CORRESPONDENCE OF CHARLOTTE
GRENVILLE, LADY WILLIAMS WYNN
Hoppner del. 1799
.HAHLOTTE, LADY WILLIAMS WYNN, AGED 40 (seepage 45)
[Frontispiece
CORRESPONDENCE OF
CHARLOTTE GRENVILLE,
LADY WILLIAMS WYNN
AND HER THREE SONS
Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., Rt. Hon.
Charles Williams Wynn, and Sir Henry
Williams Wynn, G.G.H., K.G.B.
17951832
EDITED BY RACHEL LEIGHTON
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1920
ALL RIGHTS RBSKBVED
PREFACE
MOST of the letters contained in this volume have
been selected from a very large correspondence pre-
served by Sir Henry Williams Wynn, G.C.H., K.C.B.,
and inherited by my mother, Mrs. Stanley Leighton,
from her father, Sir Henry's sole surviving son.
These letters, dating from 1795 to 1856, arranged
and catalogued by her, have been accepted by the
Trustees of the National Library of Wales, at Aberyst-
wyth. Among the letters, but not included in the
correspondence before us, are two long epistles written
to Henry Williams Wynn in 1813 by his cousin Lady
Hester Stanhope, which have already appeared in The
Lady of Quality, by Abraham Hayward (1864), and in
the Duchess of Cleveland's Life of Lady Hester, besides
which they are quoted by Mr. Frank Hamel in his Life
of Lady Hester Stanhope (1913) ; it therefore appeared
to be a work of supererogation to place them once again
before the public, but in consequence of their omission,
the story of Henry's journey through Palestine and his
meeting with Lady Hester, lacks something of com-
pleteness.
Although one name only appears as Editor on the
title-page of this book, the selection and arrangement
of the letters is the work of my mother more than of
myself. Her untiring industry and patience turned the
task of transcription into a labour of love, and her
knowledge of the history and traditions of a generation
now passed away has made it possible to link family
groups into a family circle.
vi PREFACE
Our joint thanks are offered to Sir Watkin Williams
Wynn and to Mr. Arthur Williams Wynn for allowing
us to include in this collection several most interesting
letters preserved at Wynnstay and at Coed-y-Maen,
and to Sir Watkin for permitting the reproduction of
six of the pictures at Wynnstay. The picture of the
Duke of Buckingham is reproduced by kind permission
of Lady Kinloss, from the beautiful portrait, by Romney,
at Stowe.
A few years ago the National Library of Wales ac-
quired a small collection of the papers and diaries of
Miss Fanny Williams Wynn, probably used by Mr.
Hayward when compiling his Lady of Quality, and our
thanks are due to the Trustees for allowing us full access
to, and use of, these MSS., which have enabled us to
fill up many gaps.
I owe a debt of personal gratitude to Mr. Ballinger,
the Librarian of the National Library, for the encourage-
ment he has given me during the preparation of this
volume, and to him and to Lieut. -Colonel John Murray,
D.S.O., for their invaluable assistance with the proof-
sheets.
RACHEL LEIGHTON.
1 1920.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Leading Actors Charlotte Grenville William Wyndham Gren-
ville Sir Watkin . ^ pp. 1-16
CHAPTER II
17951797
Ideas of Matrimony Charles Williams Wynn Book-collecting The
Frogmore Gala The Eton Montem .... pp. 17-27
CHAPTER III
THE IRISH REBELLION, 1797 1798
The Irish Rebellion French Fleet in Bantry Bay Vinegar Hill and
Castlebar Lord Edward FitzGerald Sir Watkin's Gallantry The
Second French Expedition The Irish Militia Condition of Ireland
The Irish Parliament pp. 28-41
CHAPTER IV
1799
The Wreck of the Proserpine Mr. Hoppner's Pictures London
Gaiety Lord Thanet's Trial Lord Thanet'a Sentence Volunteer
Reviews The Dutch Expedition ..... pp. 42-56
CHAPTER V
18001801
Book-collecting Lord Claire's Speech Mr. Pitt's Resignation The
Art of Letter-writing ...... pp. 57-66
CHAPTER VI
18021803
Rouen Paris Visit to Versailles Rumoured Marriages pp. 67-76
vii
viii CONTENTS
CHAPTER VII
18041806
Dresden An Unpleasant Incident A Party at Stowe An Execu-
tion Action off Finisterre Outbreak of Hostilities Battle of Tra-
falgar Battle of Austerlitz Mr. Pitt's Failing Health Lord Grenville's
Administration Condition of Europe Prussia Anxious Times
Lucien Bonaparte Hostilities with Prussia Death of Mr. Fox
Renvoye Extraordinaire ...... pp. 77-106
CHAPTER VIII
AT HOME, 1804 1806
At Home The King and Lord Chesterfield The King and the Prince
of Wales Lord Melville Advice on Matrimony Mr. Fox's Funeral
pp. 107-117
CHAPTER IX
1808
The French Princes at Stowe The Visit Concluded pp. 118-123
CHAPTER X
1808
Lady Williams Wynn's Stewardship Dunrobin . pp. 124-127
CHAPTER XI
1809
Henry in the Peninsula Prince and Princesse de Cond<5 Portuguese
Troops Home News Corunna Fire at St. James's Palace
pp. 128-136
CHAPTER XII
18091812
The Duke of York Burning of Drury Lane Duke of York and
Mrs. Clarke Society Scandal Politics Social Gossip Harriet's
Engagement Lady Hester Stanhope Henry in Palestine Lady
Hester again Henry ill at Malta Madrid . . .pp. 137-163
CHAPTER XIII
18181816
The Hon. Hester Smith Lord Carrington Peace or War Conference
at Vienna The Young Incident Lady Anne Hamilton Lady
Williams Wynn in Paris Lady Caroline Lamb The Congress at
Vienna Appreciation of Sir Watkin Lady Williams Wynn at Barce-
lonaThrough Spain News of Waterloo Marriage Gossip Lord
Pembroke's Inheritance The Royal Wedding . .pp. 164-197
CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER XIV
18171820
Lord Stanhope Society Weddings Ebrington's Marriage Candi-
dature for Speakership Gossip Mr. Mytton's Wedding The Devon
Contest The Westminster Contest The Queen's Illness Young
FitzGerald The Ladies of Llangollen Death of Sir Samuel Romilly
Death of Queen Charlotte Lord and Lady Kilmorey Queen Char-
lotte's Will Court Gossip The Wynnstay Party The King's Lost
Jewels Family Brides The Cato Street Plot The Crown Jewels
Coronation Mad Mr. Mytton of Halston Lord Buckingham and
Dukedom Coronation Arrangements The Queen's Arrival The
Queen's Bill The Queen's Trial The Fire at Wootton Uncle Tom's
Hobby-horse Washington Irving Political Gossip . pp. 198-258
CHAPTER XV
18211823
The Grenville Influence The Townleys Politics and Gossip The
King to visit Ireland Sketch Book and Kenilworth Neapolitan Ban-
ditti Kenilworth The Queen Children's Ball at Hawarden Lady
Liverpool's Death New Peers Claims of Office Offer of the Board
of Control Henry Minister at Berne The Duke of Bedford The
Correspondence A Graceful Duel Death of Lord Londonderry
Social Affairs Berne or Stuttgart Uncle Tom's Advice Home News
The Fonthill Sale The Dukedom of Hamilton . pp. 259-303
CHAPTER XVI
18241826
Aston Theatrical Gambols Brighton Gossip Lord Exeter's Marri-
age Duel of Lord Brudenell The Drawing-room Northumberland
House Parties The Christening at Stowe Londonderry House
The Voyage to Alnwick George Cholmondeley's Marriage Madeley
Manor Crewe Hall The Beau Monde Heirs of the House of Gros-
venor Death of the Duchess of Rutland The Belvoir Affliction
Audley End Cholmondeley Gossip Sir Walter Scott Constable's
Failure Sir Walter Scott's Affairs A Ring-fence Match Political
Difficulties The Grenville Library . . . .pp. 304-353
CHAPTER XVII
18271832
Death of the Duke of York Bibliographical Cabinet Changes A
Visit to Hawarden " Genteel Marriages " Small Talk The King's
Children's Ball Sir Stephen Glynne The London Campaign Acces-
sion of William IV Our New Monarch The Duke's Appointment A
Villa at Richmond Talk of Coronation The Curtain Falls
pp. 354-385
INDEX 387-414
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CHARLOTTE, LADY WILLIAMS WYNN, AGED 45 (see
page 45) . . . . . Frontispiece
FACINQ PAOB
CHARLOTTE, LADY WILLIAMS WYNN, AGED 18 . 16
SIR WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN, 4ra BART. . . 16
HENRY WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN .... 76
LORD GRENVILLE 94
CHARLES WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN . . 198
SIR WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN, 5ra BART. . . 258
THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM 284
THE RT. HON. THOMAS GRENVILLE . . 352
CORRESPONDENCE OF
CHARLOTTE GRENVILLE,
LADY WILLIAMS WYNN,
AND HER THREE SONS
17951832
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
CORRESPONDENCE of a century ago has a fascination
and interest dependent, not only on the light thrown
by the writers on the every -day life of their own day,
but also as illustrating the character, personality, and
environment of a family circle or group of friends.
The letters which passed between Charlotte Lady
Williams Wynn and her family in the reigns of George III
and George IV represent the doings of a group, not
actually moving within the inner circle of the affairs of
State, but well within the outer circle, each member of
the group playing his or her part in the public and social
life of the day.
The leading lady in this company of players is
CHARLOTTE GRENVILLE, LADY WILLIAMS WYNN.
The other actors, clear-cut and vivid as they are, play
their parts up to, not independent of, the central figure.
Her outlook on society shows a keen interest, she has a
2 INTRODUCTION [CHAP, i
lively sense of humour, her powers of observation are
quick and her sympathies alert. When her children are
absent her pen never flags ; she keeps them abreast of
the politics of the day, the doings of her friends and
acquaintances, and all the affairs of the family.
Charlotte Grenville, born in 1754, was the eldest
daughter of the Right Honourable George Grenville
and his wife Elizabeth Wyndham. The influences sur-
rounding her childhood are worthy of notice, for they
include not only the cultured and political atmosphere
of the highest circles of English nobility, but also the
romantic traditions inevitably hanging round adherents
to the cause of the Royal House of Stuart.
On her mother's side, Charlotte was the granddaughter
of the famous Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Somerset,
who succeeded the Duchess of Marlborough as Mistress
of the Robes to Queen Anne. This lady began her
married life at the age of 14, and married l her third
husband, the sixth Duke of Somerset, in 1682, when she
was 17. The daughter of this marriage, Catherine,
became the wife of Sir William Wyndham, a personal
friend of the Queen. In 1714 he joined Queen Anne's
last Cabinet as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Tory
interest. The advent of the Hanoverians, on the
Queen's death in the same year, heralded the downfall
of the Tory party, and Wyndham, already involved in
plots for the restoration of the Stuarts, was arrested at
his own house in Somersetshire, Orchard Wyndham, on
the outbreak of the rebellion in 1715. He was sent
to the Tower, where he spent some months, but was
liberated on bail and never brought up for trial. His
was a personality typical of his age, in touch with
1 Lady Elizabeth Percy, only child of Joceline, llth and last Earl
Northumberland, mar. 1st, when 14 years of age, in 1679, Henry
T 2 ' who d ' 8 -P- 168 - In 1681 she was "contracted" to
mas Tnynne of Longleat, but he was murdered by Count Konigs-
tarck in February 1682. In the following May she married, aa his
nret .wife, Charles 6th Duke of Somerset, by whom she had eight
children. She died 1722.
MR. GEORGE GRENVILLE 3
the gay, the literary and artistic, the scheming and
political circles of the Courts of Anne and George I.
His daughter Elizabeth did not marry Mr. George
Grenville until nine years after his death, and her
youngest son and youngest daughter were named after
her father and mother, William Wyndham and Catherine,
linking up a generation of adventurous spirits with the
more conventional figures of Georgian times.
George Grenville by education and temperament
appears to have possessed characteristics as divergent
as the poles from those most conspicuous in his wife's
forebears. He was well embarked on his political
career at the time of his marriage, having abandoned
the Law in 1741 and entered Parliament in accordance
with the wishes of his maternal uncle, Viscount Cobham.
His reputation in thirty years of political life, during
which he attained to the highest positions possible to
an English statesman, is well-known. History deals
unsympathetically with the man to whose narrowness of
outlook may be attributed the War of American Inde-
pendence, but though he possessed hardly a single quality
for a successful administrator, he was a man of un-
bounded industry and highmindedness. He sprang on.
both sides from men who for generations had spent
their lives in public service through his father, from
the ancient line of the Grenvilles of Wootton, and
through his mother ] from the Temples of Stowe.
The Grenville Papers, four volumes of unindexed
letters, published in 1852, throw very interesting and
suggestive lights on Charlotte's family circle. The
marriage of Lady Hester Grenville, her father's only
sister, to William Pitt, first Earl Chatham, took place in
the same year as her birth, 1754. The intimacy between
the brothers-in-law, Pitt and Grenville, was very close,
1 Hester, eld. dau. of Sir Richard Temple of Stowe, succeeded under
special remainder to the Viscounty and Barony of Cobham on her
brother's death in 1749, and was created Countess Temple the same year.
4 INTRODUCTION [CHAP, i
although their mode of addressing each other was formal.
In 1756, when Thomas, the loved and revered " Uncle
Tom " of these letters, was born, Mr. Pitt writes l :
"January 3rd, 1766.
" MY DEAR GBENVILLB, . . . My warmest felicita-
tions attend you and Mrs. Grenville, who I hope, is as
well able to bear the intrusion of the very affectionate
compliments of her friends, as Lady Hester was, at the
same period of her progress through the straw. Another
Grenville, that is another Englishman who will one day
love and help to serve his Country, is a most seasonable
recruit to the age. I heartily and joyfully welcome
this little honest Briton into a degenerate world. ..."
An illustration of the way offices were bestowed is
made, when the said Thomas is not quite four years old.
His uncle, Lord Temple, at the time Lord Privy Seal,
writes to George Grenville ' :
" If you think Mr. T. Grenville is of a proper age for
the reversion of a clerkship in my Office, it may be as
well to dispose of it before the waves run so high as to
overwhelm it, in which case I would have you send for
my Secretary Wilson, at the Privy Seal Office to inform
you of precidents, which, when you let me know, I will
act accordingly, only, if it be any favour, and not a strict
matter of right, I cannot ask it."
To the credit of Mr. Grenville there is no record that
such an appointment was ever made.
Mrs. Grenville, her daughter Charlotte, and perhaps
Elizabeth, according to the editor of the Grenville Papers,
often acted as the Prime Minister's amanuenses. But
the fire at Wootton in 1820 destroyed all MSS. not previ-
ously removed to Stowe or to the London family house
in Bolton Street. There are, however, a few letters from
Mrs. Grenville to her husband scattered about the
Grenville Papers, and they give the impression of a
1 Orenville Papers, vol. i. p. 154. Ibid. vol. i. p. 330.
MRS. GEORGE GRENVILLE 5
bright responsive nature, affectionate, and demonstrative
in her use of language. S-he had nine children; the
two eldest died in infancy, the others survived her.
Her death in 1769 must have been a very real blow to
the family of growing boys and girls : George, the eldest
living son, was but 17, Charlotte 16, and the youngest,
Catherine, only 8 years old. In the Grenville Papers we
are able to catch a glimpse of the sorrowing household.
Hester, now Lady Chatham, writes to her brother l :
" HATES, December IQth, 1769.
" We would not break in upon you my dear brother,
in the more early part of your affliction, with the expres-
sion of how greatly we shared in your deep distress, but
we are desirous, now that we may be allowed, to say that
none of your friends have felt more for you, or have had
stronger impressions of the greatness of your loss. ..."
A letter written by Mrs. Montague, authoress and
essayist, to Lord Lyttelton and enclosed to Mr. Grenville
contains the earliest direct reference to Charlotte, and
introduces her for the first time before the footlights * :
" HILL STBEET, December 23rd, 1769.
" I felt unspeakable concern for the loss of Mrs. Gren-
ville. I could never bear to think of what poor Mr.
Grenville and the children must feel upon such a separa-
tion. Nature, birth, and everything seem to conspire
to make her the first woman of this Country, and as
added to that, she was the best too, when can regret
and sorrow cease to weep ? . . . I am rejoiced to hear
Miss Stapleton 1 will show her friendship to her lost friend,
not by unavailing tears merely, but by a tender care of
the children. Miss Stapleton' s character makes one
rejoice in this, it will take off a great deal of anxiety
from Mr. Grenville, and though it cannot ease his
sorrow, will soften it. Miss Grenville promises to re-
1 Grenville Papers, vol. iv. p. 496-7.
1 Ibid. vol. iv. p. 496-7.
3 Catherine, 2nd dau. of Jamea Russell Stapleton and his wife
Penelope, dau. and co-h. of Sir John Conwy, Bart., of Bodrhyddan.
INTRODUCTION [CHAP, l
semblc her mother, may she have a longer life. I
wish she would early accustom herself to taking Rhubarb,
if she has any disorder in her stomach, it is the best
antidote to her mother's complaint."
In November 1770 George Grenville died, only sur-
viving his wife eleven months. One year later, on
December 21st, Charlotte Grenville married, as his
second wife,
SIR WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN, 4ra BARONET.
He had been a widower rather more than two years ; his
first wife, Lady Henrietta Somerset, daughter of the
fourth Duke of Beaufort, died a few months after her
marriage.
As an infant of barely six months old he had succeeded
his father the " Great Sir Watkin," who was killed by
a fall from his horse on returning from hunting in 1749.
This Sir Watkin was a warm supporter of Prince Charles
Edward in 1745, when, only by reason of the miscarriage
or the tardy delivery of messages, he had failed to join
the Pretender's forces prior to the retreat from Derby.
A tradition current in the family tells that Lady Williams
Wynn (Anne Vaughan) was at Llwydiarth in Mont-
gomeryshire when the news reached her, and she at once
rode off to Wynnstay in hot haste, and burnt all docu-
ments which might incriminate her husband. What
truth there is in this story it is impossible to say, but
no papers of any kind whatever relating to the ill-fated
Jacobite Rising are to be found at Wynnstay. Whether,
if they ever existed, they were destroyed by design, or
perished in the fire of 1858, when the house and the
greater part of its contents were burnt, is unknown.
There was but five years' difference between the ages
of Charlotte and her husband. She came from one
stately home to another, from a wide circle of public
affairs, to hold a position of importance in the midst of
a local world ; for though Sir Watkin was in Parliament,
SIR WATKIN 7
his influence, politically, lay amongst his own people ;
he was a grand seigneur, neither a courtier nor a states-
man. He was a cultured gentleman, a patron of the
arts, with many friends, amongst whom may be
counted Sir Joshua Reynolds, who painted several
pictures for Wynnstay, one of Sir Watkin and his first
wife Lady Henrietta in fancy dress, one of Sir Watkin
and his mother, Frances Shakerley, one of Charlotte and
three of her children, and one of Charlotte's eldest son,
afterwards the fifth Sir Watkin, as the Infant St. John.
Sir Watkin (the fourth) was a member of the Dilettante
Society, and his portrait is amongst those in Reynolds' s
famous group of the members. This portrait was copied
by Sir Joshua for Charlotte after her husband's death,
and the permission to have the copy made, the sum
to be paid for it (35), and the conditions under which
the painter was to proceed, are recorded in the Annals
of the Society published by Mr. Lionel Cust and Sir
Sidney Colvin in the History of the Dilettante Society.
After eighteen years of married life, at the age of 35,
with three sons and three daughters, Charlotte became
a widow. Her eldest son was 17, her youngest, Henry,
7. Two younger children had died in infancy.
In the meantime her brothers and sisters at Wootton
had grown up under the guardianship of their uncle,
Richard, Earl Temple, and were taking their places in
the world of society and politics.
GEORGE,
one year older than Charlotte, married in 1775 Mary,
the only daughter and heir of Earl Nugent. He suc-
ceeded to the Earldom of Temple on his uncle's death
in 1779, and in the following year assumed the arms
and name of Nugent on the death of his father-in-law.
In 1782 he was made Viceroy of Ireland, resigning in
1784. In 1787 he was created Marquis of Buckingham
and reappointed to the viceroyalty, which office he held
2
8 INTRODUCTION [CHAP, l
for about a year. He died at the age of 60, in 1813,
leaving two sons, Richard, who in 1822 became first
Duke of Buckingham, and George, who succeeded at his
mother's death in 1812 to the Barony of Nugent. In
THOMAS,
the second brother, the Wyndham strain was perhaps
more clearly marked than in the other members of the
family. He was Charlotte's favourite brother, and
" Uncle Tom " became the counsellor and confidant of
the whole party at Wynnstay. He entered Parliament
as a follower of Mr. Fox in 1779, and was employed on
short missions abroad ; in 1798 he was sworn a member
of the Privy Council, but his powers were social rather
than political, and his tastes those of a scholar than
of a statesman. The famous Lady Bessborough, 1 in a
letter to Lord Granville Leveson Gower, hints of his
universal popularity. In 1799 he narrowly escaped from
drowning on his way to Berlin in charge of a mission,
accompanied by Henry, Charlotte's youngest son, and
Lady Bessborough writes as follows of this event 1 :
" Grenville is safe, thank God. The general anxiety
about him, and joy for his safety must be very flattering
to him if he ever knows it. It was the highest of all
honours, the homage paid to worth, for had either of
his Brothers been in the same situation, neither their
titles, their riches, or their places, would have gained
them half the interest that was shown for him."
Thomas Grenville' s public life practically closed in
1807, though he did not retire from Parliament until
1818. He held the sinecure office (carrying with it a
salary of 2,000 a year) of Chief Justice in Eyre, and
in his brother's Cabinet (1806-7) he was made succes-
sively President of the Board of Control and First Lord
1 Lady Bessborough and Lord Granville Leveson-Gower's Private
Correspondence, pub. 1916.
THOMAS AND WILLIAM GRENVILLE 9
of the Admiralty. Two great social reforms were dear
to his heart : the abolition of the slave trade, which he
saw accomplished in 1806-7 during his own term of office,
and the emancipation of the Roman Catholics, the rock
on which the Grenville Ministry was wrecked, but
which was successfully carried through Parliament, by
the Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel, twenty-one
years later.
" Uncle Tom's hobby-horse " mentioned in the letters,
his collection of books, an occupation and interest
begun early in life, culminated in the bequest to the
nation of a library of over 20,000 rare editions at his
death in 1846. Most of the volumes in the Grenville
library, now in the British Museum, contain a slip of
paper on which he has written some indication or note
of the history of their acquisition.
He outlived all his brothers and sisters, but in his
old age he reaped, in the affection and regard of his
sister's children, what in earlier days he had sown by his
unfailing sympathy and kindliness. " Uncle Tom" was
always a name to conjure with amongst the numerous
nephews and nieces and great-nephews and great-
nieces, and the tradition of his gracious and intellectual
personality has descended even to the third generation
now living in the twentieth century.
WILLIAM WYNDHAM GEENVILLE,
Charlotte's youngest brother, was born in 1759. He
entered Parliament for Buckingham in 1782, and was
at once given office as Chief Secretary for Ireland, when
his eldest brother, Lord Temple, became Viceroy. At
the age of 84 he was successively made Home Secretary
and Speaker of the House of Commons ; in 1790 he was
raised to the Peerage, and led the House of Lords under
his cousin the younger Pitt. The rich sinecure of
Auditor of the Exchequer rewarded his labours in 1795.
On the death of Mr. Pitt (1806) Lord Grenville became
10 INTRODUCTION [CHAP, i
Prime Minister and formed a Coalition Government
known as the Ministry of All the Talents, with Erskine
as Lord Chancellor and Fox as Foreign Secretary. But
Fox was in a critical state of health, though he succeeded
in carrying through the House of Commons important
measures bearing on the slave traffic in the British
Colonies. He died in the September of this year,
and the Cabinet was in consequence greatly weakened.
Lord Grenville had placed himself in a position of
personal unpopularity by passing through Parliament
an Act enabling him to hold the sinecure already men-
tioned, together with the Premiership. His adminis-
tration lasted only thirteen months, after which he took
no very leading part in the affairs of State, but Auditor
of the Exchequer he remained, until his death in 1839.
His wife, the Honourable Anne Pitt, who succeeded
to the Dropmore and Boconnoc estates on the death of
her brother Lord Camelford in a duel in 1804, survived
him, and these properties passed on her death to the
Honourable George Fortescue, second son of Lord
Grenville' s third sister, Hester.
These three Grenville brothers are summed up by
Lord Rosebery in his Life of Lord Chatham in an
interesting, albeit unflattering light. He says that :
" Cobbett reckoned from returns furnished to the
House of Commons that Lord Buckingham and his
brother Thomas, the sons of George Grenville, had in
half a century drawn 700,000 of public money, and
William, another brother, something like 200 ,000 more.
These figures are open to dispute, but they indicate at
least that the revenues from public money of this family
of sinecurists must have been enormous. Of English
families the Grenvilles were in this particular line easily
the first. Had all sinecurists, it may be said, in passing,
spent their money like the younger, Thomas, who
returned far more than he received by bequeathing his
matchless library to the nation, the public conscience
would have been much more tender towards them."
CATHERINE AND HESTER GRENVILLE 11
Of Charlotte's three sisters and their children the
first to marry after herself was Catherine, the youngest,
who in 1780 became the wife of Mr. George Neville. She
had ten children in quick succession, starting with
twins who died within twenty -four hours of their birth.
Mary, her second daughter, born in 1786, married Sir
Stephen Glynne, and became the mother of Stephen the
last baronet, and of Catherine, afterwards the wife of the
Right Honourable W. E. Gladstone. Mrs. Neville died
in 1796, the year before her husband succeeded to the
barony of Braybrooke, on the death of his kinsman, the
fourth Lord Howard de Walden.
The three Neville sons to reach man's estate, Richard,
Henry, and George, were very intimate cousins and
companions to Charlotte's younger children. Richard
and her youngest son Henry were born within a few
months of each other, and as schoolboys, the one at
Harrow and the other at Eton, kept up a regular cor-
respondence. Both had literary tastes, and were very
keen collectors of books, discussing with each other
the special editions and prices, and sharing the joys of
the new acquisition of some coveted volume. Richard's
taste in literature developed, and he earned a reputation
for himself as the first editor of Pepys' Diaries.
The youngest Neville daughter, Caroline, married
Beilby Lawley Thompson, who in 1839 became first
Baron Wenlock.
HESTER GRENVILLE,
born in 1760, married Hugh, third Baron Fortescue,
raised in 1789 to the Earldom. Her eldest son, Hugh,
known in this Correspondence by his courtesy title of
Ebrington, was the same age as his cousins Richard
Neville and Henry Williams Wynn, and shared their
tastes and interests. The friendship between the three
was very intimate, as the letters to Henry from both
of them as boys and young men testify.
12 INTRODUCTION [CHAP, i
George, the second son, was chosen, as already indi-
cated, by his uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Grenville,
to be their heir. John, the third son, entered Holy
Orders. Of the six daughters, five married, but these
ladies hardly appear at all in the Correspondence.
ELIZABETH
was the last of Mr. George Grenville' s daughters to
marry. She became Lady Carysfort in 1787, and her
husband was advanced a step in the Peerage in 1789,
in like manner as his brother-in-law, Fortescue. He
was a widower with five children ; by his second marriage
he had one son, who died an infant, and three daughters.
Another actor emerges during one period in this
Correspondence,
LADY HESTER STANHOPE.
She was the granddaughter of Hester, Lady Chatham,
Mr. George Grenville' s sister, whose only daughter
Hester had married in 1774 Charles, third Earl Stanhope.
Henry's letters to his mother during his travels in the
East in 1811-12 give a good description of the strange,
eccentric lady.
This, then, is the family circle in which Charlotte,
Lady Williams Wynn moved, when as a young widow
she was called upon to administer the great Welsh
estates during the three years' minority of her eldest
son. Under her husband's will, made within twelve
months of his death, she had the entire control of every-
thing while his children were minors. The will is a
long one, no child is mentioned by name, one name and
one name only is inscribed in this document other than
that of the testator and his witnesses : " My dear wife,
Charlotte." His trust and confidence in her powers
and in her judgment must have been boundless, for he
appointed no co-trustee, no co-executor, no other
guardian for his children. Charlotte was the sole
administrator.
WATKIN AND FANNY 13
WATKIN,
the eldest, attained his majority in 1793.
Domestic affairs in England and foreign affairs on the
Continent were in a ferment of unrest during the last
decade of the eighteenth century and well on into the
nineteenth. Sir Watkin as a young county gentleman
did not shirk the responsibility of his position ; he entered
into, and took his part in, the public life of the princi-
pality. He raised the regiment of the Ancient British
Light Dragoons, which was prepared for service in
France and saw service both there and in Ireland. He
went into Parliament as member for Denbighshire, and
he exercised very considerable local influence. He
entered less into politics than either of his brothers, for
his interests did not lie in statecraft, in spite of the great
positions held by his mother's relations in political
circles.
In the immediate family at Wynnstay his position as
head is always recognised ; he stands rather aloof from
the chaff of the brothers and sisters, especially of the
sisters, even Fanny, nearest him in age, treats him with
deference. With Charles, his next brother, he was on
terms of greater intimacy, and in later years he cor-
responded regularly with Henry; but the rights of
" primogeniture " are characteristically marked. When-
ever Lady Williams Wynn in her letters to any of her
children writes of " your Brother," she always refers
to Sir Watkin.
Sir Watkin married in 1817 Lady Harriet Clive, eldest
daughter of the first Earl of Powis. He had three
children, Watkin, Herbert, and Harriet, afterwards
Lady Williams.
FANNY,
Charlotte's eldest daughter, was born in 1773. She
never married. She was a woman with much social
talent and of great enterprise. She was exceedingly fond
16 INTRODUCTION [CHAP. I
Conwy, and died without issue in 1869, having succeeded
to the Bodrhyddan property after the death of his
grandfather Dean Shipley, and Charlotte, who in 1835
married the Hon. Richard Rowley. She succeeded to
the property on her brother's death, and died two years
afterwards, when it passed to her only son, who assumed
the additional name of Conwy.
HENRIETTA,
the youngest daughter, born in 1780, married Thomas
Cholmondeley of Vale Royal, in 1810. He became
first Baron Delamere in 1821. She had four sons and
one daughter. She was a very clever artist in pen-and-
ink and pencil sketches, and as a letter-writer she rivals
her mother in her graphic and terse descriptions, her
sense of humour, and her shrewd judgments.
The last member of the family, the youngest,
HENRY,
was seven years old at the time of his father's death.
The other two sons, of 17 and 15, were within sight of
manhood ; Henry was little more than a baby. With him,
his mother's influence was paramount, and her affection
and solicitude towards him when he first goes to a
tutor at Chiswick, and afterwards to Harrow, are full of
tenderness ; but she is critical, and her standard for con-
duct and school work is high, she expects much, and she
is not satisfied with indifferent results. There are
moments when, as a little boy of eleven years old, she is
in despair over his spelling and his careless handwriting.
Sometimes she writes to him in French and requires an
answer in the same language, so that she may judge for
herself what progress he is making.
After the schooldays are over, instead of going to
the University, Henry serves his apprenticeship in
diplomacy to " Uncle Tom."
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CHAPTER II
17951797
THE Correspondence opens when Sir Watkin Williams
Wynn is 23 years of age, Charles 20, and Henry 12.
From Lady Williams Wynn to Henry W. W. W. at School
at Chiswick
1795.
" I have nothing but praise and commendation to
send my dear boy. You have fulfilled my wishes in
letting me hear as soon as possible of your arrival, and
have sent me two very good letters in every respect. I
must also flatter you upon the stout and manly firmness
with which you left in, and upon your having been wise
enough to wait quietly at the Dumb-bell, for a Coach,
rather than to return home to have the pain of a second
parting.
" Your brother, Watkin, has been running a horse
at the Holywell Races, and notwithstanding that the
bets were 5 to 1 against him, he took in all the Blacklegs,
and came in triumphant, which so delighted all the
good Taffies, that they were afraid their shouts of
' Watkin for ever ' would have frightened the horse out
of the Course, just as he reached the Winning Post."
The Same
" July 1795.
*' Your last letter, my dearest, was dated on ye 28th
June & not put into ye Penny-post till four days after
& to compleat the carelessness, it announces, an enclosed
Theme of which not a trace appears. Indeed my dear
Boy you are much too scatter brained for your age. It
gives an appearance of childishness as well as of in-
17
18 HOME NEWS [CHAP, n
attention to all that you do, & I am vexed that with
the frequent admonitions which I give you on the subject
you do not take care that your letters should bespeak
the wish to profit by them. . . . Adieu my ever dearest."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" TAPLOW, June 12th [1796 ?].
" I cannot let the post return without thanking my
dearest Boy for the good news which his letter of this
morning brought me. The quality of its contents made
up for what it wanted in quantity & leaves me only to
wish for my own sake as well as my dearest Henry's
that he may continue to gain every day fresh credit
& fresh laurels as he is now doing. I shall grow quite
fond of Greek (N.B. without understanding one word)
only because it gives you an opportunity of distin-
guishing yourself. As to Mr. Gibbon's publication I
leave my purse entirely to your discretion, trusting you
will use it like your own neither lavishly nor stingily,
. . . We went last night to see the remains of poor
Cliff den. 1 . . . The last chimney fell down two days
ago & now nothing remains but the arched brick Terrace
from which the steps spring. They tell me that the
term for which it had been insured expired only last
year & had unfortunately been neglected to be renewed
so that not a sixpence of the loss can be recovered. A
house is, I believe, never so likely to be burnt down as
the moment when the insurance expires. Ly. Orkney *
continues to inhabit the wings, which are very little
injured. We have some thoughts of going to drink
tea at Mrs. Fryer's on Sunday & of walking from thence
to look at the ruins. ' Sic transit gloria mundi.' . . .
" The great news of B. B. s was that Dick * was to get
his Remove this week, so that you see you exactly keep
pace. . . .
" Adieu, my dear Boy, I would not wait for a Frank
1 Cliefden, Lady Orkney's house on the Thames.
1 Mary, Countess of Orkney in her own right; mar. 1777, Hon.
Thomas FitzMaurice, of Llewenny Hall, Denbighshire, 2nd B. of John,
E. of Shelburne. She died 1831, and was succeeded by her grandson.
3 Hillingbeare.
* Richard Neville (at Eton),
1795] MATRIMONIAL PROJECTS 19
to tell you how much pleasure your promotion has
given me."
Lady Williams Wynn began early to direct her second
son's mind towards matrimony. Though not yet 20, she
urged him to lay his heart at the feet of Miss Elizabeth
Acland, a lady of considerable fortune ; but his courage,
not being backed by his affections, failed him, and he
left the field to his rival, Lord Porchester.
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" Saturday [1795].
" I am very vexed my dear Charles at the disappoint-
ment which you probably felt from not hearing from
me yesterday which was owing simply to the circum-
stance of my not having received your franked Letter
till this morning. I conclude that the post does not go
from Tunbridge Wells every day as your date of the
frank was the ninth and the Postmark the llth. Your
Uncle 1 & I have been swearing at you for the last half
hour with all our might & main & agreeing that the
valour of a mouse is much too flattering a Comparison
to apply to yours. The idea of quitting the field is cer-
tainly the most absurd possible. Were you at a hundred
miles distance & heard of Lord P.'s ' arrival your business
would have been to have set forth to meet him & have
put your friend's regard to the obvious test of shewing
to which of you she really did feel preference, but to
give it all up to his Lordship the very moment he pre-
sents himself is really a degree of childish weakness that
I could not have believed you capable of. If Lord P.
had a mind to try his chance nothing could be so good for
you as his doing it just when you were on the spot & had,
you thought, gained some ground. I am very much
surprised at the answer which you gave to the message
about your going away after our having so repeatedly
tried to BEAT into you, that all you had to say to such a
1 Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville.
1 Lord Porchester, afterwards 2nd E. of Carnarvon; born 1772 ;
mar. April 25th, 1796, Elizabeth, dau. of Col. John Dyke Acland
and Lady Harriet. He died 1833.
20 MISS ACLAND [CHAP, n
proposal was that your staying or going could effect
none but yourself, as to your behaviour it must, & would
be regulated by Miss A., 1 but my dearest if it is possible
that you can really let her scold you for preventing Lord
Porchester proposing, & instead of shewing a manly
resentment of a thing so injurious, can only go up to
your room to cry, I really cannot wonder at her thinking
you unworthy of her. Depend upon it (whatever she
may say) that by such a Conduct you are deposing
yourself in her estimation. At all events I insist on you
staying on, make the very best you can of such oppor-
tunities as you can find, above all endeavour to shew to
Lord P. the partiality which you think she has for you,
& if under the circumstances she chooses to throw herself
at his head, it is very sure that you have nothing to
regret. As to Lady Ht.'s ' wish of your going, I hold it
to be of so very little consequence that it is not worth
combating, & as to anything which Miss A. may say to
you on the subject, if it is at the instigation of her Mother,
she cannot but be pleased at your persevereing in
resisting it & if it is from herself & said only to get you
out of Lord Porchester' s way, she can, on that score
have little Claim to your obedience. Stay where you
are, push yourself foreward when you can, & where you
cannot, let her be sure at least that you see & know
exactly how she is behaving to your rival.
" To be sure your weakness & helplessness does exceed
all imagination, & appears to me, to extend full as much
to the suffering yourself to be the Tool & Dupe of Lord
Porchester, as of Miss A. Do tell me why upon Earth,
he is to make you dine with him every day if you do not
chuse it ? & why he is to have the triumph of keeping
you in a leading string to secure your never being able
to avail yourself of a moment when he is off the ground ?
Your Uncle says that he will do more with the Toe of
his lame leg than you with all the faculties of your mind
& body united. It is quite impossible to direct you
1 Miss Acland. Elizabeth, dau. of Col. John Dyke Acland. She
died 1813.
' Lady Harriet Acland, dau. 1st E. of Ilchester ; mar. 1750, John
Dyke, eld. s. of Sir Thos. Acland, 7th Bart. (He predeceased his
father in 1778.)
1795] BIRTHDAY LETTERS 21
how to avoid such sort of common Embarassments,
but really if you are such a Ninny as to suffer yourself
to be trampled on by him as well as by her, I am sure
I do not wonder at her treating you as she does. I can
only repeat that you must stay, unless you mean entirely
to give the thing up, you have now an opportunity of
fairly seeing what the extent of Miss A's regard is, & if
you run away you furnish her with a very sufficient
excuse for taking another."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" LONDON, July 15th, 1795.
" With all the allowance my dear Charles which 1
can make & do make for the present state of your mind
I cannot help feeling a good deal surprised at your taking
no notice whatever of a long letter which day by day
(under no common degree of unhappiness & anxiety)
I have written to you & of the very little impression
which all my advice appears to make on you. My
opinion is more & more decided against your stirring.
You was wrong in writing to her 1 as it appeared like an
opening on your part from whence it should not come,
but the more constantly you can rouse her feelings for
you by meeting her, depend on it, the better it will be.
I shall say no more & ought not I am sure to have said
as much but am always, your most truly affect."
Charles Williams Wynn never failed to write to his
mother a " birthday letter " on the eve of the anni-
versary of his birth. Most of these letters she preserved
carefully, while on his side he cherished the letters
written by her, to congratulate him on entering another
year of his strenuous and not otherwise than successful
life. Very few of these letters are of general interest,
but they show how, of all her children, Charles was the
one to whom she turned more readily than to any of the
others. Mother and son were on very intimate terms :
she can chide him over his laggard wooings, she can
1 Miss Acland.
22 HENRY GOES TO HARROW [CHAP, n
advise him over his expenses, she is ready to assist him
in the financial embarrassments in which he from time
to time found himself. She knows and enters into his
political ambitions and rejoices in his appointments ; a
keen politician herself, she finds in him a responsive pupil.
Watkin displayed neither interest nor ability in the field
of politics military ardour, in these early days, con-
sumed his activities. Henry is very young, but already
developing a strong desire for foreign travel, and a
determination not to be tied too closely to the family
apron-strings.
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
(written on his 2Qth birthday)
" October $th [1795].
" MY DEAR MOTHER, I wish more than ever on this
day to tell you how much I feel all the very, very par-
ticular kindness which you have throughout this year
shewn me but when I look back I feel so much ashamed
of the little return which I have made in things which
it certainly was in my power, that I do not know what
to say ; do not however think that I am unsensible to
what you have done for me, but rather look forward to
the future when I hope you will find amends for the past.
I cannot but think of the contrast which I experience
between this & my last birthday, I was then pleased
with myself & felt everything within my reach. I
now can no longer look back with satisfaction & I find
every hope every wish that I had formed for the future
disappointed.
" I am your dut. & affec.
" C. W. W. W."
About 1796-7 Henry was sent to Harrow, and the few
letters preserved from his cousins Richard Neville (after-
wards 3rd Lord Braybrooke) and Hugh Lord Ebrington
give the boys' view of book collecting, and also an
account of the famous Frogmore gala of 1797 and the
Eton Montem of the following year.
1797] BOOK-COLLECTING 23
From Richard Neville (age 13-14, afterwards 3rd Baron
Braybrooke, and 1st Editor of Pepys* Diary] to
Henry W. W. W.
" STOWE, Friday, 1796.
" I have a great many books given me lately, Ld.
Howard 1 sent me a very fine set of Harding' s Plates to
Johnson, & Steven's Shakespeare, Mr. Gretton gave me
a nice Baskerville's Milton, Uncle Buckingham ! gave a
very curious book called Breydenbach's Peregrination,
it was printed in 1486 & was the first book of voyages
ever printed. Ld Temple 3 gave me Gibbon's Roman
Empire 12 volumes octavo, Clarendon's History of the
Rebellion & Lucretius & Catullus, & Virgil printed by
Baskerville. Uncle Grenville 4 also gave me a Moliere
6 vols. quarto. I was sorry you had left Stowe before
we came here, there has been a great deal of company
here amongst the rest a Mr. Pigot who is an idiot, &
thinks he spouts Shakespeare very well & although
everybody laughs at him he seems ignorant that he is
the cause & joins in the joke."
The Same
" ETON, Sunday [1797 ?].
" I have got all my books here & am going to have
a new bookcase not having half room. The Mr. Gretton
who gave me Milton is Ld. Howard's chaplain whom I
saw at Audley End. Are all your books at Harrow ?
I forgot to ask to see your bookcase when I was at
Taplow." 1
1 John Griffin Whitwell, 4th Ld. Howard do Walden, created
1st Baron Braybrooke in 1788, with special remainder, in default of
male issue, to Richard Aldwater Neville of Billingbeare. He died
May 25th, 1797.
* 1st Marq. of Buckingham, George, e. of Rt. Hon. George Gren-
ville of Wootton. He was born 1753 ; mar. 1778, Mary, dau. of
Earl Nugent. He was created a Marq. 1784 on obtaining office as
Lord Lieut, of Ireland. He died 1813.
8 Ld. Temple, Richard, B. of Hester, Countess of Temple, and George
Grenville of Wootton. Succeeded his mother. He is great-uncle to
the writer of the letter.
* Ld. Grenville, William Wyndham, 3rds. of Rt. Hon. George Gren-
ville of Wootton ; born 1759 ; mar. 1792, Hon. Anne Pitt, dau. of 1st
Ld. Camelford. He d.s.p. 1834.
8 Lady Williams Wynn's summer residence at this time.
24 THE FROGMORE GALA [CHAP, n
From Ld. Ebrington (age 14) to Henry W. W. W.
" ETON, June 4th, 1797.
" I suppose you heard of the Gala at Frogmore on
Tuesday 23rd of last month to which all the fifth, sixth,
and noblemen's sons were invited. The garden gates
were opened at a little past four at which time all the
blackguards in Eton & Windsor in Sunday apparel went
to see the Diversions of the place. Imp : Mrs. Mattocks
made a very elegant address to His Majesty & the
company in general, praising the Gardens, at which old
Rex looked very much diverted, we then adjourned,
(Princess Elizabeth * leading the Battalion) to another
part of the Garden where Mr. Jones' men performed
very good feats of horsemanship which were the only
things worth seeing of the whole. Rees's Imitations
then followed & some mincing by Delpine & Jollett
which was interrupted by a melancholy accident. J.
was to fire a gun at D., which he did with so good an aim
that he wounded his face in a very shocking manner
which of course put an end to it 1 so much for the
acting ! ! the sports of the evenings concluded with a
body of the sooty tribe who came, they say, by order of
the Prince of Wales, l but were unluckily not permitted
to run, each man was to have, according to custom,
rode his neighbour's ass. The fete upon the whole
went off better than the former, though bad was the
best. I went to Dropmore this day se' night so was
not here when the Prince of Wirtenberg * made his
visit.
*' You must by this time have heard that my Uncle
Neville has taken the title of Braybrooke upon Ld.
Howard's death, Dick is now the Hon. Mr. Neville, he
desires his kind love & will write soon.
" I remain yours
" EBRINGTON."
1 Elizabeth, 3rd dau. of George III; b. 1770; mar. 1818, His
Serene Highness Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Hamburg. She died
1840.
1 Afterwards Prince Regent and George IV.
8 Frederick, King of Wiirtenberg, mar. May 18th, 1797, Charlotte,
Princess Royal, eldest dau. of George Til.
1798] THE ETON MONTEM 25
From the Hon. Richard Neville to Henry W. W. W.
" ETON, July 8th [1798 ?].
" I stayed at Billingbear the first fortnight of the
Easter holidays, and passed my time very pleasantly
in hunting & snipe shooting, which latter amusement
considering the lateness of the season afforded me toler-
able diversion, after this I went with my father to
London. When I came back to this place, the whole
school was engrossed with thoughts of the approaching
Montem & the common lounge was going up Windsor
in quest of a sword, sash, gorget, black stock, cane, or
cocked hat, which with a red coat, white waistcoat &
breeches, buckles & white gloves formed the dress of an
officer (properly styled a * corporal ') which genteel band
I had the honour of leading being Captain of the fifth
form Oppidans. On the Sunday previous to Whit-
Tuesday which is the appointed day, my father called
here for me and I went with him to Billingbear from
which place we returned very early on the Montem
morning. I immediately dressed and was, you may
imagine a conspicuous buck having my red coat turned
up with black facings exactly like an uniform (epaulettes
excepted). About eleven all the boys were assembled
in the school yard, and notwithstanding the badness of
the day which was very windy & threatened rain, I never
saw a greater concourse of people drawn together ;
about half past eleven absence began, and it was with
the greatest difficulty we could get to the place to hear
our names called, owing to the pressing of the crowd,
curious to see the ceremony. After walking three times
round the school yard in tolerable order, the procession
moved towards the playing fields & the Ensign (who was
4th Colleger in the sixth form) flourished the flag before
their Majesties, who, as well as all the Royal Family
were present. I had been rather tired of the fun but
began to wish myself anywhere else, when a hard rain
came on, attended with high wind as we were going
through the playing fields, which continued all the way
to Salt Hill ; in an instant all order vanished, confusion
became general, many of the boys deserting & going
back to college, others borrowed or got their own great-
26 THE ETON MONTEM [CHAP, n
coats which were carried by men appointed for that
purpose. I luckily got mine but was wet in the feet.
Then in an irregular order the march continued till we
got to the Montem Hill, where instead of passing round
the Royal carriages (according to custom) every one
betook himself to the inn running as fast as possible
to get out of the rain and to secure a place at dinner in
which I succeeded, but got the worst eatables as well as
drinkables I ever tasted insomuch that I chose to go
without in preference to being made sick by partaking
of such insufferable commodities. About four, the
procession returned, but tho' in good order did not consist
of two hundred boys, so many having left, or not chusing
to go round by the road when there was a shorter way
by the fields. In the evening I went on the terrace which
was very much crowded, particularly by boys who came
on in their accoutrements. The two Subalterns & twelve
runners had very neat dresses & performed their several
functions of stopping all passengers & obliging them to
contribute, in a very good style & about 884 was
collected for the Captain whose name was Ford. Thus
have I given you a long account of our triennial exhibi-
tion, and I shall conclude it by saying that I never wish
to be a performer in another."
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
(on his 22nd birthday)
" CAEBYNWCH, October Qth, 1797.
" MY DEAR MOTHER, When I wrote to you on this day
two years ago I felt, I hope as warmly as I ought to do,
the very particular kindness which I had then just ex-
perienced from you in advising, soothing & comforting
me in (what perhaps I must call) my follies. When I
say Particular, I hope that you know I do not mean to
distinguish it from the rest of your conduct towards
me since this day 22 years ago, but from that which
would have been the conduct of other ordinary Mothers
in similar circumstances. Let me now assure you
that since that time my gratitude would not have been
blunted even if it had no fresh claims to repeat it. I
never have been able to tell you since that time how real
1797] A BIRTHDAY LETTER 27
a sense I have of that constant unremitting & indefatig-
able goodness with which you have entered into every
plan, every project & every wish I have formed. I
cannot say that every day as I become older my con-
fidence in you & your advice is increased (as I trust you
know that that is impossible), but I can tell you that I
every day find more reason to prefer your advice & your
opinion to any other whatever. When I think of all
the advantages which I know that I have experienced
to a degree very seldom if ever enjoyed by others, I feel
that in you Providence has compensated me for the
very heavy & apparent irreparable loss sustained
so early. Do not think when you read this that the
remembrance of my Father is at all weakened in my
mind, but recollect how superior your care & kindness
has been to what others would have shewn. Remember
how you have sacrificed your quiet, your comfort, &
your peace to everything which could conduce to our
wellbeing, even to our pleasure. Do not think by
never saying this to you till now I have never felt it
before or that I have ever omitted to return thanks to
that God who has spared you to us. To you under
Him we owe every blessing. ..."
CHAPTER III
THE IRISH REBELLION
17971798
DURING the long administration of Mr. Pitt, from 1783,
when he was twenty-five years old, until his resignation
in 1801, the official conscience with regard to Ireland
was gradually developing towards the view that sooner
or later a Union of the two Legislatures must be
effected. Pitt worked, regardless of opposition from
his own party, in the direction of the broad lines of
Catholic emancipation and a union of interests, as
well as forms, of Government. But the Irish pre-
sented no form of union in themselves. The country
was not divided into two parties, but into many ; the
interests of Catholics and Protestants, of landlords
and tenants, were intersected by countless provincial,
religious, family, and local feuds. Each small section
acted independently, and counter to the section of
the community nearest itself, each elected its own
leader, and each claimed to represent the views
of Ireland. In 1793 the English Government had
declared war with France. This policy 'was sufficient
excuse to draw the Irish parties rather closer together,
in order that they might endeavour to enter into secret
and treasonable communications with the French Re-
publican Government. The Catholics and the " United
Irish Party" made common cause against England,
openly avowing their republican sympathies, and under
the leadership of Lord Edward FitzGerald they appealed
to France for armed assistance. The English Govern-
28
1797] FRENCH FLEET IN BANTRY BAY 29
ment was fully aware of the state of affairs in Ireland,
they had information of the treason in progress, they
even knew the authors of the plans ; but the proofs
they held were under seal of secrecy, and they considered
themselves unable to take such open action as would
avert an invasion from France.
In 1796 a French fleet anchored in Bantry Bay.
The Admiral in command, Admiral Horn, had been
separated, owing to adverse winds, from the main body
of the Fleet, and in the absence of definite orders the
Second-in-Command delayed to land the French expedi-
tion. A heavy gale sprang up and swept the bay, so
crippling the ships that they returned to Brest in a
disabled condition.
At last the Government took matters in hand, and
sent General Lake, in March 1797, to disarm Ulster.
But no open outbreak of hostilities having occurred,
the ever-present sentimentalists in the English House
of Commons protested eloquently against severity of
treatment, and the Cabinet itself, having in view an
entire change of system, desired to conciliate rather
than alienate the Irish sympathies. But half measures
were impossible. Distrust of, and dislike to, English
rule was the only point on which the countless Irish
parties appeared to have any agreement at all.
The Rebellion burst into flame in May 1798. It found
the Royalist troops in Ireland almost as disunited in
their commanders as the Irish themselves. Sir Ralph
Abercromby, who had succeeded Lord Carhampton as
Commander-in- Chief, was out of sympathy both with
his job and his men, who were chiefly composed of Irish
militia and yeomanry, undisciplined and disorderly.
General Lake does not appear to have been a born leader
of men.
Two days before the date planned for the rising,
Lord Edward FitzGerald was arrested ; but in spite
of the loss of their leader, the Irish rebels made an
80 VINEGAR HILL AND CASTLEBAR [CHAP, in
attempt, on the appointed day, May 23rd, to capture
Dublin. They came into contact with the King's forces
at Naas, Kilcullen, Rathfaran, and other places in
county Kildare. The Irish scored something of a
success, from which followed such a succession of arrests
on suspicion, ancl executions in cold blood, on both
sides, as can only be described as brutal savagery.
Early in June 1798 Sir Watkin joined Gen. Lake's
Army, took command of his "Ancient British Dragoons,"
and was present at the decisive action on the 20th at
Vinegar Hill, where the rebels were utterly routed.
After this the Rebellion died slowly and painfully
away. In August one further attempt to land a French
force was made at Killala, which ended in so rapid an
engagement at Castlebar that it became known as the
" Castlebar Races."
Lord Cornwallis had in the meantime succeeded
Lord Camden as Viceroy. He was not happier than his
predecessors in winning the affection of the Irish. The
one solution, in his mind, for all Irish troubles was the
Union of the Parliaments ; his policy, therefore, was to
propitiate the people, but to deal arbitrarily with the
leaders, the result being that his acts of leniency
towards the rank and file were misinterpreted as weak-
ness, and his attitude towards their leaders regarded as
cruel and vindictive. By the autumn of 1798 the Re-
bellion had ceased, all that remained was smouldering
hatred and distrust, on which was built up the fabric
of the United Parliament of 1800.
From Gwilliam Lloyd Wardle l to Sir Watkin
" DTJNDALK, Sunday, May 14th, 1797.
" DEAR SIR WATKIN, Your Lads have gained fresh
laurels. Cuming, Goodriche & Barlow with 22 rank
& file & a few yeomanry Cavalry after patrolling the
1 Afterwards M.P. for Okehampton. In 1809 he brought to light
in the House of Commons the sale of commissions in the Army by
Mrs. Clarke, mistress of the Duke of York.
1797] TORK HILL 81
whole of Friday night & until 10 o'clock yesterday
morning were aware of a strong force of these united
Rascals coming down to attack them they drew up their
small force so as to make it appear still smaller, this
answered admirably, the villains to the amount of 250
or 300 armed with pikes & muskets advanced boldly &
drew up in line 4 deep very near our men in an open
space in a village with houses in the rear, our party
immediately deployed into line & advanced at a gentle
trot till very near them, they then made a desperate charge
by which they were completely taken & fled on all
directions. Your lads now skirmished with equal success
& gallantry, they killed 12, wounded a much more
considerable number & took ten prisoners whom they
carried off in the face of a very considerable force of
these Villains who were pouring from every side. I
have the further satisfaction of saying that we have not
a man killed or wounded, a circumstance that could
hardly have been looked for more particularly as they
kept up a fire upon our men, while skirmishing, from
some adjacent houses. During the course of last night
intelligence came in here that the United had collected
all their strength & to the number of 5,000 had taken
the field. In consequence of this Cuming sent off to
Newry for a reinforcement. Pulestone was at Lurgan
on Regimental duty. I therefore immediately marched
off sixty-six strong & 2 Officers to meet him at the place
he had appointed. This we effected & found that the
Rascals had been out in great force all the night, had
seized 26 stand of Arms from the Tork Hill Yeomanry,
had destroyed a gentlemans house, etc. etc. & had been
loud in their assertion of giving us Battle, as we advanced
however they changed their minds & dispersed, & only
one man & his pike were we able to seize. I should
have told you that the affair of yesterday took place
near Tork Hill about 10 Miles from this place. Immedi-
ately on receiving Cuming' s requisition I sent to Bain-
bridge for a Detachment to take care of our Newry
friends, & reported everything to General Nugent. I
shall remain here till I receive further orders as Good-
riche's Troop has been much harassed & it is highly
probable we shall have something to do tonight.
82 TWENTY-THIRD OF MAY [CHAP, in
Pulcstone this moment come in, he has given me your
letter. . . . The gun you have heard from us about
would give us wonderful strength."
(An unsigned fragment to a person whose identity is not
established)
" NAAS, May 29th, 1798.
" MY DEAR CHEVALIER, Long before this reaches you,
you will have heard of the Row the Croppies have been
making in this country. It began in the night of
Wednesday 23rd in all quarters within 30 or 40 miles
round Dublin, almost every military station was
attacked & some small ones who were not on the alert
were surprised & cut off, but the Rebels have been very
severely beaten in many places & have lost several
hundred men. I am very sorry to add that some few
of his Majesty's Troops have been killed & wounded
in the different conflicts, among others poor Davies
our Adjutant is killed, Barlow slightly wounded, & Mr.
Goldsby killed, Serjeant Lloyd & Deakin severely
wounded, Segt. Grindly taken, Corporals Tilston &
Roberts (not a Pompey) killed, Corporal Jones wounded,
Trumpter Edwards killed & six or eight privates killed
& several wounded but doing well. Cornet Jones & a
small detached party we have not yet heard of, but hope
as he was with a strongish party of the Lt. Infantry that
they may be safe, as we have heard nothing to the
contrary. I was in Dublin on the night of the general
Attack & together with Lord Roden (late Ld. Jocelyn)
volunteered it with a party of 5th Dragoons (20 men)
who were ordered from Dublin in pursuit of a Body of
Rebels near Rathfarnham : J 4 miles from Dublin we
were joined by 13 mounted Yeomen & at last came up
with some hundreds of the Rebels into the midst of
whom I had led the Yeomen who all but four ran away
most manfully & left us there. I had several very narrow
escapes & so had Lord Roden who had a slanting shot
in his Helmet which for that reason & first striking his
feather, did not pierce thro. On the receipt of Wardle's
letter I went to Naas where we now are in great force
under General Dundas & Wilford. . . .
1798] LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD 33
" The Rebels finding they have so infinitely the worst
of it have sent to offer to surrender unconditionally,
which will undoubtedly be accepted, at first they wanted
to stipulate for Lord Edward Fitzgerald 1 & the rest
of their gang now in prison, but that was not listened
to. Giff ord was with part of my troop & a party of the
Cork Militia surprized at Prosperons & very narrowly
escaped by concealing himself in a Chimney, he is here
now safe & sound, but has lost all he possessed poor
fellow by the loss of our Baggage at Kildare. I fear
we have lost a good deal, but I hope we may recover
some & I trust the women are not murdered as was at
first reported."
From Sir Watkin to Charles W. W. W.
" AEKLOW, 4 a.m. June 10th, 1798.
" We were attacked by the ' united Irish ' in force,
some say to the amount of thirty thousand, about
4 o'clock yesterday evening, they continued the attack
till it was nearly dark & then retreated, we expected
them to have renewed the attack during the night & was
therefore under [orders ?] till just now. Our loss is very
trifling, we have not one Officer hurt. I do not think
that the reception they met with yesterday will encourage
them to pay us a second visit. The Town has been a
little damaged but not much. Yours Affect.
" W. W. W."
From Lord Grenville to Lady W. W.
" CLEVELAND Row, \ p. 2, Thursday.
" MY DEAREST SISTER, I have just seen the despatch,
the substance of which shortly, is, that the rebels in
very great numbers attacked theKing's troops atArklow,
& after a contest of about two hours were repulsed with
great loss, on their part, & hardly any on ours, no
Officer being either killed or wounded.
1 Ld. Edward FitzGerald, 5th s. of James, 1st Duke of Leinster, and
his wife Emilia, dau. 2nd Duke of Richmond and Lennox ; born
1763. He mar. 1792, " Pamela," the reputed dau. of " Philippe
Egalit6 " and Madame de Gtenlis. He was attainted for high treason,
and died in prison, from wounds received when resisting his arrest,
while the trial was pending in 1799,
84 SIR WATKIN'S GALLANTRY [CHAP, m
" Gen. Needham * mentions that Watkin commanded
the Cavalry, & made a very gallant charge against a
body, who were endeavouring to turn Needham' s
position which they were by that means prevented from
doing.
" The insurrection in the North appears to have been
confined to Antrim & to be wholly suppressed.
" Ever most affectionately yours,
"G.
" I send a note which my dear little woman * had
written to ask you to dine here."
A fragment enclosed in the above note
" ' General Needham sustained the best fought &
most gallant action of any & with an Army of every
description not 1,000 against 25,000 Rebels & the
General in his private & public Letters says that Sir
W.'s charge at ye Head of 30 of his men was a brilliant
piece of gallantry."
Sir Watkin to his brother Charles W. W, W.
" GONY, July 3rd, 98.
" You will have heard ere this of the unfortunate
business that happened near this place on Saturday last.
The Dragoons under Pulestone * got into a road that
was lined on both sides by the Rebels, they endeavoured
to push through, but in a small winding of the road
they found it blocked up by some cars, Pulestone had
his horse killed by the first shot, the check in front
caused a confusion in the rear & many of the men fell
with their horses & all into the ditches that were on
each side of the road. Dismounted poor fellows, they
had no chance of escaping, the loss in the whole of the
Dragoons is 54 men. I lost 25 men, Gifford & Ld. Mas.
Davies, whom you remember, Sergeant-Major Torry
was killed. Tell my Grandmother 4 that I saw Mr.
1 General Needham, afterwards 12th Vise. Kilmorey. Served in
America and was taken prisoner at Yorktown in 1774. He served in
France in 1793-5. He died 1832.
* Lady Grenville.
3 Of Emral, Denbighshire. Possibly Thomas, who mar. Penelope,
dau. of John Leche of Carden, and d.s.p.
Frances Shakerley, widow of the 3rd Sir Watkin. She died 1803.
1798] CHARLES IN DUBLIN 35
Hamilton in Dublin & that he belongs to a Corps called
by themselves the Merrion Square Watch, by others
the Fogies, they sup at each others houses, patrole the
streets on foot in fair weather, & in Chairs in foul
weather. ..."
" DUBLIN, July \5th.
" As my Regiment was idle I was for the last four days
as a volunteer with General Lake J hunting after the
Rebels through the mountains of Wicklow but unluckily
we could not catch them, they are gone north of Dublin
where they have had a good dressing & are attacked on
all sides. Now that they are driven out of the moun-
tains they cannot long exist."
In August, after the Summer Assizes, Charles joined
his brother in Ireland, just as the Rebellion was flickering
out.
A point of family interest raised in his letters to
his mother, is Lord Kirkwall's offer of a Volunteer
Corps, which he somewhat resented. In 1803, how-
ever, the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry came
into being, which regiment he commanded from that
date for upwards of forty-one years.
Charles W. W. W. to his Mother (notes from letters)
" DUBLIN, August 20th, 1798.
" I find Watkin in highest credit possible & looking
better than I ever saw him. He & his Officers all abuse
General Needham extremely & say that he has entirely
lost his character by the whole of his conduct while
they were under his command. Watkin complains of
him very much for having once abandoned his own
brigade in order to take the command of an expedition
of Cavalry which had been entrusted to W. by Lake
& for not having given him sufficient credit in the
official despatch for his services at Arklow when he was
1 Ld. Lake, 1st Vise.; born 1744. Served in America, under Ld.
Cornwallis. Lecky says that " his indiscriminating severity towards
the Irish " at this time did much harm. He was C.-in-C. in India,
1800. He died 1808.
36 THE SECOND FRENCH EXPEDITION [CHAP, in
second in command & defended the lower part of the
town without any communication whatever with the
General.
" I am going to the House of Commons today to hear
the report of the secret Committee & a debate upon the
attainder of Lord E. FitzGerald. . . ."
" August 24th.
" You will probably, before this, have heard from
Lord G. 1 that 1,600 French have landed near Kilala at
Ballina. The news arrived a few hours ago & Lord
Cornwallis * sets out tomorrow morning to take the
command in person. . . .
" It is very entertaining to see the various groups at
the different corners of the streets talking of it. Most
people in the House of Commons seem pleased with it
as they expect that a very good account will soon be
given of them. The French have taken the Bishop of
Kilala & his two sons prisoners. Lord Castlereagh's
dispatch mentions but 3 frigates & but 600 men but Ld.
Dillon's & all the private letters say four frigates con-
taining 500 men a piece."
" DUBLIN, Sunday, September 2nd.
" Lord Kirkwall s made the offer of a Volunteer Corps
to me at the Ruthin Assizes with all the pert civility
& low bows of a ci-devant French barber. I received
it as well as I could & desired him to put it into writing
& send it to the Major & so the enterview concluded
with all proper politeness on both sides.
" By the way I must now repay a kindness which you
have often shewn me in correcting my Orthography &
must desire that you will never libel the most ancient &
classical language now spoken by the name of Welch
1 Ld. Grenville.
1 Charles, 2nd E. Cornwallis ; born 1738 ; mar. 1768, Jemima,
dau. of Col. James Jones. He was a distinguished General Officer. He
served in India. Raised to the Marquisate 1792. Lord Lieut, and Com. -
in-Chief of Ireland, 1799. In 1804 he was for the second time made
Gov.-Gen. of India, and there he died, 1805.
3 John, Vise. Kirkwall, eldest s. of Countess of Orkney and Hon.
Thomas FitzMaurice of Llewenny Hall, Denbigh. Born 1778; mar.
1802, Anna Maria, dau. 1st Lord de Blaquiere. He died 1820.
1798] DUBLIN 37
as the C was only introduced by the Saxons, who wished
to make us pass for strangers in our native land.
" I am quite surprised to find that you have any
difficulty in finding a temporary Master for Henry, as I
should think that the family hack, Blair, might always
be had at a moment's notice till a better could be found.
I own that I cannot help agreeing with Watkin in think-
ing that some Englishman who has resided abroad
would be much preferable to any Swiss who can be found.
" I should rather expect that you would think Mr.
Fisher (Ld. St. Helen's 1 Secretary whom W. wrote to
you about) too young for such a charge, but W. has
lately thought of a friend of his own whom he knew in
Russia as Secretary to Mr. Whitworth, 2 Mr. Eton, who
has lately published a very curious & entertaining
book upon Russia & Turkey & who sounds I think much
more promising. . . .
" No news yet arrived from the Army. The report
is that the enemy have encreased very much in numbers
since Lake's defeat & what gives credit to it is Lord
Cornwallis' delaying so long to attack them & ordering
up more forces, though he has already near 9,000 troops.
Things remain very quiet here, but as a guard against
insurrection, every precaution is now used & every
regulation adopted which were in force during the
rebellion. No person except members of Parliament
& persons in uniform can go out after nine o'clock & the
barriers so strictly kept by the Yeomanry that there is
the greatest difficulty in getting into Dublin in the
evening. It is however quite wonderful to see how
incompletely everything is done here. It has been
notorious for the last two years that the favourite scheme
of the rebels was to set fire to Dublin, which by the
confusion it would excite, would very much favour an
insurrection.
1 Ld. St. Helens, born 1753; a successful and distinguished diplo-
mat. His last foreign mission was to St. Petersburg, 1801. He
died unmar. 1839.
* Charles Whitworth, born 1752 ; entered Dipl. Service in 1786.
Envoy Extr. and Plen. to Russia, 1793 ; created an Irish Baron, 1800 ;
mar. 1801, Arabella, dau. of Sir Charles Cope, and widow of Duke of
Dorset. In 1805 he was sent on a mission to France, where his firm
attitude in dealing with Talleyrand and the " Consular Court " up-
held the prestige of England throughout Europe. He d.s.p. 1825.
38 THE IRISH MILITIA [CHAP, in
" Last night the stables of the Mail Coach office were
set on fire (whether designedly or not is not known) &
in a very short time there a good many engines brought,
but you will be surprised to hear that there was not a
single fireman to take the direction of them, that they
were entirely worked by the standers-by & that if it
had not been for the exertions of Watkin, who came
with me to the place, I really believe that the fire would
not have been got under. There were indeed two men,
who were called engine-keepers, but both of them
extremely stupid & extremely drunk, which we were
told they always were at a fire.
" Lord Carysfort received this morning a long letter
from John Proby, 1 in which he says that the conduct
of the Kilkenny & Longford Militia in the late action
was infinitely more disgraceful than one can form any
idea of, so bad that it could not proceed from cowardice
only, but from a mixture of disaffection. Indeed I hear
that some of the Longfords joined the enemy. The
general account which Proby gives of the Irish Regi-
ments of Militia makes one shudder, & perfectly justifies
the declaration of Sir Ralph Abercrombie that they are
formidable to every one but the enemy. The Com-
mander of the Rebels who have joined the French has
sent to offer to surrender upon terms, but I understand
that Lord Cornwallis has positively refused to grant
any whatever. The reason of his collecting so very large
a force as 21,000 men is not from any apprehension of
the enemy, whose numbers are so insignificant that
one tenth of his troops, if they behaved properly would
be sufficient to destroy them, but in order to get back
the arms which have been dispersed amongst the
peasantry of the neighbourhood in great quantities.
The attack on the French will probably take place to-
day or tomorrow unless (which I should expect) they
surrender without an engagement."
" DUBLIN, September \Qth, t 1798.
" The appearance of this place continues quite tranquil
as indeed it has been ever since I have been here. Lord
1 John Proby, 2nd 8. of 1st Ld. Carysfort, afterwards 2nd Ld.
He died unmar. 1828.
1798] CONDITION OF IRELAND 39
Cornwallis appears to have given very great & very
universal offence by what is called his [torn paper], but
more particularly by his late proclamation offering
pardon to every private who joined the French if they
will give up their arms. This he has done without con-
sulting any person, & both Lord Buckingham l and
Lord Carysfort 2 seem to think that in so doing he has
exceeded his authority as all proclamations hitherto
issued by the Lord Lieutenant have been agreed upon in
Council & signed by all the Privy Counsellors present,
besides which Lord B. doubts whether by the Ld. Lieut.' s
Commission he has the power of granting a pardon for
high treason. Ever since I have been here I have been
struck by the manner in which I have heard most of the
principal servants of Government more than insinuate
blame against the Vice-Roy, but they now, as I am told
speak openly & wish that their disapprobation should be
known. All the English Officers who have been upon
the late Expedition describe the situation of Connaught
as more miserable than can be imagined by those who
have not seen it. No Gentleman's house for miles &
the condition of the peasantry so wretched as fully to
justify them in the opinion that any change must be for
the better."
" BLESSINGTON, September 26th, 1798.
"The Bang of France with 20,000 men
Marched up a hill & then
Marched down again.
And such my dear Mother will be the account that
future Historians must give (if they give any at all) of
General Lake's expedition against the Wicklow Rebells."
" DUBLIN, August 22nd.
" The Debate in the House of Commons on Monday
rather disappointed me as most of the speakers were
1 Ld. Buckingham, the 1st Marq., a former Lord- Lieut, of Ireland.
2 John, 1st E. of Carysfort (created Baron of U.K. 1801); born
1751 ; mar. 1st, 1774, Elizabeth, dau. of Rt. Hon. Sir William Osborne.
She died 1782. He mar. 2ndly, 1787, Elizabeth, 2nd dau. of Rt. Hon.
George GrenviUe. He died 1828. She died 1842. (He is uncle to the
writer.) The Irish estates of the Carysforts are Glenart Castle, Arklow,
co. Wicklow.
40 THE IRISH PARLIAMENT [CHAP, m
dull and all of them very confused. Curran's speech as
Counsel for Lord Edward FitzGerald was much the best
but contained nothing but declamation & appeals to the
papers which were outre & almost burlesque. ..."
[Undated.]
" When I last wrote it was settled that if we heard
nothing of the French fleet we should sail for Wales on
Monday. Watkin's regiment is ordered from Lehauns-
town Camp to be quartered at Naas & Kilcullen a
change they much disapprove of.
" Lord Cornwallis' answer to the Hosiers is the subject
of the greatest triumph to the Beresford l party that can
be conceived. On my return here on Sunday I was
told of it from all quarters as more than compensating
for any invasion that could be expected from France.
Indeed what we saw in Wicklow did look very much as
if the system of lenity & granting protections to rebels
had been carried too far. There are everywhere persons
who are more than suspected of giving information to
Holt of every movement of the Troops."
" DUBLIN, October 8th.
" We have all been Nelson mad ! for the last two days
& are in anxious expection of a petite piece in the same
style from the pen of Sir J. B. Warren. Indeed it seems
scarcely possible that if the Stag etc. saw the Brest Fleet
to the Westward of Scilly on the 17th of September & if
they intended to attack this country, but that we
should have heard of their landing before this time. I
went yesterday to the House of Lords to hear Lord
Cornwallis prorogue the parliament, his speech was
very long & appeared well written though ill-delivered.
You will see that he confirmed his promise to the
Hosiers of using vigorous measures against those who
have abused the King's mercy. This of course occasions
all degree of triumph to what is here called the Orange
1 Henry de la Poer Beresford, afterwards 2nd Marq. of Waterford ;
born 1773. A Privy Councillor of Ireland. Gov. of co. Waterford,
and Col. of the Waterford Militia. He succeeded his father 1800 and
died 1826.
3 The Battle of the Nile, August 2nd, 179a
1798]
THE HOSIERS
41
party. To give you some idea of the views of some
of them I need only tell you that happening the other
day to sit at dinner next to Mr. Ogle, whom that interest
had brought in for Dublin, I contrived by some enquiries
to set him talking, when he told me that he firmly
believed this rebellion could never be extinguished, but
by the revival of all the penal statutes against the
Catholics, the laying waste with fire & sword any district
in which the rebels should continue in force, & the
complete extermination of every person who ever joined
the standard of rebellion."
While the elder brothers were in Ireland, Henry's
education was giving Lady Williams Wynn some
anxiety at home. He was in his sixteenth year, and
had left Harrow.
Watkin and Charles discuss his future with their
mother, Charles, as already seen, favouring a tour
abroad with a tutor, Watkin, residence in a pension
on the Continent ; all this in anticipation of the posi-
tion, already promised, of private secretary to his uncle
Lord Grenville, at this time Leader in the House of Lords.
This appointment he was actually given in 1799, but,
as events will show, it was his second, not his first tenure
of office.
CHAPTER IV
1799
IN January the Right Honourable Thomas Grenville
was despatched on a mission to the Court of Berlin,
the object being to induce active co-operation from
Prussia, with Great Britain and her Allies, against
the aggressions of Napoleon and the French Republic.
Henry joined the party as private secretary to his
uncle. The Government frigate Proserpine, carrying
the personnel of the mission, ran aground off the
island of Newerke at the mouth of the Elbe on February
1st, and quickly became a total wreck owing to the
condition of the ice and the severity of the weather.
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" NEWEBK, February 3rd, 1799.
" Here we are safe & sound, after having had a most
Providential escape from the wreck of the Proserpine,
which ran ashore about 8 miles from off Newerk (where
I date this letter from) a small island not very far from
the continent. We sailed on Monday the 28th, & were
in hopes of having a most expeditious passage, but how-
ever Providence ordered it otherwise. Nothing remark-
able happened that night. On the 29th we got off
Heyligland of famous memory, on the 30th we got a Pilot
from the Island, & made for the red buoy at the entrance
of the Elbe, where we anchored. On the 31st we
struck on a sandbank, but got off without any injury
to the ship. We anchored off Newerk, & were very
much afraid that our Cables would be cut by the Ice
which came down in great torrents, we therefore covered
them with chains. On the 1st we saw that it was useless
to endeavour to get to Cuxhaven, we therefore turned
42
1799] THE WRECK OF THE PROSERPINE 43
back for the red buoy, but at about J past eight in the
morning we stuck again on a Sandbank which alas !
was fatal to the Proserpine. The Captain then ordered
that all guns & stores etc. should be thrown overboard.
All the time the ice was collecting about the Ship, &
was so strong that it bore some of the guns which were
thrown overboard, yet we thought that the ice would
be sufficiently strong all over to bear us to this island.
On the night of the 1st, the Ice came down so strong
that it broke the rudder, & injured the ship in other
parts. The same wind had considerably lessened the
chance we had of escaping over the ice, as it was broken
in several places, & there was no probability of the
ship holding together, if the wind blew with such
violence as it had done the night before.
" On the 2nd, at about 1 o'clock, we found that
crossing the ice was our only chance of saving our
lives, particularly as the Pilot said that the water was
not more than three feet deep. We therefore left the
ship, with Pikes in our hands to prevent our slipping,
& I am happy to say that after many dangers we arrived
at Newerk at about 4 o'clock, i There is no describing
to you what a scene it was to see the whole surrounding
prospect covered with precipices of Ice. We wrapped
ourselves up as well as we could, but were not allowed
to take greatcoats on account of being obliged to
scramble on all fours. I need not tell you how cold
it was. For example the water which came from our
eyes directly froze & formed Icicles. My Uncle suffered
greatly from the cold, but I hope he is very well in
health.
"There are only 8 small houses on this place, in
which we are all stuffed, & believe me, though rather
uncomfortable we are more content with our lot than
any one ever was. I will give you an account of the
room we are in. It is the family's sittingroom, & in
which three children are continually squeaking, &
believe me German children make twice the noise that
English do, in this room we & all the Officers are. The
only thing that the house affords is smoked Beef &
Bacon. ... I wish I could say that we had lost no
lives. There were several of the men, who when they
44 ANOTHER NARROW ESCAPE [CHAP, iv
left the ship, were a little in liquor, having had some
additional liquor to drink on their way. Some of these
laid down in the snow, & some went to sleep, & were
frost-bitten, & did not long survive their arrival here.
Indeed some of them died before they got ashore. One
poor woman who has been in the ship 7 years, & who
has had several children in the ship could not endure
the cold, & the other dangers of the journey, & with a
Baby at her breast actually dropped down, & was not
able to get up. I fear we have lost 13 men.
" The thing that I regret the most having lost is my
watch, which either in sliding down the ropes of the
ship when we got down on the ice, or in scrambling over
the ice fell out of my pocket."
From Henry W. W. W. to his sister Charlotte W. W.
" CUXHAVEN, February 1th.
" We have again experienced a most fortunate &
providential escape, if possible when we were in more
danger than before. We stayed at Newerk till yes-
terday morning, when our landlord thought we should
be able to get to Cuxhaven. We therefore, (accom-
panied by 70 men) set off at 7 o'clock that morning,
thinking that it was low water, but when we had gone
about a mile we found some water about a foot deep.
Our Guide said it was only a little Gully, & that it was
only 100 yds. over. We therefore went on, but to our
great astonishment we did not see the end of it. W r e
actually waded through the water, which was in some
places up to our middle, for 3 miles. The current was
at that time amazingly rapid, as the tide was coming
in, not going out. It froze so hard at the time, that
the water froze in our boots. I was very much afraid
that on account of my being so wet that my feet would
be frost-bitten, but luckily they are not. One of my
fingers are a little frost-bitten, it blisters exactly like
a burn & has the same sensation. ... I am sure I can-
not say enough, (& therefore shall not attempt it) of
the- great kindness & care which my best of Uncles
shewed me. When we were in the greatest danger he
looked round for me, & for the most part of the way
1799] MR. HOPPNER'S PICTURES 45
made me take hold of his arm. He was more tired
this time than the last, indeed we all were."
Mr. Thomas Grenville and his party proceeded to
Berlin, and the family at home kept the young private
secretary well posted up in their own doings, both
social and political.
Their letters tell of the period of anxiety, when the
fate of the Proserpine and its passengers was uncertain,
and of the congratulations and expressions of goodwill
which they received, when all doubts for their safety
were at an end.
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
[Undated, but about March 1799.]
" The great event in the family since your departure
is that Charles, (upon the death of the Member) is gone
down to stand for the County of Montgomery, & as
he has not found any opposition there is no doubt but
that he will be elected on the 13th. Charlotte x is not
yet a Grand lady presented, & will not be now I sup-
pose before Easter, she has had very little to regret
for though there has been I hear a great deal of gaiety
in London, I have had very little. I went to one
Almack's Ball which was a very good one & I danced
a good deal. The Duchess of Gordon * managed it
& said she would not have one Quiz, she certainly had
not, but how she managed it I do not comprehend,
unless Mr. Hoppner was concealed behind the door to
examine the faces of those who came in. By the bye
pray tell my Uncle that Mama's picture 3 is universally
acknowledged to be very like, but that Mr. H. has so
much pared away her cloak that her shoulders are all
exposed & very bad drawing displayed in them. My
Uncle & Lady G. are both sitting to him at present
& their pictures hitherto promise very well."
1 Charlotte, the writer's sister, mar. 1806, Lt.-Col. William Shipley,
s. of the Dean of St. Asaph.
2 Jane, dau. of Sir William Maxwell ; mar. 4th Duke of Gordon,
1767. She died 1812.
3 This picture is at Wynnstay, and reproduced in the frontispiece.
46 LETTERS FROM HOME [CHAP, iv
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
"BnooK STREET, March 8th, 1799.
" I shall expect to hear in your next of your begin-
ning to be settled in some regular habits of occupation,
& hope that the long & unforseen brake that you have
had in them will not render them more irksome to you.
Let me, my dearest make one criticism on the letters
which I have just received from you, which is that you
should never use figures in writing, but when you
really mean to describe numbers ; you should not there-
fore write | enough, nor I or 2 things, because in neither
case do you mean to speak numerically, nothing can
look more awkward."
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
[1799.]
" The last time we wrote, you was I believe told
that I was going to a ball at Ly. Lincoln's, 1 it was a
remarkably good one, I should guess far more pleasant
than your Court one. We stayed till past four &
left them dancing. All the fine people in London were
there, & among others your old school fellow Ld.
Grantham, 8 who has his hair tied & is grown quite a
young man. ... I told you before what a number of
congratulations we have received, since that time a
very ridiculous circumstance has occurred, an account
of which will I think divert you. The King had taken
a very kind interest in our anxiety & had been very
civil, it was thought proper that the family should go
to the Drawing Room in order to express their grati-
tude, & Mama went, but as I am always very glad
to escape the ceremony & as I was to go almost im-
mediately with Charlotte I got excused for this time,
you shall hear what was the consequence. The King
1 Lady Lincoln, Frances, dau. of Francis, Marquess of Hertford.
She mar. Ld. Lincoln, 2nd s. of 2nd Duke of Newcastle. They
had one only dau. Catherine, who mar. 1801, Ld. Folkestone, after-
wards 3rd Earl of Radnor.
1 Ld. Grantham, Thomas, 3rd Baron ; born 1781 ; sue. his father
1786 Inherited at the death of his maternal aunt, Amabel, Countess
de Grey, in 1833, the Earldom of de Grey. He mar. 1805, Henrietta,
dau, of 1st E. of Enniekillen. He died 1859.
1799] THE MONTGOMERYSHIRE ELECTION 47
having spoken to Mama & to my Aunts came next to
Miss Lascelles l who is rather fat. He unfortunately
took her for me & talked to her full ten minutes of
her Brother & her Uncle, of the dreadful secret she had
had to keep, etc., etc. She of course could not guess
what he could mean & only answered by courtseying, &
looking very much confused, however His Majesty did
not discern his mistake, & remains persuaded that I
am the most stupid & the most insensible of human
beings. As for Miss Lascelles she must think that Dr.
Willis z will be again sent for to the King immediately.
If she discovers the mistake I think she will be very
much affronted, as she is very pretty.
" I believe you have not heard that Charles is elected,*
& that all went off as prosperously & as triumphantly
as possible. I fancy that it is almost impossible to be
happier than he is at present.
" Yrs. F. W. W.'?
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" LLANGEDWYN, March 10th, 1799.
