dim rays of an
old oil-lamp.
Grumblers there were, grumblers there are,
and grumblers there ever will be, and they
have found fault, and will continue to find
fault, with the stage as it is. Let them then refer
to the playbills of the early part of this century,
and although I frankly admit the casts were
strong, they will see there was little or no
variety. A stranger coming now to London
for two or three weeks, will find every class of
drama admirably put on the stage, and he
will nightly witness a change, whereas in by
gone times it was a case of toujour -s perdrix.
Then, how great are the improvements as to
comfort ! In my younger days it was necessary
after having secured places, to occupy them before
the termination of the first act, and as the

172 HAPPY REBUKE,
curtain rose at half-past six, this entailed a very
early dinner. Now your stall is kept for you
during the whole evening, and you may lounge
in after a seven o'clock dinner.
There is one great drawback to the lovers of
music, which is the introduction of stalls, where
the majority congregate, not to listen to the
opera, but to their own insipid conversa
tion. Never was there a happier rebuke than that
made by a popular member of the legal profes
sion to a gentleman who kept up a running
fire of small talk with his neighbour.
" Sir," said he, " what an impudent fellow
that Rubini must be !"
" Really," responded the other, " I was not
aware of that."
"Were you not? Why, the fellow has the
impudence to spoil your conversation by his
singing." The vapid chatterer looked crestfallen, and
immediately became an attentive listener.
In early life I constantly saw the majestic
John Kemble, the stately Siddons, and the
graceful Charles Kemble. When he retired

MRS. JORDAN. 173
from the stage, it might be truly said, " Thou
last of all the Romans, fare thee well." Mrs.
Jordan, in rich natural comedy, was never sur
passed. Can I quote a better authority than
Hazlitt, who, speaking of her attractions on the
stage, says : —
" Her face, her tones, her manner, were
irresistible. Her smile had the effect of sun
shine, and her laugh did one good to hear
it. Her voice was eloquence itself; it
seemed as if her heart was always at her
mouth. She was all gaiety, openness, and good
nature. She rioted in her fine animal spirits,
and gave more pleasure than any other actress
because she had the greatest spirit of enjoy
ment in herself."
In tragedy Miss O'Neill was faultless. To a
very pleasing person she added a good voice,
and a considerable portion of genuine feeling.
All who remember her must also recollect the
original, powerful, and impressive mode in which
she delivered certain brief passages, such as
in " Venice Preserved," " Was it a miserable
day ?" And again, in the same play, " Remember
twelve." In "Romeo and Juliet," "Romeo is

1/4 BANNISTER.
banished," and " I come ! This do I drink to
thee." The effect was magical.
For fiery, impulsive, startling acting, Edmund
Kean was second to none ; his passionate elo
cution, his lightning flashes, especially in
such characters as Sir Giles Overreach, Richard
the Third, Othello, stamped him as the greatest
dramatic genius of the day.
I once saw Bannister, or Jack Bannister, as
he was familiarly called, in the farce " Of Age
To-morrow." He was possessed of first-rate
dramatic powers, face, figure, and voice excellent,
combined with the most exuberant spirits, but
rather fond of what the actors term " gag."
I well remember be'ing very much struck with
an effusion of his, which I have no doubt he
introduced upon many an occasion. If I re
member right he assumes the character of a
barber, and apologizing for not being punctual
to his appointment, tells the old lady " he un
fortunately fell over the banisters."
To whicli she replies, " Oh ! those horrid
banisters, I wish there were no such
things." " In that case," responded the actor, " I

BRAHAM. — TOM COOKE. 175
should not have the honour of appearing before
your ladyship."
Fancy Toole, in our days, saying " he tumbled
over some tools," with the stereotyped " gag,"
or Emmet alluding to a nest of these small
insects. Braham I occasionally met at dinners ; he was
full of anecdote, and told some excellent stories.
As a singer, he was in his day unrivalled, and
although occasionally compelled to sing in
different music, to suit the depraved taste of
the public, he was a thoroughly good musician,
and to a refined audience could execute the
finest compositions of the first masters that
Italy, Germany, France or England, ever pro
duced. Tom Cooke, as he was familiarly called, born
in Dublin in 1781, showed such a versatility of
musical talent that, at the age of fifteen, he
was appointed leader of the band at the Crow
Street Theatre, Dublin. He was distinguished
through life for his agreeable manners, his ready
wit, and his kindly disposition. Some of his
Irish anecdotes were enough to burst the belt
of an anchorite with laughter.

176 MALIBRAN.
It must, however, be admitted that few singers,
either male or female, have proved themselves
good actors and actresses. Braham sang the
music of the Seraskier, of Rodolph, of Henry
Bertram, of Captain Macheath, of Prince
Orlando, exquisitely; but his representation of
the respective characters was very indifferent ;
and the same remark may be applied to T.
Cooke, Sinclair, Pearman, Duruset, and others.
Deference to the fair sex prevents my alluding
to those whose acting never rose above
mediocrity. Two glorious exceptions occur
to me, Miss Maria Tree, afterwards Mrs.
Bradshaw, and Madame Vestris, afterwards
Mrs. Charles Mathews — both of whom would
have ranked as first-rate actresses had they
possessed not the slightest musical talent. I
need not go further than to refer to Miss M.
Tree (I give her her fame name) as Viola and
Clari, and to Madame Vestris as Phcebe in
" Paul Pry."
Poor Malibran I knew well. I was present at
Paris in 1825, when, at the age of sixteen, she
made her debut there. A few years afterwards I
saw her at the Gloucester Triennial Musical

ANECDOTE OE MALIBEAN. 177
Festival, and being taken ill during the perform
ance I assisted her from the cathedral into the
open air, and having procured a restorative,
she soon recovered from one of those fits she
was subject to. This called down her grateful
thanks, and from that time we became great
friends. To repeat any anecdotes of this highly gifted
artiste is a hazardous task, on account of the
number that have already been recorded in her
Memoirs; however, I will venture to give one
that I believe has never yet appeared in
print : —
During the time that Malibran was singing
at Drury Lane, and delighting the audience
with her exquisite representation of Fidelio
and the Maid of Artois, a certain newspaper,
the musical notices of which were supposed to
be written by the late Honorable Henry Berkeley,
M.P. for Bristol, was in the habit of attacking
her — hinting that she was a little too much
addicted to Barclay and Perkins' porter. The
fact was that, in the last scene of the
" Maid of Artois" — the desert scene — so great
was the exertion that, when reclining on a
VOL. I. N

178 ANECDOTE OF MALIBRAN.
bank, she, unknown to the audience, indulged
in a glass of this refreshing liquor, handed up to
her through a trap-door, so that, as the wags said,
there was more beer than bier in her last scene.
One day, at dinner, I spoke to Henry Berkeley
upon the subject, and pointed out how kind and
amiable Malibran was, especially to those of her
own profession.
" I should like to meet her," he said.
" So you shall to-morrow evening," I replied.
" Dine with me at the Garrick, and we will go
into her room at Drury Lane."
Upon the following evening, at the conclusion
of the opera, we entered the syren's room, I
having previously mentioned my intention of
presenting Mr. Berkeley to her.
" Allow me," I said, " to introduce Mr.
Berkeley." He approached her shyly, for he knew
that, right or wrong, she suspected him of
writing the hostile criticisms ; but, to his delight
and surprise, she rushed forward, with a smile
on her countenance, held out both her hands,
and with the utmost naivete said,
" Oh, Monsieur Barclay,"— so she pronounced
his name — " I shall never drink another o-lass of

CHARLES MATTHEWS AND THEODORE HOOK. 179
Barclay and Perkins' without thinking of you.'9
My friend, the member for Bristol, was what is
termed a little flabbergasted at the remark, but he
soon recovered himself, and, after paying her a
few genuine compliments upon her singing, we
took our leave. I was present at Manchester
during that eventful week when Malibran sang
for the last time. I called upon her, accompanied
by one of her warmest female friends, on the
morning of the 14th September, and seeing her
prostrate state urged her not to leave her room.
What occurred afterwards I know not, but to my
great surprise I saw her come forward, pale as
death, with Madame Caradori Allan to sing the
duet, " Vanne se alberghi in petto." The result
is known ; she was conveyed back to her hotel,
and on the 23rd breathed her last, at the early
age of eight-and-twenty. As a singer and actress
this unfortunate daughter of Manuel Garcia was
unrivalled; in private life- her generosity was un
bounded ; of her it may be truly said, " She had
a tear for pity, and a hand open as day for
melting charity."
I once passed a week in company with Charles
Mathews and Theodore Hook at a cottage near
n 2

180 CHARLES MATTHEWS AND THEODORE HOOK.
Windsor, which we took for the Ascot race week,
and a more agreeable time I never spent. Hook
played a practical joke upon Mathews, which at
first put his warm-hearted and somewhat irri
table friend out of humour, but his equanimity
was soon restored. At breakfast when the
subject of ordering dinner was discussed, the
comedian mentioned a joint — if I remember right,
a roast leg of mutton — as the only one he could
not bear to see, and suggested one or two other
dishes, fish, flesh, and fowl.
After a long day upon the course, we returned
to our suburban villa, very tired, each of us with
the appetite of an ostrich, and we sat down
expecting to find some water souche of flounders,
some spitchcock eels, some veal cutlets, and a
roast fowl, when, to the horror of Mathews and
myself, for I had not been let into the secret, a
tin cover was raised and a Brobdingnag leg of
roast mutton appeared.
" Sorry," said Hook's servant, who had been
prompted what to say, " no flounders or eels to
be had. Mr. Bannister sent the last piece of veal
he had to the' barracks, and the poulterer has
disappointed us of the fowl."

A PRACTICAL JOKE. 181
Hook began to fume with sham rage, Mathews
with real anger, and I felt so annoyed that I pro
posed we should order a fly, drive into Windsor,
and dine at the " White Hart."
Hook kept up the joke. " By all means,
Richard, order a fly, and take away that awful
joint. ' The time is out of joint,' as Hamlet says."
The order was obeyed, but in a few seconds
the man returned with, as we thought, the same
dish. "Sorry, gentlemen," said he, "there's not a
fly to be had."
" Then all we can do," said Theodore, " is to
make the best of a bad job, so ' good digestion
wait on appetite '."
The cover was removed, and to the great
delight of the hoaxees, instead of the huge leg of
Leicester sheep, a dish of flounders was seen
floating in that liquid for which we are indebted
to the Hollanders. At the same moment, a bill of
fare was presented to Mathews, containing the
dishes agreed upon at breakfast. Good-humour
was then restored, the comedian merely saying,
' All's well that ends well," while I, sotto voce,
remarked to Hook :

182 TYRONE POWER.
" Nimis uncis naribus indulges" — (" You
drive the jest too far.")
Mrs. Opie tells us that " jokes are like sky
rockets, which, though they are meant only to
amuse, yet are often, according to the place or
object on which they light, the cause of mischief
and of pain, if not of destruction." Had the author
of " Sayings and Doings " attended to the above
most sensible remark, he would have spared
himself and his friends much annoyance. Liston,
whose physiognomy realized the line of Ariosto,
" Natura lo fece, e poi ruppe la stampa," was a
thorough gentleman, but disappointed many who
unreasonably expected him to make himself
funny. In society he was quiet and reserved.
Upon the boards he was an immense favourite
with the laughter-loving public, and even had he
not possessed such comic powers to the greatest
degree, he might still have exclaimed with the
milkmaid in the ballad, " My face is my
fortune." Of Tyrone Power, who was lost in the " Presi
dent" on the night of the 13th of March, 1841,
it may be said, as it was of Garrick: "His
death eclipsed the gaiety of nations, and im-

CHARLES YOUNG. 18B
poverished the public stock of harmless plea
sures." In delineating real Irish life, especially in
the humbler walks, Power stood unrivalled ;
his " brogue " was thoroughly Milesian, added
to which he sang pleasingly, and was equally
great in songs of pathos and of humour.
I once saw " Irish Johnstone " as Sir Lucius
O'Trigger, and a finer performance I never
witnessed. His high-bred tone, his ease, his
commanding air, were peculiarly suited for such
a character as Sir Lucius, and no one has
ever since done so much justice to the part.
In farce Johnstone was rich, and his Irish
songs, which he sang charmingly, always
created a furore.
Charles Young proved himself a most worthy
disciple of the Kemble School. His features
were handsome, his voice of a fine quality,
and whether he appeared as Hamlet, Iago,
Brutus, or Cassius, in the highest walks of
tragedy, or as the Stranger, Daran, Rolla,
Rienzi, in what may be termed the melo
dramatic walk, he was equally great. As Sir
Pertinax Macsycophant he was unapproachable

184 FREDERICK YATES.
in his day, though Phelps in our time treads
close on his heels ; and in semi-serious parts,
such as Joseph Surface, Falkland, Mr. Oakley,
he was second to none. In private life, no man
was ever more respected, not only from' his
social accomplishments, for he sang with taste
and expression, but from his urbanity of manner-
and kindliness of disposition. In Charles Young,
the scholar, the gentleman, and the actor were
combined. Frederick Yates I knew when he was at
tached to the Commissariat Department at
Cambray, during the occupation of France by
the Allied Army. Before he came regularly on
the London boards, he, in company with Charles
Mathews, senior, paid a visit to the Duke of
Wellington at Mont St. Martin, where they
gave a dramatic entertainment. His talent was
most versatile, for I myself have seen him as
lago, Falstaff, Gloster in "Jane Shore," Rob
Roy, Shylock, Casca, and Sylvester Dagger-
wood at Covent Garden, and in a variety of
other characters at the Adelphi, serious, comic,
and melodramatic.
Alfred Wigan ranks as high out of his pro-

CHARLES KEAN. 185
fession as he did in it. Nothing could exceed
the genius he displayed in " Still Waters Run
Deep," and as the French Tutor in " Parents and
Guardians." By selecting characters with which the above
excellent artists, and those I am about to
enumerate, have identified themselves, I am far
from saying that there are not many other
parts in which they have shone forth pre
eminently great. Take for instance Charles
Kean, whose Macbeth, Hamlet, Shylock, and
other Shakespearian characters were conspicu
ously great, and yet he did not think it
infra dig. to stamp two parts of an inferior
class with standard metal — I allude to " Louis
the Eleventh " and the " Corsican Bro
thers." John Cooper, who never acted but with the
highest credit to himself, proved he pos
sessed most versatile talents. There is scarcely
a part he has not undertaken ; but in two,
the Ghost in "Hamlet," and Tristram Tappy
in " Deaf as a Post," he was without a
rival. Phelps can embody the best characters of

186 C MATHEWS, KEELEY, AND BU0KSTONE.
the " Bard of Avon," and his Sir Pertinax
Macsycophant is a most finished performance,
superior even to that of George Frederick Cooke.
Compton is admirable as a Shakespearian
actor. Charles Mathews, who possesses musical
talents as well as histrionic art, cannot be
surpassed in "Used Up," "The Liar," and
" Cool as a Cucumber,"
Keeley was wont to convulse his audience
with laughter in the highest class of comedy,
"Much Ado about Nothing," the "Rivals,"
and " School for Scandal ;" while in screaming
farce, such as " A Thumping Legacy," he was
irresistible. Buckstone, in the good old comedies of the
" Beaux' Stratagem" and " She Stoops to Con
quer," is as conspicuous for genuine humour
as he is in the modern plays of the " Palace of
Truth " and the " Wicked World."
Webster possesses that touch of nature which
stamps him as one of the finest artists of this
or any other day.
Walter Lacy can take the highest walks of
light tragedy, and his acting, especially in the

MRS. CHARLES KEAN. 187
duel scene in the " Corsican Brothers," was
inimitable. Ryder, one of the most useful men on the
stage, always good, made a brilliant hit in
the "Lancers."
Toole provokes quite as much laughter as the
great Liston did, and trusts more to his talents
than his face.
Of John Liston, of whom I have spoken, it was
said : — •
" If to his share some trifling errors fall,
Look at his face and you'll forget them all."
Of the ladies, no actress I ever saw was
as great in both tragedy and comedy as Mrs.
Charles Kean. Her niece, Miss Chapman, was
natural and clever.
Mrs. Stirling in the " Ladies' Battle," stood
unrivalled. Mrs. Wigan was never approached in charac
ters suited to her talents.
Richard Jones was as excellent upon the stage
as he was clever as a teacher of elocution. At
his house in Chapel Street, Grosvenor Place, he
had hundreds of pupils who were studying for

188 J. P. HARLEY AND BARTLEF.
the pulpit, the bar, or the House of Commons,
or who had made their appearance in their
respective characters of ministers, barristers, or
members of Parliament. Under his able tuition,
many a reverend gentleman who mumbled over
the service became a shining light ; many an
embryo lawyer, who spoke as if he had a small
ball of worsted in his mouth, became an orator ;
and many a member of Parliament who hummed
and ha'd, and was unintelligible in the gallery,
became a distinguished speaker.
John Pritt Harley had a quaint natural
humour peculiar to himself, and was the life and
soul of every piece in which he took a part.
He was equally good in Shakespearian clowns,
such as Launcelot Gobbo, as he was in the scream
ing farce of " Frightened to Death," or Planche"s
admirable burlesque of " Amoroso, King of Little
Britain." I often met Harley at the hospitable
board of the late Samuel Cartwright, when he
added not a little to the joviality of the party by
singing some admirable comic songs.
Bartley was a judicious, pains-taking actor. I
first met him in Canada, where he was kind enough
to give me some valuable hints, when I, as an

JOHN WILLIAM COLE. 189
amateur, was about to make my first appearance
on the boards of the Quebec Theatre, as Count
Montalban in the " Honeymoon."
Charles Kean's character both on and off the
stage has been so ably treated by my old friend,
John William Cole, that it is needless to add a
word. I first knew Cole, then an officer of
the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers, when
quartered at Valenciennes, in 1816. At that time
he was a distinguished member of the Garrison
Amateur Society, and made his first appearance as
Young Norval in Home's tragedy of "Douglas."
After leaving the army, he appeared on the
regular boards under the nom de theatre of
Calcraft, assuming that name from the accidental
circumstance of John Calcraft, Esq., being
member for the city where Cole made his debut.
As an actor, a manager, a biographer, John
William Cole will long be remembered. '
In the slight sketch I have given of the
" players," I have kept as much as possible to
those whom, to use a schoolboy's phrase, " I knew
at home." Had I space I could have dwelt with
pleasure upon the transcendent talents of Cooke,
Conway, Macready, Betty, Incledon, Sinclair,