" MY DEAR OLD MAN, I ought before this to have
congratulated you on all your escapes, but as you must
already know, it was not until the fifth of this month
that we were relieved from our alarm about you, &
ever since that time Watkin & I have been so busy
canvassing etc. both in person & by letter, that it has
not been in our power to tell you how delighted &
overjoyed we were at hearing of your safety, as it is
impossible to describe our alarm when we only knew
your danger. Now that it is all over you have nothing
to do but to rejoice that you have so fine a story to
tell to your Grandchildren on a Winter's evening 60
years hence. . . . Were you here, I think you would
like to be of our party to Machynlleth on Thursday
but I fear you would be undutiful enough to laugh
when you saw me chaired round the town. I have
1 Possibly Mary Anne, dau. of Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron, afterwards
1st Vise, and 1st E. of Harewood. She mar. 1801, Richard York of
Wighill Park, and died 1831.
1 The Court physician.
3 For Montgomeryshire.
48 LETTERS FROM HOME [CHAP, iv
already sent there to desire that the chair may be well
examined & that the bearers may be carefully locked
up from all ' cwrw ' 1 on the morning before as it might
produce an indecorous effect if the Member for Mont-
gomeryshire were to take his seat in the House of
Commons with a patch upon his nose or a broken
head."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BKOOK STREET, March 15th, ^1799.
" I dined yesterday in Cleveland Row, 2 where my
brother asked me whether I thought there was any
chance of your having been employed to copy out your
Uncle's last dispatches of which the writing had been
very particularly commended, & as it was thought
not to be Mr. Fisher's hand, your Uncle flattered him-
self it might be yours. I heartily wish it may turn out
so, but I fear you will not have been thought quite
equal to it.
" We all want to know in what language you was
spoken to when you were presented, & what French
terms you found to express Ruabon Volunteers"
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, March 26th.
" Your letter of the 16th arrived yesterday. We
are very happy to hear that you have ventured to
dance, but want to know a great many more particu-
lars. In the first place, who did you dance with ? Do
you change partners as we do, or do you go on all
night with the same ? We want likewise to know what
the Prussian Peasant's dress is, & whether it is pretty
for dancing. If you think it pretty pray describe it
very exactly, for we have tickets for a Masquerade at
Mrs. Orby Hunter's, & though Mama says^now that
she will not go, I have still hopes of it, & think that a
Prussian Peasant would be something new, & out of
the common run.
" We have a great deal of gaiety in view at present,
1 " Cwrw " : Welsh for ale, or strong beer,
* Ld. Grenville's house,
1799]
LONDON GAIETY
49
Charlotte goes on Monday to a Ball at Lady Milner's, 1
I have made her very angry by foretelling that she
will dance with the enchanting Phil. Pierrepont * : the
Monday following we both go to a Ball at Mrs. Robin-
son's, & on Thursday sen' night Charlotte is to be pre-
sented. Besides all this we have great hopes that
Watkin will come up with Charles on the 9th, & that
then we may have a Ball here. Our hopes of the
Masquerade, likewise rest upon his coming. I fear we
have no chance of keeping him long. His Regiment
is tired of doing nothing, & have offered on their own
accord, to follow him & his Officers to any part of the
Globe. W. sent us the other day a copy of the Duke
of York's ' answer to this proposal, it is as handsome a
letter as you can conceive ; he ends by saying, that
he will be ' very happy if circumstances will admit of
his Majesty's availing himself of their present offer, &
affording the Regiment an opportunity of distinguish-
ing themselves on the Continent as they have done in
Ireland.' This sounds a little as if they were to be
moved. We all wish they may, as they cannot change
for the worse, & if they should go to Portugal it would
be much for the better. Do you remember how much
we laughed, some years ago, at the Escape of the
Guardian being immediately represented at Sadlers
Wells, the Part of Master Pitt by Miss Simonet ? Little
did we think we should one day see a representation of
the perilous situation of the Proserpine etc., etc., with
the wonderful escape of the passengers even etc., etc.
the Part of Mr. Grenville by Signor Bologna, Mr. Fisher
by the Signora, & Master Wynne by Miss Askins.
There's for you ! We want to know if you have ever
mounted a Bag, if the Sword has yet made it's appear-
ance ? I suppose you always talk French wherever you
go. Pray do not forget to send us full & particular
1 Lady Milner, Diana, dau. of Humphrey Sturt, of Crichel, co. Dorset ;
mar. 1774, Sir William Milner, 2nd Bart. She died 1805.
2 Philip Pierrepont, 4th s. of 1st E. Manvers ; born 1786; mar.
1810, Georgina, widow of Pryce Edwards of Talgarth, and dau. and
h. of Herbert Browne of Imley Park, Merioneth. He d.s.p. 1864.
3 Frederick, Duke of York, 2nd s. of George III; born 1763 ; Com.-
in-Chief ; mar. 1791, Frederica, Princess Royal of Prussia. She died
J820. He died 1827,
50 LETTERS FROM HOME [CHAP, iv
account of your partners. Have you been to any
Assemblies or Balls at private houses, as we long to know
whether they are like ours. I think when you receive
this letter you will not complain of not having anything
to answer. I hope you will not forget to send me
The Robbers, as I still wish very much to read it, & I
think that even my Uncle would allow that. We went
last night to Texter's, I think I hardly ever was so
much amused there before, he read Le Malade Imagin-
aire, which I did not know at all before, & which I think
is almost as good as any of Moliere's."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" UPPER BROOK STREET, May 3rd.
" We are in hourly expectation of Lord Bridport's l
meeting with the Brest-fleet & as I am quite sure it will
be a victory I heartily wish the news may come time
enough to be sent to you by this mail. Mr. Richards *
has vacated Helstone to throw it into the hands of its
natural representative, Lord Francis Osborne.* He
has you know put on the silk gown, that is, been ad-
mitted to the rank of King's Council by which his fees
are doubled, & his business (which naturally might have
lessened) has even already encreased, which I am sure
you will be glad to hear. George Fortescue * is going
to add to the number of Nobility & Gentry at Sunbury,
& as long as he wants only Mr. Moore's care, I think he
will be very well off, but of Mrs. Moore's & Mr. Boone's
you & I have no very great opinion.
1 Ld. Bridport, Alexander Hood, 1st Vise., born 1726. A very
distinguished naval commander and brother to 1st Vise. Hood. He
died 1814.
1 Mr. Richards, afterwards Sir Richard ; born 1752. In 1813 he
became Ch. Justice of Chester ; in 1814 Baron of the Exchequer ;
in 1817 Lord Chief Baron. He died 1823. His wife was the heiress
of Caerynwch.
8 Ld. Francis Osborne, born 1777 ; 2nd s. of the 5th Duke of Leeds.
Created Baron Godolphin 1832 ; mar. 1800, Hon. Elizabeth Eden,
dau. of 1st Ld. Auckland. He died 1850.
* George Fortescue, 2nd s. of Hugh, 1st E. of Fortescue, and his
wife Hester, dau. Rt. Hon. George Grenville, born 1791 ; mar. 1833,
Louisa, dau, of 1st E. of Harrowby. He siicceeded under the will of
his uncle, Ld. Grenville, to the Boconnoc and Dropmore estates,
1799] LORD THANET'S TRIAL 51
" Lord Thanet's l trial for the Maidstone Riot is
at present the most general subject of conversation.
Charles was in Westminster Hall attending it from
8 o'clock in the morning till 12 at night. His sentence
is not yet pronounced, & it is said that according to an
Act of Henry the 8th, which is the latest on the subject,
he is liable to imprisonment for life, confiscation of all
goods, & amputation of the right hand, which alto-
gether sounds so severe that even a mitigated part of it
would, I should think, considerably overbalance the
pride & pleasure of having endeavoured to assist the
escape of such a worthless being as O'Connor. 8 But
in the present moment we think of nothing but Lord
Bridport & the fresh Naval Laurels which in spite of
the backwardness of the Season we are persuaded are
on the point of bursting forth."
The Same
" BKOOK STREET, June 1th, 1799.
" Mr. Wm. Cockburne told me that he left you deeply
smitten with the Prussian reviews, yet are you I trust
still John Bull enough to envy us the pride & exultation
which we felt on Tuesday last at seeing above 8,000 men
assembled without fee or reward voluntarily to pledge
themselves to our defence. The Volunteers belonging
to the E. India House are to be reviewed by themselves.
1 Ld. Thanet, 9th Earl, born 1769; mar. 1811, Anne de Bajariovitz.
He d.s.p. 1825. He took no prominent part in politics, but in May
1798 was present, with Fox, Sheridan and others at the trial of
O'Connor at Maidstone. He was charged, with others, for creating a
riot in court, by putting the lights out, and attempting to rescue the
prisoner or facilitate his escape. In April 1799 the case was tried
before Ld. Kenyon and the King's Bench ; Sir John Scott (afterwards
Ld. Eldon) prosecuted. Erskine defended. After various delays he
was finally sentenced in June to a year's imprisonment in the Tower,
and a fine of 1,000. On his release he was ordered to give security
for his good behaviour for seven years to the amount of 20,000 ! He
died 1825.
* O'Connor, Arthur (1763-1852). The Irish rebel. He joined the
United Irishmen with Ld, Ed. Fitzgerald in 1796. In 1798 he was
arrested and tried at Maidstone. In 1803 he was liberated from
prison and went to France, where, in 1804, Napoleon gave him an
appointment as General of Division. In 1807 he mar. Eliza de Con-
dorcet. He became a naturalised Frenchman in 1812.
52 LETTERS FROM HOME [CHAP, iv
This body therefore of 2,000 though not in the Park on
Tuesday, is to be added to the general Corps, & surely
such a sight must give pride & confidence even to a
British taylor, a propos to which Captain Tim Kight
of the Putney Volunteers was among the most striking
figures in the field.
" You have heard from your sisters that Pizarro has
had magnetick power enough to draw the King to
Drury Lane. It has been new Christened by the name
of Court Plaister.
" The gay & gallant youth Philip Pierrepont is going
to display his Caper cutting powers to the Harrovians,
& applied to me for a recommendation of Mrs. Leith
who I said was to the best of my belief very careful
of little boys. This does not particularly apply to the
case in point, Master Philip being grown as broad as he
is long. Adieu ever dearest, ten thousand blessings
always attend you from
"Your affectionate Mother."
Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, June Ilth.
" Last Saturday we had a very pleasant party on the
water. We set out at about two in the neatest & pret-
tiest boat you ever saw, & went down to a small island
(just opposite to Brentford) where we dined, & while
our dinner was getting ready went to see the Botanic
Garden at Kew. We returned by water & did not
arrive at Westminster Bridge till past nine. You
cannot think how delightful it was. The day was quite
perfect for the purpose. We were to have gone today
to Woolwich by water to see the Dockyard, & among
other Vessels a 44 gun Frigate called the Severn, but we
were obliged to defer the party till Friday as it is not
near warm enough today.
" Everybody is now talking of Lord Thanet's sen-
tance, which you will of course see in the Newspapers.
Opinions differ very much about it, some think it too
severe, others too lenient. I hear from Charles that
Lawyers expected the imprisonment to be for five or
1799] LORD THANET'S SENTENCE 53
seven years. Lord T. will not I should think admire
the being moved to the Tower, as I hear he has em-
ployed Marsh to fit up rooms in King's Bench. He has
been giving grand entertainments there, Lord Derby, 1
the Duchess of Devonshire ! & many other fine people
have dined with him frequently. I heard the other day
a most shocking story from Harrow about a Boy who I
believe you know. One of these very hot days Peering
had got a horse & had rode out. Finding himself late
he rode very hard & having heated himself evidently
he stopt at a Public House to drink they gave him
brandy & water, which is supposed to have been too
strong for him & to have got to his head. In short he
fell from his horse soon after, bruised his head violently
& remained in a state of stupor when he was brought
back to school. He afterwards fell into a violent
delirious fever, & I am sorry to say that Sir Walter
Farquhar gives very little hopes of his life. Poor
fellow he suffers very severely for a slight fault. We
were very much amused at the idea of your dining
with Princess Louise.' Mama desires me to say that
she shall send you over a Cook & Maitre d'Hotel by
the next Messenger in order that you may give her a
dinner in return. . . .
" Charlotte made her first appearance at Ranelagh,
& unluckily it was a very bad one. The last time I was
there we had Master Parker, who is quite the wonder
of this year. Perhaps you may have heard of him by
means of the Newspapers, in case you should not I must
tell you that at 4 year & old, & he really does not appear
to be more he recites Dryden's Ode with so much
variety both of action & of tone of voice that it is
impossible to think that he does not understand it. He
likewise plays lessons on the Harp ; but that appears to
me far less surprising because I should think that any
child might be made to do that by dint of application,
1 Ld. Derby, 12th Earl ; born 1752 ; mar. 1st, 1774, Eliz., only
dau. of James, 6th Duke of Hamilton. She died March 14th, 1797.
He mar. 2ndly, May 1st, 1797, the celebrated actress, Eliza Farren.
He died 1834.
1 Georgina, 1st wife of 5th Duke of Devonshire, dau. John, Earl
Spencer. She died 1806.
3 See note 1, p, 106,
54 LETTERS FROM HOME [CHAP, iv
but the other requires far more understanding than
naturally belongs to four years old.
" I hope that you will reckon this a letter not only
worth reading but worth answering."
Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" TAPLOW, August 5th.
" Charlotte comes from Worthing on Saturday next
under convoy of Watkin, who is to deliver her to me
under heavy penalties early in the Evening. We think
of setting out for Stowe early in the next week, & from
thence after having stepped over to Elton to see your
Aunt I am not without some idea of turning your
Sisters heads (in every sense of the word) towards Wales
for the purpose of seeing Mrs. Wms. 1 who has been very
ill, & poor Lady Cotton 2 who continues very wretched.
You may easily guess that this Scheme is not unpopular
in the family, but to none I believe will it give more
sincere pleasure than to my dear Watkin. As to Charles
he will I expect be otherwise disposed of, but how I shall
not take upon me to say. There is a strong report that
the K. & Q. will after their return from Weymouth
repeat at Stowe the Visit which they have been making
at the Mote for the purpose of reviewing the Volunteers,
this will of course be a grand event in the family, & will
I suppose assemble as many as can be admitted. We
were all on the Terrace on Sunday last (for the first
time in our lives having as you remember been too late
last year). The good King delighted Hart s with talking
to her of her brother, & me, no less by the highest
enconiums on mine. He has we hear been at Billing-
bear, where there was nobody to receive him excepting
the two little boys, & it is supposed that Henry 4 has been
very grand on the occasion."
1 Elizabeth, 3rd dau. and co-h. of James Russell Stapleton ; mar.
Watkyn Williams, Esq., of Penbedw. He d.s.p. 1808.
2 Frances, 4th dau. and co-h. of James Russell Stapleton ; mar. 1767,
Sir Robert Cotton, 5th Bart., M.P. for Chester. He died 1807.
3 Harriet W. W., afterwards Mrs. Cholmondeley.
* Henry Neville, 2nd s. of 2nd Baron Braybrooke. Killed at Tala-
vera 1809.
1799] VOLUNTEER REVIEWS 55
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" August 1799.
" Every body is talking of the magnificence of the
Entertainment at the Mote on the Day of the Review
of the Kentish Volunteers. You have I believe heard
from Mama that the Bucks, & Essex are expected to
follow, as soon as the King returns from Weymouth.
They were talking the other day at Dropmore of various
plans for the operations at Stowe in the first place, we
hope that as the thing cannot take place till the beginning
of October, the King will not attempt to perform the
whole in one day, but will come to Stowe the day before,
have a Ball in the Evening & sleep there, he may then
easily return after the Review the next day. My
Uncle G. 1 proposes that they should be received on the
Ground on the left hand as you enter the gates, that the
Royal Family should dine in the South Portico, the
men on the Ground immediately before, & the Nobility
& Gentry in the two little Parterres on each side the
Portico. We hope that my Uncle will think it proper
to ask the whole of his family to help him to receive his
Guests, we shall be returned from our expedition by
that time, & I heartily wish you may be so likewise.
It may be proper to observe that all these Schemes were
settled by my Uncle G. Mama, & my Aunt, & not by
those who are to decide. I believe it is not yet deter-
mined that any part of them shall take place, & that
the whole thing is only conjecture. I don't know how
far the Essex Review is settled but Charlotte says in
one of her letters that the Nevilles are comforting
themselves for having been absent from Billingbear
when the King came there about a week ago, with the
hopes that the Review will bring him to Audley End.
His Majesty was received at B. B. by the old fat House-
maid Ellen, (whom you may remember), I fancy she
had not an idea, who it was, for when the D. of York
gave her a Guinea for shewing the house, she asked him
what Lord she should say had called. She addressed
the King all the time by the Title of ' My Lord.' '
1 Ld. Grenville.
56 THE DUTCH EXPEDITION [CHAP, iv
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" TAPLOW, October \5th, 1799.
" Although my dearest Charles will never, I believe
think a Mother's blessing unseasonable it did not appear
to me that Holyhead Race Ground was just the Spot
on which I could most satisfactorily offer it to you, &
therefore waited your return to Wynnstay, to thank
you for your annual tribute of remembrance, & to con-
gratulate myself on all the blessings which I derive from
the particular subject of it. I am very anxious to
hear whether poor Lady Cotton has had spirits enough
to keep to her engagements, I fear she must suffer cruelly
from her constant alarm for Lynch. 1 God knows the
accounts of such victories fill me with horror, & make me
shudder at the sight of a Gazette. Every thing looks most
gloomy on the Continent, & Lord Nelson is supposed,
Antony like, to have put himself Laurels & Lions, into the
lap of the Cleopatra Lady Hamilton. Where our dear
Absentees are, I have not an idea & altho I know not
what to fear about them, I am not happy while I do not
positively know that they are safe. My last letter was
from your Uncle from Albona dated the 19th of Sept.
since when Lord Grenville has had one from Embden,
but none since they went from thence. Where they are
hiding themselves I can not guess, but to judge by
Appearances I do not think the moment for their settling
the pacific government of Holland can be very near. I
cannot help fanceing myself that the Arrival of Brown-
rigg l looks like some important change of measures.
The report of misunderstanding between the two Chiefs
is very general, & only confirms our regret that the
Duke of Y. 1 quitted a Post where he was unanimously
approved, for one where he must at best hazard his fair
fame if not lose it."
1 Lynch. 4th B. of Sir Robert Cotton, and younger brother to the
Field-Marshal, 1st Vise. Combermere. He d.s.p. in East Indies 1799.
1 Robert Brownrigg, born 1768 ; General in the Army ; created a Bart.
1816. He died 1833.
* D. of York took command of the Armies in Holland for a short
time, not successfully.
CHAPTER V
18001801
AFTER his return from Berlin, Henry became private
secretary to his uncle, Lord Grenville. When the Pitt
Ministry resigned, after the dissolution of Parliament
in March 1801, Lord Grenville, on leaving office, gave
his nephew a small permanent post in the Foreign
Office.
Henry's two intimate friends, however, continued
their educational studies, Dick Neville at Eton and
Ebrington at Oxford.
From Lord Ebrington to Henry W. W. W.
" OXFOBD, February IQth, 1800.
" DEAR HENRY, It will be needless to inform you
that we arrived here on the evening of Thursday the 5th
& of the perils & dangers of our journey ; I was matricu-
lated etc. the next day, & remained at the Bishop of
Chester's house till Monday, when my Father returned
to London. We will throw a veil over the evening
when I was asked out to wine & supper, the effect of
which was that I passed the night in torment with
headache, and the whole of the next day in walking
about in the air to endeavour to dispel the remaining
fumes of the entertainment, this they tell me is the case
with every Freshman until he becomes a little used to
the style of thing of which in order that you may not
laugh at the weakness of my Brain I will just give you
a sketch. When dinner was over at about 4 o'clock we
adjourned about fourteen in number to Finch's rooms, &
sat drinking Bumper Toasts . . . till about half past nine.
You may suppose by this time none of the party were too
57
s A FRESHMAN AT OXFORD [our. T
sober, we ad j ourned huwviu upstairs to a ray handinmc
sapper, I bang a new comer was sneeessivehr obliged
to dnnk a pass of nine with every pti.toii in
this done we returned down stairs, a.s I hope-i. en
way to our respective dens, bat for once I was :
in my ;onjeeture :':: -::.-: ~.;r.? ;:.-..-. :>.-: ::.::.- . i.i
jnst before left, in order to go to supper, I found the
Bottles* Fruit e, removed m their place the table
covered with large tumblers three or four Bowb of a
. .. :: ailed T(/f mthtueniBl,wJ .'. " . n interpreted
lyrifiri very iliimg, spicy negus, this lasted tin 1 past
eleven when the party brake up retired to the enjoy-
mtvt .:' :. :-: v- ~, :..^:.~.-:...^:-'-.:-, ':.'.... :.-"...-. HnmVucmM]
& the other attendants upon overloaded stomachs
overheated Brains. Ton wiD I know wonder when yon
read this how it is pmHJhlr to five a week u
circumstances; I must howercr teM you that I
to find this was not a usual sort of thing, except at tiie
first admission of a Freskmim whom
duty to endeavour to make drunk, :
.: < --nig is the giving four or fire Bumper
which everyone must drink, as to the rest liilF^g A
ma.n fiH, or pass the Bottle as he feels himself disposed.
In large parties the number
seldom goes beyond ten which
but I am lucky enough to escape a guud deal of tins as
my Tutor makes me come to C'J^JP Ifgaefe with him for an
hour in the evening, unless I am going out any whtit,
particular, in which case I send him word or tell him at
my morning lecture, which is from nine till twerre. I
have engrossed so much of my letter in the above accoomt
that I have no room for other ne^
life upon the whole very much, oar routine is briefly
as follows :
" Phajq* at | before e%mt in the morning^ brcak-
fast from past eight till nine, From that til 10 prepare
my Lecture for my Tutor, stay with hmi fironm 10 t3ll3L
Dine in HA.H at 3. There me evenimj pmjris at 5, but
those who attend regularly in the m
at least five times a week. Sappti m HaM at unless I
am invited out. Ak thr^ ':. :. .
locked, after wfcicli every
1800] BOOK-COLLECTING 59
piece of paper which is given to the Bishop of Chester,
nothing is however said to you (unless you repeat l)jr>
very often), if you come in before twelve, but those who
enter after that hour receive a Satire of Juvenal, one of
Virgil's Georgics, or something of that sort to write out
for the improvement of their mind. So much for our
mode of life at Alma Mater. I understand that Mr.
Pitt's Speech is published, if this be the case pray frank
me one down if it should not be too much trouble, &
whenever you can send me anything new in this way,
or (without committing diplomatic secrets) any news
will be thankfully received.
" Yours very affectionately,
" EBRINGTON."
From Hon. Richard Neville to Henry W. W. W.
" ETON, February 25th.
" DEAR HENRY, I have received your catalogue,
which however was charged 55. 6d., but I have sent the
cover to the Post Office stating your authority, so that
I am most likely to recover it.
" Upon examining the Lots there there were none on
the first or second days' sales which I cared about which
made me defer writing until today, I have marked some
books and shall close with your offer of executing com-
missions. Those marked in the enclosed list with x are
for my father's new Library at A. E., but if you should
get any others at the end of the sale, let Jeffrey send
them to me here, but the crossed ones to Grosvenor
Street. If you cannot at any time attend, Payne would
do anything in the bidding way for me, but it is a bad
way to give the Auctioneer commissions, as he always
puts a book up at your highest price.
" I have not heard from Ebrington since his arrival
at Oxford, if you know how he goes on etc. let me know
should you have time to write word what Lots are not
down to me."
The Same
" Erox, March 9A.
" I write to acknowledge your letter which reached
me this morning, but was charged 3s. 4d. As I in vain
60 OXFORD [CHAP, v
endeavoured to recover 55. 4d. for the last, after having
exchanged letters with the Inspector of francs, I thought
I had better return you the covers that you may assert
your privilege (if you have any) if not in future procure
a franc from my uncle or send your parcels per Coach,
otherwise I shall be ruined ; I enclose you Ebrington's
letter which was very entertaining, as he has not yet
condescended to answer a note in which I in vain
reminded him of his promise.
" I think Mill's books must have sold very dear by the
specimens you sent, I thought I had a good chance of
Tasso. I wish you would enquire of Jeffrey what he
would allow me for a copy of Chamber's Dictionary, four
Vols. boards uncut, provided I take the value in other
books. I have just finished taking in this work, but as
I have got Hall's Encyclopaedia I do not want both.
" Should you know of any more Sales I should like a
catalogue provided you are QUITE sureof yourauthority."
From Lord Ebrington to Henry W. W. W.
" OXFORD, March 24th, 1800.
" MY DEAR HENRY, You must I fear have a bad
opinion of my diligence & my gratitude in not having
taken an earlier opportunity of thanking you for the
Speeches, accompanied by Bulletins, which you have
sent me ; it is however, as I told Dick in a letter which
I wrote to him yesterday, better late than never, excuse
therefore my negligence, & accept the tardy thanks so
long since due to you. . . . You have I suppose heard
from your Brother Charles (who came this circuit) that
he found me very comfortably settled in very good rooms,
in which he got an extremely bad breakfast. I lament
much that I did not see him in his wig, etc., in Court,
which sight I missed by going to the Nisi Prius instead
of to the Criminal side. The Gaol was very full but only
one man was capitally convicted, & him the Judge
respited before he left town, two however are to amuse
their friends & the Public, one by standing in the
Pillory at Oxford & the other by being flagellated at the
Cart's tail round Henley, but when these Sentences are
to be executed I know not. I had a letter some time
1800] LORD CLAIRE'S SPEECH 61
since from Dick, 1 informing me of his arrival at Eton,
under the evil influence of a grievous fit of the colic.
I hope however that it will soon leave him as I know
from experience the misery attending upon that
disorder."
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" HEREFOBD, March 19th, 1800.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I am very much obliged to you
for sending me Lord Clare's * Speech, which I think by
far the most valuable & interesting publication upon
Irish affairs that I have yet seen. Notwithstanding
what I before knew of his intrepidity both personal &
political, I am astonished that he should venture to
speak so many home truths in an Irish House of Lords
assembled in the Irish Metropolis. In one respect this
Speech has worked an alteration in my opinion, & that
is that whereas I was before perfectly satisfied with the
terms of Union proposed in Ld. CastlereaghV Speech,
I am now inclined to think that this country ought
upon no account whatever to consent to the introduction
of so many Irishmen into her legislature.
" Watkin has behaved very shabbily to me in not
sending me word how the fate of his Regiment has been
decided, & when he is to be down in Wales.
" In the Mysorean style, which I suppose is the most
proper to use to you great Statesmen, ' Continue to
gratify me with friendly letters.' "
From Lord Ebrington to Henry W. W. W.
" OXFOBD, November 9th, 1800.
" DEAR HENRY, You are a shameful Fellow for not
having yet executed my Commission about the Snuff,
1 Hon. Richard Neville.
* Ld. Clare, John Fitzgibbon, Att.-Gen. of Ireland 1784, Lord
Chancellor of Ireland 1789, when he was raised to the Peerage as
Baron Fitzgibbon. In 1795 he was created Earl of Clare. He died
1802.
s Ld. Castlereagh, born 1769. One of the pre-eminently leading
statesmen of Europe at this time. He mar. 1794, Amelia Ann, dau.
and co-h. of 2nd E. of Buckinghamshire. She died 1829. He suc-
ceeded his father as 2nd Marq.^of Londonderry in 1822,fand died by
his own hand a few months later while still holding the office of
Foreign Secretary. His brother succeeded him in the title.
62 PROMOTION [CHAP, v
Pray send it down as soon as possible. . . . The Bishop
& Mrs. C. arrived here on Wednesday ; the first act of
his Lordship's administration here was to call a Bursary
Meeting to forbid any one from having for breakfast
above two pen'rth of Bread without a particular order
from the Bursar. A piece of Bread bearing this price
is about half as large again as those which are usually
handed round at dinner, of which I could for Breakfast
eat at least eight. If this terrible scarcity continues,
Lord have mercy upon us. I am afraid however that
other places are even worse off than this. . . . Permit
me again to remind you about the Snuff, as its arrival is
much wished for here by others besides,
" Your very sincere,
" EBRINGTON."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, Thursday, 1801.
" With most heartfelt pleasure is it my beloved Henry
that I hail you by your newly acquired Title in compari-
son of which the appellation of Clerk is certainly as you
say chetive. May each new year open to you prospects as
pleasing as this does, & to give them the highest possible
brilliancy may they continue to be the reward of your
own good conduct & the pledge of the Affection &
Approbation of your best friends. Your present Situa-
tion has in it everything most gratifying to my Wishes
& in no respect so much so, as the still closer bond &
connection which it forms between you & your excellent
Uncle, under whose eye & by whose invaluable example
you are hourly forming yourself to everything estimable
& truly laudable. How thankful do I feel to the
Almighty my dearest for having given to you such dis-
positions as leave me only to wish that you may persevere
untainted by vice & folly as you are now.
" You have been brought very fore ward, & have (I
can with pride & truth say) fully justified by the steadi-
ness of your conduct the partial confidence which has
been placed in you, nor will I harbour a doubt or fear of
the future's fully keeping pace in that respect with what
is past. . . .
1801] MR. PITT'S RESIGNATION 63
" Adieu My dearest. Long may I continue to give
to you the pleasurable sensation which your well-being &
well-doing excite in the warm heart of your truly affec.
" Mother, C. W. W.
" N.B. Among other Advantages you are no longer,
* Wynn of Lord Grenville's Office.' "
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, March 20tk,
"... I have lately passed my hours of Society
entirely at Assemblies where the remarks of ' how hot !
how full ! ' & now,' how black ' washed down with the
rinsing of a Tea-pot & the squeezing of a musty lemon,
is all the food to be had for body or mind. The Chan-
cellor's * Resignation is the only one which now remains
to be given in, & now wiseacres observe that, ' Thank
God all the dear King's troubles & difficulties are at an
end,' as if getting a good name or a new Steward were
alike reasons for putting on one's Night-cap. The
squables & ill humour of the Irish appear palpably to
encrease every day & I doubt much whether disunion
would not have brought us, from necessity, much nearer
together than its nominal counterpart. I heard the
other day a reason assigned for Mr. P.'s * having so
hastily & so peremptorily insisted on bringing forward
the Catholic Bill which seems to me the most plausible
of any yet thrown out, which is that since the horrid
Dr. Hussey J (titular Bishop of Cork) went over to Paris
1 Ld. Loughborough. Mr. Pitt's Ld. Chan. 1783-1801, resigned
in March and was succeeded by Ld. Eldon. Loughborough was
created E. of Rosslyn.
1 Mr. Pitt. The Ministry resigned on March 17th, 1801, on the
Catholic Question.
3 Dr. Thomas Hussey (1741-1803), a well-known Roman Catholic
Bishop and a man of great general knowledge and savoir-faire. He was
sent on a confidential mission to Spain, by the D. of Portland (1783),
after the Spanish Government had joined with France in the war
between this country and the American Colonies. Later, Pitt sought
his good offices in checking disaffection among the Irish soldiers and
militia. In 1797, in a pastoral letter, Hussey reminded the Catholics
in Ireland that temporal rulers could exercise no rights in spiritual
matters ; strong feeling was thus aroused, and the Pope granted Hussey
leave of absence from his diocese, i In 1801 he was believed to be
negotiating a concordat between Pius VII and Napoleon,
64 MR. PITT'S RESIGNATION [CHAP, v
he & Bonaparte have been very busy cooking up a new
Galilean Church of which His Holiness is still to be titular
Head, & his pious son Bonaparte the first of his Vicars.
This is to give much more latitude to the true believers
& is to be introduced at the point of the sword to all the
happy fraternity Countries of the Continent. In such
an arrangement Hussey would of course not omit putting
in a good word for his old friends in Ireland, & the idea
of this negotiation is supposed to have influenced Mr. P.
to endeavour by some previous douceurs to the Catholics
to keep them steady against Hussey's offers. It is said
with a confidence which almost amounts to an assertion
that on the 10th of Oct. Mr. P. gave a decided opinion in
Council against Emancipation & on the 4th or 5th of
January it is believed that he first urged the necessity
of adopting measures precisely the Reverse. This is said
to have been the cause of the first delay in assembling
the Parliament & afterwards of the Adjournment from
day to day of the King's Speech. After all the true key
to this extraordinary political Enigma is still unfound,
but Time both unravells & unlocks most things, & this
will probably be among the rest. Lord Darnley notifies
that his Motion today is to produce the longest debate
ever known in the H. of Lords, how it may agree with
their gentle natures I know not but I think it would
irritate mine to pass eight or ten hours hearing declama-
tions about a point of which the full force & bearing is
known before a word is uttered, & which will, of course,
leave it all just as it was in the beginning. ... I must
quite in confidence own, that the old Eleanor blood in
my veins is in a good deal of ferment at the Jointure,
which makes, in my idea, such a maculate close to our
immaculate career, but I am told it will only make a nine
days Wonder, & will then sink into the overflowing
Cauldron of Charms to which every political Hecate is
kind enough to contribute.
" I had a letter yesterday from Berlin of ye 7th inst.
full of Consternation, at the accumulation of disasters
which had just reached them. Lord C. 1 I fancy deter-
mined, (as I was sure he would) against connecting him-
self with the new firm for longer than is absolutely neces-
1 Lord Carysfort.
1801] THE ART OF LETTER-WRITING 65
sary to bring to a close the business actually on the Anvil
which it is supposed must be immediately brought to
issue by the appearance of our Fleet x before Copenhagen,
some say that the Dane has privately hinted that he
only wants a respectable degree of Coertion to justify
his submission, & that as soon as he receives a return
of our numbers & weights of Metal he will make his
lowest bow. All agree that the Swedes are the only
people likely to fight. The bully Paul 2 is supposed to be
incapable of making the least stand, provided the Winds
will but let us get up to him.
" My Sister * speaks of the surprise at the arrival of
P. Adolphus 4 for whom they are of course obliged to
make some extra exertion. She says he adores his Father,
& is perfectly distracted at the idea of his illness, of which,
from his abrupt departure from Hamburgh, he knows
nothing more than he sees in the Newspapers."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" CASTLE HrLL, October l&th.
" I return to you the two letters which you enclosed
me this morning. Your answer to Lord Whitworth was,
I think in substance, very proper, but less well worded
than I could have wished, and indeed should have
expected. You will see the word Treaty repeated twice
in your first two lines, and ditto the word believe in your
two last. The phrase ' to be sure ' is a very vulgar use
on paper, and your dependance on the good opinion of
your friends should have been expressed, as I am sure
you feel it, more decisively than as ' your being a good
deal governed by it.' You well know my dearest, the
particular importance of your attending to your style,
and therefore it is that my ever anxious solicitude for
you rests so much on that subject. I always think that
with the advantages which you have had of transcribing
so many, and such well written letters, your own ought
1 Battle of Copenhagen was in April 1801.
Czar Paul I of Russia ; assassinated in April 1801.
3 Lady Carysfort.
* Prince Adolphus, afterwards Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of
George III,
66 THE ART OF LETTER-WRITING [CHAP, v
to be better, and would be so if you took more pains
about them.
" With respect to the proposal itself I agree with you
that the permanency of the Situation essentially affects
the Eligibility of it. In point of income, I suppose it
would be rather inferior to the Precis-ship, and in point
of other advantages I hardly think enough would be
found to compensate for your exile from home and the
breaking into the course of study, which you are yourself
so anxious to prosecute.
" Give my love to my dear Chas. and warmest thanks
for his most affectionate expressions l towards me.
They are such as he has every reason to be proud of
uttering, but had they been otherwise you may as well
hint to him, that both they and the remarks in your two
letters, with which his concluded, were sent without Seal
or Wafer entirely at the mercy of the Postman and
Master. What careless animals you are ! With this
general Sarcasm, my dearest I conclude my letter which
will, I hope, find you all in the height of the Holywell
Gaieties."
Henry was evidently not entirely satisfied with his
billet, and in 1802, when Lord Whitworth was sent to
represent the British interests at the Consular Court in
Paris, he made an effort to obtain a position on his staff.
1 His birthday letter.
CHAPTER VI
18021803
THE year 1802 opened with an " unfinished Peace
Treaty " between England and France. In the October
of 1801 Lord Hawkesbury had signed the " Preliminaries
of Peace." By the New Year suspicions and doubts
as to the possibility of a definite Peace were gathering,
not only on the other side of the English Channel,
but amongst members of all political parties in the
country. The Treaty of Amiens, however, was con-
cluded on March 27th.
So severely was the new Ministry criticised by Lord
Grenville and his supporters in the House of Lords, and
by Mr. Wyndham in the Commons, that Parliament
dissolved very shortly after the Prorogation in June.
The new Parliament did not assemble until November.
Mr. Addington remained at the head of the Government.
Charles took the opportunity of the autumn recess
to visit Paris.
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
" HOTEL DE MABIQNY, PABIS, VEND., October 15th.
" MY DEAR MOTHER, Immediately after writing to
you on Monday we left Dieppe after having been
detained till one o'clock by the delays of the Custom
House respecting our baggage. In the meantime we saw
the Church which struck me very much from the richness
of its Gothic Architecture but which has since been
completely effaced by the Cathedral & other Churches
at Rouen to describe which any language must be in-
adequate. We travelled in two Cabriolets one of them
67
68 IIOUEN [CHAP, vi
exactly similar to an English Buggy, the other you may
form a complete idea of from one of Mr. Bunbury's
drawings. During the whole of our journey the roads
have been extremely good & the slightest of English
carriages might, I think travel along them with perfect
security. We reached Rouen between nine & ten &
remained there the whole of Tuesday. It was with great
regret that we left it the next day, after having passed
the principal part of Tuesday morning in the Cathedral
& in the Church of St. Ouen. The burying place of
Coeur de Lion & of the Regent Duke of Bedford would
in itself be sufficiently interesting if it was not without
exception the richest & most magnificent specimen of
Gothic Architecture which I have ever yet seen or indeed
that my mind is capable of conceiving. It has scarcely
suffered in the course of the Revolution & the beautiful
Monument of Cardinal George d'Amboise & of the
Marechal de Brez6 I The latter is indeed au noirs from
having been erected by Diana of Poictiers to her husband,
her own figure is introduced weeping & the following is
the Epitaph.
" Hoc Lodoice tibi posuit Brezee sepulcrum
Pictonis amisso maesta Diana viro
Indivisa tibi quondam et fidissima conjux
Ut fuit in thalamo sic erit in tumulo.
" Perhaps the sight of this inscription might have
suggested to Madame de Genlis her moral publication on
the inconvenience to be apprehended by Ladies from
making des Voeux te'me'raires. The Church of St. Ouen
which is the lightest & most simple Gothic fabric that
I ever saw is now converted into a Granary & the whole
pavement is covered for two feet deep with corn, except
in particular walks which are left to enable persons to
get to the different parts of the Church. It some what
resembles Westminster Abbey (though it is smaller)
if you can conceive the latter stripped of its Monuments
so as to leave an unbroken View from one end to the
other. On Wednesday night we slept at St. Germains
which is about twelve miles from here. In the morning
we saw the Palace & proceeded here. We are very
pleasantly situated & the more so as we have met with
1802] PARIS 69
Mackintosh l (the barrister, & author of Vindiciae
Gallicae) in the same Hotel who being very well
acquainted both with Mansfield a & myself has given
us much curious information. I have hitherto enjoyed
our expedition far beyond my warmest expectations.
We have not met with a single contretemps except the
being obliged in common good nature to admit a tire-
some fellow barrister to be of our party from Dieppe to
this place, but we are now rid of him & he has only
served to make us the better pleased with our own party."
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother (from Paris)
" Monday, October 18th, 1802.
"As an opportunity now offers of sending a letter
which will be put into the English post office by
Charles Finch who leaves this place tomorrow I again
take my pen. The first thing which rouses the indig-
nation of an Englishman is the almost Asiatic pomp,
splendour & luxury of the Government. The person
at the head of it feels his power & rules with a rod of
iron without the smallest attention to popularity. He
seems upon every occasion to wish to mark his disdain.
Several of the finest pictures in the public Galleries
are already removed to the Thulliries, St. Cloud,
& Malmaison. The account which you saw in the
Newspapers of the conversation between Fox s & him,
relative to Windham's * share in the infernal machine,
1 Mackintosh, Sir James, 1765-1832, a philosopher and " litterateur."
His book Vindiciae Gallicae, published in 1 791, was an answer to Edmund
Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution. He was a member of
literary societies, a friend of Fox and Sheridan, Pitt and Canning.
His sympathies were Whig. In 1803 he accepted the Recordership
of Bombay, but the climate affected his health, and he returned to
England 1812. Subsequently he was given various small appointments
at home.
a Mansfield, probably Hon. Henry, afterwards General and K.C.B. ;
born 1784; served in the Peninsula and at Waterloo; mar. 1810,
Emily, dau. General de Visme. He died 1860.
3 Charles James Fox, 2nd s. 1st Ld. Holland; born 1749; Foreign
Secretary 1782 ; formed a Coalition Ministry with Ld. North 1783,
of short duration. Was Foreign Secretary in Ld. Grenville's " Minis-
try of All the Talents," 1806. He died in office 1807.
* William Windham, 1750-1810, an eminent Whig statesman.
Secretary at War 1794, and holding the same office with that of the
Colonies in Ld. Grenville's Ministry 1806-7.
70 PARIS [CHAP, vi
is perfectly correct. You will be surprised to hear
that the only two busts in his own sitting-room are
English Fox & Sir Sidney Smith. Fox's conduct re-
specting O'Connor has been entirely disapproved of
even by his own party. That & his introduction of
Madame Fox l have kept a great number of persons
aloof from him, Macintosh described to me a curious
group one night at Talleyrand's Assembly, consisting
of Madame Talleyrand, Madame Fox, Lady Holland *
& Lady Oxford.* The latter has been so extremely
gross & glaring in her conduct with O'Connor that it is
imagined she will find great difficulty in again getting
into London Society. They actually went last Week
together to a breakfast given by Madame Cabarenne, 4
alias Talien alias [. . .] who having already two husbands,
is living now with a third who has also another wife. In
my road here I was very much struck with the fullness of
every church every morning from about seven till eleven,
but found the audience consisted solely of Women & old
Men. Yesterday being Sunday went into two or three
of the principal churches & found them all completely
crowded with persons of all ages. Religion is indeed
the fashion of the day. The First Consul & the Empress
of the Gauls go in grand procession to Mass at St. Cloud
& their subjects follow their example. Still however
we passed yesterday, in a way which looked as unlike
Sunday as one can easily conceive. At two we went to
see a Balloon ascend from the Champs Elys6es which
collected almost all Paris. After keeping us waiting
near four hours, at last Citoyen Acard effected his ascen-
sion, but the balloon not being sufficiently inflated he
left his Parachute which had been exhibited in due form,
1 Madame Fox, Elizabeth Bridget Armstead. Mr. Fox's marriage
came as a surprise to his friends, though the lady was not unknown
to have been his companion for some time. She died 1842. There
were no children.
1 Lady Holland, dau. of Richard Vassall ; she mar. 1797, 3rd Ld.
Holland (she had mar. previously Sir Godfrey Webster, Bart.). She
died 1845.
3 Lady Oxford, Jane, dau. Rev. James Scott ; mar. Edward Harley,
6th E. of Oxford, 1794. She died 1824.
4 Madame Cabarenne, previously Comtesse de Fontenay, after-
wards Madame de Tallien. Tallien obtained a divorce in 1802, and
she mar. the Prince de Chimay. She was at one time the mistress of
a rich banker Ouvrard.
1802] PARIS 71
behind him. After this we returned home to eat a
hasty dinner & from thence to the Opera, & from thence
to Frascati. The only point in which every body seems
to unite is the detestation of the revolution. It is not as
a subject of discussion but as if of general consent. Not
a ruin is shewn but with ' Voila ce que c'est que la
Revolution.' The openness with which royalist senti-
ments are avowed & apparently even patronised by the
Government is indeed astonishing. I was told by
Macintosh of an Officer of the Etat Major shewing
him a picture of Louis XVI at Versailles, ' Et voila le
meilleur de nos Rois d'ont la bonte" fatale a boulverse"e
1'Europe.' He also told me of a curious conversation
which he had with Tallien, with whom he was before
totally unacquainted. Being told that he talked very
openly of the plans of his party in 1792, he asked him,
M. ' Est il vrai Monsieur, que vous aviez eu le dessein
d'e"gorger toute la famille royale le dix Aout ? ' T. ' Ah
que oui, eertes.' M. ' Quoi ? femmes et enfants ? ' T.
4 Certes. II n'y a eu que ce mis: de Roederer qui a voulu
faire des distinctions et au fond causoit i\,i de 1'humanite'
car cela auroit etc* fait pendant la confusion du combat
pele mele, et on auroit epargne" a la France la disgrace du
proces du roi, de la Reine, de Madame Elisabeth & le
mort de cet malheureux enfant.' M. * Mais est il vrai
Monsieur, que si Louis eut voulu rassembler tous les
Suisses qui etoient Caserne's aux environs de Paris lors
meme du matin du dix Aout, il auroit pu regagner son
autorite" ? ' T. ' Oui Monsieur, moi qui vous paries, j'ai
combattu cette journe"e la, et j'ai vu quand cette poigne"e
de Suisses qui etoient dans les Thulleries avoit balaye"e
toute la place du Carousel et ces Gens miserables qui on
etait alors oblige d'appeller ' La peuple souveraine ' fuyoit
partout, mais ce pauvre lache de roi craignoit donner
des orders. II etoit brave, il ne craignoit pas le mort
pourlui, mais c' etait un Couillion il craignoit, de repandre
le sang de ce qu'il appelloit ' sa bon peuple,' ' les bons
Fran9ais,' et toutes ces sottises et babourdise la.'
"Is not this the eulogium of exalted virtues & humanity
yelled out by the most detestable depravity ? Arrests
are, I understand very frequent & not only of French-
men. Still one cannot conceive how so much open
72 PARIS [CHAP, vi
royalism should be encouraged. The prints of Louis XVI
& his family with stars of Martyrdom over their heads
& his Will, & a head of the Princess de Lamballe are
publicly exposed for sale in the Palais Royal. The other
night I saw ' Adelaide du Guesclin ' which as you know
is full of sentiments of loyalty to Kings etc., acted at the
Theatre Fransais, only substituting ' Heros ' for
* Bourbons ' in a good many places. Still there was a
marked applause at ; ' Plaignez le, il vous offense, il a
Iraki son roi.' At each of the Theatres the First Consul
has two boxes one magnificently embroidered & orna-
mented, as his public box, the other below grillte in which
he cannot be distinguished. The report of the day is
that since the dismission of Fouche it has been discovered
that he was the author of the infernal machine. The
present name by which Mr. Addington l is known here
is ' Paimable minister de 1'Angleterre.' What a contrast
between him & ' le Monstre Pitt, 1'enimie du genre
humain MI"
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
" HOTEL DE MABIGNY, October 26th.
" At length my dear Mother I think we have seen all
the sights of Paris. Our usual good luck attended us
in fixing Sunday for an excursion to Versailles, had we
delayed it until to-day we should have been caught in
a violent storm instead of having a delightful day of
which the only inconvenience was that the sun was
rather too powerful. Indeed with the exception of
yesterday the weather ever since our arrival in this
country has been so fine as to resemble May much more
than October. The magnificence of Versailles far
exceeded the utmost expectation which my imagina-
tion could have formed. It has, however, been stripped
of all its finest pictures which are replaced by those of
the modern French school. Amongst others publicly
1 Henry Addington, b. 1757; M.P. 1784; Speaker 1788; First
Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister 1801 ; Vise. Sidmouth
1805. He held other important ministerial positions. He died 1844,
having twice mar. ; 1st, Ursula, dau. and child of Leonard Hammond
of Cheam (she died 1811) ; and 2ndly, in 1823, Marianne, widow of
Thomas Townsend, and dau. of Ld. Stowell (she died 1843).
1802] VISIT TO VERSAILLES 73
hung up is a design for a Monument to Robergot &
Bonnier with this inscription. ' Us furent egorges par
des assassins gages par le gouvernment anglais ' ! I felt
considerable satisfaction in seeing the cross, which but
a week ago was replaced upon the top of the Chapel
instead of the pike & cap of liberty. A more melancholy
spectacle cannot be conceived than the grass grown
courts & deserted Galleries. The man who conducted
us over it, shewed us particularly every part of the
Theatre of the transactions of the 8th Oct., the door
through which the Queen escaped out of her bed-room,
when the mob first rushed in. The balcony to which
she came with the Dauphin, etc., etc. As you saw it
in 1788 I will not attempt to describe to you the Opera
house or any part of the building. We afterwards saw
Trianon which disappointed me, indeed though built
of Marble the weather has so entirely taken away the
polish, that at a very small distance it has only the
appearance of wood painted red and white in imitation
of marble. Magnificent as the collection of paintings in
the Louvre is, in some respects it would disappoint you.
In a Gallery 350 yards in length filled on both sides with
paintings, though those paintings are the finest in the
world, the eye is distracted & the attention overpowered.
The light entering from alternate windows upon each
side is always dazzling & makes it difficult to take a
proper view of any picture. Every person is, I think,
most struck by the Statues than the pictures. The
Apollo appears decidedly superior to every thing else &
the Venus comes next. Of the Spectacles, Mansfield &
Cunliffe 1 unite in prefering the Opera, not on account of
the singing which they allow to be abominable, but of
the dancing which though far superior to any which I ever
saw, is yet to me extremely tiresome. The pleasure which
I receive from the French Tragedies at first very much
surprised me. I could not have believed it possible
that any thing so decidedly contrary to every thing
which I had been accustomed to, & every thing which I
had hitherto imagined to be natural, could have so much
interested & affected me. I do not think that I ever
Probably Robert Cunliffe, afterwards 4th Bart., and brother-in-
law to Charles.
76 RUMOURED MARRIAGES [CHAP, vi
I should like to know what the report can mean, I have
written to Hart. G. 1 to try to find out. Lady G. F. con-
gratulated me & seemed quite amazed at my denial. I
had heard before that the Courtenays professed their
Sister to be positively engaged. Mr. Manners told Lady
Ct. that he had heard it from one of the family. It
will be some difficulty to all of us to know exactly what
line to take on this occasion, for tho' one should be sorry
to encrease the probability of an event which one wishes
against, either by confirming the report or by encouraging
an Intimacy with the Lady. Yet at the same time, I
must confess I should be still more sorry to appear
unkind to one whom I feel quite persuaded will be my
Sister. I wish he may not come over to fetch her in the
Spring, for that reason I rejoice in his having the Dis-
traction of so much society, in any other point of view
one cannot think such a Colony of English an agreeable
circumstance, but I hope his not being established will
be a sufficient excuse for not incurring much expence.
Certainly the less one talks about the Courtenays, the
better, at all events, one may safely deny the Engage-
ment, as it certainly was not made."
1 Hon. Harriet Grimston, dau. of 3rd Vise. Grimston, and first cousin
to the above. She and her sister Charlotte were very intimate friends
of Fanny Williams Wynn, and many of their letters to her are pre-
served in the collection of "Miss Fanny Williams Wynn's Letters " in
the National Library for Wales, Aberystwyth. Harriet died unmar.
1846, and her younger sister Charlotte also unmar. in 1831.
a Lady Carysfort.
HENRY WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN.
John Jackson
70]
CHAPTER VII
18041806
LATE in 1803 Henry was given his first appointment in
the Diplomatic Service, as representative of the Court
of St. James's at the Court of the Elector of Saxony. He
was just twenty. Europe was in a state of war. Napo-
leon, obsessed by the idea of Power, was pushing forward
his policy for the subjugation of the Continent, and had
suddenly decreed that all Englishmen on French soil,
between the ages of eighteen and sixty, should be held
as prisoners. His secret emissaries in Ireland were
arousing continued discontent, unrest, and disloyalty.
The Treaty of Amiens had proved abortive.
Henry took up his duties in Dresden in December
1803. His letters during the succeeding three years give
a vivid view of European politics. The domestic affairs
in England were almost as turbulent as those of the
Continent. The Catholic Question was hotly debated,
the King's health was a cause of constant anxiety to his
Ministers. Misappropriation of public funds, traffic
in appointments in the highest circles, aroused deep
and widespread suspicion, the social condition of the
country was at a low ebb, money and labour alike
were scarce.
Charles's letters during these years sum up the home
politics.
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, December 3rd, 1803.
" I went thro' all my audiences & presentations last
Sunday & I already begin to feel a little at home. I was
a little annoyed when the folding doors were thrown
77
78 DRESDEN [CHAP, vn
open, & discovered the Elector l standing at the further
end of a great room ready to receive me. After having
made my bow I advanced, however, and made a short
speech, which tho', was longer than he expected, as he
was much more embarassed in his reply than I was
in addressing him. I afterwards had separate audiences
of all the Princes & Princesses. I dine tomorrow at
Court for the first time.
" The Corps Diplomatique is pretty good here, but I
am sorry that there is but one of them who is married,
excepting him none of them ever give a party or an
Assembly, & no Saxon thinks of opening his house.
" The result of this is that as there is no ' point de
reunion,' each nation keeps to itself, & there are parties
of English, Russians, Poles, etc. Our society is as
pleasant as any, but I mean to get out of it as soon as
possible, as I do not come abroad to live entirely with
30 of my countrymen. I met yesterday at Mr. Great-
head's s an old lady who seemed delighted to see me, &
asked after you & the whole family, her name is Madame
Pintz ne'e Husband. She gave me a long account of
Oswestry Races. She has a very extensive acquaint-
ance among the Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers
of all the English here.
" Mr. Greathead's captivity in France has certainly
had a very good effect upon him as he is now as violent
an Aristocrat as he was before a Democrat. He told
me the other day that he had been one of those ' fools '
who thought that the French Revolution was to work
wonders & to set any Government upon what he then
thought the right footing, but that he now saw the
madness & wickedness of such an idea, & had been
awakened to a right sense of the excellence of the
Government & Constitution of his own Country."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, January \Qth, 1804.
" An unpleasant circumstance happened to me the
other day in the house of a Russian Princess where I
1 Frederick August I, Elector of Saxony, 1763 ; King 1806; died
1827.
1 Bertie Bertie-Greathead, of Guy's Cliff, s. of Samuel Greathead
and Mary, dau. of 2nd D. of Ancaster,
1804] AN UNPLEASANT INCIDENT 79
was invited to sup. A French Emigre* e who is a kind of
' dame de compagnie ' came up to & asked me if I had
any news from Ireland. I of course said that everything
was very quiet, upon which she said she was very sorry,
as she should be ' au comble de la joie ' whenever the
Rebellion succeeded, as it was the just efforts of a brave
people to assert their rights against a nation which
treated them like dogs. I did not deign to give her any
answer & only said that it was ' des propos un peu
singuliers a tenir a un Ministre d'Angleterre,' took up
my hat & walked out of the house. All Dresden was
in an uproar at her impudence. The Russian was
excessively sorry for it, as she is a very civil woman,
she made me several excuses which I told her were un-
necessary as I was sure it did not come from her, but
that certainly neither I or any of my countrymen could
go into a house where we are liable to hear both our
Country & ourselves insulted.
" I am sorry for it as her house (with this exception)
is certainly the best ' ton ' here."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" STOWE, January llth and 12th.
" I had yesterday a letter from Dresden. He writes
very comfortably in every respect. . . .
" He talkes with great delight of the Elect.'s Library
which he says is considered as complete in almost every
Language & Science, & on which 500 pr. ann. is con-
stantly expended, chiefly at present in English Books
of History. ' Such a Collection of old English & French
Chronicles & such beautiful illegible Worm-eaten black
Letter that if Charles was once to put his foot in it,
no human power would ever drag him out.' The
Library is open at all times & any books may be taken
away by people of name & Credit. This will be an
inexhaustible fund of amusement as well as profit to
our young Minister & is matter therefore of great delight
to me. I suppose Fanny communicated to you the
very gratifying reports which had reached me through
a third hand of his de"but at Dresden which has given an
impression of sober-minded discretion & tact the more
80 A PARTY AT STOWE [CHAP, vir
striking perhaps from its not being exactly ' the promise
of his face.' He is a good fellow as ever was born, & so
long as he will follow the dictates of his own head &
heart he will never, I trust, with the blessing of the
Almighty, materially err.
" We have been here an immense party of men, women,
& children to the amount of 35 to 40 every day, & con-
sisting chiefly of parente Grenville & Nugent. Your
dear Uncle l is as usual full of kindness to all his numerous
Nephews & Nieces both absent & present, & never fails
to drink the health of my ' three excellent boys ' as his
first Toast.
" They are all flattering themselves that something
like this long expected political Crisis must be drawing
near. Fox I fancy bends more & more every day to
Opposition & that seems to leave Pitt no Option but to
come forward himself or run the chance of the Doctor's *
throwing up the Game into Fox's hands which he must
of necessity try en dernier ressort.
" We heard, the other day a simile for our medical
Premier which I thought had merit, comparing him to
the Monkey on the House-ridge dancing a child, who you
dare not pelt, lest he should drop the Babe."
From Henry W. W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" DHESDEN, February IQth, 1804.
" MY DEAR FANNY, I have to thank you for your
kind letter of the 16th ult. which I received the day
before yesterday, just as I was setting out for the grand
fete of Mardi Gras arrayed from head to foot in white
silk. We drew for partners, the Sunday before I was
very lucky as an -old Minister's wife of 60 years old,
fell to my lot. She gave me no further trouble than that
of playing a game of whist with her, & of sitting near
her at Supper. Agar had the happiness (or as I should
have reckoned it the misfortune) to draw one of the
Princesses. He was obliged to be at Court at J before 4,
1 Marquess of Buckingham.
A reference to Mr. Addington, the Premier, afterwards 1st Vine.
Sidmouth. He was given the nickname of " the Doctor " about thia
time, on account pf his father having been in the medical profession.
1804] DRESDEN 81
nor did he get home till J after 7 the next morning,
finishing withall with a German dance which lasts three
hours. It is a good proof of the salubrity of Dresden
that the Elector & Electress and the other Princes &
Princesses (some of whom are near 60) dance the whole
night without any intermission excepting that of Supper.
The Elector & Electress changed twice their sets of
Diamonds the one more beautiful & magnificent than
the other. The Supper was a very fine sight, the plates
etc. silver gilt & the spoons and forks solid gold, served
by the Foot-guards. The Fete altogether was certainly
very well worth seeing, and the Silk dominoes, waistcoats,
etc. tho ' very ridiculous did not look at all ugly, when
two or three hundred were together, the heat was quite
suffocating as the gentlemen's hats were trimmed with
feathers, & no one was allowed to appear uncovered. I
cannot think how the Elector supports it, as his hat on
account of the immense quantity of diamonds is heavier
than any helmet I ever felt."
The Same
" DRESDEN, March 28th, 1804.
" The Peploes and Greatheads are in great tribulation,
as all their hopes to be permitted to go to England seem to
have been put an end to by the discovery of Pichegrus and
Georges conspiracy. The French Minister here who has
behaved very well to them and who made the application
for them, received a dispatch yesterday, from Berthier l
the Minister of War, saying that he did not dare to speak
to the First Consul on the subject of the English Prisoners
and that he was to veiller a leur retour quand leur conge
sera epuis. I can fancy no situation so perplexing than
that in which they now find themselves. I should not
conceive that the parole which was unjustly forced from
them would be binding, but in the present state of things,
such a violation might expose their country-men in
France to greater misery than they now endure. What
is their prospect on the other hand, a long tedious and
unjust captivity, under a madman who considers them
1 Louis Alexander Berthier, Marshal of France; born 1753; Min-
ister of War. He died 1815,
82 DRESDEN [CHAP, vii
as hostages in his hands of which he will take advantage,
in any future rebellion in Ireland, by declaring that he
would put one of them to death for every Irish rebel
who may be executed. I have often fancied myself in
their situation & found it utterly impossible to make
any decision. I have a great respect for my duty towards
my neighbour, but there are cases, and I own that I
think this is one of them, in which some respect ought to
be paid to Ego. They have made another application
for leave to stay in Germany which I hope may be
successful. If the Question comes to go to England or
France, I think they have partly determined (entre
nous] to cut and run. I look forward with Horror to
the day of their departure as those two houses are the
only places where I spend a pleasant evening. I am
sorry to live so much in an English set, but it is that or
nothing as living with Saxons is out of the question,
besides they are never visible excepting on Sunday,
when they put on their clean shirt for the week in honour
of the Elector, and in the evening the Ministers' wives
light up a couple of Wax Ends, luckily it is now light at
4 o'clock, they are therefore saved the expence."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, May 31, 1804.
" I received by last post the official notification from
Ld. Harrowby l of his appointment. I am very anxious
to hear whom he will name as his Under Secretaries. I
own that I expected three weeks ago that I should have
to address my official correspondence to Ld. Grenville.
" I am very sorry that there will be so strong an
opposition, as it will have a very bad effect on this side
of the water, where they have a mistaken idea that no
Government can adopt decisive measures as long as they
are opposed by a strong party.
" Yesterday we received the account of the late
changes in the Government of France. I rather look
upon this piece of vanity on the part of the First Consul *
1 Dudley Ryder, 2nd Baron, 1st E. ; Foreign Sec. 1804-5 ; Ambas-
sador to Berlin 1805; President of India Board 1809; Ld. Pros, of
the Council 1812-27 ; died '184 7.
* Bonaparte declared Emperor.
1804J DRESDEN 83
as advantageous to our cause, as by his elevation he
can not acquire any more, & may acquire some un-
popularity, & in addition to this if there ever should be
a prospect of the re-establishment of the Bourbons, it
will be an advantage for them to find a throne already
established : it will also lead to very great expense,
which in the present state of the finances of France she
cannot very well afford."
The Same
" DRESDEN, July 19th, 1804.
" I was very much surprised at your saying in your
letter of the 29th that my increase of Salary was not
certain. I have always considered it so since the arrival
of Pierrepont, 1 & the receipt of a letter from Charles, in
which he said that he had seen both Hammond &
Arbuthnot who had told him that it actually commenced
from the 1st of last Jany. I do not know what I shall
do if there is a hitch respecting the double pay, as I will
defy the best manager in Europe to live here with 1,900.
When Ld. Henley E was here everything was two-thirds
cheaper, he was ruined till he had the double pay ; &
yet no man looked more narrowly into his affairs than
he did, & even saw every Pound of meat which came
into his house, weighed before him."
The Same
" DRESDEN, August lih, 1804.
" The [Swedish] Minister is most excessively pleased
with his King. 1 Though he is a little crazy, he is cer-
tainly the only sovereign who dares openly to avow his
sentiments & his detestation of the French. It is now
reported that he will return to Sweden in a month's time,
but I fear that that event is not as certain as could be
wished. There certainly exists a very strong party
1 Philip Pierrepont (see previous note).
1 Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley, youngest s. of Sir Robert
Eden, Bart. ; a distinguished diplomat, accredited to different courts
of Europe 1776-9. He mar. 1783, Elizabeth, dau. of Robert Henley,
1st E. of Worthington, and eventual h. to her brother the 2nd Earl.
Ld. Henley died 1830.
3 King Gustavus IV.
84 DRESDEN [CHAP, vii
against him in Sweden, but the only way to subdue it
is to face it, every moment that he is out of his country
that unpopularity increases. There were several
Emigres at Peplitz who had escaped from Ettenheim at
the time of the arrestation of the Duke d'Enghien, 1 to
whom he was particularly civil. He spoke to me for
near three quarters of an hour. I forget if I mentioned
in one of my former letters that his great favourite who
never quits him is the Duke d'Enghien's dog, on his
collar is engraved ' J'appartenois au malheureux Due
d'Engheim." How much is it to be lamented that the
more powerful sovereigns of Europe are not actuated by
the same noble sentiments."
From Henry W. W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" DRESDEN, September 6th, 1804.
" I hope I need not assure you, my dearest Fanny,
what pleasure I received on the receipt of your letter
from Stowe. ... I must bore you again with a subject
of which I am sure that the whole family must be heartily
tired, I mean my horses, which according to a letter
from Charles sailed on the 16th July, but of which,
further than that I have not heard a single word. I
really begin to be afraid that they are either taken or
at the bottom of the sea. The Horse ship which sailed
from Hull is arrived, but brings no tidings of my poor
beasts. I hope that Grivel * will be returned here in a
week's time, and he may possibly have some information
of them.
" You will easily conceive at what a low ebb the con-
versation of Dresden is, when I tell you that the general
topic is the execution of a poor woman which took place
last week. It is the only one that has taken place at
Dresden for fourteen years, you must not however, think
from this, that the Saxons are more righteous than the
rest of the world, but luckily for the rascals and villains,
1 Louis de Bourbon, Due d'Enghien (1772-1804) ; s. of the
Prince de Cond6 and Louise Th6rese d' Orleans. He was said to have
married secretly, Charlotte de Rohan Rochfort. He was arrested by
the orders of Napoleon, and shot in the trenches of the Chateau de
Vincennea.
: Henry's servant.
1804] AN EXECUTION 85
housebreaking and stealing are not punished by death,
and what is singular a man who in defence of his own
property, happens to kill the intruder, is guilty of a
capital crime. Another reason for the infrequency of
executions is a false clemency on the part of the Elector,
who can hardly ever be brought to sign a death warrant.
It is reported that even in the present instance he refused,
but at length, after consulting with his Confessor, he
consented to sign a Paper empowering Prince Anthony
(his brother) to sign the warrant itself. The difference
seems rather nice ! The greatest form was observed
during the whole of the ceremony, which at least has the
good effect of striking more horror into the minds of
the people. I had not the curiosity to be present at
the execution, but more than 13,000 men (near half the
inhabitants of Dresden) were of a different opinion and
went out. The only difference from an English execu-
tion was that the Lady was beheaded jnstead of being
hanged. It must require a rather expert Executioner
as she is placed on a Chair and her head is cut off with a
large sword, by a horizontal slice."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, October 4=th, 1804.
" I am now made very happy by a visit from Brook
Taylor. 1 He wishes to get a better Mission, but I fear
that in the present state of the Continent Ld. Harrowby
with the best dispositions to serve him cannot offer him
any other situation.
" I have often thought how very fortunate I was
that Dresden fell to my lot in preference to Stutgardt.
The circumstance of being driven away from a Court
would not have been a very good ' entree ' into the
diplomatic line. Nothing can be more central than
Dresden, & from the number of strangers who are con-
stantly passing backwards & forwards it is very properly
styled ' le corridor de PEurope.' I consider myself as
Sir Brook Taylor, b. 1776; Min. Plen. to the Elector of
Cologne 1801 ; to the King of Wiirtemberg 1814; G.C.H. and Min.
Plen. to Berlin 1828 ; died 1846.
86 DRESDEN [CHAP, vii
settled here for four or five years, & (excepting an applica-
tion in about two years for 7 or 8 months leave of
absence) I shall not ask a single favour of the Secretary
of State.
" Elliot does nothing but sigh for Dresden, & walks
into the puddles at Naples in order to put him in mind
of the delightful dirty streets of this place."
" DBESDEN, December Qth, 1804.
" Though I increased my establishment considerably
on the increase of my pay, I do not believe that I have
done it more than is necessary for a Minister as I am.
I am sure I shall make two ends meet. As I pay all my
house bills weekly, & my servants wages & other expenccs
monthly I am able to form some scale of expence, & I
generally find that I spend 200 per month which leaves
me above 400 for extras which I cannot foresee. A
German Minister will with half the expence appear to
keep quite as good a house as I do ; but their object is
show & not comfort. They give a very magnificent
supper to a party of 50 people, but the Minister & his
Family live for a fortnight on the scraps remaining, &
when they are consumed, another supper is given the
remains of which last quite as long. As these arrange-
ments do not agree with the ideas of an Englishman, his
menage costs him of course twice as much. I always
have such a dinner that I can, without giving any further
orders, invite one or two persons whom I may meet in
my morning walk."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRKSDEN, March 2\8t, 1805.
" The Mission at Dresden does not afford many oppor-
tunities of showing marks of temperate good sense. All
I have to do here is to endeavour to animate my friends
against the demands & encroachments of the French
Minister, & I generally have the mortification of finding
myself perfectly unsuccessful. It is difficult to persuade
when you have opposed to you so powerful a reasoner
as Terror. I always tell Pierrepont that tho' I think
this place more pleasant than Stockholm I envy him the
1805] DRESDEN 8?
good fortune to be accredited to a Prince who understands
his interests better than to debase himself by a sub-
missive acquiescence in every extravagant demand of
the French Government. Whatever Russia may do, the
King of Sweden will always have the merit of having been
the first Sovereign on the Continent who dared openly
to declare his hostility to Buonaparte & his indignation
at the several outrages which have been committed.
What is most provoking is that all the Princes of Germany
know their danger, & are convinced that sooner or later
it will be their turn to be attacked, but such apathy
exists in their Councils that they will not take any
measures to prevent their annihilation, which is not
distant. So much for Politics.'?
From Henry W. W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" DBESDEH, March 28th, 1806.
" My English Colony is, I am happy to say, rapidly
decreasing. The generality of English Travellers are
such blackguards that I was rather pleased with the
arrival of a Mr. Walpole * the Grand-son of Lord
Walpole z who is much more comme il jaut than the rest,
he also appears to more advantage as he talks French
tolerably well, which few of my countrymen do. They
generally come here to learn, but go away as ignorant
as they came. In the Book-making line we are strong
as we have no less than four who have actually appeared
in a title Page, and several who aspire to that honour.
There is a clergyman here (Chaplain to H.R.H. the
Prince of Wales) who offered to do Service at my house
if I would provide him with a Prayer Book and Bible,
which he had left in England as he came abroad as light
1 Mr. Walpole, probably John, 4th a. of Horatio, afterwards 2nd
E. of Orford. Born 1787. A Lieut.-Col. in the Army, and a diplo-
mat. He died 1859.
8 Ld. Walpole, 4th Baron ; born 1723; succeeded to the Barony of
Walpole on the death of his first cousin, the 4th and last (of the 1st
creation) E. of Orford. He was created E. of Orford in 1806. He
died 1809.
88 DRESDEN [CHAP, vii
as possible. N.B. The Revd. Gentleman has a Wife
and two daughters of 13 & 14."
From Henry" W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, June 13th, 1805.
t
" I should consider myself as little deserving all the
kindnesses, & marks of affection which I have received
from you, & particularly on a late occasion, if I lost any
time in communicating to you the contents of a letter
which I received by the last Post from Louisa com-
plaining of my ' not answering any of her letters, &
telling me that if I had returned at the time when I
promised on leaving Devonshire, I should have found
her in the same dispositions as when I left her, that as
two years are now elapsed I can not blame her if she
wishes to be disengaged, particularly as I had often told
her that if she should change her opinion my regard
for her would not be diminished.' Whatever sensations
I might at first have felt, I cannot now but be pleased
at the breaking off of a connection which was so dis-
agreeable to you & my other friends. I think it seems
by her letter that someone else has proposed to
her. I hope it is not Ld. Edward Somerset, 1 &
that she will have someone more capable to make her
happy.
" I see in the Papers Ld. Temple's l advertisement
respecting a fire which must have taken place in his
house, I have not however seen any ace. of it. I am
anxious to see the last Edin. Rev., as I see in the advert,
that in it, is contained the review of a book written by
a man here, Bargellin's History of Malta, & translated
by an old Lady who plagues me to death, a Mrs.
Lutwyche."
1 Ld. Edward Somerset mar. October 1805, Hon. Louisa Courtenay,
13th dau. of 2nd Vise. Courtenay. She was born 1781, and died
1822.
* Richard, Ld. Temple, B. of 1st Marq. of Buckingham, afterwards
2nd Marq. and 1st Duke; b. 1776; mar. 1796, Anne Eliza Brydges,
dau. and co-h. of 3rd Duke of Chandos. She died 1836. He succeeded
his father in 1813; was created 1st Duke in 1822. He died 1839.
1805] ACTION OFF FINISTERRE 89
The Same
" DRESDEN, August 15th, 1805.
"I congratulate you on Sir R. 'Calder's 1 success, I
trust that it is only the Avant Coureur of something more
decisive, it seems to have been a very gallant action as
the force was so much superior, I only wish that the
ships had been French instead of Spanish, as I cannot
help pitying Spain who was entirely drawn into the
War by France, & who is now as much under Bonaparte's
ferule as Holland or Switzerland. I do not rejoice so
much at the acquisition of two Ships, as that it will put
an end to all their boastings respecting this famous
Fleet. The news has had a very good effect here, & all
over Germany as they began to think that the French
Navy was now equal in discipline to ours.
"Count [illegible] & his wife seem very good sort of
people & likely to add to the agreement of this place, we
are however all eclipsed by the Frenchman who was first
Clerk in Talleyrand's * office to some purpose, & comes
here with a pocket full of money & determined to spend
it, au reste, he seems a quiet man, & I do not think that
we shall annoy one another in the very little intercourse
which is likely to take place between us."
The Same
" DRESDEN, October 3rd, 1805.
" I must begin by expressing my gratitude (to my
dearest Mother) for her kindness in not discontinuing to
mention any omission on my part which she may
1 Sir Robert Calder, born 1745; entered the Navy 1859; took
part in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent; saw Service in the West
Indies; in 1805 joined the Brest Fleet under Admiral Cornwallis.
His conduct on July 23rd-24th, 1805, when engaged against Villeneuve,
was severely censured at a court-martial in December of the same
year, when he was found guilty of an error of judgment in allowing
the enemy fleet to slip away, without showing fight. This was the
end of his active service. He rose by seniority to the rank of Admiral.
He died 1818. The action off Finisterre, an indecisive naval battle
in which the Spaniards, allies of the French, lost two ships, the French
none. Calder had eighteen ships, the French twenty-seven.
* Talleyrand, Charles Maurice, Prince de (1754-1838), Minister of
Foreign Affairs and one-time Ambassador in England.
90 OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES [CHAP, vn
think will be disadvantageous to me, such as the habit
of writing fast which has gained upon me, in an imper-
ceptible & unaccountable manner. I feel that at 22, I
have quite as much need of her advice as I had at 15, &
I trust that I am now able to estimate it at a higher rate.
Hitherto we have always expected news from Eng-
land, but it now seems that the balance is turned, & it
is your turn to expect something from us.
" Hostilities have not yet begun, but the accounts
may be received by every Post, we today heard that the
French intend to take possession of Wurtzburg, where
the Elector of Bavaria at present resides, the Austrians
have the same intention, & as they are nearer, I hope
there is not the least danger of their being ' devance.'
I need not pretend to any ministerial importance, &
reserve, as with the exception of a little information
which I am now & then able to transmit, I am sorry to
say that I have but little to do here. I am luckily on
very good terms, & in correspondence with both my
colleagues at Vienna & Berlin & as they are not the best
friends ' entre eux ' my correspondence is of import-
ance to them both as I am the ' mezzo termini.' "
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DBESDEN, October 12th, 1806.
" The news which I have to send you from this side
of the water is not of the most pleasant nature ; nothing
of importance, however, has yet occurred, but in the
present moment, in my acceptation of the word, every-
thing that is not good is bad news. The Austrians l
have received two or three slight checks, which though
they have no weight on the main question, will tend to
discourage the Army. Had not the Austrians fought
as bravely as they have, the disadvantage would have
been much greater, owing to the great superiority of the
enemy. No Battle has taken place since the Russians
joined the Austrians. The source of the reverses we have
sustained arose from the false reliance that Bonaparte
would respect the Prussian Territory. If the Prussians
1 On October 19th the Austrian Army capitulated at Ulm.
1805] OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES 91
came forward * de bonne foi et de bon coeur ' that cir-
cumstance may turn to our advantage. If any thing
of importance occurs here, I should certainly not wish
to leave this place, but of that at present there seems so
little chance that there can be no impropriety in my
applying for leave of absence."
The Same
" DBESDEK, November 6th, 1805.
" I have been but a bad correspondent of late, but
really all the misfortunes which have occurred within
the last fortnight take away all the pleasure of writing
even Private letters, as one must touch upon a subject
which is so very disagreeable. The disaster has been
very great but I am happy to find that no one considers
it as decisive, & that the most laudable resolution exists
at Vienna, not to hear of anything like negociation, &
rather to lose the whole jor the whole. The Emperor of
Russia l has at length left Berlin after having remained
there much longer than he intended, & I believe that
it was more the charms of the Queen of Prussia * than
business which detained him, as all what was done was
done the first two days. He arrives here the day after
to-morrow on Sunday, but only stays here one night or
at furthest two, & then proceeds to Vienna. I fear
that some of our Troops are now on the water, & that
they will have met with all the Equinoctial gales. If
they are coming to Hanover, they will find every thing
ready for their reception, as with the exception of one
Fortress, the French have abandoned the country, & the
* ancien regime ' has been established throughout the
Electorate. An English Minister ought not to make
such an avowal, but I own that I do not receive so much
satisfaction from the evacuation of Hanover as some
people do, & I am sorry that the Hanoverians who have
behaved so very ill should be the only persons who gain
by the present posture of affairs."
1 Emperor Alexander.
8 Queen Louise, dau, of Grand Duke of Mecklenburg- Strelitz. She
died 1810.
92 BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR [CHAP, vn
From Henry W. W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" DRESDEN, November 2lst, 1805.
" We yesterday received the accounts of our victory
in the Mediterranean, * which will be some little counter-
poise to our severe disasters on the Continent. I
regret Lord Nelson extremely for the Countrys sake,
but for his own, one ought to rejoice, as so brilliant a
career as his has been, could not have been ended in a
more glorious manner. Fortunately the affairs of the
Continent will not long go on as they now do, otherwise
the French would be here in a fortnight's time. The
abandoning Vienna so soon, seems only to have been
reculer pour mieux sauter, but they must take a very long
jump to recover what they have lost. Every one is de-
lighted with the Emperor of Russia who certainly seems a
most amiable Prince. He only staid here two days, and
as he would not see the Corps Diplomatic, I was not pre-
sented to him. His journey has been, and will be still,
productive of the best consequences, and nothing but
that would have decided Prussia. What a happiness
it must be for such a country as Russia which is under
the despotic control of its Sovereign, to be so governed
by such a Prince, & they must feel it the more after such
a reign as Paul's.
" Dresden is completely over run with English and
Strangers of all Nations who have emigrated from the
South of Germany."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DKESDEN, December 9th, 1805.
" We are still without any news from the Head
Quarters of the Austro-Russian Armies. I mean of
any Engagement. The French are retreating, but only
step by step. The Emperor of Russia certainly goes
* en bon jeu bon argent.' The moment he arrived at
Olmutz he sent off for another army of 120,000 men.
Bonaparte applied for an armistice of six weeks, he
replied ' Pas meme pour six heures.' '
1 October 21st, Battle of Trafalgar.
1806] BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ 93
The Same
11 DBESDEN, January Qth, 1806.
" You find fault with me for not taking all the joy &
pride which I ought on the Trafalgar Victory. No one
could rejoice more at it than I did at the time, but it was
so soon followed by the disasterous accounts from
Austerlitz l which so paralysed us that perhaps in
lamenting over the bad, I may have omitted expressing
my joy at the good. My pleasure in reading the English
Papers has been greatly diminished by their obstinacy
in supporting that the Allies gained a decisive battle
on the 24th. You may easily suppose how disagreeable
it must be to read long descriptions respecting the
favourable effects of that victory when we know that
the effects of the defeat have been the retreat of the
Emperor of Russia, the signature of a more calamitous
Peace than was, I suppose, ever signed. The experience
gained in this Campaign is in many respects disagreeable,
but in none more so than in the certainty which we have
acquired that the Russian Troops cannot contend with
those of France. Men against men the Russian are
certainly superior, but how can you expect them to
have anything like officers when no man of rank will
enter into the Army under the rank of a Major, & that
it is not an uncommon thing for a person to return
Major-General after the first Campaign. This was the
case with their best officer, who has distinguished him-
self the most in the last Campaign, Prince Bagatrin '
(called by the English Papers Pangratien) who went
out with Suwarrow as Captain & returned Major-General.
Nothing can be more brave than the Russian troops,
but that is of little avail if they are not well led. Of
the Austrians the less said the better, officers, men, etc.
were equally bad.
" I am sorry for Sir R. Calder as I think that the
sentence of the Court Martial is rather severe for an Error
of Judgment, but I hope that it will have a good effect
on the Continent, & among the Austrian Generals, who
1 Austerlitz, December 2nd, 1805.
1 Prince Bagration, borni!765; served under Suwarrow 1794-9;
was wounded at Borodino 1812. Died 1812,
94 MR. PITT'S FAILING HEALTH [CHAP, vn
have hitherto come off with impunity, when they hear
of a commanding officer being reprimanded after having
gained a Victory with an immense disparity of force.
Every thing is quiet for the moment, but will not remain
so long if the King of Prussia 1 holds out good in his
detirmination to oppose the French Troops entering
Hanover. A Division left Vienna on the 7th, so that
the question must now be decided."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DBESDEN, February 6th, 1806.
" We are now completely in the clutches of Frost &
Snow & I fear that the communication will be interrupted.
This comes at a very unpleasant moment as we are
naturally very anxious to have some intelligence of the
state of Mr. Pitt's health, 1 & of what is going on in
Parliament. Our latest accounts are of the 21st. I
cannot express to you how much effect has been created
on the Continent by the accounts of Mr. Pitt's illness,
& it is the greatest proof of his reputation. The same
persons who assert that all our desasters took their
rise in Austria having been hurried into the War by our
Ministery, & consequently that the loss of the Continent
may be laid at Mr. Pitt's door, do not deny that his
death would be the greatest triumph to Bonaparte
& express their conviction that Bonaparte considers him
as dangerous an Antagonist in the Cabinet as Ld. Nelson
was at sea. Though I mention what the Austrians say
I am far from being of this opinion on the first point,
as I believe that England did every thing that was
possible ; Austria was by no means hurried into the
War, every preparation was made, every Magazine was
full : if they ran away in 1805, I really do not see much
probability that they would have fought in 1806, whereas
France was increasing her means of attack every day &
every hour.
" I may be talking treason to the Grenvillcs, but I
really think that Ministery had great merit in bringing
about such a coalition that at three different epochs we
1 King Frederick William.
1 Mr. Pitt's health had been failing all through the autumn and
winter of 1805. He died at Putney on January 23rd, 1806.
LOBD GRENVILLE
94]
1806] LORD GRENVILLE'S ADMINISTRATION 95
had, or might have had the fairest prospects of success.
Before the capitulation of Ulm, afterwards, & even after
the Battle of Austerlitz, if the Emperor had not made
that ignominious Peace. 1 The great fault seems to have
been in the Allies having attacked on the 2nd. They
pretend that they could not preserve their former posi-
tion on account of want of provisions, but that was by
no means the case. They were certainly rather pressed,
but not more so than the French, & if they had waited
they would have certainly been joined by the Prussians
on the 13th."
The Same
" DBESDEN, February 20th, 1806.
" We have as yet no official accounts, but that in the
News papers of the 4th seems pretty correct. I really
believe that my joy at seeing Ld. Grenville at the Head
of the Administration is not greater than that of all well
disposed Continental Politicians who consider him as the
only man capable of replacing Mr. Pitt. The ignorance
of the Germans respecting every thing that is going on
in England can only be equalled by our ignorance of
German affairs, & that I assure you is saying a great deal."
Lord Grenville accepted office in January 1806, and
formed the " Ministry of All the Talents." Fox led the
Commons, holding the portfolio of Foreign Secretary-
His influence in the Cabinet was in favour of opening
negotiations with the Continental Powers, in the hopes
of discovering some common ground on which the Peace
of Europe could be established. His hopes proved
futile, and with his death in the September of the same
year, further diplomatic intercourse with the hostile
Powers was recognised as impossible.
On October 21st Lord Ho wick, who had succeeded
Mr. Fox as Foreign Secretary, formally announced the
rupture of negotiations between France and England,
which at once led to the outbreak of hostilities.
1 Treaties of Schonbrunn (December 10th) and of Presburg (Decem-
ber 26th, 1805).
96 CONDITION OF EUROPE [CHAP, vn
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, March 13th, 1806.
" The partition of the Cabinet l astonished me as
much as it seems to have done you. I trust that
they will remain united, & I think " quant a nous," we
have not anything to fear. As for the Continent all is
lost, we must no longer look forward to alliances, but,
as a person said to me a few days ago, we must in time
hope to be the Jacobins of Europe, & endeavour to
create a rebellion among the Sovereigns of Europe
against their Suzerain Lord, Napoleon, for such he is
to all intents & purposes. Austria after all its defeats
is much better treated by him than Prussia, whose
Sovereign he ranks with those of Bavaria & Wurtenberg.
Did you hear Bonaparte's Bon Mot in ratifying the
Treaty by which the Kingly title was given to the
Elector of W. ? ' II a assez fait pleurer ses subjets, il les
fera rire maintenant.' Bonaparte has not as yet half
completed his plans respecting Germany, & we may
every day expect new encroachments, as the French
Army instead of retiring has received orders to halt, &
has even received reinforcements. There are still above
100,000 French on this side of the Rhine. The King of
Prussia with the finest army of 250,000 men completely
equipped, with which he could have done anything he
liked, now finds himself incapable of resisting any one
demand of Bonaparte, who treats him in the same dicta-
torial manner as the other Sovereigns of Europe. Many
people doubt of his permitting the Prussians to remain
in Hanover, & it should appear that the King is of the
same opinion, as, though, the people of Anspach have
been obliged to take the oath of allegiance to the King
of Bavaria, no oath has as yet been administered to the
Hanoverians. This country has as yet been most for-
tunate, but I fear that now that Bonaparte has no
longer any respect for the King of Prussia, he will not
long leave it tranquil, & that we shall soon hear of
contributions."
1 The Administration known as " The Ministry of All the Talents."
1806] PRUSSIA 97
From Henry W. W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" DBESDEN, April 3rd, 1806.
" The prospect on the Continent seems to get
darker & darker every day, we are doomed to see new
demands on the part of Bonaparte, & new concessions
on the part of those pusillanimous Beings who call them-
selves the Sovereigns of Europe. Bonaparte has com-
pletely thrown off the mask with respect to Prussia,
which country is now as much under his ferule as
Bavaria, or Prince Joachim's new Principality. The
shutting the Prussian ports to the British Flag is only
the beginning of a series of disgraceful measures which
the King of Prussia will be obliged to pursue. I expect
every day an order for the prohibition of English mer-
chandise at Liepsic. Every attempt will also be made
to oblige Denmark to shut all her ports, but I hope &
trust she will be able to refuse. I conclude that war must
ensue with Prussia in which it is easy to discover who
will be the loser. All their commerce will be destroyed,
& what is a very important object to them, they will no
longer be able to be the carriers of Contraband Goods
for France, from which the King of Prussia draws a great
part of his revenue. All that has happened within the
last months gives one still more pain when one reflects
on the part which Prussia might have acted after the
Battle of Austerlitz. If she had then come forward, she
might have acquired, in an honourable manner more
territory than she has now received at the price of dis-
grace & vassalage to France, for no other word will
express the present relative situation of these Powers.
The King is himself well disposed, but unfortunately
he has not the courage to act up to his disposition, he is
a personal coward, & he is surrounded by a set who
know how to attack the weak side. Independent of
his cowardice he has that horror of moving, or of any-
thing like a change, that Bonaparte may do whatever
he likes provided he lets his dear Brother remain quiet
at Berlin. The Emperor when he was at Berlin certainly
succeeded in rousing the King a little & in producing
something like animation, but unfortunately as ' la
bonne cause ne fait les choses, qu'a moitie, on a laisse
98 PRUSSIA [CHAP, vn
refroidir le fer.' The greatest spirit of discontent exists
in Prussia, & the King has been twice obliged to issue
an order prohibiting (on pain of losing their places) any
officer civil or military, talking of the present affairs
* ou en bien ou en mal.' When such a spirit exists in an
army it is not got rid of by an order signed by the King,
in this case on the contrary, it rather augmented the
evil which it was intended to suppress.
" When the officers of the Berlin Garrison returned
home from the army which the King assembled, they
went to Hardenberg's house & gave him a serenade cry-
ing out ' Vivat Hardenberg pereat Haugwitz.' Harden-
berg has all along opposed the line of conduct which
has been adopted by Prussia, & particularly respecting
Hanover. He is to resign the moment that Haugwitz
returns. If war is declared against Prussia I hardly
know how I shall be able to get home. I must go by
Austria, Silesia & Russia."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, April \0th f 1806.
" Many thanks to you my dearest Mother for your
very kind letter of the 18th ult. which by some mistake
I did not receive with other Packets of the same date,
otherwise I should have answered it by the last post.
Either contrary winds, or what is very probable, the
shutting of the Prussian Ports against the English
vessels has prevented our receiving any letters later
than that date.
"I do not know whether in the case of war being
declared by England against Prussia, a British Minister
would be suffered to remain in Dresden, but in case of
my being allowed to remain here, I suppose that I ought
not to think of availing myself of any leave of absence,
indeed it would not be my wish, as my situation here
might then acquire more importance. Paget 1 writes
me word that he is going home immediately, but does
1 Arthur, 2nd s. of 1st E. of Uxbridge.
1806] ANXIOUS TIMES 99
not yet know whether Ld. Douglas, or Ld. Darnley
is to be his successor, I hear also from Pierrepont that
Mr. Fox has announced his intention to recall him, tho'
he is not in any ways dissatisfied with him, but because
they have many friends to provide for. Entre nous I
do not at all like the precedent of Foreign Ministers being
considered as an appendix to the Cabinet, & being liable
to the same changes.
" Hitherto Foreign Ministers have been unaffected by
any domestic changes, & if they did their duty have
never been turned out.
" We are anxiously expecting the English details of
the Victory near St. Domingo. We have as yet only
the French Captain's account, but even from that it
appears that we have had a great superiority. These
victories which are at all times great advantages for us
have now the additional value of checking a little the
French pride, I believe that one Naval defeat more than
counter-balances in Bonaparte's mind ten battles won
by land.'!
The Same
" DBESDEN, July Qth, 1806.
" I take even more interest than a brother generally
takes in the marriage of his sister. 8 I will wait to write
to her till I hear what turn the affair takes, but I am
confident, that with such a Counseller as you, the
decision whatever it may be, will be for her future happi-
ness. How often do I feel the want of that advice here,
where I stand perfectly alone and, where there is not a
single person whose opinion I can ask. I cannot say
anything of Shipley as I know so little of him, but from
what I saw of him during the Christmas which we passed
together at Wynnstay, I should think it almost impos-
sible to find a more quiet gentlemanlike man.
" I am now abandoned by almost all my countrymen.
I was really very sorry to part with Jones who set off
three or four days ago, but who will not, I suppose,
1 John, 4th E. of Darnley, born 1767 ; mar. 1791, Elizabeth, dau.
Rt. Hon. W. Brownlow. She died 1831. He died 1831.
2 Charlotte Williams Wynn mar. 1806, Col. William Shipley. See
p. 15.
100 LUCIEN BONAPARTE [CHAP, vn
arrive in England as soon as this letter. I have charged
him to deliver safe a Portfolio for Harriet containing
all the Callots which I had and all which I could procure.
Genl. Ramsay 1 sets off the day after to-morrow, the only
person who will then remain is Sir Brook Boothby, 2 a
Seigneur of the ' old school,' who writes bad verses &
still worse Pamflets, but barring this, he is a pleasant
companion, as he has travelled a great deal, & relates
well what he has seen.
" The great Mr. Duff J is still at Vienna, where as in
every other town through which he has passed he soon
consoled himself for the death of his wife. You will
laugh at the idea of the visiting Cards which he had
at Berlin. ' Mons. Duff, Conte Hereditaire de Fyfe et
Commandeur d'une Brigade de Milice en Ecosse.' He
was so much laughed at at Berlin that when he came
here he dropt the ' Conte Hereditaire,' but not so the
' Commandeur &c.,' which produced the very natural
question from the Elector why he travelled ? & whether
it was for ' military ' knowledge ? as he did not doubt
that with such an extensive Command his absence would
be terribly felt in England.
" I cannot send you any politics, as entre nous I know
nothing of what is going forward. Lucien Bonaparte *
will now soon be King of Rome as the point of Contest
between the two Brothers has disappeared, Lucien
having once said, that he would not divorce his wife,
remained firm in that detirmination, but adopted the
mild * mezzo termini ' proposed by his brother of
poisoning his wife which was accordingly done, and she
died in the greatest agonies, after 24 hours illness.
" We had some days ago, a very fine story of a sortie
from Gaeta, but as no confirmation has arrived, I fear
1 Ramsay, Gen., probably James, 3rd a. of 8th E. of Dalhousie;
born 1772; a Lt.-Gen; died unmar. 1837.
* Sir Brook Boothby, 1743-1824, 7th Bart., of Ashbourne Hall, Derby-
shire, mentioned by one of Mrs. Delany's correspondents as ' one of
those who think themselves pretty gentlemen " du premier ordre."
He published several books of a political nature. He mar. Susannah,
dau. and h. of Robert Bristoe. He died at the age of 80 at Boulogne.
1 James (afterwards 4th E. of Fife) ; b. 1776 ; mar. 1799, Mary
Caroline, dau. of John Maurus and Louisa, Countess of Dysart. She
died 1805. He d.s.p. 1857.
* Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino ; born 1773, the 3rd brother
of Napoleon. Made Prince of Canino by Pope Pius VII.
1806] HOSTILITIES WITH PRUSSIA 101
that it will be like the accounts of the Battle of the
4th Dec. which never took place."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" DRESDEN, August Qth, 1806.
" The last few days have produced a most essential
change in everything which was going on, and I think
that the Peace with Russia produced quite as much
surprise in my mind as the signature of the Preliminaries
in 1801. We have not as yet heard anything of a Peace
with England, but I conclude that it must ensue immedi-
ately, if it is not already signed. I am in the dark on
the subject, but I feel quite certain that the Russian
Plenipotentiary could never have been authorized to
sign a Treaty unless England & France were agreed on
the Basis of their Treaty. I am already preparing
myself for the effects of the Peace, & I accustome myself
for it in private every day, in pronouncing with due
decorum, the illustrious names of the ' Empereur
Napoleon, 1'Imperatrice Josephine.' "
The Same
" DBESDEN, September 18th, 1806.
" I need not now ever complain of want of business,
as the motions of the Prussian armies & the Politics of
the Court of Berlin furnish me with plenty of intelligence
for the office. We have now one more chance for the
safety of Europe, & if it fails as that of last year, it is not
possible to compute what would be the consequences,
our only hope must then be that the Edifice will become
so great, as to fall by its own weight. It is singular to
think that the Prussians are nearly at War with France,
& quite so with us ; if however, any one was to judge
from the conduct of the Prussian Generals towards me,
they would not much believe that hostilities existed
between the two Countries.
" Prince Louis, 1 whose sentiments are pretty well
known & who is the life & soul of everything which is
1 Prince Louis Fredk. Christian, son of Prince August Ferdinand
(brother to Frederick II of Prussia); born 1772; General in the
Prussian Army, and first cousin to the reigning King of Prussia,
Frederick William II. He was killed 1806.
102 MADAME NARRYSKYN [CHAP, vu
going forward, has marked his civility to me in the
strongest manner, & I may say his incivility to the other
party. He desired me on the first day of his arrival here,
not to consider him at war with England. His example
has been followed by Prince Hohenlohe, the Commander-
in-Chief, & the other Prussian Generals. He went, I
own, rather farther than I could have wished, in inviting
me, the only Foreign Minister, to dine at his house with
all the Prussian Staff ; to anyone else I should have sent
an excuse, but when invited by a Prince, that was, of
course, out of the question.
" Your last letter of the 21st Aug. prepared me for
the final decision of my dearest Sister's marriage with
Colonel Shipley. I wrote to her a fortnight ago. I
wish of course to make them some marriage present,
but I am very much embarrassed to find something on
this side of the water which is better than in England.
Perhaps you would have the goodness to suggest some-
thing to me. The sum which I mean to allot would be
about 50 Guineas. Perhaps the best method of laying
it out would be in joining with my sisters in the purchase
of plate, which would be more useful than lace, & would
save the trouble & expence of sending over Linen or
Porcelain from hence.
" This is a very brilliant moment for Dresden as all
the Prussians think themselves in duty bound, to ' feter -
the famous Madame Narryskyn, who is now here, & who
is certainly as handsome as report stated her to be.
She seems on the other hand to be the stupidest & most
inanimate creature I ever saw. She travels with a most
Imperial Retinue, among the most inferior of whom
appears to be her husband. She returns to St. Peters-
burg as soon as the Empress of Russia J is brought to
bed."
From Henry W, W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"DHESDEN, October 16th, 1806.
" Nothing of any importance has yet taken place, &
the partial successes which the superiority of numbers
1 The wife of Alexander I of Kussia, and dau. of the Prince of
Baden.
1806] DEATH OF MR. FOX 103
of the Enemy obtained are hardly to be regretted, but
what is to be regretted and personally by me, is the
death of Prince Louis whom I knew most intimately,
and whom everyone is unanimous in representing as la
Perle of the Prussian Army. He may be considered as
another example of the vanity of Human wishes, for
nine years he has been endeavouring to make the King
come forward, and he has been killed by almost the first
shot which was fired. During the three weeks which
he was here, he hardly ever suffered me to quit him, &
tho' I had seen him several times before, here, it was
only then that I discovered the great qualities with which
he was endowed."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, October IQth, 1806.
" Long before this reaches you, you will have heard of
the political arrangements which Mr. Fox's 1 death
produced, and which I do not doubt in the present
moment at least, offer any new channels of advantage
to you, but I think it will be gratifying to you to learn,
as it was to me to see, that while it remained undecided,
your Uncle Buckm. had in the first moment looked to
an arrangement which he thought it might have opened
for you, and which he wrote me word he was ready to
assist at once by a seat in Parliament (I suppose he
meant Buckm. which Lord Percy vacated for West-
minster.) The whole thing fell to the ground, and your
Uncle appeared at the head of the Admn. But the
kindness of the intention will I think give you pleasure.
At the same time I must say that all my wise friends
tell me that the only thing to wish for you, is that
you may remain exactly where you are, nor will they
even allow me to say that I wish for a visit from you.
The dissolution of Parliament seems likely to produce
an unusual ferment, and one of the first surprises that it
has produced to me has been the tidings I have just
heard of Mr. Wms's 8 intention of resigning Flint, &
trying to place his nephew Shipley in his place.
" We shall of course, be on every account most anxious
1 Mr. Fox died September 1806. Mr. Williams of Penbedw.
8
104 RENVOYE EXTRAORDINAIRE [CHAP, vn
for his success, and in none more than from its giving
them a stationary winter residence among us all in
London.
" Our royal visitor the D. of G. 1 was to me more
entertaining than I expected, having given me a great
many anecdotes about my favourite Alexander, and now
that we may all praise him and look up to him again I
felt increased interest in all his stories of him. He
talked, likewise of your Madame Narischin, quite as
highly as you did of her beauty, and as much otherwise
of her sense, but gave her credit for more sagesse as with
respect to my favourite than the world in general do."
CIRCULAR
From Lord Howick * to Henry W. W. W.
" DOWNING STREET, October 2lst, 1806
" SIR, I transmit to you for your information, a
Gazette of this evening containing His Majesty's De-
claration, explanatory of the causes which led to the
rupture of the late Negociation between His Majesty's
Government and that of France.
" I am with great truth & regard, Sir
" Your most obedient
" humble servant,
" HOWICK.
" Henry W. W. Wynn.'?
From Henry W. W. W to Lady W. W.
" TEPLITZ, October 2Qth, 1806.
" DEAREST MOTHER, Here I am in the humble char-
acter of an Emigre, or, rather of a Renvoye Extraordinaire.
The approach of Jerome Bonaparte and 6,000 French
drove me away from Dresden, and I arrived here yester-
day morning with my Russian and Hanoverian Col-
1 Duke of Gloucester.
2 Ld. Howick, Charles, eldest son of Sir Charles Grey, who in 1806
was created Vise. Howick and E. Grey. He was born 1 764 ; First Lord
of the Admiralty as Mr. Grey, in Ld. Grenville's administration. On
Fox's death he went to the Foreign Office as Ld. Howick. He retired
with his Party in 1807. In 1830 he became Prime Minister. He
mar. 1794, Elizabeth, only dau. of Ld. Ponsonby. He died 1847.
1806] RENVOYE EXTRAORDINAIRE 105
leagues. I have not much time to write, but as this is
the only opportunity I may have of writing for some
weeks, I cannot let my messenger depart without a few
words to my dearest Mother to tell her that I am safe
and sound out of the hands of the French. I hope my
retreat from Dresden will not have been disapproved
of by my superiors, I did not conceive that my Post was
any longer tenable, but I did not leave Dresden till I
saw a party of Bavarian Chevaux Legers enter into the
town. There is always some good in every calamity
and that which I derive from the present disastrous
times is the hope of seeing you in England.
" I trust my stay here will not be prolonged beyond
the return of my messenger. I cannot describe to you
the feelings of regret with which I turned my back to
what may rightly be called the peaceful vale of Dresden.
You will say que la guerre ne va bien a aucun pays, but
certainly it suits none so little as Saxony, the inhabitants
of which country have not known what it is to hear a
Gun fired for 44 years. It seemed as if that country
was doomed to be the only one in ignorance of the
Horrors of War. Their turn is at length come and they
feel it the more. The Elector is the most to be pitied ;
in addition to all his public calamities he has also the
private one of seeing the impossibility of preventing the
sacrifice of his daughter to the quondam Admiral but now
General Jerome Bonaparte. 1
" If you do not hear from me be assured that it is not
my fault, but that all communications are cut off."
From Henry W. W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" KONIOSBERG, December IQth, 1806.
" I flatter myself that you will be all anxious to hear
of my safe arrival at this place, and of my having
escaped all the dangers to which I was kindly told I
should be exposed. I met neither French Inquisitors
or hungry Wolves, but the enemy I had to encounter
1 Jerome Bonaparte, born 1784, younger brother of Napoleon and
made by him King of Westphalia. He mar. 1st, Miss Paterson (whom
his brother forced him to divorce in order to marry Princess Catherine
of Wiirtemberg). He died 1860.
106 RENVOYE EXTRAORDINAIRE [CHAP, vn
was bad roads, & I will defy any country to produce
the like; I travelled in a light carriage drawn by ten horses,
& in several places we stuck fast & were obliged to have
more horses, & men at the wheels to get it out. With
the exception of 24 hours I remained at Cracow, we were
16 days & nights in the Carriage.
" I am ashamed to think how behind hand I shall be
with my cadeau de noces to Charlotte, I have at present
only part of it, I was to have received the rest in a few
days when the French drove me away from Dresden.
If I was not so fully occupied that I have not the time
hardly to think where I am, I should not know what
to do in a town which is, I think, the darkest & dirtiest
I ever saw. ... I have been twice in the evening to
Princess Radzivil's l for an hour. All these misfortunes
are ill calculated to heal the wound which she received
by the death of her Brother. I had at first really a horror
of seeing her, as she knew how intimate I was with him.
She has also had the additional affliction of one of her
Children being so ill as to be given over, but he is now
better.
" God knows whether you will be able to read this
letter, but I have been writing so much that both my
hand & head require rest. . . ."
1 Princess Radizivil, Frederique Louise, dau. of Prince Auguste
Ferdinand of Prussia, and first cousin to the reigning King of Prussia,
Frederick William II. She mar. 1796, Antoine Henri, Prince Radizivil.
She died 1836.
CHAPTER VIII
AT HOME
18041806
LADY WILLIAMS WYNN'S correspondence with Charles
touches on the exceedingly complicated politics of the
day.
The internal affairs of Mr. Pitt's last Cabinet, 1804 to
1806, were by no means harmonious. He had first tried
vainly to form a coalition with Lord Grenville, then in
180$ turned to Mr. Addington (Lord Sidmouth) for his
support. In the meanwhile serious charges had been
made by Mr. Whitbread in the Commons, against Lord
Melville, on the grounds of maladministration of the
Admiralty and misappropriation of public money. A
Commission of Enquiry was appointed to look into the
charges, and the tenth and last report of the Com-
missioners was presented in February 1805. Lord
Melville in consequence resigned the Treasurership of
the Navy, and during the June of this year the charges
were pressed to impeachment. Pitt supported his
old colleague, and his new ally Lord Sidmouth, left
the Ministry. Eventually the charges against Lord
Melville were not sustained, and in June 1806 he was
declared by the Lords "not guilty," but Pitt's health
had rapidly given way, under the strain of foreign as
well as domestic difficulties, and he died in January
1806, without the satisfaction of knowing that his old
friend had been exonerated.
Early in 1804 the King's health again became a
107
108 THE KING AND LORD CHESTERFIELD [CHAP, vm
matter of concern to his Ministers, and of curiosity
and gossip among his subjects.
The friction between the Prince of Wales and the
King was also much canvassed in Society.
From Fanny W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" April 5th, 1804.
" They say that Lord Chesterfield 1 having a great
desire to see the King determined, at the hour at which
he was expected to ride, planted himself in the Riding
House, en Jonction, as Master of the Horse. Immedi-
ately upon his Majesty's entrance he is reported, in a
breath to have said : ' What's that ? Who the D. . . .
are you ? What's your name ? ' Lord Chesterfield :
' Sir. Lord Chesterfield.' ' Lord Chesterfield ? what
business have you here ? ' ' Sir, I attend as Master of
your Majesty's Horse.' ' Master of the Horse ! I'll horse
you ! ' upon which the King is said to have seized the
long whip, & to have persued Lord C. round & round the
House, laughing at his capers & every now & then
hitting him pretty sharp. If this story be true, on many
accounts one cannot but lament it heartily, still I must
own it would give me some pleasure to think that Lord
C. had been so paid for all his vulgar practical jokes."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" GOBHAMBTTEY, Augutt IQth.
" I have been all the morning amusing myself with an
old French Manuscript History of the Creation which
from the quaintness of the expression joined with the
old spelling & old length character, has given compleat
employment to all my faculties, you would have read
it as easily as what I am now writing, & would therefore
perhaps have found less amusement in it, but the clear-
ness of the writing & the beauty of the Illumination
would have had its full merit with you. There certainly
are many fine old Specimens in the house of their not
being a family of yesterday, & though we are no longer
1 Philip Stanhope, 5th E. of Chesterfield, K.G., Master of the Horse ;
born 1755; died 1816.
1804] THE KING AND THE PRINCE OF WALES 109
taught, perhaps, to look up to the Old Chanc. as being
as pure as wise, yet the seeing him over the Library
Chimney in the midst of all his cotemporaries with all
their Ruffs & Furs & Velvets forms a fine Contrast in
ones mind with the figure of the Demagogue & his Rabble
rout who have been displaying themselves at Brentford.
" The idea of a sort of Reconciliation being negotiating
between the King 1 & P ro l through the medium of Lord
Moira,* is universally believed. I believe I know that
the D. of Portland s said last week, that a message was
sent to the King from the P. desiring that he would take
charge of the little Princess's * education, which message
was most graciously received, but the Charge declined
' unless with the Mother's consent & full approbation.'
This however I should think need not long delay it,
as the Princess of Wales 5 would certainly not have much
hesitation in seeing that in every point of view the child
would be a good deal better to be under somebody's
care than nobody's. The truth is that Lady Moira
is the dear friend of Lady Elgin, 6 & that she really does
want an Usher to keep the child in order. Some people
fancy that this Reconciliation may lead to the forming
a broader Administration. It is certainly the language
of all Pitt's friends to say how much he wishes it, & how
much he was struck with the particularly conciliatory
disposition which Fox had shown in the opening Negotia-
tion, but still I cannot believe that while Pitt has the
1 King George III and the Prince of Wales.
2 Ld. Moira, Francis, 2nd E., born 1754. A prominent and popular
politician. He mar. 1804, Flora, Countess of Loudoun in her own
right. She died 1840. In 1816 he was created Marquess of
Hastings. He died 1830.
3 Duke of Portland (3rd Duke), born 1738. At this time President
of the Council. He had been Prime Minister in 1783, and was so
again 1807. He mar. 1766, Dorothy, only dau. of 4th D. of Devon-
shire, who died 1794. His second wife, Anne Wellesley, whom he
mar. 1816, had previously married Sir William Abdy, which mar. was
dissolved in 1816 ; the lady was the natural dau. of Richard, Marq.
of Wellesley, and Hyacinth, dau. of Monsieur Roland, whom he mar. in
1794, but by whom he had no legitimate issue.
* The Princess Charlotte, born 1796, therefore about eight years old.
8 Princess Caroline, dau. of the D. of Brunswick.
8 Lady Elgin, Martha, only ch. of Thomas Whyte, a London
banker ; mar. 1759, Charles, 5th E. of Elgin, who died 1771. Lady
Elgin was governess to H.R.H. Princess Charlotte of Wales. She
died 1810.
110 LORD MELVILLE [CHAP, vm
Staff in his own hands & can in any way keep it from
the ground, he will trouble anybody to hold the other
end.
" Are you not very glad of Ebrington's success at
Barnstaple, beating Mr. Hunt on Government Interest,
& Mr. Thelusson on his money bags by the pure weapons
of Lord Fortescue's well deserved personal popularity.
It is not a little gratifying too that our wise Rulers should
find how much they have gained by the manoevre of
turning out Sir E. Pellew."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" BROOK STKEET, March 2^th l 1805.
" The tenth Report * that is, the eleventh & twelfth
that are to be, engross all the attention from the highest
to the lowest. ... It is a thing sorely to be lamented
(if there were no other Cause of regret for great men
turning out Rogues) that it so exasperates the minds of
the lower people & so sadly assists the arguments of those
mischief-makers who strive so hard to persuade them
that all their woes originate in the corruption & pecula-
tion of their Superiors. They were yesterday calculating
that the Income of public money enjoyed by Lord
Melville * himself, his sons, sons-in-law, & nephews (not
including a single Dundas Cousin) amounts to 54,000
pr. ann. & still that was not enough. They talk very
much of the next report implicating the great man
Pitt himself on a Charge of total disregard of the Limita-
tions on the issuing of Navy bills either with respect
to their number or Application. That he can ever for a
moment be suspected of having been drawn into such
misconduct from any interested motive, cannot enter
into the Speculation of his bitterest foes, but that from
a temper naturally very assuming & rendered ten fold
more so by the long enjoyment of uncontrolled power,
he may have entirely lost sight of all Check or responsi-
* See p. 107.
1 Henry Dundas, Ld. Melville, born 1742; Ld. High Advocate of
Scotland 1775 ; Treasurer of the Navy and First Lord of the Admiralty
1804-5. Created Vise. 1802 ; mar. 1st, Elizabeth, dau. of David
Rennie of Melville Castle, and 2ndly 1793, Jane, dau. of 2nd E. of
Hopetown. He died 1811.
1805] POLITICS 111
bility, I should not think by any means unlikely. It is
supposed that he will at all events support Lord M.
but the Addingtons are more than suspected of flying off.
If that is so, it may break up the whole Firm, tho' many
think that the Catholic question will ride paramount to
all & keep them together. . . . Last Tuesday at the
Opera Lord T. 1 went into Lady Castlereagh's 8 box
where he found the poor dear Doctor s more than half
seas over abusing Pitt like a pick-pocket & assuring Lord
T. that he thought he had ' A very just Consumption of
things in general.' Thus ' Nature show thyself how
blazonest,' Shakespeare. They were all sadly in the
dumps about the division of last night which was most
unaccountably & provokingly small. . . .
" The Government of Plymouth is given to Lord
Chatham 4 who had only 16,000 pr. ann. of public
money before, & as Master of Ordinance ought to be in
London, as General of district at Coyh th , & as Governor
of Plymouth at his Government all at the same moment,
but good Connection may supply ubiquity as well as
every other desideratum. ... I had a letter from your
brother Henry in answer to that which I wrote to him
about his Dulcinea, 8 not admitting any positive Aban-
donment to have taken place on either side, but I think
evidently slipping away from it, & speaking with the
greatest satisfaction of the Wisdom of having kept free
of any sort of Engagement. . . ."
Her interest in politics does not prevent Lady Williams
Wynn from taking an even deeper interest in Charles's
own personal concerns, and once again she urges him
forward on a matrimonial venture, once again he allows
the opportunity to slip. But he was preparing seriously
1 Ld. Temple, Lady Williams Wynn's nephew.
* Lady Castlereagh, Emily, dau. of John, 2nd E. of Buckinghamshire ;
mar. 1794, Richard, Vise. Castlereagh, the eminent statesman, who
succeeded his father as 2nd Marq. of Londonderry in 1822 (see sub-
sequent note). She died 1829 without issue.
3 Mr. Addington (Ld. Sidmouth).
* John, Lord Chatham, eld. s. of William Pitt, 1st E. Chatham ;
born 1756: mar. 1783, Mary, dau. of 1st Vise. Sidney. He d.s.p. in
1835, 6 Hon. Louisa Courtenay.
112 ADVICE ON MATRIMONY [CHAP, vin
to rectify his sins of omission, and on April 9th, 1806,
he married Mary, eldest daughter of Sir Foster and
Lady Cunliffe.
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" WOBTHINO, Friday, March 1805.
" I do not at all admit the force of your arguments
on the most interesting subject of your letter. You are
neither so young or so romantic as to fancy that there
is in some Corner a help mate put by for you possessed
of that degree of perfectibility which speculation may
teach itself to look to, but which Experience shews is
not to be found. Your objection to my favourite, if it
was worth combating, is in the first place founded on an
error, in point of fact, there not being I believe in the
world a Creature more attached than she is to her family,
& certainly is idolized by them. The circumstance of
the old Gentleman & Lady's not being particularly
affable is too trifling to dwell upon, nor will you I should
suppose ever expect to find ' Pa ' * Ma ' & ' Apple-pie '
all equally sweetened to your particular fancy. All
these are only general remarks, for your general benefit
as the particular Case to which they apply, is I fear, no
longer within our Contemplation, though from what I
have heard since I wrote last, I do not believe to be as
desperate as I had thought it & if the Opportunity could
be found I should be most anxious that you should put
yourself in the way of it. Your excuse that you have
never been within reach but once, is most invalid as you
certainly might have gone up to the Box any night at
the Opera, tho' she could not so well have come down to
the Pit to you, which was what you were probably wait-
ing for. I wish you would go to School for a little while
to our poor Paddy persecutor, Mr. Rochfort, whose
unexpected Appearance was what upset all the latter
part of my former letter & whose unremitting persever-
ance would I am persuaded have a certain degree of
weight, were it not counteracted by the constant resist-
ance which I keep up to its influence. It certainly is
now high time for you to look to the provision for your
latter days which to ideas formed as yours are, will, I
1805] ADVICE ON MATRIMONY 113
am persuaded never be found but in a domestic Circle,
& therefore it is that I so much wish you to accustom
yourself to look at what is to give you through the
reasonable medium of Common sense, & not through the
fanciful one of a Novel writer or reader."
The Same
" WOBTHINO, July 2nd.
" I am full of indignation at Mr. Upton's 1 having with
his one Eye carried off the Prize which no other younger
brother had even Spirit enough to look at with his two. I
really do feel quite persuaded that had you tried you
would have had quite as good a chance as him, & in my
Conscience I believe that without the smallest regard to
her fortune (which however certainly had something to
recommend it) you will never find any one as well suited
to you, nor would her want of beauty, have been ever
felt by you as a matter deserving of serious Consideration.
You would laugh if you knew how seriously I lament
your never having tried what I so often & so strongly
recommended to you. I do hope you will take this,
your Sin of Omission into serious & profitable Meditation
& find some early Opportunity of profitting by it. I
have had a letter this morning from Henry of ye 10th of
June telling me he had had the Post before a letter from
' Louise ' desiring to be released from her Engagement,
which of course will, I suppose, put a regular Close to a
foolish business exactly adapted to the ages of 18 & 20.
Your brother will have bought a certain degree of
experience which may be valuable to him, though not
acquired perhaps, without some little degree of un-
easiness."
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
" SHREWSBTTRY, October 9th, 1805.
" Every thing relating to the Legion * etc. has hitherto
succeeded as I could wish. The presentation of the
1 Mr. Upton, probably Hon. Fulke Greville Upton, 2nd s. of 1st
Vise. Templeton, who mar. Mary, dau. and h. of Richard Bagot and
his wife Frances (youngest child of William Howard, Vise. Andover,
and eventual h. to her nephew Henry, E. of Suffolk).
3 The Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry, raised in 1804.
114 POWIS CASTLE [CHAP, vm
Colours & subsequent dinner under the Walls of the
Castle was the most magnificent Spectacle & the most
suitable to the dignity of a Castle that I ever saw. Con-
ceive an area of about two hundred yards by one hundred,
perfectly flat bounded on one side by the Castle proudly
rising above four rows of terraces, on the opposite side
by a thickly wooded bank, & at both ends by wood also.
In this were laid six tables of 63 yards each & one of 30.
Tippoo's tent & a row of Marquees pitched & about
1500 seated at dinner. The Powis' were all extremely
gracious & I succeeded better than usual in my speech
of thanks. I hear from all quarters of Lady Powis's
being highly delighted etc., etc. She asked me after-
wards for a copy of my speech but as I felt apprehensive
of getting into the Newspaper I excused myself upon the
general grounds of having no notes or memorandum of
what I meant to say, which happens to be the case. . . .
" At length I am thirty & my dancing days are over.
My last ten years have certainly been more uniformly
happy & less chequered with undesireable events than
those of any person whom I have known."
The year 1806 saw the close of two notable Parlia-
mentary careers. William Pitt died in January, aged
47, and Charles Fox on September 13th, aged 57.
From Charles W. W. W. to his Mother
" WHITEHALL, Saturday, October Qth, 1806.
" I am sorry that you do not approve of a pension
to Mrs. Fox as it seems to me a matter of strict propriety
& a debt due from the Country to the wife of any Cabinet
Minister who is left wholly unprovided for, indeed after
giving 40,000 to pay Mr. Pitt's debts, 1,200 to Lady
Hester, 1 etc., etc. to all the Stanhopes, I should think it
disgraceful to refuse it. The solemnity of yesterday 8
was most awful to see within 8 months those two men
for whom the Kingdom was too small laid within three
feet of each other, to recollect all the triumphant display
1 Lady Hester Stanhope, niece to Mr. Pitt (see Introduction).
* Mr. Fox's funeral in Westminster Abbey.
1806] MR. FOX'S FUNERAL 115
of eloquence & ability which I have heard from Fox,
some certainly, at which I have paused & wondered that
the human mind could produce such, to see the
manner in which his old friends & companions were
affected, has made an impression which will not soon
wear away from me. Poor Lord Holland x suffered
terribly. In the crowd round the Grave I felt Lord
Crewe, 2 who happened to be close to me shivering from
head to foot. The ceremony in the Abbey lost much,
from their chanting almost all of it. I think only two
prayers were read. The Prince * was prevented from
attending by the interference of the King with the
ridiculous notions of etiquette, which as the Prince
observes in his letter to Lord Grenville, were never
brought forward against his attending Sir W. Fawcett's
Funeral. The letter to Lord Grenville pleased me
extremely. It is very respectful to the King & expresses
the hope he had entertained, that he could not displease
the King by any mark of respect to his private friend &
the King's departed Minister, the last act of whose life
had been a strenuous & successful struggle for the
recovery of the hereditary dominions of the Royal family
from perfidy etc. & trusting that he should be able to
find other opportunities not less public for marking
the high regard & respect which he had so long enter-
tained for Mr. Fox. He concluded with saying that he
shall not here attempt to express any thing of the con-
fidence friendship & esteem he feels for Lord Grenville,
as he considers this rather a letter addressed to the
King's Minister than to Lord Grenville."
On October 25th, 1806, Parliament was dissolved.
In Flintshire, Col. William Shipley contested the
county in the Whig interest against Sir Stephen Glynne,
of Hawarden. Charlotte Williams Wynn's marriage
1 Ld. Holland, 3rd Baron, nephew to Charles James Fox ; born
1773. He died 1840. In 1795 he mar. the dau. of Richard Vassal!,
previously the wife of Sir Godfrey Webster, Bart.
* Ld. Crewe, 1st Baron ; born 1742; M.P. for Staffordshire 1766-8,
and for Cheshire 1768-1806, when he was raised to the Peerage. He
died 1829.
3 The Prince of Wales.
116 CHARLOTTE'S WEDDING [CHAP, vm
took place in the middle of the election, when excite-
ment was running high. Sir Stephen, it must be
remembered, had married her first cousin, Mary Neville.
Both Charlotte and Lady Williams Wynn give Henry
still at Dresden an account of the anxieties and mixed
feelings which the wedding and election aroused.
From Charlotte W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, Sunday, November 9th, 1806.
*' With my mind very much taken up with my own
concerns I sit down Dear Henry to write to you, so I
fear that the composition will not be very lively.
*' The awful day for my marriage stands now I believe
fixed for Thursday next, and that you will allow is
sufficient excuse if my letter writing genius should be
less brilliant than usual. Indeed I begin to feel very
uncomfortable at the thought of it and though I hope
to be weaned very gradually from home, yet the change
in my situation there, is still very great. I fancy that
we shall go immediately to Llangedwyn, stay there a
week then return here. The Dean l will do the deed,
which I once thought would have made it much
worse, but I now feel that no little circumstance of that
sort can make a difference.
*' I am glad that the Dissolution has agreeably brought
down Charles and Mary, 1 as he will support me as much
as anybody, but I could have excused its having at this
moment occasioned the Election at Flint, as I think
that had Col. Shipley been thinking less of Wynnstay and
its inhabitants, he would have had a much better chance
of success. I do not however quite dispair the Election
began on Friday and they know not yet how much
longer it may last or who has the probability of most
votes. It is a great object to me that he may get a Seat
in Parliament, as he will then have a fair and un-
objectionable reason for staying away for some time
1 Dean Shipley of St. Asaph, father of Col. Shipley.
1 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Williams Wynn.
180G]
CHARLOTTE'S WEDDING
117
from Parliament, but I wish much that Sir S. Glynne
had not been his opponent for I fear that which ever
way it turns out it may produce a coolness which would
be very unpleasant. I wish that I could say that he,
Sir S., had carried it on quite in a Gentlemanlike
manner."
CHAPTER IX
1808
HENRY WILLIAMS WYNN arrived in England early
in 1807. He had visited Vienna on a very short
mission, in the November of 1806, after which he had
proceeded home as quickly as he could, by circuitous
routes. On January 27th he writes to Lady Williams
Wynn from Malmo in Denmark, describing his voyage
to Copenhagen on board a Danish vessel; this vessel,
after having succoured a smaller craft which had sprung
a leak, was herself driven on to some rocks. Passengers
and crew were finally rescued by Swedish fishermen,
and landed at Carlscrona.
During 1807 Henry travelled about England and
Scotland, staying in various big houses, and also
touring for the real pleasure of " sight-seeing."
The exiled Princes of the Royal House of France had
found a safe refuge in England, and early in 1808 the
Marquess of Buckingham entertained King Louis XVIII
and the Bourbon Princes with great magnificence at
Stowe. His invitation to his nephew Henry to join the
party is given below, followed by Henry's account of
the festivities.
From the Marquess of Buckingham to Henry
w. w. w.
" STOWE, January 3rd, 1808.
" MY DEAR HENRY, The recovery of my dear George l
having allowed me now to fix my Frenchmen for Monday
the llth, I have been anxious to hint to you, that in your
1 Hon. George Grenville, 2nd a. of 1st Marquess of Buckingham,
succeeded his mother as 2nd Baron Nugent 1820 ; born 1789 ; mar.
1813, Ann Lucy, dau. of Hon. Vere Paulett. He d.s.p. 1850.
118
1808] THE FRENCH PRINCES AT STOWE
professional pursuits it might possibly not be Indifferent
to you in various cases that might occur hereafter,
to have been personally acquainted with the whole
collection jrom first to last, who come to me : so as I
understand that the Wynnstay Ball will have released
you in time, I have kept a bed for you, & I wish you to
come hither that you may be made known to the King,
& the whole family &c. Let me have an immediate
answer to this letter that I may dispose of your bed if
you do not think with me upon this subject, but the best
answer is ' Ipse Veni.'
" Best love to your Mother, Watkin & brothers &
sisters & all within their gates.
" Ever yours,
" NUGENT BUCKINGHAM."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" STOWE, January 12th, 1808.
" MY DEAR MOTHER, Altho' I arrived here yesterday
before three o'clock I was but just in time to see the
reception of His Christian Majesty. They were all
drawn up on the steps, when I, by dint of vociferation
prevailed upon the Post Boy to drive in the back way.
The moment he entered the House, the Band struck up,
& Lord Buckingham conducted him to the State Apart-
ments, where there was a cercle till he went to dress,
which operation, being I suppose pressed by hunger,
did not last ten minutes, but dinner was not accelerated
as we did not sit down till past 6.
" The whole of the Family are here excepting Beau-
glais, who is still ill. The king seems a good-natured
good kind of man, but there is not certainly anything,
either in his appearance or manners, very attendrissant.
" The dinner party yesterday consisted of 44, & is
to-day to be augmented by 11 new arrivals. Among
those yesterday were Lord & Lady Carysfort, Proby,
Grenville, Charlotte & Fanny, Mr. & Mrs. F. Freemantle,
Miss Wynn, Mr. & Mrs. Young, & a young Irish Heiress,
Miss O'Donnell, Ebrington, & two Nevilles, Genl. Hervey,
Neil Talbot, &c., &c. Lady Louisa Hervey, the Admiral
& two Daughters, Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd, Lord Temple & the
9
120 THE FRENCH PRINCES AT STOWE [CHAP, ix
Due & Duchess de Coigney 1 with two other Frenchmen
arrive to-day. The dinner, entre nous (altho* there are
four French Cooks in the House) was the worst I ever
saw put upon a Table, & worse served than anything I
ever saw before. Lord Buckingham took care of the
King & all the rest of the Blood were obliged to take
care of themselves, without a servant literally to take
away their plates, or a glass of wine within their reach.
The table was covered with dishes, which were so
cold that they were not eatable with the exception of a
cold Pye which from its proximity to an immense fire
was warmed up again. After dinner Lord Buckingham
got up & said ' The King permits me to give for a toast
the Royal & Illustrious House of Bourbon, & God Bless
them ' upon which the King gave, ' God Bless the King
& old England for ever ' which Lord Buckingham re-
peated, & said that the King allowed him to add, * The
True Peace of Europe founded on a strict alliance bet ween
the two Sovereigns.' I fear that all the company will be
noted in Bonaparte's black book, & that we shall pay
for it if eVer we go to France. When the first Toast was
given the Band played ' O Richard O mon Roi,' after
which the Master of the Band came up to Temple, & asked
him whether the Marseillais Hymn would not be a proper
air to play. We did not of course, sit very long after
dinner, & by the assistance of cards & a little dancing
we got on to near twelve o'clock when we all went to bed.
" We have to-day been out with the Harriers but
had not much Sport. The King went with Lady
Buckingham in the little Phaeton. Tomorrow we are
to Shoot, & on Thursday the King & the other Princes
are to plant a Clump of Trees, each man his own Tree.
On Friday there is to be a Grand Ball & on Saturday
they^are all to gojaway.
" Excuse this hasty scrawl as we staid out longer than
we expected. Lord Buckingham desires me to tell you
that he shall not certainly leave Stowe before the 28th
or 29th.
" Ever your most dutiful & affectionate Son,
" H. W. W. W."
1 Francois Henri, Due de Coigny, b. 1 737, Marshal of France, a devoted
adherent of Marie Antoinette. He served with Cond6. Died 1821.
1808] THE FRENCH PRINCES AT STOWE 121
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" STOWE, January 14<A, 1808.
" I suppose you will expect me to report the progress
of the French visit here, though I do not think that any
thing particular has happened since I last wrote. We
every day have the health of the Royal & Illustrious,
& he as regularly gives an appropriate Toast in return.
Yesterday after the planting we had after the Toast
' & may their Posterity last longer than the latest acorn
of the latest Tree they have this day planted.' To
which the King replied in English, ' Our Noble Land-
lord, to whom our gratefulness is as rooted as the oldest
Oak.' No particular ceremony took place at the plant-
ing. I send you the Inscription for a Tablet which is
to be placed on the Round Tower near which the Trees
are planted. They all seem very much pleased with the
attentions which are shewn them, & certainly as far as
expence goes, nothing can be finer than the manner in
which Lord Buckingham has received them.
"It is a thousand pities that my Uncle had not
somebody from London to manage the whole thing,
instead of having four men who call themselves masters
& do nothing. Price is gone, & as his place is not yet
filled up there is nobody to tell the Servants where to
place themselves.
" The whole set went out Shooting yesterday, but
whether it was that the Hares had been driven away,
or that there are none, ' La chasse etait tres mauvaise.'
I cannot say, that with the exception of one or two,
any of the family have prepossessed me very much in
their favour. Old Conde * is by far the best, the Due
d'Angoule'me * seems a gentlemanlike man, but then one
cannot easily forget how manfully he ran away from the
Cond6 Army. I cannot of course judge whether the
King is pleasant in conversation, but one question he
made, did not tell much for his Historical knowledge.
He asked me whether I understood Welsh, as he wanted
to know what the Prince of Wales's Motto meant 1
1 A distinguished French General, died 1815, aged 79.
1 The Duo d'Angouleme (1775-1844), e. of Charles, afterwards
Charles X ; mar. his cousin, Marie Therese Charlotte, only dau. of
King Louis XVI, in 1799. He d.s.p.
122 THE FRENCH PRINCES AT STOWE [CHAP, ix
" I long to know when you intend to come. Lord
Carysfort has asked me to Elton, an invitation which I
think I shall accept when Lord B. goes to London. I
never saw a man more eager for hunting than Lord C.
is, we are going to-morrow 16 miles to cover.
" P.S. Dardis comes up every morning, so that
you may expect a full & particular account in the
Oracle."'
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" STOWE, Sunday.
' All the Frenchmen went yesterday & to-day we are
almost reduced to a family party, consisting of however
more than 20. The Carysforts, 2 Herveys, Fremantles,
Youngs, Ebrington, & Nevilles are among the de-
partures.
" Nothing could have been more pleasant than the
whole of their visit, & every one was sorry to see them
go away. The King behaved during the whole time just
as one would have wished, gracious with as much
dignity, as his porpoise-like figure would admit of. His
last Toast struck me as particularly neat & well expressed
for a Foreigner. May the remembrance of our visit here
be as agreeable to all present, as it will be soothing to us.
I do not think we have any chance of a connexion with
this Royal & Illustrious House so far as the Gentleman is
concerned, but entre nous I never saw anything so
ridiculous as the conduct of the Lady l not so much
during their stay here, as on their departure when she
burst into tears, & remained weeping all day long. The
Ball went off very well, she danced with all the Princes
who had any go in them, & when they retired which
they did immediately after supper in order to set off
early the next morning, she would not dance.
*' Lord Buckingham staid till the very last person was
gone, in consequence of which, & of all his other exer-
tions, he was yesterday so completely fagged, that he
could not sit dinner out. He had a very good night,
& tho' he to-day complains of a little headache, he is a
great deal better.
* Lady Mary Grenville, only dau. of the 1st Marq. of Buckingham,
afterwards Lady Arundel. She died 1845.
1808] THE VISIT CONCLUDED 123
" This horrible frost has disconcerted my plans exceed-
ingly, I have four horses eating their heads off without
having seen a hound since I have been here. We had
last night a little snow. I trust that it is not the
Echantillon of what you have in a greater degree at
Wynnstay.
" No day has been fixed for my Uncle's going to town,
& I think it seems likely that they will remain here till
the first week in February. I cannot vouch for this
it is only my surmise.
" I intend going to Audley End l for a week towards
the 25th, & then proceed to Elton.* I wish very much
to hear what your plans are, as I hope mine will in some
measure correspond with yours.
" I think I have been rather shabbily used by the
family hi not having received any account of your
theatrical Gaities."
1 Audley End, to stay with his uncle, Ld. Braybrooke.
* Elton, to stay with his uncle, Ld. Carysfort.
CHAPTER X
1808
WHEN Henry, the youngest surviving member of her
family of nine children, became twenty-five, Lady
Williams Wynn's long guardianship of his patrimony
ceased, and she handed over his fortune into his own
keeping. During the years of her " stewardship " it
had not grown less, and her letter to him on the subject
shows that her husband's trust in her powers of
management was not misplaced. Of the three sons,
Henry inherited more of her business and financial
capacities than either Sir Watkin or Charles.
Henry had begun his professional career as a boy, in
his seventeenth year, and his niche at home was per-
force one of no great prominence. From 1807 to 1822
he was without an appointment, but he could not bring
himself to settle down to any home pursuits or occupa-
tions. He indulged his love of travelling, first by tours
in England and Scotland, paying visits to the great
country houses as they came into his route ; then in
October 1808, having vainly endeavoured to induce the
Foreign Secretary, Mr. Canning, to give him a billet
abroad, he arranged for himself a tour in the Spanish
Peninsula, during the hostilities. Technically speaking,
he was still His Britannic Majesty's Minister to the Court
of Saxony, and he continued to draw the salary attached
to that post until 1816, when his successor was appointed.
124
1808] LADY WILLIAMS WYNN'S STEWARDSHIP 125
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" DROPMOBB, July Qth, 1808.
" I had intended writing to you yesterday, my dearest
Henry, but the variety of interruptions of my last
morning in London would not allow of it.
" I have at last got the final balance out of my
Guardian Accounts, & had the satisfaction before I left
London of transferring into your name somewhat over
5,700 stock in your 3 per cents, which at 70 per cent,
(the price they bore the day it was settled) is wt>rth
3,900, & I have a further sum of 71 to be placed to
your Account with Coutts. I give you all this in a very
loose Stile, but I have not brought my papers here with
me, having packed them for Wynnstay where I shall
explain all at leisure to you, & shall hope to receive your
approbation of my Stewardship. I consulted Lord
Buckingham about placing it all in Exchange Bills,
which he says is what he himself prefers to any other
mode of disposing of it, inasmuch as it gives you 5 per
cent, whereas you now receive only at the rate of 4,
& that he thinks the Stocks will fall in the event of peace,
when there will be more channels open for employing
money, & consequently a less glut of it in the market.
Antrobus, however thinks quite differently, & says that
his opinion is that peace would inevitably raise the
Stocks, & that Ministers (the moment they could) would
pay off their Exchange Bills at a discount. So you may
weigh all this & operate for yourself, & I only hope that
wherever you may decide to place your Money, it may
not be with ' The Board of Green Cloth.'
" You are a very rich single man, & might, with what
you have & a very tolerably portioned wife, be a very
comfortable double one, which after all I am quite sure
is the state from which you would derive most happiness.
You talk of sowing Wild Oats because you hear others
talk of it, not that it is a grain, the produce of which
gives you satisfaction in reaping, or can satisfy the
natural manly object of your mind ; I say without
reference to any human Being, as I am quite sure I have
not in view one whom I could myself point out to you,
but many there are, I am persuaded who would make
126 LADY WILLIAMS WYNN'S STEWARDSHIP [CHAP, x
you a much happier & more respectable man than any
Sower of Wild Oats, & it does grudge me as well as
grieve me to see such valuable years of such a valuable
life so passed. Without profession, without Parliament,
a good & sensible man can make himself of the most
essential use to his fellow Creatures, & in so doing put to
profit those natural, as well as acquired, powers which
were never given to be hid in the Earth like the un-
profitable Talent. I must not sermonize one moment
longer as my letter is called for, but you could not
expect that I would notify to you so much 3 per cent,
without making you pay for it by reading a little of a
Mother's tediousness which I certainly bestow upon
you as heartily as any Guardee that ever gave up a
Charge."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" INVKBABY, Sunday Evening, July llth, 1808.
" I will soon proceed to thank you in a more detailed
manner for your letter, the receipt of which I barely
acknowledged before I left Walkinshaw.
" From what I had heard from you I certainly
expected a large balance in my favour, but I never dreamt
of its exceeding 3,000, 1 am most sincere in my thanks
to you in this respect, but I trust that you will believe
me equally so, when I assure you that I consider this,
as one of the least subjects of gratitude which I have
toward you, during your long Stewardship, & that
this last act was not requisite to my conviction of your
being the most economical, at the same time that you
were the most affectionate & best of Guardians. I
should not have mentioned thus much, did I not receive
the greatest pleasure in endeavouring to express that
which I feel most warmly. I shall not say anything
with respect to the remainder of your letter, as I have
already discussed the subject with you, & I fear that
notwithstanding all your excellent reasoning, I still
incline to my opinion, that a man ought to remain single
till he is perfectly convinced that he will make a good
married one ; that conviction I have not, & I therefore
think I had better remain as I am for some time longer."
1808] DUNROBIN 127
The Same
" DAI.WYNNIE INN, August 1th at night.
"Altho' there was not anyone at Dunrobin but
Lady Stafford and Gower, 1 our stay there was most
delightful. I have already mentioned how very civil
our hostess was, I always thought her pleasant & affable,
but I had not the least idea of her having so much
quiz; whatever remarks took place after a visit from
the natives, I never saw any person do the Honours of
the place better, or in a more gratifying way to them
during their Stay.
" It appears that Lord Stafford is perfectly right in
remaining quiet at Trentham, as he is as unpopular as
she is liked. All the Clan have now free access, whereas
when he was down he wanted to establish public days
like those at Alnwick, which Laurey, was too proud to
submit to saying, that the object of his visit was civility,
and not to add to the pomp of the family. With all her
popularity, she is very much abused for turning off last
year a great number of small tenants who had held land
under the family for upwards of two hundred years,
& making large sheep farms, but I very much doubt
whether in a few years, they will not feel the advantage
of this new plan. At present nothing can exceed their
poverty & misery, & yet, there is hardly a day Labourer
in the County of Sutherland. Every family has a small
farm which they are too poor to stock with sheep or
cattle, & in a bad year, as the last, when all their Oats
were spoilt with the rain, they are reduced to absolute
Starvation. I have seen misery in Wales, but till I
came into this Country, I had no idea of human or
indeed any other Creature existing in such habitations
as I have seen, & their food is, if possible, still worse.
Lady Stafford is doing everything in her power to make
them more comfortable by building better Cottages &
encouraging them to fish on the coast, but they are too
much addicted to filth to enjoy the former, & too idle to
attempt the latter.
" Tomorrow we go to the Duke of Athol's."
1 Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland, only dau. and h. of 19th E. of
Sutherland; mar. 1785, George, E. of Stafford, Baron Gower (after-
wards 1st D. of Sutherland). She died 1830.
CHAPTER XI
1809
DURING the autumn of 1808 Henry was planning a tour
in Spain, where affairs were assuming very hostile
appearances. The much criticised and debated Con-
vention of Cintra, signed on August 30th, was barren of
results, and the ink was barely dry before a " Treaty "
had been concluded between France and Spain for the
partition of Portugal. This Treaty was practically the
signal for the opening of the Peninsular War.
Henry was still nominally H.M. Minister at Dresden,
and therefore had to obtain leave from his chief at the
Foreign Office before starting on his journey; but he
greatly desired something more than mere official per-
mission, and hoped to be an accredited Envoy from
the Government.
His cousin Lord Ebrington attached himself to
General Cameron's Army as, according to Henry's
report, a jranc-tireur, and gave his family at home
considerable anxiety during the anxious days of
December 1808 and January 1809.
From Rt. Hon. Thos. Grenville to Henry W. W. W.
" BOCONNOO, September 14th, 1808.
" MY DEAR HENRY, Yesterday's post brought me
your letter of the 10th. enclosing the copy of your letter
to Canning, which appears to me to be in every respect
quite unobjectionable, & very much what I had wished
it, because tho' it was easy enough to write an angry
letter, & tho' there was ample provocation afforded for
128
1808] HENRY IN THE PENINSULA 129
it, you will, I am sure, have satisfied yourself of the
superiority that you maintain upon this occasion, by the
temper & good sense which you have opposed to so
strange a deficiency of both. I do sincerely believe
that upon better reflection Canning will be ashamed of
himself, & tho' I do not expect that he will have the
grace or honesty to acknowledge it, I think you judge
perfectly right in waiting three or four days in London
for the possible result of your letter. Having no longer
no motive to detain me here, I shall quit this place on
Friday, & have written to Watkin to say that I will be at
Llangedwyn on the 29th, where or at Wynnstay, I hope
to have the pleasure of seeing my dear Henry.
" Ever most affectionately yours,
" THOS. GBENVILLE."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" LISBON, December 15th, 1808.
" Despatches were received this morning from Sir
John Moore, 1 dated at Salamanca the 7th. inst., by
which it appears that the accounts received by Sir D.
Baird s of the immense slaughter of the French, where
they three times in vain attempted to take possession of
Madrid, & the Spirit which again began to shew itself
in the North, had occasioned a complete change in the
plan which the defeat of Blake & Romana had obliged
him to adopt. In the first moment he considered his
Junction with Moore as impossible & had actually began
his retreat from Astorga towards Vigo with an idea of
coming round to this place. At the date of Sir John
Moore's despatches Sir D. Baird was again advancing
with the greatest prospect of being able to effect a
Junction."
1 Sir John Moore, born 1761 ; 3rd s. of John Moore, M.D. He
entered the Army 1776, and saw service in America. He was Com-
mander-in-Chief of the British troops in Spain 1808. While proceed-
ing to the relief of Madrid, he was cut off, and retreated to Corunna,
where, after saving his Army from total destruction, he fell, mortally
wounded, during the embarkation of his troops (1809).
a Sir David Baird, 1st Bart. ; born 1757. Entered the Army at
15; distinguished himself at Seringapatam 1799; Commander-in-
Chief at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope. He lost an arm at
the Battle of Corunna. He mar. 1810, Anne Preston Menzjes Camp-
bell, He d.s.p. 1829,
130 HENRY IN THE PENINSULA [CHAP, xi
Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" LISBON, December Slat, 1808.
" I returned here two days ago from the Tour which
I announced in my last letter to Harriet, & was very
vexed to find that Ebrington & the XlVth arrived here
the very day of my departure, luckily I was just in
time to see him, but he set out early the next morning
for Sir J. Moore's Army which however I fear there is
little chance of his reaching. He is gone a jranc-tireur
with General Cameron, 1 meaning to ride Post Horse
the whole way without taking a second Coat, & hardly
a change of Linen. This may, I think, be called
roughing it.
" Everything is going on as ill as possible, & I have
been obliged to renounce my original plan of going by
Badajos & Seville to Cadiz.
" A part of the French Army has already crossed the
Tagus, & are in possession of Truxille & Merida, parties
of Cavalry have also been seen no great distance from
Badajos, so that I fear the game is completely up. The
odds are also highly in favour of the French being in
possession of this place in a month's time, for there is not
any British Force sufficient to prevent them. . . . With
a fair wind we shall be there (Cadiz) in a day & a half or
two days, without ever being out of sight of land, & as
the French cannot fly over the Sierra Morena, I shall at
least have time to look about me, & by making Cadiz
my head Quarters, I shall always be in reach of Gibraltar.
After passing a horrible night at Castanheira, we reached
Lisbon the next day. The House was better than at
Torres Vedras, but as ill luck would have it, we had not
been there long before we were greeted by the arrival of
Bagage Carts returning from Sir J. Moore's Army, the
1 General Sir Alexander Cameron, born 1781. Was one of the
officers trained in camp at Shorncliffe by Sir John Moore. He was
present at the Battle of Vimeiro in 1808, and during Sir John Moore's
retreat he was engaged with the Reserve Army in covering actions.
He specially distinguished himself at the Battle of Corunna. After-
wards he served throughout the Peninsular War under Wellington.
He was wounded at Waterloo. He is said to have been ' ' one of the
very best officers of light troops ever trained by Moore and employed
by Wellington." The regiment under his command was then known
as 95th Rifles now the Rifle Brigade. He died 1850.
1809] PRINCE AND PRINCESSE DE CONDE 131
drivers of which, were by turns so jovial & quarrelsome,
that all sleep was set at defiance till near 2. As soon as
they were quieted, the house was again put in confusion
by the arrival of a fresh party, with a noisy child who
having taken possession of our sitting-room, rendered
a general removal of our effects necessary, & to conclude
our night adventures, they, towards day break, with
great acclamations, arrested a poor unoffensive Swede
as a French Spy."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, January 1th, 1809.
" I need not tell you my beloved Henry, what delight
it gave me to open a letter from you describing a Sea
Voyage as a party of pleasure. I am very happy to
learn that you have been so well received by Sir J.
Craddock, through him you will at least hear as much
of the state of Spain as is to be picked up at Lisbon.
" Lord Buckingham is talking of removing soon to
Bath, which stops my project of halting there in my way
up. George 1 is in full force in the midst of the Christmas
Circle, but still panting for Spain. Lady Buckingham
has been amusing herself with writing an Epigram
on the Prince & Princesse de Conde, 2 which might
have begun ' Unlike my subject will I make my Song '
having certainly in it a good deal more Spirit of all sorts
than the Hero, & Heroine of it. The refrain is :
" Pop, pop, pop. Oh. Oh. Oh.
"Tis the Princess of Mo-na-co 2
Who with Cupid's Bow
Laid Cond6 low
And without fear of miscarriage
Consents to a marriage.
Now at Gosfield Hall their Wedding they do keep
And in the Green Velvet Parlour the noble Couple sleep."
" This is quite Christmas Grub dearest, but I have
nothing better for you, & to go on in the same stile, I
1 George, Ld. Buckingham's 2nd s., afterwards Ld. Nugent.
Prince and Princess of Conde. The Prince was a distinguished
French General. He died in 1815, aged 79. He mar. the Princesse
de Monaco.
182 PORTUGUESE TROOPS [CTTAP. xi
must tell you that there never was anything so improved
or so agreeable as little Mr. Shipley. . . .
" We have as much eating & drinking in these parts
as they could have had in the days of Noah, but no
giving in marriage. Catherine Neville l who is the great
fountain of Intelligence on those Subjects, tells us that
Lord Palmerstone * is to marry Lady F. Pratt, 1 which
seems a remarkably neat Ministerial Alliance."
From Henry W. W. W. to his sister Charlotte (Mrs. Shipley)
" ELVAS, January 10th, 1809.
" MY DEAREST CHARLOTTE, There are about 1,200
British Troops here commanded by Colonel Kemmis
of the 40th, who has received me most hospitably &
shown me the Lions which are very well worth seeing, &
particularly Port La Lippe which is in the first Class of
Fortifications. There are still the marks of the Shells,
which were thrown by the Spaniards when the French
retained possession of the Fortress after the Convention
of Cintra. When the French advanced to Prenillo, the
British Force here were in a very critical situation &
Kemmis made every preparation to throw himself into
the Fortress: It is impossible to conceive any thing
more ridiculous than the appearance of the Portugueze
Troops here. I wish Harriet could see a few of them at
Drill. I do not know which are worse, the old Troops
or the new Levies. It grieves me to see the English
Muskets placed in such hands, they have not the least
energy or Spirit. Colonel Keaimis does every thing in
his power to make something of them, but without any
success.
" We are as yet without any intelligence from Sir J.
Moore's Army, we have reports of a great victory on the
28th & 29th, but I fear that there is little reliance to be
placed in them. A Gentleman arrived to-day from
1 Hon. Catherine Neville, eld. dau. of 2nd Ld. Braybrooke. She
died unmar. 1841.
1 Henry, 3rd Vise. Palmereton ; born 1784; mar. 1839, Emily, dau.
1st Vise. Melbourne and widow of 5th Earl Cowper. He was Prime
Minister 1855-8 and 1859 until his death 1865.
3 Lady F. Pratt, dau. of 1st Marq. of Camden. Died unmar. 1822.
1809] HOME NEWS 133
Seville, where they were as much in the dark as we are.
I shall see General Cuesta l to-morrow at Badaos but
I have no expectations of hearing anything from him.
Col. Kemmis was obliged to send an English officer to
follow the traces of the French Army, who were at
Prentillo as no Spaniard would go. . . ."
From Harriet W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, January 21s*, 1809.
" MY DEAREST HENRY, I have to thank you for a
very long & entertaining letter which I received last
week. This morning's post brought us two letters from
you, one for Mama & the other for Charles, & likewise
a letter from my Uncle Tom, mentioning that he had
heard from you & wished very much to answer you, but
thought it so unlikely that a letter could reach you in
your present unsettled State, that he would wait for
future directions. He expresses some uneasiness about
Ebrington, whom he had not heard from, but supposed
he had joined Sir J. Moore's Army, for the safety of
which he says all London are in the greatest anxiety ;
the News grows daily so much worse that you will not
wonder at our not being much delighted with your
letter to-day, announcing your intention of going to
Cadiz, however I hope there can be no fear of your not
being able to go faster than the Army, even supposing
you are in so bad a predicament as to fall in their way. . . .
We have just had Sir Foster, 2 Harriet, Sir Richard
Brooke & Brooke on their way from Porkington where
they went to a Play, Farce, Supper & Ball, to which all
the County were asked except us, which is exceedingly
rude in Ormsby, 3 as we asked nobody to ours & therefore
there was no cause for her to take affront however we
easily comforted ourselves for the loss of a ten mile
1 A Spanish General, at this time 83 years of age.
* Sir Foster Cunliffe.
8 Miss Mary Jane Ormsby, only child and h. of Owen Ormsby, of
Porkington, Shropshire. Miss Ormsby was born 1781 ; mar. 1815,
William Gore, M.P., who assumed the additional surname of Ormsby.
Their e. became 1st Baron Harlech.
134 PORKINGTON THEATRICALS [CHAP, xi
drive & back in a deep snow. They said the performance
was excellent. They all came back delighted, saying
that it was the best acting they ever saw, that Mr.
Wingfield l was really excellent his poor Wife amused
them all by her fidgets, whenever there was any stop or
hitch, her voice was heard speaking to herself ' Good
Heavens ! Whats the matter ! I know it can't be my
Rowland I dressed him quite ready,' &c., &c. Miss
Gore, likewise excellent. Price very pompous in a gay
white satin dress with Mama's precious diamond Pins
in his hat, & very much affronted at being made to act
a Servant in the Farce, saying he could not think it
quite proper for a man in his situation to act Servant
& Livery Servant too. Little Lloyd * very shy, & very
bad. Miss Ormsby acted Ghost, as white as chalk &
as graceful as a Mop Stick. Whitittall Davies taught
her how to act it, & amused them all by desiring her
gravely to endeavour to sail in, always keeping her
draperies extended in a Horizontal Position. Mr. Bourke
has made a caricature of her with all her draperies
(beginning at the shoulders) extending in a horizontal
position & fat W. Davies kneeling below, endeavouring
by blowing with a Bellows, to keep the draperies in his
favourite position. The ' Mock Doctor ' was very good
but very short. They began it with a Prologue written
by Mr. Kynaston * & spoke by him in the Character of
Merlin, & Harriet Pigott as a female Ariel (which grieved
her, as she is particularly fond of appearing in Male
Attire, having acted Earl Surrey last year in a tight knit
dress in order to show her knees, which as she is deformed
are said exactly to resemble the Goblin Page's but
nevertheless she is exceedingly partial to them) I thought
it particularly stupid in reading & so did they find in the
acting.
" I have now told you all our Porkington news &
must leave off. . . .
" I must tell you of Forester, 4 who arrived at Belvoir
in a wig & a pair of goggles, as an Irish Dean, & took
1 Mr. Wingfield of Onslow, Shropshire.
William Lloyd of Aston, Shropshire, born 1779.
8 Mr. Kynaston, afterwards Sir Edward, 2nd Bart.
Cecil Forester of Willey, 1st Baron, 1821 ; born 1767; died 1828.
1809] CORUNNA 135
them all in so completely that the Duke introduced
him in sober sadness to the Bishop of Durham ! "
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, January 29th, 1809.
" The disastrous Events which accompanied the
Retreat from Corunna have no doubt reached you, but
as you may not get any English Newspapers with the
names of those who have fallen, I cannot think it
superfluous to say that thank God none immediately
connected with us are of the number. You will see poor
Cavendish, 1 (Lord George's second Son) Young Walde-
grave, Lord Waldegrave's Brother, & Captain Ducken-
field mentioned as having been lost in one of the trans-
ports on the Manacle Rocks, I really think this more
heart-breaking than if they had fallen in battle. Poor
Lady Waldegrave s has certainly been tried in the
school of affliction more heavily than almost any body
I have known of her age. Her husband who she doated
on, was carried off by a fever at 30 years old. Her little
Son was drowned at Eton, her only daughter died in her
arms in child bed, her two only sisters died prematurely,
& now this poor boy falls a Sacrifice (I believe) in his
first Campaign. Lord Proby * came, or is coming home
with Sir Samuel Hood, 4 but of our dear Ebrington, we
have not yet heard anything. I hope he found his way
across to Vigo from Almeida, or that he has returned to
Lisbon, but I would give a great deal to know it.
" You will or will not see in the Newspapers that some
part of that beautiful Edifice of St. James's Palace has
been burnt down. Poor Lady Charlotte Finch and her
sick Grand-daughter were obliged to be moved in the
1 George Cavendish, born 1782, grandson of 4th Duke of Devon-
shire.
a Elizabeth, Lady Waldegrave, dau. of 2nd Earl Waldegrave ; mar.
1782 her cousin, 4th Earl, who died 1789. She died 1816.
8 John, Ld. Proby, afterwards 2nd Earl Carysfort. A General in
the English Army; d. unmar. 1828.
* Sir Samuel Hood, 2nd s. of Henry, 2nd Vise. Hood ; born 1 788 ;
BUC. his uncle to the Barony of Bridport in 1814 ; mar. 1810 Charlotte,
only dau. and h. of William, 1st Earl Nelson, and as such, Duchess
of Bront6. She died 1872. He died 1868.
10
136 FIRE AT ST. JAMES'S PALACE [CHAP, xi
middle of one of those bitter nights. I learn, however,
that neither have materially suffered & au reste the
misfortune will not be very great. All I feared was
that it might have been so burnt as to justify setting
about building a new Palace, which I should certainly
have much grudged for the use now made of it. ..."
CHAPTER XII
18091812
IN 1809 the attention of the whole country was sud-
denly diverted from the affairs on the Continent by the
charges brought up by Colonel Wardle in the House of
Commons against the Duke of York, Commander-in-
Chief. Mrs. Clarke, the Duke's mistress, was accused of
trafficking in promotions and commissions, not only in
the Army, but also in the Church. She was examined at
the Bar of the House of Commons, and conducted herself
with much levity. She pleaded, in defence, that the
Duke had knowledge of all her transactions, and con-
nived at them. Colonel Wardle became, for a time, the
popular idol, as his persistence in dragging the whole
scandalous affair to light pleased the public temper.
He was not, however, entirely blameless, himself, with
regard to the lady, and his own reputation was not
enhanced by the proceedings, though for the moment
he was regarded as a hero. A medal was struck to
commemorate his action, and he was presented with
the freedom of the city of London.
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 19th, 1809.
"... Ebrington contrived to give us all a compleat
fidget about him for one fortnight, during which we
knew of his having left Lisbon, but could not make out
what was become of him, four letters however from him
137
138 THE DUKE OF YORK [CHAP, xii
at last arrived & set us at case. This horrid business of
the Duke of York & Mrs. Clarke occupies all conversation
as much, as you will see, it does the newspapers, & I am
shocked to find such Topics brought into general dis-
cussion between all the young Gentlemen and Gentle-
women of the best Ton & manners. The Gossip of the
last four & twenty hours announces his resignation
tomorrow, & some add that he means to demand an
impeachment, being pretty sure from recent precedent
what the result of that appeal would be, & that after
consuming a great deal of time, & a great deal of red
Cloth, Lord Gwydir l would be the only person benefitted.
It is, however an ill wind that blows nobody any good,
& Ministers have, I Fancy, congratulated themselves a
little on the diversation which this enquiry has made of
the public attention from the exterior events of the last
six months.
" Everybody speaks of Lord Grenville's speech on the
American Embargo, the division on it was reckoned
extraordinaryly good. Neither Lord Ch m 2 nor the
Duke of Rutland s appeared, which rather makes
speculations."
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BBOOK STREET, February 21th.
" London appears particularly dull, the disgraceful
business before the House of Commons has been so
exclusively the Topic of all discourse, & is so un-
pleasant to discuss, that I think even the dreadful
calamity of the burning of Drury Lane will not be quite
without it's advantage, if it makes people think & talk
of something else. How providential that it should
not have been the night of any performance at the
Theatre, so violent, so rapid a Fire was, I believe,
scarcely ever known. It has been calculated that from
the time of its first breaking out to that of the falling
1 Sir Peter Burrell, 1st Baron ; born 1754 ; mar. 1779, Lady Pris-
cilla Bertie, dau. and co-h. of 3rd D. of Ancaster. He died 1820.
1 Ld. Chatham.
3 John, 5th D. of Rutland; born 1778; mar. Lady Elizabeth,
dau. of 5th E. of Carlisle. He died 1857.
1809] BURNING OF DRURY LANE 139
in of the roof & Cistern, the interval was not sufficient
for one half of the number of the audience to have
escaped. The sight was most tremendous, as the Air
was illuminated like noon-day for miles round, so that
every-body's first impression seems to have been that
the fire must be in the next street. The Princess of
Wales had a Party at Kensington from whence I hear
the sight was uncommonly fine, the reflextion of the
fiery sky in the Serpentine with the shade of the leafless
Trees thrown across it must have been magnificent."
" Feb. 28th. Since writing the above I have seen the
ruins of poor Drury Lane. Nothing is left standing but
the Bow at the end which has certainly a far more beauti-
tul effect from the outside than it had as a complete
Building, the ruins were still smoking & the Engines in
waiting, & frequently playing. . . .
" You will be surprised to hear that our Moccas friends
Miss Devereux l & Mr. Wellington are going to be married.
I hear Lady Hereford 8 objects strongly at which no one
can wonder, as it is certainly an alliance between la
faim & la soif."
From Lady W. W. to Mrs. Charles W. W.
" BEOOK STREET, Thursday.
"... The Newspapers just come in, & I hope from
it that they have at last got through at least one side
of this sad business, but what it is to end in, I believe
nobody knows. Shocked I am to hear that there is
actually a subscription opened in the City for purchasing
an annuity of 1,000 per ann. for Mrs. Clarke ! That
some have already put down their names to 100 & that
they give out that sixpences will be received in order that
the majority of the people may have the satisfaction of
contributing. In the midst of all this however, I hope
Charles has transmitted to you the compleat justification
which our country-man Wardle's character has received
1 Charlotte, 2nd dau. of 13th Vise. Hereford; mar. 1809, Henry
Wellington, of Hay Castle, Hereford. He died 1868. She died 1861.
8 Marianne, dau. and h. of George Devereux, of Tregoyd, Brecon ;
mar. 1 768, George, 13th E. of Hereford. He died 1804. She died 1811.
140 THE DUKE OF YORK [CHAP, xii
as with respect to the nature of his interviews with Mrs.
C. which is asserted to be purer than the driven snow
itself. Lord Folkestone says that Mrs. W. has been
quite as busy in the whole business as him, & that so
clever, & so active a little woman he never saw. She
opens all letters, makes minutes of all the conversations,
& arranges all the evidence. I understand Mr. W.
means to make a public declaration on this subject before
the whole is closed.
" Much has been said of the D. 1 asking for an Impeach-
ment of which, after it has cost us all 10 a foot in
timber & red Cloth, we know the result just as well at
the beginning as at the end, but I rather fancy Ministry
will try their strength or foully to bear him out."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" GIBRALTAR, March nth, 1809.
" When at Valentia I saw an Officer who had been
taken Prisoner at Saragossa, & found means to escape,
his account of their sufferings during the Siege, & the
inhuman manner in which these Heroes were afterwards
treated by the French Army was truly affecting. He
represented the Town as one Mass of ruins, with the
most violent Epidemic Fever which in one day carried
off 600 Persons. . . .
" I have as yet seen very little of this famous Rock
but I never saw so exact a representation of it as the
Panorama which was last year exhibited; as I sailed
into Port, I was so well acquainted with the different
Buildings &c., that it appeared as if I had been here
before. I find myself completely in Pays de connaissance
as the Captains of the three Ships happen to be particular
friends of mine, Elphinstone Fleming, Brook Taylor's
brother & Waldegrave, Lord Radstock's son.
" I have not yet had time to devour the English
Papers, but have of course, looked over the Duke of
York's business. I cannot help thinking that it is
rather beneath the dignity of Parliament to be occupied
Duke of York.
THE DUKE OF YORK 141
in fratmhimg Mrs. Clarke * &c^ when so many other
important objects require their attention.
" Adieu my dearest Mother &
" Believe me your Ever affectionate ft dutiful Son.
"H. W. WILUAMS
From Cftorfef IT. IT. IT. to Henry W. W.
" 8t JAMB'S SQTTABB, Jfodk
" Ministers seem to be determined, in spite of all
the facts which have come out in evidence, to carry the
accused * through, & even to TOfri'vfcMA him in hfe Office*
I have myself great doubts whether they are strong
enough even in doors to carry it, but if they should, the
consequences out of doors will be most alarming. I
heard yesterday at the Welsh Dinner, that there are
addresses ready to be moved both in the City & West-
minster in the event of the H. of C. deciding in the
D's * favour praying for his removal & for the dissolution
of so corrupt a Parliament, You will observe by his
letter which was drawn up by the Cabinet that it is
their intention, if possible, in the first instance to
acquit him, & in the second, if that cannot be carried,
to have an impeachment. A more absurd & nugatory
proceeding cannot be conceived. The only crime that
would warrant impeachment, is that of Corruption,
which though there are strong grounds for suspecting,
can scarcely be thought by anyone to be sufficiently
proved by creditable witnesses to warrant a Peer in
the Verdict of guilty.
" By the Duke*s own letters, it however, appears
clearly that he suffered this Woman to be a regular
channel of military applications to him, & that through
her, he returned answers, & it is .admitted that he made
her Foot-boy an Ensign in the Army. These are facts,
which though they are not such crimes as a Court of
1 A Committee of the whole House was appointed to go into the
matter. The Duke resigned his office before the proceeding* wen
ended, and the investigation went no further.
Duke of York.
142 DUKE OF YORK AND MRS. CLARKE [CHAP, xii
Justice could take cognizance of, yet prove such flagrant
mis-conduct that the H. of C. would neglect their duty,
if in some way they do not recommend that the person
who has been guilty of them, should be removed from
the important & responsible situation of Commander-
in-Chief.
" In one respect this business has been of service to
Ministers, for it has diverted the public attention from
Cintra & Corunna. Still you see how bad an appear-
ance they have made on their divisions in both Houses.
They have mismanaged the whole of the enquiry in a
manner which cannot be conceived by any person who
was not present. Their first intention after the charge
assumed so serious a complexion was that the D. should
resign, but by the threat of dismissal they were terrified
into their present resolution of carrying him through.
Still I doubt their being strong enough, particularly in
their present state of disunion. Neither the Duke of
Portland 1 nor Lord Chatham * nor the Duke of Rutland
sent their proxies to the Division in the House of Lords,
& from those in the House of Commons, Tichfield, Lord
W. Bentinck & Cholmondeley were absent. The order
for the House being called over may be of some service
to them, by bringing up some of those who are waiting to
determine which side they will take, but if forced to an
early decision will, of course, take the inside. You will
be glad to hear that Pitt's Speech on Cintra is universally
allowed to be the best which has been made this year.
" The burning of Drury Lane was without escep-
tion, the most magnificent scene I ever yet witnessed.
The whole atmosphere was illuminated as far as Windsor.
The effect of it from Westminster Bridge where I saw it,
was increased by the clear & unruffled reflextion of the
flames in the water. The whole of that immense roof,
& of the Apollo Tower above it was wrapt in one blaze,
& the only representation which could give you an idea
of it is Loutherbourg's of the fire of London, to which it
bore a striking similarity, for you will recollect, that is
taken from London Bridge at the moment of the con-
flagration of the Steeple of St. Paul's.
1 Prime Minister (March 1807 December 1809).
* Master-General of Ordnance.
1809] MRS. CLARKE'S LETTERS 143
" Lord Morpeth 1 told me he had received a letter from
Lord Holland of the 9th Feb. dated at Seville, but as
you were not mentioned there, I suppose you had set off
before that day. He represents the news of Moore's
death & the embarkation to have produced the most
unfavourable impression to our interests, & the refusal to
admit our Troops into Cadiz seems still further to con-
firm him. The Newspapers will inform you in how
shabby a manner, Ministers, to justify themselves, laid
the blame upon Moore, which every body knows ought
to have rested on their own shoulders. On Cintra they
made a most ridiculous figure. Castlereagh's speech
was answered by Canning's, 1 & Perceval * took a ground
still different from the other two.
" You will perceive that I was on the select Committee
for examining Mrs. Clarke's letters. Some were highly
ridiculous, particularly one from O'Meara the Candidate
for a Bishopric, who invites her to a Tour in Ireland,
& assures her that he 4 will guard her from Pikes &
threshing machines.'
" Has Harriet told you of the accident which has pre-
vented Sir Samuel Hood from taking his seat in the
House or Hoisting his Flag ? He ordered his bed to be
warmed, but got in without waiting for it, whereon the
attentive Abigail without noticing that he was there
inserted the warming pan with so much effect, that for
these three weeks he has been unable to stand or sit.
" To complete the present discredit of Royalty among
us it is confidently stated that Lord Oxford has com-
menced an action against the Duke of Cambridge.' If
true, it is singularly unlucky that this should be the exact
moment for such a circumstance coming out against the
only one of the brothers who has hitherto maintained
a decent & respectable character.
" The Prince most wisely observes a strict neutrality
1 Ld. Morpeth, afterwards 6th Earl of Carlisle; born 1773; mar.
1801, Georgina, dau. of 5th Duke of Devonshire. He died 1848.
* Canning, the Foreign Secretary, and Spencer Perceval, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the Commons in the Duke of
Portland's Ministry.
3 Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge, 7th s. of King George III ;
born 1774 ; mar. 1818, Princess Augusta, dau. of Landegrave of Hesse.
He died 1850.
144 SOCIETY SCANDAL [CHAP, xn
during the whole enquiry & will neither be a party to the
attack, or share the disgrace of his brother. Wardle is,
of course the Hero of the mob, & will probably be
Burdett's * Colleague at the next general Election. The
effect which the business has produced through the
country, is from all accounts unprecedented, & all the
old Jacobin leaven is set in ferment to get petitions for
reform in Parliament &c."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BBOOK STBEET, March 14th, 1809.
" The horrible event in the Paget family makes
perhaps a worthy diversion of the public attention from
Mrs. Clarke. His family are all in the deepest affliction,
& to poor Lord Uxbridge 2 it will probably in mercy be
a deathe blow. His grey hairs have, in truth been
brought by his Children with sorrow to the Grave, &
affords a striking Contrast to those which (in despite of
Age) might if it were possible receive the brilliant
colours of Youth from the kindness of good Conduct of
such Relatives. God Almighty bless you individually
my beloved Son for your valuable Contribution to this
message of happiness. Adieu. All the Parent^ are
well & comme a 1'ordinaire. Very dull Operas without
Singers, or Beaux, no Theatres, no Balls, No Assemblies
even.
" In reading over my letter it occurs to me that you
may, by missing your Newspapers, not know that
1 Sir F. Burdett (1770-1844), 3rd a. of Sir Robert, 4th Bart. ; mar.
1793, Sophia, dau. of the great banker, Thomas Coutts. First entered
Parliament 1796. An active opponent to the Tories, and a keen
advocate for Parliamentary reform. He seconded Col. Wardle's
motion for an enquiry into the conduct of the Duke of York on the
bestowal of Commissions. After many Parliamentary vicissitudes, he
threw his influence, in 1837, on the Conservative side, and represented
North Wilts in that interest until his death.
* Henry Bayly, who took the name of Paget on succeeding his
cousin as 9th Baron. He was created Earl of Uxbridge in 1784. Mar.
Jane, dau. of Very Rev. Arthur Champagne, Dean of Clonmacnoise,
By her he bad twelve children. Died 1812.