190 LIVING ARTISTES.
Munden, Dowton, W. Farren, Fawcett, Blanchard,
Emery, Terry, Farley, Tokely, Knight, Simmons,
Abbott, Russell, H. Johnstone, Meadows, Reeve,
Wright, T. P. Cooke, Oxberry, Lovegrove ;
Mesdames Bunn, Powell, Smith, Fawcett,
Warner, Mellon, Davison, Brunton, Davenport,
Gibbs, C. Kemble, H. Johnstone, Dickons,
Stephens, Tree, Bolton, Fenn, Orger, Love,
Nisbett, Fitzwilliam, Chatterley, all of whom I
have seen in their best characters.
I have not referred, among the latter, to living
artistes j suffice it to say that in my opinion there
is quite as great histrionic talent at the present
time as there was in what was termed the palmy
days of the drama. It is not, as it formerly was,
concentrated and confined to two theatres ; it has
spread about, and given that pleasing variety to
numberless audiences for which the public ever
have a craving.
At the present time, when play writers find it
difficult to create an original plot, and are com
pelled to borrow largely from the French, the
following anecdote, founded on fact, might furnish
a good subject for a farce. The story runs as
follows :

A FRENCH STORY. 191
" In a small town in the environs of Lyons,
lived a pharma'cien, who had lately lost his wife, to
whom he was tenderly attached. His grief for
the loss was so intense that he could not endure
the sight of the house which had been rendered
desolate, and left it for a short time in the care
of his assistant, a youth of twenty-five years of
age, who, it was arranged, was soon to be his
successor in the business. This youth, it appears,
had long had an intrigue with a lady in the
neighbourhood, who, after the departure of the
master, came daily to pass several hours with
the assistant in the little parlour at the back
of the shop. The relations of the deceased,
having some claims upon the succession, had,
in the meantime, applied to the legal authorities
to put seals upon the property, preparatory to
an inventory, in which the articles which be
longed to the deceased might be separated from
those of the husband.
" One day, whilst the chere amie of the as
sistant was with him, the Juge de Paix and
his clerk arrived for this purpose. The as
sistant, dreading a disclosure which might create
doubt of his morality, and induce his master to

192 PLOT FOR A FARCE.
refuse to accept him as his successor in the
business, thrust the fair one into a closet, to
conceal her from the eyes of his visitors during
their stay; but what was his horror, when he
saw the Juge de Paix place a seal upon the
closet? Resistance, however, was out of the
question, for it must have been attended with
discovery. " He resolved, therefore, to await patiently the
departure of the Juge de Paix and his clerk, intend
ing to force open the door, of which they would
doubtless take the key, as soon as they should have
left ; but, when they had finished, they constituted
him keeper of the seals, and the Juge de Paix read
over to him Article 252 of the Penal Code, which
ran as follows : — ' Persons guilty of breaking
seals shall be punished with an imprisonment
of from two to five years.' The poor fellow
heard the Article in agony, and with a heavy
heart saw them depart.
" What was now to be done ? Hours passed
in consultation through the keyhole, and at
length he resolved to go to the Juge de Paix,
and, appealing to his gallantry, confide to him
his secret. He started, but the Juge de Paix

PLOT FOR A FAROE. 193
was out supping with a friend, and when he did
find him, after some delay, and had told him
his story, there was a further hindrance, as the
clerk had the key. At length the key was ob
tained, and the judge, who had been young
himself, and could compassionate human frailty,
went to the house and released the fair prisoner,
gallantly turning his back to her as she left the
prison, in order that he might not recognize her
features." The above incident, with some trifling altera
tions, such as making the lady wife to the
judge, a jealous fussy official, who had in
nocently called at the doctor's house respecting
a young female friend affianced against her
parents' consent to the assistant, might render
it palatable to an English audience, and great
fun might be created when the judge and his
clerk, in making the inventory, are assured by
the assistant that there is nothing of value in
the closet, and describing its contents as rubbish
— an old mop, a broken pitcher, &c, &c.
Now if any dramatist likes to borrow my idea,
and found a farce upon it, I should wish to join
him in the undertaking.
vol. i o

CHAPTER IX.

AMATEUR THEATRICALS AT CARTON, WYNNSTAY, KNEBWORTH,
AND HITCHIN PRIORY— PECULIARITIES OP AMATEURS —CON
TRETEMPS AT SOME FRENCH THEATRES— ACTRESSES ENGAGED
FOR PRIVATE THEATRICALS — ACTING CHARADES— AN AWK
WARD FIX— OVATION TO LORD LYTTON — KING'S THEATRE,
HAYMARKET.

o 2

197

CHAPTER IX.
A BOUT the year 1759 amateur theatricals
were quite the rage in Ireland, and in
that year some excellent performances took
place at Lurgan, the seat of Mr. William Brown-
low. In 1760 the first part of "Henry the
Fourth " was represented at Mr. Conolly's at
Castletown, and in the following year the
"Beggar's Opera" was acted at Carton, the
patrimonial estate of the Leinster family. The
parts were filled by Lord Charlemont, Lord
Powerscourt, Lady Louisa Conolly, and the
Countess of Kildare.
In 1774, Knocktopher, Farmly, and Kilfane,
in the county of Kilkenny, the country residences
of Sir Hercules Langrishe, Mr. Flood, and Mr.

198 PRIVATE THEATRICALS.
Burke, were the scenes of similar dramatic per
formances ; Flood acting " Macbeth," and
Henry Grattan "Macduff." At Mr. Latouche's,
at Marlay, in the County of Dublin, Milton's
Masque of " Comus " was admirably got up,
the principal characters being taken by Grattan,
Burgh, and Bushe, aided by seventeen members
of the Latouche family. Henry Grattan wrote
the epilogue, which was spoken by Miss La
touche, a celebrated beauty, afterwards Countess
of Lanesborough.
In 1778, Mr. Luke Gardiner, afterwards Lord
Mountjoy, had a private theatre in his residence
at the Phoenix Park, Dublin. At a later period,
and up to the year 1819, the private theatricals
at Kilkenny had a world-wide reputation; no
wonder they were so successful when, among
the " stars," were the names of Richard Power,
Rothe, Corry, Lyster, Crampton, Becher, and
last, not least, Thomas Moore, the Bard of
Ireland, who recited a melologue in a manner
that created quite a furore.
There were also amateur performances at
Leixlip, where the " Fair Penitent " was re
markably well acted. Perhaps one of the per-

AMATEUR PERFORMANCES. 199
formances that created the deepest interest was
when " Tamerlane " was represented, the princi
pal characters being filled by Lords Kildare
and Mountmorres, Messrs. Brownlow and
Jephson, and the ladies parts by the three
celebrated beauties, the Misses Montgomery.
The eldest of these ladies married Mr. Luke
Gardiner, father to Lord Mountjoy; the second,
Mr. John Beresford, the Commissioner of
Revenue ; and the third, Lord Townshend,
Viceroy of Ireland.
In the days of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn,
great grandfather of the present baronet, the
atrical performances were often given during the
Christmas holidays in a neat theatre near the
house, erected for the purpose. David Garrick,
" the British Roscius " as he was called in the
Wynnstay play-bills, frequently superintended
these histrionic displays, where wit and revelry
prevailed. The surrounding nobility and gentry
participated in these festivities, which uniformly
passed off with eclat. The late Sir Watkin
Williams Wynn divested this Thespian Temple
of its ornaments, and appropriated it for an
annual Agricultural Meeting, as an auxiliary

200 NOTE TO A COSTUMIER.
to the Society at Wrexham ; so, instead of the
" sock and buskin," every species of stock
there congregated. The comedy of " Speed the
Plough " gave way to a practical development
of the powers of that implement, and amateur
actors were replaced by practical farmers.
At Leamington, some seven-and-thirty years
ago, a series of excellent amateur performances
were got up in a very pretty theatre erected in
the Assembly Room. One of the corps dramatique,
the eldest son of Sir Charles Chad, who was
to act the " Merry Monarch," wrote to Simmons
the costumier to the following effect : —
Sir,
I wish a dress sent here next Monday for
Charles the Second, I am five foot ten, and
perfect symmetry. Yours obediently, H. Chad.
The dress was accordingly sent, and fitted
marvellously well.
One of the best amateur performances on
record took place in November, 1850, at Kneb-

THEATRICALS AT KNEBWORTH. 201
worth, the seat of Lord Lytton. The pieces
selected were Ben Jonson's " Every Man in
His Humour" followed on the first evening by
the farce of " Animal Magnetism," and on the
second and third evenings by " Turning the
Tables." The cast of the comedy was as
follows :
Knowell, an old gentleman, Mr. D. Radcliffe.
Edward Knowell, his son, Mr. Henry Hawkins.
Brainworth, the father's man. Mr. Mark Lemon.
» George Downright, a plain squire, Mr. F. Stone.
Wellbred, his half-brother, Mr. Henry Hale.
Kitely, a merchant, Mr. John Forster.
Captain Bobadil, a Paul's man, Mr. C. Dickens.
Master Stephen, a country gull, Mr. D. Jerrold.
Master Mathew, the town gull, Mr. J. Leech.
Thomas Cash, Kitely's cashier. Mr. F. Dickens.
Oliver Cob, a water bearer, Mr. Augustus Egg.
Justice Clement, an old merry magistrate,
Hon. Eliot Yorke, M.P.
Roger Formal, his clerk, Mr. Phantom.
Dame Kitely, Kitely's wife, Miss Anne Romer.
Mistress Bridget, his sister, Miss Hogarth.
Tib, Cob's wife, Mrs. Mark Lemon.
The Epilogue written for the occcasion by

202 PRIVATE THEATRICALS.
F. P. Delme Radcliffe, Esq., was spoken by the
author as Knowell, and Mr. Hale as Well-
bred. The whole was under the direction of Charles
Dickens, the stage-manager.
The private theatricals at Hitchin Priory ought
not to be omitted, for they were got up in a way
that reflected the greatest credit upon the hos
pitable owner, principal actor, and epilogue
writer, F. P. Delme' Radcliffe, Esq. In justice
to the exertions of all concerned, I cannot refrain
from quoting the opinion repeatedly expressed by
Lord Lytton, then Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton ;
that for the first time in his experience, often as he
had witnessed such attempts, he had not, from the
rise to the fall of the curtain, felt the slightest
pain for the performers, and that the whole
representation had very much exalted his ideas
of private theatricals.
I remember on one occasion being present at
an amateur performance, when the " Lady of
Lyons " was represented. The gentleman who
acted Claude Melnotte had evidently studied in
the Edmund Kean school, and like that cele
brated tragedian, had a trick of dividing his

ANECDOTES. 203
words ; such as converting " I am your prisoner,"
into " I am your pris-oner." In the scene where
Claude hears from Damas that Pauline is faith
less, and has to say,
" One gleam of sunshine,
And the ice breaks, and I am lost ! Oh, Damas,"
the unfortunate amateur laid a slight stress
upon the first syllable of his friend's name, and
no effect was produced When, however, he got
more impassioned and declaimed the lines, " When
first I lost her, Damas," he, wishing to make a
Kean hit, divided the word Dam-a, and dropping
the last letter, delivered it in a way that sounded
very like a denunciation, which according to the
magisterial penalty for an oath, would have cost
him five shillings.
Another curious event occurred one evening at
an amateur performance got up at the residence
of the late learned Judge, at that time Serjeant
Talfourd, in Russell Square. The play selected
was " Ion," that masterpiece of the learned
Judge ; and as it was admirably cast, especially
the parts of the " foundling youth," and
Clemanthe, the daughter of the High Priest

204 PERFORMANCE OF TALFOURD S " ION.
of the Temple of Apollo, all went well until the
second scene of the fourth act, when Phocion and
Ctesiphon appear, the former anxiously awaiting
the shout, to announce that " Adrastus was
slain," and "the bonds of tyranny broken;" the
latter giving the unwelcome tidings that Ion,
the tyrant's son, had been accepted as the King
of Argos. Unfortunately the amateur who acted
the son of Medon was not quite perfect in his
part, and had to go to the wing for the words
of that speech.
" Why thus severe ? Our nature's common wrongs
Affect thee not ; and that which touch'd thee nearly,
Is well avenged."
Ctesiphon has to reply :
" Hot while the son of him,
Who smote my father reigns ! I little guess'd
Thou wouldst require a prompter — "
No sooner were these words uttered than a
suppressed titter commenced in the front row,
which soon extended to a loud laugh ; indeed it
could scarcely be avoided, for Phocion, fearful
of again breaking down, had turned with an
imploring look to the man with the book. His
companion in the conspiracy again began,

PERFORMANCES MABRED. 205
" I little guess'd
Thou wouldst require a prompter,"
another laugh, " To awake
The memory of the oath so freshly sworn,
Or of the place assign'd to thee by lot,
Should our first champion fail to crush the race."
After such an awful interruption, nothing but the
good acting of the corps dramatique would have
prevented this beautiful drama being converted
into a screaming farce, but Phocion rose to the
occasion ; and in the scene where he attempts
the life of his " old playmate," he so far
¦recovered himself as to give due effect to the
situation. Then in the interview between Ion and
Clemanthe, both artists were so admirable in
their parts that the play terminated amidst loud
and well-merited applause.
How often have performances been marred,
and new plays condemned, through the actor
being obliged to turn to that most important
personage the prompter, " though lost to sight
to memory dear," or from some jocose remark
from one of the audience. Among other in
stances may be mentioned one that took place at

206 STORY OF A PARISIAN BANKER.
Luneville, when " La Melanide " was performed.
The actor who represented Darviam quite forgot
the words at an important crisis, namely, when
declaring his love, but the prompter came to his
assistance and in a loud tone repeated them.
With the utmost coolness the actor turned to
the actress to whom he was paying addresses,
and said, " Yes, as that gentleman has told
you, &c."
At the Comedie Francaise, one of the principal
artists in a tragedy stopped short after deliver
ing the following line, " I was in Rome, where — "
when, finding the prompter not at all disposed to
help him out of his difficulty, he turned to him
and exclaimed with the utmost dignity, " Well,
you varlet, what did I do in Rome ?"
A good story is told of a rich banker at Paris,
who, though a sexagenarian, fancied himself a
perfect Adonis, and was always behind the
scenes, hanging about and making love to
Mademoiselle Saulnier, to whom the machinist
of the Opera House was paying his addresses.
Determined to be revenged, and profiting by the
moment when his rival, in uttering soft nonsense,
had inadvertedly placed his foot upon a cloud,

TRAGEDIES CONDEMNED. 207
the machinist gave a whistle, which was the
signal for raising the cloud, and when the curtain
was drawn up, the audience were not a little
edified at seeing the banker, with powdered
head, and gorgeously attired in evening costume,
embroidered coat and waistcoat, ascending to the
clouds by the side of Minerva, represented by the
object of his devotion.
Upon another occasion, in the days of
pigtails, when an elderly gentleman, with
French gallantry, was stooping down to present
an actress with a bouquet and kiss her hand, she
was suddenly told the stage was waiting ; off she
ran, and appeared before the audience uncon
scious that her aged admirer's wig had fallen off
and clung to the spangles of her dress. Loud
was the laughter of those in front, and louder
still was it when the bald-headed victim appeared
at the wing shorn of his capillary ornament.
How often too have serious tragedies been con
demned or converted into screaming farces by
the utterance of some unlucky phrase, which has
given rise to a witty response. In " Adelaide
Duguesclin," as it was originally acted, one of the
characters asks Coucy, " Es-tu content, Coucy ?"

208 ADELAIDE DUGUESCLIN.
»
At which the pit immediately exclaimed " Goussi,
Goussi /"
During the performance of " Andronicus," se
lected for the debut of an actor from Lille, the
unfortunate man, who had signally failed in the
early part of the play, had to deliver the
following line : —
" Mais pour ma fuite, ami, quel parti dois-je prendre."
In reply a voice from the front exclaimed : —
" L'ami, prenez la poste, et retournez. en IHandre,"
a verse taken from " La Fille Capitaine," in
which Angelique has to say : —
" Demain je prends la poste et je retourne en Flandre."
In a play entitled " Sancho Panza," the Duke
has to say " I'm beginning to get tired of
Sancho." " And so are we," shouted voices from the
pit, which immediately put an end to the per
formance. This sudden condemnation gave rise to an
excellent critique, that is, if the principle that
" brevity is the soul of wit," is admitted. The
newspapers the next morning announced.

AMATEUR PERFORMANCES. 209
" Sancho Panza a paru et disparu."
One more instance will suffice. At the first
representation of one of Alexandre Dumas's
dramas, entitled " Stockholm, Fontainebleau, and
Rome," the clock had struck one as the fifth
act terminated, and there was a great cry for
the epilogue which was to follow. After some
delay the curtain was drawn up amidst a
considerable uproar, at the moment when
Christine is made aware that her dissolution is
fast approaching, and interrogates the doctor
as to how long she may live, and is told " only
one quarter of an hour remains for you." A
man got up and standing on a bench, watch
in hand, exclaimed, " It is now a quarter past
one, and if it is not over by half-past one, we
will take our departure." This put an end to
the performance.
Amateur performances, when well got up,
are in our days little inferior to those repre
sented on the regular boards; indeed, there is
no reason why well educated ladies and gentle
men, if they devote sufficient time to study and
rehearsals, should not interpret Sheridan, Col
man, Tobin, and other writers of comedy, a?
VOL. I. p

210 MINOR ACTRESSES IN BYGONE DAYS.
well as their professional brethren. It is only
within a few years that ladies have thought it
not infra dig. to appear on the stage when
the object is charity. This is a movement in the
right direction, for in bygone days it was neces
sary to engage minor actresses, who too often
marred the performance by exaspirating the
H, turning the V into a W, or clipping the
Queen's English.
In " Hamlet " I heard Ophelia exclaim
" 0 'elp im, you sweet 'eavens." In the
" School for Scandal," when I, as Charles Surface,
some years ago at Quebec, urged the "gentle
Maria " to give due effect to a concluding
speech, she, having been at the commencement
almost inaudible, blurted out " I purtest, Sir
Peter, I never said no such thing." In the
" Honeymoon " I was horrified at hearing
Juliana, when asked whether she had shaken
the jug of beer, reply, " In course I did," and
"H'am I not a duchess now?" Then again,
an actress playing the Countess in the
" Stranger," when Mrs. Haller inquired if she
ever heard of the Countess Walburg, instead
of giving the author's words, " I have heard of

ACTING CHARADES. 211
such a wretch at a neighbouring Court, she
left her husband and fled with a villain,"
replied, " I 'ave 'eard of sitch a wretch at a
neighbouring 'ouse, she left 'er 'usband and ran
away with a blackguard."
The above happened some years ago, for in
our day the artistes who figure on our London
and provincial boards are well educated ladies,
and their services are duly appreciated when
called upon to support amateurs.
In many instances a smart, well-written
charade, and a few tableaux, are preferable to
dramatic performances ; for they are more easily
arranged, that is, if under an able manager and
a clever carpenter. The temporary theatre
should be so contrived that the artists have it
in their power to retire into a " green-room,"
which prevents much talk and confusion behind
the scenes. A curtain should be formed so as
to open and close from the centre, while for the
proscenium, scenes, and wings, a few yards
of coloured paper can by ingenuity be converted
into all that is required. Two knights in
armour, which are always to be found at any
decorators, look well in the proscenium; and
p 2

212 ACTING CHARADES.
insides of mansions, castles, cottages, woods,
landscapes, and gardens can easily be selected
from the numerous designs in which paper-
makers indulge.
The next step is the choice of pieces. If
dramatic ones carry the day, nothing can be
better than a comedietta, with a screaming
farce or well-written burlesque ; for senti
mental plays are tedious, comedies too lengthy;
moreover, they require more study than can
generally be devoted to them.
A few lines to Lacy, of the Strand, giving
the number of the corps dramatique and the
nature of the entertainment, will suffice, as by
return of post some of the most suitable
works will be sent.
If an acting charade is preferred, I would
suggest an idea I have upon many occasions
carried out with great effect, and that is to
take a scene out of some celebrated play or
poem, to form the syllables and the entire
word. For instance, Farewell. The first syllable
may be taken from the "Lady of the Lake,"
where Roderick Vich Alpine Roderick Dhu thus
addresses the Knight ol Snowdon, James
FitzJames."