1809] SOCIETY SCANDAL 145
it, alludes to Lord Paget's l having gone off a
week ago with Lady Charlotte Wellesley, leaving 8
Children in his own house & 4 in hers. What a mis-
fortune to his family that he did not find in Spain the
Tomb of honour which they say he so eagerly sought.
For his Companion in disgrace we must in charity
remember the heavy degree of insanity which prevails
throughout her family, but it is indeed horrible &
alarming to see how these instances of depravity
multiply upon us."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" CADIZ, April 23rd, 1809.
" I am heartily tired of this place, yet being in daily
expectation of embarking, I know not where to go to,
the only Society here is that of the Merchants who
are mostly Hiberno-Spanish, a transplantation which
has not at all succeeded.
" Lord & Lady Holland came here a fortnight ago,
but at the end of two days Her Ladyship found that
there was no possibility of existing here, & nothing
would content her, but returning to Seville, apparently
Men malgre Lord Holland, who does not, however, I
think, appear very anxious to get back to England.
The fact is he is so completely a Spaniard that his opinion
of the cause is very different from that entertained by
the opposition in England, & he therefore prefers remain-
ing here, to expressing his Sentiments in England. He
has been sanguine all along, but is now more so than
ever. Affairs certainly now bear a rather better appear-
ance than some time ago, & if there is any thing like an
active Government I should be as high in my expecta-
tions as any one, at present they will think themselves
1 Henry William, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge and afterwards 1st Marquess
of Anglesey. A very distinguished soldier, at Waterloo and in
the Peninsula. Field-Marshal. He mar. 1st in 1795, Caroline, dau. of
4th E. of Jersey, by whom he had eight children. (She mar. 1810
6th D. of Argyll.) He mar. 2ndly, 1810, Charlotte, dau. of 1st Earl
Cadogan and wife of Hon. Sir Henry Wellesley (afterwards Earl
Cowley), by whom he had six children,
146 POLITICS [CHAP, xn
very well off, if the French leave them in Statu quo
without attacking them. The number of discontents
is very great, & the Central Junta seem more occupied in
publishing Proclamations declaring it to be High Treason
to speak ill of them, than in providing for the public
safety."
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" PALL MALL, May Uth, 1809.
" MY DEAR HENRY, The most marked feature which
has appeared in politics since I last wrote to you has
been the widening of the breach between the moderate
& the violent parts of the Opposition. It is not sur-
prising that the latter have been so long elated by
Wardle's success & popularity that they no longer keep
any measures, but bring on their own motions without
concert or communication, & stay away from those
which originate from us. You will perceive, if the
' Statesman ' should reach you, that I was invited to
the City Dinner but did not think it advisable to commit
myself among so many red hot radical reformers.
Madocks has twice brought forward a Charge against
Castlereagh & Perceval l for selling seats, but with less
ability than those who rate him lowest could have
expected. In the meantime the moderate part of the
Opposition excuse themselves from going into enquiries
into abuses, which having been common to all adminis-
trations can be productive of no other consequence
but that of injuring in the public feeling the character
of every man who has ever held a considerable public
situation, by their support to a bill introduced by Curwen
to prevent the sale of seats in the future. This is a
practical & not speculative improvement, & may
undoubtedly (if carried) produce much advantage. That
it will be carried is however, very doubtful, as it will
be opposed by all the violent, both among the Jacobins
& Anti- jacobins. Some very sharp language past in
1 These charges of corrupt practices were negatived, and the matter
subsequently dropped by Parliament,
1809] POLITICS 147
the House on Friday between Ponsonby & Whitbread
in consequence of the latter having reprobated the
conduct of Austria in going to war as perfidious towards
France. Meantime Administration flounders on awk-
wardly & disgracefully indeed, but still notwithstanding
the defection of County Members & Country Gentlemen
upon several late occasions, they go on & will I have no
doubt continue so to do unless some calamity great
enough to render the situation of the Country irretriev-
able should oblige them to make room for men of
superior abilities, when no abilities may be sufficient to
avert our fate. Tierney the other day on somebody's
telling him that Ministers were much frightened, answered
it might be, but that like frightened Horses they would
remain in the Stable till they were burnt. Lord
Wellesley's z acceptance of the Spanish Mission excited
very general surprise, especially as not three days before
he had the promise of the Seals of the War Department
in case Castlereagh had been voted out of the House
of Commons, in consequence of which all his friends
such as Sir H. Montgomery, Blatchford, Prendergast &
Allan voted in opposition on that occasion. I must,
however, freely allow that I think it the best appoint-
ment that could be made, & only regret that it did not
take place last year. Why he continues dawdling here
I cannot conceive, unless it is to provide carriages &
other Gegaw nonsense to encrease the splendor of his
Mission. The folly & impropriety of Frere's conduct
have been so universally reprobated on all sides, that
there is little fear that even the arrogance of his Patron
should soon bring him back into diplomatic employ-
ment.
" So much for public news of which if Lord Holland is
with you at Cadiz you will probably hear more than I
can tell you. I feel somewhat afraid of his being en-
snared by the enragez, but as Lord Grey has entirely
separated from Whitbread & continues to agree & co-
1 Sam. Whitbread; born 1758; M.P. 1790; an ardent follower
of Charles Fox; mar. 1789, Lady Elizabeth, dau. of 1st Ld. Grey.
He died, by his own hand, 1815.
* Richard Wellesley, eld. s. of 1st Earl of Mornington ; born 1760;
Gov.-Gen. of India 1799 ; raised to an Irish Marq. in that year. He
died 1842.
148 POLITICAL GOSSIP [CHA*. xn
operate entirely with Lord Grenville, I trust Lord H.
will be safe."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" WYCOMBE, July 12th.
" Pray what think you of your worthy Countryman
Mr. Wardle ? I verily think he must now sorely lament
his Coyness in refusing the presents offered him, which
never could have been applied in more strict justice than
in discharging his engagements to Mrs. Clarke. They
say he is quite ruined, that there are of course many
other demands upon him of this same nature & with
the same claim, & that nothing but his being in Parlia-
ment keeps him out of the Fleet. I grieve for his poor
Mother who from her age & seclusion might under any
circumstance of less flagrant Notoriety than these, have
carried to her Grave the vanity of having given a second
Cato to the World. The Triumph & Exultation of the
Yorkists is very great, though certainly founded on
the gratification of the foul spirit of revenge. Not a
shade the fairer do they grow for any die deeper than
black with which their adversary may be spattered. It is
not a week ago since a Gentleman calling on the D. of Y.
found his Hall filled with Camp equipage, & some will
still believe that if the d6but in Holland is tolerably
promising, he will still follow & supersede Lord Chatham
but I can not think they would dare to hazard a measure
so unpopular. A Military Man (Col. Le Marchant)
dined here to-day & says there are no less than 800
pieces of amunition of different sorts to be embarked,
which he thinks must be to assist the Prussians who are
without any, & to enable us to defend some de*pot & post
of valliement. He says no siege of importance will be
undertaken so late. Lord Wellesley lingers still, pro-
fessedly from Gout, but many think to watch for the
D. of Portland's death which the medical people say
cannot be averted another month. I should however
take great odds in that event on Lord Bath 8t ' against
1 Ld. Bathurst, 3rd Earl ; born 1762 ; President of Board of Trade
1807-12 ; Sec. of War and Colonies 1812-27 ; Pres. of the Council
1828-30 ; mar. Lady Georgina, dau. of Ld. George Lennox, and
sister to the 4th Duke of Richmond. He died 1834.
1810] SOCIAL GOSSIP 149
the field. Lady Bath. & all the young family were to
succeed me last Sunday at Dropmore, & Lord Bath 8 * to
follow them on Tuesday ' if he possibly could.' I suppose
it more than possible or probable that he has found he
* could not ' but I cannot at all for my part understand
his having the option. Tierney * likewise went there
on Sunday, which I was very glad of, as the report was
again most sedulously spread in London that he was off."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" PORTSMOUTH, August llth, 1810.
" I dined yesterday at Lord Keith's, 8 who lives about
six miles from this place. I was surprised to find Her
Ladyship is again in a family way, so that Miss Mercer
may still lose her Irish Title. As you have not any
Correspondents in London, you may not have heard of
Lady Westmorland's * attempt to kill herself. She had
had a violent dispute with His Lordship about her going
abroad again, & taking the child with her, which ended
by her announcing her intention of stabbing herself, to
which Lord Westmoreland 3 only replied pooh, pooh, &
went away, not thinking that any such good fortune
would happen to him, in a few minutes she rung for
Lord W. who found her covered with blood. I do not
understand that the Wound was either deep or
dangerous, of that probably Her Ladyship took very
good care."
An event of great family interest now looms large in
the letters sent to Henry on his travels. Harriet, who
1 George Tierney; born 1761. An eminent politician. In May
1798 he fought a duel with William Pitt on Wimbledon Common. He
held office under Ld. Grenville 1806, and Canning in 1826. He died
1830.
* George, 1st Vise., Admiral ; mar. 1st in 1787, Jane, dau. of Wil-
liam Mercer, of Aldie^by whom he had one dau., Margaret [Miss Mercer],
who mar. Comte de Flahault and became, on her father's death,
Baroness Keith) ; he mar. 2ndly in 1808, Hester Marie, dau. of Henry
Theale and his wife (afterwards Mrs. Piozzi). Ld. Keith died 1823.
3 John, 10th E. of Westmorland; born 1759; mar. 1st, 1782,
Sarah, only dau. and h. of John Child, of Osterley. She died 1793.
He mar. 2ndly, 1800, Jane, dau and co-h. of R. H. Saunders, M.D.
She died 1857. He died 1841.
150 HARRIET'S MARRIAGE [CHAP, xii
could not be persuaded to look favourably upon the
eligible Sir Charles Saxton as a suitor, fixes her affections
irrevocably upon Mr. Cholmondeley of Vale Royal.
That his wooing was handicapped and thwarted by the
attitude of Lady Williams Wynn and the brothers and
sisters is very evident, but at last the elderly suitor was
permitted to put the question, which, it would seem,
the young lady was all eager to answer, and Mr.
Cholmondeley carried off his bride in triumph.
Henry hears of the likelihood of this event, as a
rumour from travellers recently out from England ;
then, weeks after its accomplishment, he receives letters
of confirmation.
Meanwhile, in his wanderings in Syria, he meets his
cousin Lady Hester Stanhope. The letters describing
this meeting are well prefaced by one from Lord Ebring-
ton, written before Lady Hester began her journeys in
the East, and when her eccentricities were less pro-
nounced than in later years. When this strange lady
left England in 1810 there was no reason to think that
she had any fixed ideas to her future. Sir John Moore's
death was a blow to the high hopes she had cherished ;
whether under different circumstances they would have
matured, we cannot tell, but the toll of Corunna had
blighted them, and she drifted,without settled anchorage,
to Syria, where the lure of the East enveloped her.
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" CADIZ, September llth, 1810.
" I have not heard a word from England since I left
it, my natural anxiety to have a letter is augmented
by a report which Freemantle brought respecting
Harriet. It is particularly provoking that at this
moment there should be a probability of my re-
maining uninformed for some time as it is very much
apprehended that the Packet which sailed a fortnight
after my departure, has been taken. She has never
1810] HARRIET'S ENGAGEMENT 151
made her appearance here, tho' several Vessels who
sailed after her have arrived. Freemantle said that he
heard it so positively asserted that I do not know how
to doubt it, tho' I own it surprises me a good deal.
There is certainly a difference in age, but he is so good a
fellow, & we have all known him so long, that I cannot
but rejoice at it, & applaud her good sense in sacrificing
looks etc. for more material qualities. After all the
report may not be true, I shall not therefore say any-
thing more on the subject, till I am better informed."
From Fanny W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, October 13th.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I leave it to Harriet & her little
enclosure to inform you of the most interesting [event]
which occupies & engrosses all our minds, & certainly
does give a promise of as much happiness as can reason-
ably be expected. The alteration which the decision
of yesterday has made in her Face, which had certainly
for the last three weeks or Months looked very anxious
& bilious was most pleasing to behold, & as to him, he
does look quite as happy as heart can wish. I really hope
& trust we have every reason to be the same. His long
preference, excellent character, neighbourhood to, &
affection for all she loves are obvious advantages, so are
the only two per contras, as to the one it is the point
of all others upon which her own judgement must decide,
& which if she does not think an objection, nobody
else can, as to the other, he has so much exceeded the
expectations & even the wishes of all her friends in
offering to bind himself by every tie of Law, as well as
of Honour, that even my dear anxious Mother is almost,
if not entirely without apprehension. She is highly
pleased with his extraordinary openess, & kindness of
Manner, & his excessive delight raises her sinking spirits.
Poor Harriet I pitied very much on the day before
yesterday, she had been all day expecting him, knowing
he was coming to receive his final answer, & to make his
last direct application to herself, just as the awful
moment drew nigh, she saw not his Carriage driving up,
11
152 THE ARUNDEL JUNCTION [CHAP, xn
but one containing G. & Car. Neville, coming unexpectedly
from Hawarden, & ten minutes after spied his curricle.
She took to her heels, & it was decided that on account
of this contre temps they must meet comme si rien n'etait,
& reserve all other communications to the next Day.
I then got them all off for three or four hours to Llan-
gollen, & when we returned found all settled & kept
our guests so completely in the dark that after dinner,
while we were announcing the event to Charles & Char-
lotte & Uncle Tom. Car was writing down a Bet which
G. had made with me in the morning that Mr. Chol-
mondeley never married, when five minutes afterwards
they were told it was scarcely possible to make them
believe we were not making fools of them.
" G. 1 tells me he hears there is a grand hitch in the
Arundel Junction, a coolness in the Hero himself with
backwardness & unwillingness to come forward in all his
family, when in any other family where the ruler oj the
roast had not so completely set her papist Heart upon
it, the thing must be at an end necessarily. It grieves
one to think that our Cousin should be thrown away
upon a man, or at least a family who seem so totally
insensible of her merits.
" Next week Mr. Cholmondeley must be absent some
days, & we go to G. Grove * while Watkin is at Holywell,
I fancy as I cannot discover the means of dividing my
person, the whole of it will remain with poor dear
Charlotte, whom I have not seen for so long, while more
than half my heart will be here taking care of my
dearest Mother, who in addition to all her cares will have
the desagrement of receiving Lady K. Forrester & the
Duchess with whom she would feel too much on form to
be comfortable. To-day George & I drove over to
Acton to announce the News, it was rather entertaining
to hear her Ladyship's * fine speeches about a Man
1 George Grenville, who succeeded his mother the March, of Buck-
ingham to the Barony of Nugent on her death in 1812. The reference
is to the marriage, which eventually took place in 1811, between
Mary, only daughter of Ld. and Lady Buckingham, and James, 10th
Baron Arundel. Lady Buckingham was the only daughter and heir
of the last Earl Nugent of that creation, and being a Roman Catholic,
her daughter was educated in her faith, and her sons in that of the
father. * Golden Grove. 3 Lady Cunliffe.
1810] HARRIET'S ENGAGEMENT 153
whom we all know she hates like poison, tho* why no
mortal could ever discover ; as is usually the case he fully
sympathizes, but I should like to know who began
hating first. I am a great deal too full of all this matter,
& too stupid to write on any other, fortunately in this
you are as much."
From Harriet W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" MY DEAR HENRY, It is impossible for me to allow
any body but myself to tell you anything so interesting
to me (& therefore I flatter myself to you) as my marriage
with Mr. Cholmondeley. I daresay it will surprise you,
but I know that you like him as well as Watkin, which
is tout dire. The situation of Vale Royal is delightful
to me as it is within coming over to dinner to Wynnstay,
Norton & Hawarden, & he seems as desirous of living
with my family as I would myself. Nothing can have
been more handsome than his conduct to me, but you
will hear further particulars from my family. I am
much too flurried to say any more, but that I think
this will only encrease that extreme affection between
us which has so long been the pride & pleasure of your
most, affectionate,
" H. W. W.
" P.S. I cannot help mentioning that I win a bet
of l Is. which we made last Xmas, & which I expect
you to pay. Sir Charles Saxton l gave me a horse
the other day, which he has been three years breaking
for me, very awkward in my situation ! I hope you like
Mr. C. for a brother-in-law better than Sir Charles. I
do at least, which goes for something.
" The first thing I shall do at Vale Royal will be to
fit up a room for you, do you prefer the Ground Floor ?
Let me know, or any other particularity, for now's the
moment. I wish sadly you were here, as we are quite
cocked about it & not at all shy, poor Mama is very low,
but I hope she will pick up bye & bye. "
1 Sif Charles Saxton, 2nd Bart. ; born 1773; died unmar. 1838.
152 THE ARUNDEL JUNCTION [CHAP, xn
but one containing G. & Car. Neville, coming unexpectedly
from Hawarden, & ten minutes after spied his curricle.
She took to her heels, & it was decided that on account
of this contre temps they must meet comme si rien n'etait,
& reserve all other communications to the next Day.
I then got them all off for three or four hours to Llan-
gollen, & when we returned found all settled & kept
our guests so completely in the dark that after dinner,
while we were announcing the event to Charles & Char-
lotte & Uncle Tom. Car was writing down a Bet which
G. had made with me in the morning that Mr. Chol-
mondeley never married, when five minutes afterwards
they were told it was scarcely possible to make them
believe we were not making fools of them.
" G. 1 tells me he hears there is a grand hitch in the
Arundel Junction, a coolness in the Hero himself with
backwardness & unwillingness to come forward in all his
family, when in any other family where the ruler oj the
roast had not so completely set her papist Heart upon
it, the thing must be at an end necessarily. It grieves
one to think that our Cousin should be thrown away
upon a man, or at least a family who seem so totally
insensible of her merits.
" Next week Mr. Cholmondeley must be absent some
days, & we go to G. Grove ! while Watkin is at Holywell,
I fancy as I cannot discover the means of dividing my
person, the whole of it will remain with poor dear
Charlotte, whom I have not seen for so long, while more
than half my heart will be here taking care of my
dearest Mother, who in addition to all her cares will have
the desagrement of receiving Lady K. Forrester & the
Duchess with whom she would feel too much on form to
be comfortable. To-day George & I drove over to
Acton to announce the News, it was rather entertaining
to hear her Ladyship's * fine speeches about a Man
1 George Grenville, who succeeded his mother the March, of Buck-
ingham to the Barony of Nugent on her death in 1812. The reference
is to the marriage, which eventually took place in 1811, between
Mary, only daughter of Ld. and Lady Buckingham, and James, 10th
Baron Arundel. Lady Buckingham was the only daughter and heir
of the last Earl Nugent of that creation, and being a Roman Catholic,
her daughter was educated in her faith, and her sons in that of the
father. Golden Grove. 3 Lady Cunliffe.
1810] HARRIET'S ENGAGEMENT 153
whom we all know she hates like poison, tho' why no
mortal could ever discover ; as is usually the case he fully
sympathizes, but I should like to know who began
hating first. I am a great deal too full of all this matter,
& too stupid to write on any other, fortunately in this
you are as much."
From Harriet W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" MY DEAR HENRY, It is impossible for me to allow
any body but myself to tell you anything so interesting
to me (& therefore I flatter myself to you) as my marriage
with Mr. Cholmondeley. I daresay it will surprise you,
but I know that you like him as well as Watkin, which
is tout dire. The situation of Vale Royal is delightful
to me as it is within coming over to dinner to Wynnstay,
Norton & Hawarden, & he seems as desirous of living
with my family as I would myself. Nothing can have
been more handsome than his conduct to me, but you
will hear further particulars from my family. I am
much too flurried to say any more, but that I think
this will only encrease that extreme affection between
us which has so long been the pride & pleasure of your
most, affectionate,
" H. W. W.
" P.S. I cannot help mentioning that I win a bet
of l Is. which we made last Xmas, & which I expect
you to pay. Sir Charles Saxton l gave me a horse
the other day, which he has been three years breaking
for me, very awkward in my situation ! I hope you like
Mr. C. for a brother-in-law better than Sir Charles. I
do at least, which goes for something.
" The first thing I shall do at Vale Royal will be to
fit up a room for you, do you prefer the Ground Floor ?
Let me know, or any other particularity, for now's the
moment. I wish sadly you were here, as we are quite
cocked about it & not at all shy, poor Mama is very low,
but I hope she will pick up bye & bye. "
1 Sif Charles Saxton, 2nd Bart. ; born 1773; died unmar. 1838.
156 LADY HESTER STANHOPE [CHAP, xn
was anything improper in her connexion with Bruce.
She is now wind bound at Scio on her way to Alexandria
from whence she is to go to Jerusalem to fulfill a pro-
phecy of Brothero's, that she is to be the means of estab-
lishing God's elect there ; she says she will not go there
till she knows I have left it for fear that any branch
of the Grenvilles should come under that denomination.
I can assure you she talks of her Jerusalem Government
half in joke & half in earnest. She is the oddest mixture
I ever saw of cleverness & folly."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
(part of a letter begun at Lero, December 7th, 1811, and
continued at Rhodes, December I3th)
" I am at length here after having been detained four
days at Lero. On my arrival here to my great surprise
I found Lady Hester & Co., whom I thought long ago
at Alexandria. They have been more out of luck than
myself, as they were shipwrecked on the South End of
this Island, & have undergone the greatest hardships.
After escaping from the Vessel in an open Boat, they
were twenty-four hours on a barren rock, without
tasting a bit of bread or a drop of water. They have
only saved what they had on their backs, & as they were
called out of their beds, they had only time to put on
the first thing they could lay their hands on. Their
escape seems to have been quite as providential as my
two performances in the same way. I ought to be very
thankful for not having taken my passage in the same
vessel, which I certainly should have done had not Lady
Hester been on board. She seems to have borne this
severe trial with wonderful fortitude, & instead of being
alarmed was most active in encouraging the men to bail
out the water, for when they discovered the leak, the
pump was so choked up that it would not work. . . ."
From Henry W. W. W. to his Sister Harriet, Mrs.
Cholmondeley
"JAF7A, March llth, 1812.
" I left here on ye 4th. of this month for Nazareth,
where there is an excellent convent of Franciscans,
1812] HENRY IN PALESTINE 157
which for its size is equal to any in Christian Countries.
The village is small, & for a Protestant does not contain
anything worth seeing, as I have no faith in the Revela-
tions of our Country-woman Helen, (the Mother of
Constantine) who by that means pretended to discover
the house where the Virgin Mary lived, & where the
Angel announced to her the Birth of Our Saviour.
Nothing but the Rock now remains, according to the
tradition of the Monks, the house has had two miraculous
flights, first to Fiume, & then to Loretto, where it now
remains. Helen also discovered the Synagogue where
Our Saviour first preached to the Nazareens, a large
stone on which He is supposed to have sat with His
disciples, & lastly the Shop in which Joseph worked.
All these places are now the Sites of either Catholic or
Greek Chapels, & are held in the greatest reverence by
the different Pilgrims. From Nazareth, I made a three
days tour to M fc Tabor where the transfiguration took
place, & to the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias. The Moun-
tain is one single Cone, at the foot of which on one side
is the extensive plain of Eskalon, & on the other that of
Gallilee divided by a low ridge of Hills from the Lake.
The Sea of Gallilee is a fresh water lake surrounded by
Mountains, & resembling the smaller lakes in Scotland.
The Jordan runs through it, & loses itself in the Dead
Sea. On the Banks is the small Town of Tiberias, which
is chiefly inhabited by Jews, who come here from all
parts of Europe in expectation that the Messiah will
make his first appearance there. We slept in the
Catholic Church which they pretend is built on the Site
of the House of St. Peter. On our way back to Nazareth
we passed a small Village which is still called Cana,
where Our Saviour performed the first miracle of turning
Water into Wine. The Padre Guardiano who accom-
panied us, also showed me the place where the Miracle
of the Loaves & Fishes took place, & the Field where
the Apostles plucked the Ears of Corn.
" All the Monks of the Holy Land are Franciscans, &
of one community, depending on a President who
resides at Jerusalem, & has the power of a Bishop. I
ought not to abuse them, as I have always met with a
very hospitable reception, but I fear the stories against
158 PALESTINE [CHAP, xn
them are but too true, praying & religious occupations
are very secondary objects to perpetual Squabbles with
the Greeks & Armenians, & to complaints of little
encroachments by them. The Turks take special care
to encourage these depositions, as they receive money
from both parties, & he who pays most is sure to be in
the right. The Catholics were formerly very well off,
as they received Supplies from Spain, Italy, France,
Germany, etc., but since the war, Bonaparte has not
left the Europeans any money to allot to religious
purposes, & they were almost starving, when a very
opportune Supply arrived from America. Very few
Catholic Pilgrims come, but the Town is filled with those
of the two other Religions. They come in November
& stay till after Easter. This year there were only
1,600 but in general they amount to 3 or 4,000. The
Church of the Holy Sepulchre was burnt down a few
years ago, & the present one which was built by the
Greeks has not been finished above a year. The
animosity between the Greeks & Catholics is so great
that they even accuse one another of having set fire
to it intentionally. As particular parts are allotted for
the exercise of each Religion, viz. Greeks, Armenians,
Catholics, Syrians, & Copts, the two former, who are
the richest, were both anxious to have the privilege of
building the Church in hopes of obtaining sole possession.
The Greeks, from their number were able to pay higher
bribes at Constantinople, & therefore succeeded, but
the expenee they have incurred, has not procured them
an inch of ground more than they had before. The
Catholics are the most favoured, but no Christian is
allowed free ingress, or egress. The Keys are always
kept by the Turks, & each Pilgrim is obliged to pay
25 Piastres (or Shillings) for the first visit & two after-
wards. The Church is large, but in a very bad Stile of
Architecture. It covers Mount Calvary, & the Holy
Sepulchre, which stands in the centre of a large
Dome.
" From the Sepulchre a few steps lead to the part
of the Church standing on Mount Calvary, where the
Catholics & Greeks have each two Altars, one where our
Saviour was crucified, & the other where the Cross was
1812] PALESTINE 159
erected ; below the latter they still shew the rent in the
Rocks.
" The Sepulchres of Gotfredo & other Christian Kings
were destroyed in the fire, but the Sword, & Spurs of the
former are still preserved, & are used for the investiture
of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The Situation
of Mount Calvary, & the Holy Sepulchre seem more
authenticated, but without implicit confidence in the
revelations of St. Helena, it is impossible to have much
reverence for the other places which they show, such as
the House in which the last Supper took place, the
Palace of Caiaphas, the place where the Cock crew when
Peter denied our Saviour etc. etc. etc. Jerusalem
having been destroyed so often, there are not any
remains of Antiquity, excepting some Sepulchres cut
out of the Rock, called those of the Kings of Israel, &
two others in the Valley of Jehosaphat which are sup-
posed to be those of Jehosaphat & Absolam. They are
certainly of great antiquity, but the Ornaments shew
them to be of an age when the Arts were more cultivated
than that assigned to them. The Village of Bethlehem
is only two hours distant from Jerusalem.
" The Convent there is very large & resembles a
Fortress. Having been built by St. Helena, the
Catholics, Greeks & Armenians think they have equal
rights to it, & as in the Holy Sepulchre, particular parts
are allotted to each Religion. Below the Church are
several Vaults cut out of the Rock, where they shew
the place where the Saviour was born, where the Manger
was situated, & where the Innocents were buried.
" As the country between Bethlem & the Dead Sea
(the site of Sodom & Gomorrah) is desert & belongs to
Arabs, I was obliged to take two Sheiks with me, & five
other Arabs. I never saw more luxurious vegetation
till within two or three miles of the water. The form
of Sand Hills adds to this scene of desolation as at a
distance they appear like very extensive ruins. The
water is so salt that no fish can live in it. I put my
hand in &, tho' I wiped it, in less than five minutes it
was covered with cristalisations of salt. On the Bank
there are a few Shrubs, but the air will not allow them
to grow to any size. The Lake is twenty miles long,
160 LADY HESTER AGAIN [CHAP, xn
" From the Dead Sea, I went along the plain to the
place in the Jordan where the Greeks & Armenian
Pilgrims come at Easter to dip in the River. As they
count by the old Style, their Easter is this year, five
weeks later than ours, I should otherwise certainly
have waited ten days to see this curious sight, when
men, women, & children all go in at the same time, & at
the same place, & excepting a pair of drawers, in a state
of nature.
" Though by agreement the Arabs were to have accom-
panied me as far as Jerusalem they left me here, as they
did not dare to go near the village of Jericho, with the
Arabs of which place they had Blood, that is to say
that for the death of one of their party they had not
received satisfaction either in blood or money."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" AT SEA, April 28th, 1812.
" I arrived on the 28th at Cairo & found the place so
full of English, that it was with the greatest difficulty
that I got a lodging. Besides Lady Hester & Co., there
are a party of five or six young Englishmen, lately come
in the Transports from Sicily. Notwithstanding that
I partly agree with you, in what you say of our Cousin,
I was very glad to find her there ; I had constant society
in her house & to me she made herself very agreeable.
She has many faults, but has I believe, an excellent
heart. . . .
" We went a very large party to the Pyramids, which
are two hours distant on the other side of the river.
Lady Hester attempted to go in but the undertaking
was much too great even for her, who is superior in
exertion to any woman I ever saw. The Gentlemen
crawled in, the labour is nothing, but the heat & bad air
made it very unpleasant, not to speak of the danger of
being blinded by the quantity of Bats flying against
you. . . .
" Long, long may the Almighty protect our dearest
Mother for the happiness of her children, of whom none
is more
" affectionate or dutiful than
" H. W. W. WYNN."
1812] HENRY ILL AT MALTA 161
The Same
" MALTA, May 50th, 1812.
"MY DEAR MOTHER, As this letter goes by a fast
sailing Vessel, I trust you will receive it almost as soon
as those which Lady Mahon 1 was kind enough to write
by the Packet giving an account of my illness, & that
your anxiety will not have been of long duration. I am
now, thank God, gaining strength every day, & recover-
ing almost as fast as I fell ill. The leg suppurates very
kindly, & I hope in a week to be able to put my foot to
the ground.
" The Physicians cannot at all account for so violent
an inflamation, & can. only ascribe it to the sting of some
venomous animal. Six or seven days after I was in
quarantine I felt a small pimple on my leg which dis-
appeared, the next day however, it began to swell with
great pain & accompanied with Fever getting every day
worse, till I was in a high state of delirium with my pulse
at 140. They called in two Naval Doctors, who advised
the leg being opened, when to their surprise instead
of matter, nothing but decomposed blood came from it.
" I was in such a state of delirium that I of course
do not know anything that took place, but they told me
that I remained in this state for two days, they expecting
every minute to be my last, till at length the Bark they
gave me stopped the Fever, & some matter began to
come from my leg. From that moment my recovery
began & has been most rapid.
" I cannot describe to you all the kindness I have
received from Lady Mahon, if she had been my own
sister she could not have been more attentive to me.
When in quarantine she used to come over twice a day
in a broiling Sun to see that everything was done for
me. When I came over here she used to sit the whole
morning with me, & was indefatigeable in procuring
any little comfort for me. I know not what I should
have done without her, as I did not know a soul in
Malta. My Banker has been kind enough to take me in
1 Catherine Lucy, dau. of 1st Ld. Carrington ; mar. 1803, Philip
Henry, Ld. Mahon, who sue. his father to the Earldom of Stanhope
in 1816. She died 1843. He died 1855. Henry Williams Wynn
mar. in 1813 this lady's younger sister,
162 HENRY HOMEWARD BOUND [CHAP, xn
to his House which is one of the best & coolest in Malta.
In these lofty rooms I do not at all feel the heat which
I am told is oppressive out of doors. If I had a little
society I should be very comfortable, but unfortunately
Malta does not afford me a single friend excepting an
A.D.C., a friend of Lady Mahon's who calls upon me
occasionally."
From Henry W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" CADIZ, September 29th, 1812.
" MY DEAREST MOTHER, My last letter to Harriet
from Gibraltar will have informed you of the intention
I had of surprising you by my unexpected arrival in
England, & of the reasons which afterwards made me give
up this plan. I think you will agree with me that under
the present circumstances, it would have been difficult
for so thorough a Spaniard as I am to go to England
without passing thro' those Countries which have just
been liberated from the French Yoke. The fortune of
War which now opens that road to me, may be shut
again when I come out to the Mediterranean next year,
so that this opportunity might not be recovered for
some time. I still see no reason why I should not be in
England by Christmas, but I am too old a Traveller not
to know the folly of hurrying on.
" I like this place much more than either of the times
I was here before, it is gratifying to see the joy of the
people at being relieved from the Bombardment of two
years & a half, the last part of which was very serious.
I must do them the justice to say that they seem to feel
their obligation to the English & to Lord Wellington in
particular. He has just been appointed Generalissimo
of all the Spanish Armies, & there is a very strong party
for making him sole Regent. The first is a great point
to have been carried & will be attended with great
advantage."
The Same
" SALAMANCA, November 5th, 1812.
" MY DEAR MOTHER, As it is possible that this may
reach you before my arrival, I write a few lines to
inform you that I am safe & sound out of Madrid, The
1812] MADRID 168
confusion of the evacuation was so great, that we with
difficulty procured one Caleche for ourselves & servants.
Lord Worcester 1 was kind enough to give us a lift as far
as Arevale, & from thence to this place a distance of
sixteen leagues we rode & tied with our servants. I
believe the Corunna road is still safe, but as I fear there
is hardly anything to prevent the French advancing
I think it more prudent to go by Oporto. We set off
tomorrow, & hope to arrive there on the 13th, I shall
then take my passage on the first Vessel which sails."
1 Ld. Worcester, afterwards 7th D. of Beaufort ; born 1792 ; mar.
1st, 1814, Georgina, dau. of Henry Fitzroy. She died 1821. He mar.
2ndly, 1 822, Emily, dau. of Charles Culling Smith. She died 1 889. He
succeeded his father to the Dukedom 1835. He died 1853.
CHAPTER XIII
18131816
HENRY arrived home in the autumn of 1812, after his
serious illness at Malta, where Lady Mahon had nursed
him ' with much care and devotion. His mind now
turned towards matrimony, and Hester Smith, daughter
of the 1st Lord Carrington, won and held his whole-
hearted affection. The welcome accorded her by his
entire family was sincere and spontaneous. Lady
Williams Wynn became devotedly attached to her
daughter-in-law, and as years went on, transferred her
correspondence to a very great extent to Hester instead
of Henry, though many of her letters are addressed to
" her beloved Hs." Henry's restless nature, however,
could not fit itself into the life of an English country
gentleman, even when provided with a wife and home,
for Sir Watkin had placed the Llanforda demense at his
brother's disposal. His trips abroad were almost as
frequent as they were before, but not so prolonged, and
until he obtained, in 1822, the much-sought-for dip-
lomatic appointment, he constantly found excuses for
crossing the Channel sometimes alone, sometimes
accompanied by his wife.
Continental affairs continued to play a leading part
in political as well as in military circles. Watkin
placed himself and his Ruabon Yeomanry at the dis-
posal of the King, and in the spring of 1814 received
orders to proceed to France. Napoleon's abdication
and retirement to Elba synchronised with Sir Watkin's
arrival, and gave occasion for some chaff amongst his
164
1813] THE HON. HESTER SMITH 165
acquaintances, which the Grenville parente, being devoid
of a sense of humour, took very seriously.
The cessation of hostilities after the Congress at Vienna
in September 1814 gave Lady Williams Wynn an oppor-
tunity in* the autumn of proceeding to Spain with her
daughter Fanny, for the purpose of seeing Charlotte
Shipley, who with her husband had been living in
Majorca. Lady Williams Wynn began her return
journey through the Peninsula in April 1815, and
caused a good deal of anxiety to her family at home, as
Napoleon's escape from Elba on March 1st suddenly
plunged Europe once again into a state of war. On
her return home, Lady Williams Wynn continued her
correspondence with her absent children as usual, her
letters dealing with the current gossip of society and
events of political interest.
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Hester Smith
[1813.]
" It is impossible for me, my dear young friend, to
express to you the pleasure which your most kind and
flattering letter received this morning has given to me.
Indeed, I should long ere this have written to have
thanked you for those sentiments of joy and gladness
which you have been the joint means of communicating
to me, had I not feared by so doing to have made a sort
of claim upon you for what you have now spontaneously
bestowed upon me. The confidence which I feel in the
prospect of happiness which your partiality to my
beloved Henry opens to him would be more than
sufficient to excite in my heart the warmest feelings
of gratitude and affection towards you, but you will
easily believe me, when I say that these feelings are
increased in a ten-fold degree by the particularly kind
and flattering manner in which you have expressed
yourself towards myself, and all belonging to him.
Nobody knows more than yourself the inestimable
value of a large family circle, and I only trust that in
166 THE HON. HESTER SMITH [CHAP, xin
your new connection you will find an extension of those
social affections with which you have ever been so
happily surrounded.
" I expect my dear Henry to-morrow, and shall have
the greatest delight in seeing his happy face, and in
hearing from him the praises of one to whose merits I
can indeed with the greatest truth say, I have ever been
most deeply sensible. I will not to you depreciate him
so far as to say that he is unworthy of the happiness
which attends him, nor indeed would anybody who
knows my partiality for him, believe me if I put forth
such an opinion, but I will only pray that he may dis-
charge all his new duties and obligations as fully as he
has done his old ones, and by that means make the best
return for the blessings, which I trust you will very very
long enjoy in each other !
" I hope nothing will prevent our having the pleasure
of seeing Lord Carrington on or about ye 20th. and only
very much regret that Lady C. would not be prevailed
upon to meet him. Whatever may be to be arranged,
I am quite sure that his wishes (in the confidence that
they are most sure of being your's) will be certain of
meeting those of all belonging to Henry.
" I will detain you no longer my dear Hester for so,
you must let me gratify myself by addressing you,
anticipating my property in you, and repeating to you
with my warmest acknowledgments of your kind
expressions towards me, the assurances of the very high
esteem and cordial affection with which
" I am ever,
" Yours most faithfully,
" CH. W. WYNN."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Hester Smith
" BUXTON, Tuesday.
" I am much obliged to you for your gossip, which is
here of more value than at any other place where there
might be something of external objects. I, however,
want faith for both your Matches, but if Lord Cranb ne *
1 Afterwards 2nd Marq. of Salisbury. He mar. 1821, Frances,
dau. and h. of B. Gascoyiie.
1813] LORD CARRINGTON 167
should fail at last with Miss W. he had better have a
hint to come down here where we have a hundred
thousand pounder ' just arrived ' in the person of a
young lady carrying full as much weight of flesh on her
bones as even this fortune can produce of cash in her
pockets.
" Our Table d'hote continues very numerous, and I
am now grown so well acquainted with many of the
members (at least with their faces) that for the time
the dinner lasts I am rather amused by it than other-
wise. We had two days ago a violent Tirade of politics
beginning with hearty abuse of all ' those Grenvilles '
and then diverging to Lord Carrington who was as bad
as any of them. The speaker did not address it to
Fanny, but to her neighbour, and unfortunately on the
other side sat Admiral Legge l who was put out with it,
and spoilt sport by beginning to talk of something else
as fast as he could. By the bye, there is nothing he
likes to talk about more than your merits, of which he
seems to have so very strong an impression as to make
me doubt whether I ought not to be uneasy at it, more
particularly as during the short time of his stay, I found
it quite impossible to hope that Fanny should make any
diversion to his tender sentiments."
From Lord Carrington to Henry W. W. W.
" EDGEWOBTH TOWN, July 21th, 1813.
" MY DEAR SIR, I was made very happy by your
letter, which I received last night, and I accept with the
greatest satisfaction the flattering proposition which you
have made to me, knowing that it is no less agreeable to
my Daughter's wishes than to my own. It will be my
anxious endeavour to preserve your good Opinion, and
to cement the Connection between us, by a sincere and
permanent friendship.
" My Daughter's fortune is ten thousand pounds down,
and the like sum to be paid at my death. Should there
be no issue of the marriage, or, should all the children die
before they attain the age of twenty-one or be married,
1 Admiral Sir Arthur Kaye Legge, 3rd son of 2nd E. of Dartmouth.
Died unmar. 1835.
12
168 LORD CARRINGTON [CHAP, xm
one moiety to be at your final disposal, and the other
after your Death and my Daughter's to revert to my
Family. For the 10,000 to be paid down, I should wish
to give a mortgage, for some time at least, but in that I
must consider myself bound to obey your wishes.
" As I speak to a partial auditor I hope I may say to
you without unbecoming vanity, that for good temper,
good sense, and good principles, I do not know any
young woman superior to the one whom you have
chosen.
" I am,
" My dear Sir, Most sincerely, and
" Affectionately yours,
" CARRINGTON."
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" DBOPMORE, February 28th, 1814.
" MY DEAR HENRY. We are all in the dumps at the
last news, & so I understand are Ministers who have
authorized Castlereagh * to patch up peace before the
20th, to which Parliament is to-morrow to adjourn,
& then in two years we shall have another war. Under
these circumstances, it is impossible that, unless some
sudden alteration of circumstances should change the
whole face of the negotiation, Watkin's Regiment should
leave England. At any rate you may set your mind
at ease about Canada, as it is not in their bond. The
Regent has twice been at the point of death in con-
sequence of a dose of Royal Punch imbibed in the com-
pany of George Colman, who was sent for on a day rule
from H.R.H.'s Royal Father's Bench for the purpose,
I suppose, of ' Sing me a bawdy song to make me merry.'
He had violent spasms in the bladder, which were only
subdued by bleeding has since had a relapse equally
1 Foreign Secretary ; at this time engaged in very delicate negotia-
tions with the Allied Powers at Bar-sur-Aube. The attitude of the
Emperor of Austria and Crown Prince of Sweden, both connected by
family ties with the Empress of France, made these negotiations
extremely difficult and complicated.
1814] PEACE OR WAR 169
severe, & was last week considered as in a very pre-
carious state from the possibility of another attack.
" Princess Charlotte 1 is to be married out of hand,
& packed off for Holland forthwith ! "
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W, W.
" BEOOK STBEET, Tuesday, March 15th (1814).
" I had intended, my dearest Henry, to have written
to you yesterday. I have just had a letter from Charles
telling me that orders were that day come down to
suspend the sailing of the troops till farther orders, which
Sir R. Bickerton * ascribes to the necessity of strength-
ening the Convoy on account of two French frigates,
& a Corvette having got out of St. Maloe's but from
what I heard yesterday I think it much more probable
to be owing to the intention of changing their destination
& sending them to fill up the dreadful chasms made by
the heavy disaster- in Sir T. Graham's Army.' Your
Uncle Tom said he thought it probable it would be so,
& that Major Stanhope had fully agreed with him. You
will not wonder that at this moment I feel an additional
pang of anguish from the idea of this change, but God's
Will be done ! We know little what to wish for, or
against ! Great expectations are entertained of receiving
Buonaparte's definitive answer to the ultimatum within
the next twenty-four hours, but I fear it will hardly
travel to me before Post goes out. Lord Hereford lost
2 whole Guineas on its not arriving before this morning
began. Fanny sent you all public details yesterday.
" Stanhope had seen the Crown Prince, 4 & fully joins
in the universal admiration of his manners as much in
Society as in the field.
" I must not however, omit giving you a most extra-
ordinary domestic event notified yesterday, Lord
1 This matrimonial suggestion came to nothing.
2nd and last Bart, of Upwood ; born 1759 ; mar. 1788, Ann, dau.
of James Athill. He d.s.p. 1832.
3 Refers, no doubt, to the losses in Sir Thomas Graham's (Lord Lyne-
doch's) unsuccessful attack on St. Sebastian in 1813.
* Of Sweden.
170 HENRY EN ROUTE ABROAD [CHAP, xm
Althorp's l marriage with Miss Acklom. Your Uncle
Tom told me of it affaire faitc, & I could only say, ' Oh
Fie.' I hope I shall be first in communicating it to
your circle.
" General Ge. ! has just been here, & says the Duke of
York, whom he saw, told him that he knew nothing
of any change in the destination of the Provincial
Battalions.
" God bless you all. This letter must, of course, do
for yourself & Co."
From Henry W. W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
(en route for his first trip abroad after his marriage)
" ST. JAMES'S SQUARE, April 2nd, 1814.
" I write a few lines to you before I go out my beloved
Hester. The Official intelligence of the rupture of the
negotiations is at length arrived. The evening Papers
will inform you of Schwartzenburg having beat Bona-
parte. He made good his retreat towards Dijon where
he will be joined by Augereau. There seems nothing
now to prevent Blucher advancing to Paris. The news
of the rupture of the negotiations was received at
Lloyds with three cheers.
"The Austrians entered Lyons on the 22nd., but I
am sorry to say that Ghent has been retaken, & several
of the inhabitants shot.
" God bless you my beloved Hester."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" RYDE, August 3rd, 1814.
" I had scarcely stepped out of the Commissioner's
Barge upon this shore, before I saw Lord B. s sailing in
from Calais to the door of his own cottage here. He is
1 Ld. Al thorp, afterwards 3rd Earl Spencer ; born 1781 ; Chancellor
of the Exchequer 1830-4 ; mar. 1814, Esther, dau. and h. of Richard
Acklom, co. Notts. He died 1845.
1 General Richard Grenville, 2nd s. of Rt. Hon. James Grenville,
M.P. He represented Buckingham in the H. of C. Died unmar. 1823.
(His elder brother was the 1st and last Ld. Glastonbury.)
3 Ld. Buckingham, the 2nd Marq. and nephew of Lady Williams
Wynn (the lat Marq. died 1813); afterwards 1st Duke.
1814] CONFERENCE AT VIENNA m
quite well, full of health & spirits & as brown as a wallnut.
He seems to expect Suchet J to be made Ministre de la
guerre, & tells us that all Suchet's conversation turns
upon the necessity of France keeping up a large military
establishment & that he states his hopes of peace to rest
upon the boundary of the Rhine being accorded to
France by the Allies. I am afraid there is some reason
to think that the magnanimous Alexander is so intent
upon Poland, that he may be tempted to buy the sup-
port of France to his objects by supporting her pre-
tensions on the Rhine : if so Castlereagh will have his
hands full enough at his Vienna congress. We none of
us understand why the Government who are strong
should open the door to Canning & his friends, or why
Canning should disgrace himself by making himself the
humble bearer of his rival's correspondence with the
Court of Lisbon, but however, this may be, it is pretty
clear that when Liverpool, Castlereagh, & Canning get
into the same bed together, that is not likely to become
* a bed of roses.'
" Love to your good wife, & God bless you, dearest
Henry."
In the autumn of this year (1814) Lady Williams
Wynn was planning her tour abroad through France
and Spain. In writing of her proposed route to
Charles, she repeatedly asked him to consult Young,
the steward at Wynnstay, as to a suitable courier,
expressing herself as having complete trust and con-
fidence in his judgment. While an exchange of
letters on this subject is in progress, Charles, in whose
hands Sir Watkin left the management of his affairs
on his departure, with his regiment, for the Continent,
discovered that Young had been carrying on systematic
frauds and forgeries ever since he entered Sir Watkin's
service in 1810. The discovery was so sudden and so
complete that Young cut his throat, and was for some
1 Louis Gabriel Suchet, Due d'Albufera de Valencia, 1770-1826.
Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals and
administrators.
172 THE YOUNG INCIDENT [CHAP, xm
days in a precarious condition, but he subsequently
recovered. In the meantime Charles sent for his son, a
clergyman, and overhauled his papers. Among these
papers he found a letter signed " A. H.," which he
enclosed to his mother, written by Lady Anne Hamilton
in 1806, when Young was in the service of her cousin
the Marquis of Abercorn.
Sir Watkin, having received a full account of the
frauds & peculations, refused to prosecute the un-
fortunate man, only stipulating that the parson son
shall remove his father as soon as possible from Wynn-
stay, either abroad or to some distant part of the country,
and that a property acquired in Lincolnshire by the ill-
gotten gains shall be made over in default of payment.
He also suggested that a copy of Lady Anne's letter
should be handed to Lord Abercorn, but Charles depre-
cated such action, on the grounds of personal regard for
the family.
The Young incident was at its height when Lady
Williams Wynn left England, and Charles kept her
informed of the progress of affairs in his letters. That
the domestic scandal was widely known, and became the
subject of much gossip and criticism, is indicated in Lord
Carrington's letter to Hester, with which this incident,
as far as the present correspondence is concerned, is
closed.
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" BBOOK STREET, Saturday [September], 1814.
" I have not yet been able to meet with anything
tolerably promising in the shape of a Courrier which is
the more vexatious as it is the only circumstance which
keeps me dawdling here, while the daylight is melting
away before my Eyes. ... I have just seen an English
servant who is very anxious to go with me, & has some
merits, tho not much of recommendation that I can get
at. He lived 8 years with Ld. Lake during part of which
time he was with him in Ireland where he speaks
1814] THE YOUNG INCIDENT 173
familiarly of Captain Sir W. Pul n 1 & all the other British.
He was likewise while in Lord L,'s service fellow servant
with Young who he says knows him well. His name is
Chesswright, & what Y. knows of him you may easily
learn if this finds you at Wynnstay. The man began
his career as Servant (out of Livery) to Mrs. Phillips of
Rhyaddin, with whom he was 8 years before he married
& 2 after. He has been a good deal abroad with Lord
Lake, General Ackland 4 Years, & General Capel,
but the misfortune is that all are now dispersed & it
would take a good deal of time to get at them. William
Lyggins answers for his sobriety, but I had rather have
Young's judgment on that subject than his.
" If you can find anything about pray let me know per
return of post for I am dying to get away. If you are
not at Wynnstay I wish you would write a line to Young
to ask what he knows of this man, & tell him to pass it
on to me by return of post."
Several letters have obviously been lost or destroyed
between the above and the next letter from Charles,
which at once plunges into the details of Young's
attempted suicide, but it is not difficult to fill up the
gap. Charles was a better man of business than his
brother Sir Watkin, and having taken over the charge of
the great estates, at once began to make himself con-
versant with the details of management, and Young's
accounts could not stand the scrutiny.
From Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" [WELSH] POOL, September 21th, 1814.
" MY DEAR MOTHER, What we anticipated has taken
place & in spite of the precautions which we had taken,
Young has contrived to wound himself in a manner
which will probably prove mortal, every instrument
had been taken from him but he had contrived to secrete
a knife from the tray in passing. He had been con-
stantly watched, but was left alone for a few minutes
Sir W. Pulleston (?).
174 THE YOUNG INCIDENT [CHAP, xm
yesterday about two o'clock when he stabbed himself
in the throat. His papers afford the most decisive proof
of the regular & systematic plan of depredations which
he has carried on, as some very considerable forgeries
were committed in 1810. You will be astonished to
hear that among his papers is a letter from Lady Anne
Hamilton written several years ago, before he came into
Watkin's service which appears to direct & advise him
in frauds he was then carrying on. Wilkinson sewed
up the wound but does not expect him to live. He is
better today than was expected but the danger is
tomorrow. We had previously sent for his son in the
hope that he might have elicited that information which
we could not get from him. The one point of anxiety
which he has shewn throughout is that his Son may not
be supposed to be privy to his crimes & from all the
letters which we have found he appears certainly to be
entirely ignorant of them. Richards l has just arrived
here & given me this intelligence. Previous to Young's
confession, which appears, as we now find to have pro-
ceeded from some reports of unusual strictness in us
towards Gummow, l & others, from refusing him leave to
go up to town, he burnt all the bills & vouchers which he
had produced to Pickering l & which were for payments
previous to Watkin's going abroad. We are therefore
perfectly in the dark as to the real state of Watkin's
affairs & have no check against any falsehood which may
be brought in upon him as soon as this is known, except
the vouchers in St. James' Square, many of which there
can be no doubt, will prove false.
" We feel great doubt whether sending round to all
the Tradesmen or advertiseing in the Newspaper will
be the least likely method to excite suspicion among
them, that we are thoroughly in their power. There
will be now no use in sending down the bills as I had
before desired for it will be necessary that they should
be investigated in town & Richards must go up for that
purpose, Young had left a paper stating the first cause
to have been expences in his Son's education which led
him to engage in the Lottery & that, of course too
1 Richards, the agent; Gummow, the housekeeper; Pickering, a
solicitor (?).
1814] THE YOUNG INCIDENT 175
constantly, accounts for every thing else. I hear how-
ever that he had purchased a property in Lincolnshire
which cost him 800, & that, according to the wisdom of
our law of real property, will descend to his Son free of
incumbrance though clearly bought with stolen money."
From Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" POOL, Wednesday, September 28th, 1814.
" We have not had any opportunity of hearing any
account of Younge since Richards's arrival, but probably
he will not out live the night. It is a great consolation
that it should clearly appear that Watkin's carelessness
has nothing to do with the deception practised on him ;
& that it should be clear that the man was a rogue
before he entered his service. In one bill of the year 1810
he had added 100. When I see Lady A. H.'s letter
you shall have a copy of it. From Richards's account
it is such as nothing but feeling for her relations should
prevent me from making public. . . .
" Upon the other business which I hoped to investi-
gate here, I can tell you nothing as I have failed in the
means of information which I expected, but trust
Richards will be more successful next week at Newton.
My suspicions were unfortunately very strong even before
this discovery, which destroys all confidence & makes
one think every one must be a villain."
The letter enclosed to Lady Williams Wynn is addressed
to " Mr. Young, No. 31 North Audley Street,
Grosvenor Square, London."
[Postmark Shoreham. Date 1806]
" Tuesday, 18th.
" I like your frank open letter to me much, & shall
treat you with the same confidence, satisfied that my
letter will be burnt as soon as read.
*' The Duke * I believe is the easiest Man possible
to serve, the Duchess 2 manages too much herself, when
she cannot possibly know above stairs what is really
1 llth Duke of Somerset.
1 Charlotte, dau. of 9th Duke of Hamilton and sister to the writer.
176 LADY ANNE HAMILTON [CHAP, xin
going on below. She then forms favourites & judges
from hearing one side of a story. She also looks too near
into expense. But all this may have originated from her
never having had Confidence in an upper servant, & it
is but justice to say, that she has the same Confidence in
you that we all have. You therefore, might find things
better. You also would have this advantage, in that
favourite Charles [footman] being gone away. Indeed
I do not think there is now one favourite left, therefore
if you like to go, my advice is as follows, First raise a
difficulty, by saying you have taken that fancy to the
Marquess that you consider yourself engaged to Him,
& would leave the best place in the world to go to him,
that therefore you cannot think of taking His Grace's
place on that account. (Mind, I dont mean that you
should adhere to what you say, if, upon trying the
Duke's place, you prefer staying with him, for then
you could not serve the Marquess with pleasure. But
by saying it, they never could be affronted at your
leaving them, should you find things not agreeable.)
" If they still wish to have you upon that uncertainty,
then make your Agreement to have the superintendence
of Everything, either with, or without the Stable concern,
as you chuse. But remember one thing, Her Grace has
innumerable Books I believe a Ib. of candles or soap
is never taken out of the Box, but is enter'd in some Book.
This, with you, she may lay aside, but as your friend,
I wish to guard you against everything, that if you go,
you may be prepared, & begin right. I think you had
best manage everything with an exceeding high hand l
talk high, or these minutias will plague you sadly,
you may do any thing, as your character is so well
established.
" I don't know if there is any idea of your wife going
-with you. I know His Grace dont like near relations in
a, family, but she has so long wished to have you, that I
believe she would break thro' her rule in your favour,
otherwise this might form an excuse for your not going.
But if you really disliked going, the vicinity to Orchard
Leigh would be a sufficient excuse, as the Duchess told
1 The seven words in italics are lightly erased in the original letter,
fvhich therefore reads : " I think you had best talk high."
1806] LADY ANNE HAMILTON 177
me she was afraid you would not like to come to her on
that account, thus you see, I furnish you with excuses
on both sides, so you have only to consult what you like
best to do yourself. But / strongly advise your giving
yourself so good an opportunity of quitting without
quarrelling, as your liking to, & engagement with, the
Marquess 1 offers you, this must please him, at least,
& will not I think, lose you his Grace's place. I would
even tell it the Marquess himself, if you saw him, that
their changes had been so frequent you were afraid of
venturing as it would lose you his good opinion. Not
that I think it would, tho' it would have the same effect,
as delicacy might prevent his taking you from his
brother-in-law, but both him & I know enough of that
family to be surprised at nothing, & we both know you
too well ever to change.
" As I see it is in the papers the idea of his going to
Russia, it is no longer a secret, so I shall write to him by
today's post, (without mention of our correspondence,
of course) to propose his taking you with Jirni. If
you would not go that is an additional reason for your
enjoying yourself elsewhere. If you would, you should
call upon him after the post comes in on Wednesday,
before you see their Graces. How sincerely I wish
their Graces' offer had been delay'd for a month, for
between you & 7, if the Marquess dont want you in a
month, or even a fortnight, I shall give up hopes of his
ever wanting you, almost. However whatever you do
I shall consider as right. Only remember one thing, I
shall be in town on Friday evening, to stay. Dont
mention it to anyone, I come upon particular business.
No one knows it but the Marquess. I shall not be in
Gros. Place, but with the Miss Radfords, at No. 61
Baker Street Portman Square, where I can see you
Friday or Saturday, but not in the morng.
" Ever yours,
" I can add no more the post is just going.
" A. H."
i James, 9th Earl and 1st Marq. of Abercorn ; born 1756 ; three
times married. Died 1818.
* Lady Anne Hamilton, eldest daui of Alexander, 9th Duke of Hamil-
ton and his wife Harriet, dau. of 6th Earl of Galloway. She died
178 THE YOUNG INCIDENT [CHAP, xm
From Mrs. Charles W. W. to Lady W. W.
" LLANOEDWYN, October 3rd, 1814.
" Of course this horrible business made much talk in
Chester, but as it was not known that it lay with Young
alone, many people volunteered their opinion of the
whole Household etc. in general made no scruple of
saying that it was a gang of thieves. Lloyd of Penylan
said everybody knew it except the Family, & Evans of
Llwynon, he told Mr. Cholmondley that the wretched
Clergyman who hung up his great coat in the Hall,
emptied it first of his pockethandkerchief. These I
believe are very gossipping people, but the general idea
of Goodman's dishonesty seems so decided that Charles,
I believe advises Watkin to part with him in due time,
but so as to secure him from all suspicion of having
been implicated with Young. As people seem to be
open-mouthed upon the subject, when they took for
granted it was all come out, it would be desireable to
press them at this moment when they would hardly
draw back, & this I believe Mr. Richards is to do as soon
as he has had a little more talk with Charles. There
was a good deal of suspicion of Gummow, but Mr.
Richards says that as far as he has yet got, his accounts
are perfectly correct. Mr. Young's wretched son has not
yet come down. Young himself is going on perfectly
well. From all we can collect from Young himself &
from your report of William's investigation I really trust
that the frauds are all retrospective & that there will be
no payments to be made which we were not before in-
formed of, so that the only prospective effect will be that
Watkin will be 800 richer by the acquisition of Young's
1846. She lived at Ashton Hall, Lanes., and in Hamilton Place, and
was a connoisseur and collector of French furniture and pictures.
The following account of Lady Anne is given in Letters published
in Gleanings from an Old Portfolio, ed. by Mr. Godfrey Clark, 1898 :
"From Lady Louise Stuart to Lady Portarlington, July 19th, 1793.
' The eldest Miss Hamilton [afterwards Lady Anne], entre nous, I can't
bear, she palavers and cants like Lady Dunmore and Lord Galloway,
is very forward, very ugly and unpleasant, but that can't procure her
friends. . . . Charlotte [afterwards Duchess of Somerset] ... is
very pretty, but spoiled, and a fine lady.' " In vol. iii. Lady
Louise Stuart again refers to the lady : " November 13th, 1802. ' Lady
Anne is a worthy good woman, and wishes to please and be civil to
every body, but has no particular attractions of person, or mind.' "
1814] THE YOUNG INCIDENT 179
Lincolnshire purchase. He estimates the amount of
his thefts by a rough calculation between 14 & 1700."
From Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" LLANGEDWYN, October 10th, 1814.
" On Wednesday I went over to Wynnstay & saw
Young's unfortunate Son, who apeared one of the most
miserable & helpless beings that I ever saw. He is
desirous of doing everything in his power but scarcely
knows what, having been always treated as a Child by
his Father & fed from hand to mouth without any
knowledge of his Father's means. His wife was with
him & is of the two much the most efficient personage.
They state themselves to have always believed, from
the manner in which he supplied them with money,
that he had some out at interest & fearing that it might
be lost in case he should die, had pressed him to this
purchase by way of securing something.
" The whole income of the Son including the land
purchased, which he values at 32 per ann. amounts to
about 300 per ann. The land of course becomes
Watkin's & the conveyance has been directed to be pre-
pared. He then proposes to reserve 200 to himself
& to give up the remainder to the maintenance of his
Father till he can get some means of supporting himself
& the residue to the liquidation of the debt. I told him
I considered the land as legally belonging to Watkin.
That with respect to anything else there could be no
legal claim upon his (the son's) ecclesiastical income or
on the 50 a year which belongs to his wife & that there-
fore I could enter into no stipulation with him but
should leave him to act as he thought himself became
him. But that I was clearly of opinion that he ought
not, as Clergyman with a family, to reduce his income
below 200 a year. By the end of this week the Father
may probably be moved & may travel home with them.
He must afterwards go abroad or to some distant part
of the Kingdom & endeavour to earn his livelihood. In
consequence of what you mention of the tradesmen
having all acknowledged that there was no further
balance due to them than is stated by Young, Richards
180 THE YOUNG INCIDENT CLOSED [CHAP, xin
has postponed his journey to London till he has had a
meeting with Robert about a boundary dispute between
W. & Lord Clive. We are also investigating the Mont-
gomeryshire fraud, which I before alluded to & which
I have evry reason to believe will be but too clearly
proved. It consists in a regular over charge of the pro-
perty duty allowed in Lewis's Collection ; he having,
uniformly, from the first imposition of the Tax, charged
it to its full amount in every instance, whereas in many
it is much less. At any rate we have established enough
to require his discharge, as the only possible vindication
of his honesty, is gross carelessness & neglect by an
allowance to the Tenants of the Tax without producing
the receipts. This however is extremely improbable, &
I fear he will turn out to be as thorough a Rogue as
Young. Fortunately he is rich & can repay all he has
embezzled. We at present think of replacing him by
Barff, but for the present our suspicions even are un-
known to anybody. The amount which he has thus
purloined in the course of eight years must be consider-
able but we cannot yet even guess what.
" No letters have arrived for you except one from Miss
Lake referring you for Chesswright's character to Lord
Lake. }?
This letter is addressed to Lyons. Lady Williams
Wynn and Fanny were on their way to meet Charlotte,
Mrs. Shipley.
From Lord Carrington to his daughter, the Hon.
Mrs. Henry W. W.
[Part only of a letter and undated, without beginning or end]
[1814.]
" I heard from more quarters than one of the Cata-
strophe at Wynnstay, & of the Frauds being to an
immense amount, which last I ventured to contradict.
But I must say that considering the obligations he had
received from Sir Watkin, it is unfortunate that the
crime of Forgery, under such circumstances of aggra-
vation should escape legal chastisement. This seemed
the prevailing sentiment wherever I have heard the
matter alluded to.
1814] LADY WILLIAMS WYNN IN PARIS 181
" I am not sure that a Wife to Sir Watkin, tho, he will
be happier & his house more regular as well as more
agreeable, will have the effect which you expect upon
his economical arrangements. It may be another
channel of expence, but it is an event to be wished for
nevertheless. A more certain cure for extravagance
would be the desiring Mr. Richards, not only to pay
everything, but to frame a plan of division of the Income
Sir Watkin should spend in a year, into as many different
portions as there are heads of expence. As far as
Housekeeping goes you have had great experience at
home how useful these divisions are at the end of the
year to see whether the sum allotted to each head has
been exceeded, & therefore in what way it may be
retrenched. The larger a person's Income is the more
such a Division is wanted. In the largest expence of all
namely the national, it is religiously adhered to, & an
account is published comparing the actual Expenditure
with the previous Estimates. The principle to begin
upon is to know the clear Income, after deducting Land
& Income Tax, Interest paid etc. & then to regulate the
Expenditure accordingly. You will be surprised to
find how different these Estimates of expence will be
from the actual expence, till you have had two or three
years experience & then by more accurate knowledge
& a reserve for contingences you may come near the
mark."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" PARIS, October 9th.
" I need not tell you how very much I am
amused here. . . . Much has I fancy been done since
you were here, in the erecting new Buildings & opening
the Avenues to the old ones. Whatever Buonaparte
has done, has been on a scale so vast that it almost makes
one tremble still to think what might yet be within the
perspective grasp of his imagination. All seems to me
quite in extremes, the fine things so much above ones
Ideas, & the rest so much below them. The rapidity
with which He caused all his plans to be, not put into a
Course of Execution, but brought at once to perfection,
182 LADY WILLIAMS WYNN IN PARIS [CHAP, xm
really makes one giddy, nor can one conceive how with
the immense Armies that He keeps on foot, & the con-
stant drain which his wars made on the population,
hands enough were found for such immense Works.
The Column of Bronze made out of the Russian &
Austrian Cannons on the exact plan of the Trajan
column and surmounted by a colossal Statue of himself
was completely finished in three years. The Magasin
de PAbondance which is a most magnificent depot of
Corn for one year in case of scarcity would, if he had
remained have been compleated in twelve months. It
is now abandoned & so is the beautiful Temple de la
Gloire of which the Columns are raised only about
10 ft. Some time or another, I suppose these Works
must be finished, but it is already found out that the
Grand Genie is gone ! There are several very handsome
new Streets with wide Trottoirs, but then as I said before
the others are wretched in the extreme."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" Arx, November 20th.
"The Country round Marseilles is so particularly
ugly that we were all equally disinclined to the pro-
longing our stay in it. ... We saw there a young
Frenchman of the name of Dumenil (a son of a General
D.) who was in the Laz u with your sister, & came to call
upon her. He talked much to us of Lady Hester
Stanhope with whom he had passed last winter, & left
her after she was recovered of the plague at a village
near Seyd. All her friends had left her, & she had
nobody whatever male or female with her, but the
Doctor. She, however, flattered herself that Lady
Oxford 1 was coming to her, & that she should convert
her to her own strange way of living, but in this she
will be disappointed as Dumenil said he had just seen a
man who had left her at Naples meaning to come straight
home. Dumenil said he knew Vynn very well. He
seems a thoroughly self-sufficient young Frenchman,
fully persuaded that Paris is the acme of all terrestrial
1 Jane, dau. of Rev. James Scott ; mar. 1794, Edward Harley, 5th
Earl of Oxford. She died 1824.
1814] LADY CAROLINE LAMB 183
delights. He asked the Shipley s how long the passage
actually was from Dover to Calais, & on hearing that it
was often done in 4 hours, he jumped off his chair with
an exclamation ' Et, Grand Dieu, pourquoi done
n'avons nous fait la descente ? ' "
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
Undated.
" The topic which is at this moment occupying the
beau monde far more than any thing else, is this last
extraordinary performance of that poor wretched Lady
C. Lambe l who has narrowly escaped fracturing the
skull of one of the miserable beings, whom she calls
her pages, with a blow either of a Poker or, as she herself
modifies it with a broomstick. The offence was the
boy's refusing to go down on his two knees (he would
have dropped on one) to ask her pardon for some mis-
demeanor. It was three or four days before the surgeon
could pronounce him out of danger, but now I suppose
it will be all hushed up, & she will be suffered to walk
about in a state which could justify a strait waistcoat.
I . . It is certainly a most extraordinary test of the good
humour & kindness of Lord & Lady Melbourne to endure
such an inmate, but it is said that they do now profess
they can bear it no longer."
From Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" LLANOEDWIN, December 14th, 1814.
" Baron Richards writes me word that Mrs. Perceval *
with her twelve children is on the point of being again
married to an Officer, Son to Dr. Carr of Northampton
who is himself a Widower with five. It is abominable
to think that the two thousand a year which we voted to
1 Lady Caroline, only dau. of Fred., 3rd E. of Bessborough ; mar.
1805, Sir William Lamb, afterwards 2nd Vise. Melbourne. She died
1828.
J Jane, dau. of Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, 6th Bart. 5 mar. 1st,
1790, Spencer Perceval, First Lord of the Treasury and Chan, of the
Exch. He was shot dead in the H. of C. on May llth, 1812. She
mar. 2ndly, in 1815, Sir Henry Carr, K.C.B. She died 1844.
13
i$4 THE BISHOP OF LLANDAFF [CHAP, xiil
her & intended for the support of poor Perceval's children
should only have operated as a temptation to induce her
to desert them."
Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" NORTON, January 5th, 1815.
" A most ridiculous contradiction of Mrs. Perceval's
marriage has appeared in the Courrier, assuring the
public that Major Carr is twelve years younger than her
& ' being a very handsome man had only paid her
becoming attention which had been becomingly received '
on her part & this had given rise to the report. Would
not * becomingly received ' make a good Caricature ?
I send you all this important trash which the Newspapers
furnish, since it probably will not be inserted in your
Espnt. des Journaux."
The Same
" CBEWE, January 20th, 1815.
" There has been much conversation on two Volumes
of Tracts lately published by the Bishop of Llandaff, 1
in one of which, I am told, he proposes alterations in
the Liturgy & expressly attacks the Trinity. This from
a Bishop and Professor of Divinity in the University
of Cambridge, is some what extraordinary & one feels
a little surprised how he can justify continuing to hold
preferment, which he accepted on the condition of
subscribing a contrary Doctrine. The case is an em-
barrassing one & it will be difficult for the ruling powers
to know how to act. If it were an inferior clergyman
he would without question be cited into the Spiritual
Court & as happened two or three years ago to a poor
man of the name of Stone, be deprived of his living,
1 Richard Watson, Bp. of Llandaff, born 1737. Admitted a sizar
of Trinity College, Camb. 1754 ; elected to the Chair of Chemistry,
1764 on his own statement " he had never read a syllable on the
subject" and to the Divinity Chair in 1771 : " By hard travelling
and some adroitness " he was given the degree of D.D. In 1781 the
Duke of Rutland presented him with the valuable rectory of Knaptoft
in Leicestershire, and in 1782 pressed his claims for the vacant see
of Llandaff, to which he was appointed. He was the author of many
papers, historical, philosophical and political, as well as theological.
He died Bp. of Llandaff 1816.
1815] THE CONGRESS AT VIENNA 185
but with regard to a Bishop especially of his age &
character such a proceeding will not be so easy."
From Sir Waikln to Henry W. W. W.
" VIENNA, January IQth [1815].
" DEAR HENRY, I think there is no doubt of Saxony
being partially restored. I have heard that it is cal-
culated according to the latest statistical tables to consist
of about 2,200,000 souls, & that as the King of Prussia
is to have an addition of 500,000 on that side, he is to
have the lower Lusatia & part of Wittemburg with that
town as a fortress. There is another report that the
Elbe is to be the boundary, but if Dresden is to continue
the capital of the remains of Saxony that is impossible.
We know nothing & there are few reports about what
passes in congress, but it is said that the main points
are nearly settled & that Russia is to keep two thirds of
Poland without the title. I hear that Castlereagh is.to
return for the Meeting of Parliament & leave Paddy
Clancarty l to settle the remainder of the business. I
do not see any signs of his packing up, & Lord Clive &
those attached to the Mission deny the report of his
going.
' We were all much shocked four days ago by the
death of Montague, 2nd son to M. of Portman Square.
He was a very good humoured lad of 22 & was working
hard to improve himself in Lord Castlereagh's office.
A Typhus fever carried him off in ten days.
" I will endeavour to speak to Lord C. about you
before I leave this place, but I think that the strong
report of the restoration of the K. of S. ! would be
sufficient ground for your writing to him yourself to
remind him of the hopes that he gave to you in that
case. To this letter you would probably get an answer
which would shew you what chance you had of being
employed. I fear if you do not get something in the
1 Richard, 2nd Earl ; born 1767 ; Ambassador to the Hague 1813 ;
mar. 1796, Henrietta Margaret, dau. of Rt. Hon. John Staples. He
died 1837.
a Kingdom of Saxony, established in 1816, and a Minister from
St. James's appointed in 1816.
186 APPRECIATION OF SIR WATKIN [CHAP, xni
present arrangement you will get nothing hereafter, at
least while these people are in. Sir C. Stewart 1 is
appointed to the Hague. Military men are all the
fashion, but from the specimen we have here it is not in
that school that I should look for a foreign Minister."
From Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
" ACTON, January 28th, 1815.
" MY DEAREST MOTHER, In my letter of last week I
mentioned the intended meeting to be held at Ruthin
on Tuesday. The following are the Resolutions. ' That
Sir W. W. W. Bart, in having offered his services to his
King & Country in the late awful contest in which this
Nation was engaged, & afterwards embarking with his
Regiment to France has exhibited that rare instance of
manly spirit, zeal, & unalloyed distinguished patriotism,
which highly calls for the veneration & gratitude of
every true lover of his Country. That the freeholders
& inhabitants of this County from their long & near
connection with Sir W. W. W. & his family, feeling
these sentiments in the strongest degree, take leave to
request that he will give them an opportunity of express-
ing them personally, by honoring them with his company
at a Public dinner at Ruthin on any day that may be
most agreeable to him. That the gallant band of
Officers & Soldiers who accompanied their Colonel to
the Continent are also deserving of our best thanks.
That the Officers of the Militia of this County who
accompanied Sir W. W. W. to France, be also invited
to the Dinner to meet their Commanding Officer. That
a piece of Plate he presented to Sir W. W. as a token of
the high sense his Constituents entertain of his loyalty,
gallantry & patriotism, with an appropriate inscription,
which may remain in his family, as a lasting memorial
of the services he has performed for his country, &
transmit to his posterity an example so truly worthy
of their imitation. That a Committee be formed of all
the Subscribers, to convey these Resolutions to Sir
W. W. W. & his Officers to arrange the mode of giving
1 Charles, B. of 1st Marq. of Londonderry; born 1778; created
Baron Stewart 1814. A distinguished soldier and diplomat. Sue.
his brother as 3rd Marq. in 1822. Died 1854.
1815] LOCAL ZEAL AND ENTHUSIASMS 187
the Dinner & to carry the resolution into full effect,
that they do meet etc. etc.'
" Near 300 was immediately subscribed, though the
Meeting was only attended by the immediate neighbour-
hood, the weather preventing the Dean, Wynne of
Garthewin, & a good many others from being there.
A Meeting had previously been held at Wrexham &
very numerously attended to determine on giving a
dinner there. I therefore suppose that the subscrip-
tion will certainly amount to 6 or 700 which will be
quite sufficient to make a magnificent appearance in the
centre of the table & to induce every body to read the
inscription. Griffith of Gam, proposed, & Lloyd of
Hafodunos seconded. William Richards was there &
described to me the enthusiasm & zeal of every person
whom he has seen in every part of the county to
manifest attachment & respect, to be beyond what he
could have believed.
" I wish that his (Watkin's) own domestic Establish-
ment was such as might give him a welcome equal to his
public one, but really the fraud & plunder which seems
interwoven with it, in all its branches is such as sickens
one & palsies every plan for improvement as only
affording fresh opportunities for peculation.
" Richards has received information that in the Voel
Eglwyseg plantation, the digging holes being paid for
by the day & the planting by the job, the labourers were
regularly taken off from the first, for three or four hours
per day, & employed on the second, under the Eye of
Dawson's brother, whom he employed to superintend
them. On Tuesday morning we are to have all the
witnesses & enquire into the circumstances."
From H. E. C. (Mrs. Cholmondeley) to the Hon. Mrs.
Henry W. W.
" ASTLB, Saturday [1815],
" MY DEAREST HESTER, Many thanks for your letter
this morning, I am so uncomfortable about my beloved
Mother, on account of this news from Barcelona that
I must vent my fears upon you & Henry, & entreat you
to send me some comfort. I trust that as she did not
leave Aix till the 13th there is no fear of her having em-
188 ANXIETY OF THE PARENTE [CHAP, xin
barked at Marseilles soon enough to be at Barcelona for all
these horrible riots, but supposing that she should be ig-
norant of the state of Spain (which is quite possible) when
one remembers how very little they knew of Bonaparte's
descent & progress, & should attempt to cross it ! And
even supposing she knew of it in time to alter her course,
where will she direct it to ? I hope & trust to Gibraltar.
" I heard to-day from Lord Buckingham & will extract
a part of his letter which I hope you will enable me to
contradict, as I am quite certain that it is a false report,
(of course you will not repeat it as coming from Lord B.).
4 1 have heard to-day a thing that has plagued me much
for Watkin's sake, do pray tell me that it is a lie, as it
will much relieve me. The Parente" who are the greatest
gossips that God ever formed, have got hold of a story,
that the inscription to be put, or rather actually put,
upon Watkin's plate given him by his county, is a very
ridiculous one about Bonaparte's retiring jrom France
when Sir Watkin entered it, & returning to France when he
left it. Now I cannot believe this for Watkin's sake, but do
pray enable me positively to contradict it, as you have
no idea how it is circulating, thanks to said parente" ! '
Now I suppose this is some very ill-natured joke, which
some kind friend has put about in London, but pray
let me know whether any inscription is decided upon, as
I believe the contrary to be the fact, but it makes my
Welch blood circulate rather quickly to think that such a
lie can be believed.
" With best love to Henry. I remain,
" Ever yours affectionately,
" H. E. C."
The piece of presentation plate took the form of a
large silver jardiniere, 3 ft. by 2 ft. 6. The inscription
is in English and Latin and Welsh. The English
inscription is as follows :
To COLONEL SIR WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN, BARONET
THE PATBIOT LEADER OF HIS COUNTRYMEN
DURING THE REBELLION IN IRELAND AND INVASION OF FRANCE
As A MEMORIAL OF HIS REPEATED VOLUNTARY SERVICES
THE COUNTY OF DENBIGH
PRESENTED THIS TRIBUTE OF ESTEEM AND GRATITUDE.
M.D.C.C.C.X.V,
1813] LADY WILLIAMS WYNN AT BARCELONA 189
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
"MADRID, May 1st [1815].
" You will my dearest Henry, have heard thro' some
of the family of our safe arrival at this place on the
26th ult., after a journey from Barcelona as unpleasant
as any could be, unmarked by the smallest real disaster.
Nothing can be so dull to all appearances as this Town,
even to those to whom it has the charm of novelty. Our
friends who, evidently desire nothing so much as to make
it agreeable to us, cannot find a Lion to propose, except-
ing the Prado, where we drive or walk up & down for an
hour every evening before we go to the Play, & from
the general effect of both these spectacles all semblance
of brilliancy & gaiety is withdrawn by the uniform
Black dress, which even we are obliged to adopt before
we can appear there. Last night being Sunday, the
promenade was enlivened by the Royal Coach which,
followed by 2 others, dragged its contents up & down
the walk at a foot's pace for a couple of hours. The
King 1 is very large & fat with a Bourbon sort of
face. He receives the Diplom. twice a week, but has
no drawing-room, nor has any Lady been presented
to him, but the Russian Minister's wife, who demanded
an Audience, for the purpose which she obtained, but
neither she nor her purpose could advance one step
further.
" The all devouring destroying hand of the French
throws an air of desolation, which, while one strongly
feels the impression of, as a Foreigner, must I really
think to a Native & to a Spaniard, be almost more than
any philosophy can resist. In the Road from Barcelona
hither, not one of the objects of curiosity mentioned by
La Borde exist. In many places not the vestige of a
village remains, in others one sees the marks of their
desperate resistance, in each separate & individual
House being pierced like a sieve.
" I have been very unlucky in missing the opportunity
of seeing a Bull fight, which have been exhibited once
every week till this precise moment of my arrival,
* King Ferdinand VII,
190 THROUGH SPAIN [CHAP, xm
Mrs. Gordon l is quite an ' amateur ' of the sports, &
assures me that after the first or second time I should
get over all awkward feelings which might check my
delight in it. Of this I do not feel quite so sure but at
all events I should very much like to have seen the first
coup d'oeil of such an assembly & the dresses of the
Piccadores & other performers. Tho' they are exhibited
so regularly & frequently they say the Concourse is never
less than 12,000 people. The first thing I saw when I
went to the Gordon Nursery was a Bull of the proportion
of a Rocking Horse upon wheels, with a cork neck into
which one little boy was to throw darts while the other
pushed it at Him. This is certainly a most national toy.
" Last night I saw a Fandango for the first time, &
admired it extremely. I was told that it was extremely
* low, Good Heavens ' ! & certainly I saw nothing to
object to in it, of a contrary description. The Boleros
I do not in general like as well as Angrilinis.
" I see nothing which is in the least likely to prolong
my stay here beyond my originally fixed day the 23rd.
inst. My Muleteers are to deliver me at Lisbon Ferry
in 13 days, & I shall have an escort of 4 Soldiers with me
the whole way. This is reckoned indispensably neces-
sary & with it I understand there is no danger whatever,
as they never come to a pitched Battle. My stay at
Lisbon will be governed entirely by the means which shall
offer of getting away."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" FALMOUTH, June Wth [1815].
" Here I am my dearest Children, delighted to think
that my first Letter which I address to you at your own
Home should be to remove all the kind anxiety which I
have most unwillingly occasioned to you for some
months past. We arrived early this morning after a
most tedious passage of 14 days, with almost constant
Northly Winds, & not without considerable apprehension
1 Caroline, dau. of Sir George Cornwall, Bart., of Moccas. She
mar. 1810, William Gordon, who succeeded his uncle in November
1815 to the Baronetage of Gordon of Halkin, having previously assumed
the additional surname of Duff. She died 1875.
1815] NEWS OF WATERLOO 191
of French Privateers. Thank God, however, we have
escaped that & many other Evils, which we have certainly
been within very immediate reach of, & which will now
only serve to make an interesting Story to my Grand-
children. There is so much delay in getting my Coach
etc., on Shore that the best I hope is to get on one Stage
this evening. This will much facilitate my getting to
London on Wednesday which is all I expect. Lady
Carysfort has taken Lodgings for me on my arrival
at the Camelford House Hotel, which perfectly corre-
sponds with her usual thoughtful kindness, as it will
save me the bustle of first landing at a naked House."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" LONDON, June 29th, 1815.
"... Everybody for the last ten days has had so much
to hear & say that We have been passing our time pretty
much as St. Paul describes the Athenians of old. At
this moment Count Woronzow's l servant brings the
following in an open Note for Lord Grenville (who has
left London yesterday) ' Bonaparte s'est rendu a Com-
piegne, le Due de Wellington et celuici est probablement
a Paris, a Chevre qu'il est, les Autrichiens sont a Lyon.
L'armee Russe a passee le Rhin le 25.' I take for granted
that this will be in the Evening papers, but I am, from
experience so well aware how much kinder it is to give
to one's Correspondents the Chance of reading news
twice over, rather than not reading it at all, that I shall,
I believe, henceforth always make my letters like the
resumes in the County papers. We have repeatedly
thought how very unhappy you must have been at being
met by all this magnificent News when you was parted
from your Maps. Every body is wild with Admiration
of our wonderful Hero.* All the private letters are filled
with enthusiastic enconiums on Him, even in the first
moments of individual suffering. Lord Grenville insists
upon its being considered as the Sum total of a whole
1 A Russian nobleman, whose dau. Catherine had married, as hia
second wife, George, llth Earl of Pembroke.
* Duke of Wellington.
192 DETAILS DELAYED [CHAP, xin
& heavy Campaign, & not the losses of a single Day.
Still one cannot but feel horror at the idea of the details
which are yet to come out, & which I fear will hardly
appear to have been aggravated by the dreadful long
time of Suspence during which they have been looked for.
Many people think that Government will not publish
them, but I hope that will not be the case, as such
Concealment could not diminish the general impression
of the loss sustained, & would only give that of our not
daring to look it in the face. The too obvious cause of
the returns not arriving is found in there not being one
of the Duke's staff who has escaped unhurt, & who
therefore has yet been able to make it out. The D.
himself had the most extraordinary hair-breadth
escapes that can be conceived, Sir William Gordon was
killed in the Act of turning the head of the Duke's horse,
& Lord Fitz S. 1 was resting his Arm on the D.'s knee
receiving his orders, when a Ball took it off, & was by so
doing turned off. On this good fortune, & this alone He
expatiates in his first letter written with his left hand
to his Mother. Lord Combermere sets out to-day, &
My Lady is delighted with the thoughts of her trip to
Paris, in what Henry's poor Servant would have called
* A leading Character.' The accounts of Lord Uxbridge
are said to be unfavourable, which at this particular
moment one is in duty bound to lament, otherwise I
should certainly excuse myself."
Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" ATJDLEY END, Wednesday.
" I suppose you have heard of Sir H. Wellesley's *
marrying Lady G. Cecil, which is considered as affaire
faite & as far as it can be ever good to marry into the
Wellesley family must, I suppose, give much satisfaction.
1 Ld. Fitzroy Somerset (afterwards Ld. Raglan, C.-in-Chief during the
Crimean War) ; born 1788. Military Secretary to the Duke of Wel-
lington throughout the Peninsular Campaign. He died during the
siege of Sebastopol 1855.
2 Henry, 5th a. of 1st Earl of Mornington ; born 1773. K.C.B. Mar.
1st, Charlotte, dau. of 1st Earl Cadogan (whom he divorced in 1810,
and she mar. 1810, 1st Earl of Anglesey) ; he mar. 2ndly in 1816,
Georgina, dau. of 1st Marq. of Salisbury. She died 1860. He was
created Baron Cowley 1828. He died 1847,
1816] MARRIAGE GOSSIP 193
Lord Sligo is marrying a Lady Catherine de Burgh,
daughter of Lady Clanrickard, 1 a poor child barely 16,
who has never seen anything of the world, nor probably
heard anything of her intended but that he is a great
Lord who will make her a fine lady. When one sees
the result of the Byron experiment, one trembles at the
idea of a Roue turning married man. His Mama,
Lady Sligo, 8 is supposed to have found out that it
will be pleasanter to live on the Continent without her
youthful Lord, than in England with him, but far other-
wise his Aunt whose inseparability from her little
Phippy has obtained to them the name of ' Hook & Eye '
which I think is not without merit.
" Adieu my dearest, love & blessing to my dear
Henry & the etc. "
The Same
" BBOOK STBEET, February 26th.
" ... The Coburgh Marriage ' seems to be the only
genteel Topic of Conversation. The Measure is sup-
posed to have been forced on P. R. 4 by his Ministers, &
that He desires nothing more than to put it forward to
His daughter in such an uninviting Shape as may
ensure her refusal of it. Hitherto She has had no more
intimate communication of it than the rest of her fellow
Subjects by means of the Newspapers, where She will at
least have the counterpart to sing of ' nobody coming
to marry me.' The Accounts of her worthy Sire even
from the most courtly & cautious reporters are most
unfavourable. The weakness of His lower limbs is so
great that He now remains entirely in his Bed with
strong dropsical Symptoms. Many will tell you that
it can last but few months, which, however, I shall be
very slow to believe after what one has seen, & daily
does see, of the tenacity of life in the whole family. The
1 Elizabeth, dau. of Sir Thomas Burke, 1st Bart. ; she mar. 1799,
Thomas, 13th Earl of Clanricarde, who died 1808. She died 1854.
2 Lady Louisa Howe, dau. and co-h. of Richard, Earl Howe. She
mar. 1st in 1787, John, 1st Marq. of Sligo. He died 1809. She mar.
2ndly, Sir William Scott (Ld. Stowell), and died 1817.
3 The marriage of Princess Charlotte to Prince Leopold of
Coburg, which took place on May 2nd.
4 Prince Regent,
194 LORD PEMBROKE'S INHERITANCE [CHAP, xm
Wellcsley & Cecil Match takes place immediately which
I mention only to introduce a Gentillesse of that respect-
able personage the Marquis of Anglesea, who upon
hearing of it expressed his opinion of the Lady's beauty
by saying ' / shall not trouble him again.'
"Lord Pembroke's l inheritance from Lord Fitzwilliam 1
will ultimately be no less than 20,000 a year, at present
He gives 4,000 per ann. between the Brothers & their
family, which is only to be admired inasmuch as it would
have been wrong to have done otherwise. Not above
a month before his death Lord F. was expressing to His
friend Whitburn the Bookseller, his hesitation whether
He should leave it all to Lord P. or to another relation
equally near. Nowhere, however, could it have been
more acceptable as Lord P. was on the point of breaking
up & selling everything to make a provision for his
numerous family."
Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BKOOK STBEET, Wednesday.
" The Royal Marriage is said to be fixed for the
4th April. I suppose the rebound of it will produce
something like the usual London Stile of Gaiety, hitherto
Lady Salisbury* & Lady Camden 4 have been the only
people who ventured on the expenditure of a dozen
pounds of Sperm Candles.
" I am full of delight with the establishment of the
Bazaar, 8 not particularly for the Articles which may
certainly be procured at no considerable difference in
fifty other places, but from seeing & hearing from people
themselves the incalculable advantages derived from
it. The Room is a large one, the whole lower floor
1 Ld. Pembroke, the llth Earl, who had seven children.
1 Ld. Fitzwilliam, 7th Irish Vise. ; born 1745 ; died unmar.
February 4th, 1816, and was sue. by his brother. (Richard, the 5th
Vise., who died in 1743, and was the grandfather of the 7th and 8th
Viscounts, had a dau. Mary, who mar. as her 1st husband in 1733,
Henry, 9th E. of Pembroke.)
3 Mary, dau. of 1st Marq. of Downshire ; mar. James, 1st. Marq. of
Salisbury 1773. She was burnt to death in 1835 when Hatfield was
damaged.
* Francis, dau. of William Molesworth of Wembury j mar. 1785,
1st Marq. Camden. She died 1829,
' Soho bazaar,
1816] THE SOHO BAZAAR 195
of the Corner House next to Sir J. Bankes's in Soho
Square. It is fitted up with Counters^all round & down
the middle, of these, portions of 8 ft.. each are let out as
Standings, & are paid for at the rate of 2s. each, which is
paid every night. This is the only expence to the
Tenant. The Room is warmed by stoves, & the firing,
watching, & everything else is supplied by the Landlord,
who will I really think find it answer even in Money, if
it goes on, but I am sure He would be sufficiently repaid
by the blessings which I heard poured down upon him,
by every one of the different Occupiers to whom I spoke.
There are 60 in this Lower Room, the same Space is
fitting up above for the same purposes, & there are
already above 100 applicants. The Gentleman to
whom the premises belong, & who has the whole merit
of the invention & execution is Mr. Trotter, Brother to
the Army Agent. His name ought to be written in
letters of Gold. Every Article of every sort is sold there
from Apples & Oranges to the fine Lace, all British, all
for ready money, & no Abatement ever made."
The Same
" BBOOK STBEET, Saturday.
" The Coburgh concern is considered as settled & the
Marriage to take place in May. Lord St. Helens says it
is a pretty sight ' to see them both on the Sofa together,'
but for the present all these prettinesses are suspended,
& the poor Lover sent to kick his heels & cool his passion
at Weymouth, ' while arrangements are Making.' This,
in common life, would not be considered as a very
gracious proceeding towards an accepted beau-fils, but
I suppose Royal ones are trained to such * gentillesses. 1
Fanny made her debut last Thursday, at the Ant
Concert where the great Event was the appearance of
the new Royal Duchess l who came with her Sweet
Spouse, 1 & marching up squatted Herself in the very
Centre of the Sanctum Sanctorum, the Director's Bench.
There happened to be none present, excepting the Duke
1 William Frederick, 2nd Duke of Gloucester, grandson of King
George II ; mar. 1816, his first cousin, Princess Mary, 4th dau. of
King George III. She died 1857. He died 1834.
196 THE ROYAL WEDDING [CHAP, xm
of Devon. 1 & Lord Fortescue, who had both dined
with Her at the Dinner given by the Duke as Director
of the Night. Nothing like a female attendant or
Companion appeared either at' the Dinner or Concert,
two male German sticks followed them into the Concert
Room, & so little knew what they were brought for, that
they remained planted, while the Duke went out to call
for His carriage & theirs. Fanny says she has not a
trace of beauty, but in a fine skin, & uncommonly
beautifully shaped Head extremely well set on. She is
passionately fond of music, which together with the
particular charm of Her Manners & conversation has so
infatuated Lord F. that He is gone to dine there to-day
en famille, being I should think almost the only Peer in
England who would do Her Royal Husband that honour.
" The Duke of Devon has asked her to come with the
Duke of G. to His Director's Dinner next Wednesday
& will, I suppose, get the Duchess of Leeds, 8 who is
among the very few who have visited Her, to meet Her.
What the Archbishop & the other stiff old Gentlemen
will do after this precedent will be comical to watch."
Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STBEET, Monday.
" The Royal Wedding begins now to be the only
topick, & the going to look at the different parts of the
wardrobe the chief employment of the beau monde.
She takes only 6,000 for her trousseau, including Jewels
which seems very moderate, but Grandmama's s pre-
voyance had laid by the greatest part of what was
before purchased for the same purpose, & which of course
comes now in aid. They are to be married at 10 o'clock
at night at Carlton House, & then to stay two days,
which is a more Christian-like arrangement than is
usually made for such personages. Her Aunt of
Wurtenburgh breakfasts next morning with the King
& Queen, & all their suite. It is piously hoped by all
court frequenters that the abolition of the Hoop, which
1 The 6th D. of Devonshire ; born 1790 ; sue. his father in 1811 ;
died unmarried in 1857.
1 Charlotte, dau. of George, 1st Marq. Townsend ; mar. 6th D. of Leeds
1797. She died 1856. Queen Charlotte.
1816] THE ROYAL WEDDING 197
is given out in Orders for the Wedding will extend to
future Drawing-rooms. None of the Household are yet
named excepting Lady George Thynne 1 & Lady Emily
Murray. 2 The first seems in every respect unobjection-
able. Her husband belongs to Court she has neither
chick nor child to want her care, & is I suppose in bodily
powers equal to any exertion which her young mistress
may call upon her for, but to the latter every one of these
points present difficulties. She has a young husband
who will have to seek a friend & fire-side when she is
unable to supply it. She has a young child, whom she
is never satisfied to have out of her sight, & she has a
state of health which has always hitherto required her
to be kept in cotton wool. It is however entirely Lord
James's seeking, & therefore he at least will have no
right to complain whatever be the consequence."
1 Harriet, dau. of William, 2nd Vise. Courtenay ; mar. 1797, George,
2nd s. of 1st Marq. of Bath. He sue. his uncle as 2nd Ld. Carteret
and d.s.p. 1838.
1 Emily Frances, dau. of 2nd D. of Northumberland; mar. 1810, Ld.
James Murray, 2nd s. of 4th D. of Atholl. He afterwards became
Major-Gen, and was created Ld. Glenlyon. He died 1837. She died
1844.
CHAPTER XIV
18171820
BESIDES events of social interest and the gossip of
the beau-monde, the topic of most importance during
1817 in the Williams Wynn family was Charles's candi-
dature for the Speaker's chair.
Mr. Charles Abbott resigned on May 80th, and was
raised to the Peerage as Baron Colchester.
Mr. Manners Sutton and Charles were the opposing
candidates, and the Commons gave their votes against
the nominee of the Grenville Party by a majority of
162. Lady Williams Wynn's disappointment was very
keen.
Fanny Williams Wynn, as inveterate a globe-trotter
as her brother Henry, began her winter trips abroad
in 1817, visiting her sister Charlotte Shipley in Majorca,
and making tours through France and Italy. Her
mother's letters to her during her wanderings are pre-
served by the Trustees of the National Library for
Wales, at Aberystwyth, by whose permission they find
their place in this correspondence.
The family excitement during the General Election
of 1818 centred in Lord Ebrington's fight for the county
of Devon.
The death of the old King, the accession of the Prince
Regent, the subsequent controversies with reference
to the Queen's trial, all play a large part in the letters of
this time, and an interesting mention is made of the
conspiracy, known as the Cato Street Plot, discovered
but three weeks after the new Sovereign had come to the
198
Hoppner
198]
LORD STANHOPE 199
throne, for the avowed purpose of assassinating the
Ministers of the Crown. The plot aroused throughout
England a terror which amounted to something like
panic ; in itself it was not widespread, but confined to
the leading agitator, Thistlewood, and a few confederates,
all of whom were arrested, tried for high treason, and
executed.
The country at large continued m a state of unrest
and general discontent.
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BKOOK STREET, Wednesday.
" I met your beau-frere, the Earl, 1 the other day
at Lord Grenville's & was, I assure you, quite struck
with his improvement in beauty & manners. Lady
Grenville declares that he was looking at himself in the
Glass, the whole time & adjusting his Neck-cloth which,
however I am sorry to say, still keeps a respectful
distance from his Chin. We saw, waiting in the Hall,
his famous Jager, who constantly attends him, & cer-
tainly a most mountebank looking personage, with a
Cap 3 ft. high, from the top of which falls a fringe of the
blackest Feather or Horse hair hanging quite over the
man's face. He is all over silver lace & with an immense
Sabre. Lord S. talked of going back in the Spring to
fetch his family. The Executors are, I hear, cavilling
for everything, they tried hard to claim the Robes (I
wonder for what earthly purpose) as personalty, & are
now contending with him for all the Stanhope papers
which it is feared they will get. These they may make
money of, but what they could do with the old Velvet
it is impossible to guess. I have not seen the Countess
Dowager 2 but hear she is very indignant at the State-
ment in the Will of her transactions with her Substitute."
1 Philip Henry, 4th E. Stanhope. He mar. as Ld. Mahon 1803,
Catherine Lucy, dau. of 1st Ld. Carrington; sue. his father 1816.
He died 1855.
1 Louisa, dau. and sole h. of Hon. Henry Grenville, Governor of
Barbadoes ; mar. 1781, as his second wife, Charles, 3rd E. Stanhope
(whose first wife, Lady Hester Pitt, dau. of 1st E. of Chatham, died
1780;. She died 1829.
14
200 SOCIETY WEDDINGS [CHAP, xiv
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, April 30th, 1817.
" My frank being to you my dearest Henry, I must
to you address my letter. I am most unfeignedly
delighted with Lady H. 1 & agreeably surprised at finding
her hitherto very conversible, which your report did not
much lead me to expect. It must however be remem-
bered that you saw her under every disadvantage &
suddenly thrown into the necessity of assuming habits
of Intimacy with a large family party with whom she
could hardly have one subject of conversation in
common. They are both very proud of having got
their Rooms in St. James' Square so comfortable, &
seem to sit down quite reconciled to the dirt & rags.
" The Grand Wedding * takes place to-night, the
gentlemen of the family are to dine together at Lord
dive's * where the Ladies are to arrive at 8 o'clock to
pick them up & proceed to Northumberland House,
Charles is as you may imagine all fever about the
Speakership, tho' for the present it seems at a standstill.
The question has certainly already brought forward
many more professions of good will & acknowledgements
of claim with respect to him than we could have expected,
though while the one great Bar to preferment continues,
we cannot look to his leaping it. There is much ad-
vantage as well as gratification in what has passed, &
is passing on the subject.
" The Harvey* marriage has richly supplied the town
with small talk this week, never was there, I should say,
so great a Bicky, tho' some people say that much of it
is assumed as naivete*. He says he takes her as an
' unsophisticated Being.' What ideas he attaches to
that phrase which makes him think it is peculiarly
1 Lady Harriet, 1st dau. of Edward, 1st E. of Powis, who in
February 1817 had married Sir Watkin.
* Hugh, 3rd D. of Northumberland, mar. April 30th, 1817, Lady
Charlotte Clive, 2nd dau. of 1st E. of Powis.
3 Edward, afterwards 2nd E. of Powis ; born 1785; mar. 1818,
Lucy, dau. of 3rd E. of Montrose. He died 1848.
4 Felton Elwell Hervey, born 1782 ; assumed the additional name
of Bathurst 1801 ; mar. April 24th, 1817, Louisa Catherine, 3rd dau.
of Richard Caton of Maryland, U.S.A. (she mar. 2ndly in 1838,
Francis, 7th D. of Leeds, and d.s.p. 1874). He was created a
baronet 1818, with special remainder to his brother. He died 1819.
1817] SOCIETY WEDDINGS 201
suited to his case I know not, but I think none of His
friends seem to fancy it would suit theirs 1 She throws
herself entirely on the protection of the Duke of Welling-
ton & in the hour of interval which necessarily took
place on her Wedding Day, between the two ceremonies
she insisted on walking away on the Duke's arm to see
the Waterloo Panorama. During the Protestant Cere-
mony, when she was called to repeat after the Minister,
she stopped short & burst out into loud laughter, & then
began tittering the whole time. During the reading of
the Settlement, when they came to the provision for
younger Children, she exclaimed a haute voix to the
reading Quill-driver, ' how do you know that I shall
have any younger Children ? ' On her Belle Mere l
proposing some servant to her for her new manage, she
said it was perfectly unnecessary * As the Duke has
asked me to live with Him, & I am determined to do so.*
In short the stories are endless & hold out no encourage-
ment to the Election of unsophisticated Beings for
Wives.
" Car Neville's * marriage is supposed to be booked
for the end of next week which being the last piece of
news that occurs to me. I will with all Love & Blessing
to all conclude my miscellaneous epistle."
The Same
" BBOOK STBEBT, Friday, May Qth, 1817.
" I do not know whether Hester or you will take any
interest in hearing that, Lady Catherine West * is going
to marry Major or Colonel D'Arcy, but we who re-
member all the foolish things she did & said at Stowe
& have heard how wretched a life she led with her half-
crazy Mother, cannot but think that any change must
be to her advantage. You will be sorry to hear that
poor Lady Normanton continues very ill, he was to have
1 Lady Fremantle, wife of Rt. Hon. Sir William Fremantle (Selina,
dau. and h. of Sir John Elwell ; mar. 1779, Felton Hervey, who died
1785).
2 Caroline, dau. of 2nd Ld. Braybrooke ; mar. 1817, Beilly Lawley
(who assumed the surname of Thompson in 1839), afterwards 1st
Baron Wenlock. She died 1868.
3 Dau. of 4th E. of Delaware; mar. 1817, Col. Joseph D'Arcy, B.A.
She died 1824.
202 SOCIETY WEDDINGS [CHAP, xiv
dined with your Brother yesterday but sent word that
he could not leave Her. Lady Elphinstone l the
Widow of 45, to whom Lord Exeter, 8 the Marquis of 21,
is pouring forth his vows & Entreaties, has desired a
Demur of 6 months, at the end of which time, if she
appears to Him to have gained in youth, & He to Her,
brings proper symptoms of age, she promises to be
gracious. Miss Mercer gives herself & her independant
4000 pr. an. to Flahault s (whom Lady Perth calls
Flott,) in spite of Lord Keith's disinheriting Will, which
he shews to her, & everybody else who comes near Him,
adding that the rascal shall never come within His
doors.
" I hear the Catholic Division to-night is expected to
be very stormy & that Fortescue has professed his
intention of voting for it, which I can hardly believe.
Never was anything so complete as Canning's triumph,
nor so handsome as the conduct of Lord Milton * who
had in addition to all party feelings to get over the
remembrance of Canning's most unfair personal attack
upon him, & to brow beat Him on his first Speech in the
House. And I really think that this does the greatest
honour to Lord M. both as an upright Judge & a Gentle-
man.
" God bless you dearest, I hate this messy way of
scrawling but was surprised into it by my subject."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" May 29th, [1817],
" I have this moment received dear Hester's letter
& having my Frank, to you, my dearest must address
to you, my thanks. . . .
1 Lady Elphinstone, Janet Hyndford, widow of Sir John Carmichael,
2nd dau. of Cornelius Elliott, of Roxburghshire. She mar. John, 12th
Ld. Elphinstone, 1806. He died 1813. She died 1825.
1 2nd Marq., born 1795 ; mar. 1824, Isabella, dau. of William
Stephen Poyntz of Cowdray Park, Sussex.
8 Flahault, August Charles Joseph, Comte de Flahault, de la Bil-
lardrie, sometime Ambassador of France at the Court of St. James.
He married in 1817, Hon. Margaret Mercer, daughter of Bajon Keith.
She succeeded to her father's Barony, which on her death in 1867
became extinct. General Flahault died 1870.
4 Charles, Ld. Milton, afterwards 5th Earl Fitzwilliam ; born 1786 ;
mar. 1806, Mary, dau. of 1st Ld. Dundas. He sue. his father in
1833. He died 1857. He sat in the H. of C. 1807-33.
1817] EBRINGTON'S MARRIAGE 203
14 If the news of Ebrington's l marriage reached you
on Tuesday it was certainly very premature, as not a
Soupcon of it had been dropped to any of the family
till Monday when it was announced in form, Just in
time enough for us to receive the compliments of the
Nobility & Gentry at Stafford House in the evening.
Everybody seems to consider it as a pretty Match, &
his Father & Mother are quite delighted with it. The
young Lady has her two Uncles, the Archbishop and
Bishop, 2 ready to answer for her merits in all the most
serious essential requisites, & for the Ornamental part
nobody doubts her being pre-eminent. It is said that
Lord Harrowby himself has taken pains with her reading
& that she is extremely well informed.
" That she is a most singular fortunate young woman
I am most fully pursuaded, being still of my early
opinion that He is of all others the man most calculated
to make the happiness of a woman who He should
really love.
" This moment brings me a note from Lord Glaston-
bury saying ' The Speaker resigns to-morrow, I have
this intelligence thro' a Channel which I conceive to be
authentic.' This as you may believe flustered me not
a little."
On June 2nd the Prince Regent intimated to the
House of Commons that he had accepted the resignation
of Mr. Speaker Abbott (who was thereupon created Baron
Colchester) and desired the faithful Commons to elect
a new Speaker.
Mr. Manners-Sutton, the Judge-Advocate-General,
was proposed by Sir J. Nicols, and seconded by Mr.
Lyttelton. Mr. Dickinson proposed Charles, and in the
Duke of Buckingham's Memories the remark is added,
*' on whose peculiar fitness for the Office he expatiated.'*
Sir Matthew White Ridley was the seconder, and Mr.
1 Afterwards 2nd Earl Fortescue ; mar. 1st, July 4th, 1817, Lady
Susan Ryder, dau. of 1st E. of Harrowby (she died 1827) ; 2ndly 1841,
Elizabeth, dau. of Piers Geale, and widow of Sir Marcus Somerville.
* Edward Vernon Harcourt, Archbp. of York, and Henry Ryder,
Bp. of Gloucester (afterwards Bp. of Lichfield).
204 CANDIDATURE FOR SPEAKERSHIP [CHAP, xiv
Wilberforce was amongst those who spoke in support
of Charles.
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" June 4th, 1817.
" I have sent, dearest Henry, to Portman Square for
a Frank the want of which prevented my writing to you
yesterday, tho' I knew full well that every particular of
our late most anxious business would reach you thro'
a more direct Channel than mine. The result was, I
believe, full as good as we had any reason to expect, &
it has certainly brought forward much testimony of
personal friendship as well as of general good opinion,
but still the whole thing has, as you may believe been
matter of great worry to me. Nothing certainly can
have been more decidedly adverse, to all political
speculation than our proceedings in this Session, we
have thrown off from us a great many valuable friends,
& have not established the smallest claim on any one
of our oponents. I am now quite persuaded that We
are as much aloof from every Member of the present
Administration as We have ever been. Even Lord
Liverpool, 1 in making to Lord Grenville the communica-
tion of Abbott's resignation, which he did not do, till
He was obliged to tell Him that the Committee on the
Hab. Corpus was put off, did it in the driest stiff est
manner possible precisely as it would have been notified
to a Clerk. Lord Buckingham has, I am persuaded,
never had the most distant offer of Paris, nor would He
take it in my opinion, if He had. He hates the French en
masse, & the Court in every branch & subdivision of it,
& I think with very good reason. They cannot without
pain look at a man whose every feature reminds them of
obligations which it wounds their pride to acknowledge.
" June 5th. Thus far I had written when I was inter-
rupted by morning Visitors & I could not resume my
thread line, enough to finish the leaf for the post.
" Among my visitors was your Uncle Tom who came
in quite dancing with joy at the extraordinary scene
i Prime Minister, 1812-27.
1817] CHARLES'S HOPES 205
which had passed in the House of Commons the night
before, & of which he had been so lucky as to hear the
particulars from Canning who was very innocently
pressed to say what business had detained him so much
longer than he expected from their weekly Literary
Club. Your Uncle says that if he had been obliged to
have pointed out the precise thing which (Next to M.
Button's J having declined the Chair & proposed Charles)
would have given him most pleasure, it was just what
did take place. The Manner & the Matter, all was a
souhait. Charles tells me that he wrote you a long letter
yesterday, so that I need not enter into any further
particulars excepting to say what he probably did not,
how very great an impression, the mildness & amiability
with which he treated his more than half-slain foes,
made upon every part of the House. Lord Glaston-
bury's chuckle upon it has not ceased yet, & Lady
Spencer sits to receive the Compliments of the Nobility
& Gentry. She has heard that among other strong
arguments used in favour of M. Sutton, one was the
extreme importance of having a ' Protestant Speaker '
& this, as you may believe, roused in her no small
jealousy of her own Articles of Faith. Ebrington's
resignation of his Seat & public notification of its being
accepted did much mischief & spread about so much
report of coalition, that one man (Fred Douglas) said He
would vote for Charles if he was put up by the opposition,
but not if proposed by Government.
" Have you heard of the Earl's (N.B. Stanhope) having
on his last return from foreign parts made one of his
very best bows, to Lord Liverpool, telling him that the
time that he had past abroad had so fully convinced
him of the folly & mischief of the opinions in which he
had been brought up, that henceforth He only begged
to be considered as the most devoted, humble Servant
of His Majesty's Government.
" I was in hopes that the many new drafts which
Ebrington's new pursuit was likely to make both on his
1 Son of the Most Rev. Charles Manners- Sutton, Archbp. of Canter-
bury ; born 1780 ; Speaker of H. of C. 1817-34 ; raised to the Peerage
as Viscount Canterbury. He mar. 1st, 1811, Lucy, dau. of John
Denison. She died 1815. He mar. 2ndly, 1828, Ellen, dau. of Edmund
Power, and widow of John Hume Purves. He died 1846.
206 LADY W. W.'S DISAPPOINTMENT [CHAP, xiv
purse & time might possibly put by His ill-advised
electioneering mania, but of that, I fear there is no
chance, nor has his present- situation restored one smile
to his Face or removed one shade of yellow from his
complexion. I hear Lady Harrowby gives her 6000
down which is better than I expected. Every body
speaks of her in the highest strain of panegyric, par-
ticularly in the Literary line which will be of great
value to her Belle Mere who, with great.turn for it herself,
has never been able to inspire the smallest degree of the
same taste in any of her young ones.
" Robert dive's 1 marriage is avoued, but is not to be
declared until Lord Amherst's arrival which hi my
opinion is a very absurd & unnecessary Compliment, &
I fancy R. C. is pretty much of the same way of thinking,
for anything so dull & woe-begone as he was at the grand
St. James' Square dinner on Monday, I never saw. The
bon: ton: Hymen list sets forth, Lord Clive & Lady
L. Graham, 8 & Lord Dartmouth & Miss Morton,' but the
little Earl has shewn himself such a gay deceiver that I
shall have no faith in his being fairly hooked till she is
ringed. . . ."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STBEET, June IQth, 1817.
" MY DEAREST HESTER, I have not yet recovered
the final blow to all my political Speculations for my
beloved Charles, though I certainly never for a moment
entertained hopes of his success in this last push, when
I learnt how the vacancy had been announced by Lord
L. to Lord G. but while the object remained open I
always indulged a fond hope that by some lucky chance
we might attain it, now Alas ! I look upon it as quite
gone & after what we saw the other day, I am per-
suaded that if M. Sutton was to resign to-morrow
Ministry could bring down just as many to vote for Mr.
1 2nd s. of 1st E. of Powis ; mar. 1819, Harriet, Baroness Windsor.
3 The marriage took place on February 9th, 1818.
3 William, 4th E. of Dartmouth; born 1784; mar. 1st, 1821,
Frances, dau. of 2nd E. Talbot. She died on October 4th, 1823.
He mar. 2ndly, on October 25th, J828, Frances, dau. of 5th Vise. Bar-
rington. Be died 1853,
1818] GOSSIP 207
Higgins or Mr. Wiggins as did for Him. The triumph
of the next day was certainly very gratifying to my
good Charles' friends, but will do little towards fattening
his six hungry children.
" The break up of Robert dive's match, is the high
gossip of the day, I regret it, in the first place because
I like Him & He is of course in despair, but much more
on his sister's account who has made herself quite unwell
with unhappiness about it, at the same time I own I
cannot but smile at the very different views which old
P. takes of the subject of jointure as applied to a son
& to a daughter, & at His great surprise at finding him-
self met by Lady Amherst on his own ground. Still
I think when Lord Amherst comes, it may very probably
be brought on again, but the truth is that tho' he
(R. C.) is wonderously richly appointed for a second
Son, a man of 8,000 a year so tied up is no very great
Catch for an extremely admired girl of high family with
12,000, but the Clives are so perfectly intoxicated with
good fortune that it is impossible they should not just
now expect everything to bow before them. There is
another match just announced which I think you will
reckon particularly well assorted, Lord Selsea ? & the
youngest of the melancholy tribe of Irbys. 1 The
famillies on both sides are in extacies & the young
people of course must be something more."
The Same
" BBOOK STREET, Monday, May 18th, 1818.
" Harriet 8 has certainly been on the whole much
better than usual & has enjoyed her London Campaign
very much. She looks to about the 10th June for the
dissolution of her Session as well as that of many other
great folk, & in the mean time doing all sorts of gay
things. She is at this moment in the employment in
which she certainly shines the least, of ordering a dress
for this Evening to attend Lady C. Cholmondley's *
1 Anne Maria Louisa, 5th dau. of 2nd Baron Boston ; mar. 1817,
Ld. Selsey, who died 1839. She died 1870.
8 Mrs. Cholmondeley.
3 Charlotte, 1st dau. of 1st Marq. of Cholmondeley ; mar. 1818,
Lt,-CpJ. Hugh Seymour.
208 MORE SOCIETY MARRIAGES [CHAP, xiv
marriage which is to be performed en grande Ceremonie
at ten o'clock, under the Auspices of P. R. who is to
give her away. I should not like to see my son receive
a Bride from such an unlucky hand, nor should I think
my daughter's virgin purity, unpolluted in approaching
the Altar thro' so gross an atmosphere. Lady Chol-
mondley's sense of the disparity of the match will not
be lessened by the obvious Contrast of it with that of Lord
Harrington's third daughter with the Duke of Leinster, 1
which has just been announced. The Lady is, as her
Sister was, three years older than Her Sposo, but if she
is in every other respect the parallel of Lady Tavistock
the Duke of Leinster may be satisfied with his lot, as she
probably at this moment feels with Hers.
' The Dissolution is now spoken of, quite confidently
for the 10th, & the writs are already lodged in the Office,
but the State of the Queen keeps them all in a fever.
She had another Attack three days ago, which however
was again put by, & she took her place as usual at
Her Commerce. People have not done talking of the
squeeze at Gloucester House, which was a most exact
& daughter-like copy of the Drawing-room, both in
numbers & quality. Mrs. Ross took a faint upon the stair-
case, & in order to give her room & air, an Alarm was
given that the whole was giving way : this sent every
body flying or rather pushing one over the other &
among others the Duke of Wellington, who declared
He never was so frightened in his life, & that it was too
bad after all to come here to be taken in by a ' ruse de
guerre ' & that from Mrs. Ross !
" The Palk * marriage forestalled the Cholmondley's by
three or four days. It was performed in St. George's
at past 7 by Owl light, the Bridegroom having had
an hour to pass with the Verger waiting for the rest of
the Company who likewise were waiting for the principal
performer, the Bishop of Gloucester, he being locked
in the House of Lords for a division 1 What may be the
fun of being married at such very uncannonical hours,
excepting for Singularity, I cannot conceive."
1 Augustus Fred., 3rd D. of Leinster ; mar. 1818, Charlotte, dau.
of 3rd Ld. Harrington.
1 Elizabeth Malet, eld. dau. of Sir Lawrence Palk, 2nd Bart. ; mar.
May 15th, 1818, Sir Horace Seymour, M.P. She died 1827.
1818] MR. MYTTON'S WEDDING 209
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BBOOK STBEET, Friday, May 22nd, 1818.
' Watkin was yesterday assisting with many others
at Mr. Mytton's l wedding which he says in every respect
was the Grandest He ever has seen & was attended by
a first-rate list of fashionables. Lords Denbigh, Ux-
bridge, Stanhope, Cholmondley, & many others, to the
number of about 40. The Duke of Marlborough arrived
for the Breakfast which was given at Lady Jones' under
the direction of Gunter who furnished it largely with
Grapes, Strawberries, & other delicacies, in & out of
Season. The happy pair went off to keep their noce at
Blenheim, to which an Express was sent down the day
before to have it all in the highest order for them.
How happy would Homberg have been to have had such
a * Cabane ' for his temporary Retreat. It is certainly
flattering to the young man that so many of His Brother
Officers & his Colonel among others should have shewn
him such a mark of respect, & one is willing to hope that
it looks as if there was some good seed at the bottom
of all the Chaff which has hitherto floated about him,
but still I should be very sorry to be much interested
for his Bride. Mary Glynne & Harriet are now
regular Co-attendants on Almacks, & both equally
enjoy it. They were last night, full of Speculation
about Lord Belgrave * & Lady Elizabeth Leveson, &
cannot, I think, make up their opinion upon it, though
the obvious Symptons seem very decisive as He certainly
danced with every pretty girl in the room excepting Her,
but still they think there is an understanding between
them.
" Foley * too affords them again some play, having
1 The famous "Jack Mytton" of Halston, Shropshire; mar. 1818,
Harriet, dau. of Sir Tyrwhitt Jones, Bart., of Staveley Hall. She
died isis. After a notorious career as a sportsman and a spendthrift,
and having represented Shrewsbury in Parliament in 1819-20, he died
a prisoner for debt in the King's Bench in 1834.
* Ld. Belgrave, afterwards 2nd Marq. of Westminster; born 1795.
He mar. Lady Elizabeth Leveson, dau. of 1st D. of Sutherland, on
September 16th, 1819. She died 1891, and he died 1869.
a Probably Edward Foley, of Stoke Edith ; bora 1791 ; M.P. for
Hereford 1826-41 ; mar. 1832, Lady Emily, dau. of 3rd D. of
Montrose. He died s.p. 1846. She died 1900.
210 MORE SOCIETY MARRIAGES [CHAP, xiv
for the last three or four Balls returned to his old habits
with Mary F., 1 but still nobody belonging to Her can
attach to it, the smallest importance, & every now & then
He takes just the same dose of Pratt.
" The Queen was supposed to be better yesterday,
but nobody expects She can last long. She is taking the
Fox-glove which is a most severe remedy at near
fourscore 1 "
Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, Saturday.
" The Leinster * marriage made for the 12 hours a
more than usual degree of gossip from the difficulty of
bringing before the P. R. who was again to officiate as
Father, objects so ungracious in his eyes, as the immediate
relatives, such as Lord Kinnard, 2 Foley, Faversham, &
the Bridesmaid, Lady L. Molyneux. 1 The former was
for sometime reinstated, but on the Duke of Leinster's
brother protesting that he would not come himself if
his Sisters & their Husbands were excluded, they were
invited, two or three hours only before the Ceremony.
I do think this new fashion of mixing up the frippery of
Royal Ceremonial with a solemnity so awful & in general
to a parent, so agitating, is of all things the most absurd,
but it will soon become as universal a practice as the
French Kings signing the Contract, & as an Echo of this
new function of Royalty, our friend the Duke of Glou-
cester is to perform the same for Miss Rowley ! 4 The
town " has not hitherto partaken in any degree of the
Covent Garden row, but I suppose it will spread every
day a little wider. The reports of to-day from Chester
seem to show good dispositions of that nature in those
1 Lady Mary Fortescue, 4th dau. of 1st Earl ; mar. 1823, Sir James
Hamlyn Williams. She died 1874.
Leinster, 3rd Duke ; born 1791 ; mar. June 16th, 1818, Charlotte,
youngest dau. of 3rd Earl of Harrington. Ld. Kinnaird had married,
in 1806, the Duke's sister. Ld. Foley had married in the same year
another sister.
3 Lady Louisa Molyneux, 5th dau. of 2nd Earl of Sefton. Died un-
mar. 1855.
4 Elizabeth, dau. of Admiral Sir Charles Rowley, 1st Bart. ; mar.
1818, Peter Langford Brooke of Mere Hall, Cheshire. She died 1835.
* A reference to the excitement of a General Election, Parliament
was dissolved on June 10th, 1818.
1818] THE DEVON CONTEST 211
quarters. I fear the reports from Devonshire are most
unfavourable, tho' of course We are bound to hold out
hopes all the more perhaps for not having them. The
expence must I am afraid be tremendous, & I under-
stand the final resolution is now taken to stand out. At
Aylesbury too I hear the Cavendishes will too probably
give way to the pig & Candle-seller which is a change
sorely to be lamented, but we are to think ourselves
fortunate if it does not affect the Grenvilles which is
supposed to be quite safe, & that being the case, I do
sadly grudge Henry's Mail jumble there & back again,
tho' with Lord B.'s unvarying kindness to the whole
family, I see not how it is to be avoided if He makes a
point of it."
The Same
" BROOK STREET, May 29th, 1818.
" I am sorry to say that the Devon Contest is form-
ally announced by an Advertisement signed by 3
Gentlemen who, ' pledge themselves to keep the Poll
open for 15 days in support of Mr. Bastard.' 1 This is a
most severe blow to the poor Fortescues who have
thought themselves quite safe from such a heavy
demand both on purse & constituents. It will, I sup-
pose, make almost a close to the London Season from
the numbers who will be leaving Town, but still We are
promised great Fetes at Carlton House to welcome the
Bride. 1 I have not yet seen any one who has had a near
View of her, but understand we are to expect much
beauty. He was handing about Her Picture all round
the Directors' Box at the last Concert on Wednesday,
& bowing to each person when they passed it on, giving
them credit for their Approbation of his choice."
The Same
" BKOOK STREET, Wednesday.
" The Royal Marriage has hitherto been very barren
of Event, but I trust it is all to come. The P. R. who was
1 Edmund Pollexfeu Bastard; born 1784; mar. 1824, Hon. Anne
Rodney, dau. of 2nd Baron Rodney. He died 1832.
* Adelaide, dau. of Duke of Saxe-Meiningen ; mar. 1818, William, D.
of Clarence, 3rd s. of King George III, afterwards King William IV.
She died 1849.
212 THE DEVON CONTEST [CHAP,
so good as to'go down to them the next day but one after
they were married, said He found them sitting by the
fire exactly like Darby & Joan, which was, I think, the
best report He could make. Their sending post haste
the next day after they went down, to beg to be excused
from the pleasure of Mrs. Campbell's & Lady Ilchester's
Company, I consider as a very good symptom. They
are highly dissatisfied with the House, which I should
wonder if they were not, & talk of getting another, & of
offering Lord Grenville a year's rent to get rid of His.
There is as yet no day fixed for the Drawing Room, which
of course the Mantua makers & Milliners complain of
loudly. The mourning for the Empress of Austria is
to be put on, on Sunday & to be worn three weeks, ten
days as a Sovereign & ten days as a German Cousin.
" We are of course all anxiety about Ebrington's
most arduous undertaking, & the misfortune is that it
is impossible to rest any hope or comfort on the accounts
which they transmit while it is going on, however flatter-
ing they may be. What we know is, that all the weight
of Government which includes the whole of the Dock
Yard, & almost all the great Interests, are against Him.
He professes always that he will not spend money, but
has, I am sorry to say, pledged Himself in a hand bill
to stand the Poll as long as any freeholder will bring
himself to vote for Him.'?
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STBEET, July 1st, 1818.
" Franks have been such very scarce Commodities of
late my dearest Henry that it required more of activity
of mind than these real dog days have left to one, to
resist so fair an excuse for idlings.
" The accounts from Devonshire continue most flatter-
ing, the Polls at the 4th day stood, Ebrington, 3645.
Bastard, 3296. & Acland,3244, but how far these numbers
tell as to the whole there is no guessing. Cornwall l
has, I fear, little chance for Herefordshire the Poll is to
1 Sir George Cornwall, 2nd Bart., of Morcas Court, Hereford ; M.P.
1774-90, 1802-7. He died 1819.
1818] THE WESTMINSTER CONTEST 213
last only 4 days, & begins I think, to-day. Gordon is,
as you see beat, & has, I am afraid, spent a great deal of
money which is said to have exasperated some of his
Creditors, who may make themselves now very trouble-
some. Plunkett's 1 success is matter of great triumph,
& is as you will believe particularly welcome at White-
hall. Of the issue of the Westminster contest, nobody
pretends to have an opinion, excepting what is biassed
by their wishes. Lord Amherst a told me last night that
there are still 6,000 unpolled ! He is of course among
the most eager of May b ' 8 s Canvassers, & speaks of
Lady Caroline Lambe among the foremost & as usual
the most crazy. May b ' 8 connection with the Gordon
sets all the Clan most actively to work, but whether these
female Canvassers, ever do any sort of good, I should,
myself much doubt. Most true, it is I believe that the
unprecedented Outrages towards May" have made many
vote for him, who would otherwise not have done so, in
order to separate themselves from the horde of Savages
who oppose him.
" They say Sir J. Sebright * is of this number & that
he has actually canvassed for him. What he has gone
thro' personally is quite beyond belief. No wretch in
the pillory for the most abominable Crimes was ever so
treated, & even now they will hardly suffer Sir Gilbert
Blane's ' Carriage to draw up to the door of the Hotel
where He is living. Poor Lady May 's house was
attacked the night before last & she was, not without
much reason, terrified out of Her Senses.
" Government have on the whole certainly lost more
than they expected tho' they reckoned on a deficit of
25. A Mr. Harvey, who has been brought in for Col-
1 Plunkett afterwards became Ld. Chancellor of Ireland and was
raised to the House of Lords.
8 William Pitt Amherst, 2nd Baron (afterwards 1st Earl) born
1773; sometime Ambassador to China, and subsequently Gov.-Gen.
of India ; mar. 1st, 1800, Sarah, dau. and co-h. of Andrew, Ld. Archer,
and widow of Other Hickman, 5th E. of Plymouth. She died 1838.
He mar. 2ndly, 1839, Mary, dau. and co-h. of 3rd D. of Dorset, and
widow of Other Archer, 6th E. of Plymouth. He died 1857.
3 Ld. Maryborough : William, afterwards 3rd E. of Mornington (in
succession to his brother, Richard, Marq. of Wellesley) ; born 1763;
mar. Katherine, dau. of Adm. Hon. John Forbes ; he died 1845.
* Sir John Sebright, 7th Bart., M.P. for Herts ; died 1846.
Sir Gilbert Blane, 1st Bart., M.D. He died 1834.
214 COUNTRY-HOUSE VISITS [CHAP, xiv
Chester is a man who has been tried for his life, & was
addressed by the Judge in Court with the Compliment
of being (He & His Father) the greatest rascals He had
ever seen before Him. Captain Wells, 1 has as you see
been put up for Huntingdonshire. It was without his
knowledge or the smallest previous preparation which
makes the number polled for Him a circumstance very
flattering both to himself personally & to Lord Carys-
fort, tho' nothing could be less desirable to Him than a
Seat in Parliament."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" ELTON, October 1st, 1818.
" I found here Mrs. Whitelock (ci-devant Stores)
whom you may remember coming over to Stowe the
other day almost just married. She had now 10 children,
looks younger and gayer than she did then and says if
they were not starving she should be too happy. We
have likewise Lady Seaforth and 3 daughters all ugly
likenesses of Lady Hood. 2 They are full of the delights
of the young Chieftain of Braun Castle, and of Mrs.
Stuart's * perfect devotion to conjugality and maternity.
" I had two days ago a most kind letter as usual from
Lady Hart, breathing nothing but prosperity, saying
that the new Nursery was perfect for its present in-
habitant, and that Watkin and she having dined
together had just been up to put the Baby 5 to bed, and
had left her in the sweetest of sleeps. She is still I
believe flattering herself that the Queen will save her
from the worry of Wrexm Race festivities, but I think
she has no chance, as the old Lady seems by the bulle-
tine to have been rather mending of late than the
1 Captain Wells had married 1816, Lady Elizabeth Proby, dau. of
Ld. Carysfort, and his property was Holme House, co. Huntingdon.
8 Lady Hood, eldest dau. and co-h. of Francis Mackenzie, Ld. Seaforth ;
mar. 1st, 1804, Sir Samuel Hood (a distinguished naval officer, and
first cousin once removed to Admiral 1st Vise. Hood) ; he d.s.p. 1814.
She mar. 2ndly in 1817, Rt. Hon. James Stewart. He assumed the
additional surname of Mackenzie. He died 1843. She died 1862.
3 Henrietta, who afterwards mar. in 1843, Sir Hugh Williams, 3rd
Bart., of Bodelwyddan, and died 1878.
1818] THE QUEEN'S ILLNESS 215
reverse. It is rather supposed that Princess Sophia 1
will call for our Sables before her Mamma, but that
likewise has been so often said, that I shall not air mine
till it happens.
" Granville ! and his Spouse are in Ireland, happier
than the happiest, living at Mr. ParnelPs beautiful house,
from whence they are within a short drive of their own,
which they are fitting up themselves, and all within 20
miles of her father and mother.
" Lady Carysfort has fitted up a remarkably pretty
apartment for them here which I am inhabiting, and
only wish I could pack up and carry with me to Wynn-
stay, which alas grows only every day worse and worse
by comparison with its neighbours. Lady Harriet
writes me word that the new Flower Garden answers
most perfectly, and that she is sure I shall like it. I
hope at all events to be able to say so without too much
violence to my veracity."
The Same
" WYNNSTAY, October 25th, 1818.
" Your account of Lady Westmoreland 3 is most
curious, and glad I am that she bestowed Herself at a
time and place where such an unusual contribution to
Society had its full value : Her question about the Duke
of Northumberland * seemed so perfectly absurd that one
knows not where to find the smallest possible clue to it,
and least of all can I understand your attempt to eluci-
1 Princess Sophia, the King's 5th dau., did not die until 1848.
1 Hon. Granville Proby, 3rd son by his first wife of 1st E. of
Carysfort ; born 1782 ; mar. 1818, Isabella, dau. of Hon. Hugh Howard.
He sue. his brother as 3rd E. of Carysfort in 1853. He died 1868.
3 Lady Westmorland: Jane, dau. and co-h. of B. H. Saunders, M.D.,
mar. as his second wife in 1800, John, 10th E. of Westmorland.
She died 1857.
* This is an allusion to Hugh, 2nd D. of Northumberland, who
had died in 1817. He mar. 1st, 1764, Anne, dau. of John, E. of
Bute, which marriage was dissolved by Act of Parliament in 1779,
and three months later he mar. Frances Julia, 3rd dau. of Peter
Burrell of Beckenham, and sister to the 1st Ld. Gwydyr. This lady's
elder sister, Elizabeth Amelia, had married in 1766, R. H. A. Bennet
of Babraham. Hence, possibly, Fanny's confusion of the names and
the story.
15
216 THE QUEEN'S ILLNESS [CHAP, xiv
date it by observing that if it applied to any it must be
to Lord Pridoe (!), and that the death of Lady Elizabeth
(by which I suppose you mean Lady Julie) alone refutes
it, this seems to me only to make ' Ignotus Ignotior.'
The divorced Wife (divorced Debrett tells us by Act
of Parliament] is still alive, at least was so when the late
Duke died, and was then receiving 1,000 per ann. which
certainly was little enough considering who she was,
and who she had been. He married ' Julie ' . Bennett
in 3 months after the Divorce. Watkin asked me for
your letter at the breakfast table, and I would not give
it him, being sure that he would immediately have
started the subject, and thinking that however absurd,
it was as well not to have it put into circulation from
his house.
" I fancy the Bennetts may as yet still lawfully hold
their heads up, as I hear no soup9on of a young Hotspur
having taken his first Vault into the ' Saddle.' They
had 7 or 8 public days, 2 in a week on their first going
down since which the echoes of the Old Castle Walls
have been awakened only by the gentle efforts of the
Duke, 1 Duchess * and Lady Elizabeth. 2 Capt. Bennett
is just dead, which though an event long expected, and
on many accounts perhaps little to be lamented, will I
doubt not make at first a painful void to his poor Mother.
It must leave Lady Swinburne s and Lady Gordon great
heiresses, but I have heard nothing of his disposal of his
private fortune which was considerable.
" The Queen is, or rather was, two days ago, still not
dead, alive she can hardly I fancy have been said to
have been for some time, but my sending to Town for
my Paris Bonnet and another coloured Gown, has, as
I always guessed it would, proved her ' Coup de Grace,'
and the accounts of this morning are much worse than
they have yet been. Princess Elizabeth 4 is said to be
1 Duke and Duchess : Hugh, 3rd D. of Northumberland, son of
the 2nd Duke and " Julie " Burrell, who had mar. 1817, Lady Char-
lotte Clive, Lady Harriet Williams Wynn's sister.
2 Lady Elizabeth Percy, the Duke's sister, who died unmar. in 1820.
3 Lady Swinburne: Emilia, dau. of R. H. A. Bonnet and his wife
Elizabeth Burrell, mar. 1787 Sir John Swinburne, 6th Bart. She died
1839.
* Princess Elizabeth, 3rd dau. of the King ; born 1770 ; mar. 1818,
the Landgrave and Prince of Hesse-Homburg. She died 1840.
1818] YOUNG FITZGERALD 217
actually flattering herself with a Soupcon of ' Encrease '
which so long as it is not considered as Synonime to
' multiply ' would not distress one's faith. The poor
Robert Fitzgeralds' l have just lost their eldest, and I
fear only promising son, under circumstances most
aggravatingly afflictive. He was out shooting with 2
young friends at his Aunt's Lady Charlotte Strutt's, 1
and in coming home they shot a wild duck which fell
into a Pond. The dog did not follow it, and young
Fitzgerald, who was an excellent swimmer, insisted,
in spite of the remonstration of his friends, on jumping
in to fetch it. He got entangled as is supposed in the
weed on first going down, sunk, and rose no more ! The
body was not found for some time, and when taken out
both hand and feet were found entangled in the weed,
but there is some idea that this was done in the struggle
to get out, and that the mischief arose from some sudden
seizure on going into the water. One's heart quite
aches for them when one thinks how severely they have
been tried with respect to their family. Matilda ' was
a little while ago waiting only till she could move from
her couch to her sister to help nurse her niece, this
calamity will of course make her if possible hasten her
departure.
" There is a report of Lord Melbourne 4 marrying
Lady E. Monck, but I fancy it is merely the talk of the
hour. Lord Uxbridge's 6 marriage with Miss Campbell
is said to be settled. By the bye, as a Comment on your
history of her wise mother, I must tell you that she on
1 Ld. R. FitzGerald, 6th s. of 1st D. of Leinster ; mar. 1792, Sophia,
dau. of Capt. Feilding, R.N.
2 Lady Charlotte Strutt, his sister, wife of Col. Strutt, who died
1845. She was elevated to the Peerage as Baroness Rayleigh in
acknowledgment of her husband's eminent services.
3 Matilda, dau. of Ld. Robert FitzGerald, and sister of the young
man who was drowned. She mar. 1817, General the Chevalier Victor
de Marian Gaja of Languedoc.
4 Peniston, 1st Visct. Melbourne ; born 1748 ; mar. 1769, Elizabeth,
only dau. of Sir Ralph Milbanke. She died 1818. He died 1828.
* Ld. Uxbridge, eldest s. of 1st Marq. of Anglesey and his 1st wife,
Caroline, dau. of 4th E. of Jersey. Ld. Uxbridge was born 1797 ; mar.
1819, Eleanora, dau. of Col. John Campbell, and niece of the D. of
Argyll. He sue. his father in 1854, and died in 1869, having mar.
on the death of his 1st wife in 1828, Henrietta, dau. of Sir Charles
Bagot. She died in 1844, and he mar. 3rdly in 1860, Ellen, dau. of
George Burnand.
iris THK LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN [CHAP, xiv
her ehange of name was denominated
whieh I think is eertainly no mis-mum r.
t% \Vi- art- beginning to-day to tlueken for the Hirth-
day.' The I'Wtesi-ues (1). tlu- NYilhrulmms and the
(.'lives a iv eoming to dinner, whieh with the family etc.
is to make up a table of -JO or '2'2. In the house on
Monday night ai gentlemen and l.adu-s are to be
bedded, the list will be transmitted by Harriet at the
end of the week.
" \Ve went the day before yesterday a very quiet
Party of Lady l'o\\is. Lady Harriet, and myself to
Lhuigollen, and were received as usual vvith much cor-
diality by the old ladies, 5 though I saw evidently that
Lady Kleanor wanted a sentiment at expostulation
with me whieh I \\as quite determined she should not
have. She is grown very old, and her pour thinly
seattered grey hairs make a coiffure more than ever
deplorable. She gave to Lady P. the copy of the
original letter written by her Aneestor Lady Nithsdale,
with the aeeount of her escape to her Sister Lady Lucy,
the Abbess of a Convent at Drugcs. from whence Lady
Eleanor got this letter, anil hopes to get more. It is
mueh more full than the aeeount whieh was published,
and is certainly of mueh value to Lady 1'owis who
herself visited the C'onvent on aeeount of her Mother*
having been brought up there. An reste they have at
present quilt- quarrelled with Lord Dungannon, 1 and
have stnek up something of carved oak against the
eorner of their house whieh they call an Oratory, and
1 Lady Ohnrlotto, d*u. of 6th D. of Argyll, an author*** of some
not; nuur. 1st in 179ti, Col. John Cwupboll, ami ^iuily in ISIS. Kov.
Edward Mu.y. Sh did Isr.i.
The celebration of Sir Wrttkin's birtlulay WM an annual feto a*
Wynnrtay,
Th ladiat of Uangollen: Lady Eleanor Butler, 3rd dau. of the
16th K. of Orinoiul,.. born 1789, died 1829; Mia* IV.u.
Sarah, dau. of Chambro !?rat>nzon 1'onsonby. the died 1831.
Barbara, dau. of Ld. Edward Herbert, who mar. 1751, Henry, Ut
\'-.\r\ it i'owi and Baron Herbert of rh.'rlmry. They had one ton.
Edward, born 1755, who nuc. his father in 1772 and <U.p. 1801, and
ono dmn:.iiu-i-. I K-nrit-i ta Antouia, who mar. 1784, Edward, 2nd Ld.
rh\i> sho baoaiue the poMeaeor of hor father's eatatea and her
husbiuul wa created Earl of Powia in 1804.
Arthur Hill Trevor, 3rd and last Viao. Dungannon ; born 1708;
a s p isrc'. Ho mar. 1SLM, Sophm, 4th dim. ot l\-l. U. D'Arcy li
Sho died 1880.
1818] THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 219
is more absurd than any protuberance they have yet
put out."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANVORDA, November 8lA, 1818.
'^Harriet took upon her to be the Historian of the
Events of the Birthday which was certainly most
numerously and respectably attended, though, I hardly
know why, I thought it less so than last year. The
Nevilles and Lady Dungannon made a great vacuum,
then we had to fill it, Lady Jones l with her 2 daughters
all new members and Mrs. Mytton most brilliant in
Jewels, unluckily they all went to a side-table which I
was sorry for.
" The Williams Girls * are much improved particularly
in their dancing. The Boulogne Master having sent
them home with the addition of a pair of ears quite
sufficient for giving the proper impulse to their feet.
Why is it that nothing but a French Artist can perform
this, and that they never fail ? Did I tell you that the
good natured Lady Harriet had equipped them both
for the occasion with very pretty Tambour worked
muslin frocks and trimmings, which I think 4 very
pretty ' of her. She came here with Harriet to pass the
time of their Taplow Widowhood, and when she returned
home the first thing that met her was an express from
Lady Powis to tell her that Lady Lucy ' had been the
night before brought to bed of a Boy at Pershore (the
next Stage to Worcester) in her way up to Town, but
that she hoped all was doing well, and as the Bells were
ringing all day yesterday for the Heir, I trust it is so.
She must have made quick work, as she left Oakley Park
in the morning, must of course have been well when she
passed through Worcester where she would otherwise
have taken her bed with the Bishop, and before 11
1 Lady Jones: Harriet, 4th dau. of Edward Williams, of Eaton,
Salop; mar. 1791, Thomas Tyrwhitt, who assumed the surname of
Jones 1791. He was created a Bart. 1808, and died 1811. Mrs.
Mytton was one of Lady Jones's daughters.
1 The daughters of Sir John Williams of Bodelwyddan, 1st Bart.
* Lady Lucy Clive, wife of Edward, eld. s. of 1st Ld. Powis (brother
to Lady H. Williams Wynn). She was the dau. of 3rd D. of Mon-
trose. Her eldest s., born November 5th, 1818, afterwards 3rd E.
of Powis, died unmar. in 1891.
220 DEATH OF SIR SAMUEL ROMILLY [CHAP, xiv
o'clock next morning the express had come 60 miles to
Lady P. with the news of the event being happily over.
" We have all been much shocked this week by the
horrible catastrophe of the death of Lady Romilly,
and that of Sir Samuel l which immediately followed
the former event under the sad circumstances of self
destruction ! His agitation during the illness, and on the
death of his wife had been so great that he expressed
fear of losing his head, and his family had taken such
strong apprehensions on the subject that they appear to
have never left him day or night, till the fatal morning
when he sent his nephew and daughter out of the room
on some pretext and in 2 minutes time cut his throat
with one of his Razors from ear to ear. He is said to
have been a man of very warm domestic attachments
particularly fond of his wife and children of whom he
leaves 7, the eldest son 20 the youngest 5 or 6. The
death of both Parents of so large a family (the one under
such dreadful circumstances) and the extinction of so
much both of talent and integrity, just at the time when
they seemed to be in their zenith are certainly a most
awful visitation. It is supposed that Brougham 2 will
be the candidate for Westminster but his success seems
very doubtful. Most extraordinary certainly has been
the Sweep of talents from the House of Commons in the
last 13 years in the successive deaths of Pitt, Fox,
Windham, Percival, Whitbread, 3 Horner Elliot (whose
death by the bye I had not named to you) and Romilly's.
Your 2 Uncles will I am sure deeply regret their old
friend and playfellow, nor could I hear unmoved of the
death of one whom I was constantly in the habit of
meeting with intimacy, but his fragile form gave too plain
indication that it had little power of resistance left.
The Queen continues to breathe, and Parliament has
just been prorogued to the 29th December which will
I hope leave Charles quiet at Llangedwyn.
1 Sir S. Romilly, M.P., b. 1757; mar. Anne, dau. of Francis Garbett.
* Brougham, Henry (created Baron Brougham and Vaux 1830) ;
born 1778 ; mar. 1819, Mary Anne, dau. of Sir Thomas Eden, and
widow of John Spalding, Att.-Gen. to Queen Caroline 1820. Ld. Chan.
1830-4. He died 1868.
3 Pitt and Fox died 1806; William Windham 1810 ; Perceval 1812 ;
Whitbread 1815.
1818] DEATH OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE 221
" We heard the other day from a man of business that
the sum of 600,000 has been through him offered by a
Merchant for the Chirk Castle Estate, 1 and that the
Bidding would have gone to 800,000 but it is refused.
It however affords a pleasing reflection on our Com-
mercial Situation.
" It is said that the Berkeley Peerage 2 is to be brought
into discussion again as soon as Parliament meets, and
that two or three of the principal witnesses against the
Colonel's claim being dead, it is thought very probable
that he may establish it. The younger Brother has
never taken the title, and is said to have behaved very
amiably. There is certainly nothing to choose among
them in point of blood, but still for the sake of ' Le
Morale ' in general I can not but wish the eldest to be
set aside, as I fancy there can be no doubt of his being
the genuine offspring of the Colonel properly so called."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, Wednesday [November 1818].
" I have delayed writing to you, Dearest H. from day
to day literally from want of the dequoi, which you will
hardly believe from a London Correspondent. . . .
" To my utter dismay I find on arriving here, that all
our sorrow for her late Majesty * which I had thought,
we had quite exhausted a fortnight & more ago, are to
be renewed here in the profoundest degree even to Crape
& Bombazine, so that the effect of the gracious Ordon-
nance made for the special benefit of trade, has been the
filling all the Shops with coloured Articles for the Spring,
not one yard of which will be sold. Prince Regent
notifies that he means ' to wear the longest mourning
that ever Son did for a Mother having lost one who was
his Guide & Counsellor in all his varied distresses &
difficulties,' & that he shall consider it as a mark of
1 Chirk Castle, the fine Denbighshire estate of the Myddletons, now
occupied on a long lease by Ld. Howard de Walden (1920).
a When Frederick Fitzhardinge, 5th E. Berkeley, died in 1810, he
was sue. by his son, Thomas, as 6th Earl, " whose inheritance of
the Earldom was confirmed by the vote of a committee of privilege of
the house of peers, on July 1st, 1811, annulling an alleged former
marriage." See Debrett, 1817.
3 Queen Charlotte died at Kew, November 17th, 1818, aged 75.
222 MOURNING FOR QUEEN CHARLOTTE [CHAP, xiv
respect in those who do likewise, in consequence of
which I hardly saw a creature of any description above
the very lowest either at Church or Play, (which have
been my two places of reconnoitring) out of black, &
the Guards are (of course by special order) parading up
& down St. James' St. with long Crape Scarves round
their shoulders, like Undertakers, black Sash-Sword
knots & immense Cockades to their Caps. Nothing
can be more absurd, but there is no standing out against
the multitude, more particularly when one hears that
an idea of party is to be mixed up with this, as with
every-thing else. The Westminster Election has gone
on so quietly that I drove through Covent Garden on
Saturday without being aware of it. No doubt is enter-
tained of Lambe's * success, one of the Squibs against
him may amuse you all as it did me, ' My good Mr.
Lambe, we all know your dam, but what we desire, is to
know more of your Sire.' The fall of the Stocks is sup-
posed to be a manoeuvre of the Bank to frighten Ministers,
& will probably have that effect, but I know not a quoi
bon ! Charles is more absorbed in the House of Commons
than ever, his Lady is in high prosperity & so are all the
young tribe, excepting Charlotte * who is still suffering
a good deal from Headache, etc. but it is all voted
nerves, & as such of no consequence.
" With kindest love to H. & his play-fellows."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANVORDA, December 6th, 1818.
" I must now pass to a far different subject, that sad
Catastrophy at Shavington of which I suppose you will
have received the first notification from Boddryddan.
it least as far as the event of the death of poor Lady
Kilmorey s followed in a few days by that of her Lord.
1 Hon. William Lamb, afterwards 2nd Vise. Melbourne ; born 1779 ;
mar. 1805, Lady Caroline, dau. of 3rd E. of Bessborough. She died
1828. He was Home Sec. in 1830 ; Prime Minister in 1834, which
office he held until 1841 (excepting from December 1834 to April 1835).
He died 1848.
Charlotte, eld. dau. of the Rt. Hon. Charles Williams W T ynn, died
unmar. 1869.
8 Ld. and Lady Kilmorey: llth Vise.; born 1746; mar. 1792,
Frances, eldest dau. of Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, Bart. She died
November 26th, 1818, and he died November 30th.
1818] LORD AND LADY KILMOREY 223
The suddeness of the first event will not shock you more
than it did me & indeed all but her own immediate
family, & even to them it was preceded only by 24
hours of apprehension. They were just returned from
Ireland & at Corwen the two sisters parted to meet no
more ! ! Hester l went on to Penbedw & the other to
Shavington. Both had colds but so trifling that even
Bellyse was not sent for till the Tuesday, (the 24th ulto)
when her cough was troublesome. On the Wednesday
she became so much worse as not to know anybody, &
by 4 o'clock on Thursday Morning she breathed her last !
Poor Hester was sent for Express on Wednesday but it
was over before she got there. Lord Kilmorey was I
fancy seized with a paraletic attack from the shock,
appeared very soon to lose even the consciousness of what
had happened, & expired on the Monday following. For
him nothing could be so much to be wished as his release
at 74, from a world where he had nothing left, but the
other event was at first quite benumbing to one's faculties.
I have not yet been able to learn to what her death
is ascribed, there 4s a Report of its being Water on the
heart, (the same that was fatal to her sister Penelope l )
but that I think would have been still more sudden, &
besides I recollect now to have heard that she was ill
all the summer in Ireland, but was said to be got well.
I have heard twice from Penbedw where Lady Cotton, 8
fortunately was, & where for the present she remains.
As yet neither of the old Ladies appear essentially to have
suffered, but it has of course been a most severe shake to
both. A most severe indeed & unlocked for visitation
is it to Lady Cotton that at her time of day, she should
not have sunk to the grave without again repeating the
bitter cry of ' Eheu superstites.' Her best worldly
comfort is in the Idea that her sufferings can not be of
long duration, but she has better & higher Sources of
Consolation in a perfectly pious mind which will enable
1 Hester Cotton, the unmar. dau. of Sir Robert and Lady Cotton.
Penelope, another dau. born 1770, died 1786.
2 Lady Cotton, Frances, dau. and co-h. of James Russell Stapleton ;
mar. 1766, Sir R. Salusbury Cotton, 5th Bart. He died 1807. Her
eld. s. was F.M. 1st Vise. Combermere, her daughters Lady Kilmorey
and Lady Mainwaring and Hester. She and her sister Mrs. Williams
lived at Penbedw.
224 QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S WILL [CHAP, xiv
her, I trust to turn to Good even so painful a trial as this
must be ! Of poor Hester I have as yet heard nothing
but the general report of pretty well, she is to come
this week from the Abbey l to Penbedw, & then I shall
know more about her. To her it is a most severe blow &
deprives her of the prop to which she always looked for
support when the fragile one at Audlem should fail.
" When I last wrote to you I told you nothing was yet
known of the Queen's Will. She has not left above 3,
or 4,000 in money scarcely enough to pay her debts,
certainly not her Funeral. Her Jewels she leaves
equally among four daughters, much to the disappoint-
ment of some of her younger Sons. P. R. was exemplary
in his attentions to her to the last. As yet the order
has not come out for shortening the Mourning, but it is
expected that it will be docked to six weeks, which seems
almost indecently short, but they say the great injury
which trade has received from its having been expected
for six months during which nothing was bought makes
it necessary. Charles has been looking to the provision
which will be required for her Servants, and finds that
24,000 pr. an. is still charged on the Civil List for
annuities to the late Queen,* (who has been dead 80
years] & those of the Princess of Wales s who has been
dead 48. This must give a new merit to places at Court
as a recipe for Longevity. Poor Col. Disbrowe, Her Vice-
Chamberlain died 2 days before the Funeral. He will be
a great loss to his family to whom he had long fulfilled
a double Parental duty in a most exemplary manner.
" Mrs. Charles Cholmondley 4 is likewise dead, &
leaves 8 Motherless Children, who though they have
derived little, or no advantage for sometime from her,
seem the more forlorn from being quite deprived of her.
*' I believe I told you of Bagot Howard's 5 death, but
1 Combermere Abbey.
2 Queen Caroline, wife of King George II, died 1737.
3 Augusta of Saxe-Coburg, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales. He
died 1751. She died 1772.
4 Mrs. Charles Cholmondeley, Caroline Smyth Owen, dau. and co-h.
of Nicholas Smyth Owen, of Andover, Salop.
6 Richard Bagot Howard, 5th son of Sir Walter Bagot, 5th Bart,
(and brother to 1st Baron Bagot) ; mar. 1783, Frances, youngest
dau. of William, Vise. Andover. He assumed the name of Howard.
His only dau. Mary mar. Fulke Greville Upton, who assumed the
name of Howard and d.s.p. 1846. She died 1877.
1818] GENERAL GOSSIP 225
I do not think we had then heard of his Will. He dies
worth a landed property of 20,000 pr. an. & 300,000
in money without a single sixpence of charge on it.
The money he leaves to Trustees for the sole & separate
use of his daughter, the landed property He likewise
leaves all to Her & Her Husband excepting the Ashstead
Estate of 4,000 pr. an. of which he leaves the revision
after the joint lives of Mr. & Mrs. Howard to Dick
Bagot l & his heirs & in failure to them, to Charles B.*
& his. To his nephew William B. 3 he leaves only 2,000
as his Executor, but the very first Act which Mrs. H.
performed was to make a deed of Gift of 20,000 to Him,
which was a most generous Way of paying her father's
debt to Him. Not a sixpence besides has he left, I
believe, to any of his many starving Nephews & nieces,
tho' I have no doubt that Mrs. H. will be to them a Kind
& liberal relation, which her Father never was, living or
dying.
" The young Mytton manage sets out as was expected,
but unpromisingly. He is living with unbounded
expence in the midst of every low Company, which leaves
her to perfect solitude. The change to her is almost
too great for one to hope that it can do well, more especi-
ally as there is no prospect at present of her having a
play thing and indeed she is said to be in very bad
health. The new Bart. Sir John K. 4 and his lady are as
you guessed quite full blown & in addition to all
these honors Her Ladyship has just received that of
being named Lady Paramount to the revived British
Bowmen Society, whereby she will acquire the pleasure
& privelege of settling the female costume for the same
which will, I think, delight her to the greatest degree,
& save any one else from the invidious task of being
1 Richard Bagot, 3rd s. of 1st Baron Bagot, afterwards Bp. of
Bath and Wells ; born 1782 ; died 1854.
2 Charles Bagot, 2nd s. of 1st Baron, afterwards Sir Charles, G.C.B. ;
born 1781 ; died 1843.
3 William Bagot, eld. s. of 1st Baron, afterwards 2nd Baron ; born
1773 ; died 1856.
4 Sir John Kynaston of Hardwick, sometime M.P. for Salop. He
preferred, unsuccessfully, a claim to the Barony of Powis in 1800,
but was, in consideration of his descent, advanced to a Baronetcy in
1818, with special remainder to his brother, afterwards Sir Edward.
He mar. Mary, dau. of John Corbet of Sandown. He d.s.p. 1822.
226 THE LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN [CHAP, xiv
made answerable for every little Miss's genteel & tasty
appearance. They are all extremely anxious about it,
but have made it so numerous that I fear it will never be
as pleasant as it used to be.
" The Duchess 1 is to come up in February, unless, by
the by, she may now have to come up with him to attend
the Queen's Funeral. There is, I fear, no hope yet of
the young Percy but I hear she is the most popular
person in the North that can be. Lady L. Clive & the
young Herbert continue most prosperous, nor will the
young Heir suffer now, I trust, from having had for his
first covering the Lining of the Imperial, which was
the likest thing to flannel that they could get for 24 hours,
till Lady Henrietta, arrived. She would have carried
them there bare foot if it could have accelerated their
arrival.
" We had two days ago a dining party here, the grand
features of which were the Ladies of Llangollen, 1 who,
having arrived before 5 were actually at the Card Table
at past one, & would have been there, I believe still
if Mrs. Parker s had not got up & slyly slipped out to
order their Chaise. They had played with our brilliant
Cousin Lloyd & Mrs. Parker 2 Rubbers of 3 Games of
Whist & Mrs. Parker passed on to Cassino, & would, I
suppose, if they had been let alone have gone on to All
Fours, & Beggar my Neighbour. They had set out at
10, in the Morning & gone first to Pradoe, & would make
it in the whole a Giro of 41 miles before they could get
home which could not be before 4 in the Morning, yet
with all this poor Lady Eleanor is more broke down
than I ever saw any body. She is one heavy mass, her
spirits quite gone, & her eyesight, I fear nearly so, which,
I suppose much contributes to the other failure. Miss
Ponsonby is much as usual, but quite aware of the
change in her poor friend. They were as usual full of
enquiries & speeches about you. If they are alive we
1 Duchess of Northumberland.
2 See ante, p. 218. These ladies had lived at Llangollen since 1779.
An assiduous correspondence with many literary and fashionable friends
kept them always au courant of the latest scandal and gossip of the
outer world, while, their house being on the Holyhead mail road, many
notable travellers were entertained in passing.
3 Mrs. Parker, wife of T. N. Parker, of Sweeney.
1818] MORE RUMOURED MARRIAGES 227
are to have another dose of them to-morrow at Swan
Hill which you would hardly have thought had possessed
attraction enough to tempt them to a second expedition
so soon."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" HAWABDEK CASTLE, December 19th, 1818.
" Car. Lawley told me the other day a story of that
strange Girl Har. Capell l which may amuse you. You
may or may not know that she at last found for herself
a husband in a Mr. Oakden, a widower of 40 and upwards
with 3 or 4 Children. When Lord Essex * was last in
Paris she sent to beg him to buy for her 60 yards of black
silk, which Lord E. having got & taken a good deal of
trouble to get over, was unfortunate enough to lose
entirely at the Custom House. Mr. Oakden went to
him and hearing of the misfortune expressed his extreme
concern saying that he knew not what his poor Har.
would do as she was determined not to cease to wear
mourning for poor Baron Tripp. Where upon Lord
Essex sat down & wrote her a letter expressing his regrets
at not being able to be useful to her in the black line,
but begged her acceptance of a most beautiful French
dress which he had just got over, & which happened to
be the most superb Couleur de Roses ever seen. The
poor widow (just going to lie in) opened the box, &
without hesitation locks up the contents !
" I have one or two pretty marriages for you to-day,
but a sad pr. contra to close them with. Lady Catherine
Osborne s marries young Heathcote, Sir Gilbert's Son,
a very young man, but very well spoken of, & very gros
parti of course, the Duchess is delighted which one
must be glad of as a Cordial to all she has suffered for
her Son. Then Miss Dashwood, 4 Lady Ely's Sister walks
off with Sir J. Astley, which is likewise very pretty &
1 Harriet Jane, eldest dau. of Hon. John Capel (and his wife Caroline,
dau. of 1st E. of Uxbridge). She mar. December 26th, 1817, David
Okeden Parry-Okeden. She died 1819.
1 George, 5th E. of Essex, who d.s.p. 1839.
8 Lady Cath. Osborne, mar. 1819, John Whyte Melville.
* Miss Georgina Dashwood, 2nd dau. of Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd
Bart. ; mar. March 1819, Sir Jacob Astley, afterwards Ld. Hastings.
228 COURT GOSSIP [CHAP, xiv
convenable. The 2nd Miss Morgan expects to marry
Lord Rodney, 1 if he does not again jib at the Post. Now
the reverse of all this is Mr. Lacelles (Lord Harwood's
Grandson) actually taking for his wife his French
Mistress, & Lord Langford's Son, whom we used to see at
the French Play, tacks himself for life to one of Lady
Berwick's * Sisters, ci-devant Lady Worcester, as much
senior to him in years as she is superior to the rest of the
world in Iniquity. This is, I think so near suicide that
it will deserve a place in the High Road. . . .
" The Queen's Mourning has been much slighted, in
London there has been as much white to be seen as
black, and the Chamberlain's orders are for its being
entirely left off (but by the Court) on the 29th, of this
Month. This, I really think barely decent for one who
has certainly on the whole filled her Station very
respectably. Her private & anonymous Charities were,
I fancy, very numerous, & are now coming to light every
day. Her Jewels which she has left to her 4 daughters
are said to be estimated at a Million. She has likewise
left to her two unmarried daughters her Wardrobe which
is supposed to be very valuable. The Duke of York,
wants, as it is said, to give up his Appointment to the
Duke of W. & to have the care of the. Windsor Estab-
lishment, P. R. wants to join Sister Mary s in this change,
but it is thought Augusta's 4 friends will stand up for
her. Billy 5 is not returned from his travels which
makes Gossip. Lord Harrowby * is, in the Newspapers,
confidently spoken of for Paris, but George 7 heard
nothing of it. Lord Buckingham is likewise in the
Prints made 1st Lord of the Admiralty, which in some
respects would suit us well. The Queen, among other
1 George, 3rd Baron Rodney; born 1782; mar. February 1819,
Charlotte, dau. of Sir Charles Morgan, Bart. He d.s.p. 1842.
* Lady Berwick, wife of 2nd Baron Berwick, Sophia, dau. of John
James Dubouchet ; mar. 1812. She died 1875.
8 Princess Mary, 4th dau. of George III, had mar. 1816, her first
cousin the Duke of Gloucester.
4 Princess Augusta, 2nd dau. of George III ; born 1768 ; died un-
mar. 1840.
5 Prince William, Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV.
Dudley, 1st E. of Harrowby; born 1762 ; an eminent statesman ;
mar. 1795, Susan, dau. of 1st Marq. of Stafford. He died 1847. His
eld. dau., Susan, mar. 1817, Ld. Ebrington.
7 George Fortescue (Ebrington's brother).
1819] ANOTHER WYNNSTAY BALL 229
private bounties, is said to have kept 10 or 12 Carriages
for People who from pressure had been obliged to lay
them down. Every day brings forth fresh instances of
the delightful use which Mrs. Greville Howard is making
of her immense Wealth. I told you of her first draft of
20,000 for William Bagot, since which she has settled
500 a year on Mrs. Phillimore, 300 a year on the Dick
Bagots & 200 a year with a 1,000 on Elizabeth Chester.
She, in the first moment, proposed to add l ,000 a year
to the old Lady Suffolk's Jointure which the good old
soul declined, but it was equally pretty in the young one.
Lord Bagot, has I believe, at last taken on himself the
expence of his Aunt's carriage. The Greville Howards
are going abroad immediately. The Lytteltons are, I
am afraid, getting more sick & less rich, they have parted
with their new house, & have taken one, & a very second
rate one, at Tunbridge for a twelve-month. Car Lawley
has been passing all the Autumn & indeed the Summer
with different branches of the Cornwall family. She
was 3 weeks with the Herefords at Tenby & I am sorry
to say she gives still a very uncomfortable account of
the poor boy.
" The Gordons are established in Stanhope Street
where the Lewis's * are to make joint Menage with
them, which will suit both parties equally well."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, January llth, 1819.
" The subject just at this moment uppermost in our
minds and conversation is our Ball, which having been
going on with the greatest vigour at 5 yesterday morning
still leaves the fiddle almost predominating over the
Organ in our Ears. It is supposed to have been the
most brilliant that was ever footed on these Boards, &
certainly was a perfect Almacks in point of Beaux. All
my concern was the scarcity of Belles, and still greater
deficiency of Beauty. We lodged in and out and about
no less than 39, (I think 40 including the Children who
1 Frankland Lewis.
280 THE WYNNSTAY PARTY [CHAP, xiv
of course had rooms like Christians) & there was a
genteel room to spare for Dongay who did not come.
Our Dram. Pers. was as follows, beginning with Watkin
and Lady & Baby, Self, Harriet Cholmondley, and Boy,
Mary Glynne & 2 Boys, Mary Williams, 1 Lord Belgrave,*
Wilton z & Grosvenor, 1 young Simpson & his Uncle,
Lord Bradford, who insisted on being one at the Feet
comme toujours, Lord Denbigh & Brother, young Hill,
Grandson & Heir to Hawkestone with his Mother &
Sister, (most agreable new members) 6 Boddelwyddan
cousins, D. Pennant, young Penrhyn & his Brother,
Oswald Leicester, Sir Andrew Barnard & his Nephew,
son to poor Barnard who died at Stowe, the good
hearty Warden as usual, &, 2 Cotes's Sons of Woodcote
(one of whom par parenthese being the poorest man in
the set, contrived to lose his pocket book, with all, I
suppose that was left of his Xmas Quarter, out shooting),
2 Miss Drummonds, Harriet's Neices, young Hesketh &
Henry which I think makes up the number I gave you,
& will require as much exertion of Talents from you to
put to bed as could be expected from the Great Dr.
Battie himself. I hope you will be aware what 20,000
Prizes almost every one of those Men are, & when to
them you add the 2 Trevors, Smith Owen etc. who
appeared at the Ball, you will allow I am justified in
what I said of our Beaux, our Belles were far less novel
& striking, 3 Miss Dods at the Vicarage, Miss Lyster of
Toft, & 2 very ugly Miss Allansons were, I think, the only
new Articles & Emmy Brooke s & Miss Parker 4 divided
the Apple which is not saying much. Lady Harriet was
covered with her diamonds & her wedding gown &
looked remarkably well. The Cunliffes are certainly
1 Mary, 4th dau. of Sir John Williams, 1st Bart. ; mar. 1823, George
Lucy, M.P., of Charlcote. She died 1890.
1 Ld. Belgrave, Richard, afterwards 2nd Marq. of Westminster.
Ld. Wilton, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Wilton, who sue. his maternal
grandfather, 1st Earl, in 1814 by special remainder. Ld. Robert
Grosvenor, afterwards 1st Baron Ebury. These were the three sons
of Robert, 1st Marq. of Westminster, and his wife Eleanor, only dau.
of Thomas, 1st Earl of Wilton.
3 Emily, dau. of Thomas Brooke of Church Minshall, co. Chester ;
mar. 1825, Vice-Adm. Sir Henry Shiffner. She died 1873.
4 Mary, dau. of T. N. Parker, of Sweeney, Salop ; mar. 1832, Sir
Baldwyn Leighton, 7th Bart. She died 1864.
1819] THE WYNNSTAY PARTY 231
making a most vigorous attack on cousin John Williams l
& I have no doubt Lady C. describes him as a fine
creature where she is not afraid of being smoked, but I
do not think they have the least chance of succeeding,
as we were told that he laughed himself at the report,
adding that ' the Girl eats her Goose off the point of her
knife,' which is an odd circumstance to come in the way
of her preferment. The Williams family staid on with
us yesterday, and turned out very far beyond my
expectation. I think Sir J. a very sensible man, She *
is very civil & by no means heavy in hand, (when she
sits down) and the Girls tho' not genteel have certainly
a great deal of genius & talent. The Harp playing
of the one who is almost self taught is even to my
ignorant Ear most striking, so indeed is their singing but
in the direct opposite line, tho' they were in London last
year for the express purpose of being Pupils to Knyvett
and other such first Raters. . . .
"Lord Bradford* was full of the delights of his daughter-
in-law Lady Newport who, by his account, is everything
that can be wished, & among other merits has that of
promising an Heir very speedily which Lord Bradford
is as proud of as if it was his own. Lord Newport is quite
well & has never been otherwise since he provided him-
self with a Nurse. His Sea-man Son Charles has just
asked & obtained his father's consent to his marrying
a Miss Chamberlayne, daughter to the Consul at Rio
Janeiro whom he fell in love with like a true Sailor
the moment he came into Port. The marriage has, of
course, nothing to recommend it, but the young man's
anxious desire for it, & to that Lord B. has at once given
1 John, eldest s. of Sir John Williams, 1st Bart. ; born 1794 ; sue.
his father as 2nd Bart. 1830 ; mar. 1842, Lady Sarah, dau. of
1st Earl Amherst. He died 1859, leaving two daus. only, and was
sue. by his brother Hugh, who in 1843 married Sir Watkin's only dau.
Henrietta.
2 Lady Williams, wife of Sir John, 1st Bart., Margaret, dau. and heir
of Hugh Williams, of Tyfry, Anglesey. She died 1835.
3 1st Earl of Bradford; born 1762; mar. 1788, Hon. Lucy, dau.
and co-h. of George, 4th Vise. Torrington. He died 1825 and was
sue. by his eldest son (born 1789 ; died 1865), who mar. 1st, 1818,
Georgina, only dau. of Sir Thomas Moncrieff, 5th Bart. She died 1842.
Ld. Bradford's 2nd son, Charles (Vice-Admiral, B.N.), born 1791,
mar. January 2nd, 1819, Eliza, dau. of Sir Charles Chamberlain, 1st
Bart. She died, aged 88, in 1887. He died 1860.
16
232 LORD BRADFORD'S NARROW ESCAPE [CHAP, xiv
way in the handsomest manner possible. There is a
strong report which we learnt from some of our young
fashionables, of Temple 1 being likely to marry Lady M.