ACTING CHARADES. 213
" Enough, enough ; sit down and share,
A soldier's couch, a soldier's fare!'
The second may introduce Meg Dodds, the
despotic landlady of St. Ronan's Well, and
some of the company assembled at her snug
inn ; while the whole Farewell can be embodied
either in the parting scene between Romeo and
Juliet, or in that of Conrad and Medora in
the "Corsair."
Another word, Nightingale, suggests itself, cor
rect spelling not being a sine qua non, as the sound
conveys the meaning. The first syllable can be
represented in many ways. The scene at Bel
mont from the " Merchant of Venice," where
Lorenzo and Jessica discourse of the night ;
Manfred's soliloquy, the incantation scene in
"Der Freyschiitz," a scene from "Macbeth,"
after the murder of Duncan, the midnight
scene where Kaled bends beside the prostrate
form of Lara, or the quarrel between Sir
Ezzelin, Otho, and the stranger Knight from
the same poem.
The Inn at Terracina furnishes an excellent
opportunity of selecting the situation from " Fra
Diavolo," in which the brigands overhear

214 TABLEAUX VIVANTS.
Zerlina's song, or a scene written for the
occasion, founded upon an anecdote which was
told of a nobleman, now the representative of
a large county, who upon being chaffed at the
hustings by a boy in the crowd who made use
of the old slang phrase :
" I say, my Lord, does your mother know
you're out ?"
" Yes, my fine fellow," responded Lord
George, " and at four o'clock she'll know I'm
in." •»
Gale can be represented from the first act
of the ' Tempest,' while the whole word Night
ingale suggests a hospital at Scutari, with the
philanthropic Sister of Mercy, Florence Night
ingale, administering to the spiritual and bodily
wants of the wounded and dying. Tableaux
vivants can easily be arranged from pictures
by ancient and modern masters, or from in
cidents in dramas and poems. In sacred
subjects, Esther before Ahasuerus, by Tin
toretto, and the Return of Jephthah, would make
interesting tableaux; while history furnishes the
death of General Wolfe, by West ; Henry VIII.
and family, including the Queen, Prince Edward,

TABLEAUX VLVANTS. 215
and the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth ; the
meeting of Henry VIII. and Francis I. in the
Field called the Cloth of Gold, Holbein ; mar
riage of Henry V. with the Princess Catherine,
by Kent; Charles I. and Henrietta as Apollo
and Diana receiving the Duke of Bucking
ham as Mercury, who introduces the arts and
sciences, by Honthorst.
In humorous and domestic subjects, Wilkie's
" Rent Day " forms an admirable tableau, as do
" Sir Roger de Coverley," " Paying the Reckon-
ing," " The Deserter taken at the Strolling
Theatre in the Fair," " The Bailiff scene in the
Vicar of Wakefield," " The Press-gang captur
ing a young waterman on the day of his mar
riage," " The South Sea Bubble," " Auld Robin
Grey," and the " Blind Fiddler." Walter Scott's
romances, Byron and Moore's poems, will
furnish beautiful tableaux, and in order to give
good effect to them, a pianoforte accompani
ment should be played throughout, commencing
with a few bars of introduction, and carrying
on the music to illustrate as far as possible the
picture represented.
For instance ; in the death of Wolfe a battle

216 MRS. HONEY.
piece, ending with a few strains from the Dead
March in Saul, might be introduced ; in the
Marriage of Henry V., a wedding chorus would
be appropriate ; in the Press-gang scene a selec
tion from Dibdin may be made, including " Tom
Bowling," " The Jolly Young Waterman," and
"Black-eyed Susan." In "Auld Robin Grey"
the original melody would be the best accom
paniment ; an air from " II Pirata " would be
suitable to the " Corsair ;" " Love among the
Roses " equally so to " Lalla Rookh," and no
better air than that of the " Fine old English
Gentleman, all of the olden time" could be
found for Sir Roger de Coverley.
I now turn to an incident in which I took
a principal part in " Lock and Key."
It happened as follows. Among one of the
most fascinating actresses that have graced the
metropolitan boards in my day, was the late
Mrs. Honey, a lady who it was said possessed
that most inconvenient of all theatrical ap
pendages, a jealous husband, and certainly his
Othello tendencies were strongly developed upon
one occasion. Although I never exchanged a
word with Mrs. Honey, the green-eyed monster

LOCKED UP BY MISTAKE. 217
had taken such hold of her sposo, that he fancied
there were lovers in every part of the theatre,
and, if applause due to her theatrical talents came
from a private box, the occupiers were supposed
to be making up to the lady.
One evening a friend of mine and myself took
a private box at a theatre in London, at which
she was " starring," and to get to the box it was
necessary to cross the stage. No sooner were we
comfortably seated, when we were certainly per
fectly innocent of being demonstrative of loud
applause, or of bouquet-throwing, than our
attention was attracted to a noise at the box-
door, which we found arose from a carpenter
who was fastening it up. Against this railway
system of being locked up, we stoutly protested,
but all we could get from the man was, " Sich is
my orders."
At the conclusion of the first piece, I rapped
at the door, thrust my card through an aperture,
and requested it might be given to the manager.
This was accordingly done, the door unfastened,
and we were conducted to his sanctum
sanctorum. There we stated our case, and
pointed out that we should have as soon thought

218 THE MISTAKE EXPLAINED.
of walking uninvited into the manager's drawirig-
room as into the green-room, and that the
indignity which had been offered us was one we
could not submit to ; for of course such a
" barring out " would form the subject of
much theatrical gossip, and find its way into
the newspapers.
Nothing could exceed the politeness of the
manager, who tendered us the most ample
apology, and explained that we had been un
wittingly taken for two gentlemen, or for two
persons passing themselves off as gentlemen, who
on the previous night had left the box and
conducted themselves in a most improper manner
behind the scenes, addressing Mrs. Honey in a
way that was most unjustifiable. One of the
above had written an effusion to this lady,
urging her to look with kindness upon the writer,
who would occupy the same box as he did the
night before ; winding up with a hope that
" the eyes which had proved so fatal to his com
fort might one day beam upon him with a smile
of satisfaction and raise him from the misery love
had plunged him into," — the original of which
was shown us by the manager. Finding, however.

THEATRICAL ANECDOTES. 219
that we had been earlier in the field and
had secured the stage-box, the love-sick swain
had contented himself with a front row in the
dress-circle, and hence the mistake.
Before I conclude I must give a jeu d 'esprit
generally supposed to have been written by the
late James Smith upon the above-mentioned fas
cinating actress, and which I do not find in
his published works : —
" This pair in matrimony,
Go most unequal snacks,
He gets all the Honey,
She gets all the Whacks — (Wax).
Another theatrical anecdote occurs to me.
For many years I was on terms of intimate
friendship with the late Lord Lytton, at that
time residing with his wife at a small country
house near London. The late Lady Beaconsfield,
then Mrs. Wyndham Lewis, was a constant
visitor there, and many a happy afternoon
and evening have I passed in company with
the above trio.
After lunching one day with Mrs. Wyndham
Lewis, it was suggested that we should all meet
again at six o'clock, have an early dinner,

220 LORD LYTTON' S "PAUL CLIFFORD."
and proceed to the Surrey or Victoria Theatre,
I forget which, to see the representation of
" Paul Clifford," which had recently been
dramatised. Upon reaching the theatre, we
were told that there was not a place to be
had, not even standing room. This was a
high compliment to the author, who seemed
highly gratified. Not liking to be thwarted
I asked for the manager, who at once
received me in his private room. After con
gratulating him on the success of " Paul
Clifford," I informed him that the writer of
the novel, his wife, and Mrs. Wyndham
Lewis were waiting in the entrance - hall
anxious to find places.
" I'll see what I can do," said the manager ;
" my own private box is filled, but I will try
to get my friends to occupy seats in the
orchestra." This was accordingly done, and we soon took
possession of the empty box, the manager
declining to receive any remuneration for it.
The drama was admirably performed, and Bulwer
was in a state of frantic delight. At its conclusion
all eyes were turned to our box, and in a second

KING'S THEATRE, HAYMARKET. 221
the whole audience had risen en masse to cheer
the principal occupier of it. At first Bulwer
shrank back, but we pressed him forward, and
when he appeared in front a perfect furore took
place. I have been present during Royal and
Imperial visits to theatres in England, France,
Austria, Holland, and Belgium, but I never heard
such enthusiastic shouts as were given to the
writer of " Paul Clifford " at a transpontine
theatre. In bygone times the King's Theatre, Hay-
market, was very differently carried on from
what the opera houses are in our days. There
were no stalls ; the pit, with the exception of
an open space called " Fop's Alley," was never
the resort of the elite of fashion, who only con
gregated in the boxes, visiting from one to
another, and attending the opera more for
society than the music, though the ballet was
ever an attraction. Nearly every box was taken
by the nobility, many of them on the plan of
what are termed omnibus boxes. Thus I find
from a document now before me, dated 1791,
the following list.
Box No. 73, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.

222 PRICE OF BOXES.
Box No. 74, H.R.H. the Duke of York.
„ 79, H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence.
„ 38, His Grace the Duke of Bedford.
„ 111, Rt. Honble. Charles James Fox.
E. The Honble. Mr. Hubbard.
All the above occupied the previous year, but
not paid for.
Box 11, Lord Derby; paid.
,, K. His Grace the Duke of Richmond ; paid.
„ 40, Lady Milner ; paid.
„ 108, Lord Mornington ; paid.
Box A. Mr. Bouverie, Lord Broughton, Mrs.
Bouverie, Honourable C. Bentinck, Lord R.
Spencer, Mr. E. Faulkener, Mr. Hare. Last
year unpaid.
Box E. His Grace the Duke of Portland, Her
Grace the Duchess of Portland, Mrs. Connelly,
Mr. Crewe, Mrs. Crewe, Marquis of Titchfield.
Paid. A subscription of forty guineas each, six
subscribers, was the price of a box for the
season, which forms rather a striking contrast
to the sums now given. There seems to have
been some misunderstanding with respect to
the number of persons the boxes were supposed

LETTER FROM THE DUKE OF RICHMOND. 223
to hold, which led to the following correspond
ence. One thing will strike the reader, namely,
that part of the Duke's letter in which he says
that Mr. Sheridan has no idea of giving directions
to have the subscription money paid for the
box returned. No one acted more upon the
principle of Falstaff, who remarks " that paying
back is a double labour." " No money returned "
was evidently Sheridan's motto. The following
letter must refer to the period when the Opera
House was let for dramatic purposes.
" The Duke of Richmond presents his compli
ments to Mr. Westley, and is very sorry to
hear, by a verbal message he has just received,
that he cannot see Mr. Westley this morning,
as he was in hopes by a personal meeting to
clear up some misunderstanding which he con
ceives must have given rise to the note the Duke
of Richmond received yesterday from Mr. Fos-
brook, by Mr. Westley's directions. If Mr.
Westley's business would allow him to spare
a few minutes, the Duke of Richmond would
still hope he might see Mr. Westley to-day at
any place and hour he will appoint. If not, the

224 LETTER FROU THE DUKE OF RICHMOND.
Duke of Richmond begs Mr. Westley to state
in writing in what particulars his plan for tickets
is, as mentioned in Mr. Fosbrook's note, entirely
contrary to the directions he received from the
Manager arid Proprietors, and what other plan
Mr. Westley has to propose, as, however con
venient that which the Duke of Richmond has
suggested would be to the subscribers, and
satisfied as Mr. Fosbrook was with it, the Duke
of Richmond will submit to any other plan for
tickets which the Proprietors and Management
may prefer. The Duke of Richmond showed
Mr. Fosbrook's note to Mr. Kemble last night,
who assured him that he was perfectly ignorant
of Mr. Westley's objections, and at a loss to
guess on what they were founded.
" The Duke of Richmond has also reason to
believe, from a letter he lately received from
Mr. Sheridan, that so far from being likely to
send immediate directions to return the subscrip
tion money paid for his box, on account of his
having merely proposed a plan for tickets, as
Mr. Westley supposes, Mr. Sheridan will be
disposed to allow of any conveniency which the
Duke of Richmond can wish for, consistent with

PRIVATE BOXES. 225
the security ofthe interest ofthe theatre, and the
Duke of Richmond can wish for no other.
" Whitehall, 26th October, 1791." " King's Theatre, Haymaket.
" Mr. Westley presents his respects to his
Grace the Duke of Richmond, begs leave to
inform him that he has not been able to see the
Proprietors since he understood His Grace
desired to see Mr. W. on the subject of the box
at the Haymarket Theatre. Mr. W. humbly
conceives, from the tenor of the receipt which
Mr. W. was directed to make out for that and
other private boxes, that no private box was
intended for more than six persons. The words
of the receipt left by M. W. at Messrs. Ransoms,
Morland, and Hammersley, Pall Mall, were ' Re
ceived of his Grace the Duke of Richmond the sum
of £252 in full for six subscriptions for the season
of 1791-2 for the Box lettered K. in the King's
Theatre, Haymarket. (Signed) T. Westley;'
which receipt though lodged at the bankers
for His Grace, was by some mistake of the
banker's clerk not sent, but another sent in its
stead. From the words of the receipt, the same
as other receipts for the like purpose, it appears
VOL. I. Q

226 END OF THE CONTROVERSY.
very plainly to Mr. W. that the boxes were
meant for no more than six subscriptions ; but
Mr. W. will have the honour of seeing the
proprietors to-morrow, and acquainting His Grace
with their directions to Mr. W. on the business.
" 26th October, 1791."
The controversy ended most amicably ; no
box was to hold more than six persons, but the
silver tickets were transferable", and admitted
the holder to the pit in full dress, an opera-hat
de rigueur, or to the gallery if otherwise attired.
Often have I, though dressed in what Messrs.
Moses would call " a splendid youth's suit,"
been sent up to the gallery for not appearing
en grande tenue.

CHAPTER X.

RETURNED AS M.P. FOR KING S LYNN — ELECTION EXPENSES —
LORD GEORGE BENTINCK AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER— A BELGIAN
ORATOR— MY MAIDEN SPEECH— SPEECHES IN PARLIAMENT
ON THE REFORM BILL ; ON THE ANATOMY BILL ; ON THE
BILL FOR REGULATING THE LABOUR OF CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PERSONS — DEFENCE OF MY BROTHER, THE POST
MASTER-GENERAL.