Cambell, Lord Breadalbane's 2nd daughter, which is
confirmed by His Lordship's having made a sudden trip
to Edinburgh just before Xmas, but he is now at Stowe
where not a syllable has been heard of the sort, & where
the only remark I heard was that he was much went
back in beauty &. not improved in manners keeping
quite aloof with one or two toadies tho' there was a
very good party of Landowners, Rogers the Poet, etc.
Lord Belgrave told me that he had met & known the Girl
abroad, that she is not handsome but very well and a
famous dancer. The connection is respectable & the
family well spoken of & furthermore it is a matter
entirely of his own seeking, which altogether if it is to be,
sounds promising. Do not you remember Mrs. Hughes
speaking of his having been struck with her in Switzer-
land the year before last ? Lord Bradford had the most
narrow escape possible a month ago of being destroyed
by an Ox at Welbeck. He had been, in the proper
agricultural stile feeling all over, and after having per-
formed that ceremony the next very naturally, was to
take out a highly perfumed handkerchief from his
pocket to wipe his hands. The moment he pulled it
out the Animal turned upon him and struck at him,
Lord B. tried to get up directly into the rack but slipped
down into the Manger where the Beast pinned him down
& kept pummelling him all over. Fortunately his cries
brought him assistance, and by the united exertion of
six men the Animal was removed. He was of course
dreadfully bruised but not materially, and soon got
well, & the Cowman readily explained the cause of the
misfortune by saying, ' the poor Cratur never could
boide a Stink.'
" You will be delighted as I have been to hear of a
letter which the new Lord Kilmorry * has written to
Lady Cotton saying that ' seeing as he was perfectly
1 Ld. Temple, eldest son of 2nd Marq. of Buckingham, afterwards
2nd Duke ; born 1797; mar. 1819, Lady Mary, dau. of Marq. of
Breadalbane. She died 1862. He died 1861.
1 Ld. Kilmorey. See note, p. 34.
1819] THE KING'S LOST JEWELS 233
aware that whatever of kindness he & his family had
received from his late Brother had been entirely owing
to Lady K. it would be always equally his duty & inclina-
tion to shew every respect to her family, that he should
therefore be most anxious to wait upon her whenever
she would allow him, & in the mean time hoped Miss
Cotton would do him the favor to accept the 1000 still
due on her Sister's fortune, and that she would come as
soon as convenient to Shavington to take away every
thing that she chose that had belonged to her Sister.'
Nothing could, I think, be more gratifying to poor Lady
K.'s family than such a tribute, nor could it be done in
better taste. They say the property has come to this
man just at the moment to save him from a Tail, but if
he lives, there is no doubt that he will do his best to
get thro' this as he has done by his former Windfalls. . . .
" You may have seen in your papers that there has
been a great search after some Jewels of the King's,
His Garter etc., which have been missing a considerable
time, but were expected to turn up in the general rum-
mage which has now been making, no such thing how-
ever appeared, & when P. R. & his Sisters met last week
at the Queen's House, the last search was made, with no
better success than the former. After they were gone
Lord Arden & General Taylor, the Executors, were
putting up many small odd articles which remained,
& wanting a Box to put them in, one of them recollected
an old Box in a cupboard in the window seat which
they thought would answer this purpose. When it
was taken out & opened the first thing which appeared
was the lost Jewels ! ! Nobody can wonder at any cir-
cumstance in this case, however strange, but there is,
I think, some thing very extraordinary in the pains
which sober people seem to take sometimes to baffle
the Thief by playing him a trick. The other day Mrs.
O. Gore x went up to London on business for a few days
leaving her whole establishment at Porkington ; the
day after she went, arrived the Tuner making his regular
rounds & finding Mrs. Gore's Pianoforte locked he
immediately proceeded to open it either with a crooked
nail or with the first tea chest Key he could get when
1 Mrs. Onnsby Gore, of Porkington. Seep. 133.
284 SOCIAL GOSSIP [CHAP, xiv
to his great astonishment the first thing he beheld was
Mrs. G's whole set of jewels, which in the presence of
Butler & Housekeeper he sealed up and delivered to their
Care. Surely it would have been more natural as well
as safer to have left them at once with her Silver forks
& spoons.
" Miss Drummond heard yesterday from her Father
that Mr. B. Paget 1 is gone back to live with his poor
wife, promising I suppose never to do so no more. I
am sorry for it, as" I fear she can have no prospect of any
permanent comfort in him, & will therefore only be
subjecting herself to fresh pangs. She has been corre-
sponding with me about a deaf & dumb Election in
which I have been very glad to have been able to assist
her wishes.
" The Thorwaldson ! Marriage has I believe taken
place & they are coming over immediately, Lord Carys-
fort takes up entirely the protection of talent & Genius
and quoting Charles the 2nd, having married Vandyke
to a Scotch Peer's Daughter, professes that the Dane
has done his Cousin much honor, whether he would
have thought the same if it had been his daughter I
take leave to doubt. A strange Story but which can-
not now be doubted has appeared in all the Newspapers
with the name at full length of the Marriage of Lord
Erskine * to his Mistress, at Gretna Green where his
Lordship went disguised in female Cloaths with a large
Leghorn Bonnet & Veil. His Son followed but did not
arrive till just as the Ceremony was finished, which
legitamatizes in Scotland a whole tribe of Ci-devants.
It is a melancholy proof of dotage. The Chancellor *
is very ill, & Baron Richards by appointment is pro
tempore Speaker of the House of Lords, but if the
Chancellor dies or resigns, Leach will of course succeed
by favor of the House."
1 Berkeley Paget, 6th s. of 1st Earl of Uxbridge ; born 1780 ; mar.
1804, Sophia, dau. of Hon. W. Bucknall. She died 1850. He died 1842.
* Thorwaldsen, Bartholomew, 1769-1844, a famous Danish sculptor.
3 Lord Erskine, 1st Baron; bora 1750; Lord Chancellor 1806;
mar. 1st, 1770, Frances, dau. of Daniel Moore, M.P., by whom he had
4 sons and a daughter. She died 1805. He mar. 2ndly, Sarah (or
Mary) Buck, by whom he had one son, born 1821. He died 1823.
4 Ld. Eldon ; born 1751. One of the most eminent lawyers of hia
time ; Lord Chancellor 1810-27. He died 1838.
1819] FAMILY BRIDES 285
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, Thursday, April 22nd, 1819.
" Your welcome letter my dearest Henry has arrived
with all the despatch that its contents deserve.
" You will find Neville, 1 with his ' young ideas on
love-making ' still only beginning to shoot. He takes
the thing, as yet very quietly, makes a Morning Call on
his Love, eats his dinner at his Father's, if He likes the
party (as yesterday with your Uncle Tom, & Lord
Grenville & General) & hops across at ten o'clock for the
close of the day. This is not quite in Temple's * style,
who has been from the 1st day to this, in regular &
unbroken Attendance from 11, morning to 11, night 1
" Neville says that to talk of the smallest pretentions
to beauty in his Bride would be absurd, but that she is
fresh & clean-looking ' Which is enough for him.' I
fancy he has expressed so generally among his own
Set, his unfavorable opinion on her Appearance, that
it is much best to profess at once entirely to abandon
that Ground, & rest on the interior. No Settlements,
yet transpires from Authority excepting only that
they are to have a London house & to follow the Camp
during the Summer. The report of the Town however
is that Lord Cornwallis settles on Lady Jane 5,000
pr. an. after his death in default of Issue Male. This
will come in famously to supply the place of the Lights,
but there being only 8 years difference of age between
the Father & Son-in-law, the prospective is not a very
immediate one.
" I was quite surprised to hear that Lord C. was so
very young a man. I suppose Lady C. is nearly of the
same age, but old Gordon s was much too careful a
1 " Dick," afterwards 3rd Ld. Braybrooke ; born 1783 ; mar. 1819,
Lady Jane, dau. of 2nd Marq. Cornwallis. She died 1856. He sue,
his father 1825, and died 1858.
2 Richard Plantagenet, E. Temple, afterwards 2nd D. of Buck-
ingham ; born 1797 ; mar. May 13th, 1818, Lady Mary, dau. of 1st
Marq. of Breadalbane. She died 1862. He died 1861.
3 The famous Duchess of Gordon, Jane, dau. of Sir William Max-
well ; mar. 1767, 4th D. of Gordon, who died 1812 without male
issue'. Of the five daus. of the marriage Charlotte mar. 1789, the 4th
D. of Richmond ; Susan mar. 1793, William, 5th D. of Manchester ;
Louisa mar. 1787, George, 2nd Marq. Cornwallis; Georgians mar.
as his 2nd wife, 6th D. of Bedford, 1803.
236 POLITICS [CHAP, xiv
Mother to suffer the ages of any of her daughters to get
into those tell-tale Works of Debrett. I hear poor
Caserden looks quite low & crest-fallen which is not to
be wondered at. It has been quite a Trojan ten years
seige, & the old Duchess must be proud to look down,
(if she can) on a daughter so worthily treading in her
Shoes.
" There is great talk of political changes among
Government Men, but not among their Opponents, so
I suppose it will be only some little figuring in & out
among themselves, & that this will not take place till
after the Catholic Question, on the issue of which there
seems to be so great a variety of opinion that I suppose
it will be hard won. Many say it will be carried in the
House of Commons & thrown out among the Peers, but
this, I hear, Lord Liverpool says must not happen as he
would on no account set the two Houses at variance on
such a subject. The Chancellor is very ill, & so they say
is P. R. but I fancy the latter is only gout tho' for the
first time there have been lately flying reports about
Him of a more serious nature, & I believe his family
have spoken with uneasiness of the difficulty that there
was when He was last at Brighton to get Him to stir out
of the house.
*' Charles is in high force, as happy at the termination
of the Parliamentary holidays as ever he was at the
beginning of his Westminster ones."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, Saturday.
" I trust that I may now congratulate you on being
restored to the honor, or as my neighbour Clarke, I
find, describes it ' the disgrace ' of a seat in the House
of Commons. 1 This last is certainly to me a very new
view of that subject to which my earliest impressions
had always taught me to look up with reverential respect,
1 Parliament was dissolved on the accession of the new King, on
March 14th, 1820.
1820] THE CATO STREET PLOT 237
but when I come to look at you as liable to be jostled
in these seats, & on them, by such men as Hobhouse, 1
Hunt 2 & Cobbett,' who quit the Jails to come into the
legislative Assembly, the character of the whole subject
may certainly very fairly be described as Mr. C. gives
it, tho' not perhaps exactly as He would mean it. I
fear the Elections are going ill, by which I do not mean
to lament the exclusion of Government Members, but
the admission of Ultra Whigs, who certainly are objects
of great terror to me. Nobody I believe considers the
Cato Street plot as by any means sifted to the bottom
& great indeed, would be my hourly Apprehension if I
had any one very hear or dear to me standing hi any
prominent situation in Government. That our mischief
is closely connected with all which is going on at Paris,
there is no doubt. Miss Grimston who came up from
Hertfordshire since our arrival told me, that Lord
Bridgewater 4 himself mentioned to her, his having had
a letter from Paris dated the day before the explosion of
the plot here, which mentioned that there ' would be
immediately an attempt made on the lives of the
English Ministers.' This letter Lord B. sent straight
to Lord Sidmouth & had an answer from him saying
that the same communication had been made to him
thro' several other Channels. Miss Macn 8 ' likewise told
me yesterday that she knows the Channel (indeed she
named the man but I heeded it not) thro' which this
information was sent to Ministers from Paris two
months ago."
1 Hobhouse, afterwards Sir John, 2nd Bart. ; born 1786 ; M.P. for
Westminster 1820; previously in 1819 he was arrested by warrant
of the Speaker and committed to Newgate (December 13th) ; he
mar. 1828, Lady Julia, dau. of 7th Marq. of Tweeddale ; Sec. at War,
1832 ; Sec. for Ireland, 1833 ; Ch. Com. for Woods and Forests, 1834 ;
Pres. of Board of Control, 1835-41, and again 1846-52. Raised to the
Peerage as Baron Broughton 1851. Died without male issue 1869, when
the barony became extinct.
2 Hunt, Henry (1773-1835), a politician; unsuccessfully con-
tested Bristol 1812 ; Parliamentary Reformer ; tried for conspiracy
at York, May 1820. In August 1819 he had been arrested and im-
prisoned at Manchester in connection with Reform meetings.
3 Cobbett, William, an ex-sergeant-major, and publisher of the
Weekly Political Register. Imprisoned for libel 1810-12. He died
1832.
* John, 7th E. of Bridgewater ; born 1753; mar. 1783, Charlotte, dau.
and h. of Samuel Haynes. He d.s.p. 1823.
238 THE CROWN JEWELS [CHAP, xiv
From Fanny W. W. to Mrs. Charles W. W.
" BROOK STREET, April 24<A.
"... You probably know that all London has been
ringing with the appointment of Lord F. Cunningham's, 1
given in defiance of a positive promise to Sir William
Keppel. It is now asserted on all sides that he declines
the situation, two opinions are held as to the motive,
one is that Mr. Dennison his rich bachelor Uncle has
signified his determination of disinheriting a nephew
who should disgrace himself by the acceptance of an
office acquired by his mother's shame, the other opinion
is that Lord F. is so fast bound in silken chains by Lady
Burghersh * that he will not leave Florence, even for
16,000 pr. ann. One piece of news is that Lady Hert-
ford is grown such a paragon of virtue that she says
she always had & still has the greatest regard for the K.
but there are things one cannot do & she cannot consent
to visit his mistress. The day of the opening is said to
have been put off because the new Jewels for the
occasion could not be prepared in time, report said that
a girdle of Diamonds was to grace His Majesty's person.
Mamma & I went to Rundell's to ascertain this point,
we could not see the Jewels but heard there was to be
a magnificent Loop & Circlet of Diamonds for the Hat,
how it is to be placed on a Cocked Hat I cannot conceive,
unless he means to wear it on his head under the Hat.
Nothing is yet decided about the Crown. R. says the
Jewels are all loose in the settings many of them false,
& the value of the whole of what is exhibited at the
Tower & called | a Million not more than 3 or 4000
& quite unfit for any King to wear. It seems Jewels
were hired for the Crowns at the last Coronation. At
R.'s we saw the Jewels of another Sovereign, two wreaths
1 Ld. Francis Conyngham, 2nd s. of Henry, 3rd Baron and 1st
Marq. (who mar. 1794, Elizabeth, dau. of Joseph Denison); born
1797 ; mar. 1824, Lady Jane Paget, dau. of 1st Marq. of Anglesey.
He survived his elder brother and sue. as 2nd Marq. in 1832. He
died 1876.
a Priscilla Anne, dau. of William Wellesley Pole, 4th E. of Morning-
ton ; mar. 1811, John, Ld. Burghersh, eldest s. of John, 10th E. of
Westmorland. He sue. his father 1841. She died 1879.
1820] CORONATION MAD 239
or Tiaras with a sort of half Eagle in Diamonds, these
were just going to Hayte to adorn her Majesty's coal
black person. The Eagle is the principal armorial
bearing, it appears also in a sort of Locket which was
exactly the badge of the Phoenix Fire Office, set in
Diamonds. The whole is worth about 4000 & will
be paid in Coffee, Sugar & Spices. Our Queen was at
Rome on the 12th, meaning to depart immediately for
England stopping a week at Pisaro by the way. Report
says that there was another great quarrel between the
King & his Ministers last week, probably caused by the
appointment of Brougham & Denman with the recogni-
tion thereby established."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BKOOK STREET, May 12th, 1820.
" The Town is growing of course Coronation Mad.
. . . The Levee yesterday was uncommonly full, and of
very long duration. The king went through it per-
fectly well, standing the whole time, & suffering only
from the heat, as every body else was doing. No new
Peers are yet announced but I suppose the Batch must
come out soon now, that they may have time to make
their new Robes. Lord Cholmondley 1 has, to every-
body's surprise come forward with an act of patriotic
disinterestedness, well worthy imitation, in giving up a
certain quantity of plate to which he was entitled as
Lord Steward. The claims arising from territorial
holdings are infinite, & a very numerous Committee is
appointed to examine them. Mr. Coke * of Norfolk
has all the Table Linen used at the dinner. The great
addition to the number of Peers, will give him many
more goods than his father had, but then the exclusion
1 George, 4th E. and 1st Marq. ; born 1749 ; mar. 1791, Georgina,
2nd dau and co-h. with her sister Priscilla, wife of Ld. Gwydyr, and
Peregrine, 3rd D. of Ancaster. Ld. Cholmondeley died 1827. She
died 1838.
1 Thomas Coke, popularly known as " Mr. Coke of Holkham " ;
born 1754; many years M.P. for Norfolk; created E. of Leicester
1837 ; mar. 1st, 1775, Jane, dau. of James Dutton, who died 1800 ;
2ndly, 1822, Lady Anne Keppel, dau. of 4th E. of Albemarle. He
died 1842.
240 CORONATION MAD [CHAP, xiv
of the Peeresses, will as he says, more than tell against
that Advantage. The expence of the last Coronation
was 700,000, & though much is said of the general
wish to keep down the expence I doubt whether we
might not be too glad to compound for the present
Ceremony's not exceeding the preceeding one ; 18,000
is appropriated for new setting the Crown. I suppose
as it is fixed so early as the 1st Aug. most people will
stay in town for it which will make a late campaign, in
short all the best of the Summer will be spent in St.
James' Street. . . .
" No news yet of the Queen, the bets are, I think,
now all against her coming."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
A Fragment
[1820.]
" The King professes his determination to open the
Session himself with his Crown on his head, & to go the
next night to the Play in State. He is comme toujours
absorbed in the Cares of inventing the new dress for
the Peers for the Coronation which however they say,
after all, will not take place, faute d'Argent. He has
invited all his Brothers & Sisters from all parts of the
world to come & assist at it & sends a Cadeau of 2,000
to Sister Honolulu l to make herself decent."
The Same
" BBOOK STREET, Monday.
" The word procession naturally at this moment
leads to Coronation, but whether we shall get at it this
Summer many still doubt. The two Royal Robe Makers
were however last week at Brighton with Drawings of
troisiemes, for the Peers which in the determination
these moments of total tranquilty & absence of interest
for public concerns, happily fills up the vacuity of the
Royal mind. These said articles together with the
vests are to be of the richest & purist Virgin white Satin,
& I have laid in a claim as a Cousin to attend Lord
1 The Queen of Honolulu.
1820] CORONATION MAD 241
Glastonbury's x private rehearsal of the same. Lord
Stanhope with the most commendable activity & fore-
sight laid in his whole Accoutrements last year for
130 & has actually been painted in the same holding
his Coronet in his hand. The last Fortescue letters
mention our worthy Queen being still at Rome on the
29th of March ' living very quietly & perfectly retired.'
The Duchess of York 2 is considered to be quite in a hope-
less state, tho' she may hold out for a month or two.
He professes that he shall be very sorry when it happens
(as making a degree of change in his domestic arrange-
ments), & that he shall certainly never think of taking
another in her place."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BKOOK STREET, April 18th.
" All the Ladies in London are canvassing for seats
to see our new Sovereign open Parliament, which He
is to do with more display than ever was yet known.
The Crown, which of course he cannot himself put on his
head, is to be carried before him on a Cushion, He is to
have a Hat with such a plume of feathers as a Phoenix
only could supply, with a diamond button & Loop as
none but a Fairy-gifted Prince Prettyman ever sported,
& pour comble a Diamond Girdle which would, I suppose
encircle any German Prince's dominion. All these
extraordinary attentions to appearance might perhaps
appear superfluous, but are perfectly in character with
a Giovinetto Amoroso. Lord F. Cunningham's Ap-
pointment to be Master of the Robes has put all the
Bed-chamber into an uproar there being no instance of
its being given but to a Groom grown grey in the Service,
such was Lord Selsea, & such as Lord Cardigan the last
holder, Colonel Thomas was an exception & considered
1 James Grenville, s. of Rt. Hon. James Grenville (brother to Rt.
Hon. George Grenville of Wootton, the Prime Minister); born 1742 ;
elevated to the Peerage as Baron Glastonbury of Butleigh, Somerset,
1797; d.s.p. 1827. He was first cousin to Lady Williams Wynn.
2 Frederica, Princess Royal of Prussia ; mar. 1791, Frederick, D.
of York, 2nd son of King George III. She died 1820.
242 MR. MYTTON OF HALSTON [CHAP, xiv
infradig, but then that was when the whole was under
a cloud. Our gracious Queen l was at Rome on the
29th of March, living very retired & talking of moving,
but not stirring, probably waiting to be courted.
Thistlewood's z trial began yesterday & with it came
out an injunction from the Chief Justice that no part of
it should be printed until the whole was over, which
however much it may mortify the general curiosity
certainly appears a reasonable & wise measure.
" The Duchess of York was again in extreme danger
two days ago, but has, I suppose, again parried it for
the present.
*' I am not sure whether you heard before you went
away that poor Mrs. Mytton is going off in a galloping
Consumption, exactly as her Sister did, one only wishes
that her poor Infant may go with her. The wretched
Lady Jones is at Halston & wrote word to Lady P.*
that the witnessing so immediate & so exact a repetition
of the sad scene which she had just gone thro' was almost
more than she could struggle against, most heavy & sad
indeed has been the sad reverse to that poor woman
who this time three years ago was supposed one of the
proudest Mothers in London. The Town has within
the last three or four days begun to fill, but the genteel
Chimney-pieces remain wholly ungarnished to the great
dispair of the Misses."
Henry was growing increasingly anxious for employ-
ment. The accession of the Prince Regent to the
Throne made but little difference in ministerial circles,
where he had practically held the reins for so long. He
was not, however, popular, and the Queen's trial gave
an opportunity to the opposers and critics of the Govern-
1 Caroline, dau. of the D. of Brunswick ; mar. 1795, George,
Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV. She died 1821.
1 See p. 199.
8 Lady Puleston, wife of Sir Richard Puleston of Emral, created
a Bart. 1813. (Sir Richard was the s. of Anne, dau. of Thomas Puleston
of Emral, who mar. Richard Parry- Price of Bryn-y-pys. He inherited
from his maternal grandfather, and assumed the surname of Puleston
in 1812. He had two wives, the 1st Ellen, dau. of William Boats ;
the 2nd, Emma, dau. of John Corbet, Esq., of Sundorne, Shropshire.
This lady is probably the second wife.)
1820] POLITICS 243
ment to air their grievances, and to agitate for a change
in the powers which for so many years had directed
the affairs of State.
Lord Liverpool and Mr. Canning, recognising the weak
position of the Government in the country, began to
seek a rapprochement with the adherents of the old
Grenville clique, Lord Grenville himself having entirely
withdrawn from public life.
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" May 16th, 1820.
" I have not yet heard anything my dear Henry, of
the success of your Application to Lord Castlereagh &
I am afraid that our vote of last night against the
Government on the Appointment of the 5th Baron of
the Exchequer in Scotland will not be very likely to
assist it. Never was so bad a figure made by any set of
Ministers & the general opinion of their weakness is such
that if there were any persons who were fit to take their
places, they would not remain in Office twelve hours.
The most marked feature of the night was that while
Peel 1 & Vesey-Fitzgerald z stayed away William Peel,
Mr. Dawson, & Bagwell who is Master General in Ireland
voted with the Opposition. If they do not immediately
dismiss him they cannot expect to bring any body down
to their future divisions. Brougham, on Friday made
a declaration without any call for it & without any
communication with the rest of his party, that it was
impossible for any one party in Parliament at present to
form an Administration equal to the exigency of affairs.
This has produced a good deal of sensation & of course
since the division, is more talked of & considered. Weak
as the present Administration is, there is still so little
difference of strength between the strong & weakest
parts of it that they are afraid to make any change
lest the whole should tumble about their ears. Philli-
more, Watkin & I were the only ones of our set who
1 Sir Robert Peel. s Ht. Hon. James Vesey Fitzgerald.
244 LORD BUCKINGHAM AND DUKEDOM [CHAP, xiv
voted. Fremantle, Lewis, Knox & Temple & some
others went away.
" Lord Buckingham has just arrived in Town to ask
the King for his Dukedom but he still suffers under so
much gout that I do not know when he will be capable
of taking his Audience.'
" Lady Harriet is still going about & in good looks.
What her younger brother 1 means I cannot conceive.
He first voted with the Government & then to-day
stopped me in the street to tell me how glad he was that
Ministers had been so well drest for that it was a scan-
dalous dirty job & that such a division would do a great
deal of good. Meantime the cause of the Catholics is
every day gaining ground by the report of the King's
being friendly to it. I fully expect that, if some un-
expected difficulty does not occur the measure will at
least pass the House of Commons this year. The rival
Marchionesses 2 were, last week entertained with dinners
at Carlton House, on Friday the fair Satira supported by
Gloucesters & Warwicks, etc. & on Saturday the fallen
Roxana with the Clarences, old P. etc. etc. v
" Brougham is certainly I believe, to go to meet the
Queen as soon as she comes within reach but I feel
myself as much persuaded as one can, about any move-
ments of so extraordinary a personage, that she has no
real intention of coming over or she would not have
delayed setting off so long or have travelled so leisurely.
Remember me to Hester & believe me,
" Evere most affectionately yours,
" C. W. W. W."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, May 25th, 1820.
"I begin to think it very long, my dearest Hester
since I had heard of you, from you my last letter bears
date the 1st May, which begins to be hard upon a month.
Watkin has himself been the herald of all the happiness :
which Monday last (the 22nd) produced to him in Lady
1 Robert Clive. a Marchionesses of Conyngham and Hertford.
Birth of Watkin, afterwards 6th Bart.
1820] CORONATION ARRANGEMENTS 245
Harriet's safe accouchment, & in his acquisition of his
much desired Son & Heir.
" ' My Sister ' Po. 1 is quite beside herself with joy,
& so is the poor Duchess 2 to a degree which makes me
almost melancholy, from the strong apprehension I feel
that she will never know herself the happiness, which
she so much rejoices in her Sister's having acquired.
" In tl>e meantime there seems no prospect of an End
to the Session of Parliament which has not yet begun
any of the regular business. Nothing of course, is talked
of but Coronation, yet I do not think it has hitherto
brought any great influx to London, many houses, &
Charles' at the head of them remaining still with Bills
in them. ... It is now given out that the Peeresses
are to walk & every part of the Ceremonial is to be gone
through, Mr. Brougham, as one of the Wardens of the
Cinque Ports holds the Canope over the King's head.
Lord Anglesea is to be appointed High Steward, & the
Duke of Wellington High Constable for the day, the
former says He is the only man in England who can back
his horse down Westminster Hall. I am afraid you must
have heard the Sobriquet for Frankland Lewis * who
is called ' Louis le Desivant,' but perhaps not that of
the eldest Miss Fitz, 4 who is distinguished from her
Aunt Sophia of Windsor, & Her Cousin of Gloucester by
being called ' Princess Sophia of Jordan.' . . ."
The Same
" BROOK STREET, June 2nd, 1820.
" I am beginning this letter, my dearest Hester,
provisionally knowing that it may not set forth for a
day or two on its long Journey.
" This has been a week very rich in events, some of
which will probably have been conveyed to you by
other Pens, but I must begin with one which under Seal
1 Lady Powis, mother to Lady Harriet Williams Wynn.
* Duchess of Northumberland, sister to Lady Harriet.
3 Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis (created Bart. 1846) ;
born 1780 ; mar. 1st, 1805, Harriet, 4th dau. of Sir George Cornwall of
Morcas ; 2nd, Mary Anne, dau. of John Ashton. He was M.P. for
Beaumaris 1812-26. Had several appointments. Continued in Parlia-
ment up to his death, 1855. * Miss Fitz Clarence.
CATHERINE FORTfiSCTFS ENGAGEMENT
of Catherine Forteseue ' to
who has known her most
is the sworn friend ft oldest
by whom he has always
Estate of 9000 pr. ann. ft a
15 miles of Castle-hill, betwen
He is mntithft younger than Watkin,
14 Tears therefore older than herself, has bee
son just going to be of age,
daughter of 24* who has always been Catherine's
sworn friend ft Toadee. Furthermore he is next
brother to laid Pdrtsmoath, who tho* married for some
years has no child, & if he should be taken with a fit of
the Agrippa, she becomes a Countess with 97,000 pr.
ann. But as ft is, it is enough to turn the heads of the
whole family with joy, ft really I only wonder they have
stood ft as well as they have done, there never having
certainly been a serious Soupcon of anything of the sort
tiD within 36 hours of the proposal. It was wished to
an delayed the general Annouce tiU Lord F.'s answer
arrived, merely as a matter of respect, but Giles over-
heard some words on the subject between two of the
^Itnytf^ females at Al***^^* ft from b*"v as you may
believe ft soon got into Circulation. What may have
been the good man's inducement to a step, which to me
ft to most (but certainly not to all) appears so extra*
ordinary, one should naturally be at a loss to find out,
were we not assured that he is over kfad <t eon m lore
hninting on her sitting immediately for a full length
picture to the first Artist in London, professing his
astonishment that she should have remained single so
long to be a blessing reserved for him ! If this should be
your first intimation of this Event you will not think
Catharine.. 2nd dan. of 2nd K FuHiann ; mar. bis 2nd wife
24*fc. 1820, Mr. FtoOovM, 2nd t. of John Wallop. Irt E. of
of FeDoM on
In 1714 he had
aneceednif to the eatntaa of *" maternal ancle. Henry Arthur
He eypteeded h* brother ac 4th Bar!, 1861. and died in
abo died in 1864.
MHJ TOE QCEEJTS AJIRJTAL
I hare dwelt upon it too long. The next is Lori
Bail >!>* aeqntMtaon of the Garter which to U
rcrjr great rarprne wa* sent to bin OB Ifcmdrj of the
last week by BlaomfieJd iiliililj frr>m the King.
Hothing certainly could be ate flattering than such *
mark of fervor, wholly unniirtrd OB ins part. Some
of the Opposition Craaken affect to y tint it v 01 K
of the honor which he so nmeh desired, but tins be eer-
taJnly has, famHeif, not fhr mulii! nman to *^fj>fc r
It K vndcntood that none of that sort wnl be co^emd
in the life-time of the present Gbamberiain, from the
determination that hi* Son should never receive any
benefit or favour whatever from his ci-devant neat
friend.
" Of other Pcew at ;yet one bean nothing, tho' I snv
poie there must be a foteh bdoie Coronation, if Corona-
tion there be this year, which in the last 2 or a days
has become rery doobtfoL My next Event is the arrival
of Her Majesty which is hourly expected A wiO probably
hare taken place before this letter reaches you, it being
understood that she was to deep at Canterbury last
night. I dined yestcxday in Pan Mafl, where just whue
the Gros Cousin 1 was talking big of fats reasons for
ifident that she would not come, in walked the
hot from the H. of C. where
.* had in the midst of the Debate got up * giving
that * ui cuit Business of the most important
to attfnd thf House ' moved an adjournment. Lord
Hutch:* had been sent with Brougham to negotiate
with her at St. Omen* but the terms wmeh he offered
were rejected with scorn. He wrote both to Load
Liverpool A to Lord MdviDe,* to the first for Lodgings
it to the second for a frigate, neither of wmeh were
assigned, so She came over in the common Packet, & wiD,
MB*.
17M; M.P. 17*5; CkM. of
MT. IMC, da. <rf Ld.
at Alexandria 1101 5
Jo*. Hly-
UBL
248 THE QUEEN ARRIVES [CHAP, xi
I suppose, drive to the house of Alderman Wood, who
went down to meet her. This house is in South Audley
Street which is nearer to Brook Street than I quite like.
They say Westminster Bridge has been crowded ever
since yesterday Evening & I should not wonder if we
were made to light up for this notable Event. Lord
A. Hamilton 1 went down to Dover to receive her & Lady
Elizabeth Forbes * notifies her Appointment to Her
Household, for places in which, Brougham professes
that he has had applications from Nobility & Gentry
of the highest degree. Her Italian Attendants left her at
Dijon, & she brings over only a little Girl whom she calls
* le Fille de Mons : le Baron.' They say her new Prime
Minister is to be created Baron Brougham, to supply as
far as may be the place of Bergami. It is however no
joking matter, as I fear it is likely to produce great
confusion. . . . Adieu dearest, I have hardly left room
for the one most Comprehensive & fervent wish, may
God Almighty ever bless you both."
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BABMOTJTH, August 31st, 1820.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I see that the Queen's Bill J
still proceeds at the pace of a lame snail, I cannot myself
anticipate the slightest probability of its passing. The
case in favour of the present Bill will probably occupy the
greater part of September. There is to be a two months
delay to prepare the Queen's defence & collect her
witnesses, after that is finished comes a pause for the
consideration of evidence, the debate upon it, etc., so
that it cannot reach the House of Commons till the
middle of January. Now really if the House were dis-
posed to expedite it, instead of being universally in-
clined to avoid the question by all possible means, I do
1 Ld. Archibald Hamilton, born 1769, 2nd s. of 9th D. of Hamilton;
sometime M.P. ; brother to Lady Anne Hamilton (p. 177). He died
unmar. 1827.
* Probably the youngest dau. of George, 5th E. of Granard, who died
unmarried 1843.
8 Bill of Pains and Penalties. The trial commenced on the second
reading of the Bill on August 17th; Parliament adjourned on
August 21st.
1820] THE QUEEN'S BILL 249
not know how they can get through it with all the
ordinary business of the Session & all the arrears of the
last, pressing upon them, at the same time although
I am daily more & more confirmed in my original opinion
that evil, pure & unmixed evil to an extent which no
man can calculate must at all events be the consequence.
If as I anticipate the business is dropped or knocked on
the head, it will give a most dangerous triumph to the
Radicals as well as degrading the dignity of the country,
by leaving as Queen a woman against whom such charges
have been substantiated, on the other, if it is allowed
to proceed, the difficulties will encrease at every step
& a precedent is established which entirely subverts the
ordinary forms of the Constitution & reverses the func-
tions of the two Houses of Parliament. I am sorry to
hear an indifferent account of Lord Grenville's health
& doubts whether he will be able to sit through the
business, I regret this the more as it is supposed that in
the present state of the peers his authority & influence
gives him the power of turning the scale on every ques-
tion. I hear that he hesitated extremely on Lord
Grey's l motion & even during the debate of the morning
was inclined to support it. I heartily wish he had done
so. Lord B. writes me word that as the present Bill
cannot possibly be terminated during the lives of any
of the present Peers it is to be hoped that the Bell
Schools, 8 will fit the rising generation to discuss it more
calmly & temperately. He says that ' John Bull '
already seems to feel some difficulty in reconciling a
Lady & her Courier, bathing, sleeping, & piddling,
together with perfect propriety, though assured by the
news -papers that it is only ' foreign custom & means
nothing in the South.'
" God bless you give my love to every body."
1 Charles, 2nd E. Grey ; born 1764 ; mar. 1794, Mary, dau. of 1st
Ld. Ponsonby. She died 1861. He was M.P. for Northumberland
1786; First Ld. of the Admiralty 1806, in the Grenville Ministry of
All the Talents ; and on Mr. Fox's death became Secretary for Foreign
Affairs (1807). He retired when Ld. Grenville resigned office and
remained in opposition until 1830, when he became Prime Minister
until 1834. He died 1845.
* Andrew Bell (1752-1832) undertook the management of Poor
Law Schools in London in 1807. He wrote Experiment in Education
made at the Male Asylum of Madras ,in 1797.
250 THE QUEEN'S TRIAL [CHAP, xiv
From Mrs. Cholmondeley to Henry W. W. W.
" VALE ROYAL, October 2nd, 1820.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I am truly glad that I am neither
a Peer nor a Member of the H. of C. as I certainly should
be very much puzzled how to vote upon the clause of
the divorce, upon principle of recrimination depriving
any other man from that relief, & yet a degraded Queen
is not a fit wife for our Sovereign, as for the present
proceedings it really appears to me that the evidence
adduced in her defence is nearly as injurious to her
character as that brought forward in her accusation, for
nothing can be more lamentable than poor Lady Char-
lotte Lindsay's * efforts to retain her veracity & at the
same time make the best of a bad case. I hear that
Lord & Lady Lauderdale * & their daughters are to be
examined & that the defence will last a fortnight, exclu-
sive of the peers debate, but what will be the result who
can guess ! Lord R. Savage * who was here the other
day, said that he should certainly vote against the
divorce, & therefore as he is quite an Ultra Loyalist, I
suppose we shall have all the Sainta against the Bill,
He told me that Lord Gwydyr 4 died immensely in debt
but still I should think the Perth fortune enough to have
kept Mr. Burrell B out of Paris if he chose it, but the
truth is he likes no place so well & finds it full of
amusement."
1 3rd dau. of 2nd E. of Guildford (the celebrated statesman Ld.
North), who mar. 1800, Lt.-Col. Hon. John Lindsay, 7th s. of 5th E.
of Balcarres. She died 1849.
8 James, 3rd Earl ; born 1759 ; created an English Baron 1806 ; mar.
1782, Eleanor, only dau. and h. of Anthony Todd. She died 1856.
He died 1839.
3 George, Ld. Rocksavage, eld. s. of 1st Marq. of Cholmondeley ;
born 1792 ; sue. his mother (the dau. of the last D. of Ancestor)
as Hered. Great Chamberlain ; mar. 1st, 1812, Caroline, dau. of
General Sir Colin Campbell. She died 1815. He mar. 2ndly, 1830,
Lady Susan, dau. of 6th D. of Bedford. He d.s.p. 1870.
* Sir Peter Burrell, 1st Baron Gwydyr; born 1754; mar. 1779,
Lady Priscilla Bertie, dau. and co-h. of 3rd and last D. of Ancaster.
She died 1828. He died 1820.
8 Peter, eldest a. of 1st Baron Gwydyr, sue. his mother as Baron
Willoughby D'Eresby on her death in 1828. He sue. to his father's
barony in 1820. He was born 1782 ; mar. in 1807, Clementina, dau.
and sole h. of 1st Ld. Perth, and assumed the additional surname
of Drummond, He died 1865.
1820] THE QUEEN'S TRIAL 251
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" October 3rd.
' The last report is that Ministers expect that if the
Bill is carried in the House of Lords it will get thro' the
Commons, but on what this idea is founded I know not.
In the mean time the Crowds of Address Bearers encrease
hourly & are now as my Brother Tom l says, from what
he saw yesterday, very respectable, decent looking
people, & all this bustle as She says for ' Half a Crown ! '
He [the King] is, I fancy, frightened out of his wits &
never shews His face.
" Adieu dearest I have fifty things to do & therefore
must gossip no longer.
" God bless you."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" ELTON, October 9th, 1820.
" Charles will, if all this horrid business goes on, be
very short of Holidays, as he must, I believe, be in the
House on 17th November but really, from the turn
which the evidence brought forward by the Queen, can-
not fail of giving to the whole Complexion of the business,
I begin almost to think that it will fall to the ground in
the first instance, which if it could do, & leave no further
ill consequences behind, one should be too glad of. I
cannot tell you how much I am surprised at the evidence
of Lord Glenbervie & Guilford & Lady Charlotte Lindsay
particularly of the latter who upon Oath says she has
never seen anything improper in the Queen's conduct
either particularly with Bergami or generally with others.
This is certainly very different from what one has heard
reported in what appeared the most direct & explicit
manner as the opinion both of her & her Brother, but
after all it must be said that they should appear Wit-
nesses of a good deal more credibility than the Dimonts
& Majorchia. Altogether it is to me now a far more
inexplicable business than ever, & I am dying to hear
what my Brother Tom, whom we expect to dinner to-day,
will say of it. Nothing can alter my general opinion of
1 Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville.
252 THE FIRE AT WOOTTON [CHAP, xiv
the person in question, but from the particular Charges
now adduced against her it really seems as if she would
disculpate herself. Lady Glenbervie's l volunteering
her services to attend her at Naples just when things
were said to be au plus mal, is certainly a very striking
circumstance in her favour. I sadly fear the triumph
which her acquital, if it does take place, will give to
the Radicals & lowest popular party, & the encrease of
oblique" which it will throw upon the Plaintiff. Alto-
gether it has been & is &, I fear, will be a most sad
business."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" VALE ROYAL, November 5th.
" The principal event of this week is one which you
will not hear without concern from knowing how much
it will have given to me. It is the destruction of poor
old Wotton 8 which was burnt to the ground on Monday
last, thank God without loss of any lives. The poor
Infant was in the greatest danger & saved only by the
exertions of Lord Temple's Servant. We have had no
particulars since the first account which was written
first by Lord Buckingham soon after the Express arrived
& afterwards by my Brother Tom. The fire broke out
at past 2 in the room next to the Nursery & at half past
5 when the Express was sent off, nothing was left but the
walls. It is not known that anything was saved but
Lady T.'s Jewels. She & the poor Baby * went off
immediately to Stowe, & Lord Temple meant to come
up to his father the moment he could quit the spot.
You will easily believe what a pang it has given to me to
think that all which was associated with my earliest &
tenderest recollections should be wiped off from the face
of the earth, tho' at the same time I feel well aware that
1 Lady Glenbervie, Catherine, eldest dau. of Ld. North (afterwards
2nd E. of Guilford) ; mar. 1789, Ld. Glenbervie. She had died in
1817. Lady Charlotte Lindsay was her younger sister.
8 Wootton, the old home of the Grenvilles ; Ld. and Lady Temple,
eldest s. of Ld. Buckingham. When his father was raised to the
Dukedom, Ld. Temple became Marq. of Chandos.
* Lady Anna, who mar. in 1846 William Gore-Langton. She
died 1879,
1820] THE QUEEN'S TRIAL 253
the probability was perhaps very much against my
having ever seen it again, but still I often reverted to
it my Mind's Eye, which now sees only a frightful mass
of ruins. Its amiable Owner however, with that reveren-
tial attachment which he has always so strongly felt,
looked at nothing in the first moment that he heard of
the destruction but restoring it, & actually sent off
Soane's foreman for that purpose the same evening. We
are all wonder at hearing from all sides of the peril of the
poor Baby without one word being said of its Nurse, who
one should think must have been by its side, but she has
never been mentioned. The Queen's business seems at
length to be drawing to a conclusion, but the uncertainty
of the Bill passing to a 2nd reading is as great as ever,
& you do not hear two opinions alike. At all events if
that be carried, it is thought quite certain that it will
then either be abandoned, or lost & that there is not a
chance of its ever reaching the Commons. Prince
Leopold's * Visit made of course a great sensation, and
will, I think, cool the extreme enthusiasm of some of his
Admirers. The Queen it is said was at first to refuse
to see him, but Brougham insisting upon it she said
4 you have been my Physician Mr. B. & whatever Pill
you give me, I will try to swallow, but this is a most
bitter one.' And so it is certainly if ever he entertained
a doubt of her Misdemeanors."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
"V. B., Saturday.
" I cannot tell you my dear Charles how much I am
hurt at the account in the Courrier to-day of the insult
& ill-will shown to Lord Buckingham ! at Aylesbury.
I would have given many a Guinea that it should not
have happened, and that not from my deep feeling of
the outrage, (tho' to that from a place so near our own
home, I am certainly not insensible,) but much more
from being aware how much of it he will attribute to the
1 Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, who had mar. 1816, Princess
Charlotte (she died 1817). He eventually became King of the Bel-
gians and died 1865.
* 2nd Marquess, Lady Williams Wynn's nephew. His father had
died in 1813.
254 THE FIRE AT WOOTTON [CHAP, xiv
line of Conduct and Politics so unfortunately pursued
by his Brother. 1 That it is connected with it, one can-
not but see, tho' at the same time I must honestly own
that from what I have heard I do believe Lord B.'s per-
sonal popularity in Aylesbury has for some time been,
not gradually, but rapidly decreasing. From what-
ever cause, the result will give him great pain, and par-
ticularly at this moment when he had expressed himself
so much gratified by the interest and affection mani-
fested towards him in his late misfortune not only by
his immediate neighbours but as he expresses himself
by the whole County.
" The poor people at Wotton after having worked
like horses as long as there was any thing to be done sat
themselves down in front of the poor old walls and cried.
Pray tell Mary, for her satisfaction that it was the Nurse
and not the Valet who saved the child. She did not get
her out of the room till she saw the line of black smoke
running along the beam, and in ten minutes after the
ceiling fell in. The fire having broken out at the top of
the house could not force its way thro' the Copper Roof,
and beat down on the Wooden Stair-cases which were at
each end and in the middle of the house."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" V. R., November 22nd.
" What think you of the Queen's pilgrimage to St.
Pauls ! It really quite sickens me to see (what my im-
pression of her cannot but consider as) a profanation of
both the place & Service, yet have I more than once
to-day checked myself for passing such an uncharitable
Judgement, & more than doubted whether what I knew
of her could justify it, but I feel sure that had I been
passing by just as she went into the Church it would have
given me a pang. I gave to Harriet & Mr. Cholmondley
your message respecting their future Title, if any such
should come in question which is certainly not among
1 George, 2nd s. of 1st Marq. of Buckingham; sue. his mother (Mary,
dau. and h. of Earl Nugent) to the Barony of Nugent on her death,
1812. He mar. Ann Lucy, dau. of Hon. Vere Paulett, in 1813, He
d.s.p. 1850.
1820] NEW PEERS 255
the least doubtful. They are both of them very fully
aware of the superior merit of Delamere of V. R. to any
other, but know not how to set about finding out
whether there is any available objection to their asking it.
I know Forrester's answer on being told that Mr. L. 1
intended, founded on prior possession, to advance a
Claim on the title of Wenlock, said ' I have ensured the
having my Patent made out for Wenlock & let him get
it altered if he can.' To enquire whether there is a
barony of Delamere belonging to Lord Stamford would
be useful, as we all know the answer, but they want to
know whether you would recommend any body to them,
from whom they could learn whether the existance of
that Barony is a bar to their asking for another of the
same name designating it to be of V. R. I thought
perhaps you could ask the question of Mary's friend
Sir Naylor or if not that you could tell them
where they might apply for the information, & that
speedily as, tho' on the one hand the thing may not come
in question for some time if at all, so on the other, it
might be brought forward immediately on the Meeting."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" VAT.K ROYAI>, December Qth, 1820.
" I may as well give you your Uncle's answer to your
message about Pontier. In the first place he desires
me to tell you how sensible he is to your kind recollections
of him and his hobby-horse. He says ' he thinks P.
very likely to have some curious books, and if he could
see a list with their dates of printing, price and condi-
tion, he should probably be tempted to make several
purchases. Manuscripts of Classicks can not well be
bought without examining them, nor do I deal in them.
If he has any of old History or Chivalry which are
sometimes accompanied with curious drawings and
illuminations they are desirable enough ; I should
suppose He may have some curious old Italian Poets or
novellists, but of Italian Topography I am no purchaser.'
The only printed book which he names is Epictetus on
1 Mr. Lawley.
256 UNCLE TOM'S HOBBY-HORSE [CHAP, xiv
Vellum with its ' pendance ' on paper at 40 frs. Of this
he gives no date, but if it is 'perfect, and can be had for
a Guinea and half I would take my chance with it. If
F. could get me a list of what P. thinks curious, with
date, price, and condition, I might very likely find
something desirable but I doubt her stay in the neigh-
bourhood will not be sufficient to admit of such
negotiations.'
" Mary Williams Wynn l was giving us the other day
a most curious history of the termination of all the
debates about General Crewe's * children. You re-
remember that Miss Lloyd (Angharad's ' sister) had in
her great love and gratitude to the whole family and to
relieve Lord Crewe 4 and Mrs. Cunliffe 6 from their immedi-
ate embarrassment, while it was all undecided consented
to stay in the house to look after ' the dear children.*
The negotiations, to all of which she was made party by
Lord Crewe, went on with the General, and all the time
they were so doing Miss Lloyd was carrying on an under-
plot by means of an agent employed by the General, and
the out turn was that one fine day Lord Crewe receives
a letter from her beginning with ' My Lord ' announcing
that she had, at the desire of the General, accepted
c upon a certain salary ' the entire charge and care of his
children, and was his Lordship's humble servant. Here
she is therefore settled in a house with these 4 children
(or 3 I rather believe) with an allowance of 1,500 a year
1 Mary, 2nd dau. of Charles Williams Wynn ; mar. 1832, James Milnes
Gaskell, M.P. She died 1869.
2 General Crewe, only s. of John, 1st Baron Crewe ; born 1772 ;
mar. 1807, Henrietta, dau. of John Hungerford Keats, Esq. She died
January 14th, 1820. He sue. his father as 2nd Baron in 1829, and
died 1835.
3 Miss Angharad Llwyd (or Lloyd), a distinguished Welsh scholar and
antiquarian. Her History of Anglesey, written when she was very
young, gained her a prize at the Eisteddfod. She edited the third
edition of the History of the Gwydyr Family, published in 1827. She
lived, during the later years of her life, at Rhyl, and died at a great
age. Her father, the Rev. John Lloyd, Hector of Nannech 1774-8,
and of Caerwys 1778-94, was a friend of Thomas Pennant, the Welsh
topographical writer.
4 John, 1st Baron Crewe; born 1742; M.P. for Stafford 1765-8
and for Cheshire 1768-1806, when he was raised to the Peerage ; mar.
1766, Frances, dau. of Fulke Greville, Esq. She died 1818. He died
1829.
6 Mrs. Cunliffe, Emma, only dau. of 1st Baron Crewe ; mar. 1809,
Foster, eld. s. of Sir Foster Cunljffe, He d.s.p. in rita patris 1832.
1820] WASHINGTON IRVING 257
for herself, and 200 more for a Governess, to do with
them, and by them exactly as ton lui semble, and per-
fectly independent of all her family. She has put the
Boy without the smallest communication with Lord
Crewe or any of them, under the care of a Tutor at Hamp-
stead, whom Mrs. Cunliffe says she hears is a good sort
of Man, but the circumstance of Miss Lloyd's being
become a violent Calvinist not to say Methodist, does
not seem particularly to fit her for the education of
children placed as these are likely to be. To be sure poor
Lord Crewe has been singularly unfortunate on the sub-
ject of looking to those who are to come after him, and
has had little inducement for many many years to fall
into the dangerous temptation of adding field to field
and ' calling the Lands after his own Name.' "
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANOEDWIN, December 31(, 1820.
" I am going next week to make Henry enclose to
Mr. Vaughan the Quarterly Review and a packet of
Literary Gazettes which I think can not from Paris
cost a great deal for carriage and may amuse you. I
wish I could send 2 vols of a Work called the Sketch
Book just published under a feigned name, by an
American of the name of Washington Irvine. Charles
says he has no hesitation in pronouncing them to be the
best Essays which have appeared since the Spectator.
I have not myself met with them, but everybody speaks
of them in the same terms. The man came over to
Liverpool with the intention, I believe of settling in
trade, but the extraordinary and wholly unexpected
success of this book has determined him to go to London,
and establish himself regularly as an Author. He had
published before a sort of Ironical history of New York
which has now come forward, but I should think must
be far inferior to the other, though it certainly has in it
a good deal of Wit. I wish the Abbot was better for
your sake, Chalmer's has been publishing a history of
Mary from Scotch Documents which confirm the sort of
character given of her by Walter Scott,
258 POLITICAL GOSSIP [CHAP, xiv
" Have the Grims l sent you word of Wm. Bagot's
intended Marriage with the great heiress Miss Swinner-
ton ? There is however a soupcon that the old Gentle-
man is out of humor with it and will not give anything,
but I suppose it w r ill all come in time. You will have
heard from Hart, of all the Combermere festivities
for the Duke, 8 but perhaps not of Lord Grosvenor's *
pitiable folly in refusing the use of the Assembly room
at the Hotel for the purpose of giving a Ball to the
Conqueror of Bonaparte because as a Peer of the Realm
he expressed his opinion of the guilt of the Queen.
Surely in this there can be no two opinions. The Meeting
of Parliament is drawing near, and nobody seems to have
a guess what is to be done. Peele is no longer talked
of to succeed Canning. 4 Huskisson 6 is named and is sup-
posed may get it faute de mieux. All the enthusiasts
for Prince Leopold have turned right about, and he is
now supposed to be at best a vain fool. Charles says
the Speaker could not have returned to the House, as no
such existed from the moment that the Message to
prorogue it had been pronounced. The scene was sup-
posed to be the most disgraceful that ever passed since
our Civil Wars."
1 Grimstons, Hon. Harriet and Charlotte. See p. 76.
1 D. of Wellington.
3 Robert, 2nd E. Grosvenor ; created 1st Marq. of Westminster
1831 ; bom 1767 ; mar. 1794, Eleanor, only dau. of Thomas, 1st E. of
Wilton. She died 1846. He died 1845.
4 Mr. Canning resigned the Board of Control at the end of Decem-
ber 1820, and Mr. C. B. Bathurst took his place. His resignation was
a mark of his disagreement with the Ministers and their policy, with
reference to the Queen's trial. Peel had declined the office.
William Huskisson, born 1770; M.P. 1795-1829. Killed at the
opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, September 15th,
1830. He held several Government appointments.
Sir Thomas Lawrence
SIB WATKIN WILLIAMS WYNN, 5TH BABT.
258]
CHAPTER XV
18211823
FOR many years Lady Williams Wynn had suffered great
anxiety and concern on account of her daughter,
Charlotte, Mrs. Shipley, whose domestic affairs did not
run smoothly and whose health was sadly indifferent.
Financial embarrassments made it impossible for Colonel
Shipley to return to England. Late in 1820, or early in
1821, he died, and it then became possible for Mrs.
Shipley to leave Majorca and to come home. Fanny
had been spending the winter with her, and the return
journey began in January 1821. The sisters travelled
to Florence and the South of France, and in April Henry
joined them, in order to escort them across France. They
reached England in June, to Lady Williams Wynn's
great joy.
The three years we are now dealing with proved of con-
siderable importance to the family. Lord Liverpool's and
Canning's rapprochement towards the Grenville Party
was not lost upon the junior members of the parentt,
who at once laid claim to such appointments as they
considered they might suitably fill.
The Queen's trial and subsequent death only three
weeks after her rebuff at the Coronation augmented
the feeling in the country against the Government.
In 1822 changes began to take place in the Cabinet.
Robert Peel went to the Home Office in succession to
Lord Sidmouth ; while Charles Williams Wynn secured,
259
260 THE GRENVILLE INFLUENCE [CHAP, xv
after some inevitable scheming, the post of President of
the Board of Control.
It remained for the Grenville influence to find a diplo-
matic position for Henry. Sir Watkin stood outside
the political whirligig : his interest in politics was luke-
warm ; he accepted the family views and gave his adher-
ence loyally to the Party, but he neither expected, nor
accepted, anything from it.
In December 1821 Henry was given the British
Mission to Berne. After some correspondence as to
the value of the appointment, as against that of
Copenhagen, he was moved to Stuttgart, in July 1823,
with the promise of Copenhagen as soon as it fell
vacant.
The tide of political influence had now placed both
Lady Williams Wynn's younger sons in " safe " posi-
tions, where they were left, undisturbed, Charles only
until 1827, and Henry until 1853 positions they filled
conscientiously, fully recognising their obligation and
responsibility to the nation. Place-seekers they may
have been, but rather because they felt themselves equal
to the appointments they desired to hold, than because
they were seeking steps towards personal aggrandise-
ment. Both Charles and Henry were professional men,
proud of the professions they had chosen, and prepared
to spend their lives in the faithful fulfilment of their
professional duties. Politically Charles was no trimmer ;
once having taken up a line of action, he did not deviate
from it. Take, for example, his attitude on the Catholic
Emancipation Bill. It was a measure, the equity and
justice of which, there is no doubt. Charles gave it his
unswerving support, though time after time it was
rejected in both Houses, and wrecked more than one
administration. Had the policy of the Grenvilles with
regard to this Bill been accepted at the time of the
Union, much misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and
bitterness might have been saved the Irish question.
1821] THE TOWNLEYS 261
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" ASTELL, February 3rd, 1821.
I grudge indulging myself in commenting on your
excellent letters, because I feel that any new trash how-
ever trifling, is to you of more value, but I must tell you
that I read your account of the extraordinary circular
Morn : bow, with much effect yesterday at Astle, I was
however unlucky in having received it a few hours too
late to have taken the chance of comments upon it
from a very wise man, Mr. Townley, nephew and Heir
to the statute holder and one of those universal Dic-
tionary sort of men in whose heads there is always to be
found a page on every subject that is started. He and
his wife and daughter passed 2 days with us, and were
to me very agreeable, the only fault found with him
being his talking too much which suits very well with my
best part of listener. They are Catholics and like all
others of that description, particularly in Lancashire
are immensely rich. They have a very very ancient
Chateau of Townley in which there are all sorts of odd
hiding places and treasures within Walls of 6 ft. deep,
and a window of Henry 3rd which is by no means in the
oldest part of the building, but with 24,000 per annum
he will hardly do anything to it, and the improvements
advance pretty much at the same rate as the new build-
ing at Eaton of which Lord Belgrave said the other day
that as yet it was not going on rapidly, his father having
only a cart load of stones in preparation for it brought
once a week. I was sorry to hear from the Townleys
that your poor friend and Beau Parker of Brusum is
ruined beyond all ruin that was ever known, and quite
beyond possibility of redemption. Mrs. Townley told
us that it was her firm belief that the Lord of Burn
had been married to Lady Hunloke ' these 2 years but
I think her wish aided her faith on that subject, as of
course, the Popes are all most anxious for the match,
and she is quite one of the strictest and severest. Her
1 Lady Hunloke, Anne, sister and eventual co-h. of Charles Scaris-
brick, co. Lane. ; mar. 1807, Sir Thomas Hunloke, 3rd Bart., who
died 1816. She was born 1788, took the name of Scarisbrick in lieu
of Hunloke in 1860, and died at the age of 83 in 1872. This marriage
did not take place. The Hunlokes were an old Catholic family.
262 POLITICS AND GOSSIP [CHAP, xv
mother (who was Mrs. Robert Drummond ') certainly
was supposed by Medical Men to have occasioned the
death of. 4. or 5 of her daughters by the severe fasts to
which she kept them, and which they regularly inter-
posed to remonstrate against. At Astle we had the John
Drummonds, He grown quite into a Pere de famille with
4 children, the eldest might have been at the head of
5, being but 3 yrs and old when his 4th brother was
born. She does not seem very wise, but gentle and good
humoured, and he as much in love with her as if they
were in their Treacle Moon.
" We came here yesterday and find nobody whatever
in the house but a set of the plainest children I ever
beheld. The son and heir seems a sharp shrewd lad
with however a cleverness, which at present tells much
against him, as it consist principally of practical jokes
on Papa's toadie the old Sooper Scroop. Lady Main-
waring is as blooming and gay as ever, nursing her 10th
child with as much pride and pleasure as if it was her
first, but Sir Harry looks to me frightfully ill and broken
down. Lord Combermere has just got poor Gwynne's
Regt. or rather, one vacated by that being given away.
This little windfall is worth from 11 to 1200 per ann :
to him, and I suppose he is now looking sharp towards
Jamaica in consequence of the Lord of Manchester's *
having fractured his skull, though not mortally.
" Charles' reports of Politics are every day more and
more desponding and your Uncle Tom stays on at
Dropmore unable, as he says to encounter the melancholy,
thrown over all Society hi London. The Division on the
first Motion brought forward by opposition has turned
out so much larger on the side of the Government than
the most sanguine could have expected, that Ministry
are of course for the present quite on velvet. It surprised
me to the greatest degree, as I should have thought
many would have found it difficult to vote against declar-
ing the * Measure of the Liturgy to have been ill-advised
1 Hon. Mrs. Robert Drummond, Winifred, dau. of William Thompson
(banker) ; mar. 1753, Robert, 2nd s. of 4th Vise. Strathallan. She had
five sons and one only daughter, Charlotte, who mar. 1794, Peregrine
Townley of Townley.
* William, 5th D. of Manchester ; born 1771 ; mar. 1793, Lady Susan,
dau. of the D. of Gordon. He died 1843.
1821] POLITICS AND GOSSIP 263
and inexpedient ' (which was the Question tried by Lord
Archibald Hamilton) who would have had no difficulty
in opposing the undoing it, but this having been carried
so triumphantly, will I should think prevent their
attempting to bring forward the other. In the List of
the Minority appear the names of Sir Lowry Cole and
Heneage Legge and no less than 6 Smiths. I think
the Honourable Robert must have given qualifications
to some of his Sisters. Charles says the opposition are
split to pieces among themselves, being so connected
with the Radicals that they cannot separate from them,
and yet can not follow them. Watkin seems to have no
thoughts of going up to London. He is coming to V. R.
this week for the purpose of attending to a 2nd Tar-
porley Meeting just set up, as an experiment whether by
doubling a dose of dullness, the force of it may be
diminished. At all event it will produce a redouble-
ment of drinking, which seems to be the one object of
all Cheshire reunions. At Astle the men never came
into the Drawing Room till after \ past 10 or near 11,
and that without there being one single drinking man
there but J. Drummond who seems specially fond of it."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, February 18th, 1821.
" With your poor friends, the Llangollen Ladies I fear
the world is going very ill. Poor Lady Eleanor l gets
of course more and more blind, but what is very singular,
she has taken up a jealousy about it which makes her
reluctant to go out from an unwillingness that people
shall see that she is blind, and she is constantly asking
whether people would know by looking at her, which of
course is always answered in the negative, but a more
reasonable source of anxiety to her, poor soul and to her
inestimable friend, arises out of a temporary suspension
of the payment of her annuity of 400 a year, owing to
the death of her Nephew Lord Ormond. He however
secured to her this annuity by his Will, but his brother,
who has succeeded to his immense property has actually
returned his wretched blind Aunt's Drafts, saying ' that
1 Lady Eleanor Butler.
18
264 THE KING TO VISIT IRELAND [CHAP. XV
till the affairs were settled, which might be some months,
none of the Legacies could be paid.'
" This seems almost incredible, but such is their
account, communicated of course under the strictest
injunctions of secrecy, to all their friends. I am really
sorry for them to my heart, and after having heard them
say last year that the 43rd Winter which they had passed
in Wales had slipped away as lightly as any, it grieves
one to think that the 44th should be so doubted. The
Wingfields are very kind and attentive to them and are I
think now what they most depend upon."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANFORDA, March 4th, 1821.
" We have not heard one word from Charles yet on the
subject of the Catholic question at which they had at
one time expected a much larger majority, but it was
apprehended at last that some of the Ultra Whigs (not
to say Radicals) would stay away from personal pique
to Plunkett. H.M. at the last Levee notified regularly
his intention of visiting Ireland this Summer which I
thought was in itself a bonne augure for the Catholics.
He is to go round by sea from Brighton and will probably
take Plymouth in his way. I do not think he can do a
better thing, nor one which is more likely to make him
popular. I wonder how long it is since a Sovereign has
visited Ireland. In peace I should think never.
" I believe I told you in my last that he talks of having
the Coronation on the Anniversary of Waterloo which
would I think be very well for it in every respect. We
hear nothing yet of the new Peers, nor can we succeed,
though I am always doing my best, to get Vale-Royal
changed for either Davenham (which I think very good)
or Eddisbury which is certainly better than the other.
Harriet sends me a list of Matches more like the end of the
London Campaign than the opening of it, but I suppose
she has passed them all on to you from Horton. Among
others the pretty saucy Miss Rous l who has refused half
the Town throws her handkerchief at last to Mr. Isted.
1 Hon. Louisa Rous, Ld. Stadbroke's youngest and only unmarried
dau., did not marry until 1824, Spencer Horsey de Horsey, M.P. She
died 1843.
" I am persuaded that some new lights have broken
in on the present Generation upon the Merit of these
negative accomplishments which we of the last have been
utterly blind to. Miss Seymour l and Lord A. Hill is I
fancy certainly to take place. It begun at Brighton and
has been vigorously followed on since at Mr. Smith's
where Mr. and Mrs. Hayman met them. I do not think
H.M. will give his present de n6ce with much satisfaction
to his dear adopted.
" The Duke of Manchester * is not expect to recover,
but I should think that Lord Combermere * is now too
well off to wish to go abroad again, especially in Lady
Combermere's 4 very bad state of health. How awful it
is to see how he was struck by calamity just when he had
attained the highest point of his wishes in worldly pros-
perity ! I have not yet heard what became of the W. I.
property, but if the poor young man had not made a
Will, which is most likely to have been the case, it goes
to Wm. Cotton. 5
" I am rejoiced to hear that the ' Sketch Book '
pleases you so much, you will be surprised to hear that I
have never read it, but I fell in with it only during
my last short visit at Wynnstay, when both Watkin
and Lady Harriet had it in hand, so now I shall have it
to read in London which will suit me exactly. The last
number of the Literary Gazette gave us several extracts
of Miss Baillie's new Metr. : Legends from which I cer-
tainly should not augur well of the tout, but it is a cruel
thing to pick out in that manner either the beauties or
defects of a composition. I shall be impatient to hear
your opinion of Kenilworth, in general people have
seemed to me to place it quite among the very first of
his performances, which however is not I own my
estimation of it, though there is certainly much to admire,
but the interest does not rise like Mr. Baylis's play in the
1 Miss Seymour, Frances Maria, dau. of Isabella, Marchioness of
Hertford, mar. 1822, the Marquis de Chevigne and died the following
year.
* The D. of Manchester recovered.
1 Ld. Combermere was appointed Commander- in-Chief in India 1822.
* Lady Combermere, 2nd wife of 1st Vise. : Caroline, dau. of William
Fulke Greville. She mar. 1814 and died 1837.
6 William Cotton, 3rd brother of Ld. Combermere ; in Holy Orders ;
d.s.p. 1853.
266 COURT AND SOCIAL GOSSIP [CHAP, xv
last Act. His next production which is almost ready
to come out is to be Fotheringay which must I suppose
be quite in the same stile. I wish that he would not build
his fictions on Historic foundations, it makes a sad
confusion in Age-worn memories."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANVORDA, March 11 th, 1821.
" Lord Conyngham l figures in the News Paper as
having sent an order for all his plate from the Treasury
at Dublin Castle to be carried to Slane Castle where
the grandest preparations are making for the reception
of H.M. I cannot help feeling a little sorry for our poor
Queen Bess,* though I could not bear the degree of
Rank which the Fitzclarence's had taken, on her birth.
As to her dear Aunt Caroline she is sinking apace into
that entire state of Insignificance which I verily believe,
is to her more mortifying than even disgrace would be.
The News paper announce the appointment of Mr. Wm.
Madocks to be her Vice -Chamberlain which is certainly
making one step towards having a brilliant Court. She
has written to Lord Liverpool saying that ' she accepts
with gratitude the provision offered to her by Parliament
and only expresses her wish for the reinsertion of her
name in the Liturgy on account of the disadvantage
which the withholding it may be to her in foreign Courts
in case of her choosing to reside abroad.' That she will
choose so to do I should have no doubt, but that I cannot
understand why, with that idea, she should have given
15,000 for Cambridge House. The Duke of North-
umberland puts forth in the Newspapers of last
night a letter to his Bailiffs directing them, on account
of the present pressure on the Agricultural interests
to return 20 pr. ct. on every payment made to him by his
Northumberland tenantry at the next pay day. This
is a very handsome and proper thing, and looks as if he
1 Ld. Conyngham, 1st Marq. ; born 1766; mar. 1794, Elizabeth,
dau. of Joseph Denison. She died 1886. He died 1832.
* Elizabeth Georgina Adelaide, dau. of D. of Clarence (afterwards
William IV) and Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (afterwards
Queen Adelaide) ; born December 10th, 1820; died March 21st, 1821.
1821] NEAPOLITAN BANDITTI 267
would, like his predecessor, do great things well, and
little ones perhaps ill.
" Lady Carysfoot writes me word that the Spencers
have just given up Wimbledon entirely to the Lytteltons
which I am very glad of on both their accounts. It is
I think very probable that the time which they all spent
together at Althorp this Summer during their deep
afflication and subsequent overflow of happiness may have
brought them all together and softened and warmed
their feelings towards each other.
" I don't know whether you may remember having
heard at Paris (by the bye it happened since) of Mr.
Griffiths of Gam's son having been seized by the Banditti
on the road between Rome and Naples and having been
carried up to the Mountains. He had lately been
released (after 6 weeks imprisonment during which the
Stilletto was repeatedly held to his throat) on the pay-
ment of a very large Ransom, accompanied by a threat
from Government that if he was not set at liberty they
would destroy the small town of Fondi where these mis-
creants have deposited all their riches, this menace was
probably extorted from Government by the interference
of the English Minister, but otherwise they never venture
to take any notice of them. Not long ago a Body of
them poured down upon a very large School and carried
off every boy to their fortresses, and whence they send
a demand of an immense ransom from the Parents, and
upon smaller sums having been offered they cut off the
heads of two of the boys and sent them down in a basket,
with a Note saying that 2 more would be sent every day
till the ransom was paid. When the Austrians were last
in the Neapolitan territory they routed them, and it is
hoped that their next visit may at least be productive
of that benefit again to the inhabitants, but the timidity
of Government has encreased them both in numbers and
daring to a most formidable degree, and I believe the
English are now quite afraid of moving.
" If you have been reading Kenil worth you will per-
haps be interested to hear that the house at Cumnor
Place did belong to Lord Abingdon, and has been pulled
down, being quite a ruin, just before Sir Walter Scott
gave it celebrity. The Inn exists, and is going to have
268 KENILWORTH [CHAP, xv
a Black Bear for its sign, by the subscription of the
neighbouring Gentry. Anthony Foster's tomb is in the
Church with a long inscription. The Catholics are
quite on top too. I know not whether I am glad of it
or sorry as I never could make up my mind on that
question, but trusted to my brother William l whose
love for Mother Church I consider fully equal to my own,
and his means and powers of judging of the political
wisdom of the measure a good deal superior.
" It will all tend to add to the effect of the King's
landing in Ireland. Indeed I do think he may now toast
himself as the Pilot who has weathered the most fearful
storm I ever remember. They say he is to give 6 balls
before he goes, so that altogether there seems as if there
would be plenty to do in the great world when once they
begin.
" Adieu my dearest dear daughters, may the Almighty
ever continue to you His Holy protection. With that
we must not, need not, fear any evil !
" Charles writes word that Tierney 8 has regularly
resigned the Leadership of the Opposition, and no new
one can be found to replace him. By Brougham they
will not be led. How extraordinary the luck of the
Ministers has been over and over again. I am sure that
is in my opinion a strong argument for continuing them."
Henry's patience was getting exhausted, and Lord
Buckingham, always very friendly disposed towards
him, took up the negotiations with the Foreign Office
in his behalf.
From the Marquess of Buckingham to Henry W. W. W.
" LONDON, February 21th, 1821.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I had done nothing in the
matter which forms the subject of your letter & my wishes,
because I thought the tenure of the whole firm so insecure
that I did not think it unlikely we might have to renew
our unfinished negotiations with a new Chief. I now
however, think the bond will keep above water, just
strong enough to swim, with the tide, but neither against
1 Ld. Grenville.
George Tierney, born 1761 ; entered H. of C. 1789. He held
office under Ld. Grenville 1806, and Mr. Canning 1826. He died 1830.
1821] NEGOTIATIONS WITH FOREIGN OFFICE 269
it or across it. I have therefore written to Lord Liver-
pool urging your claims & suggesting Turin in the first
place & Switzerland in the next. I will transmit his
answer, & you may depend upon my urging the matter
with all the earnestness which my affection for you
dictates, & the anxiety which my own wishes feel.
" General curiosity is excited about the Catholic
Question. 1 The expectation is that it will be carried
in the H. of Commons. The King's anxiety to go to
Ireland immediately, & certain expressions lately dropped
by Lord Liverpool induce many to believe that the
Ministers are not disinclined to wish the question
carried. I conclude the affairs of Naples J will soon be
settled, & the Carbonars taught their real value & a
good lesson to all revolution-mongers there & elsewhere.
" Yours ever affectionately,
" C. B."
The Same
" LONDON, February 21th, 1821.
" MY DEAR HENRY, Not two hours after I sent my
letter to Lord Liverpool I received an answer. It is
general, but upon the whole, I think, a favorable one,
& I am told that the singular haste in sending the answer
augurs well. It must either augur well, or mean, as a
man does who returns a visit an hour after the visit has
been made, to get rid of the visit & writer. But the
wise ones tell me it is a favourable symptom. I think
it may be so, at all events the boat is launched, & now
we must keep Lord Liverpool to the Collar.
" I leave town this day but shall be here again in a
week. Write here & of course I need not say you may
command my best exertions."
The Same
" AVINGTON, March 9th, 1821.
" MY DEAR HENRY, When I left Town I desired
Charles to lose no time or opportunity in pressing Lord
i On February 28th Mr. Plunkett brought forward a motion for
the Roman Catholic Emancipation. Canning spoke eloquently in
its favour and a majority was obtained. But the Bill was rejected by
the Lords on the second reading.
1 A revolutionary movement for the restoration of Ferdinand of
Naples.
270 THE QUEEN [CHAP, xv
Castlereagh, whom he saw every day in the House of
Commons, to make good Lord Liverpool's letter.
Whether he has done so or not I know not, but you
ought to press him upon this, & keep him up to it. I
have written to him to-day about it. When I go to
London I will see Lord Liverpool upon it & if you think
it of any use, or if any thing happens to make me think
it might, I will write again to him.
44 The Duke of Wellington has just left me, extremely
pleased with his reception in this country. In fact
nothing could be more enthusiastic notwithstanding
that the Queen's friends made a push to mob him, in
which they very partially succeeded. Above 200
Gentlemen met him at dinner.
44 As to Naples, all I wish is that the matter was
settled somehow or another. Many people are very
sanguine in the belief that the Catholic question will
be carried, & its enemies do not seem very confident in
their resistance."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK ftnunr, April 3rd, 1821.
44 The report of the Town is that the Queen is deter-
mined on having a Drawing-room preparatory to which,
however, she must have some female Household, & as
yet none have professed a desire for the honour. To
Lady Charlotte Berry ' she looked with confident li
that from poverty or other circumstances, she mi^ht
be less fastidious, but even she, I hear, is cruel. 'I
it is said that if this fails she will make it a plea for
leaving a Country where she docs not meet with honor
due : but the truth is that she & all her dirt is entirely
swept aside & the Idea of her very large Income, & two
Houses has removed everything like a shadow of interest
for her even among the lowest of hrr former followers.
14 It was reported a few days ago that Lor. I I
wa going to console himself for the loss of Entrlc to the
1 See note, p. 218. * See p. 100 and note.
^,
272 CHILDREN'S BALL AT HAWARDEN [CHAP, xv
among the most conspicuous features. They were the
tallest girls of their age I ever saw, raw & unformed
looking, (Particularly in this premature age) but one
if not two of them promising to be pretty. Mrs. Han-
bury Tracy's Squad likewise made some good turn-outs
but in general there appeared to me little beauty except-
ing in the absolute Infants of whom there were a dozen,
I believe, from 5 to 7 or 8. In dancing there was not
one, I really believe, to compare with our own Char-
lotte, 1 & both she & Mary 1 looked remarkably well,
but the extreme disparity in height & age of the per-
formers hurt the effect of the Quadrille very much. We
had the High-Leigh Son & Heir who is I believe near 18,
then we had two Miss Dundas's (daughters of Lady
Melville) whom Mary 8 does not even visit, but sent to
' as Neighbours ' & these were both as tall as Mary
herself. Miss Hughes, looking as old as her Mama, tho'
called only 15 & evidently appearing to be quizzing the
whole thing. Good Mrs. Leigh not content with watch-
ing over her own brood of 6 but hovering & waiting on
every body-elses. Lady K. Stewart with 2, quite babies,
but one of them perfectly beautiful, the other poor thing,
lame for life, owing to a strong Goulard Poultice applied
by Walker (the famous Apothecary of St. James' St.)
to a broken Chilblain, which brought on Paralysis in
the Ancle & lower part of the leg & there she is as
fine & healthy & active a Child as you can see unable
to move but with a Crutch !
" Mr. & Mrs. Egn. 1 with 3 boys looking, I fear too
wishfully & sorrowfully at the pretty little girls, besides
these, were a squad of Frankes, Strettons, Bullers, &
others whom I neither knew or cared about. Miss
Crewe dressed out by Mrs. C. in Gauze, blond, & white
Lillies, but withal of so unpleasing an aspect that Dr.
Somerville (one of the Fell fools) went up to Mary &
asked her who was that young Lady who ' looked as if
she had had & would have a Will of her own as long as she
lived.' It was near 11 before they sat down to supper,
& Hugh 4 was so tired that I should have come away the
1 Charles's two daughters. Mary became Mrs. Milnes Gaskell.
1 Hon. Lady Glynne, 2nd dau. of Ld. Braybrooke. See p. 11.
3 Egerton.
* Hugh Cholmondeley, eld. a. of 1st Ld. Delamere, b, 1811.
1821] LADY LIVERPOOL'S DEATH 273
moment it was over if my Carriage had arrived. We
were however off by past, but Cross tells me the house
was not cleared till one."
From Charles W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WHITEHALL, Wednesday.
[Probable date about June 12 th, 1821.]
" MY DEAR HENRY, Lady Liverpool's l death has at
last taken place, so for a few days to come conjecture
will be active in proportion as nothing will be known.
I believe almost everything at present to be loose &
uncertain & that the extent of change is quite un-
determined. Ministers allow that their weakness in the
House of Commons is such as no longer to allow them
even to totter on as they have hitherto done & many of
those who have been their primest supporters, have
notified that, that support cannot continue unless they
take proper measures to strengthen themselves.
" Upon the whole I expect Lord Liverpool to con-
tinue in Office, though some who are intimately ac-
quainted with him are of a different opinion. It has
at length been expressly notified to us that as soon as he
is again capable of attending to business, a direct com-
munication on the proposed changes will be addressed
to Lord B. 2 & that Ministers are desirious of our co-
operation etc.
" This of course is for yourself alone, in the strictest
secrecy. Canning would also be comprehended, but I
doubt whether Peel. I think it however very probable
that all this will be delayed, first till after the Session,
then till after the Coronation, then till the return from
Ireland & then till next year.
" This is all I know, & notwithstanding the strong
eagerness to accept, which you are aware, will exist in
Lord B. I feel great doubt whether it may, under exist-
ing circumstances, be possible to form such an arrange-
ment, as it may be desirable for us to form a part of.
1 Lady Louisa Hervey, dau. of 3rd E. of Bristol, Bp. of Berry. She
mar. as his first wife in 1795, Robert Bankes, 2nd E. of Liverpool and
2nd Baron Hawkesbury. She died 1821,
* Ld. Buckingham,
274 NEW PEERS [CHAP, xv
The grand point is that of general strength which is
principally deficient in the H. of C. not in numbers, for
there are plenty who are disposed to vote, but in
efficient control of the general Administration over the
several Departments. The inertness of the Treasury
which, for so many years, has been the seat of Govern-
ment & directions, infects the whole system. The
Chancellor, 1 by the support of the Duke of York & Lord
Shaftesbury,* has set up a standard separate from Lord
Liverpool, opposes, as you see, every measure of im-
provement & the only excuse for keeping him in, is the
want of any one to replace him. But of this eno'ugh
for the present.
"I hear the proposed Peerages are,
Earl of Aylesbury, to be Marquis.
Lord Eldon & Lord Curzon to be Earls.
M. of Conyngham,
Earls of Ormond, Kingston, Longford,
Marquis of Lothian.
Earl of Wemyss.
Lord James Murray.
^English Peers.
Wellesley Pole.
Sir William Scott.
Sir T. Heathcote.
Cholmondley & Forrester.
" Undoubtedly we can see no possible reason why
Lord Sidmouth, Bragge-Bathurst, J Vansittart, Wellesley
Pole, & Westmorland, are not fitter to go out of Office
than Lord Harrowby, & if they did, were replaced by
Canning, Huskisson, Lauderdale, & Lord Wellesley, the
Country would, in my opinion, gain by the change.
" Ever most affectionately yours.
" C. W. W. W.
" The King continues determined to go by Sea to
Ireland, & Ministers that he shall go by land."
1 Lord Eldon.
1 6th E. of Shaftesbury ; Chairman of Committees in the H. of L. ;
born 1768 ; mar. 1796, Anne, dau. of 3rd D. of Marlborough. He died
1851.
8 Bt. Hon. Charles Bragg-Bathurst, Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, 1812 ; mar. 1788, Charlotte, dau. of Ld. Addington (and
sister to Henry Addington the Prime Minister, afterwards Ld. Sid-
mouth). He died 1831.
1821] A POLITICAL COMPROMISE 275
The King was crowned on July 19th, and Parliament
had been prorogued on July llth. There was a great
deal of talk and rumour on the subject of a change of
Ministers. Lord Liverpool's Government was weak
and vacillating, and the policy with regard to the
unfortunate Queen had become a Party question. In
a letter addressed by Mr. Fremantle, M.P., to Lord
Buckingham, June 16th, 1821, he says, "... the King
only plays a game with the Opposition, from vexation,
. . . and a wish of keeping down a Party for the Queen,
but he has no idea of changing his Government "
(Memories of the Court of George IV, vol. ii. p. 166).
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" HASTINGS, Friday.
" My Brother l writes me word to-day that the general
report of London was that there had been a compromise
between the King & his Ministers, the latter acquiescing
in Lord C's * being of the Royal Household & the former
consenting to admit Canning ' to the embraces of Lord
Liverpool. Still this ought not to make Lord Liverpool
feel himself released from his engagement to Henry, but
of the ministerial Code of right & wrong on such subjects
there is no judging excepting from experience. I grieve
for the personal sacrifice which you must make for the
experiment, & only wish it may answer to you in other
respects as satisfactorily as it must in the consciousness
of your never admitting a thought of Self to obtrude
itself on your decisions. Of my next door neighbours,
the Lamberts, I have heard nothing, nor do I believe
have they visited any body, at least Lady Lavington,
who, moyennant Mrs. Jones, (Lady Claremont's sister)
seems to know all the genteel news of the place, did not
name them. She told me that Lord Worcester * is cer-
1 Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville. 8 Ld. Conyngham.
8 Canning led the H. of C. in 1821, after Ld. Castlereagh had sue.
his father as Marq. of Londonderry.
* Henry, afterwards 7th D. of Beaufort ; born 1792 ; mar. 1st, 1814,
Georgiana, dau. of Henry FitzRoy. She died 1821. He mar. 2ndly,
1822, Emily, dau. of Charles Culling Smith. He died 1863.
27G MINISTERIAL CHANGES PENDING [CHAP, xt
tainly to marry Lady J. Paget, 1 & that it will be a great
blow to Lady Anne, who most unwisely gave out that He
would never certainly think of marrying again. He
need not, perhaps, have thought of it quite so soon, &
for the sake of his poor little girls he might perhaps have
made a more promising choice than a Paget. Tom
writes word from Lady Elizabeth Belgrave,* that the
Knowsley s Bride has 15,000 now, & as much more at
her Father's death, but what Lady Gr. s intends to give
to the pennyless Earl ' has not transpired. I suppose
she will keep Heaton House for her own Jointure, nor
indeed could he live there on Rice-milk."
The unpopularity of Lord Liverpool's Government
was growing apace, by the end of 1821 it was evident
that, if he were to remain in power, he must try to
reinforce his Cabinet by some sort of coalition with the
Grenville Whigs. On February 22nd, 1822, Lord
Buckingham, Lord Grenville's nephew, was given the step
in the Peerage he so much desired, and became Duke
of Buckingham. Places and promotions began to fall
to other members of the parent^.
Ministerial changes were pending, and Lady Williams
Wynn could but see that in the near future some
appointment would fall to Charles. She had lived all
her life on the edge of the political circle, and her
views of office, the demands of the position, and the
expenses entailed, which, in her opinion, far exceeded
the emoluments, are interesting.
From Lady W. W. to Mrs. Charles W. W.
" VALE ROYAL, August 21st.