Q 2

229

CHAPTER X.
TN the year 1832 I had the good fortune
to be returned as Member of Parliament
for King's Lynn, in conjunction with the late
Lord George Bentinck, an honour I held for
four years. During the above period we had
two uncontested elections, and it speaks well for
the voters of that ancient borough, when I
inform my readers that the entire expense of the
first election, when I was threatened with a
strong opposition by the former member, in
cluding hustings, printing, messengers, ribbons,
chairing, (for in those days the successful
candidates were chaired through the town,
giving a largesse of small coin to the value
of five pounds to the multitude, and were

230 LORD GEORGE BENTINCK.
also allowed to distribute ribbons), committee
rooms, fees, and a dinner to the constituency,
amounted to three hundred pounds to be equally
divided between my colleague and myself. This
was indeed purity of election.
My second election cost a little more in the
dinner, as the Reform Bill added greatly to the
number of voters. At that period, whenever we
attended public dinners, horticultural shows,
where the healths of the Members were drunk,
it was painful to witness the agony Lord
George went through, especially if there were
ladies present. The perspiration would run
down his fine open forehead, the words could
hardly 'find utterance from sheer nervousness,
and yet what eloquence was hid beneath ; and
when he did partly recover his self-possession, no
man ever spoke more cleverly, or more to the
purpose. Great was my delight when I first took
my seat in the House of Commons. It was a
most exciting time, for politics ran high, and
the Reform Bill was uppermost in people's
minds, both inside and outside the walls of St.
Stephens. How often do I look back to those

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 231
days, when I had the vast privilege of listening
to the impetuous eloquence of the Rupert of
Debate, the late Lord Derby, then Mr. Stanley ;
to the measured rhetoric of Peel ; to the
scholarly address of Praed ; to the swelling
periods of Macaulay; to the modest, manly
utterance of Althorpe; to the splendid diction
of Lytton ; to the sturdy common sense of
Denman ; to the polished sentences of Mahon ;
to the concentrated intellect of Disraeli ; to the
statesman-like views of Russell ; to the rush of
native eloquence of Croker ; to the genial good-
humour and placid ease of Palmerston ; to the
fine poetic imagery of Morpeth ; to the polished
address of Graham ; to the exuberant fun of
Wetherell; to the silvery tones of "England's
pride, and Westminster's glory," Burdett ; to the
fiery zeal of Sugden; to the glorious burst of
gTsa -XTi^oivra, (winged words) of Sheil; to the
fulmina tonitruaque of O'Connell; to the lofty,
noble sentiments that flowed from Talfourd ; to
the laborious industry of Hume.
Members of the present day complain of hard
work, of late hours, and of long speeches ; but I
fancy they would have had more grounds for

232 ON COMMITTEES.
grumbling had they been in the House of
Commons during the passing of the Reform Bill.
Moreover, at that time, the House was small and
ill-ventilated, and the coffee-room abominable.
I myself have sat for weeks on an election
petition, or on a committee, from ten o'clock
till four, and from four o'clock till past that
hour on the following morning, and this not
only once, but often. I was on the Bedford
Election Committee, which was an intricate
affair, as it involved a point of law. I was
on the Committee to inquire into the conduct
of the police at the disturbance at Clerkenwell ;
on another to look into the affairs of the General
Post Office, of which my brother, the late Duke of
Richmond was the head ; on another, to get rid of
the monopoly of the then two Winter Theatres,
and passed hours by day and night in the House.
The speeches, too, were often long and tedious ;
indeed, one honourable member, now no more, was
seldom or never off his legs, and reminded me of
a story told me, when abroad, of a Monsieur de
Burdine, a deputy in the Belgian Senate at
Brussels, of whom it was said : —
" II est monte a la tribune le 9 de ce mois, il a

A BELGIAN ORATOR. 233
parle pendant toute la moitie de la seance, or
ce n'etait la que son exorde. Toute la seconde
seance du 10 a ete consacree aux developpemens
de son exposition, et il n'a pu conclure que le
lendemain 11, apres avoir dans cette troisieme
seance occupe la tribune pendant trois heures.
Un de ces collegues l'a interrompu le 9 en lui
disant, e Votre discours est la mer a boire.' c Et
vous la boirez,' a r^pondu l'impassible orateur."
And here I hope I shall be forgiven for laying
before my readers the subjects that principally
engrossed my attention during my Parliamentary
career ; for I know that I lay myself open to a
charge of egotism in quoting my speeches from
Hansard. July 6th, 1831. — " In rising to claim the atten
tion of the House for a few moments, I trust that
the consideration, which has always been shown
to a Member when he, for the first time,
addresses it, will be extended to me upon this
occasion. I will not follow the honourable
member for Lincoln (Colonel Sibthorp) through
his labyrinth of incongruities, and intricate
mazes of visionary theories in which he has
introduced a general illumination — berth of

234 MY MAIDEN SPEECH.
children at Grimsby — that wicked wight Dom
Miguel, &c. ; nor will I defend the Government
from the attack made by the gallant Colonel,
that the Bill is not upon a level with his
understanding, but merely deprecate the system
of making the House of Commons a Foundling
Hospital for any Member's illegitimate theories.
On the subject of the question, I will refrain
from going over the old beaten track ; nor will
I gratify those opponents, among them the
gallant Colonel, who think no Member can be
returned without introducing what they call
the revolutionary and unconstitutional cry of
the King and Reform, Magna Charta and the
rights of the people — Gatton — grinding the poor
— and the purse-proud oligarchy — and con
cluding with the cuckoo cry of ' The Bill, the
whole Bill, and nothing but the Bill.' I will
rather content myself with briefly and dispas
sionately noticing two positions taken up by
the friends of the present system. The first is
the old hackneyed doctrine that has ever been
brought forward in support of every rotten cause ;
namely, that, though the system is theoretically
bad, yet practically it has worked well.

MY MAIDEN SPEECH. 235
" Now can it be said that a system works well
under which the petitions of the people have
been treated with contempt, and when they
have called aloud for retrenchment and attention
to their grievances, they have been told that
their distress was only partial ? Can it be said
that a system works well, under whose operation
the country finds itself groaning under an
almost intolerable burden of taxation, and the
funds which were wrung from the hard earn
ings of the productive classes have too often
been lavished upon sinecurists, who, in indo
lence and sloth, have consumed the bread that
others have toiled for ? Lastly, can it be said
that a system works well which notoriously
places the representation of the people beyond
their own control, and introduces into the
House of Commons nominees of certain titled
and wealthy proprietors — men who, upon the
principle of doing what they ' like with their
own,' are quite as likely to exert their influence
and votes to forward their own and their patrons
aggrandisement as to benefit the people whom
they are falsely said to represent.
" The systeni has been one altogether of patron-

236 MY MAIDEN SPEECH.
age ; and as it has been carried on, is as out
rageous to morality as it is pernicious to just
government. It gives a scandal to the House
of Commons in the eyes of the people ; it does
more — it undermines the very principles of
integrity in their hearts, and gives a fashion
to imposture and deception. They hear of in
dividuals bartering in thousands for seats in
Parliament, unblushingly selling the franchises
of the public, yet making vehement speeches
against bribery and corruption. These are the
things that vitiate the system ; that spread
degeneracy, hypocrisy, and sordid fraud over
the country; that take from it its energies of
virtue, and sap its foundations of patriotism and
spirit. " The next position taken up by the anti-
reformers is, that the nomination boroughs are
the only means of introducing into the House
of Commons men of high talent. Now I am
free to admit that there have been, and are men
of high-talent thus introduced into the House,
and if I required a modern illustration, I would
allude to a brilliant speech made by a noble
Lord on the opposite side of the House, the

MY MAIDEN SPEECH. 237
Member for Wootton Basset (Viscount Por-
chester), but these visitations are ' like angels
visits, few and far between ;' nor am I prepared
to admit that the good is at all commensurate
with the evil, nor that it is fair to argue that
a good resulting from a bad cause justifies the
means by which it is obtained. Now, as to the
consistency of the nomination patrons, I would
instance my honourable friend, the Member for
Grimsby, late member for Gatton (J. V.
Shelley, Esq.). That honourable Member made
an eloquent appeal in behalf of his cause, and
found himself in a minority of 2999 at a county
meeting, battling for Gatton as if it was for
his heart's blood. Would that his gallant spirit and
talents had been employed in a better cause. And
what is the result ? Why, at the dissolution he,
without warning, got notice to quit, not because he
did not do his duty to his patron, but because his
patron, on the principle of doing what he 'liked
with his own,' accommodated another friend of
the family. Now a good deal has been said of
county meetings being farces; but can there
be a more ridiculous burlesque than a Gatton
election, in which the patron, the candidates,

238 MY MAIDEN SPEECH.
the constituents — if constituents there be, and
I believe an honourable Member owned to eight,
including the footman, cook, and gardener — ¦
can all be packed and sent down by the Brighton
omnibus. Is it not a mockery, a caricature upon
representation, and calculated to throw ridicule
upon the House of Commons ? In conclusion,
I can only look at the success the reformers have
met with in the country — ay, even in Scot
land, that beau-ideal of a boroughmonger's
imagination — as the best proof that the measure
is congenial to the sentiments of the people at
large. In the words of an able writer in the
( New Monthly Magazine :'
" ' As well might we expect, Canute like, to
arrest the progress of the ocean tide at the
bidding of a maniac as to stay the .great cur
rent of public opinion. It was not a question
of expediency — it was a contest of right against
usurpation — the right of the middle classes, the
wealth and the intelligence, and the mainstay of
the British name, to have a voice in the elections
of those who are to impose their burdens, and
who hold their purses and prospects in their
hands.' I have no confidence in the anti-

COLONEL SIBTHORP AGGRIEVED. 239
reformers, still less in some who call themselves
moderate ' bit by bit,' ' little as needs be '
reformers ; for it requires all their ingenuity to
point out the virtue of moderation when an
evil is admitted on every side. If their houses
are falling, are they satisfied with moderate re
pairs ? if on a bed of sickness, are they satisfied
with moderate cures — ' bit by bit ' and ' little
as needs be ' alleviation of their sufferings ? No,
their moderation is only extended towards the
State whose rottenness is their profit ; but soon
will there be an end to the system — a system
which is, as it were, a political Bastille — the last
and tottering bulwark of the feudal borough-
mongers.' "
Shortly after I had uttered the above, my
maiden speech, and was being congratulated by
my friends, a gentleman sent me his card and
requested an interview in the Library. I im
mediately attended the summons, and found Mr.
Severn, M.P. for Fowey, waiting for me. He in
a most conciliatory and polite manner told me
that his friend Colonel Sibthorp felt aggrieved
at a remark that had fallen from me, and re
quested me to withdraw it. I immediately con-

240 SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION.
suited a friend now no more, and it was finally
arranged that the Colonel should ask me a
question before the termination of the debate,
which, if not answered satisfactorily, left him the
opportunity of seeking personal redress. This
being agreed to, I took my seat in the House,
immediately opposite the gallant member for
Lincoln, who looked as if he could eat me alive.
At last he caught the Speaker's eye and said :
" The noble Lord opposite, in the course of
his speech, made use of one expression which I
should wish to have explained. I think he spoke
of Ministers not having reduced the bill to the
level of my understanding. Now I would wish
to know what he means by that expression."
To which I replied.
" I only regret the gallant Colonel did not
call my attention to the expression at the time
when the words I made use of were fresher in
my memory than they are now. If, however,
he means to ask me whether I meant to cast any
personal imputation upon him, I did not ; to
this I will add that I merely repeated, to the
best of my recollection, the words used by the
gallant Colonel himself."

SPEECH ON THE REFORM BILL. 241
This explanation was deemed satisfactory,
and an appeal to arms rendered unnecessary.
On August 5th, 1831, Lord William Lennox,
said, " I perfectly concur in the sentiments which
have fallen from, the Honourable Baronet, the
Member for Shoreham (Sir Charles Burrell). I
think that Brighton ought to have the privilege
of sending two Members to Parliament, not only
on account of its population, but also on account
of the large amount of assessed taxes which it
annually pays, namely £31,800 ; an amount
within £11,000 of the assessed taxes paid col
lectively by Sheffield, Sunderland, Devonport,
and Wolverhampton, the four new boroughs
in Schedule C. With regard to population,
Brighton contains six hundred and thirty-two
£10 houses, nine hundred and fifty-one £20
houses, and eleven hundred and eighty £40
houses. The argument advanced on a former
evening against giving two Members to each
of the boroughs in Schedule C was, that it
would give a preponderance to the manufactur
ing interest. That objection cannot apply to
Brighton, and when I look at its wealth, its
population, and the respectability of the actual
VOL. I. R

242 FEES CHARGED ON VESSELS IN QUARANTINE.
residents, I think that it ought to have the
benefit of two Members."
Upon the 6th of September, 1831, Mr. Alder
man Thompson (City of London) brought for
ward a motion upon the subject of the fees
charged on all vessels placed in quarantine, and
pointed out the hardship that a ship of fifty tons
should pay the same sum as one of five hundred.
This proposition was opposed by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer (Lord Althorpe), when Lord
William Lennox spoke as follows :
" I would strongly urge the worthy Alderman
to persevere in his motion. It is most unjust
that ships of two hundred and fifty tons should
pay the same as ships of six hundred tons.
Besides, as the greater proportion of vessels
engaged in the Baltic trade make two voyages
in the course of the year, it will be quite fair
to take the fee off from the present time. I agree
with the Honourable Member for Middlesex that
it is very doubtful whether this tax is legal, and,
at all events, it is highly inequitable that in
dividuals should pay for the benefit of the country
at large."
Again, upon the subject of Reform, Lord

SPEECH ON REFORM. 243
William Lennox said, " There is one pecu
liarity in the reasoning upon this question ;
and one which the Honourable Member for
Weymouth (Mr. B. Wall) fell into, for it is
the invariable practice of our antagonists to
arrive at their own conclusions, and to argue
up to the cause, as if, forsooth, the effects ex
isted anywhere but in their own apprehensions.
Beginning then by stating what will be the
results of the measure, and their statements
resting upon no other foundation than their own
fiat, they denounce the authors of it; with all the
fervour of their own very peculiar creed. Then,
as their fancy rises, they see the surges of
revolution breaking high against their own castle
walls; in the general confusion that follows,
anarchy prevails, democracy triumphs, the church
crumbles, good government is trampled under
foot, the Crown falls from the monarch's head,
a political chaos ensues — for nothing is too
marvellous, nothing too monstrous for their dis
tempered imaginations ; but have they paused
to ask themselves a few practical questions ?
For I cannot but think that in the common mode
of argument, namely, establishing the premises,
r 2

244 SPEECH ON REFORM.
we may arrive at conclusions not so very dis
similar. I will suppose that no man can be
found to think otherwise than that he is placed
in society for the sake of promoting the welfare
of his fellow-men ; that laws are framed and
administered for the benefit of the State in
general ; that political liberty should be filled up
to the exact measure that may give an interest
in the State to each individual belonging to it,
without endangering the welfare of the whole;
and likewise that if the laws are adapted to the
customs and character of the people, they must
possess a power of elasticity in order to suit
them to any change that may take place in those
customs or in that character. There is no point
that can be controverted herein, except by those
who acknowledge no rights, but rights established
by prescription, which means, in other words,
abuse continued until it has the force of law ;
but as in a rational debate I can acknowledge no
such adversary, so will I not fancy the windmill,
that I may have the satisfaction of prevailing
against it as a man. Supposing then our pur
poses either as men or legistators to be admitted,
and that they are the welfare of our fellow-man

SPEECH ON REFORM. 245
in his individual capacity, or his general interest
in the community to which he belongs — why,
I would ask, is the whole order of nature to
be reversed because existing laws are found
to be incompatible with those interests ? In
what political vocabulary does the endowment
of an acknowledged right mean revolution ? or
who is he who would stigmatize the conscien
tious legislator, who would accord it, as a
restless anarchist ? In what moral code under
the sun does he who withholds, deserve better
than he who bestows ? And let the community
in general arbitrate between us as to which of
the two parties are sowing the dragon's teeth
to spring up in discord amongst us. Let who
will decide, I am willing to abide by the conse
quences. In truth, I can imagine no simpler
proposition than that which is before us. The
people of England think they are inadequately
represented, and come before us with a prayer
to amend what they deem a grievance. And
here I must acknowledge that their opinions,
as to their own representation, do appear to
me most worthy of attention.
" I will never consent to claim support for this

246 SPEECH ON REFORM.
measure on so poor an argument as that of
expediency. I admit the claim as a right, and
I denounce the withholding of it as an act of
reckless and arbitrary injustice — an injustice in
which the claimants will see, or fancy they see,
oppression, self-interest, and many of the worst
passions of man militating against them, an
injustice which, as no hope will be held out
to them of its ever ceasing, may goad them
on to worse excesses than the revelry of victory
ever yet produced.
"Who will then have caused the confusion ?
who will have sown the anarchy ? which if it
prevail not, then shall goodwill take the place
of revenge in the human breast, and the pangs
of disappointment be exchanged for the promise
of hope. I wish not to impose my creed upon
the belief of others ; but the philosophy of
history has taught us little if we have not
learnt that the many were not placed on earth
solely for the advantage of the few ; and when
the former know their power, the latter may
find themselves in jeopardy.
" The enemies of reform threaten us with the
evils of revolution and the establishment of a

ON THE ANATOMY BILL. 247
republic. Neither one nor the other is to be feared .
The people of England have no predilection for
any form of government but their own, divested
of its abuses. Many croakers predict all sorts
of ills from a reform of our own Parliament ;
but a reform in Parliament is only reducing to
practice what the Constitution is in theory.
The House of Commons is a safety-valve,
through which complaints and grievances find
vent ; its enlargement will assuredly prevent ex
plosion. With regard to being indebted to the
Opposition for rejecting the Bill in the Upper
House, I have only to say that, though
the Bill may in some measure be improved, it has
not compensated for the mischief that has
accrued since its rejection in the House of Lords.
We should have been grateful had the House of
Lords then passed the law, with any amend
ments they deemed just ; but to their rejection,
we must ever attribute the evils that have
occurred to the commercial, financial, and political
interests of the country."
Upon Mr. Warburton (Member for Bridport)
moving the Order of the Day for the further
consideration in Committee of the Report on

248 ON THE ANATOMY BILL.
the Anatomy Bill, February 27th, 1832, Lord
William Lennox said, " I believe this Bill will
prove rather an encouragement than an obstacle
to the commission of the crimes which it is
intended to prevent. In the cases of persons
having the custody of their sick relatives, I am
afraid that this Bill will give such individuals a
direct interest, if not to murder them, still so to
neglect them that they may die, in order that
they may sell their bodies. The Honourable
Baronet, the Member for the University of
Oxford (Sir Robert Inglis), spoke lightly of the
rites of burial over the remains of the dissected
body. I am of opinion that if you once tell the
people that those rites are of no use, and may be
dispensed with, you will do great mischief to
the public morals. There is more actual good
derived from the funeral service being solemnly
performed over the body of the dead than the
Honourable Baronet seems to be aware of. I
have often marked the result of the solemn
ceremony on the minds of private soldiers. It is
an impressive duty, and one that operates power
fully on the feelings ; but if you suffer the body
to be carried at once from the bed of death to the

REMEDIES AGAINST THE HUNDREDS. 249
surgeon, all respect for the dead will be done
away with. The poor generally object strongly to
dissection, and in many instances they are in the
habit of either sitting up themselves, or paying
others to watch their dead. This may be called a
prejudice; but, if it is a prejudice, itis founded
upon a good feeling, namely, a respect for the
dead ; and since the rich are not exposed to the
resurrectionist, I cannot see why we should make
a law which applies to the poor and not to the
rich." On March 1st, 1 832, Lord George Lennox, M.P.
for Sussex, begged leave to move to bring in a
Billl to extend the provisions of an Act of 7 and 8
George IV., relative to remedies against the
Hundred, when Lord William Lennox said, " I
have great pleasure in supporting this motion, as
I think the same protection ought to be extended
to the farmer as to the manufacturer. Can there
be a greater anomaly than that which exists at
the present moment ! If a threshing machine
belonging to a farmer is broken by rioters, no
relief is afforded him ; on the other hand, if his
house or furniture is destroyed, he is com
pensated. I think, too, that by throwing the

250 PROTECTION OP CHILDREN.
expense upon the Hundred, many may be
debarred from the disgraceful outrage of destroy
ing threshing machines, which too often occurs
from personal pique towards the farmer. Under
these circumstances, I shall support the Bill."
Upon March 16th, 1832, Mr. Sadler rose to
move the second, reading of the Bill for regulating
the labour of children and young persons, not
being free agents, employed in the mills and
factories of the country, of whatever description,
when Lord William Lennox said, " I have great
pleasure in supporting the measure of the
Honourable Member for Aldborough, for I feel it
to be the bounden duty of every well-wisher to
society to exert his utmost influence to put an
end to the present injurious practices ; not only
with a view of promoting the great cause of
humanity, but of removing from this country the
stigma that must be necessarily attached to it, by
an encouragement of so nefarious a system ; a
system which, as now carried on, is a disgrace to
a civilized community."
An Honourable Member, " No ! no ! no !"
Lord William Lennox. " The Honourable
Member may say no, but I can prove my words.

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. 251
The system, instead of laying the basis for
health, cheerfulness, industry, longevity, indepen
dence of parochial aid, is calculated to bring human
beings either to an untimely grave, or doom them
to a protracted life of disease both of body and
mind, bringing pauperism and misery upon them
selves, and making them a burden to society.
In order to bring to maturity the faculties of the
body and mind, sufficient time must be allowed for
meals, inhaling pure air, rest, and recreation.
And how can that be done when, in some
manufactories, children work seventy-nine hours
per week, have scarcely an hour for meals, and
perhaps only six or seven hours for rest. I want
no evidence to tell me that the present system is as
pernicious to the children's health as it is destruc
tive to their morals. In addition to the instances,
brought forward by the Honourable Member for
Aldborough, of the absurd evidence given in the
Committee in 1816, I will merely state two
cases. One medical gentleman was asked whether
a child could keep standing twenty-three hours
out of twenty-four. He replied " that was a
question of great doubt." Another medical gentle
man said that the inhaling of cotton fumes was

252 PROTECTION OF CHILDREN.
not injurious, because the effect was removed by
constant expectoration. When asked whether
constant expectoration was not pernicious,
'Oh,' answered the practitioner, 'that depends
upon a variety of facts.'
" I cannot think the master manufacturers
devoid of all feeling, or that a chain of self-
interest can predominate over a feeling of
humanity ; I therefore trust that they will hail
the Bill with pleasure — a Bill that goes to
extirpate English slavery — I call it by no other
name ; for can the annals of West India slavery
produce a case of more touching interest, more
pathethically described, than the one of the little
girl who, fearful of the punishment of her cruel
master if she was late, was afraid to trust her
eyelids to repose. Deprived of her natural sleep,
badly fed, badly clad, she dragged on a miserable
existence, and was brought to an untimely grave,
a victim of cruel slavery. I hope, whilst we all
wish to ameliorate the state of the foreign slave,
we shall not be wholly unmindful of the condition
of our own."
During the debate, Mr. Kearsley, Member for
Wigan, was unusually severe upon Lord William

PETITION FROM PRISONERS. 253
Lennox, whom he had interrupted during his
speech, declaring that the " Noble Lord the
Member for King's Lynn knew nothing what
ever about cotton-mills, nor indeed about any
thing else."
Lord William then said : " I complain of the
Honourable Member for Wigan's interruption. It
would be far more parliamentary to expose
mistakes in one of his speeches, so full of elo
quence, and infinitely preferable to the unknown
tongue of groans he so often indulges in."
On March 29th 1832, Mr. Hunt presented a
petition from Nathan Broadhurst, Edward
Curran, William Ashmore, and Robert Gilchrist,
late of Manchester, but now prisoners in the
Castle of Lancaster, complaining of their im
prisonment for having attended a Public Meeting
at Manchester, when, on the question that
" the petition be now brought up," Lord William
Lennox said — " If all the statements made in
that petition are founded upon the same accu
racy as one to which I am about to allude, the
petition does not deserve the attention of the
House. I refer to that part where the peti
tioners state that, in the event of their death,

254 SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE POST-OFFICE.
their bodies will be given up for dissection. I
oppose the Anatomy Bill as much as the Hon
ourable Member for Preston does ; but I must
point out that, bad as it is, there is a clause
which enables an individual, by expressing his
wishes, to save himself from the hands of the
the dissector by stating such objections during
his life"
In April 1832, Lord William Lennox was a
Member of the Select Committee on Post Office
Communications with Ireland, and in reply to
some remarks made when Mr. Ewart presented
a petition from the merchants, bankers, and
others of Liverpool against any alteration in
the establishment of the Government Packets
between Liverpool and Dublin, he said " I beg to
assure the House that the object of the Com
mittee now sitting is to facilitate the com
munication with Ireland, and it would be an
extraordinary way of accomplishing that by
taking away the Liverpool Packets. On the
contrary, one entire day has been occupied by
the Committee, trying, if possible, to accelerate
the Liverpool mail, to get it down before the
sailing of the packet."

TRAFFIC IN NEWSPAPERS. 255
On the 11th of April 1832, Mr. Hunt pre
sented a petition from J. Gemmel, praying that
the trafiic in newspapers by certain clerks of
the Post Office, called " Clerks of the Road,"
be discontinued. The question was then put
that the Petition do lie on the Table, when,
Lord William Lennox said, " I feel the incon
venience of introducing any discussion upon the
presentation of petitions ; it is a system I highly
deprecate in a general point of view. There
are, however, instances in which I think the
House will agree with me that some remarks
are necessary; these are when the petitioners
bring forward their grievances upon false
grounds ; or when the petition contains any
unfounded attack upon the character of an
individual. On these grounds I will trespass
on the House for a few moments, not only
with a view of putting the House right as to
the privilege enjoyed by the Clerks of the Road
but also to defend my noble brother, the
Postmaster- General, from the unfounded attack
contained in the petition. I do not accuse the
Honourable Member for Preston of participating
in the attack ; I only blame him for not having

256 TRAFFIC IN NEWSPAPERS..
thoroughly investigated the question before he
brought it forward. Now as to the "illegal
traffic." The privilege of forwarding newspapers
has been enjoyed by the Clerks of the Road
from time immemorial. In the 4th George III.
Cap. 24, Sec. 6, the privilege is granted in the
following words : —
" ' Forasmuch as it has been usual for the
clerks in the office of His Majesty's Principal
Secretaries of State, and also for certain officers
in the office of His Majesty's Postmaster-General,
to frank printed notes and proceedings in Parlia
ment, and printed newspapers, to be sent by
the post, be it therefore enacted, by the
authority aforesaid, that it shall and may be
lawful for such clerks and officers as aforesaid,
being thereunto licensed by His Majesty's Princi
pal Secretary of State, or His Majesty's Post
master-General respectively, to continue to frank
such printed notes, and proceedings in Parlia
ment, and printed newspapers, as they have
heretofore been accustomed to frank the same.'
" At that period there was a free trade in news
papers, for none, except the above-mentioned
and Members of Parliament could frank news-

TRANSMISSION OF NEWSPAPERS. 257
papers. In the 9th, George III., the clerks in
the Secretary-of-State's office were deprived of
this privilege, and a sum of £1500 granted to
them as a compensation, which was afterwards
raised to £2,500. The privilege of the clerks in
the Post-office (of which there are now about
eighteen interested), was left undisturbed; so
much for the illegality. I will now very briefly
point out the advantage gained to the revenue,
and to the public convenience. The salaries of
the clerks who enjoy the privilege are very trivial,
their advantages being taken into consideration ;
it is therefore a saving of some thousands to
the revenue. With regard to the public con
venience the advantages are great. The pub
lishers of the evening papers are enabled to
send their late editions through the clerks of the
Post-office after the box of the public has been
closed. It is necessary to close the box for the
newspapers at six o'clock ; and even a few weeks
ago the letters were delayed twenty minutes
owing to the mass of newspapers. The public
can put newspapers in until half-past seven, by
the payment of one halfpenny on each. The
clerks have the privilege until near eight o'clock,
vol. J. s

258 ANATOMY BILL.
when they are put in, ready sorted, and free of
charge. " It has been stated that the clerks of the road
alter newspaper directions to advance their own
sale ; such could not be the case, even if they
were disposed to act so dishonestly, for the
newspapers are sorted in quite a different office.
I am not aware that many mistakes happen with
regard to newspapers, as far as the Post-office
is concerned, but I will point out the reason
why many miscarry. In one week last month
nearly two hundred newspapers were put into
the General Post-office with wrong addresses —
while many were put in wet with the covers
torn off. The practise in the Post-office is to
return all misdirected newspapers to the pub
lishers, and to send all papers, fitting them to
the covers that are found in the newspaper-box.
By such means mistakes happen. These mis
takes, caused by the carelessness of the news-
vendors, are vented upon the Post-office."
In the Committee upon the Anatomy Bill,
April 11th, 1832, Lord William Lennox said: —
" I certainly feel a great objection to allowing
students to have parts of bodies at their private

ANATOMY BILL. 259
dwellings. We all recollect that a man was
lately found brutal enough, at Brighton, to cut
his wife in pieces, and if he had had it in his
power to have sold her, without suspicion —
piecemeal — to the surgeons, the murder would
never have been detected. If this practice of
students is to be encouraged, I am certain we
shall have more burking than ever."
Again, when Mr. P. H. Howard (Member for
Carlisle), observed that a Prince of the Blood, the
Duke of Sussex, had contributed his own body,
after death, to the anatomist, with a view of pro
moting science, and that he, Mr. Howard, would
willingly consign his body, after death, for the
same object, Lord William Lennox remarked.
" The Honourable Member for Carlisle men
tions an example of public spirit in a noble
duke. A voluntary gift is very different from a
law compelling the bodies of the poor to be given
up. Honourable Members say the poor alone
are burked, and it is my opinion that this Bill
will rather encourage than put a stop to that
practice." May 11th, 1832. " There is no individual more
anxious than myself to see the Reform Bill pass
s 2

260 REFORM BILL.
into a law ; but I must deprecate the remark of
the Honourable Member for Linlithgow, who
stated that he would not pay any taxes until the
Bill passed. I call upon the people not to resist
the payment of taxes, or ' to act illegally. The
moral strength of the country is for reform, and
reform must be granted. What signifies to the
country the consistency or inconsistency of the
Tories, so that the measure is passed. I care
not who are in office, so that the Bill passes
unmutilated — and pass it must — for what Govern
ment can exist unpledged to the measure ? It
is Tory delusion to suppose they can.
May 11th, 1832, Lord William Lennox, said ; " I
am perfectly aware it is not in my power to
prevent the third reading of the Bill ; I, however,
wish to record, by my vote and a few observa
tions, my decided hostility to the measure. I
think the Bill has been carried through the House
in a most disgraceful manner ; on no occasion
have more than eighty members been present;
and a measure so deeply afl'ecting the feelings of
the lower orders has been carried by a majority
many of whom have voted without hearing a
word of the discussion ; this is the lamentable

ANATOMY BILE. 261
way in which business is sometimes carried on in
the House. I will not at any length recapitulate
my objections to the Bill. I trust to the higher
House to sympathise with the people, and reject
a measure so repugnant to their feelings. I think
the Bill will place the poor still more in the
power of those who carry on the crime of
' burking'. — that it will destroy the respect which
the lower classes entertain towards their dead — ¦
that it is a Bill revolting to the best feelings of
our nature, a disgrace to a civilized country, and
an additional proof that the feelings of the lower
orders are never consulted when they come in
contact with the interests of the higher. I trust
my fears as to the effect of the Bill will prove un
founded, and that a boon, not a curse, will result
from its operations."
The Bill was read a third time, Ayes 42, Noes 4.
Upon the same evening when the question, that the
Bill do pass, was put, an opposition was got
up, when Lord William Lennox said, "As the
Bill has now been read a third time by a great
majority, I do not think we ought to offer any
factious opposition to its passing. If we were
to remain here, and oppose it till four o'clock in

2G2 PETITION IN FAVOUR OF REFORM.
the morning, we might, perhaps, run a good
chance of becoming objects of the provisions of
the Bill ; but we should not, I think, succeed in
preventing its becoming law ? As this may be
the last discussion we shall have this Session, we
may as well part good friends, and let the Bill
pass quietly; indeed it will only be a proper
compliment to the Honourable Member for Brid-
port (Mr. Warburton), who has certainly been
very patient under the opposition offered to him.
Let us trust to the House of Lords throwing the
Bill out."
May 18th, 1832. Lord William Lennox, "At
this momentous crisis when the country looks
alone with confidence upon the House of
Commons to support their rights and liberties,
I feel it to be the imperative duty of every
individual fearlessly and firmly to avow his
sentiments. I would not have obtruded upon
the House, had I not been disappointed this
evening in presenting a petition, most numerously
and respectably signed, from the inhabitants of
King's Lynn, who in expressing their satisfaction
at the recall of His Majesty's Ministers, call upon
the House to support those patriotic men in

DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 263
carrying the measure of reform. In the prayer
of the petition I entirely concur, and until I have
an opportunity of presenting it, I will merely
confine myself to saying that to the Bill, un-
mutilated, I have given, and will still continue to
give, my most uncompromising support."
On May 23rd, 1832, Lord William Lennox said,
" Though I differ from the Duke of Wellington's
politics — though I rejoice he did not come into
office to pass the measure he has so often pro
tested against — I cannot sit silent and hear a
palliation for the conduct of an individual who
could rejoice in the supposed murder of that noble
Duke ; and I feel assured that Scotland will
not feel indebted to the Honourable Member for
Inverkeithing (Mr. James Johnston) for palliat
ing such a monstrous proposition."
Mr. James Johnston begged to explain that he
meant no disrespect to the Duke of Wellington,
which was rather inconsistent with his previous
speech, in which he said that, " though the people
of Scotland may have full respect for the Duke's
military achievements, they might at the same time
be glad that his political course, which in Scotland
is deemed so mischievous — was at an end."

264 EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
May 30th 1832, Lord William Lennox. " I
rise to present a petition from the inhabitants
of King's Lynn, in favour of the plan of His
Majesty's Ministers for Education in Ireland,
signed at a numerous and most respectable
meeting. I beg to say that I fully concur in
the prayer of the petition. Deeply interested
in the welfare and prosperity of Ireland, and
anxious as anyone can be to promote, as far
as lies in my power, a scriptural education, I
feel greatly indebted to His Majesty's Govern
ment for the proposed plan, which under the
existing circumstances of the country is, I
think, the best that could be adopted. I sin
cerely trust the effect of it will be the bringing
together, and uniting in charity and brotherly
love, the inhabitants of that country. I am aware
that there is a counter petition entrusted to the
Honourable Member for Hindon, the respectabi
lity of the petitioners of which I can vouch for."
Mr. Weyland having presented a counter-peti
tion, and having entered at considerable length
into the general subject of education in Ireland,
Lord William Lennox made the following appeal :
" I would beg to put it to the House whether it is

PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT BILL. 265
fair or orderly that, when I present a petition
in favour of the system of education in Ireland
introduced by Ministers, the Honourable Gentle
man should take the opportunity of presenting
a petition against that plan, and of making a
long statement upon the subject. I know that
the feeling of the House for the general accom
modation is that every Member, when he pre
sents a petition, should state as briefly as pos
sible his sentiments upon the subjects to which
that petition refers. Now I put it to the House
whether I did not comply with that under
standing, and whether the Honourable Gentleman
has done right in entering into a long dis
cussion on the petition which he referred to.
I will not detain the House any longer than
by repeating that I concur in the prayer of the
petition, and that it is most numerously and
respectably signed."
June 27th, 1832, Lord W. Lennox said, " I feel
great satisfaction in supporting the measure
(Privileges of Parliament Bill) of the Hon. Mem
ber for Thetford. After so much has been said
and done during the last six or seven months
for the purifying of this House, I think that a

266 vagrants' removal bill.
privilege like the present, which enables a
Member of Parliament to set his creditors at
defiance, and perhaps to involve some poor family
who live on the profits of their industry in ruin,
ought to be put an end to. And if the privilege
is not abused, still it ought not to exist, as there
must of necessity be a stigma attached to it."
July 13th, 1832, Lord William Lennox also
took part in the discussion upon the Vagrants
(Scotland and Ireland) Removal Bill, pointing
out that, should the Bill which had been intro
duced into the House be passed into a law, the
poor-rates, which were already an almost over
powering burden, would be greatly increased.
And during this Session (April 13th) his Lord
ship supported the Government when the House
went into a Committee of Supply upon Miscel
laneous Estimates. The question that a sum not
exceeding £2,100 should be granted for the
support of the National Vaccine Establishments
was opposed by Mr. Warburton (Bridport),
when Lord William Lennox pointed out the value
of the Institution and the absolute necessity of
supporting it.
July 30th, 1832, Lord W. Lennox said, " I beg

THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL. 267
leave to move for a ' Copy of a letter from Mr.
Spring Rice, by order of the Lords Commissioners
ofthe Treasury, ofthe 20th April, 1831 ; as also
one from the same individual of the 19th of June,
1832, addressed to the Postmaster-General of the
22nd of June, 1832.' I move for this document, in
consequence of some remarks which were made
upon former evenings, in reference to the fact
of my brother, the noble Duke at the head of
the Post-office, having taken the salary of Post
master-General, which for some months after
his appointment to office he refused to do. I
am anxious to put the House in possession of the
facts connected with this matter ; but in doing
so, I beg distinctly to state that I do not
mean to impute the slightest blame to those
Honourable Members who alluded to my noble
relative, for I feel that the conduct of public
men ought always to be fully and fairly discussed,
and I shall be happy to have the opportunity
of showing the House how the case stands."
Mr Spring Rice, after paying a just tri
bute to the Duke of Richmond, said that the
Salaries Committee had unanimously agreed that
it was not fair or desirable that persons holding

268 THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL.
high official situations should perform those
duties, and decline receiving the salary attached
to the offices; and it was only upon repeated
applications from the Treasury, that the arrange
ment was finally made with the noble Duke, and
the noble Lord, the Lord Privy Seal. Mr.
Spring Rice concluded by saying he was glad
that the noble Lord had called for these papers,
because they would serve to remove any mis
apprehension in the matter.
Mr. Robinson explained that he did not in
tend to convey any censure upon the Postmaster-
General, when Lord William, in reply, remarked,
" The fact is that there was a sneer thrown out
upon a former occasion upon my noble relative
in an allusion to the poor peasantry of Good
wood. I am happy, however, to hear that no
imputation was meant to be thrown upon the
Duke of Richmond."

CHAPTER XI.

BEGGING LETTER IMPOSTORS — FLEECED BY A SOI-DISANT ELEC
TOR — ANOTHER VICTIM OF A CERTAIN " INDUSTRIOUS CLASS"
— JACK TURNER'S YARN — " DODGE " OP A GALLANT CAPTAIN
—A SHARP CAPTURE — HUMOURS OF AN ELECTION — A POLI
TICAL MONGREL — THE MEMBER FOR KING'S LYNN CAPTURED
AS A RICK-BURNER— NARROW ESCAPE.

271

CHAPTER XI.
TTiURING the time I was Member for Lynn,
I was famously taken in upon one occa
sion. As the same system of sharping may be
carried on at the present day, I give the anec
dotes with a view of warning the unwary. One
afternoon in July, when I was dressing for
dinner, my servant informed me that one of
my constitutents was anxious to see me. The
man was announced, he was short, thick-set,
dressed in a suit of sables, a white hat with a
large black crape band round it. His character
will soon develop itself ; suffice it to say, I found
him at the end to be " spry as a fox, supple as
an eel, and cute as a weasel."
" Beg pardon, my Lord, for intruding," said
the new comer.