" Lord Grenville, when I was last at Dropmore urged
the (more than prudence for he called it) absolute neces-
1 Dau. of 1st Marq. of Anglesey, by his first wife. She mar. 1824,
Ld. F. Conyngham, afterwards 2nd Marq.
1 Dau. of 1st D. of Sutherland ; mar. 1819, Ld. Belgrave, afterwards
2nd Marq. of Westminster. She died at the age of 94 in 1891.
8 Lady Mary Stanley, dau. of 12th E. of Derby ; mar. 1821, Thomas
Grosvenor (2nd s. of Robert, 1st Marq. of Westminster), 2nd Earl
of Wilton through his maternal grandfather (Lady Grosvenor, wife of
Robert, afterwards 1st Marq. of Westminster, being sole dau. and h.
of Thomas, 1st E. of Wilton).
1821] CLAIMS OF OFFICE 277
sity of your limiting your expences quite as much now
as before you went in to Office. He says the entire
change which has taken place in the general View of the
Claims of those who devote themselves to public Office,
makes it no longer possible for those who hold it, to give
anything to representation, inasmuch as according to
the present system a man has not to look to its supply-
ing him with any means of providing either for himself
or his family, & is to expect to retire from it, with less
provision for his old age than a Chelsea Pensioner. He
told me that when my Father * was in Office, the plan
which he laid down & in a great measure adhered to, was
to continue to live as before on his own Income, & to
lay by the whole of his Salary, as what he was earning
by labour, & hard labour too ! ! for his family. On these
considerations he most earnestly advises that you
should not, even if all goes on as it is, think of changing
your house. I am sure we have had but too many
examples lately of the sacrifices which is made by those
who do devote themselves to public life, & of the neces-
sity of their being unabled to with draw from it before
they are quite exhausted by the peculiarly severe labour
both of body & mind now attached to it. That Lord
Grenville was enabled to retire from it when he did, I
cannot be sufficiently thankful for, as I really believe
he must have sunk under it very soon, but according to
the present system, He would not, supposing that Lady
Grenville's ! situation had continued as it was when he
married her, have had where withall to have done so.
" Of the Bow-meeting you have heard all the details
from younger & livelier pens than mine, I shall
therefore only say that I was delighted to see all your
family in most especial good looks & spirits. Lady
Cunliffe s quite blooming but grumbling as much at your
economy of her pocket as you can of hers ! It is very
1 The Rt. Hon. George Grenville, Prime Minister 1763 ; born 1702 ;
died 1770. See Introduction.
2 Anne, dau. of 1st Ld. Camelford of Boconnoc. She inherited this
estate from her brother Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron, who was killed in a
duel in 1804. She left her property at her death in 1864 to her
husband's nephew the Hon. George Fortescue.
3 Harriet, dau. of Sir David Kinloch, mar. 1781, Sir Foster Cunliffe,
3rd Bart. She died 1830. She was the mother of Mrs. Charles Wil-
liams Wynn.
278 A WEIGHTY DECISION [CHAP, xv
odd that this should be the one only pecuniary mark of
the interest of one's friends, for which one is shy of
drawing upon them. Lady Charlotte Neville 1 was
more active & gay in doing her honors than I ever saw
her, tho' evidently in her usual scrape, & likely to add
a 4th little doll to the 3 which were carried about after
her, not one of them able to walk for themselves. Her
eldest Boy is very handsome & very agreeable, his cousin
Lawley equally promising in the last respect but quite
autrement in the former. Harriet & Lord D. returned
from Willey ' full of course of admiration & good report,
but from others I hear there was a most lamentable
deficiency of the * Staff of Life ' & that many, among
whom was my informant, having come 15 & 20 miles
returned without breaking bread. The two Brides
were very pretty & very loving."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" HASTINGS, Tuesday.
" I must write one line my dearest Charles to thank
you for your letter of this morning & to tell you how
very glad I am to hear that you are likely to be able to
reconcile all the contending Considerations, which have
so much perplexed you of late, into a decision which
in many points cannot but be obvious advantage to you.
I know too well the perfectly honest & honourable feelings
of your mind to have ever had a doubt of your losing
sight for one moment of those principles in any decision
which you had to make & have therefore really only
feared that from an almost chivalrous jealousy of the
arguments in favour of your own personal advantage,
you would have given to the opposite Scale more than in
justice or reason belonged to it. It is however absurd
for me to enter into discussion upon points on which I
am in utter ignorance & therefore all I have to say is
1 Dau. of George, 3rd E. of Dartmouth ; mar. 1816, Hon. and Rev.
George Neville (who in 1825 assumed the additional surname of Gren-
ville, in accordance with the will of his kinsman, Ld. Glastonbury).
She died 1877.
8 Now Ld. and Lady Delamere, so created on July 17th, 1821.
8 Willey Park, belonging to Ld. Forrester (created 1st Baron
July 17th, 1821).
279
to repeat over & over again my most ardent wishes &
prayers that in all things you may be directed to that
which may be most conducive to your Weal. Further
as you will believe I shall not be a little anxious for my
next dispatch which, I suppose, must be definitive. The
Income is far beyond what I thought, I suppose you
must know what you say about it, but I had not thought
it was above 3,000. Will it call for a change of house ?
God bless you dearest."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" HASTINGS, December 5th.
" From Charles I have not heard one word, & there-
fore suspend the letter which in the common course of
things, I had intended writing to him to-day. From
whom the offer of the Board of Controul l has come I
do not from your letter make out, but most anxiously
do I hope that it may have been in a shape which will
leave him no hesitation in accepting a situation which
must, I think gratify his most sanguine wishes. All I
hope is, that his predecessor may leave in the Seat, some
of those adhesive particles of Bird lime, Cobbler's wax,
etc. which has given of late such firmness of tenure to
those who have got into them. I have been trying to
recollect what I have heard of the salary, & fancy that
it is some-where about 3,000, but I hope to-morrow's
post will give me some fresh light on the subject.
" I cannot fancy that Lady B. s will ever consent to
his taking the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland, or at least
that she will go halves in it with him. I know nobody
to whom the representation would be so irksome, indeed
if half that one hears of her state of health be true it
must be utterly unequal to the smallest part of such
duties. As to our silence & secrecy on all these Topics,
we have no merit in preserving it utterly inviolate, not
having even Midas' Confidant to impart it to."
1 This office was held by Mr. Canning from 1816 to 1821; he
resigned on account of his disapproval of the Queen's trial. He
was succeeded by Mr. C. B. Bathurst. Charles obtained the appoint-
ment in 1822.
a Anne Eliza Brydges, dau. and co-h. of 3rd D. of Chandoa. She
mar. 2nd Marq. of Buckingham in 1796.
19
280 HENRY MINISTER AT BERNE [CHAP, xv
Henry Williams Wynn took up the fission at Berne
in December 1821, accompanied by his wife and family.
In a letter, dated December 16th, Lady Williams Wynn
compares the salaries of her two sons. " I fancy the
Board of Control is called 5,000. I hope Henry does not
over estimate Switzerland at 4,000, but I cannot help
having my doubts."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BEOOK STREET, April IQth.
" The first piece of news I heard on my arrival was
the Annonce of Lord Denbigh l & Miss Morton, which
is settled at last, & is to be concluded with all possible
despatch that the whole family may set off together
in a fortnights time for Paris. An odd place to choose
for Honey-mooning ! I doubt that a singular history
of accession of Wealth to Mr. Benyon,* (a man who
maried a daughter of Lady Drummond Smith,* from
whom he is parted,) must have reached you, having
been 11 days in circulation, but at the chance of being
tedious ' as a tale twice told ' I will tell you that a very
distant relation of Mr. B's, a Batchelor of 83, dies &
leaves him, besides an Estate of 3,000 pr. an. * all his
personal Estate, consisting of Government Securities
& including a sum in Bank Stock, amounting in the whole
to 8,000,000. Up starts an old woman from Bath
& at the suggestion of an Attorney puts in a claim to the
Bank Stock, saying however by this man, that at her
age she should of course much dislike entering into
litigation & should therefore be most ready to accept
a Compromise, ' and how much does she require ? ' said
Mr. B. ' You must make your own offer ' replied the
Attorney. Then, after a minute's pause, * Will 100,000
satisfy her ? ' ' Most certainly ' says the Attorney,
1 William, 7th E. of Denbigh ; born 1796; mar. Hon. Mary Moreton,
dau. of 1st E. of Ducie, 1822. She died 1842. He died 1865.
1 Lady Drummond Smith, 2nd wife of Sir Drummond Smith,
Bart., dau. of William, 2nd Vise. Galway, and widow of Sir Francis
Sykes. Her only daughter by her first marriage, Elizabeth, mar. 1797,
Richard Benyon (who in 1814 assumed the additional surnames of
Powlett-Wrightson and in 1822 that of De Beauvoir). She died 1822.
1822] THE DUKE OF BEDFORD 281
with a low bow, & ended the matter, & there, as your
Uncle observes, is one probably of many instances of a
man with above a million of Money dying in perfect
obscurity.
" I am afraid Lord Glastonbury ' is sinking fast, He
has no particular complaint, but says he is aware that he
is going & is so low that he will not, if he can help it come
out of his house. We, his Contemporaries, shall very
sincerely miss & regret him, & many younger ones will
long remember his singular talents for society.''
The leading Whigs looked upon Liverpool's coalition
with the Grenville party as a betrayal of principle, and
party feeling ran high in London society. The Duke
of Bedford, irate at the lavish bestowal of honours and
places amongst the Grenville clique, made an attack,
reported in the Globe newspaper, upon " a noble Duke,
late a noble Marquess." The new Duke of Buckingham,
with his " blushing honours thick upon him," resented
the tone and tenor of the attack, and after some
correspondence, demanded " satisfaction," choosing his
cousin, Sir Watkin, as his intermediary. Sir Watkin
sent Henry a full account of the " Meeting," with
copies of the letters which passed between the two noble
Dukes. Incidentally it transpires that poor Sir Watkin' s
feelings at the time of the ** meeting " were extremely
mixed, as his second son chose that precise moment for
entering the world.
From Sir Watkin W. W, to Henry W. W. W.
" May 3rd.
" DEAR HENRY, I wrote to you in haste yesterday,
but as I am sure that you will be most anxious for the
details of the business which began so unpleasantly
He died 1825.
282 A DUEL PENDING [CHAP, xv
but has terminated as satisfactorily as possible, I enclose
you copies of the whole correspondence & a Newspaper
with a copy of the offensive words & a true, but not
official account of the ' Action.' As far as I can collect
the opinion of the Town, I think, that it is favourable
& that the words used were much too strong to be passed
by. I lament the long time which elapsed between the
offence & the arrangement, but when you look at the
dates of the Correspondence you will see that it could
not be helped.
" On Wednesday the 24th, I received a letter from
the Duke of Buckingham, 1 (No. 1) saying ' that should
it lead to further correspondence, he should, trusting to
my unvarying affection, have recourse to my advice.'
Feeling that I could not refuse such a request, I went
immediately to my Uncle Tom, who said that he thought
the thing necessary, & only doubted if the words were
strong enough. I did not receive No. 3 till 6 o'clock
on Sunday, I had waited at home expecting it, till
3 o'clock, when I took my ride, owing to some mistake
the parcel was not delivered till \ past 3. I went
immediately to the Duke of Bedford's * & as I was
denied, wrote to him begging him to fix an hour
when I should call upon him, either that evening or
the next day, he sent word, he was getting into his
carriage to go to dinner but would send an answer in
the evening.
" As chance would have it we met at dinner at the
Dilittante, I then settled to call upon him at 11 next
day, which I did accordingly & delivered No. 3. I
called again in 3 hours & received No. 4, which I read
& said I doubted it being satisfactory, but that I should
send it to Stowe & that I made no doubt of the Duke
of Buckingham being in town on Tuesday. As he was
not arrived by 5 o'clock the Duke of Bedford settled
to go to hear Canning & from there to the Opera. At
9 the Duke of Buckingham arrived, (in the meantime
my Boy was born) I was with him in an hour, he wrote
1 2nd Marq., created Duke 1822.
* John, 6th D. of Bedford; born 1766; mar. 1st, 1786, Georgina,
dau. of Vise. Torrington (she died 1801), 2ndly in 1803, Georgina, dau.
of 4th D. of Gordon. He was Ld.-Lieut. of Ireland in 1806-7. He
died 1839.
1822] THE MEETING ARRANGED 283
No. 5 which is too long but I could not help that. I
was with the Duke of Bedford by appointment by 10
o'clock on Wednesday, at 12 I saw Lord Lynedock, 1 he
settled to meet me on horse back at the end of Portland
Place at 4 to fix the place, we rode together for an hour
& half, all about Paddington, Westbourne, etc., but
the gates of all the Fields leading to the Road were
locked & it was impossible for the Duke of Buckingham
to have scrambled into them, I therefore suggested
Kensington Gardens, which Lord L. adopted, we chose
a gravel pit just on the right as you come in at Bays-
water, in a thicket, a place which I will be bound has
been most frequently used for the contrary purpose to
what we intended, viz. Love. We were all there before
the time, I believe I was last as I rode to the Magazine
& walked over Bush Hill. Ten minutes passed in dis-
cussion when I offered to accept much less than what
the Duke of Bedford afterwards said. Tho' I had
anticipated exactly such a result I do not know when I
ever felt my mind more relieved than when every thing
was over. Lord Lyndock called upon the Duke of
York to make an apology for having violated the
sanctity of the Palace, the Duke of Buckingham begged
me to do the same this morning, the Duke of York
tho' hardly recovered from the Gout saw me & was
very civil.
" Harriet & my little one z are going on very well
we have not yet settled whether he is to be ' Edward '
or ' Herbert ' Watkin, Lord Clive is to be one God-father
& we doubt whether to ask you upon this occasion, or
to wait for the chance of a future one when you can be
present.
" Yours affectionately,
" W. W. W."
1 Thomas Graham, 1st Ld. Lynedoch, a distinguished General in
the Peninsular War, and victor of Barrosa in 1807. His wife, who died
in 1792, was Mary, dau. of Ld. Cathcart, and the original of Gains-
borough's famous picture "Mrs. Graham." He died 1843.
* Herbert Watkin, 2nd B. and youngest child. He mar. in 1855,
Anna, dau. and co-h. of Edward Lloyd of Cefn. He was sometime
M.P. for Montgomeryshire. He died from injuries caused by a fall
from his horse in 1862. His eldest surviving son is the present (7th)
Baronet of Wynnstay.
284 THE CORRESPONDENCE [CHAP, xv
Copy No. 1
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to the
Duke of Bedford
" STOWE, April 23rd, 1822.
" MY LORD, In the Globe Newspaper of 22nd inst.
I this morning read the following passage, represented
to be part of your Grace's Speech at a County Meeting
therein stated to have been lately held at Bedford viz,
* He, (meaning your Grace) would now advert to another
transaction which he was almost ashamed to mention,
he alluded to a great Borough Proprietor, now a noble
Duke, late a noble Marquis, whose services, & the services
of whose adherents in Parliament had been purchased
by Government, had been purchased by conferring high
Offices on those adherents.' I conclude that I cannot
do otherwise than suppose the person therein alluded
to, be myself, upon this point if I am mistaken, your
Grace can set me right.
" I have lived long enough in public life, not to
trouble myself about the estimate which it may please
the public Newspapers to make of my public or private
character, I also know how incorrectly what passes at
public Meetings is often reported in the Newspapers,
not always intentionally so, by the Reporters, but owing
to the confusion attending such Meetings. But when
expressions such as these tending to slander my Char-
acter both individual, & as a public man, by stating that
* my services have been purchased ' by the Govern-
ment, and by Offices conferred on my friends, are sup-
ported by the weight of an authority and name so much
respected as yours, an importance attaches to them
which in other respects they would not merit.
" I feel myself therefore called upon in vindication of
my character to request your Grace will inform me
whether these words as reported in the Globe News-
paper were used by your Grace and applied to me.
" If they were not, or if they were accompanied by
other expressions not reported in the Newspaper explain-
ing away their obvious and offensive meaning, I will ask
your Grace to say so, and in that case I have to apologize
THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
Romney
284]
1822] THE CORRESPONDENCE 285
to your Grace for having taken up so much of your
time.
" I have the honor to remain My Lord,
' Your Grace's obedient humble Servant,
(signed) " C. BUCKINGHAM & CHANDOS.
'' P.S. It has occurred to me that possibly your
Grace may not have seen the Globe Newspaper and
consequently may not be aware of the manner in which
your speech is reported therein.
" I have therefore taken the liberty of transmitting
it to your Grace and I will thank you to return it to me.
" C. B. & C."
Copy No. 2
From the Duke of Bedford to the Duke of Buckingham
and Chandos
" WOBTJBN ABBEY, April 25th, 1822.
" MY LORD DUKE, I have by this morning's post
had the honour to receive your Grace's letter of the
23rd inst. referring to a passage in the Globe News-
paper of the 22nd, represented to be a Speech I made
at a County Meeting held at Bedford on Saturday last.
" Your Grace is perfectly correct in supposing that
you are the person therein alluded to, but it is impossible
for me to say whether the words I used at that Meeting
are correctly reported or not, I can however have no
hesitation in assuring your Grace that I meant nothing
personally offensive to you, and I never intentionally
gave personal offence to any man in the whole course of
my life.
" My intention was to animadvert on a public transac-
tion in which a public man was concerned, and this I
claim a right to do in any public Assembly, whether
in the House of Parliament, of which I am a Member,
or out of it.
" I have the honor to be My Lord Duke,
" Your Grace's very obedient & humble Servant,
(signed) " BEDFORD.
" P.S. I shall be in town on Saturday next, should
your Grace desire to have any further communication
286 THE CORRESPONDENCE [CHAP, xv
with me on the subject. I return the Globe Newspaper
as you desire.
** To His Grace the Duke of Buckingham & Chandos."
Copy No. 3
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to the
Duke of Bedford
" STOWB, Saturday, April 21th, 1822.
" MY DEAR DUKE, I have this morning received your
Grace's letter in answer to mine of 23rd inst.
" Your Grace admits that I was the person alluded
to in your Speech at the Bedford Meeting. You state
that it is impossible for you to say whether the words
you used at that Meeting were correctly reported or not
but that you meant nothing personally offensive to me,
your Grace will pardon me for saying that the words
used must be the test of this.
" In referring to the Newspaper report your Grace
will see that you are there represented as charging me
with having sold my services to Government for places
given to my adherents.
" The conduct of every public man is open to remark,
observation, and criticism in Parliament or elsewhere.
But neither in Parliament or elsewhere is any one
justified in imputing corrupt motives or dishonest con-
duct to any man, especially behind his back, and when
he cannot defend himself.
" The question, if made by anyone, that my services
were purchased by Government for places conferred
upon my adherents is untrue & slanderous, and I should
call upon any individual who made it, either to answer
it, or make me reparation for it.
" The Globe Newspaper states, your Grace to have
made the assertion, your Grace says it is impossible for
you to say whether your words were correctly reported
therein or not, I have therefore no alternative left, but
to request your Grace will be pleased to inform me
whether at that Meeting, in the words reported or in any
others implying the same thing, you meant to charge
me with the corrupt & dishonest act of selling my
1822] THE CORRESPONDENCE 287
services to the Government for places given to my
adherents.
' Your Grace having said in your letter that you are
going to London this day, I should immediately have
proceeded there myself, but as the Duchess of Bucking-
ham is coming here to-day from London, my unex-
pectedly crossing her on the road would necessarily
create an alarm, which in the present state of the
proceedings is unnecessary and a publicity which under
all circumstances, until the affair is settled it is highly
expedient to avoid. I have therefore transmitted this
letter by the Coach (there being no post to-day) to Sir
Watkin Williams Wynn who will do himself the honor
of waiting upon your Grace with it or of transmitting
it to your Grace, whichever he may think right, and he
will, should your Grace approve of it receive any answer
or communication which your Grace may think fit to
send me.
" I have the honor to be, My Lord Duke,
" Your Grace's Obedient Servant,
" C. BUCKINGHAM & CHANDOS.
" His Grace the Duke of Bedford."
Copy No. 4
From the Duke of Bedford to the Duke of Buckingham
and Chandos
" ST. JAMES'S SQUARE, April 29th, 1822.
" MY LORD DUKE, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn has
delivered to me the letter which your Grace did me the
honor to write to me on the 27th inst.
" I beg leave once more to repeat that I meant no
personal offence to your Grace in anything I said at
Bedford.
" Without disputing upon the accuracy of words
quoted in a Newspaper report, I will truly avow that I
meant to say that your Grace's services were purchased
by the Government, but not in any offensive sense of the
word. The fact appears to me to be politically and
substantially true and not to be controverted. I imputed
no ' corrupt Motives ' to your Grace. Every man must
l?e the best & only judge of his own motives.
288 THE CORRESPONDENCE [CHAP, xv
" At a public Meeting legally convened for a specifick
purpose, essentially connected with the conduct of leading
men in Parliament, in the part of the County in which I
reside, I commented upon the conduct of your Grace,
and that of your Parliamentary adherents, as deeply
injurious to the best interests of the Country, and this I
again repeat I conceive I had a perfect right to do.
If your Grace is not satisfied with this statement, I am
perfectly ready to make you any reparation which the
honor of a Gentleman may grant.
" I am My Lord Duke,
" Your obedient, humble Servant,
(signed) " BEDFORD."
Copy No. 5
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to the
Duke of Bedford
" BUCKINGHAM HOUSE, Tuesday, April 3Qth.
" MY LORD DUKE, I received your Grace's letter of
yesterday's date this morning at Stowe, and in con-
sequence of it have not lost a moment in coming up to
London. I sincerely regret to say that your Grace's
explanation is not satisfactory.
" The point at issue between us is not whether my
political conduct is or is not injurious to the best interests
of the Country, upon that subject, your Grace has in
common with every man the fullest right to form and
express an opinion. But the question which I requested
your Grace to answer, was whether you had at the
Bedfordshire Meeting either, in the words ascribed to
you, or in any other, stated that my services were
purchased by the Government, at the expence of Offices
given to my adherents, your Grace admits that you
meant to say, my services were purchased by the Govern-
ment, whether at the expence of Offices given to my
adherents, your Grace is silent. I am however bound
to believe you do not therefore mean to deny that you
used terms to express this also. Your Grace says that
you used the word * Purchased ' not in the offensive
sense of the word, I know no meaning which can apply
1822] A GRACEFUL DUEL 289
to it as referring to the conduct of a public man, that
is not offensive, and you must have meant to imply my
motive was corrupt, because the very act of selling
myself for Offices given to my friends necessarily implies
a corrupt & dishonest bargain.
' I must declare this statement of my conduct to be
untrue and your Grace in avouing that you have made
it leaves me no other course to pursue than that of
calling upon your Grace to give me that satisfaction
which is due to my character and honor which you have
publickly traduced.
" Sir Watkin Williams Wynn will have the honor of
placing this letter in your Grace's hands and of arranging
with your Grace or with any Gentleman whom your
Grace may appoint the details necessary on the occasion.
" I have the honor to be My Lord Duke,
" Your Grace's obedient Servant,
" B & "
" To His Grace the Duke of Bedford." '
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STBEET, May 1th.
" For a bad business nothing, thank God, could
have had a more satisfactory termination, the sub-
sequent civilities on both sides, have been quite in the
* vielle Cour ' Stile, & it is the fashion to describe it as a
most graceful duel, which is speaking of it with more
levity than I can reconcile to quoting. Next to the
trembling rejoicing at the happy out-turn it has been a
matter of the greatest gratification to me to hear from
all sides how very much my dear Watkin's conduct on
the occasion has been approved. My Brother Tom,
says it was impossible for any man to have Shewn more
perfect judgement & firmness, coolness & good temper,
than he did in every part of the business, and in these
four merits, he thinks are comprised all that could be
brought to avail on such an occasion, my good Watkin,
however added one more, that of kind-heartedness, in
endeavouring tho' I fear with little success, to turn the
softness of the moment to some account towards bringing
290 TALK OF THE TOWN [CHAP, xv
the two Brothers * nearer together. Watkin's agitation
on the Tuesday when he found himself just at the crisis
of his arrangements with the Duke of Bedford, taken
in for the Crisis of Lady Harriet's Accouchment, must
have been very great, but thank God, he was speedily and
happily relieved from all anxiety about her in less than
two hours. The Boy is not so large as his Brother, but is
a fair full-sized Child, & at present very pretty from
having what we hope is ' Papa's Nose.' His name will,
I fancy, be Edward, which tho' allowed to be much less
pretty than Herbert, is considered as more compli-
mentary to Grand-papa Po. !
" Many people have said that they really hope that
this business of the Duel may be productive of good
effect in checking the outrageous black-guard Stile of
personality which has been, this year adopted in the
debates, I heard that while Lord J, Russel ' was describ-
ing the (to me so honoured) name of Grenville, as one
* Abhorred through out the Country,' even Brougham
exclaimed, * this is too bad 1 ! '
" The Swiss Mission, will I suppose be the next subject
interesting to me that will be brought into discussion, &
that discussion will at least give an opportunity of
refuting some of the many false statements which have
been put forth on the subject.
" The Bridal Riddels 4 are still in town but talk of soon
going to their Villa in the Highlands, to which Edinburgh
is not half way, & where, when I asked her if they had a
good house, she said he talked of building one some time
or other, but at present it is only a Cottage ! ! Love will,
I hope resist the wintry blasts but it will have much
to do.
" The talk of the town is still whether Lord Wor-
cester 6 is, or only is to be, married to Miss Smith. There
1 The D. of Buckingham and Ld. Nugent.
2 Ld. Powis.
8 Rt. Hon. Ld. John Russell, 3rds. of the 6th D. of Bedford ; born 1792;
created Earl Russell 1861 ; Prime Minister 1846-52, 1865-6. He
died 1878.
* Sir James Riddell, 2nd Bart, of Ardnamurchan, mar. 1822, Mary,
dau. of Sir Richard Brooke.
' This marriage took place (see note 4, page 27 f >). The lady's mother
was Lady Anne Wellesley, widow of Hon. Henry Fitzroy, who died
1794. She mar. 2ndly, 1799, Charles Culling Smith.
1822] DEATH OF LORD LONDONDERRY 291
is a report that our worthy cousin, Silly-Billy, 1 has mixed
himself up in the discussion, so as to have produced an
angry message from Lord Worcester. This would seem
hardly possible were it not already known that there is
nothing foolish or impertinent that he may not say
or do."
From Lady W. W. to Charles W. W. W.
" HAWARDEN CASTLE, August Hth.
" You will easily believe my dearest Charles how
very much even I feel affaireed by the sad event 8
notified 4o us in this mornings paper, I am most truly
concerned for the breaking up of so much domestic
happiness, & am of course lost in speculation on the
probable consequences. Will Canning be stopped, will
Peel be promoted, or will the whole be bouleversement ?
Pray, pray write me one single word or make Charles
Richards do so. In this house & indeed in these parts
I am as much cut off even from an interchange of senti-
ments upon it as if I was at the Hebrides. I find here
a letter from you which came yesterday & in which you
speak of your apprehension of any great Event taking
place while all your Brethren were so much dispersed,
& in a few hours after you had so written this had taken
place I
*' I stay here till Wednesday next & must repeat that
I shall be pining for news."
The Same
" HA WARD EN CASTLE, Saturday.
" I am as you will believe all impatience to hear from
you, tho of course nothing decisive can, I suppose, be
known until the King's return, unless it be necessary
even before that to send somebody to Vienna. Pray
bestow upon me some loose speculations for I am dying
of curiosity & indeed am very truly anxious to hear
1 Playful reference to William, D. of Clarence.
a On August 12th Ld. Londonderry, in a fit of temporary insanity,
committed suicide. It was some weeks before his post as Foreign
Secretary was filled, but in September the feeling in favour of Canning
throughout the country was unmistakable, and the King was forced
to make the appointment.
292 OUR COUSINS THE SHAKERLEYS [CHAP, xv
how poor Lady Londonderry l supports her dreadful
shock. To her the horrible immediate cause must be a
cruel aggrevation as she will always think this blow
might have been averted, but in every other point of
view there is nothing more to regret than if he had died
of a violent fever or by any other accident. It does,
however, make one feel very seriously alarmed at the
extraordinary encrease of labour now attached to Par-
liamentary duty from the regularly late hours to which
the daily business is now prolonged & which when con-
nected with the constant routine of Ministerial business
does really seem to make a constant demand both on
bodily & mental strength beyond what any can stand."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" PENBEDW, August \Zth, 1822.
" (Do not read my letter aloud.)
" I have been leading such a wandering life, my
dearest Henry since I left London, that my Epistolary
communications have been quite broken in to.
" Sir H. Mainwaring z who has just gone from hence,
gave me the other day, a long history of our young
Cousins the Shakerleys s whom he had been visiting at
Stamford Park in Northamptonshire, where Shakerley
had hired from the Dashwood family, for 300 a year,
the House completely furnished with 10 Acres of land,
buying the produce of the Gardens & Hot houses which
are kept up in the highest order at the expence of the
Landlord. If all this is so, it seems an extraordinary
bargain. Sir H. says no man can be living more
1 Amelia Ann, dau. and co-h. of 2nd E. of Buckinghamshire ; mar.
1794, Vise. Castlereagh, who sue. hia father as 2nd Marq. of London-
derry in 1821. She died 1829.
2 Sir Henry Mainwaring, the first Baronet of Peover, Cheshire ;
born 1782 ; mar. 1803, Sophia, dau. of Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton,
Bart., of Combermere. He died 1860.
8 Charles Watkin John Buckworth, of Somerford, Cheshire, who in
1788 assumed the surname and arms of Shakerley, inheriting from his
mother, Eliza Shakerley, dau. and h. of Peter Shakerley (whose sister,
Frances Shakerley, mar. Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, 3rd Bart.).
He died 1834, and his son Charles, created a baronet in 1838,
mar. 1819, Laura Ang6lique Rosalba, dau. of the D. d'Avaray.
She died without children ; and he mar. 1831, Jessie, dau. of James
Scott, of Rotherfield Park, Hants.
1822] SOCIAL AFFAIRS 293
quietly & at the same time both comfortably & respect-
ably. Madam is, he says, more stupid & dull than ever,
& quite without object or occupation of any sort except-
ing Angling, but he says Shakerley, is very attentive to
her & seems very fond of her. I am sorry to hear that
the younger brother Geofrey, who was thought a
promising lad, is falling into the same morbid shyness as
his Father & is never seen by any body. The daughter,
Mrs. Harvey & her Irish husband, are quite ruined &
entirely supported by old Shakerley but not at Somer-
ford, of which he will not open the doors even to her.
" The Cheshire Squires are, of course, all in a fever
at the importation of a Polish Prince l to be considered
a land-holder in the County Palatine, they say that one
of his Sisters is to marry Dandy Bradshaw, which will
be a very good catch for him.
" Miss Isabella Poyntz * is supposed not to have
condescended to accept Lord Gower who has left Cow-
dray, but as he is allowed to return thither in a fortnight,
there seems to be hopes that by perseverance he may
subdue this obstinate fair. I am quite glad * par esprit
de corps ' that he & his Brother, who were certainly the
two greatest Matches in England, should have been
brought so completely on their marrow-bones by two
Ladies without any other pretensions, than mental &
personal charms. They say that Mr. Cox has at last
allowed his daughter Charlotte to engage herself to
Punch Greville, 5 waiting only for the death of a 70 year
old Clerk of the Peace for Middlesex, whose place the
Duke of Portland has promised his Nephew.
" You will easily believe how very much I am
astonished by the sad event of Lord Londonderry's
death, which the Newsapers of this morning notify to
us. I am truly sorry for the breaking up of such domestic
happiness & of course a good deal affaireed, in speculating
on the consequences. Charles is at Mr. Dallas' & very
possibly will by that means lose a post in learning the
1 Prince Sapieha, belonging to a very distinguished Polish family.
1 This lady mar. in 1824, Brownlow, 2nd Marq. of Exeter. She
died 1879.
3 Algernon Greville, Bath King at Arms ; born 1798 ; mar. April
1823, Charlotte, dau. of R. H. Cox. She died 1841. He died 1864.
(His mother was Lady Charlotte Bentinck, dau. of 3rd D. of Portland.)
294 HENRY'S APPOINTMENT [CHAP, xv
news. In a letter from him written three days ago from
Llangedwyn which I found here, he says he hopes,
' London will not be burnt down or any Conspiracy
break out in the next fortnight, as, of his fifteen Brethren,
Lord Liverpool, Van, 1 & perhaps the Chancellor, are all
that are within reach,' in 12 hours after he wrote this,
this great Event had taken place ! I am lost in Specula-
tion. Will Canning be stopped, or will Peel be pro-
moted ? "
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Charles W. W. W.
[Undated."]
" I am sure you will have weighed well the out-goings
& in-comings of the Chair before you decline it, I should
have thought that in the present state of Beef & Mutton
the dinners to the H. of C. (which I suppose, perhaps
ignorantly) will be the only point in which the expendi-
ture need necessarily exceed that of the B. of C. would
have been more than counter balanced by 1,000 a yr.
& a house free of Rent & Taxes, but certainly the oppor-
tunity of doing acts of kindness to others is all in favour
of your present situation to that advantage I know
nobody who will attach more than yourself."
(From this letter it is evident that rumours were
again current respecting the Speakership.)
Lady Harriet Williams Wynn's health made it neces-
sary for her and Sir Watkin to spend some months
abroad during the summer and autumn of 1823.
As regards Henry, there appears to have been a move-
ment on foot within the Foreign Office, to rearrange
some of the minor Foreign Missions, Berne being one of
those about to be placed in a lower category. The very
idea of such action, with regard to a post held by one
of the parente, aroused the indignation of the Duke
1 Nicholas Vansittart, Chan, of Exch., retired with a peerage as
Ld. Bexley in 1823.
1823] HENRY'S APPOINTMENT 295
of Buckingham. Copenhagen, apparently, was not at
the moment available, so Mr. Canning tactfully allayed,
as far as possible, the rising breeze in the party he was
anxious, on the ground of policy, to conciliate, and hi
May 1823 moved Henry to Stuttgart.
The reigning Queen of Wiirtemberg was Princess Royal
of England, an old friend of Lady Williams Wynn, who
in the summer of this year paid Henry a visit at Stutt-
gart. Unfortunately no letters are preserved from her,
written during her stay, but subsequent references
indicate the pleasure the visit gave her.
From Sir W. W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" ROME, January 4<A.
" DEAR HENRY, A letter which I received from
Charles four Days ago, dated Dec. 7th announced to me
that you had the offer of Copenhagen, I sincerely con-
gratulate you upon it & think that you have done very
wisely in accepting it, as tho' a more Southern destina-
tion would have been more agreeable & possibly have
been less expensive, yet as the Danish Mission is of higher
Class & considered one of more importance than the
Swiss, it is certainly promotion, which in all professions
is of the greatest importance. I should have begun by
telling you that I received your letter of the 17th, ulto :
this morning & at the same time Paris Papers of the
18th & 19th, which shews you the uncertainty of Italian
Posts.
" Of course you will let us know your motions as soon
as they are fixed, but the change in your residence makes
me still more anxious to see you & Hester. As the
Bears must have somebody to look after them, I suppose,
there is no fear of your being obliged to move before
Easter, & with your family, I should think, the middle
of April as good a time for travelling as any. . . .
" The Pearls are to be bought for nothing here, would
Hester like to make a figure among the Danes at a small
expence ? Harriet has bought a necklace & earings for
a Louis, which looks like her own & as they are
of Alabaster therefore will not break.'*
20
296 BERNE OR STUTTGART [CHAP, xv
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to
Henry W. W. W.
" AVINOTON, January 6th, 1823.
" Confidential.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I lament to hear that owing to
the mad-man W. Hill's 1 not knowing his own mind,
your arrangement is addled. I also regret to hear that
an arrangement has been made or is to be proposed to
you, which on every account I consider highly dis-
advantageous to you & your friends. This proposal
is to remove you to a Situation of equal rank etc., to
that from which you move, & then to reduce that from
which you move, to a lower rate & rank. If you
acquiesce in this you permit your new Chief to establish
incontrivertibly the truth of the charge brought against
your former Chief of making your present situation a
job for the purpose of Strengthening the Government.
I do not see how it would be possible to maintain that a
higher rank of Minister was necessary for Bern in 1822
than in 1823, and if this is admitted, in your instance,
then the truth of all our Mr. Creevey's ! & Lord Henry's '
blackguard insinuations, are directly admitted. In
this insiduous attempt to discredit your friends, I know
you will not submit & I will not be a party. I trust &
hope therefore that you will stand firm. I have written
to your brother to urge this very strongly to him & I
cannot help thinking that he will see this in as strong a
light as I do. At all events nothing will shake my
opinion upon it.
" I have not written, because I have had such repeated
experience of the anxiety of the King of France & Co,
to see my letters, that I did not care to indulge their
curiosity further, & I have sent this in duplicate through
the Foreign Office.
1 Hon. William Hill, 2nd a. of let Baron Berwick, British Minister
at Turin, later Envoy Extraordinary at Naples. He assumed the
additional surname of Noel in 1824. He sue. his brother as 3rd
Baron in 1832 ; d.s.p. 1842.
2 Thomas Creevey, M.P., whose Papers were edited by Sir
Herbert Maxwell, 1903.
8 Ld. Henry Bentinck, 3rd s. of D. of Portland (uncle to Ld. Titch-
field) ; born 1774; M.P. for Glasgow; Governor-General of India
1827-33 ; mar. 1803, Mary, dau. of 1st E. of Gosport. He d.s.p. 1839.
1823] BERNE OR STUTTGART 297
" Give my best love to Hester, & believe me, my dear
Henry, always,
" Your most affectionate,
" C. B. & C."
From Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville to Henry W. W. W.
" CLEVELAND SQUARE, January 1th, 1823.
" You will long before you receive this, have heard
from your Brother of the unexpected check to the
Copenhagen arrangement by Hill's refusing the Under-
Secretaryship, which he had been understood to have
accepted. The other proposal must at this time have
reached you, which tho', not accompanied with all the
advantages of the Northern arrangement, is still in
my eyes, one which I should advise you without hesi-
tation to adopt ; your moving to Stutgard is only a
promotion in the rank of the Court where you would
reside, but besides its being a Royal Court, it has as I
understand the recommendation of being more cheer-
ful as well as more cheap a residence than that of
Berne, but above all it is a change strongly urged by
C. 1 in order to enable him, as soon as you shall have
quitted Berne, to put that Mission upon a lower &
more ecconimical footing, anticipating by that reform
the renewal of last years motion in Parliament, as
that subject will undoubtedly be brought forward
again early in this Session.
" Your Brother tells me, to my very great surprise
that the Duke of Buckingham says he shall write to
Dissuade you from accepting this, all I can say is
this, that I think such advice would be very ill-timed
& very prejudicial to your interests. If C. thinks it
right to reform the Swiss Mission by putting it on a
lower footing, while he at the same time provides
against your suffering by the change, surely it would
show a very unaccomodating disposition on your part
to refuse to lend yourself to it, & drive C. thereby to
the absolute necessity of either abandoning his own
determination of making that reform or leaving you
to be the sufferer by it.
1 Canning, Foreign Secretary.
298 UNCLE TOM'S ADVICE [CHAP, xv
" On the other hand I understand that in proposing
this present exchange to you C. has expressed the
strongest determination to give you Copenhagen, as
soon as it can be vacated, & unquestionably it is a plain
dictate of Common Sense that you should endeavour
by all means in your power to conciliate the good
wishes of your Chief, in a Department where all the
future promotion will depend upon his good will. It
may, I think, be very cheaply purchased upon this
occasion, as tho' there is no change of income, the
change as far as it goes has always been reckoned a
promotion, from a Republick to a Royal residence,
& that a Royal residence connected so closely with the
Royal family of England. But tho' in my accustomed
interest in all that belongs to you, I state these things,
I own I have so much confidence in their being sug-
gested by your own good sense & good temper, that
I have no fear left as to your decision.
" Of news, if there is any you are so much better
fed with it from a more authentick source that I have
nothing to add.
" C.'s appointment of Lord F. Conyngham to be
under-Secretary is considered as an evidence of a
more cordial understanding at Brighton, & will so far
be of use, of course he will be attacked for it, but he
is pretty much used to attack. I am sorry to find in
common talk that there is a great apprehension among
Lord Cholmondley's friends that Lord Henry will
marry Mad. Jerome * at Paris, I don't know the young
man, but I am sorry for him, I am told her Son is
only two years younger than Lord H.
" Coke of Norfolk has got a Son, & has moreover
got beat by Cobbett who, carried against him by an
immense majority, resolutions at the Norfolk County
Meeting, to petition for taking the Church Lands etc.,
& for suspending all process for rent for the next year.
** Kind love to your dear Wife & God Bless you, you
and yours, my dearest Henry."
1 Madame Jerfime Bonaparte, Miss Patterson, who mar. Jerdme,
younger brother of Napoleon I. She was divorced by order of the
Emperor, so that Jerdme, King of Westphalia, might marry Princess
Catherine of Wiirtemberg.
1823] STUTTGART 299
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, January 14th.
" I am anxiously, my dearest Hester, expecting
Charles' return from an Audley End Battu, as I think
that when he comes we must get Henry's answer to
the proposal about Stutgard, not that I feel any doubt
what it will be, inasmuch as in prudence it appears that
there ought to be none, & by prudence I am sure he
will both be self -directed & advised. I am told that
in Stutgard you must be gainers, it being considered
as one of the prettiest & pleasantest towns on the Con-
tinent, & furthermore it is asserted that you will live
there at less expence from escaping the constant influx
of Countrymen, but against this is to be set the differ-
ence of a regular Court, so that upon the whole I sup-
pose you will find yourselves on that point pretty
much where you were. Adieu dear Hester, I am proud
to see that I shall get to you thro' fewer leagues, at
Stutgard than I should have done at Berne, which I
consider as ' autant de gagne.'
" God Almighty Bless you all, Amen, Amen, from
the bottom of my old heart."
From Sir Watkin W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" ROME, February 12th.
" DEAR HENRY, Charles has announced the changes
in the Administration, upon the whole I approve of
them, it will be a great relief to the House of Commons
not to have poor Van's 1 croaking any more.
" I hope you are reconciled to your removal, it is
vexatious to have all the trouble, tho' I hope no ex-
pence, for no immediate advantage, but the having
given way must give you a strong claim in future.
" Clanwilliam's appointment is strong, but I have
not recovered my surprise at Lord F. Conyngham. I
think that Canning has lowered himself very much by
it, he came into Office independant of the King &
1 Vansittart, just made Ld. Bexley.
1 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam, born 1799; sometime Under-Sec, for
Foreign Affairs; Ambassador to Berlin 1823-38; mar. 1830, Lady
Elizabeth Herbert, dau. of llth E. of Pembroke; died 1879.
300 HOME NEWS [CHAP, xv
because they could not do without him, but this degrades
him into a mere Court Favorite. I was told last night
that he did not intend to stand for Liverpool, but to
put Huskisson * up, I own I see a very strong objec-
tion to the President of the Board of Trade representing
the second commercial Town of the Empire.
" The question of War or Peace occupies every
body & now I wish that we may be able to keep our-
selves out of the scrape, but I fear it will be impossible.
When Russia has got all Europe well involved she will
proceed upon Turkey & Greece. Harriet joins me in
love to Hester,
" Ever yours affect.
" W. W. WYNN."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, November Wth.
" I should have written last week my dearest Hester,
to have acknowledged my good Henry's letter on his
return to Stutgard, but truth to say I have, from one
circumstance or another felt so entirely depressed ever
since my arrival here that I have hardly had heart to
do anything. I cannot tell you how much your pro-
vincial Gazette of Stutgard events amuse & interest
me. Sir H. Halford * gave us an account of his having
been invited " en ami ' (not professionally) to dine &
sleep at Windsor to keep Princess Augusta's * Birth-
day, & of his having met a party of 25, of the first
people in the land, at a most magnificent Banquet at
which the Royal Host presided, in the highest health
& spirits, & closed the evening by taking him into his
private Apartments, where half dressed and half un-
dressed he kept him gossiping till \ past 2 in the morn-
ing.
i Bt. Hon. W. Huskisson, M.P. ; born 1770. He was Under-Sec, for
the Colonies and for War, 1795; Pres. of the Board of Trade, 1823.
He was killed by an accident at the opening of the Liverpool and
Manchester Railway in 1830.
Sir Henry Vaughan Halford, M.D., created a Bart. 1809. He
sue. in 1814 to the estates of his cousin Sir Charles Halford of
Wistow, on the death of Sarah, Lady Halford, and assumed the name
of Halford.
8 Princess Augusta, 2nd dau. of George III, bom November 8th,
1768; died unmar. 1840.
1823] HOME NEWS 301
" We met at Whitehall on Sunday last, our new
Cousin elect, Mr. Lucy, 1 & truly indeed does he justify
his boast of lineal descent from Justice Shallow. He
has been the purchaser of the fine Pietra Dura Table,
which was called the Pearl of the Font-hill Sale, & for
which this good man has actually given 1,800 Guin : I
asked him if he bid himself, which he said he did, add-
ing that ' he had not meant to have gone further than
1000, but that bidding gave esprit.' If that be true
he certainly made a good bargain, & acquired from the
hammer, what had been with-held, or at best most
sparingly bestowed upon him by nature. He has,
however a respectable old place, (vide Sketch book !)
20.000 pr. ann. in a ring fence & tho' last not least, a
most excellent temper.
" He was in town buying Jewels, & carrying down
to his Belle-mere 8 a present of a Ruby Bracelet clasp,
with which the good Lady's arm will be perfectly en
suite.
" Pray remember me to all my Stutgard friends, I
assure you I am quite gratified by their kind Souvenirs.
" God bless you again & again & all the etc. etc."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" ELTON, December 10th.
" I have passed a most wretched fortnight, dearest
Henry, since last I wrote to you, but now thank God, I
am comparatively easy. I found my poor sister very
ill. Kept us for many hours under the most urgent
alarm ... it is only within these two days she has
been able to crawl to her dressing-room. While she
continues in this very weak & reduced state it is im-
possible for me to think of leaving her, tho' as you
will easily believe, I am panting to get to Vale Royal,
i George Lucy, of Charlcote ; born 1798 ; M.P. for Fowey 1820-
30 mar 1823 Mary, dau. of Sir John Williams, 1st Bart., of Bodel-
wyddan. He died 1845. She died 1890.
Margaret, dau. and h. of Hugh Williams of Tyfry, Anglesey ; mar.
1791 Sir John Williams of Bodelwyddan, 1st Bart. (Her second 8
Hugh, afterwards 3rd Bart., mar. 1843, Hennetta, the only dau. of
Lady Harriet and Sir W T atkin.)
Lady Carysfort, who lived until 1843.
302 THE FONTHILL SALE [CHAP, xv
where my three daughters are assembled & looking for
me with no small impatience. I had no idea that
Charles would have left you in ignorance of every par-
ticular of the Lucy marriage, with which when I came
to town, I found Mary & him very much occupied, but
as it was, I give you great credit for finding out the
family, by the clue of the Ruby Bracelet only. He
certainly proves the lineality of his descent from Justice
Shallow more conspicuously perhaps than might be
wished, but he is extremely good sort, & very rich, &
I take it for granted, to the young Lady, very agreable.
He is bent upon having a very good house in Grosvenor
Square, or some such genteel quarter, & we tell Mary
that we are sure she is speculating upon frequent seats
in Mrs. Lucy's Opera Box, & the entire patronage of
her first Ball. Furthermore Charles says that Charlcott
will be a very tidy baiting place for the young family
on their way to & from Wales. I am afraid you have
not got the ' Sketch book ' but if you have you will
there see a very pretty account of the old place which,
I fancy however, is at present one of more interest to
the Antiquarians than of comfort to the inhabitants,
and for my own fancy I think I should have built my
Drawing-room first before I gave 1800 Guineas for a
table to put into it.
" Mr. Stewart Mackenzie, who from his being 1st
cousin to the Duke of Somerset, knows of course a good
deal of the Font-hill concerns, tells me that the table
was originally bought at a Sale immediately after it
was brought to this Country for 150 & that Beckford
an hour afterwards gave the man 100 for his bargain.
Lucy told me that Bd. wanted to buy it in, & was
bidding against him, but in fact it was Phillips himself,
who, they say is privately buying up everything, has
never yet come to any account with Mr. Farquhar, and
will certainly end in being possessor of the whole con-
cern.
" I have heard nothing in the shape of news, but a
marriage between Lord Clifton l & Lady C. Osborn, 1 but
1 Edward, Ld. Clifton, s. of 4th E. of Darnley ; born 1795; mar.
1825, Emma, dau. 1st Ld. Congleton.
a Lady Charlotte Osborne, dau. of 6th D. of Leeds ; mar. 1826,
Sackville Lane Fox.
1823J THE DUKEDOM OF HAMILTON
whether it is ' Affaire faite ' or only ' L'on dit ' I know
not. I do not know whether I told you of the report of
Lord Stanley's setting up a claim to the Dukedom 1 of
Hamilton, in right of his Mother who ought to have
taken it on the death of her Brother the late Duke. I
have since heard that the matter is certainly in agita-
tion, and that Lord Stanley has from Grove an opinion
very favourable to the issue. Mr. Stewart is deeply
interested about it, not for the sake of the title only, as
his Cousin would still have that of Brandon left (tho' a
very inferior one to the Princely Hamilton) but from
an Apprehension that the whole of the Hamilton Estate
must be entailed on the title. I shall wish against Lord
Stanley, upon my general principal of lamenting that
two great Estates should merge into one. Each of
them individually having 50,000 pr. ann. which seems
to be as much as any man can spend with advantage
either to himself or his neighbours."
1 The 6th D. of Hamilton (3rd of Brandon) ; born 1724 ; died
1758 ; mar. 1752 the celebrated beauty, Elizabeth Gunning. They
had two sons, who successively became the 7th and 8th Dukes, but
d.s.p., one in 1769, and the other in 1799. The daughter, Elizabeth,
mar. Edward, 12th E. of Derby, in 1774. She had one son, Ld.
Stanley, afterwards 13th E. of Derby, and two daughters. She died
in 1797. On the death of the 8th D. of Hamilton, this lady's brother,
in 1799, the dukedom passed to the son of James, 5th Duke, by his
third marriage, in 1737, with Anne, dau. of Edward Spencer, of Rendle-
sham, who became 9th Duke in 1799 (and was the father of the Lady
Anne who figures in this Correspondence in 1814). He died in 1819,
and was sue. by his s. the 10th Duke, whose wife Susan was dau. and
co-h. of William Beckford, of Fonthill.
CHAPTER XVI
18241826
DURING these three years there was a lull in matters
political, no outstanding event occurred, the Catholic
Question was still in debate, and before the General
Election, in June 1826, the Repeal of the Corn Laws
was mooted. The country had been slowly recovering
from the effects of the long European Wars, and was
now in a condition of quiet prosperity, and progress.
The letters reflect the general peaceful condition of
things, and deal with events of social interest, foremost
among them being the rejoicings at Stowe on the birth
of the Duke of Buckingham's grandson and eventual
heir.
The festivities on the occasion of the christening are
recounted by Lady Williams Wynn to Henry, now at
Copenhagen.
Fanny's journeys abroad during the winter and
spring of 1825-6 give her mother a further opportunity
for recording the events of the day.
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, January 14th.
" Here I am, dearest, writing from the paterno nido.
" My account of both my dear Brothers & Sister have
lately become more satisfactory. Lord Grenville has
been passing a week or ten days in London, selling Camel-
ford House which Lord Middleton 1 has bought of him
1 Henry, 6th Baron Middleton ; born 1761 ; mar. 1793, Jane, dau,
pf Sir Robert Lawley; d,p.p, 1835.
304
1824] ASTON THEATRICAL GAMBOLS 305
for 11,000. This is a 1000 less than he asked, but he
was very impatient to get rid of it, & inasmuch as he
wished it, I am glad he has succeeded, tho' I doubt he
will not find it easy to lodge himself as well, at the same
time I must say that for myself I have always thought
it one of the most unpleasant habitations in London.
He is I understand, in treaty for a house in Berkeley
Square, next door to Lord Lucan's which is a good
situation, but in my mind a very dull street.
" We were two nights ago at the Aston Theatrical
Gambols J in which there were 18 children of all ages
from 13 down to two & a half, performing wonderfully.
The last and least was the youngest of Lady Brooke's *
nine, who went thro' all its little parts of speaking, and
singing and dancing quite to admiration. Several of
the Characters in the farce were really given with as
much humour & correctness as they could have been on
any stage and made me feel quite jealous for the honour
of the old original performances here which were never
as perfect. It is certainly quite wonderful to see how
hereditary that talent is in the whole of the Brooke
family, but truth to say, the extraordinary beauty
of the two girls particularly of the second, added not a
little to the general effect. Their dancing is quite
wonderful, & even to the little dab, not a foot was moved
but in the most perfect time.
" Next to the Brookes, Hugh * stood certainly for-
wardest, and had the more merit, inasmuch, as his could
not be in any degree, derived by inheritance.
"In describing the Troup as beginning from 13
1 Aston Hall, Oswestry, the house of William Lloyd, Esq., who was
born 1779, and mar. Louisa, dau. and co-h. of Sir Eliab Harvey of
Holies Park, Essex. He died 1843.
* Harriet, Lady Brooke, 2nd dau. of Sir Foster Cunliffe (sister to Mrs.
Charles Williams Wynn) ; mar. 1809 her first cousin, Sir Richard
Brooke, 6th Bart., of Norton Priory, Cheshire. She died 1825. Her
daughters were : Mary, who mar. 1831, Rowland Egerton Warburton,
of Arley; Harriet, mar. 1837, William, llth E. of Meath; Jessy, mar.
1832, Hon. Richard Booth Wilbraham. Lady Brooke had five sons
and five daughters.
3 Hugh Cholmondeley, 2nd Baron Delamere (Lady Williams Wynn's
grandson); born 1811; mar. 1st, 1848, Lady Sarah Hay, dau. of
10th E. of Kinnoull. She died 1859. He mar. 2ndly, 1860, Augusta,
dau. of Rt. Hon. Sir George Hamilton Seymour. He died 1887. He
was M.P. for co. Denbigh 1840-1, Montgomery 1841-7. He sue.
hie father 1855,
306 BRIGHTON GOSSIP [CHAP, xvi
years old, I ought to have excepted Stephen Glynne, 1
he however took a part, only as a stop-gap in con-
sequence of two of the Troup having been seized with
Chicken-pox. Stephen is grown, and is certainly hand-
some, but is too quiet and slow to shine on the Stage or
indeed off it. He still retains that singular indisposi-
tion to mix or associate even with his School-fellows,
when they visit him, and will, I fear, never be popular,
tho' I must add that his piccadillos are all negative ones.
" The dear fine boy 2 here will, I think, never fail in
these points, Mary Glynne, 1 who is one of his great
admirers, says that * if he was to stand for the County
to-morrow, she is sure he would be returned,' which is
I think the highest compliment she can pay him.
Indeed the three children are, in their different ways all
of them quite ' little perfections,' in health, strength, &
manners. Herbert is decidedly the beauty of the set,
but Watkin carries off all hearts.
" The poor little Belgrave Boy is just dead and from
what I saw of Lady Elizabeth 4 during its illness, I am
sure its death will be felt by her most acutely, the more
so from its being the first check of any sort that she has
ever known since her birth."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 2<ith, 1824.
<l There has been some great uproar at Brighton but
what it is nobody knows, further than that the Mar-
chioness of C. 6 was so mobbed and insulted that she dare
not, at last put her nose out, and told her friend that
he must ' opt ' between her and the said place, which
she never, never, would come to again. The option
was made, and the reconciliation signed and sealed,
1 Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th and last Bart. ; born 1807 ; died, unmar.,
1874.
1 Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, 6th Bart.; born 1820; sue. his father
1840; M.P. for Denbighshire for 44 years; died 1885.
8 Lady Glynne. See p. 11.
4 Lady Elizabeth Belgrave, dau, of 1st D. of Sutherland. See p.
209, note 2.
Marchioness Conyngham.
1824] LORD EXETER'S MARRIAGE 307
and furthermore it is said that Mrs. Coutts is to be
the purchaser of the Pavillion. At the moment of the
separation Lady Lowe l was named as successor, the
great objection to which seemed to be the expences of
a new establishment and the having so many fresh
mouths to fill.
" The great event of this week has been the Annonce
of Lord Exeter having at last carried off the great
prize, Isabella Pointz,* who having had all the town at
her feet, throws her handkerchief at him. Many wonder
at her taste, but he said to be good-natured, and to have
been a very kind brother, furthermore he is certainly
a very great parti, both in rank and income, the latter
of which is just about to be immensely raised by the
falling in of all the old leases of Cecil Street Exeter
Change etc. On which account I am sorry to hear she
is to have a very large Fortune, which to my fancy ought
always to go to the second Representative of great
famillies instead of the first.
" Your Uncle Grenville is delighted with his House,
and what is far more material, we are all delighted with
him. Excepting when he moves one hardly sees a trace
of illness about him, and I am in great hopes that as the
fine weather comes on his limbs will become more firm
& strong."
The Same
" BROOK STREET, March Sth, 1824.
" Poor Canning has been very much shocked by the
death of Lord Titchfield 3 to whom he was particularly
attached. I hear the poor Duke of P. 3 is overwhelmed
with grief. His death is supposed to have been occa-
sioned in some measure by an over-turn some month or
six weeks ago, but I heard yesterday, that it is to be
ascertained by examination.
1 Lady Lowe, dau. of Stephen de Lancy, and widow of Col. W.
Johnson ; mar. 1815, Sir Hudson Lowe.
2 Isabella, dau. of Mrs.Poyntz.whoinheritedCowdray when her brother,
Ld. Montague, was drowned in the Rhine in 1793 ; her two sons were
drowned at a 'later date and her daughters were co-heiresses.
Ld. Titchfield, 1st s. of 4th D. of Portland; born 1776; diedunmar.
308 MARRIAGES [CHAP, xvi
" A marriage has been announced since I wrote to you
last between Lady Denbigh's Sister, Miss Morton ' and
a Mr. Langsdon, whose name did not sound to me fit
to be connected with that of Rudolphus, Count of
Hapsburg, but however, I learn now that he is a very
Prince Prettyman in character, manners, fortune,
Chateau, etc. etc. The two latter are in Oxfordshire
& make him Member of Parliament for Woodstock,
d'ailleure, he has been known to all the family a long
while and is a ready made Ami intime of the house, so
we think that Lady Ducie 2 may take rank as Artiste in
that line, & may open an Academy for Mamas. Many
however, I am sure would be very sorry to adopt her
system, which has certainly been the precise reverse of
her own and much less suited to the activity of her
spirits and power.
" You will have seen, probably in the Newspapers
of the decision of the Queensbury Causes which gives
to the poor Lord Hertford, 4 500,000 (one is tired of
writing the O's) and furthermore he has lately got
an Estate of 7000 pr. an. from a man who is no
more kin to him than to you, and only put in
his name by way of compliment, at the end of an
Entail. I hear he laments himself for having, after
every arrangement which he could make, 60,000
pr. ann. more than he can find what to do with.
Many, many, I doubt, are the little single Incomes
to which the present reduction of 1 & pr. ct.
would make the smallest possible subdivision of such
a sum, a source of comparative wealth and happi-
ness.
" With best & warmest love to the little Society, &
especially to the two Keystones of the Arch, I remain
ever & ever,
" Your most tenderly & very affectionate old
" Parent, C. H. W. W."
1 Hon. Julia Moreton, mar. 1824, James Haughton Langston, M.P.,
of Sarsden, co. Oxford, who died 1863. She died 1869.
* Lady Ducie, Frances, only dau. of 1st E. of Carnarvon; mar. 1797,
1st E. of Ducie. She died 1830.
3 Ld. Hertford, 3rd Marq. ; born 1777 ; sue. his father 1822 ; mar.
1798, Maria Fagniani. He died 1842.
1824] DUEL OF LORD BRUDENELL 309
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" March Slat, 1824.
* The conversation of the last three or four days has
been much occupied by this duel of Lord Brudenell's, 1
who has been fighting, not with the Admiral Tollemache, 1
nor with Mr. Johnson, 1 but from a chivalrous regard for
female honour, with Mr. Heathcote, 2 for declining to
marry his sister Lady Emma Brudenell, J with whom all
previous matrimonial arrangements were made even to
time and place. Lord B. fired first and the other of
course would not return it, so there it ended, the Brother
only requiring him to sign a certificate that he had no
reproach to make to Lady Emma, which he said he was
most ready to do, never having thought of making the
slightest imputation on her. The story told is, that it
is all connected with Lady E.'s ' first fault,' or rather to
go still higher, with the strong fancy which her Mother
took originally for Mrs. Johnson, between whom & her
daughters, she formed the strictest intimacy. To the
continuance of this intimacy under the existing circum-
stances, Heathcote vehemently objected as far as
regarded his Fiance'e, and at last got from her a promise
to drop it, in spite of which, however, he found that she
continued a private correspondence, & taking fright at
such a palpable breach of faith, he declared off. So in
this instance the proverb is reversed, and the bad
beginning has made nothing less than the good ending.
The wretched woman is, they say, dying of consumption
and heart broken at the refusal of her Parents to see her.
" A still more recent topic has been the horrible
accident happened to Mr. Wrightson, 4 one of the Brothers
of Mrs. Douglas the Widow of Fred. Douglas. He was
living at his sister's house & three nights ago went out on
1 Ld. Brudenell, afterwards 7th E. of Cardigan ; born 1797 ; mar.
1826, Elizabeth, dau. of Admiral Tollemache (and sister to 1st Baron
Tollemache), the divorced wife of Col. Johnson, of Hilton. She died
1858. (He mar. 2ndly, 1858, Adelaide, dau. of Spencer Horsey de
Horsey, who died 1912.) He d.s.p. 1868.
* Gilbert Heathcote, afterwards Sir Gilbert ; mar 1827, Clementina,
dau. and h. of Ld. Gwydyr.
3 Lady Emma Brudenell, 3rd dau. of 6th E. of Cardigan ; mar. as hia
2nd wife in 1827, David Pennant, of Downing, co. Flint. She died
1847.
* Mr. Wrightson, heir-at-law to the Hodnet property, Shropshire,
now owned by the Heber Percys.
310 MR. WRIGHTSON'S ACCIDENT [CHAP, xvi
the leads with Lord Sheffield to look at a fire which was
burning at Woolwich. While he was doing this, he
fancied he should see better from the next house and
got up on the parapet to jump down, as he thought,
upon the next leads, but unfortunately he alighted
upon a Sky-light, and fell compleately through to the
Hall with such violence as to pull down two or three
of the Banisters with him ! He was smashed almost to
pieces, and tho' still alive yesterday morning, was not
expected to survive many hours.
" Charlotte Williams Wynn l was dancing with him
not 48 hours before the accident at a Ball at Mrs. Ras-
botham's. The poor Sister is quite distracted, which
is certainly not to be wondered at.
" Have you happened, by any chance, to have heard
of the Stipulations under which Lord Sandon * obtained
his Bride ? being no other than that she should remain
in Italy with her Mother, while he came over here to
attend his Parliamentary duties which he accordingly
has been doing en Gar9on, for the last two months, too
lucky, if from the unusual despatch of business, he is
not kept two more. I do think it is the most extra-
ordinary instance of selfishness on the part of a Mother,
that I ever heard of, and certainly one which nothing
but the poor simple Youth's being over-head and Ears
in love could have made him agree to, but the truth is
that, Lady Bute 5 is one of the rare examples of a woman's
laying it down as a position that she never was to be
contradicted, and that every thing and every body was
to give way to her, & having been able to carry that
point throughout her life."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, April 6th, 1824.
" The poor young man Wrightson, who I mentioned to
you in my last is not only alive, but thought likely to
1 Charles Williams Wynn's dau.
* Ld. Sandon, afterwards 2nd E. of Harrowby ; born 1798 ; mar.
1823 (September), Frances, 4th dau. of 1st Marq. of Bute. He was
M.P. for Tiverton 1819-31 and for Liverpool 1831-47, when he sue.
his father. He was Lord Privy Seal 1855-7, Vice-Pres. of the Council
1874. He died 1882. She died 1859.
8 Lady Bute, Frances, 2nd dau. of Thomas Coutts ; mar. as his 2nd
wife, John, 1st Marq. of Bute (who died 1814). She died 1832.
1824] BON-TON INTELLIGENCE 8li
recover, with trepanned Skull, broken Jaw, and all sorts
of horrors. He has recovered his senses, and recollec-
tion of all previous to his accident, but of all that, has
not the smallest idea.
" The latest piece of Bon Ton intelligence that I have
heard is the Annonce of the marriage of Lady J. Paget l
with Lord F. Conyngham, for which they have my full
Consent."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BBOOK STREET, April 13th.
" I really take joy on the wretched Oeckner's jaw
being at last so easily unlocked. Think only of the
poor Wrightson's which could not be set on account of
the jar to the fractured Skull, it has therefore been
actually put together with Carpenter's Glue.
" They say Lord De Dunstanville, 8 another of the
Septuagenarians or I believe almost an Octogenaire,
certainly marries Miss Lemon. 1
" I heard the other day an Enigma on the Rolle *
marriage, which I almost think I sent in my last, but will
run the risk of writing it over again.
" How happens it that Rolle at seventy-two,
Stale Rolle ! Louise to the Altar led ?
The case is neither strange nor new,
She took the Rolle for want of Bread.
" Now fair thee well, my dearest pray make my
Souvenirs to all who have not long ago given me their
Oublis, and with Love & Kisses to all the Dear, Dears,
believe me,
" Ever, Ever yours."
i See p. 309.
* Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville ; mar. 1780, Frances,
dau. of John Hipperley-Cox, by whom he had one only daughter,
Frances, b. 1781.
3 Miss Lemon, dau. of Sir William Lemon, whose sister mar. 1796,
Sir John Davis, 8th Bart.
4 Ld. Rolle, born 1756 ; created a Baron 1796 ; mar 1st, 1778, Judith,
dau. and heir of Henry Waldron of Bovey in co. Devon. She died
1820. He mar. 2ndly in 1822, Louisa, dau. of 17th E. Clinton. She
died aged 91 in 1885. He d.s.p. 1842.
21
B12 THE DRAWING-ROOM [CHAP, xvl
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, May 4th.
" The putting off the Drawing-room, after a Medically
signed Bulletin, which could only state that ' His
Majesty had been much indisposed with the epidemic
complaint, but was now better ' has given much dis-
satisfaction, I heard however, last night that there were
to be a succession of Balls at St. James' in lieu of
Drawing-rooms & this would, I suppose, be accepted as a
very good compromise.
" The new Apartment is, indeed very magnificent,
& great attention seems to have been given to the
making the Entree and Sortie as commodious as possible,
but so long as there is only one Drawing-room in the
Season the Crowd must always make it quite a Bear-
garden. They are trying to make some new regulations
about the Presentations, that there may be something
like God-fathers and God-mothers to those who come
to claim a Royal Bow or Salute, but I doubt how any
thing like ancien regime on that subject can be resumed.
The Duchess of Argyle's l dress has been sometime
exhibited at the Milliners, the train alone of it cost
200, and with that there is a report in circulation of an
evil design to arrest her Grace even in that identical
dress and at that critical moment for a debt of 2500 ! !
to another Artiste. . . ."
The Same
" May 18th.
" The one object which is at this moment occupying
the Town is the question of the Drawing-room on
Thursday, which however I cannot myself but believe
will, tant bien que mal, certainly take place. The idea
is that He will come in for a very short time, and then
retiring leave it to Princess Augusta. The regulations
which you will see in the Newspapers with regard to
the Presentations will perhaps make it rather less like
1 Caroline Elizabeth, Duchess of Argyll, dau. of 4th E. of Jersey. She
mar. 1796, Henry, 2nd E. of Uxbridge, 1st Marq. of Anglesey, by
whom she had eight children. The mar. was dissolved in 1810, when
she mar. George, 6th D. of Argyll. He d.s.p. 1839. She died 1835.
1824] THE DRAWING-ROOM 813
a bear-garden than usual, but still the Crowd must
be immense and the Apartments are certainly very
handsome and the arrangements for the Entre*, and
Sortie as good as possible, but what I very seriously
lament, is the tracing in everything and on every occa-
sion such an unaccountable determination on the part
of the King to withdraw himself to the very utmost
from every eye. I have just now received a note tell-
ing me that not a creature is to be admitted to stand
in the outward rooms to see him go by, and at Windsor
when a party are seeing the Castle, they forbid to turn
their Eyes to the Window, lest the King should be
passing under it. What all this can mean it is impos-
sible to guess, but certainly it must keep up a jealous
suspicion in John Bull that all is not right.
" The Duchess of Argyle cannot be refused entre"e to
the Drawing-Room (even if they meant to do so, which
I do not know) having claimed a right to be presented
to him at Edinburgh on titre de POffice, Lady Gwydir *
and the Duchess of Athol * both refuse to stand God-
mothers to her.
" I have not the least idea of the King's crossing the
Water this Summer further than the Isle of Wight, or
some such pleasure Boat expedition.
" We are in the midst of Northumberland Assemblies,
which take place every week and are to be repeated
to the number of 4 or 5. The decorations, particularly
of the staircase are very splendid and bespeak a most
becoming profusion of expence, all of which one has
the satisfaction of knowing is scattered about over
our own land ; but the Spaces are by no means strik-
ing, at least not in the upper Apartments which is all
I have seen yet, and which consist after all of only
four Rooms, two large and two small, with the lower
one however they mean to open the great Gallery
which we are told is 100 ft. long by 60, and remains in
Statu quo, white & gold panels with pictures."
1 Lady Gwydyr. Lady Priscilla Bertie,' dau. and co-h. of 3rd D. of
Ancaster. She became, on the death of her brother, the 4th and
last Duke, Baroness Willoughby d'Eresby (1779). She died 1828.
* Marjorie, Duchess of Atholl, dau. of James, 16th Ld. Forbes, and
widow of Ld. Macleod ; mar. as his second wife 1794, John, 4th D.
of Atholl. She died 1842.
314 NORTHUMBERLAND HOUSE PARTIES [CHAP, xvi
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BBOOK STBEET, May 25th.
" The latest Event which I have to transmit is the
Birth of the Heir of Oakley Park, which was in due
form announced to us at an early hour this morning.
I am very glad of it inasmuch as it was an object very
ardently wished by the Parents, and of much importance
to Mr. R. Clive, 1 with respect to money arrangements.
The rest of the noble Parente are in high health, and at
the very Acme of pride and glory at the out-turn of all
the Northumberland House magnificence, with which
they have, of course, all been entirely occupied and
have indeed every reason to be gratified. The last
Performance took in, I fancy, the whole of the visiting
list, a thousand was the number said to be invited, and
I suppose 8 or 900 must have presented themselves.
Lady Harriet gave her two Tickets of patronage to
Fanny Hayman, and the Biddulphs, and Watkin his,
to the Warden and his wife, all very proper and very
acceptable.
" The Gallery is certainly the handsomest company
Room I ever saw, it is 110 ft. long and I think, 35 high.
The whole of the Ornaments are white & Gold and
the Ceiling particularly, is uncommonly rich, which
you will believe when I tell you that the gilding alone,
(the Duke not having added a single Ornament to the
Room) is said by Cundy to have cost above 3000.
This eclipsed, in a degree the splendour of the new
Apartments at St. James' which for two days was
almost the only subject of genteel conversation. They
are certainly very fine, and singularly well arranged
for Entrance and Exit, but so long as the whole con-
1 Robert Clive, 2nd B. of 1st Ld. Powis (brother to Lady Harriet
Williams Wynn), mar. 1819, Lady Harriet, daughter and co-h. of
Other Hickman, 6th E. of Plymouth and Baron Windsor. On the
death of her brother the 6th and last E. of Plymouth, the Barony
of Windsor fell into abeyance between her and her sister Maria, wife
of 3rd Marq. of Downshire. This lady dying in 1855, without issue,
the abeyance terminated in favour of Lady Harriet Clive, who became
Baroness Windsor, and was succeeded at her death in 1869 by her
grandson Robert, created E. of Plymouth, 1914. Her son, born
May 24th, 1824, Robert Windsor Clive, was M.P. for Ludlow and
Salop ; mar. 1852, Lady Mary Selina Bridgeman, dau. of 2nd E. of
Bradford. He died 1859.
1824] THE DRAWING-ROOM 315
tents of this town and City are to be summoned into
them at once, the result must always be that of a Bear-
garden instead of a Court. My vis-a-vis the Duchess
of Argyle did certainly exhibit her singed reputation
with no small degree of pomp and triumph, attended
by his Grace of Richmond, 1 in all their State Liveries
etc. and by the carriage of Lord Anglesea, bringing her
three other daughters, and handed up-stairs by Lord
and Lady F. Conyngham, I think no Mother went with
a prouder train.
" Every body agreed that the King looked well, but
he is certainly very weak on his legs, tho' he really
did, as they said, stand on them from 2, till near 4
o'clock, without availing himself of a very high Chair
which was placed behind him, but his sitting down in
the beau millieu of the Circle would have had a far
less bad effect than his sulking as he does from the eye
of John Bull. One of the most extraordinary Phe-
nomenons at the Drawing-room was the Appearance of
Lord Carysfort, 8 who came there in full array with his
Collar etc. marched in quite alone, and went off in the
same way just like any body else, nothing can be so
inconceivable and unaccountable as his powers and
infirmities. Adieu, dearest, I have gossiped on longer
than I intended & now am obliged to break off abruptly,
with every good wish and blessing that an old but still
warm heart can offer."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BKOOK STREET, June 1st.
" At Whitehall all is returning to its usual train
and losing apace the character of sick restraint. Mary
is still however so weak as to express doubts of her
being able to undertake Stowe, but at the same time
so much reluctance to abandon it, that I have little
hope of her prudence prevailing. What the mass is
i Charles, 3rd D. of Richmond born 1791 ; mar. 1817, Caroline,
dau. of 1st Ld. Anglesey (and of the Duchess of Argyll). He died 1860.
She died 1874.
Lord Carysfort was 73. He died 1828.
8 Where Charles Williams Wynn lived.
316 THE CHRISTENING AT STOWE [CHAP, xvi
to be made up of I know not, but the Duke l announces
that his Parlour mess mates for the 5 days will amount
to 90. Some of whom however, are to be bedded at
Buckingham. I sadly fear, however, that, as generally
happens on such occasions, there will be much heart-
burnings from the exclusiveness which I fear extends
to all married Members of the Fortescue family. To
some, it would perhaps have been difficult for him to
have drawn a line, but I lament that it should so be on
account of my Sister."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BBOOX STBEET, June 22nd.
" You will not have been disappointed my dearest
Henry at receiving a blank Literary last week, if you
had previously calculated on our Stowe Junket which
has fully occupied the last seven days, and of which I
shall forthwith give you a rsum while the impression
is still warming my tepid imagination. We all met as
we were bid to do on the Monday preceding yesterday,
when I say all, however, I must mention our great dis-
appointment in learning on Sunday that our Good
Watkin had been laid hold of the day before by his old
Enemy St. Anthony, and was confined to his couch,
but still bent on setting out the next day, this was of
course out of the question, but on the afternoon of
Tuesday he coaxed Sir Henry ' to allow him to go, and
late in the evening he arrived to the great satisfaction
of the party, and particularly of the Duchess, 1 who
1 The D. of Buckingham (Lady Williams Wynn's nephew), who
was inviting his party to celebrate the christening of his grandson,
afterwards 3rd and last D. of Buckingham, born September 10th,
1823 : he mar. 1st, 1851, Caroline, only dau. of Robert Harvey, of
Langley Park, Bucks, by whom he had three daughters ; he mar.
2nd, 1885, Alice, dau. of Sir Graham Montgomery, by whom he had
no children. He died 1889, when the Barony of Kinloss (which came
into the family through the wife of the 1st Duke) devolved upon his
daughter, Lady Mary, wife of Major Morgan, who assumed the
additional surname of Grenville.
Sir Henry Halford.
* Duchess of Buckingham : Lady Anna Brydges, de jure Baroness
Kinloss, only dau. and h. of James, 3rd D. of Chandos. She mar.
1796, Richard, 2nd Marq. and 1st D. of Buckingham and Chandos,
She died 1836.
1824] THE CHRISTENING AT STOWE 817
with more warmth than usually belongs to her, lamented
him as * the darling Watkin whose absence would
throw a gloom over everything.' Lord Braybroke like-
wise fell off and so did Catherine of course, and like-
wise so did Lady Jane, and poor Neville, who has been
seriously ill with a bilious attack, but is now quite
well again, tho' unable to attack so very large a party.
As it was, I think the numbers mustered above 50,
on Monday night, consisting of all the worthy family,
excepting those whom I have named, and the married
branches of the Fortescues, none of whom were asked,
to the Kings l and to the Ebringtons the exclusion is
obvious, to the two others, (the Wilbrahams * and
Hamlyn Williams 1 ) the reason assigned was their not
having troubled themselves to give the general token
of affinity by a letter of congratulation on the Birth of
the young Hero, but perhaps the reason might have
been to avoid too strong a mark of particular hostility
to the two others, but in truth one of the very positive
reasons, as good as the other 99, was the impossibility
of lodging more. As it was the whole almost of the
Bachelor Gallery was occupied by Ladies, and the
young men quartered for Beds in the Duke's houses in
Buckingham. Our extraneous Guests were Lord and
Lady Breadalban,' Lady Elizabeth Campbell, and two
more of the name & Clan, Sir G. & Lady Nugent, 5 Master
& Miss ; old Lady Lyttelton,' why or wherefore nobody
1 Hester, eldest dau. oi 1st E. Fortescue ; mar. 1804, Peter, 7th
Ld. King. She died 1873.
J Anne, 3rd dau. of 1st E. Fortescue, mar. 1814, George Wilbra-
ham, of Delamere House, co. Chester. She died 1864.
1 Mary, 4th dau. of 1st E. Fortescue; mar. 1823, Sir James Hamlyn
Williams, 3rd Bart. She died 1874.
* John, 4th E. and 1st Marq. of Breadalbane | born 1762; mar.
1793, Mary Turner, dau. and co-h. of David Gairn, of Langton. She
died 1845. He died 1834. Their 2nd dau., Mary, mar. 1819, Richard
Plantagenet, Marq. of Chandos, s. of 1st D. of Buckingham, afterwards
2nd Duke. She died 1862.
5 Gen. Sir George Nugent, 1st Bart. ; born 1757 ; mar. 1797, Maria,
dau. of Cortlandt Skinner, Att.-Gen. of New Jersey, N. America. Their
eldest a., afterwards Sir George, 2nd Bart., was born 1802, sue. at his
father's death in 1840. Their eldest dau., Louisa, mar. November
1824, Sir Thomas Fremantle, afterwards 1st Ld. Cottesloe.
Lady Lyttelton, Appia, 2nd dau. of Broome Witts, of Chipping
Norton, and widow of Joseph Peach, Governor of Calcutta ; she mar.
1772, Thomas, 2nd Ld. Lyttelton, wb,o died. 1779, without issue,
She died 1840,
818 THE CHRISTENING AT STOWE [CHAP, xvi
knows or could make out, excepting the Duke &
Duchess' having met her at Malvern & being in her
society in the first moment of Ebulletion on hearing of
the birth of the Boy ; Leighs * of course in number, but
not too many as they seem all pleasing and good-
humoured, with young Bunny's wife, we every one old
& young, Male and Female, fell in love. One Miss
Pigott * was lodged in order to supply a room for dress-
ing for the rest of the family, who were at Buckingham,
and a similar arrangement was made for the Free-
mantlery,'for short of the number lodged my shortest
way of giving them to your computation, will be by
telling you that Mrs. Nicholson, the old Housekeeper,
to whom I was making my compliments, yesterday
morning, told me that she had on the Saturday previous
to our arrival given out 150 pairs of Sheets to prepare
the beds, & on the Monday following had added 40 pairs
more, most of these carried^double and many I doubt
not treble. Of the servants in waiting~not one, as the
Duke told me had their cloathes off from the Monday
to the Saturday. Indeed that part was quite wonder-
fully done, and so was every part, but la Cuisine where
we failed as usual, tho' much was to have been expected
from the fortunate circumstance of his own performers
being sick and 3 London ones invited down to supply
his place. Gunter, was as usual in great force, and his
department was particularly well executed. We dined
from 100 to 112 in the Gallery & the Music room, and
very, very, handsome the decorations of both Tables
were in every respect excepting the Centre of that in
the Gallery, which was occupied by a most unfortunate
large unmeaning Group of Gilt plaister of Paris being
a model of an immense Fountain which the Duke pro-
posed having executed at Paris but of which the estimate
was so enormous that the Duke wrote the Artiste word
that without the addition of the River Pactolus in ' pro-
pria persona,' the effiges of the others were quite out
1 Leighs of Stoneleigh.
The Pigotts of Dodderehall.
3 The family of Admiral Sir Thomas Fremantle, who died 1822.
His son, Sir Thomas, mar. Louisa, dau. of Gen. Sir G. Nugent (see
above). He was created 1st Baron Cottosloe in 1874, and died at the
age of 02 in 1890.
1824] THE CHRISTENING AT STOWE 319
of his reach. So here comes the frightful model, costing
Heaven knows what, and mounted upon a double
black Plinth, covering a space of nearly five feet of
table-cloth and leaving barely room for a Salt cellar
as the Centre flank dish. Altogether it was a most
horrid piece of lumber, nor is it possible to find a spot
or destination to which it could be, even negatively,
applied. The Christening took place in the Church on
the Tuesday Morning, and seven Christian Names were
imposed on a pale & slight looking Child, but who, I
hope will grow equal to the burden. I suppose the
Newspapers will give them, but lest they should not,
I will fill my last line with them, ' Richard, Plantagenet,
Grenville, Campbell, Chandos, Nugent, Temple.'
" A quoi bon, Christening the little innocent with all
his Titles, I know not, but if they like it, and that he
becomes a ' ready writer ' it matters not, the News-
papers made me God-mother, but it was Lady Breadal-
ban, and My Lord and Uncle Tom were God-fathers.
" To my old fashioned notions the very quiet way
in which the Toast of the day was given by the dear
Duke, and received by his Company, was quite painful,
but truth & honest truth to say, the perfect frigidity
of the young couple, 1 & the neglect on our part, of their
belongings threw quite a damp on all the ' sensibilities
of the heart.' The one and only object to Lord Chandos
was his Yeomanry, and they were so paraded about
and made so much too prominent throughout the whole
Gala that I was quite disgusted.
" The dear good Host left nothing undone to mark
the occasion to every human Being. The day of the
Christening, every Tenant, Yeoman, etc. within reach
were invited to the house and danced and supped to
the number of 1100, in a large temporary room attached
to the house with the addition of one of the large Ordi-
nance Tents, sent down by the Duke of Wellington for
the purpose, On the Wednesday there were Yeomanry
Races to which the Duke gave three Cups, one the
Christening Cup, gilt and really beautiful, in the Even-
1 Ld.B and Lady Chandoa (for Lady Chandos see Breadalbane.
She died 1861). Ld. Chandos succeeded his father as 2nd D. of
Buckingham and Chandos in 1839 and died 1862,
320 THE CHRISTENING AT STOWE [CHAP, xvi
ing was a Lottery for all the Ladies and dancing, on
the Thursday was an Archery Meeting in which no-
thing was wanting but a magnet to draw your Arrows
to the Targets, which were almost wholly unwounded,
and Mary Williams Wynn l by two random shots had
the good luck to carry off both the Prizes. In the
Evening there were most beautiful Fire-works on the
water, and a Ball for all the Servants. On the Friday
there was again a Rifle Shooting for the Yeomanry with
Prizes and in the Evening a fancy dress Ball, which
lasted till 5 in the morning, with a very few very good
Masks. Besides this there was a set of Singers to fill
up gaps and a Ventriloquist etc. So that certainly
there was no lack of amusements. The morning after
the Christening there arrived a most superb Mantle of
Gold and Silver Brocade with a Blue and Silver border
and a magnificent gold Fringe all round it, a present
sent from Dublin by Lord Wellesley.' This of course
gave great pleasure to the Duke and will I doubt not
have been very gratifying to Lord Grenville, in truth
there could not have been a more pleasing testimony
of remembrance and respect.