272 FLEECED BY A SOI-DISANT ELECTOR.
" No intrusion, I assure you," was my reply.
" I am always happy to see any of my Lynn
friends." " Bless me, my Lord, you're looking better
than you did last election. Father, brother, and
I plumped for you. They live in the High
Street, mayhap you don't recollect me, I carried
a banner, ' Lennox, the friend of the people.' '
" I certainly do not remember your face," I
responded. " I've just returned from Kent, where my
wife's family live, to bury my poor child, who
was brought up by his grandfather, died last
Tuesday, only six years of age."
" Poor fellow !" I said.
" Well, my Lord, to the point, I've a favour
to ask, would you kindly give me a frank to
father ?"
" Certainly," I replied, delighted at the
thought of getting off so cheap, " as many as
you please."
Mr. Keed, for that was the name he gave me,
now took out of his side-pocket a letter, with
the following address, Mr. Keed, High Street,
King's Lynn, Norfolk. While writing the frank,

FLEECED BY A SOI-DISANT ELECTOR. 273
my soi-disant constituent administered a pretty
strong dose of soft-sawder.
" Oh, my Lord, your letter on Reform has
been printed in gold letters, framed and glazed,
all over the town." Of course I acknowledged
this flattering compliment with a gracious smile.
" Colonel Walpole will never show again, your
Lordship is absolutely adored at King's Lynn."
As the time was getting on, I began to get a
little impatient, and said, " Well, Keed, remem
ber me to your father, brother, and all friends,
and whenever you require any franks, send to
me at all times."
" One other favour, my Lord." I gave a
slight hem. " Would you allow the answer from
my father to come under cover to you ? I've
written to him to forward me ten pounds, which
he owes me for a bill I paid for him in London."
" Oh, certainly," I responded. " Where shall
I send his letter to you ?"
" I'll call, my Lord, on Thursday morning.
Good day, my Lord."
" Good day, Keed ; tell all the pinks and
whites I hope shortly to be among them."
" I will, my Lord, they'll be truly glad to see
vol. I. T

274 FLEECED EY A SOI-DISANT ELECTOR.
you. And now I think of it, my Lord, you
could do me a little favour." A place in the
customs, excise, or post-office flitted across my
mind. " Could you advance me three pounds out
of the ten ? I'm staying at the ' Blue Boar,'
Holborn, and it's rather expensive." At that
moment my servant entered the room, and in
formed me that a friend had called for me to
take me to dinner.
" Well, Keed, here's the money," said I,
rather impatiently ; " but remember, I act only
as your banker until Thursday — no bribery is
my motto, my constituents, like Czesar's wife,
must not be suspected."
" I'd scorn the action, my Lord," replied
Keed, indignantly, at the same time pocketing
the money and the affront. " You may always
depend upon father, brother, and myself, we
always votes conscientiously ;" my friend then
bowed and retired. Thursday arrived, no letter
from the father, no visit from the son.
Mentioning the circumstance to my colleague,
George Bentinck, he exclaimed, "Why, you've
not been done by that swindler ? He called at
Harcourt House, but I happened to be out, and

275
my servant, suspecting something wrong, asked
him to leave his name. This he declined to do,
and of course now I shall hear no more of him."
1 certainly felt a little crest-fallen at finding
I had been victimised by one whom I had inno
cently considered to be a free and independent
constituent. A few evenings afterwards, when dining in the
coffee-room of the House of Commons, I was
joined by a noble lord, who in course of conver
sation told me how ingloriously he had been
taken in by one of the industrious classes of the
metropolis. As this distinguished lord still exists,
I feel that although I do not mind publishing anec
dotes of my own " green salad" days, as Cleopatra
calls them, I should not be justified in chronicling
his name, and shall therefore make use of those
useful blanks which come to the aid of an author
when debarred by delicate motives from pub
lishing a name. The story runs as follows : —
About one o'clock on a fine bright May
morning, an obtrusive knock was heard at the
door of Lord  , in  Sqnare. The
knock was repeated, and in a few minutes a
drowsy, powder-headed, pampered footman, who,
t 2

276 jack turner's yarn.
like his prototype Sir Harry in " High Life below
Stairs," had had a late revel on the previous
night, left his easy chair, in which he had been
poring over the columns of the " Morning Post,"
to open the door to the intruder.
" Well, young man," said he, " what is your
business ?" addressing himself to a man dressed
in a sailor's garb, and carrying a huge gilt cage
with a parrot.
" My name's John Turner, his Lordship knows
me, I was once mate of the cutter yacht
' Coral,' I've brought a letter and this bird for
his Lordship, which I am to deliver in
person." "His Lordship is engaged," said the lackey.
Mr. Turner knew his man. "I've a box of
cigars here, that I brought home from Cuba,
perhaps you'll accept a few."
" Well, as I occasionally indulge, they will be
useful. How much do you ask for the box ?"
" I can't part with all— you are welcome
to a few."
The footman retired, and in a few minutes
returned, saying his Lordship would see Mr.
Turner in his morning-room. Upon entering it

jack turner's yarn. 277
the sailor began to spin the following yarn :
" I beg your pardon, my Lord, for intruding,
I fear your Lordship has forgot one Jack Turner,
who was on board the ' Coral ' yacht when you
took a cruise to Cherbourg. At the death of the
owner — ah ! he was a gentleman, so kind to all —
I met with an accident which laid me on a sick
bed for many weeks ; upon recovering I shipped
on board Admiral Sartorius' ship, was wounded,
and again was laid up on my beam ends. With
out a shilling in my pocket, I called upon your
Lordship ; I hadn't spliced the main brace for
two blessed days. There was • a merchantman
going to the West Indies, in which I offered to
work my passage out. During my illness she
had gone round to Southampton, I hadn't the
means of getting there. Your Lordship felt for a
sailor in distress, you advanced me a pound, and
it has been the means of making my fortune. I
reached Southampton ; the Blue Peter was flying
on board the ' Arab Chief.' ' Nothing happened
on our voyage out, the old barky took us safe to
the West Indies. It was on a dark, stormy
night, with a strong nor-wester blowing at the
rate of ten knots an hour, a regular sneezer and

278 jack turner's yarn.
snorter, when we were on our way to the mouth
of the Amazon. We had left Port Royal, on the
south side of Jamaica, the day afore, and were
passing between the islands of Montserrat and
Guadaloupe. Well, we were beating across the
channel under a heavy press, with the hope of
clearing the shoals afore morning. All hands were
on deck, clearing off, and taking in our light
canvas, for the gale kept increasing, and our
main mast creaked heavily, when the watch ahead
sang out, ' Helm a lee, sail ahead.' Before the
words were scarcely out, we were upon the
vessel; we struck her about midships, carrying
away our bowsprit. At this moment a heavy sea
struck our ship and washed the captain over
board. I lowered the life-buoy, and in the
twinkling of a handspike manned the long-boat.
I steered to where I had heard his cries ; we found
him clinging to part of the wreck, nearly ex
hausted; we soon brought him to. The jolly
boat fared worse ; she had tried to save part of
the schooner's crew and was swamped — the
boatswain and eight fine fellows were lost in her.
I was promoted, and a pension was allowed me
by the captain for life; and here I have come to

jack turner's yarn. 279
thank your Lordship, and pay back the sum you
were kind enough to lend me."
His Lordship was touched by this narrative,
and after assuring the tar that he was delighted
at having been the means of doing him so much
service, declined the proffered sum. Lord 
was now racking his brain for an excuse to offer
the honest seaman some token in admiration of
his honesty, when the the " son of the ocean "
soon furnished him with an opportunity. " And,
my Lord, I've one favour to ask, which is that
your Lordship will kindly accept this bird. I
brought it all the way from Jamaica ; it belonged
to an old lady that died there — talks like a
human being, ' Come, Poll ! Pretty Poll, talk to
his Lordship.' " The parrot attended to his
master's bidding, in language certainly not well
adapted for ears polite. " Now, if your Lordship
would please to accept the bird, I shall feel
greatly obliged."
" I could not think of robbing you of so beau
tiful a bird," replied Lord  .
" No robbery, I assure you," responded the
soi-disant sailor.
" Well, Turner, you are an honest fellow, and

280 " TAKEN IN " BY JACK TURNER.
if you will accept the enclosed trifle (his Lordship
had put a five-pound note in an envelope) you
will confer a great obligation upon me."
" You hurt my feelings, my Lord, but since
you are so kind, why, I can't refuse, and here's
good luck to you," said the " artful dodger," as
he deposited the five-pound note in a leather
pouch. " I've a comrade waiting for me round
the corner; I'll just change the bird's cage, get
some seed, and leave instructions with your
Lordship's servant how to feed him."
" Thank you, my fine fellow."
Mr. Turner then retired, and, I need scarcely
add, never returned. In less than an hour he
had doffed his sailor's garb for a suit of sables,
had assumed the form of a distressed artizan
who " had seen better days," with a wife and
six children, had gained admission to the pre
sence of a most devout elderly lady, and moved
her compassion ; and what he thought more to
the purpose, he had induced her to open her
purse by the very affecting recital of his wife's
uncomplaining mildness and patience under
severe trials, of his children's helplessness, and
his own abject poverty. In less than a month,

A GALLANT CAPTAIN'S " DODGE." 281
Lord  had the satisfaction of hearing that
through the spirited exertions of the Mendi
city Society, Mr. Turner's career had been
interrupted, and that he himself was undergoing
hard labour in Brixton Prison.
But " dodges " of this sort were not confined
to begging-letter impostors, for I heard of one
practised by a sheriff's officer, and a more clever
artifice I never recollect, save and except that
one, in which a gallant captain, who was hotly
pursued by the myrmidons of the law, took
refuge in Vauxhall Gardens, and under the
pretence of being the " Times " correspond
ent, mounted the air in Green's balloon,
while his pursuers watched his exit at every
gate. But to my story : A brother of an
M.P., finding sundry writs out against him,
sought protection in his brother's country house,
and for a long time remained in safety ; of course
no one was admitted into the house, except
persons known to the servants, others under
going a severe scrutiny. One morning a man
upon crutches, dressed as a sailor, and ap
parently without legs, rang the bell, and was
immediately told to " move on," by the Cerberus

282 A CLEVER CAPTURE.
keeping watch at the door. " I wish to say
one word to his honour, I'm on my beam-ends,
having lost both my legs in boarding a pirate's
vessel on the coast of Africa."
" You must apply to the parish," said the
porter, slamming the door in " poor Jack's face."
Again the bell was rung, and again the same
answer. This went on for a considerable time,
until the senator's attention was called to the im
portunate beggar.
" Just step out," said he to his brother, " I'm
very busy, and threaten to send for the con
stable." Off started the impecunious refugee,
and in a violent passion ordered the man to leave
the premises.
" Please, Sir, be good enough to open the gate,
for I'm but a poor cripple," said the sailor, " and
if I let go one of my crutches I shall be done
for." " All right," said the other, rushing forward to
open the gate, when in the twinkling of an eye
the wooden pegs and crutches were discarded, and
the sheriff's officer darted towards the unfortunate
debtor, tapped him on the shoulder, presented
the writ, and made him a prisoner.

A POLITICAL MONGREL. 283
Volumes might be written upon the quaint
sayings that the multitude indulge in during the
excitement of a contested election. Upon one
occasion when my brother Arthur, who repre
sented Chichester for many years, was addressing
the populace from the hustings, he made use of
the expression " mongrel politician," in reference
to some half-bred agitator who had advocated
anarchy and confusion. Upon uttering the above
words, a man in the crowd, shabbily dressed, but
who evidently knew that the Lennox family owed
their origin to King Charles the Second, Mademoi
selle de Querouaille, afterwards created Duchess
of Portsmouth, being the mother of the first
Duke of Richmond, and who knew how to make
use of his knowledge of genealogy, started up
and said, " Political mongrel — now, my Lord, I'll
tell you what I call a political mongrel — it is a
puppy who can trace his breeding from a Charles
the Second spaniel and a Portsmouth  "
applying a name more generally in use when
speaking of a female of the canine tribe, than of
one of the human race ; but which in the above
instance was cruelly pointed.
At Lynn once, when a radical spouter was

284 a morning's shooting.
talking loudly of liberty, he concluded his speech
by exclaiming, " Liberty is a plant," he was
about to add "of English growth," but was un
fortunately interrupted by a man in the crowd,
crying out, " And so is a cabbage ;" at the same
time suiting the action to the word, and throwing
a huge specimen of this vegetable at the head of
the patriotic orator.
One day, when about to return to London from
Lynn, where I had been to attend a public dinner,
I was pressed by a friend to accompany him and his
party to a property he possessed near Thetford,
for a morning's shooting. To this, I cheerfully
assented, and sent my servant and luggage on to
London, intending to travel up by myself by the
night mail, which passed through Thetford about
nine o'clock. It was a fine frosty day ; and after
enjoying the sport for about six hours, I pro
ceeded on foot to an excellent hotel called the
" Bell," kept by a most worthy landlord, and
asked to be shown into a private room, having
some letters to write. I had previously indulged
in a regular hot lunch after shooting, and, when
asked by the obsequious waiter what I should
like for dinner, replied that I had dined, but

285
that I should like a glass of brandy and water.
This very mild order, added to my costume,
which consisted of a velveteen jacket, torn in
one or two places in scrambling through the
briers — for, in the days I write of, sportsmen
walked up, and had not their game driven to
them — a pair of corduroy trowsers, somewhat
soiled with dust, gunpowder, and the blood of
hares and pheasants, and a hat slightly covered
with rime from the trees, and riddled a little with
shot from a "random gunner," gave the waiter
no very exalted idea of " the gent in the
Sun," as he was pleased to designate me. Indeed,
I could not fail to notice that he quietly carried
away with him sundry silver spoons from the
sideboard, after casting a most suspicious look
at me.
Having finished my letters, I walked forth to
post them (for in those days, Members of Par
liament had the privilege of franking), not
wishing to be known as M.P. for Lynn, more
especially as I was about to travel in a public
conveyance, instead of a chariot and pair, which
I was then wont to use when visiting my friends
in Norfolk.

286 RI0KBURN1NG.
I must here mention that the only article I
carried with me, and which I had stowed away
in what was then called a game-pocket, in my
shooting-jacket, was a small portable writing-
case, containing writing-paper, pens, taper,
sealing-wax, and lucifer matches, envelopes
not being at that period in as much use as they
now are. I had used one or two matches when
lighting my taper to seal my letters. These I
happened, by chance, to leave on the table, and
as I passed through the hall, I observed a printed
bill offering a reward of one hundred pounds to
anyone who would bring to justice two men
suspected of firing some stacks in the neighbour
hood of the borough I represented — rickburning
then being one of the great evils of the day.
Of course, this notice attracted my attention,
and I remained a few minutes pondering over
it. No sooner had I left the hotel, as I afterwards
discovered, than the waiter, who possessed all
the Paul Pry propensities of his brethren, began
to " take stock " of all that I had left in the
" Sun." Imprimis ; there was an umbrella ; a
drab great-coat, in the pocket of which I had

A "SUSPICIOUS character." 287
deposited the writing-case, and which without
any great stretch of imagination might be sup
posed to carry a pistol, a small instrument in the
shape of a chisel used to take my gun to pieces,
and the remnants of two matches. In the eyes
of the waiter, although the first-mentioned
articles were considered harmless, the latter
were " confirmations strong as Holy Writ "
that my object was arson — and probably house
breaking — an idea thoroughly confirmed by the
ostler, who declared he had seen two very
suspicious parties — and he believed I was one —
loitering about the yard, no great distance from
the hay-ricks.
" I cannot help thinking," said the ostler, a
member of that fraternity who, it is maliciously
said, derive their names from " oat-stealer,"
" that one of the parties, the gent in our house,
is a poacher as well as a rickburner, for 1 see'd
some fluff and feathers about his shooting-jacket ;
them matches is conclusive that he's a incendiary,
and that 'ere chisel is what they call a jemmy and
is used for housebreaking."
" Jim," responded the other, " there can't be
no doubt of it. His ' pal ' is probably at some

288 watched.
low public ; and a much more fitting place than
the ' Bell ' for such like people."
" In course," replied Jim, giving his head a
regular Lord Burleigh shake.
" Will you believe it, Jim ? all he called for
was a glass of brandy-and-water, and that in a
private room. Why, in course, he was afraid of
showing his face. Now, suppose you step down
and tell tbe constable that there are. two sus
picious parties loitering about ; and ask him to
keep a sharp look-out after the one who is in our
house, while I will remain until master returns
home from East Hurling. It's a sad pity he's
away. In the meantime, keep it dark, or we
may put the scoundrels on their guard."
As it was a bright moonlight night, I strolled
about the small market-town for more than an
hour ; and, while so doing, I could not help
fancying that I was being watched, for, when
ever I looked round, I saw a man close behind
me. Ascertaining from a paper that the
London mail was shortly to be expected, and
wishing to procure some straw to keep my feet
warm, I walked down the yard of the inn to
speak to the ostler on the subject, and entered

mine host's apology. 289
the stable door which was open. In a second it
was closed upon me, and I heard a voice exclaim :
"This way, master! We've caught one of 'em
in the act."
" Where's the constable ?" inquired another.
" Here," replied the constable, " I've dodged
the fellow for the last half hour ; but take care,
he'll probably resist us."
" That he will," responded the waiter. " He's
probably armed with a pistol, he left the case
in the ' Sun.' "
" Bring me a lantern," said one, who I after
wards found was my host of the 'Bell;' " there
may be some mistake."
The lantern was brought, the door unlocked,
and the landlord, followed by the constaole,
waiter, and ostler, entered.
" Lord William Lennox," said the master of
the hotel, as the light was thrown upon me.
" Yes," I replied. " One of the members for
King's Lynn, now made prisoner by the free and
independent men of Thetford."
" Pray walk in !" said the civil host. " I have
to offer your Lordship every apology 'for the
act of my servants; but in these times—"
vol. i u

290 all's well that ends well.
" Say no more," I responded. "The mistake
was a very natural one ; and it is better to be
over-careful than negligent. Perhaps, Jim," I
added, addressing the crest-fallen hero, and
slipping half-a-crown into his hand, "you will
put a little straw upon the foot-board ; it was
that which took me into the stable ; and,
constable, perhaps you would like to drink my
health after your half hour's walk, and, waiter, let
me have another glass of brandy and water, and
don't forget a silver spoon," I continued, to the
member of the fraternity of the ' coming, Sir's.'
" This will pay you for your trouble, and for both
glasses." Having settled all claims upon me, I followed
mine host into his snug bar, where I sat until the
guard's horn informed me that the mail was
driving up to the door. I then took leave of the
landlord and proceeded on my way to London,
happy to find that, after " so much ado about
nothing," the performance wound up with " all's
well that ends well."

CHAPTER XII.

THE LAW OF PRIMOGENITURE— GAVELKIND— GAMBLING— " KEEP
OPF THE TURF" — CLUBS — BROOKS' — WHITE'S — PATRONS AND
VICTIMS OF THE GAMING-TABLE— LINES ON FOX— FIFTH
EARL OP CARLISLE— HIS LETTER TO GEORGE SELWYN —
LETTERS FROM JOHN HARE— " THE HARE WITH MANY
FRIENDS "—WILLIAM PITT— FEMALE GAMESTERS— LADY ELI
ZABETH LUTTRELL.

u 2

293

CHAPTER XII.
TTAVING in my last chapter given my opinion
upon many political subjects, I now approach
one which seems very likely at no lengthened
period to come before Parliament, and which is
of vital importance to the welfare of this country
— the law of primogeniture. " What business
have honour or titles to survive, when property is
extinct? Nobility is but as a help-mate to a
good fortune, and like a Japanese wife, should
perish upon the funeral pile of the estate." So
wrote Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and the subject
merits attention.
The right of the first-born has, among most
nations, been very considerable. The first-born
son in the patriarchal ages had a superiority over
his brethren, and in the absence of his father

294 LAW OF primogeniture.
was priest to the family. Among the Jews, he
was consecrated to the Lord, had a double
portion of the inheritance, and succeeded in the
government of the family or kingdom. The
priesthood was not annexed to a certain family
till after the promulgation of the law of Moses.
Before that time, the first-born of every family
was a priest. With respect to the double portion
of the first-born, two interpretations exist. Some
believe that half of the whole inheritance was
given to the elder brother, and that the other
half was shared in equal parts among the rest of
his brethren. But the Rabbins say, on the con
trary, that the first-born took for his share twice
as much as any of his brothers. If a father left
six sons, they made a division into seven equal
parts ; whereof the eldest had two, and each of
the others one. If the eldest was dead and had
left children, his right devolved upon his children
and his heirs.
In every nation of Europe the right of primo
geniture prevails in some degree at present, but
it did not prevail always. The law which calls
the elder-born to the crown, preferable to the
others, was not introduced into France till very

gavel-kind. 295
late ; it was unknown to the first race of kings,
and even to the second. The four sons of Clovis
shared the kingdom equally among themselves ;
and Louis le Debonnaire did the same ; it was not
till the race of Hugh Capet, that the prerogative
of succession to the crown was appropriated to
the first-born.
By the ancient custom of gavel-kind, still pre
served in some parts of our island, primogeniture
was of no account; the paternal estate being
equally shared by all the sons. The word gavel
kind is said by Lambard to be compounded of
three Saxon words, gyfe, eal, kyn, " omnibus
cognatione proximis data." Verstegan calls it
gavel-kind, " give all kind," that is, to each child
his part ; and Taylor, in his history of gavel-hind,
derives it from the British gavel, i.e., a hold or
tenure, and cenned, " generatio aut familia;" and
so gavel cenned might signify tenura generationis.
It is well known what struggles, the Kentish men
made to preserve their ancient liberties, and with
how much success those struggles were attended.
And as it is principally here that we meet with
the custom of gavel-kind (though it was and
is found in some other parts of the king-

296 GAVEL-KIND.
dom) we may fairly conclude that this was a
part of these liberties ; agreeable to Selden's
opinion that gavel-kind, before the Norman con
quest, was the general custom of the realm.
The distinguishing properties of this tenure
are various ; some of the principal are these : —
1. The tenant is of age sufficient to alienate his
estate by sessment, at the age of fifteen. 2. The
estate does not escheat in case of an attainder
and execution for felony; the maxim being
" the father to the bough, the son to the plough."
3. In most places he had a power of devising
lands by will, before the statute for that purpose
was made. 4. The lands descend, not to the eldest,
youngest, or any one son only, but to all the sons
together; which was indeed anciently the most
usual course of descent all over England, though
in particular places particular customs prevailed.
At the death of Alexander the Third, who
was killed in 1286 by a fall from his horse,
Margaret, born of Eric, King of Norway, and
of Margaret, daughter of the Scottish monarch,
was acknowledged Queen of Scotland, though
a female, and an infant, and a foreigner. By
the sudden death of this Norwegian princess

GAMBLING. 297
in 1291, the succession to the crown became an
object of dispute between Baliol and Bruce. The
former had undoubtedly the right of primogeni
ture, but the latter stood in one degree of nearer
relation to the deceased Sovereign ; and the
Scottish barons, not being able to determine
whose claim was best founded, referred the
question to Edward I. of England, and thereby
involved their country in a long and ruinous war.
After a general disquisition into the question,
and of debate among the commissioners appointed
by Edward, Baliol, and Bruce, the principle of
primogeniture was recognised, and Baliol was
put in possession of the kingdom.
Before I enter more fully into the question, I
will allude to a vice, the carrying on of which has
led to most ruinous results, and which furnishes
a strong argument, perhaps the only one, against
the law of primogeniture. Gaming has at all
times been looked upon as a thing of pernicious
consequence, and has thus been severely de
nounced. It is considered as a practice generally
intended to supply or retrieve the expenses occa
sioned by luxury ; it being a kind of tacit con
fession that the company engaged therein do

298 PERNICIOUS EFFECTS OP GAMBLING.
commonly exceed the bounds of their re
spective fortunes ; and, therefore, they cast lots
to determine upon whom the ruin shall at present
fall, that the rest may be saved a little longer.
But, taken in any light, it is an offence of the
most alarming nature ; tending, by necessary
consequence, to promote public idleness, theft,
and debauchery among those of a lower class ;
and among persons of a superior rank it hath
frequently been attended with the sudden ruin
and desolation of ancient and opulent families,
in abandoned prostitution of every principle of
honour and virtue, and too often hath it ended
in self-murder."
To restrain this pernicious vice among the
humbler classes, the statute 33, Henry VIII,
Cap. 9, was made ; which prohibits, to all but
gentlemen, the games of tennis, tables, cards,
dice, bowls, and other unlawful diversions
there specified, except in the time of Christmas,
under pecuniary pains and imprisonment. And
the same law, and also the statute of 23, George
II, Cap. 24, inflicts pecuniary penalties as well
upon the master of any public-house wherein
servants are permitted to game as upon the

GAMING IN HIGH LIFE. 299
servants themselves who are found to be gaming
there. But this is not the principal ground of
modern complaint : it is the gaming in high life
that demands the attention of the magistrate ; a
passion to which every valuable consideration is
made a sacrifice, and which we seem to have
inherited from our ancestors, the ancient Ger
mans, whom Tacitus describes to have been
bewitched with the spirit of play to a most
exorbitant degree. " They addict themselves,"
says he, "to dice (which is wonderful) when
sober, and as a serious employment — with such
a mad desire of winning or losing that, when
stript of everything else, they will stake at last
their liberty, and their very selves. The loser
goes into a voluntary slavery, and though
younger and stronger than his antagonist, suffers
himself to be bound and sold ; and this persever
ance in so bad a cause they call the point of
honour ; ea est in re prava pervicacia, ipsi fidem
vocant." One would almost be tempted to think
Tacitus was describing a modern Englishman.
When men are thus intoxicated with so frantic

300 FRAUDULENT GAMING.
a spirit, laws will be of little avail ; because the
same false sense of honour that prompts a man
to sacrifice himself, will deter him from appeal
ing to the magistrate. Yet it is proper' that
laws should be, and be known publicly, that
gentlemen may consider what penalties they
wilfully incur, and what confidence they repose
in sharpers, who, if successful in play, are cer
tain to be paid with honour, or, if unsuccessful,
have it in their power to be still greater gainers
by informing. For by Stat. 16, Car. 11, c. 7.
if any person by playing or betting shall lose
more than a £100 at one time, he shall not be
compellable to pay the same ; and the winner
shall forfeit treble the value, one moitie to the
King, the other to the informer. The Statute 9,
Anne, c. 14, is most stringent against gaming,
and further enacts that if any person cheats at
play he may be indicted thereupon, and shall
not only forfeit five times the value, but be
deemed infamous, and suffer such corporal
punishment as in case of wilful perjury.
In 1739, during the reign of George II,
several Acts were passed to prevent excessive
and fraudulent gaming, and private lotteries ;

PRIVATE LOTTERIES. 301
and the games of Faro, Basset, and Hazard
were suppressed; notwithstanding which, three
ladies of rank were convicted in penalties of
£50 each for playing at Faro, March 17,
1797. During the reigns of George IV. and
Victoria, amended laws were introduced re
specting games and wagers, so that a gaming
house-keeper is to be imprisoned with hard
labour, and gaming-houses may be entered by
the police, and all persons present taken into
custody. Lotteries for money, which led to large
gambling speculations were abolished in October,
1826, having existed for two hundred and
twenty-seven years. The first mentioned lottery
in English history began drawing at the Western
door of St. Paul's Cathedral, January 11th, 1569,
and continued day and night until May 6, fol
lowing. It contained 40,000 lots, at ten shillings
each lot. The profits were for repairing the
fortifications on the coasts of England, and the
prizes were pieces of plate. The first' lottery
for sums of money took place in 1630. In 1753,
the British Museum was disposed of by lottery,
and, in 1773, 3 760, and 1784, Cox's Museum,

302 LAW OF PRIMOGENITURE.
the buildings of the Adelphi, and the Leverian
Museum were disposed of after the same manner.
In 1801 the Pigott diamond changed owners
through a lottery, and it was sold in the follow
ing year at Christie's for 9,500 guineas. An
Act passed in 1804, authorizing a lottery for
Alderman Boy dell's collection of pictures. Since
that period more stringent laws have been
enacted, so much so that, in 1860, Mr. Dethier's
Twelfth Cake lottery, held in the Hanover Square
Rooms, was suppressed.
It is quite clear that in England primogeni
ture is as much the law of the land as gaming
is the reverse, and, should the reader ask, as
he may naturally do, why I bring two such
apparently opposite subjects into juxtaposi
tion, my answer is that, whenever a blow is
struck at the principle of primogeniture, the
existing cause will be found in the thorough
conviction of men's minds, however hitherto op
posed to the change, that the primary and only
defensible object of such a law has been and is
constantly set at nought by reckless gambling on
the part of those immediately interested in that
law's preservation. The argument in favour of

YOUNGER SONS. 303
primogeniture is that the " ancestral homes of
England," and the broad lands attached to them,
should be handed down intact from father to son,
with means sufficient to keep them up in a man
ner befitting the station of the possessor, and
thereby giving him a legitimate influence in his
county. On the other hand, the opponents argue
that it is " hard lines" for the younger sons of
noblemen and wealthy commoners to find them
selves, at the death of their fathers, in compara
tive poverty, after having been brought up in the
same habits of luxury as their elder brother.
For many years, the younger branches of the
aristocracy were " food for powder" in the army
or navy, or in a few instances, where family
livings were available, were inducted to them,
however unfit they might be for the sacred office.
Happily, in our days, a more liberal feeling
prevails, and the upper ten thousand are too
happy to let their sons emigrate to Australia,
New Zealand, India, or Canada ; or to find them
a refuge in mercantile houses at home.
However much younger sons may have writhed
under the system that compelled them to turn,
soldiers or sailors, enter the church, expatriate

304 PRIMOGENITURE DEPRECATED.
themselves, or pocket their pride by office drudg
ery, they managed to " grin and bear it," and
were content, so long as " the old house at
home" had not changed hands, that the primeval
oaks still flourished, and that the family pictures
were not doomed, like those of Charles Surface,
to be knocked down to the highest bidder. If
once, however, Wilkie's scene of the Rent Day,
slightly altered, is enacted, and the Sheriff's
officers and their myrmidons pollute the hearth,
occupy the arm-chair that has descended from
generation to generation, and pounce with their
legal claws on objects hallowed by fond recollec
tions, then must a spirit rise within the breasts
of our modern Jacobs, and make them deprecate
a system which, perverted from its original ob
ject, has proved so fatal to their own comfort, and
has destroyed the prestige of their noble lineage
by lowering instead of exalting the class whom
it was meant to benefit.
In order to prove that my ideas are not vision
ary, I would, without prying into cases only
known through private channels, refer to those
which are patent to the whole world, as recorded
in works of undoubted veracity, or gleaned from

LOW GAMING HOUSES. 305
public newspapers. The majority of the instances
we quote, of " ruthless ruin" falling on families,
are attributable to excessive gaming or reckless
extravagance. Gambling may be divided into
two kinds — the turf and private play, for, hap
pily for the youth of London, public gaming
houses are no longer allowed to exist. How
different is it now, in that respect, from what it
was some thirty years ago, when Vice became so
illustrious as to require for her residence a palace
in which the " upper ten thousand" could revel in
gilded saloons, and luxuriate in the choicest dain
ties at a supper which the liberality of the pro
prietor provided gratuitously for his guests. This,
in the long run, often became an expensive item
to them, from a feeling of self-pride that it was
unfair thus to tax their host without throwing
down a sovereign for the good of the bank, which
in numerous cases was the forerunner of thou
sands. In addition to these fashionable Pandemo
niums, there were multitudes of low haunts,
called by a less euphonious but more distinctive
name. Let us enter the interior of one of these
second halls of Eblis, the infamous nocturnal
vol. I. x

306 LOW GAMING HOUSES.
receptacle for the most abandoned iniquity, where
the arch-fiend held his horrid rites, and feasted
on the destruction of his votaries. " Noctes
atque dies patet atri janua Ditis." Imagine a
room ill-lighted, with dingy walls and barred
windows ; in its centre a table covered with green
baize, upon which were placed the implements
for play — rakes, wooden bowls, counters, and
dice (always loaded), presided over by two worn-
looking croupiers, and the proprietors of the
establishment decked out in gaudy finery. At
one end of this room was a smaller table, on
which was displayed the toughest of fowls, the
saltest of hams, the most execrable wine, and the
strongest brandy and gin.
But we will not further describe the mysteries
of this iniquitous sink of pollution, where every
angry and selfish passion was fed, where all that
is useful, honourable, and generous was ex
tinguished ; where every principle of active and
disinterested kindness was violated ; for play
commenced in idleness or avarice, proceeded in
injustice, and terminated too often in inextricable
despair. What language can speak the deformity
of human nature, while every passion of the soul

EFFECTS OF GAMBLING. 307
is upon 'the rack ; tho trembling anxiety of hope,
the chilling damp of fear, fluctuating between
the desperate alternative of impending affluence
or of helpless beggary ? — 'the wide and savage
exultation, the ill-concealed triumph of the suc
cessful ; the deep dismay, the curses, not loud
but deep,, the half-suppressed oath, the check of
livid paleness of the losers ; some, like raging
waters, foaming out their own shame in frantic
oaths and execrations, others riveted to earth
in the deep silence of unutterable despair ! Now
is the wretched victim creeping homeward, re
luctantly to pour into the ears' of his wife the
agonising tale of ruin. Mark his angry glance,
his distorted countenance, his phrenzied agony !
how he starts ! His thought is the one that
stings to' madness. Then comes the' cruel spoiler,
flushed with the gain and glory of conquest.
But envy him not ; the bitter reflection that the
misery of others has wrought his greatness,
" will put rancour in the vessel of his peace,"
and soon " commend the ingredients of the
poisoned chalice to his own laps."
To prove how much gambling and betting
tend to' debase mankind, I have only to record
x 2

308 BETTING.
the following incidents among many others,
which I extract from the National Review : —
" In the betting books at White's and Brook's
Clubs, may be found bets on all conceivable
subjects— bets on births, deaths, and marriages ;
on the length of a life, or the duration of a
ministry; on a rascal's risk of the halter or a
placeman's prospect of a coronet; on the chances
of an election, on the sanity of the king, on
the shock of an earthquake, or on the last scandal.
A man dropped down at the door of White's,
and was carried into the house. Was he dead or
not ? The odds were immediately given and
taken, for and against. It was proposed to bleed
him. Those who had taken the odds the man
was dead, protested that the use of a lance would
affect the fairness of the bet. A Mr. Blake
betted £1 500 that a man could live twelve hours
under water ; hired a desperate fellow, and sank
him in a ship by way of experiment. Neither
ship nor man re-appeared."
Gamesters vary little, and the same bad pas
sions exist now as existed centuries ago. Let
us turn to the gamester of 1674, who is thus
described in an anonymous work entitled the

GAMESTERS. 309
" Complete Gamester." " Some say he was born
with cards in his hands, others, that he will die
so ; but certainly it is all his life, and, whether
he sleeps or wakes, he thinks of nothing else.
He speaks the language of the game he plays
at better than the language of his country ; and
can less endure a solecism in that than this.
He knows no judge but the groom-porter, no
law but that of the game: — at which he is so
expert, all appeal to him as surbordinate judges
to the supreme ones. He loves Winter more
than Summer, because it affords more gamesters;
and Christmas more than any other time, be
cause there is more gaming then. He gives
more willingly to the butler than to the poor-
box, and is never more religious than when he
prays he may win.
" He imagines he is at play when he is at
church ; and thinks he is shuffling when he
turns over the leaves. This man will play like
Nero, when the city is on fire, or like Archi
medes when it is sacking, rather than interrupt
his game. If play hath reduced him to poverty,
then he is like one drowning, who fastens upon
anything next at hand. Amongst other of his

310 WEST END CLUBS.
shipwrecks he hath happily lost shame, and
this want supplies him. No man puts his brain
to more use than he ; for his life is a daily
invention, and each meal a new stratagem, and
like a fly will boldly sup at every man's cup.
He will offer you a quart of sack out of his
joy to see you ; and, in requital of this courtesy,
you can do no less than pay for it. His borrow
ings are like subsidies, each man a shilling or
two, as he can well dispend, which they lend
not with the hope to be repaid, but that he
will come no more. Men shun him at length
as they do an infection, and he — having done with
his friends, as his clothes to him — hung on as long
as he could — at last drops off."
At the latter end and beginning of the present
century, gambling was carried on to a great
extent at the West-End Clubs, especially at
Brook's and White's. The former was the one
immortalized by Richard Tickell : —
" From liberal Brook's, whose speculative skill
Is hasty credit, and a distant bill,
Who, nursed in clubs, disdains a vulgar trade,
Exults to trust, and blushes to be paid."
At White's, the Tory Club, the play was

GAMING BANK DIRECTORS. 311
carried on to a frightful extent. Here General
Scott, the father-in-law of the Duke of Portland,
and George Canning, is said to have won
£200,000, thanks to a thorough knowledge of
the game, great coolness, and thorough abste
miousness,, for while his opponents were indulging
in luxurious dinners and sundry bottles of claret,
he confined himself to a boiled chicken and a
glass of sherry and water. At Brook's, where
the Liberals (then called Whigs) assembled,
faro and macao were the popular games, and
here the Duke of Queensberry, Lords Carlisle,
and Robert Spencer, General Fitzpatrick, Charles
James Fox, Sheridan, and George Selwyn won
and lost thousands.
Upon one occasion, Lord Robert Spencer and
General Fitzpatrick found their funds at so
low an ebb that they raised a sufficient sum of
money, with a view of opening a faro bank.
The Members of the Club, little caring who kept
a bank, so long as one was kept, agreed to
the proposition of the aristocratic and gallant
" gaming bank directors " and many soon found
to their cost the disadvantages players labour
under, for Lord Robert pocketed as his share

312 crockford's.
£100,000, and mirabile dictu, from that moment
gave up play. With the proceeds of his gains
he bought the estate of Woolbeding, near Mid-
hurst, in Sussex.
Another gambling club, originally started as
a dining-club, was opened by Wattier, chef de
cuisine to the Prince Regent, His Royal Highness
acting the part of what would now be termed
" promoter." With Madison, one of the Prince's
establishment, as manager, and Labourie, cook
from the kitchen of the modern Sardanapalus,
the club flourished for many years, but, owing to
high play, it fell into disrepute and closed. It
subsequently was opened as a gaming club, over
which Taylor, well known in play circles, presided.
When gaming to a large extent ceased at the
two " Houses of Call for Whigs and Tories,"
Crockford opened a club in Pall Mall, whibh was
afterwards removed to St. James's Street, now
the Wellington. Here the late Lords Thanet,
Granville, Lichfield, Allen, Sefton, and Chester
field, Sir St. Vincent Cotton, D'Orsay, the
Honourable George Anson, Auriol, nick-named
" Crockford's ugly customer," Ball Hughes, Tom
Duncombe, "Finsbury's pride and England's

BALL HUGHES. 313
glory," as he was called, kept the game alive,
much to the enrichment of the' proprietor, but at
an alarming sacrifice of capital to themselves.
Ball Hughes (the Golden Ball) lost much of his
gilding by play, for not only did he sacrifice
fortune at Crockford's, but he was always drib
bling away every farthing he received at any game
that he could get up at his own house. One
evening he would keep a bank at hazard ; on
another he would introduce vingt-et-un or " blind-
hookey." Then he would bet at billiards or tennis,
at neither of which games was he a proficient,"
and upon one occasion he lost a very considerable
sum at battledore and shuttlecock, playing against
the kind-hearted, eccentric nobleman, Lord
Petersham. In short from five pound points and
twenty-five pounds on the rubber at whist, down
to pitch and toss for a hundred, Ball Hughes
was ever ready to back himself. When peace
with France was proclaimed in 1815, Paris was
thronged with Englishmen, and the Salon des
Etrangers offered a most tempting rendezvous,
not only for confirmed gamesters, but for those
who liked good living, the dinners there being
first-rate. Dante's line, " Voi ch'entrate, lasciate

314 THE UPPER TEN THOUSAND.
ogni speranza," would have been an appropriate
motto for this spleadid establishment, for many a
man was ruined within its walls, some ending
their wretched existence by committing suicide.
Amongst the English habitues at the Salon were
the late Lord Thanet, Honourable G. Talbot,
Colonel Sowerby of the Guards, Henry Baring,
and Hall Standish, all of whom fell victims to
their infatuation for play. Among other noto
rieties of the day who flourished some fifty years
ago may be mentioned Scrope Davies, to whom
Byron dedicated his poem of Parisina, as one
" whose talents he had long admired, and whose
friendship he valued." He was, however, an in
veterate gamester, and, although for a length of
time Fortune favoured him, eventually he became
a ruined man.
John Heneage Jesse, in that truly amusing
work, " George Selwyn and his Contemporaries,"
gives a most graphic description of the " men
about town " at that period, and the letters,
which are most valuable and amusing, throw great
light on the gambling deeds of the " upper ten
thousand." Let us borrow one from the Earl of
March and Ruglen, afterwards the Duke of
Queensberry, to his friend George Selwyn.

A GAMBLER'S LETTER. 315
It runs as follows : — " Sunday Morning, 1765.
" Dear George,
" So you have lost a thousand pounds, which
you have done twenty times in your life-time, and
won. it again as often, and why should not the
same thing happen again ? I make no doubt
that it will. I am sorry, however, that you have
lost your money ; it is unpleasant. In the mean
time what signifies the nonsense of White's ? You
may be sure that they will be glad you have lost
your money; not because they dislike you, but
because they like to laugh. As to your banker,
I will call there to-morrow, for T have three
thousand pounds now at Coutts'. There will be
no bankruptcy without we are both ruined at the
same time. You may be very sure this will soon
be known here. All that signifies nothing; the
disagreeable part is having lost your money;
Almack's or White's will bring all back again.
" Yours ever,
"M. & R.
Anxious to preserve dates, I have given this
letter according to the period in which it was

316 LETTERS OF GIBBON AND HORACE WALPOLE.
written ; others will follow later, all more or less
to the same purport. With the same object in
view, I transcribe one from Gibbon, who, in a
letter to Lord Sheffield, February, 1771, referring
to the debate in the House of Commons relative
to relieving the clergy from subscription to the
Thirty-nine Articles, observes : —
" 1 congratulate you on the late victory of our
dear Mamma, the Church of England, &c. By-
the-by, Charles Fox prepared himself for that
holy work by passing twenty-two hours in the
pious exercise of hazard ; his devotion cost him
only about five hundred pounds an hour — in all
about eleven thousand pounds."
Horace Walpole also writes to General Con
way, on the 22nd of June,
" I do not think I can find in Patin or Plato,
nay, nor in Aristotle, a parallel case to Charles
Fox ; there are advertised to be sold more
annuities of his and his society, to the amount of
five hundred thousand pounds a year ! I wonder
what he will do next, when he has sold the
estates of all his friends."
And here let me remark, though I shall, when
on the subject of the turf, refer again to Charles

CHARLES JAMES FOX. 317
James Fox, that this distinguished statesman
lived to see the day when he sold or mortgaged
every source of livelihood or profit which he had
hitherto been in the enjoyment of, including the
proceeds of his sinecure office, of Clerk of the
Pells in Ireland, amounting to £2,000 a year, and
his estate at Kingsgate, near Margate, bequeathed
to him by his father.
On coming into office with Lord North in 1 783,
he sold his horse's, and erased his name from
several ofthe clubs of which he was a member. It
was not long, however, before he again purchased
a stud, and in October, 1783, he attended the
meeting at Newmarket. The King's messenger
was obliged to appear on the course, to seek one
of the Ministers of England among the sportsmen
on the heath, to deliver despatches upon which
the fate of the country might have depended.
The messenger, on these occasions, hid his
badge of office, which was a grey-hound — a fox
hound, would have been more appropriate — not
liking that the world should know that the King's
adviser was amusing himself at Newmarket when
he should have been serving him in the metropolis.
But Charles Fox preferred the betting rooms to

318 FREDERICK HOWARD, EAEL OP CARLISLE.
Downing Street. Indeed it was said of him
" from the House of Commons to the faro table,
from the faro table to Newmarket, and from
Newmarket to the House of Commons," were
still as much as ever, to Fox, direct and natural
transitions. He was the most undaunted and
unsuccessful gambler at Brook's, and was often
heard to say that the greatest pleasure in life
was winning at hazard, and the next approaching
to it was losing at hazard. He frequently sat up
till a late hour in the morning, when, without
going to bed, he adjourned to the House of
Commons and spoke with his usual eloquence.
The following lines, written by General Fitz-
patrick upon Stephen Fox, the elder brother, were
equally applicable to Charles :—
" In gaming, indeed, he's the stoutest of cocks,
No man will play deeper than this Mr. Fox.
If he touches a card — if he rattles a box —
Away fly the guineas of this Mr. Fox.
He has met, I'm afraid, with so many hard knocks,
That cash is not plenty with' this Mr. Fox."
Another victim to play was Frederick Howard,
fifth Earl of Carlisle (whose poems were so
severely handled by Byron), as> may be seen by

LETTER TO GEORGE SELWYN. 319
the following letter addressed to his friend
George Selwyn. " December 5th, 1775.
" As for hazard, the depriving you of so great
a pleasure, or of any pleasure, I am sure is very
far from my intention ; no one would wish more
to contribute to them. We have both been ship
wrecked upon that coast, and a very dangerous
one it is. There are some who play with you,
who play (I mean fairly) with such apparent
advantages that every farthing we have must,
at last, get into their pockets. This is a disa
greeable consideration."
Again he writes : "July, 1776.
" I have undone' myself, and it is to no pur
pose to conceal from you my abominable madness
and folly ; though, perhaps, the particulars may
not be known to the rest of the world. I never
lost so much in five times as I have done to
night, and am in debt to the house for the whole.
You may be sure I do not tell you this with an
idea that you can be of the least assistance to
me; it is' a great deal more than your abilities
are equal to."

320 HONORABLE GENERAL FITZGERALD.
Endorsed by George Selwyn, " After the loss
of the £10,000."
The Honorable General Fitzgerald, celebrated
as the friend of Charles Fox, as well as on
account of his brilliant talents and powers of
conversation, may be added to the list of those
whose fatal attachment to the gaming-table
caused their ruin. He thus describes his feelings
in a letter to the witty and accomplished Selwyn :
" I am very sorry to hear the night ended so ill ;
but to give you some idea of the utter impossi
bility of my being useful upon the occasion, I
will inform you of the state of my affairs." Here
follows what is termed a Flemish account of the
state of the gallant officer's funds. He then
quietly asks, " What can be done ? If I should
coin my heart, or drop my blood into drachms,
I would do it, though by this time I should, pro
bably, have neither heart nor blood left. I am
afraid you will find Stephen in the same state of
insolvency. Adieu, I am obliged to you for the
gentleness and moderation of your dun, consi
dering how long I have been your debtor." The
above is rather a cool way of addressing a cre
ditor of long standing.

RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM PITT. 321
To show how the magnates of the land were
bitten by the prevailing mania, we have only to
call the attention of our readers to the following
letter from John Hare, called by the Duchess of
Gordon, from his universal popularity, " the
Hare with many Friends," dated June 27; 1778,
in which we find the following allusion to Lords
Foley and Derby. " Foley, from an apprehen
sion that his income will exceed his establishment,
and that he shall have more money than he can
devise means of spending, has engaged again on
the turf, in confederacy with Derby, who likewise
is incumbered with great sums of ready money.
Seriously, George, it is quite unpardonable folly
in both of them. Lady Derby, on hearing of this
association, said she wondered they should think
it necessary to join in doing what they might
both so well accomplish separately — to ruin
themselves." Let me now turn to " England's Heaven-born
minister," the Right Honourable William Pitt,
who, as second son of the great Lord Chatham,
possessed no landed estate, no funded property,
nor even a life-annuity. His brother, Lord
Chatham, as necessitous as Pitt, could afford
vol. I. x

322 INPECUNIOUP STATESMEN.
him no relief. I doubt whether the First Lord
of the Treasury and Chancellor ofthe Exchequer,
when his debts were discharged, possessed a
thousand pounds. Europe might have then
witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of a Prime
Minister, not yet thirty, who, after distributing
nearly forty British peerages, besides fifteen
Irish, after creating a sinking fund of a million
sterling, humbling France, and by the vigour of
his counsels extricating Holland from subservience
to the House of Bourbon, was reduced to return
for support to the Bar, as in antiquity Cincin-
natus went back to the plough. Pitt unquestion
ably meditated the resumption of his original pro
fession. By what other means, in fact, could he
have maintained his personal independence ? Fox,
destitute of any such resource, found himself
compelled to accept the assistance of his friends
at a subsequent period of his life, however pain
ful it might be to his feelings.
Dundas's situation was scarcely less destitute,
in a pecuniary point of view, than that of Pitt.
Nor was the immortal Sheridan better off, as
his biographer, Moore, thus informs us : —
" The distresses of Sheridan now increased
every day, and through the short remainder of

DISTRESSES OF SHERIDAN. 323
his life it is a melancholy task to follow hirn.
The sum arising from the sale of his theatrical
property was soon exhausted by the various
claims upon it, and he was driven to part with
all' that he most valued, to satisfy further de
mands, and provide for the subsistence of the
day. Those books which were presented to him
by various friends now stood, in their splendid
bindings, on the shelves of the pawnbroker.
The handsome cup, given him by the electors of
Stafford, shared the same fate. Three or four
fine pictures by Gainsborough, and one by
Morland, were sold for little more than five
hundred pounds ; and even the portrait of his
first wife, by Reynolds, though not actually
sold during his life, vanished away from his
eyes into other hands. One of the most humili
ating trials of his pride was yet to come. In
the Spring of 1814 he was arrested and carried
to a spunging-house, where he remained two or
three days. The den formed a sad contrast to
those princely halls in which he had so lately
been the most brilliant and favoured guest, and
which were possibly, at that very moment, lighted
up and crowded with gay company, unmindful of
him within those prison walls.

324 clubs in st. james's street.
Shortly before his death, the clamours and in
cursions of creditors increased. A sheriff's officer
at length arrested the dying man in his bed, and
was about to carry him off, when Doctor Bain
interfered, and, by threatening the officer with
the responsibility he must incur, if, as was but
too probable, his prisoner should expire on the
way, averted this outrage. The above illustrious
individuals did not stand alone, for I could name
hundreds of men whom I have known or seen
about town, who, after passing a great portion
of their time in the Queen's Bench, London, have
ended their days in the debtors' prison in France.
How graphically has a writer in " Household
Words " described the head-quarters of fashion
and play, the clubs in St. James's Street, as they
existed in the days of the Prince of Wales, after
wards George IV. " The first gentleman in
Europe" has lounged with Dick Sheridan in the
bow-window of its clubs. In those club-houses,
lords with stars, and lords with garters, have
played at whist, vingt-et-un, loo, Pope Joan,
picquet, cribbage, spadille, manille, basto, moro,
blind-hookey, roulette, rouge-et-noir, lansquenet,
and backgammon ; nay, have even condescended
to cut cards for guineas, to top half-crowns in a

FEMALE GAMBLERS. 325
hat, to bet upon a beetle race, the colour of a
horse, the number of pages in a book, the number
of bristles in a brush. In those club-houses th©
fairest patrimonies have been wasted, the noblest
names soiled, the most glorious achievements
dragged in the dust. There the miser's son has
squandered the old man's dearly-hoarded pieces ;
there the jointure of the widow and the portion
of the orphan have been wasted; there the
seeds of madness have been sown, and the crop
of dishonesty reaped ; there those dicer's oaths,
so famously false, have been sworn; there the
Jew bill-discounters and mortgage-mongers have
snuffed their prey as the vulture does the camel
in Mr. Warren's picture, and in good time have
fattened upon them — they have been the hells
and hell."
Return we to our immediate subject. Nor, in
the days we write of, were ladies exempt from the
fatal passion of gaming, as may be seen by the
following remarks on Miss Pelham, daughter of a
First Minister of Great Britain. "For she be
came," writes Wraxall, " the most infatuated
gamester in the three kingdoms, unless Lady
Elizabeth Luttrell formed an exception. When
seated at faro, she sometimes exhibited all the

326 MTSS PELHAM.
variations of distress, or rather of anguish, in her
countenance." Mr. Pelham, having no son, be
queathed to her and her younger sister that
charming retreat in Surrey, which Thomson
justly celebrates, when, tracing the Vale of
Thames, he mentions : — ¦
" Esher's groves,
Where, in the sweetest solitude, embrao'd
By the soft windings of the silent Mole,
From courts and senates Pelham finds repose."
Miss Pelham, who found neither felicity nor
repose among those shades, and whose whole
faculties were concentered in the occupation
of play, dissipated her fortune, and, notwith
standing her great connections of every kind,
reduced herself in age to absolute depend
ence for. support on her sister's affection.
The Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, above referred to,
was a younger sister of the Duchess of Cum
berland. She inherited no portion of the
Duchess's beauty, elegance, or prudence. Coarse,
and destitute of softness in her manners, want
ing principle, and devoured by a rage for play,
she finally closed her life in a manner the most
humiliating as well as tragical.
In our time, gaming has been carried on to

captain gronow. 327
a frightful extent, as many an octogenarian can
bear witness to. Captain Gronow, in his amusing
reminiscences, gives many instances ; and the Cap
tain himself seems to have been what was faceti
ously termed a member of the " board of gre.en
cloth," as will be seen by the following circum
stance. Being anxious to get an outfit previous to
joining the Army at Brussels in 1815, and finding
his funds were at a low ebb, he went to Cox and
Greenwood, those staunch friends of the hard-up
soldier, and there, through the liberality, kind
ness, and generosity of his old friends in Craig's
Court, he obtained £200, which he took with
him to a gambling-house in St. James's Square,
where he managed to win £600, and having
thus obtained the sinews of war, made numerous
purchases, amongst others two first-rate horses
at Tattersall's for a high figure, which were
embarked for Ostend along with his groom.
I must here pause to ask what the gallant
officer would have done had not fortune smiled
upon him when he staked his all on the hazard
of a die.
We cannot conclude this chapter more appro
priately than by giving the following extract
ro m a work little known.

328 GAMING.
"Gaming," says an anonymous author who
flourished some hundred years ago " particularly
in high life, has no decent advocate to appear
in its cause, but is from the very beginning a
sordid, ungenerous, dishonest passion to ap
propriate what is neither wanted on one side, nor
can be spared on the other ; its object is pur
sued with care and inquietude, possessed without
enjoyment, and lost with sullenness. Its victims
appear more like criminals dragged by force
before an inquisition than friends assembled for
recreation ! every countenance is the caricature
of some ugly passion ; for in the alternate whirls
of fortune there is no time for any sensation but
uneasiness ; the cup of their pains and pleasures
is so mixed and dashed with each other, that
it is one continued nauseous, brackish dose,
increases the thirst, and leaves both disgust and
desire behind it. Such are the joys it brings to
its votaries ; its consequences to society are of
a most baneful nature."

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

YALE UNIVERSITY t