" The pattern was a repetition of Rose, Shamrock,
& Thistle, which are all individually united in the little
great personage. His sister is a nice little girl, and the
Boy has fine large black Eyes, which I daresay will
make him well looking, but he is not so stout at present
as one could wish. . . ."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, July 13th.
"It is always a great pleasure to me, dearest, when
I can think that my old pen can convey to you any
degree of amusement & as such I rejoice to hear by
yours of the 1st inst. received yesterday, that mine was
your first Gazette of the Stowe festivities. I have
1 Charles Williams Wynn's daughter, afterwards Mrs. Milnos Gaskell.
1 Richard, Marq. Wellesley, s. of 1st E. of Mornington and eldest
brother to the D. of Wellington; born 1760; Gov.-Gen. of India;
twice Ld.-Lieut. of Ireland ; mar. 1st, 1794, Hyacinthe, dau. of
Monsieur Roland, by whom, who died 1816, he had no legitimate issue.
He mar. 2ndly, 1825, Marianne, dau. of Richard Paton, U.S.A., and
widow of Robert Patterson, She died 1853, He died 1842,
1824] LONDONDERRY HOUSE 321
myself been enough abroad to be, well aware of how
often one suffers by the fear of one's Correspondents of
repeating a before-told Tale, which to the reader is cer-
tainly a much less evil, than not having it at all.
'' The idea of the permanent & vengeful spell thrown
over the Cuisine of the proprietors of Stowe, amuses
me much, I can certainly speak to it in 3 successive
Generations & I hear there are strong symptoms of its
passing on still further. The noble science of Gastron-
omic has been quite the genteel Topic of the last week,
owing to the opening of the Dining-room in the new
Hertford House, in which a French Artiste for the
dinner, & an Italian one for the Desert, were supposed
to have surpassed anything ever produced in their re-
spective Branches. The House is as magnificently
furnished as possible, and all with English manufacture.
Everything, however, in the shape of expence must
shrink to insignificance when compared to that of Lord l
and Lady Londonderry. 1 She opened her half finished
Suite the other night without Balustrade to the Stair-
case, or Balcony to the windows, but, as people were
assured, with plenty of Feather-beds laid below to
receive those suffering by ' faux pas,' which arrange-
ment might seem to the wicked, equally adapted to
cause or affect, but as yet, like other precautions, they
appear to have had no suite, either en bien ou mal.
Lord Londonderry is not content with having gutted
the whole of Lord Middleton's house, & added another
story to part of it, but is likewise, as it is said in treaty
for the next house to throw into it. With all this
however, the report Is that of * Ready,' there is an
absolute and entire stop, which nothing but such insane
waste of money as his is said to have been, could, with
his incalculable great Income render credible."
1 Ld. Londonderry, 3rd Marq. ; born 1778 ; mar. 1st, 1804,
Catherine, dau. of John, 3rd E. of Darnley. She died 1812. He mar.
2ndly, 1819, Frances Anne, dau. and h. of Sir Harry Vane Tempest,
and assumed the additional surname of Vane. (Her mother was Anne,
eld. dau. and co-h. of William, 6th E. of Antrim, and became on her
father's death Countess of Antrim, which title passed, in accordance
with the limitations of the patent, on her death in 1834, to her sister
Lady Charlotte Kerr.) Ld. Londonderry had sue. his half-brother the
2nd Marq. (Ld. Castlereagh) in 1821, He died 1854. Lady London-
derry died 1865,
322 THE VOYAGE TO ALNWICK [CHAP, xvi
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" July 20th, 1824.
" Watkin & Lady Harriet set off most gallantly with
the Duke & Duchess of N. 1 and Mr. & Mrs. Henry Clive *
to make their way to Alnwick per Steam Vessel by
which, they were in less than 48 hours, to perform
their five days journey. The first and only report
however, which has yet arrived, stated the two Sisters
as being both of them driven to their Beds, but if
when there, they were able to sleep and forget their
miseries, (as was stated) they will comparatively have
little to complain of."
From Lady W. W. to Henry W. W. W.
" DBOPMOBE, July 29th.
" I heard once from Lady Harriet since their Voyage
to Alnwick, and a more piteous picture, even Matthews
himself could not draw of the detail. They were nearly
52 hours on board, above 40 of which was passed by
the Duchess, herself and all their female Attendants,
in the extreme of woe, which she says was, as long as
she was capable of knowing anything, receiving the
greatest possible aggrevation by seeing all the Males
of the party devouring Turtle Soup, Pasties, iced
Wines, etc., with a zeal and perseverance actuated, I
suppose, by the desire of maintaining a just Equilibrium
in the Vessel, by adding thereby as much Balast as the
Ladies were throwing over board. I think even Wat-
kin's perseverance, will hardly be sufficient to induce
Lady Harriet to put herself again soon into such a
predicament. She gives a most splendid account of
their landing at Alnemouth, where all the population
was turned out to receive their Graces, arriving in so
new a shape, and every demonstration of joy put forth
at their having escaped the perils of the Ocean."
1 D. and Duchess of Northumberland (Lady Harriet Williams Wynn's
sister and brother-in-law).
* Hon. Henry Clive, 3rd s. of 5th E. of Plymouth; born 1768;
mar. 1798, Anne, dau. of Thomas Copson. He sue. his brother the
6th Earl as 7th and last Earl of that creation in 1837, and d.s.p. 1843,
1824] LAMPORT AND HILLESDEN PROPERTIES 323
The Same
" VALE ROYAL, October 9th, 1824.
" The Annonce of your immediate Recall and of your
new Appointment l at three months date appears to
me to leave you precisely in the predicament " between
two stools," the result of which is proverbially known
to be tjie reverse of elevation. Your Uncle, however,
assures me that such a result can never be intended,
and that in some way or another it will be prevented,
which I hope will be the case.
" I am very glad your visit to Munich turned out so
agreable, and as you are so soon to leave Stuttgard, the
contrast will not so much signify, tho' certainly from
your description it appears to be as strong as a com-
parason between two extremes could render it. Your
account of the Royal Salute to dear Hester's Bonnet de
Nuit, has amused us to the greatest degree, and is quite
' incroyable.' Of the Court at Copenhagen, I have
tried in vain to pick up some ideas by applying to
every odd body whom I meet with, it seems to me as if
as little was known of it as of Pekin. You will be glad
to hear that the Duke of Buckingham has just now
had the great delight of signing and sealing for the
purchase, not only of the Lamport Estate, (old DayrelFs)
which you know comes up close to the Gothic Building,
but likewise of the whole of Mr. Coke's property at
Hillesdon which has been a constant temptation to the
Breach of the 10th Commandment to the possessor of
Stowe, time out of mind, and which from political
feelings Mr. C. was so anxious to keep out of their
hands, that, in proposing the purchase to the Gentle-
man thro' whom it was privately negotiating for the
Duke, he expressed in the strongest terms, a Caution
never to let it get into his hands. The Duke has bought
it with the money for which he sold Gosfield, and
written word to your Uncle 2 that he has improved his
Rent Roll by it, 3600 pr. ann. I believe it includes
the presentation to the Living of Buckingham, but at
all events it makes everything quite sure and safe
1 To Copenhagen. Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville.
324 GEORGE CIIOLMONDELEY'S MARRIAGE [CHAP.XVI
there, and gives him a beautiful property lying just
between Stowe and Wotton."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" VALE ROYAL, October 2nd, 1825.
" I must open my little budget, with the news of
Old George Cholmondley's * Marriage, tho' I can hardly
flatter myself with the hope of being the first to an-
nounce it to you. The happy fair is Lord Sydney's
2nd daughter, their relative ages being 73 & 29 ! I
Lord Delamere says he is not one to object to a certain
degree of difference, but that this really does pass all
permission & what adds not a little to one's surprise is
that the Lady actually has by some odd chance an
independant fortune of 45,000, & is of an age when
she might reflect & certainly need not despair. It came
upon us at once in its full force being notified by Lord
Braybrooke, who is asked by Lord Sydney to be trustee
to the Marriage Settlements, I hope all due care will
be taken to provide for the issue which I have no doubt
will come like Moreton Pitt's, 8 by doublets. It is
really quite disgusting to look at such a poor old
withered Being attired in the Saffron robe thrown over
his flannel Bedgown, but after all the Speculation is
certainly on his side not a bad one, & he may once
more describe himself most justly as tottering (not
standing) between the Grave & the Altar.
" We returned yesterday from Madeley Manor where
we have had a very agreeable Visit. Our party con-
sisted of Grevilles ' in large quantities, such as old
Charles * & Lady Charlotte,' Lord & Lady Francis
1 George Cholmondeley, s. of Rev. Robert Cholmondeley and his wife
Mary Woffington ; born 1752 ; mar. 1st in 1790, Marcia, dau. of John
Pitt, of Enscomb, Dorset (by whom he had one son, George). She
died 1808. He mar. 2ndly, 1814, Catherine, dau. of Sir Philip Francis.
She d.s.p. 1823. He mar. 3rdly, October 4th, 1825, Hon. Mary, dau.
of John, 2nd Vise. Sydney, by whom he had one dau.
1 William Moreton Pitt, M.P., of Kingston House, Dorset, mar.
Margaret, dau. of John Gambier. His sister Marcia was George
Cholmondeley's first wife (see above).
8 Mr. Charles Greville, s. of Fulke Greville, of Wellow, Wilts ; born
1762 ; mar. 1793, Lady Charlotte, dau. of 3rd D. of Portland.
She died 1862. He died 1832. His daughter Harriet mar. 1822, Ld.
Francis Leveson (2nd s. of 1st D. of Sutherland), raised to the
Peerage as E. of Ellesmere in 1846.
1825] MADELEY MANOR 325
Leveson & Mr. & Mrs. Morier, besides which we had
the last day our London neighbour Lord Dudley who
fortunately was my chum at dinner & was very talky
and odd. The House is super excellent and so it
well may be having been built from the ground on the
joint taste of Harrison & Cunliffe, & having cost 12,000
to defray all which Lord Crewe cut down all out of
sight Timber upon the Estate only, & put in his
daughter & son-in-law rent free, including Garden etc.
Of course they have to furnish it, & lay out the Grounds
which really are very much above par in point of beauty
surrounded with hills & woods, & with what will be,
when done a very handsome piece of Water with a
Trout Stream running thro' it. The House consists of
a remarkably comfortable Drawing-room 49 feet long
opening into a smaller, et puis a very good eating room,
billiard, etc. etc. sitting-room for Mr. C. & two Bed-
chambers all on the ground floor, Hall & very handsome
Staircase included, so you may guess there is no lack of
lodging, but what is most surprising is the celerity
with which it has been done, having been actually
inhabited in 18 months from the time of laying the
first stone. The wonder however lessens when one
hears that there were 80 men employed at once in the
building. Lord Crewe' s surrounding Estate is 6000
pr. an. of which Mr. C. may of course rent whatever he
likes, so that you may believe he is pretty much Grand
Seigneur & certainly very much Maitre Cordonnier.
She was, as indeed I have always found her, courteous
& even more, I should say kind, & agreable to the
greatest degree, & the Grevilles have, all of them, very
much the talent of society, so that I enjoyed my junket
really very much. They took us one day to Trentham
which disappointed me very much. There are certainly
some very handsome rooms, & very good external
objects, but there was a general air of tristesse both
within & without which I could not well account for.
What pleased me most was in going away seeing the
covered Shed for the reception of the weary Traveller
with a good table in the middle at which we saw two
men & a woman quite decently & respectably dressed
sitting eating their Maunchet of bread & cheese or meat,
826 CREWE HALL [CHAP xvl
& with their respective mugs of Beer in their hands.
This Custom is, I fancy, of very old standing but is
kept up only when the family are there. I am afraid
to say to how many thousands the list of those so fed
amounted to last year when Lord Stafford was down
only for a very few months. I think my brother
told me nine thousand. Perhaps, by the by,! you re-
member his speaking of it. On our return hither the
whole party accompanied us to Crewe Hall which I had
great curiosity to see, not having been half over the
house when I was there last, & that being 20 years ago.
We were very much gratified in walking it all over, it
being, I fancy, a unique Specimen of a building of that
date remaining so much in its original State, & having
been so very rich in ornament. Harriet was quite in
love with all the old Ceilings & odd beasts. The Stair-
case put me in mind of course of that which gave you
so much trouble to draw, but I think, when we saw it,
it was painted white which is more Analogous to
its date than the light bright modern Oak colour
now put upon it. Lord Crewe was absent otherwise
we could not have taken Mr. Greville & Lady Charlotte
with whom He is not on Terms, I ought to have told
you that on our return from Trentham we stopped at
Keel where we saw 3 or 4 of our Sneyd relations & a
very curious old front of a house. But what struck
me most was the sudden apparition of a long black
woman who turned out to be the Duchess Dow. of
Newcastle whom I had not seen I believe, for 40 years
& who claimed me as an Intimate.
" God bless you my ever ever dearly loved."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" LLANQEDWYN, October 22nd, 23rd, 1825.
" I suppose, you will, at Munich have fallen in with
a long arrear of English Newspapers which will have
been a great treat. In them you will have seen the
premature return of your friend Captain Parry l owing
1 Capt. Parry, afterwards Sir William, Knt. and Adm. ; born 1790;
entered Navy 1803; commanded three expeditions of discovery
to the Arctic Seas 1819-20, 1821-23, 1824 to October 1825; mar.
Isabella, dau. of Sir John Stanley, 1st Baron, 1826. He died 1855.
1825] PASSING EVENTS OF THE DAY 327
to his Consort Ship ' The Fairy's ' having been wrecked
& his being thereby obliged to crowd his own vessel
with her crew & stores, with which he was too much
encumbered to proceed. I own I cannot but rejoice at
their being returned from an Expedition from which no
one benefit was ever anticipated, but a display of
Englishman's daring & enterprize which wanted no
further confirmation. It is a wonderful testimony to
all the attention & expence in fitting out these 2 Vessels,
that in the course of two years of such service, but one
single life has been lost & that from a Casuality. I
give you all detail on the general principle of its being
unfair to friends at a distance to trust to their picking
up even public events as we do at home, & knowing
how much you have always interested yourself in this
expedition. Among the passing events of the Day the
most prominent is the Announcement of Lady Georgina
Ryder's l Marriage with Mr. S. Wortley, 1 which is as
you will believe matter of the greatest rejoicing at
Sandon. Next comes a far less pretty one between
Lord Wellesley & Madame Jerome ne'e Paterson which
is said to be certainlysettled & to which the Cholmondleys
will say * heartily welcome Sir ; * & then lastly Lady
Catherine Eliot * with a Mr. Boileau, a perfection with
4,000 pr. an. Lady A. Maria * announced it to Mrs.
A. Hayman with great joy, & of course much fun.
She says she does not herself think the name as pretty
as Eliot, but that He assures her it is much prettier,
& that she has nothing to do but to look up Racine.
After all, she says * Mama's * Grandfather made an
immense fortune as a Physician in consequence of which
she has always considered herself as one of the Medici
family, & his name perhaps was not much more illustre"
than Boileau, who is some how or another more or
less Pollen to boot.' Charlotte has perhaps written
you word of their having been (I suppose moyennant
1 John Stewart Wortley, afterwards 2nd Ld. Wharncliffe ; mar.
1825, Lady Georgina Ryder, 3rd dau. of 1st Ld. Harrowby.
* Lady Catherine, dau. of 1st E. of Minto ; mar. 1825, Mr. Boileau,
afterwards 1st Bart, of Tacolnestone. She died 1862. He died 1869.
3 Lady Anna Maria, eld. dau. of 1st E. of Minto ; mar. 1832, Lt.-Gen.
Sir Ruffane Shawe Donkin, K.C.B. She died 1855.
* Lady Minto waa the dau. of Sir George Amyand, Bart.
22
828 MR. THOMPSON OF WAVERLEY ABBEY [CHAP, xvi
Lady Jones) able to trace the origin & out turn of one
of those strange Matrimonial advertisements which
one always supposes to be the production of some such
Author as G. G Ue but who in this instance was a Mr.
Thompson of Waverley Abbey Surrey, & who not only
asked, but was answered by one of the pupils belong-
ing to the Academy of Music whom he actually married
& made the Partner of his ll,000-pr. an. What is
still more comical is that in telling the Story to our
friend Hayman, I found her an intimate Acquaintance
of the Gentleman, who gave me all his history. His
father was a great Russian Merchant, who with the help
of the late Empress Catherine was supposed to have
enfante"ed the late Mr. Angerstein, & to have brought &
settled him in England at his house. Mrs. Hayman
knows him, Mr. Thompson, & used very often to meet
him. His first wife was, I fancy, rather ' high ' than
otherwise, & was more or less the Amie intime of the late
John Madocks who used to be always running up &
down to Waverley Abbey & his daughter is Mrs. G.
Lock. . . . The Gentleman is 70 years old, of the Lady's
age we may suppose that as a Pupil it cannot be much
within the Cholmondley Scale. Altogether the Story
looks long & prosy on paper, & may most probably not
interest you, but I was amused at having traced so
many particulars belonging to it, & so I give it to you.
Mrs. Hayman had a letter while she was here from Lady
Charlotte Neville written from their new Chateau where
she is surrounded by all possible Nevilles and Legges
with the addition of 2 or 3 Fortescues, and is quite in
a delirium of delight. She says they are at the time
she writes 50 within the walls, and no man sleeping in
his neighbours Bedroom, or shaving in his Wife's
dressing-room. . . .
" You will probably have seen in the Newspapers much
report of the Gros Cousin 1 going to India, so much
smoke can probably not have arisen without some fire,
but one should not easily believe that surrounded by
so much of external and domestic comfort as he is, and
with health so precarious, such a Situation could be,
to him an Object of Ambition. In politics however as
1 D, of Buckingham.
1825] THE BEAV MONDE 329
in Marriages one learns not to wonder at anything and
have only to keep one's opinions to one's self."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, November Qth, 1825.
" We went over one morning last week to Llangollen
where you know I have never been since Lady Eleanor's
fruitless operation on her Eyes. I found her therefore
very much altered but in her usual spirits, & full of
enquiry and gossip about the Beau Monde. They were
both of them delighted to see us, & of course expressed
the greatest anxiety about you. Furthermore Lady
Eleanor gave me a pint Bottle full of Rose Water of
* our own make,' N.B. not near so good as Mrs. Motts,
and Miss Ponsonby presented Charlotte with a smaller
ditto so flat & thin that she is afraid of punching it in
two with her finger & thumb. They talk much of the
Wellesley l Marriage of which Lady Hariett had all
particulars from Lady Caledon, 1 & among others a
wonderous difalcation in point of fortune on the side
of the Lady, she herself having told a friend of Lady
Caledon's that she had only 60,000 which we have
since heard is still much over-rating it. Lord Wellesley
professes his Object in making the marriage to have
been * purely moral ' for the sake of * preventing that
profligate Long Wellesley * from ever bearing the im-
maculate title of Mornington.' Nous verrons, but I
should be sorry to bet upon the production of an obstacle.
The young Wilton Heir * has just been Christned quite
1 Ld. Wellesley 's (2nd) marriage, with Marianne, dau. of Richard
Caton, U.S.A., and widow of Robert Paterson (whose sister was the
wife (div.) of J6r6me Bonaparte, Bong of Westphalia), took place on
October 29th, 1825. He died 1842, and was sue. by his brother
William, Ld. Maryborough, as 3rd E. of Mornington.
* Lady Caledon, Catherine, dau. of 3rd E. of Hard wick ; mar. 1811,
2nd E. of Caledon. She died 1863.
8 William Pole Tilney Long Wellesley, eldest s. of the above William,
3rd E. of Mornington ; born 1788 ; mar. 1st in 1812, Catherine, dau.
and h. of Sir James Tilney Long. She died 1825. He mar. 2ndly, in
1829, Helena, dau. of Col. Thomas Paterson and widow of Capt. Thomas
Bligh. She died 1869. He sue. his father as 4th E. of Mornington
in 1845, and was sue. in 1857 by his eldest son, with whom the Barony
of Maryborough terminated, the Earldom of Mornington devolving
on his cousin the 2nd D. of Wellington.
4 This child died as an infant.
880 HEIRS OF THE HOUSE OF GROSVENOR [CHAP. XVI
privately, & I hear the Grosvenor one is to be per-
formed in the same stile, which, I believe I rather
approve, tho' how it can be so in the last instance I do
not understand, as I hear the Corporation of Chester
are to present a Bason of Massive Gold for the purpose.
I think it can hardly be bigger than a Thimble, but as
the Child is not to be submerged it will not signify.
Lord Bagot 1 has lately been at Eaton, & went from
thence to P. Park ! taking Grommow with him to im-
prove & add to the house. This is the first time that
he has been there since Lady B.'s death."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" WYNNSTAY, November 16th.
" The two heirs 3 of the House of Grosvenor are to
be Christened together at Eaton this next week with-
out any parade or bustle but they are to have a very
large party the ensuing week to which your Brother
and Lady Harriet cum multis aliis are invited.
" Lord Belgrave ' notified at a Chester Corporation
Dinner, that his Son was to be Christened * Hugh
Lupus ' a name born by one of the Ancestors * of his
family 800 years ago. 1 They say he is a very healthy
promising child, but not as large as his Cousin Grey B
who is his senior only by five days.
" Our last letter from London notified the expecta-
tion of a young George Cholmondley it will be well, I
1 Ld. Bagot, William, 2nd Baron ; born 1773 ; mar. 1st in 1799,
Hon. Emily Fitzroy, dau. of 1st Ld. Southampton. She died 1800. He
mar. 2ndly, in 1807, Lady Louisa Legge, dau. of 3rd E. of Dartmouth.
She died 1816. He died in 1856.
* Pool Park, near Ruthin, Denbighshire.
8 Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, afterwards 1st D. of Westminster ; mar.
1st, 1852, Lady Constance, dau. of 2nd D. of Sutherland. He mar.
2ndly, 1882, Katherine, dau. of 2nd Ld. Chesham. He died 1899.
The other heir here mentioned is the s. of Thomas, 2nd E. Wilton
(see p. 276, note 3), who did not survive.
4 Ld. Belgrave, eld. s. of 1st Marq. of Westminster, afterwards 2nd
Marq., who mar. 1819, Lady Elizabeth, dau. of 1st D. of Sutherland.
He died 1869. She died 1891.
Viscount Grey de Wilton, 2nd title of E. of Wilton,
1825] DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF RUTLAND 831
think, if he does not arrive with a doublet like his
Cousin Moreton Pitt. 1
" I see the Newspapers still full of Mrs. Coutts 8 and
her noble paramour, but Mr. Antrobus, who your
Brother saw last week in Cheshire told him, that he
had just had a letter from the Lady saying * I am going
here there & every where, but am not going to marry
the Duke of St. Albans.' " '
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"WYNNSTAY, December llth, 1825.
" The event of the Duchess of Rutland's almost
sudden death made, at the moment, a great sensation,
but like other such things it is now gone by. So pre-
mature & hasty a close to a life of such uninterrupted
dissipation as her's appeared to be, cannot but be
very awful, & one only hopes such a warning may not
have been given in vain. The Duke is in the deepest
affliction, but will, I should think, not remain in his
widowed state longer than is necessary, as he seems
to be one who could not live without female Society.
My Sister & all her family are lodged at Lord Fortes-
cue's. They were in a great fidgett last week when
the Duke of Dorset's * house was under the hammer
knowing that Uncle Tom had actually made up his
mind to bid for it more than he ought, but it went to
such a price as to put it out of the question & who think
you run it up & remained the Purchaser, but Lady
Bridgewater, who of course would not be out bid, &
bought it at 18,460, the highest valuation of it having
been 12,000. I think her quite in the right, as I am
very sure I should have much preferred it as a habita-
tion to her own, for which I suppose she will expect half
as much again. The Strathavern 8 Marriage is, as Mr.
1 See p. 324.
a Harriet Mellon, actress, widow of Thomas Coutts the banker.
8 William, 9th D. of St. Albans ; born 1801; mar. 1st, 1827,
Harriet, dau. of Matthew Mellon and widow of Thomas Coutts. She
died 1837. He mar. 2ndly, 1839, Elizabeth, dau. of Gen. Joseph
Gubbins. He died 1849.
* Charles, 5th D. of Dorset, bom 1767.
6 George, Ld. Aboyne, who in 1836 succeeded his kinsman, the 5th
and last D. of Gordon, to the marquessate of Huntly ; bora 1761 ;
882 MRS. LLOYE WILLIAMS [CHAP, xvi
C. Jenkinson * told them at Eaton again at a hitch,
Lord Aboyne saying that He has since the last time
of asking paid 10,000 for his Son's debts, & can not
therefore make his allowance what he then offered, &
Mr. J. says that for this once he is in the right, supposing
the fact to be as he states it. I must next digress to
some Provincial News to fill my Gazette, & tell you of
Mrs. LI. Williams s having actually lett the Mines at
Penbedw for 500 a year & the House with them for
200. Furthermore there is now an advertisement in
the Chester, offering to sell all the Timber on the un-
entailed Estates, for which they say she will get at least
7 or 8,000, & she has sold a property valued at 10,000
for 24,000, all which it is supposed to make a purse
for Bergami. She is going to settle in Hampshire
which I am heartily glad of, that one may not have
the pain & disgrace of hearing any more of her, but
it is a striking lesson of the vanity of ' Laying
field to field ' to think how Mr. Williams starved
himself & all about him for the sake of extending &
improving a property which will now be all cut to
pieces.
" Of the Gros Cousin's ' strange Object of ambition
the general opinion is decidedly that he will not attain
it, & I am sure no one who loves him can wish that he
should, but he has unfortunately taken it into his head
that it is to give him health, wealth, & all things most
desireable, & He is not apt to give up his fancies when
once they have laid hold of his Mind."
mar. 1791, Catherine, dau. of Sir Charles Cope. She died 1831. He
died 1863, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Lord Strathavon
(10th Marq. of Huntly) ; born 1792 ; mar. 1826, 1st, Lady Elizabeth
Conyngham, who d.s.p. 1739. He mar. 2ndly, 1844, Maria Antoinette,
dau. of Rev. P. W. Pegas (and his wife Dow. -Countess of Lindsey). She
died 1893. He died 1863.
1 Hon. C. Jenkinson, 2nd s. of 1st E. of Liverpool (and brother to
2nd Earl, Prime Minister). He was born 1784 ; mar. 1810, Julie,
dau. of Sir George Shuckburgh-Evelyn, sue. his brother as 3rd E.
in 1851, and died without male issue 1851.
* Mrs. Lloyd Williams, widow of the 2nd s. of Richard Williams, of
Penbedw. Mrs. Williams (the sister to Lady Cotton ne Stapleton) was
the widow of Watkin the eldest son. He d.s.p. 1808. Mrs. Williams
died 1824 or 1825, aged 85, and was succeeded at Penbedw by her
sister-in-law, Mrs. Lloyd Williams.
The D. of Buckingham.
1823] LADY BRIDGEWATER 333
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BROOK STREET, December 20th, 1825.
" I told you, I believe in my last, of Lady Bridge-
water's * having changed her abode, but not of her
meditating a further change of Situation which the
gossip of the town reported her to be induced to do by
our Cousin Lord Chatham. 1 I thought this was merely
idle talk till I came to town & was told by your Uncle
Tom that Lord Stafford * spoke of it as a thing which
he thought very probable. If she likes it, I am sure
there is nothing to be said against it, & as to him, He
will certainly be better lodged than in his own single
house, & I do not think he will ever find her in his
way, but it still seems to me unlikely that she should
bring her mind to such a bold step. I find my Vicinage
here full of new inhabitants, among others Lady Gordon,
whom you will be glad to find so near a neighbour.
She is at present in Herefordshire & so are Lady Corn-
wall & daughters. Mrs. Lewis is still hanging about
Town waiting on her Son who is however got so decidedly
better as to be no longer to his sanguined minded Mother
an Object of Anxiety, & I trust he will not become so
again.
" Charles is still kept in Town & from the pressure
of public business, particularly from the Storm which
there has been in the last week in the Money Market,
& now from this great political event of the death of
Alexander, 1 I am urging him strongly to send for his
family being persuaded that he has no chance of being
able to get down to them."
The opening up of new markets in South America,
and the general revival of commerce during the years
1823-5, had given an impetus to speculation, and had
encouraged a vast amount of dishonest company pro-
1 This " arrangement " did not take place. John, 2nd E. Chatham,
born 1756 ; mar. 1783, Mary, 2nd daughter of 1st Vise. Sydney. She
died 1821. He did not remarry.
a George Granville, afterwards 2nd D. of Sutherland ; born 1796 ;
mar. 1823, Harriet, dau. of 6th E. of Carlisle. He died 1861.
The Emperor Alexander I of Russia; died 1825 (December 10th).
334 FAILURE OF THE COUNTRY BANKS [CHAP, xvi
moting among financial agents, with the result that a
monetary crisis of great magnitude was brought about
during the December of this year, when seventy country
banks suspended payment.
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BROOK STREET, December 21th, 1825.
" The failure of so great a number of Country Banks
will, I fear be felt most severely among the little
Farmers & small Shop-keepers, & the Check it will give
both to Manufacturies & public Works must equally
affect all the Working_Class. Nothing could exceed
the Gloom & dismay of the beginning of the last week,
but now in London all seems again quiet & calm &
many of the houses which had stopped are expected
to open again. Thank God none of our own friends
have been sufferers in the first instance, but many of
course will feel the rebound of it among their Tenants,
& in this description, I fear, our dear Vale Royal must
be more or less included by the failure of the Nantwich
Bank.
" There is a large party to be assembled at Ashridge
for the Xmas Week, & of course Lord Chatham at the
head of them. I believe I told you in my last that it
is really thought likely that the match will take place,
& I am sure I see not why it should not. Lord Chatham
will get a very good hot supper, & she a remarkably
good tempered Companion to do the honors of her
table. Mr. Cholmondley says of his Bride, ' we shall
probably pass a couple of years tolerably comfortable
together, then she will have two more years of nursing
me, & then she will have her jointure.' This last can
not be Lady Bridgewater's speculation, but perhaps
it may in some degree be his.
" I am sorry to hear that by some quirk of the Law
it has been discovered that Lady Plymouth l has the
power of cutting off the entail of the Dorset property
and is now actually doing it, saying however that it is
most profitable that ' we ' shall still leave it on to the
1 Lady Mary Sackville, dau. of 3rd D. of Dorset; mar. 1811,
6th E. of Plymouth. He d.s.p. 1833, She mar. 2ndly, 1839, William,
Igt E, Amherst, d.s.p. 1864,
1825] THE GROS COUSIN 335
De la Warr's, but that is a far different thing from an
Entail, & I am quite sorry that it should be in question
to take such property out of the Sackville line & blood.
" Nothing is yet finally settled respecting the Gros
Cousin but I trust there is little probability of his
obtaining the very unaccountable Object of his wishes,
of the utter inexpediency of which in every possible
point of view there seems to be but one opinion. Think
only of the provoking luck of some people, Lord Clan-
rickarde ' two days before the Lottery began drawing,
sent orders to his Bankers to buy him a Ticket &
in three days after received a letter desiring his Lord-
ship's directions where to pay in the sum of 1500,
being his Lordship's half share ! ! Such a sum turned
up to a poor Curate with 8 or 10 Children would have
been the making of the family.
" Charlotte Boycott has just walked in chaperoned
by Lord William Fitzroy, 8 I asked them in vain for
news, they gave me only the renewal of the Contracts
between Lord Strathaven ' and Lady Elizabeth Conyng-
ham, which has probably been facilitated by Royal inter-
ference, so I again repeat my hope that the poor man
will not die, furthermore Lord Dunnally * marries one
of the Maudes which you will probably have hear.d
where you are from the Hawardens."
The Duke of Buckingham was, at this time, nursing
grievances against the Government, which are fully
dealt with in the ten volumes of voluminous correspond-
ence (published 1855-62) entitled the Memories of the
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, from MSS. at
Stowe. From the perusal of these papers, one is fain
to conclude that the Duke was an egotist of the first
water, full of lofty sentiments, and living up to a high,
though conventional and artificial standard of integrity.
1 Ld. Clanricarde, 14th E. and 1st Marq.
1 Ld. William Fitzroy, Admiral, 5th s. of 3rd D. of Graf ton ;
born 1782.
3 In a previous letter, not included in this collection, the serious
illness of Ld. Strathaven is alluded to.
4 Ld. Dunnalley, 2nd Baron; born 1775; mar. as his 2nd wife,
Emily, dau. of Islb Vise, Hawarden. He d.s.p. 1854.
836 THE GROS COUSIN [CHAP, xvi
He failed to perceive his own limitations in statesman-
ship, and he could not recognise worth in men of lesser
degree. The object on which his heart was set, was the
Governor-Generalship of India, and he did not scruple
to press Charles, a Cabinet Minister, and a cadet of
his own house, to further his interests.
In consequence of the failure to attain his desires he
visited his displeasure on Charles, with whom, up to this
moment, he had been on terms of great intimacy. He
also withdrew the light of his countenance from society
in England, and in the summer of 1827 commenced a
prolonged tour abroad. Three volumes of his Private
Diary, obviously written for publication, and faithfully
given to the public in 1862, contain all he wishes to be
known of his princely " progress " from place to place.
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
"BROOK STREET, January 5th, 1826.
" You will learn from Charles that the Gros Cousin
continues quite impracticable and gives out right and
left that malgre" the opposition of the two ruling powers,
he is sure of attaining his object, & what an object
it is when he has attained it ! ! I should really have
thought it infradig to have been offered to him 1 In
the meantime your dear Brother l grows quite yellow,
and thin upon the worry of it, and heartily glad shall I
be when it is brought to a decision, as I am sure that
the irritation is hourly encreasing, while it remains in
suspense."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"BROOK STREET, January Wth, 1826.
" Lady Charlotte * is nearly recovered, and they are
going Hawarden Way next week. They have at
1 Rt. Hon. Charles Williams Wynn.
* Lady Charlotte Neville, dau. of 3rd E. of Dartmouth ; mar.
1816, Hon. George Neville, 3rd s. of 2nd Ld. Braybrooke. Mr. George
Neville inherited under the will of his kinsman, Lord Glastonbury,
and assumed the additional surname of Grenville. He died 1854,
He had four sons and five daughters. Lady Charlotte died 1877,
1826] THE BELVOIR AFFLICTION 337
Brighton been seeing a great deal of the Cholmondeleys
and are of course full of stories about them, indeed it
seems to be quite his object that everybody should
have something to retail of his saying or doing. He
pressed Mary Glynne to come and dine with him hav-
ing as he said ' everything new about him, a new house,
new set of servants, new table, and new Wife ! ' The
latter they say seems far the most in love of any who
have borne the title, and never takes her eyes from
the object of her affections, and has long announced
her being, as those having such affection are said to
wish to be. Just before they were married he was
driving in his Gig and met Mrs. Vansittart or some
such old Berkshire friend. After the " how dye's " had
been hastily exchanged, he said he had a piece of news
to tell her ' I am going to be married.' ' No, no,' said
his friend * that I am sure you are not,' of course he
repeated the assertion with strong asservation, and she
then anxiously asked ' to whom.' When turning to
his companion he replied ' to this fair Creature,' and
the Creature with all proper blushing and down cast eye
owned the soft impeachment. Frankland Lewis soon
after the report was in circulation called upon him in
Cumberland Place and said he heard he was soon to
wish him joy, ' Just come from the Altar ' was the reply,
* and by the bye I was finishing this little job, this
little business when you came in, the making my Will,
before I step into my Chaise, so you may as well if
you please sign and witness it for me.' In short it is
all Coleur de Rose but they say Papa Sidney does
not yet take to the joke of having a son 12 years
younger than himself. Next to the young Cholmonde-
leys l the Belvoir affliction is still the wonder and talk
of the day. The disconsolate Duke of York has been
passing a fortnight with the disconsolate Widower,
mingling (as your Sister Harriet says) their sighs and
regrets over the Ecarte" Table, and with their united
tears making a Pool in the middle. I heard yesterday
that the Royal amant had this summer brought from
1 Rev. Horace George Cholmondeley, only son of " Old George "
(by his first wife, Marcia, dau. of John Pitt of Luscomb) ; he was born
1796 ; mar. August 1826, Elizabeth, dau. of Godschale Johnson, Esq.
338 AUDLEY END [CHAP, xvi
Rundall and Bridges a pair of brilliant earrings which
had belonged to Josephine l and which were sent over
here to be sold at the moderate price of 10,000 but
which he was fortunate enough to get for 8,000 guineas.
He carried them to Belvoir, where the Duchess used
to wear them with a quite plain White Muslin Gown
and Cap, lest it should not be sufficiently conspicuous
that she was possessed of so honourable a badge, I wonder
who will wear them next."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BROOK STREET, January nth, 1826.
" Lord Braybrooke called upon me the day before
yesterday, and sat with me nearly an hour talking all
the time. He came on a flying visit to town for the
purpose of letting his Burlington house for a twelve-
month. He intended to let it for 800 guineas, which he
is told he may be sure of getting, and with which he
means, for the next season entirely to new furnish and
decorate it. In the meantime he says he shall have
plenty of amusements and employment in watching
the indoor improvements at Audley End, upon which
he is going to begin immediately, and where he expects
to make himself in the interior, as it is magnificent, in
the exterior. This can only be done by the entire aban-
donment of the ground floor, which though I must
consider as a great sacrifice in a country residence, was
I believe in this instance an indispensible one. He
told me among other things that Lord Sydney told him,
himself that his 2 daughters had 40,000 a piece settled
on them at the death of their Uncle Lord de Clifford.
This sum, together with what may come from Lord
Sydney (which he has never mentioned) Mr. Cholmonde-
ley, magnanimously leaves to his Lady's sole disposal
adding to it 1,000 a year Jointure and 200 Pin Money !
He gave to his son 50,000 on his marriage, whether
there is issue expected in that quarter I have not
1 Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon I; born 1767; died 1814.
1826J CHOLMONDELEY GOSSIP 339
heard, but in the other it is I believe decidedly an-
nounced. They have been so liberal in supplying
stories and gossip to the town, and have made them-
selves so much and almost so entirely the subjects of
conversations that I am grown quite tired of hearing
of them, yet was I so amused at the last which I have
heard that I must pass it on. A Lady going in the
Autumn into a Haberdashery Shop and asking for some
Lace for trimming was shown some which she rejected
as being coarse and vulgar, upon which the pert shop-
woman insultingly replied that, ' It was plain that all
folk were not of the same mind, for it was out of
this very drawer, and one of these very Laces which
Mr. Cholmondeley chose for the trimming of His
Wedding Night Cap ! ' and this was actually vouched
to me. Au reste they have been exhibiting themselves
all the Autumn at Brighton, Cupid and Psyche in their
demonstrations of Love and perfect January and May
in appearance.
" Lord Clare l wrote 8 days ago to Dropmore to
announce his marriage with Elizabeth Burrell as he
calls her. She will have a great fortune which will
certainly be convenient, and what is better she is I
believe a foncierement good, well principled, person
which is the best security for well doing, but I can not
help thinking that the entire uncontrouled indulgence
in which she has passed some 4 or 5 and thirty years
is a bad preparation for the little travers which must
now and then occur in the best regulated marriages.
The hitch which has kept it so long in suspense arose
from the Lady's objection to the settling in Ireland
which he, on the contrary, could not give up, having
just built his house there, and given himself up with
the greatest unthusiasm to the care of all his poor
neighbours and dependants which one should have
been very sorry if he had withdrawn from. Probably
she was loth to get so far from her Mother whose health
and habits render her very dependant upon her daugh-
ters. My Whitehall Gd. daughters announced to me
the other day from their correspondant Lady Eleanor
1 Ld. Clare, 2nd E. ; born 1792 ; mar. April 1826, Hon. Elizabeth
Burrell, 3rd dau, of 1st Ld, Gwydyr.
340 RUSSIAN POLITICS [CHAP. XVI
Campbell the intended marriage of the Duke of Buc-
cleugh l (just 19) with a Miss Kilpatrick. His Guardians
have of course resisted it as long as they thought it
could be of any avail, and at last gave a reluctant con-
sent at the interval of a twelve months probation of
the youth's constancy. This I think is pretty sure to
stand the test, as chivalrous Honour must now take the
field in support of Love. Lady Elizabeth writes to
them furthermore a repartee of her own which rather
amused me, and so I give it you. When Mrs. Coutts
was at Taymouth this Summer, and was as usual at-
tacked about her Inamora to the Duke of St. Albans,
she said, ' I promise you he shall never get at my Cash,
the utmost I would ever think of doing for him would
be to make him my Head Gardner at Holly Bush,' to
which Lady Elizabeth observed that ' as Queen of
Diamonds, she certainly could not do better than
make him Knave of Spades ! ' which was I think very
cute.
" Hester gives me a good deal of Russian Politics,
and tells me that our Princess Royal of Wirtemburg
is supposed to be making herself a very important
personage from her influence with Con : ' Her husband
is often very brutal to her, but she is supposed to be
much attached to him. Madame Lieven ' has been in
much delicate embarassment having at first taken
the death of her Master very quietly, and dwelt only on
the amiability of Con : * but now she has put on her
Weeds for Alexander ' and holds her tongue about his
successor."
1 The 5th Duke. This marriage did not take place. He mar.
1829, Lady Charlotte Thynne.
2 Con, the Grand Duke Constantino, next brother to Alexander I,
and therefore, as he had died without children, his rightful successor.
But Constantine had previously renounced his rights, in favour of his
next brother the Grand Duke Nicholas, who ascended the Russian
throne as Czar Nicholas I.
8 Madame Lieven, Princess Dorothea de Benkendorff ; born 1785 ;
mar. at the age of 15, Count de Lieven. He was Russian Ambassador
in London 1812. She was a woman of extraordinary cleverness, and
was the friend and confidante of Kings and Ministers. Count Lieven
died in Rome 1838, and she after that made her home in England
and Paris. She died 1857.
* Emperor Alexander I of Russia, died December 1825.
1826] SIR WALTER SCOTT 841
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BBOOK STBEET, January Slat, 1826.
" Heber's l resignation of his seat in Parliament has
been the topic and wonder of the last week, nor does
anyone guess at the motive of so strange a step. Had
he retained it till the general Election he might then
have given up without exciting any Surmises or Won-
derment, but writing from Brussels simply to ask for
the Chiltern Hundreds without assigning to anybody
the smallest cause for it, and returning all the kindness
and exertions of his Oxford friends by putting them
to the trouble of an Election for 2 or 8 months has
of course made them all very angry. Everybody thinks
that it must arise from some pecuniary embarrassment
with the firm of the great Booksellers' failures with
which he was always supposed to be in some sort of
partnership and some think it will end in his taking
orders, and stepping into his own Living, but he is
grown so strange and so altered that nobody can make
out what he is about.
" You will be sorry to hear that Sir Walter Scott is
a loser of 70,000 by the failure of Constable and
Ballantyne, the former is giving in his Assets set down
10,000 as the expected profit to him from- the novel
coming out of Woodstock, exclusive of what he has
given and agreed to give for it to Sir Walter. Lockhart
and his wife are settled in London and have been of
course handed over by Mrs. Hughes to Mary. He
(Mr. L.) has engaged himself to the Quarterly Review
and is to have 1,700 a year for it. Mary however
doubts his being equal to the undertaking.
" There is a new Newspaper just set up by Murray
at a most extraordinary expence. It is called ' the
Representative ' and appears with all the advantage
of Paper, Type etc. that can be given to it, with 3 or
4 Reporters at 6 or 700 each besides travellers to all
the Foreign Courts. Hitherto it has certainly made
no effect, but they say that when Parliament begins it
* Richard Heber, M.P., B. of Rev. Reginald Heber, of Hodnet. An
accomplished scholar ; brother to the hymnologist Bp. of Calcutta.
He died immar, 1833.
842 GENERAL GOSSIP [CHAP, xvi
is to be most interesting. It is supposed to belong
wholly to Canning.
" I have got your Landor, but I cannot say that I
admire the conversations in general, though there is in
many, a good deal of wit, but the spirit which pervades
every part of the book is to me more than unpleasant.
" Of marriages I have heard of very few, one how-
ever is striking. It is however as yet only report,
that our old acquaintance Clanronald 1 is going to
marry Lady Ashburton whose ancient Lord has been
so good as to dye and leave her 14,000 a year at her
own disposal. It would be a fine thing for the Clan-
ronald who they say has hardly a sixpence left. Then
Lord Southampton t is to take to himself Miss Stanhope,
the daughter of Colonel Stanhope, a Girl older I should
think than himself, but very highly spoken of, and
Lord Clancarty's son is talked of for Lady S. Beresford. 1
Lord Southampton has had so strange an education
and is so perfectly raw to the world that his taking
a helpmate a little more experienced than himself should
seem all the better.
" Mary and her 2 daughters are as usual up to their
ears in London. Ch. and I heard of them last Saturday
in one of the large Boxes at the Opera with 7 or 8
beaux in attendance the whole night. Young Mary is
certainly much improved, and is very much followed
and admired, I heartily wish some good may come of
it, but as yet, I believe, ' nobody has offered nothing.' '
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 3rd.
" Mary ' is just come up from Brighton where she
has been living entirely with the Cholmondleys who
1 Reginald George Macdonald, 25th Chief of Clanranald ; born
1788 ; mar. 1st, 1817, Catherine, dau. of E. of Mount- Edgcumbe.
She died 1824. He mar. 2ndly, Anne, dau. of W. Cunningham, Esq.,
and widow of Ld. Ashburton. She died 1835, and he mar. 3rdly,
Eliz. Newman.
1 Charles, 3rd Baron Southampton; born 1804; mar. 1st, 1826,
Harriet, only dau. of Hon. Henry FitzRoy Stanhope. She died 1860.
He mar. 2ndly in 1862, Ismay, dau. of Walter Nugent. He died 1872.
3 Lady Sarah Beresford mar. 1828, John, 18th E. of Shrewsbury.
* Mrs, Charles Williams Wynn.
1826] GENERAL GOSSIP 343
are billing and cooing all day long and taking the utmost
care of the expected progeny, which was announced
so early to Silly Billy { that even he said, ' Had you not
better be quite sure before you talk of it.' H.R.H. is
now regularly engaged as Sponsor, and great is the
delicate embarrassment about name which Mrs.
Cholmondley thinks ought to be William on account of
its having been that of his Eldest Son. Charles, of
course, writes you all political news which in truth is
not a subject on which at present I have any satis-
faction in dwelling.
" Mr. Heber's most extraordinary Compliment to
his friends and Constituents has occupied every body
last week. Lord Stowell 2 says ' Heber's friends have
found that he never brought any thing out of his own
mouth when in the House of Commons nor put any-
thing into theirs when out of it.' Many think he will
take Orders and slip himself into his own Living. It
is certain that he has had very expensive speculations
with the booksellers, and in the account of Thorpe
who is become bankrupt it appears that he has received
500 pr. ann. from Heber as 10 p.c. Commission money
on the Book which he bought for him.
" The Duke of Buckingham in his distress for money
has just been giving 1200 for an illustrated Tenant's
London, and 2000 to Molten' s alone for prints for his
Walpole's Reminiscences."
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 10th, 1826.
" The only bit of Gossip which I have picked up since
I wrote last is of Lord Sydney's being about to marry
1 William, D. of Clarence, afterwards King William IV.
2 Stowell, Ld. William Scott, brother of 1st Ld. Eldon ; born 1745.
A friend of Dr. Johnson. A barrister; entered Parliament 1784.
Actively opposed to concessions to the Roman Catholics. In 1820
he proposed Manners- Sutton as Speaker, which was his last prominent
appearance in the House. In 1821 he was created Baron Stowell.
He mar. 1st, 1781, Anne Marie, dau. of John Bagnall, and 2ndly, in 1813,
Louisa, dau. of Adm. Ld. Howe, and widow of John, 1st Marq. of
Sligo. His daughter, Mary Anne, mar., as her second husband, Ld.
Sidmouth in 1823. Ld. Stowell died 1836.
23
344 CONSTABLE'S FAILURE [CHAP, xvi
his remaining daughter in a manner probably quite as
little satisfactory to him as her Sister's was, the object
of this Lady's choice being a Revd. Mr. Dawson, not
related to any of the respectables of that name, and dis-
tinguished only by having lately got the living of
Chislehurst in Kent, in virtue of which he has been
seen at Mrs. Weddel's table together with her roast beef
and plumb pudding.
" Dailleurs he is a grave homme 6 feet high, and look-
ing like a decent harmless farmer, this is the report of
those who have met him, and as such leaves one only
to repeat what we have all said of Mrs. Cholmondeley,
qu'on ne peut pas disputer des Gouttes. Lord Sydney
in offering the other day to come to Lord Montague,
told him he need have no fear for his daughters as he
was not yet near old enough to make love to them.
Lord Clare's marriage is suspended for 2 months, which
I should think by no means safe with a young lady
so entirely dependant on her own will and fancy,
furthermore it is stipulated that they are to live on
with Mdme at Whitehall which / can not criticise as I
feel how entirely poor Lady Willoughby l must exist
upon that one Source of comfort and support. The
Town is still talking of nothing but Sir Walter Scott's
ruin, which is far greater than was even at first stated,
and would have included Abbot's Ford with his Library
etc. had he not fortunately entailed it quite lately on
his son in order to facilitate his marriage with a little
Scotch heiress. I believe I told you that Constable,
in the list of his Assets brings forward 10,000 as his
profit on the coming out Novel of Woodstock exclusive
of what he had already paid Sir Walter for it. Lock-
hart has likewise lost whatever he had in the general
smash, but the interest which it has excited is quite
incredible. From one Gentleman alone Sir Walter had
the offer of 30,000 and from many others, smaller
sums, but he has refused them all, and trusts to his
head alone for supplies to the rest of the frame.
" The Gros Cousin is at Stowe, very much I fear in
1 Wife of 1st Ld. Gwydyr, Baroness Willoughby d'Eresby in her
own right, dau. and h. of 3rd D. of Ancaster. Ld. Gwydyr died
1820. She died 1828.
1826] SIR WALTER SCOTT'S AFFAIRS 345
the dumps, and very indignant with us all, but I hope
the ferment may gradually subside. At all events,
you, I am sure need not be warned that ' least said is
soonest mended.' "
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February nth, 1826.
" The melancholy state of all Money Concerns and
the daily instance of private distress arising out of
them produces much general Gloom, and must I should
think, check in some measure the usual turmoil of London
Gaiety. One good result was expected to arise out of
it in its diminishing the number of contested Elections,
but yet there appear to be a good many already an-
nounced.
" You may recall much of your compassion, if you
have felt any, for Sir Walter Scott, whose affairs are
to be all quite brought round again in 5 years. They
say he is to have 20,000 for his life of Napoleon, half
of which sum would I should think go a good way in
housekeeping at Abbotsford.
" The Duke of Buckingham is still fermenting his
Ennuis at Stowe saying, he can not come to Town on
account of his coolness with Charles, that he is vegetat-
ing his life away like a cabbage, feeling that there is
not a creature in the World who loves Him, or cares
what becomes of him. A more wretched feeling than
this there certainly can not be ; but naturally it need
not have been his, and one is only sorry that such he
should have made it.
" Lady Cornwall l is just come to Town, and with
her Lord and Lady Hereford whom she is lodging, and
their little Boy. 1 The Grand Mademoiselle and her
Governess are with Lady Gordon who is my vis a vis
next door to Lady Haselridge. They are all most
prosperous and happy and Lady Cornwall herself
growing handsomer and handsomer."
1 Lady Cornwall, wife of 3rd Bart., dau. of William Napier; mar.
1815. Her daughter Catherine was the Heiress of Moccas until
1824, when " the little boy," afterwards Sir Velters Cornwall, was born.
346 A RING-FENCE MATCH [CHAP, xvi
From Lady W. W. to the Et. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 2lst.
" I heard last night of a marriage which was said to
be announced between Lord Dartmouth 1 and Miss
Inge (Lady Elizabeth's daughter) which is all in his
own neighbourhood and set, and therefore I should
think very likely, but I should hardly supposed quite
declared, as we have not heard it thro' the Nevilles.
" Mary Glynne sent us word that she had just heard
of, what she called a ' ring-fence Match,' between Lord
Porchester * and his cousin Miss Morton, 5 but that, if
it be en train, must for the present moment be suspended
by the death of their poor Grandmother, Lady Car-
narvon. 4
" The departure of Contemporaries and Companions
is a Tocsin which of course must occur more frequently
the longer one's own life is spared. It must, to the
most unthinking, be an awful Sound, and ought to be
a profitable one ! "
From Lady W. W. to Fanny W. W.
"BROOK STREET, March llth, 1826.
" I have never heard one word of the Gros Cousin's
going to Paris, and I should think it at this moment
highly improbable. It is a proof of the truth of the
old Proverb respecting the effects of an III wind that
his present estrangement from Charles appears to have
thrown his brother and him much more together, and
so far at least it is good. Nugent is just come down
from Stowe, and says he does not know when he has
1 Ld. Dartmouth, 4th E. ; bora 1784; mar. 1st, 1821, Frances,
dau. of 2nd E. Talbot. She died 1823. He mar. 2ndly, 1828,
Frances, dau. of 5th Vise. Harrington. She died 1849. He died 1853.
2 Ld. Porchester, afterwards 3rd E. of Carnarvon; born 1800;
mar. 1830, Henrietta, eld. dau. of Ld. Henry Howard.
3 Charlotte Moreton, 3rd dau. of 4th Baron, afterwards 1st E. of Ducie
(her two sisters had been married, Mary in 1 822 to 7th E. of Denbigh, and
Julia in 1824 to James Langston, M.P.). She mar. 1834, 1st Ld. Fitz-
Hardinge and died 1881.
4 Elizabeth, Lady Carnarvon, dau. of Charles, 1st E. of Egremont ;
mar. 1771, 1st E. of Carnarvon. She died February 10th, 1826.
1826] THE BELVOIR CEILING 347
seen his Brother so well for so long a time together as he
has been this Winter.
" The bulletin 1 in the Newspaper will have shown you
that the public world has been this week in a very con-
siderable State of anxiety, and though yesterday's
report speaks of amendment, I fear we are by no means
out of the Wood. Sir Henry has never stirred from his
post since Monday and yesterday the brother was sent
for. Local Inflammation is supposed to be the im-
mediate evil, and calls for remedies such as bleeding
etc. which are of course decidedly adverse to the general
Gouty disposition. The Horror of the General Elec-
tion 2 is already beginning to gather, and the bare
apprehension of such an event as has seemed to
threaten us, of course increases it ten fold. Who are
to make up our Cousin's Parliamentary Squad is not
known, but Philly ' is decidedly excluded, which will
be a most serious misfortune to him. Lord Hertford is
to enter the field with a train of ten, and Lords Grosvenor
and Darlington will muster nearly as strong.
" In return for the account of your pretty subject
for a picture, I must give you the report of one paint-
ing at Belvoir for the Ceiling of the Great Saloon, which
is to be all mythological, and for which the Duke of
York has actually been sitting for his portrait as Mars,
the Duke of Rutland as Jupiter, r and | the Duchess as
Venus, of course I suppose the Amis and Amies of the
family are to appear as inferior Divinities. Who they
will find for Dian (unless it be one of the infants, I
know not). Trench must I fear resign Cupid, and
content himself with personating Vulcan as an Artificer.
I rather believe that the Ceiling was doing when the
Duchess died, and that the idea of introducing the
Portraits has been suggested by the new administration.
I can hardly think she would have left such a record
of folly and Vanity. The new residence building for
the Duke of York from her plan, is most magnificent, it
is a solid square with 4 sides of 11 large windows in each.
1 Illness of the D. of York.
* Parliament was dissolved on June 2nd.
3 Joseph Phillimore, M.P. , of Shiplake House ; born 1775; died 1 855.
Reg. Prof. Civil Law, Chancellor of the Dioceses of Oxford, Worcester
and Bristol.
348 POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES [CHAP, xvi
" Did I tell you in my last that your Uncle Tom is
exerting all his energies and those of his friends to try
to get the refusal of Mrs. Wheeler's house, which is
likely to come to the hammer in consequence of her
death and her daughter's inability to stir from Brighton.
I can not tell you how very anxious we all are that he
should get it inasmuch as it seems quite made on pur-
pose for him giving him 4 good rooms on one floor for
all his books, looking full south and west, and therefore
catching every gleam of sun. It is in short so perfect
that I dare not look to his being fortunate enough to
get it, though I think he is determined that a very
extravagant price shall not prevent it, and in this we
all clap him on the back it being obvious that it is the
only one shape in which he can derive personal advan-
tage from his accession of wealth.
" All the fine Ladies here have tucked up their petti-
coats again to mi-jambre, and I believe they are still
on the ascent, so true it is, that alternately, by some
times at one end, and some times at the other, Eve's
petticoat is nearly all which remains unliable to
curtailment."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Charles W. W. W.
" V. B., November 2(jth.
" I begin my dearest to grow very impatient to know
how your own concerns are shaping in the midst of all
the Storms past, present & I fear too probably to come.
I find our Gros Cousin has positively & decidedly carried
his point & that solely by that Canvass which you con-
sidered as so prejudicial to his views. He must be
more than ever persuaded of the duplicity & unfairness
with which he has been treated by those with whom
he has had to deal, & that duplicity has, I have no
doubt been in no small degree exercised towards you.
That the Seat which you hold in the Cabinet has always
been particularly irksome to one of those who most
constantly sit by you, has always been known, & that
He has had few things more at heart than to get you
out of it by any means. Of the present negotiations
1826] POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES 349
the most material part passed unfortunately between
him & you, & by adroitly slipping his head out of the
Collar, He flatters himself that He has thrown so much
of the unpleasant part of it upon you, as may induce
you from a Spirit of Quixotism to make a Sacrifice,
which would be no less gratifying to Mr. Canning & Co
than it would be personally injurious to you & to your
family. Of your doing this they entertain so little
doubt that / know the Successor is actually named by
them. Upon what ground you might rest such feelings
as would make you think it necessary for you to take
such a Step, I am too much in the dark to form an
opinion, but sure I am that it is one of too much impor-
tance to you & your family to be taken without the
maturist & coolest deliberation. To the Duke it could
only supply a fresh proof how adverse you must have
felt to his appointment that you should have made
such a Sacrifice rather than continue in a situation of
constant Communication with him. This considera-
tion is ever an additional reason why I should deplore
your throwing it up, being persuaded that it would
immediately lead to a renewal of those habits of inter-
course which have for so many, many years subsisted
between you & which have been founded on very
sincere mutual affection on both sides. We all know
that whatever Errors he may have of Head he has
none of heart & that he is warmly attached to you as
one brother can be to another, I feel quite persuaded.
At all events therefore, I hope you have not dropped
the habit of writing to him, as I am sure you would by
so doing hold out to him the Appearance of a degree
of Alienation far beyond what he feels towards you, or
you towards him. The triumph of Canning when he
thinks he has not only got you out of his way, but
likewise produced a Coldness between you, & your
greatest Political Supporter is such as I can not bear
to think of. C. will undoubtedly take advantage of
this to strike at your place, & in truth I know not what
should in policy prevent his doing it, for your individual
Support very certainly tells for nothing, & that you
should have lost what did give you weight, for what
individually could be of so little consequence to you,
3 50 POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES [CHAP, xvi
as the question whether A. or B. should be Governor
General of India quite cuts me to the heart."
From the RL Hon. Charles W. W. W. to Lady W. W.
{Undated.']
" I wrote to you a few hurried lines to-day before the
post went out my dearest mother & fear that I have
not sufficiently explained myself to you respecting the
strange assertions which have reached you.
" So far is the Gros Cousin from having carried his
point that Lord Liverpool in consequence of the Duke's
canvas being mentioned by the Chairs (?) as matter of
complaint, assured them first verbally & then in a
written minute that if a vacancy in the Office of Governor
General occurred before the termination of hostilities
he should not recommend the Duke to them & that he
had already stated this to his Grace ! ! On this subject
there has been no duplicity. Both the D. & Ld. Ch" l
have made assertions of having promises, which so far
as they have thought fit to produce proofs to me, are
wholly unsupported. I believe these to be equally
so I believe that they have in some respects been
imposed upon but in others I cannot allow them this
credit. With respect to resignation I have not the
slightest intention of it. I certainly have not been
treated by the Duke in a manner which either gives me
the example of sacrificing myself to promote his in-
terests, or affords me a reason for doing so. I have
done what I could honestly to assist his object though
I believe it to be prejudicial to him & only pressed for-
ward by the personal ambition & violent party feeling
of his Son, I have urged his pretensions & the assur-
ances of support which he alleges himself to have re-
ceived. I do feel, however that Lord Liverpool & the
D. of Wellington have the full right if they think that
another person is more fit for that Office to urge the
claims of that person. I cannot tell what he means
by the Chairs being unanimous, if it is that they are to
support him, I can only say that they hold a very
different language, & that what I imagine is that he
1 Ld. Chandos.
1826] POLITICS AND IRELAND 351
construes civil words, of which they will give him
plenty, into promises."
The chief topics before the country, at the General
Election in June 1826, were the Corn Laws, and again
the question of Catholic Emancipation. Ireland was
in anything but a tranquil condition ; no confidence
existed between any party on either side of St. George's
Channel.
The new Parliament met on November 14th and
adjourned on December 13th.
From the Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville to the Rt. Hon.
Henry W. W. W.
" CLEVELAND SQUARE, November 9th, 1826.
" MY DEAR HENRY, London is very barren of news
tho' tolerably full of Members of Parliament escaped
from their Wives and families to come and take their
seats in a House in which they will have nothing to do
until the second week in February, when Catholic, Corn,
Commerce, and Currency, will amply repay them for
the inactivity of their November Session.
" There is no disturbance in Ireland, but common
report describes a higher state of exasperation in all
ranks of Society there, and a considerable alarm among
them, of the Orange faction, in consequence of the
prevalence of the Catholics in the last general Election
there, and associations which are made against holding
any trading, or dealing transactions with Protestants
there. Things seem fast coming to a pass there as
must probably at last produce a less bigotted view
of the subject on this side the water.
" Upon the matter of Corn, I should have expected
a lively, but certainly, an unsuccessful war waged by
the Country Gentlemen, but as I see that Mr. Canning
in giving his notice, expresses a hope that his intended
measure would be found to ' conciliate all interests,'
I am afraid that the essence of the question will be
all but'lost in the desire of general accommodation for
tho' I do not believe that a reduced price of Corn would
352 THE GRENVILLE LIBRARY [CHAP, xvi
materially affect the landed interests, as they are
influenced only by that apprehension, they will not be
conciliated except the inefficiency of the proposed
measure relieves them from their Pounds, Shellings,
and Pence, alarms.
" The King has held a Sitting Leve"e with so much
success that I think it will tempt him to receive his
subjects, male and female more frequently than his
legs have latterly allowed him to do while he depended
upon them only.
" The Duke of York has very much recovered from
his Dropsy, which at times was full of alarming danger,
and by what I hear I should think would have a chance
of getting well, but I believe the legs which were sacri-
ficed to let out the water have never yet been healed,
and till they are sound again he cannot be safe. He
still occasionally suffers great pain from them.
" Perhaps you know that ' Rudbeckii Atlantica ' l
even in 3 Vols, is very rare, the fourth Vol. (which I
have in M.S.S.) was half printed at Upsal, and for the
most part destroyed by a great fire there in 1702. It is
supposed that of this half-printed 4th Vol, three or four
copies were preserved, but I have never been able to
ascertain whether any do really exist, perhaps in the
Royal Library at Stockholm or Copenhagen, or perhaps
some of your Literati could ascertain this which I
should like to learn if you could get the information.
" Kindest love to you & yours, my dear Henry.
" Evere most affectionate yours,
" THOMAS GRENVILLE."
Henry Williams Wynn, from very early days, had
himself been something of a book-collector, and it
appears that whenever an opportunity offered for
securing some rare book, during his long sojourn on
the Continent, for his Uncle Tom, he never failed to do
so, and was thus one of those who assisted Mr. Gren-
ville to collect that great library which is now one of
England's treasures.
1 Olavi Rudbeckii Atlantica. Upsalae, excudit Henricus Curio, s.a.
1675, 1679 (1696), 1689, vol. iv. MS. A work of gre&t rarity.
flibliotheca Grenvilliana, vol. ii. p. 623,
THE KT. HON. THOMAS GRBNVILLB
Zoffany
352]
1827] THE GRENVILLE LIBRARY 353
From the Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville to the Rt. Hon.
Henry W. W. W.
"CLEVELAND SQUARE, January llth, 1827.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I am afraid you will be sadly
tired of me and my Rudbeckius and of the question
whether there exists any printed part of the 4th Vol.
but since I wrote last I have obtained the Knowledge
of the particular authority on which the assertion of
part of a 4th printed Vol. stands. Dryander who was
a man of science and Librarian to Sir Joseph Banks
(and was himself a Dane or a Swede) always asserted
that in the University Library at Upsala, he had several
times seen a printed fragment of a 4th Vol. of about
150 pages. Dryander also said that in the Academy
of Science at Stockholm, there was part of a printed
4th Vol. as may be seen in Rounadler's Catalogue of his
books given to the Academy at p. 4. No. 48-52.
Dryander was also told of one Copy in the possession
of Aurivilliers at Upsala, and one that had been sold
from the Library of the late Dr. Hawswolff, Rector of
St. Clara, in Stockholm. The last three Copies had
not been seen by Dryander, but the copy in the Univer-
sity Library of Upsala he always maintained that he
had often seen. Now if at your leisure you could
obtain any special information about these alledged
4 Copies, which are probably the 4 alluded to in Brunet,
you will do a special service to us Book-worms : if the
Copies exist and are accessible, it would be desirable
to know what number of pages exist in each Copy. Of
course my dearest Henry you will not let me give you
any real trouble on so trifling a matter, but when no
other business is stirring if opportunity arises, perhaps
you will not forget it. By Ferdinand's reinstating his
Ambassador at Lisbon, it is supposed that all hostile
appearances will subside, and peace in no way be dis-
turbed. Watkin comes up on the 12th Feb. (an early
period for him) to hear Canning's Corn-motion, of
which motion Canning announces that it would please
all parties, but I have generally observed that measures
of so filmy a description usually please no party.
" Love to Hester & Co.
" Ever most affectionately yours,
" T. G."
CHAPTER XVII
18271832
THE new House of Commons was still led by the same
Cabinet, a Cabinet divided in itself on every important
question of the day. Liverpool, the Premier, opposed
the Catholic Emancipation Bill ; Eldon, the Chancellor,
followed Liverpool ; Canning, the Leader of the Com-
mons, and Palmerston, the Minister for War, were
strong in its support. On other questions such as the
Slave Traffic in the Colonies, and the Corn Laws, there
was an equal divergence of opinion. Compromise and
expediency had for years been the best which this long
administration, held together by the personality of the
Prime Minister, had accomplished. Suddenly and
dramatically the old order closed. Lord Liverpool was
seized with a paralytic stroke on February 17th, 1827,
and although his death did not supervene for some
months, the office of First Minister to the Crown, after
nearly fifteen years, became vacant.
Canning, by sheer weight of character, was pre-
eminently the one man to take the lead in the govern-
ment of the country, but he was unpopular in the
House, and the task entrusted to him by the King, to
succeed Lord Liverpool, was beset by great difficulties.
Many resignations took place in the Cabinet, but
Charles remained for the present at the Board of
Control. Palmerston stayed at the War Office, but
the Duke of Wellington, the Commander-in- Chief,
354
1827] DEATH OF THE DUKE OF YORK 355
withdrew his support, on the Catholic question. Can-
ning's death in August brought the new Ministry to an
abrupt end. The only party now with any semblance
of unity, in Parliament, was the ultra -Tory, led by the
Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel. Charles Williams
Wynn, embittered by constant friction with Canning,
though on the Catholic question in agreement with
him, now found himself even less in accord with
the rising powers, and when the Duke of Welling-
ton became Prime Minister he vacated the Board of
Control.
Social events are few the King's failing health and
the Duke of York's death are the subjects of greatest
interest.
Of family matters there is little to say ; the Duke of
Buckingham's prolonged sojourn abroad is commented
upon by Lady Williams Wynn with some disfavour.
On June 26th, 1830, King George IV died, and with
the accession of the new King the Duke of Bucking-
ham's " ennui " ceased, and he was offered and accepted
the post of Steward to the Household.
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" BBOOK STREET, January 23rd.
" The Newspapers will give you full details of all
the Pagentry attending the lying in State, 1 and the
Funeral which had for some time certainly engrossed
the Royal Relative so entirely that Mr. Wash, the
Undertaker, shewed about the Programme interlined
in twenty places by H.M.'s own hand. It is the fashion
to say that the Duke died very rich, and that the debts
altogether will not exceed 130,000, which certainly,
as compared with what we have heard them estimated
at, sounds quite trifling.
" They say a heavy part of this is due to his Play-
mates the Duke of Rutland, Lords Darlington, and
1 Of the D. of York, who died on January 5th.
356 DUKE OF YORK'S FUNERAL [CHAP, xvn
Hertford, 1 with none of whom has he settled his Books
for the last fourteen years, but whenever he won, he
regularly held forth his hand for payment. His income
was very large and the immense building in the Park,
was certainly paid for by weekly drafts on the Bank."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, February 15th.
" Never was there anything equal to the fatal conse-
quences which are still occuring from the Funeral of
the Duke of York. It quite reminds one of the accounts
of the savage Nations, where Ministers, Officers, Wives
and Servants, horses and Dogs, are all shovelled into
the same grave as their Royal Master. They say the
common Soldiers have died to the number of half a
dozen a day. Canning has certainly been, I fancy, in
much danger, and tho' recovering now, it is so slowly
that his Corn Bill Motion is, as you see, again put off
to the 26th. He had, however, a double dose of damp,
having, after he quitted the killing pavement, been
put into a best Bed at the house of some toadee at
Windsor, which had, I suppose, never been used since
the last Gala, whenever that may have been.
" The Duke of Buckingham has not yet arrived, I
shall be very curious to see what line he will take with
the Parente", when he does come. His Sister 2 is in
Paris very much fete"ed by the Court, and of course
happier than the happiest. She is joining her Brother
in the Autumn."
Lord Bloomfield's letter and those of Mr. Grenville
find their place in this correspondence in their chrono-
logical sequence, although their main subject is that
of books, but the incidental remarks on the current
political topics link them on to the letters they precede -
and follow.
1 Francis, 3rd Marq. of Hertford.
1 Lady Arundel.
1827] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL 357
From Lord Bloomfield 1 to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" STOCKHOLM, March 13th, 1827.
" MY DEAR WYNN, Since your letter of the 4th inst.
you will have received in a further communication the
result of my enquiries at Upsala, and which I think
will be found tolerably authentic.
" Respecting the Copy stated to be in the Copen-
hagen Royal Library, I refer you to the ' Catalogue
Bibliotheca & Thothenoe.' Vol. 5. page 49.
" In the Library there appears to have been one of
the Copies saved from the fire and it is stated that in
the disposition of the Library by the Will of the Pro-
prietor, a certain portion went to the Crown of Den-
mark in which it is conjectured was included the frag-
ment in question. If this conjecture be erroneous
& that the Volume was sold, you can have no difficulty
in tracing its destination.
" As we are on the subject of Books, I discovered in
the Edition which is possessed by the King, of the
Works of John, Duke of Buckingham, two MSS. the
1st, of 32 pages giving an account of our Revolution and
left unfinished, the 2nd of 11 Pages, entitled ' A feast
of the Gods.' It has occured to me that these originals
might be of some interest to the present Duke, and that
his Grace might be desirious of having Copies made of
them, in which case pray offer my humble services with
the expression of my grateful recollection of the many
kindnesses I have received at his Grace's hands.
" The Work is in 2 Vols. Quarto, entitled " The Works
of John Sheffield, Earl Mulgrave, Marquis of Normanby
and Duke of Buckingham,' and was printed in 1723 by
John Barber, London.
" What a blow our Country has received in the Seizure
of Lord Liverpool ! According to my notion it is the
severest that could have befallen us. My letters all
hint at the probability of the Landsdown * party coming
1 Ld. Bloomfield, 1st Baron ; born 1762 ; mar. 1797, Harriet, dau.
of John Daylas. He was Ch. Equerry to Prince Regent; Min. Plen.
to Sweden 1824, when he was raised to an Irish Barony. He died
1846.
* Ld. Lansdowne, 3rd Marq. ; born 1780 ; mar. 1808, Lady Louisa,
dau. of 2nd E. of Ilchester. He was a member of Mr. Canning's
Cabinet, without a portfolio, and subsequently became Home Sec.
and Lord President of the Council. He died 1861.
358 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL [CHAP, xvn
in. Mr. Canning's health is quite re-established. His
Medical Advisor states ' his constitution to be, next to
that of the King, the most powerful I have met with.'
" Believe me, Ever yours,
" BLOOMFIELD."
From the Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville to the Rt. Hon.
Henry W. W. W.
" CLEVELAND SQUABE, March 20th, 1827.
" MY DEAREST HENRY, It does not surprise me,
tho' it much gratifies me, to receive so satisfactory an
answer to my bibliographical enquiries, because you
always was a most active and intelligent Commissioner,
neither does it surprise me to find that your Torquelin
was so much mistaken, because I now know Dryander,
to be a most accurate & careful Bibliographer.
"It is very kind of Lord Bloomfield to give himself
so much trouble upon this subject, and tho' the obliga-
tion is to you, perhaps you will think it right to express
to him how sensible I also am to his kindness in this
matter and most particularly for the hopes that he holds
out of being able to procure me that fragment. I would
therefore, with my usual prodigality not hesitate at any
price within 100 for a Copy which should furnish all that
is known to be printed : I say a Copy of the Book because
I suppose there is little chance of obtaining the 4th
Vol. separately, which of course I should prefer, as my
Copy is a very magnificent one in Mr. Lewis's choicest
Morocco : but it is barely possible that Lord Bloomfield's
friend might scruple to part with the whole set, & yet
might be tempted to take 50 to exchange his printed
4th Vol. for my MSS. 4th Vol. if this were found prac-
ticable it would suit me best, but if the whole Copy is
required to be taken, I should not object to any price
not exceeding 100, provided it be first well ascertained
that the printed fragment contains all that is to be
found in any Copy yet seen.
" If I am not fortunate enough to procure by any
means the original printed fragment, then I should
wish to have any deficiency in my MSS. supplied,
supposing that it is defective, and for ascertaining this
1827] BIBLIOGRAPHICAL 359
I enclose herewith the best ! description that I can
furnish of my MSS. Copy. I should hesitate to tax,
even your kindness with such a troublesome commis-
sion, if I did not flatter myself that the peaceable state
of the North of Europe offered you sufficient leisure
even for such absolute trifles as them.
" We are still without a Premier, and tho' conversa-
tion varies from day to day enough to show that no-
thing is finally settled, yet to speak as "a Jockey, ont
may say that with all these variations, still Canning
appears to be upon the whole the favourite horse, and
the odds continue to be, that he will be found at the
head of the old Government. There is at the same
time a notion, how true I know not, that the King
will not formally announce his intentions before Easter.
Lord Liverpool continues to improve enough in health
to have no apprehension for his life, & the hopes of his
having a comfortable existence would be stronger if
he were not still so diffident in point of utterance.
" Kind love to Hester & all your young Brood."
The Same
" CLEVELAND SQUARE, July 3rd, 1827.
" It was very kind in you to interest Lord Bloomfield
about my Library and it was very kind in him to take
cognizances in such a petty concern ; I had an oppor-
tunity of thanking him, of visiting him, and of inviting
him to dinner, and tho' my last two civilities were not
realized, they made, I hope, a proper acknowledgement
of his courtesy and attention.
" The Parliament was yesterday prorogued by Com-
mission, and Members will now have time to look a
little around them, and take their measures for a more
vigorous and efficient result than was exhibited in the
first moments of their appointment. I regret that the
Corn Bill is still left in an undecided shape, because as
long as that remains so, the Government incurs a great
disadvantage by a larger appearance of Hostilities to
them, than really exists ; because it seems evident that
many vote against them on that particular measure, who
24
360
CABINET CHANGES
[CHAP, xvu
would not oppose them on any other, but I have
always observed that as long as there is any single
point on which a large Opposition can be found to
unite there is always danger that some other topick
.may be scored to produce the same result, and there
are one or two very active heads at work, to supply fuel
to feed this incipient flame."
" The general opinion is that the King continues to
feel and to express the same indignation which he at
first expressed, at the desertion of those on whose
attachment he had counted.
" He has accepted the resignation of Lord Errol l
and Lord Delaware, 2 and I believe the Duke of Argyle
suceeds to the Duke of Gordon's Office in Scotland,
and the Gr. Ribbon is supposed to be destined to Lord
Rosebury." '
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to the Rt.
Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" ON BOARD MY YACHT OFF RYDE, August 4th, 1827.
" MY DEAR HENRY, I am now embarked on a Cruize
in the Mediterranean and wherever my fate may lead
me. I count on two years absence, unless politics re-
call me which I should think unlikely, as I have no idea
that the Government can stand. I cannot join Peel,
I will not act with Canning. I distrust the Whigs, I
think exceedingly ill of the whole Government. I
have therefore thrown myself into the King's hands &
given him my proxy, and am either for or against
the Ministers as he chooses, reserving certain points." *
1 William, 18th E. of Errol ; born 1801 ; mar. 1820, Elizabeth
FitzClarence, nat. dau. of King William IV ; was made a Peer of U.K.
1831. He died 1846.
George, 5th E. Delaware ; born 1791; mar. 1813, Lady
Elizabeth, dau. and co-h. of John, 3rd D. of Dorset. She died 1870.
He died 1869.
3 Archibald, 4th E. of Rosebery ; born 1783; mar. 1st, 1808,
Harriet, 2nd dau. of Hon. Bartholomew Bouverie. He mar. 2ndly, 1819,
Anne, dau. of 1st Vise. Anson. He was made Baron of U.K. 1828. He
died 1868.
* In the Private Diary of the Duke of Buckingham already referred
to, a detailed account of this interview is recorded by his Grace.
1827] A VISIT TO HA WARDEN 861
From Lady W. W, to Fanny W. W.
"HAWARDEN CASTLK, September 5th, 1827.
" My Brother l & I arrived here yesterday. Mary 8
is comme toil jours the picture of health & happiness,
& so are her young ones. Her daughters in very good
looks & much grown. Catty 5 \ an inch taller than
her Mother, a long strait thread paper figure, without
a pretension to womanhood, which in this very precocious
days when Girls adopt the dress & manners of the
drawing-room the moment they quit the Nursery, has
to my eye the Merit both of Nature & Novelty. The
new Governess appeared at Prayers this morning & in
looks does not seem senior by more than a couple of
years to her Pupils. Stephen is still evidently very
shy, but works hard to make play with your Uncle.
As to Henry he has never opened his mouth excepting
to read the Psalms this morning, which of course he is
doing for practice. To-morrow, we leave them all to
string their Bows & brush up their Jackets for a Bow-
meeting the next day at the Rectory. Mary said she
had written to askConway, 4 but of course he is, I suppose,
not come-at-able. Hugh will arrive to-morrow passing
us on the Road. We have had a very snug comfortable
ten days visit to Wynnstay which we have enjoyed
much. There has been no Lady excepting Mrs. Sulli-
van for the first two or three days but a succession
of good Males such as Lord Talbot s & his Son, 6 Mr.
Peploe, Lord C. Manners, 6 etc. Mr. Peploe had left
his wife at Leamington where she had been very un-
well, but she hopes to find the benefit of the waters
more after she leaves the place than at the time.
D'ailleurs the house of Cornwall seems to me to be
1 Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville. 2 Mary, Lady Glynne.
8 Catherine Glynne, eld. dau. of Sir Stephen Glynne, 8th Bart,
(and Mary his wife, dau. of 2nd Baron Braybrooke) ; she mar. 1839,
Rt. Hon. William Ewart Gladstone.
4 Conwy Shipley, s. of Col. William Shipley (and his wife Charlotte
Williams W T ynn) ; born 1807; d.s.p. 1869.
Ld. Talbot, 2nd Earl; born 1777 ; mar. 1800, Frances, dau. of Charles
Lambart. She died 1819. He died 1849. His eldest s., Vise. Ingestre,
born 1802, was killed accidentally in Vienna, 1826.
Ld. C. Manners, 2nd s. of 4th D. of Rutland; born 1780; a
General in the Army ; died unmar. 1 855. A great personal friend
of Sir Watkin.
862 THE LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN [CHAP, xvn
the only people who have profited in the late storms,
& may all join in confirming it ' to be an ill wind which
blows nobody good.' Lady Hereford l has, you know
the Band of Gentlewomen Pensioners (between 1200
& 1000 pr. an.). Lewis 2 is Under Secretary of State,
between 3 & 4,000 pr. an. & young Gordon 3 is to be
taken as Clerk into Lord Goodrich's * Office which
last appointment appears to me to be in its way quite
as valuable as either of the others. Lady Gordon s
was, when last heard of, at Brussels, having sent her
2 Schoolboy Sons with young Devereux B as their
Tutor to make the Tour of Switzerland, falls of the
Rhine, etc. ; said Tutor having, I fancy, been sent
abroad from having a little broken bound at home.
To be sure She has good nerves, & even if it should
happen not to do very well, She will have saved any
expenditure of anxiety from the anticipation. The day
before I left Wynnstay, Lady Harriett & I drove over
to Llangollen where, we were of course received a bras
ouvert, & really passed what was to me a very pleasant
hour & a Half not a little brightened up by the arrival
of Lady Cunliffe who was come there for a two nights
visit. I was most truly rejoiced to see her in better
looks & better spirits than at any time (at least) for the
last 4 years. In short she was quite herself, & made so
much play with poor Lady Eleanor that it was one
continued laugh & Story telling. Of course I had
many enquiries and profusion of love to transmit to
you. I think Miss Ponsonby looking better than
when I saw her last, but Lady Eleanor worse, she has
just glimmer enough of sight to enable her to remark
on the brightness of Lady Harriett's yellow Schall.
1 Lady Hereford, Frances, 3rd dau. of Sir George Cornwall, Bart. ;
mar. 1805, Henry, 14th Vise. Hereford. He was given the office of
Captain of the Hon. Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. He died 1843.
She died 1864.
2 Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, who mar. 1805, Harriet, 4th dau.
of Sir George Cornwall.
3 Gordon, s. of Sir William Duff Gordon and his wife Caroline, 5th
dau. of Sir George Cornwall.
4 Lord Goderich, afterwards 1st E. of Ripon ; born 1782 ; Premier
1827-8; mar. 1814, Sarah, dau. of 4th E. of Buckinghamshire. He
died 1859.
6 Devereux, 1st a. of Ld. and Lady Hereford; born 1807; d.s.p.
1839.
1827] "GENTEEL MARRIAGES" 363
They were in hourly expectation of a visit from their
friend the Duchess of St. Albans, 1 who is touring about
with her sleeping partner of whom Lady Eleanor re-
ported an Anecdote which she says she knows to be
true, that on the night, He tapped at the door of his
Bride's Chamber to desire her to accomodate him with
a Night-cap not possessing such an Article of his own.
She could do no better for him than to apply a Towel
which however she put on with her own hands to the
best advantage & probably in so doing added a fresh
circumstance of unprecedented singularity to the .whole
of that extraordinary business. I have heard of no-
thing within the last 4 or 5 days, but genteel marriages
which, as I wrote word to Mary, looks as if London
was still on the " high go." The first & most interesting
of my Matches is Our Mr. Heathcote, 8 who has certainly
ventured once more to get on the brink of Matrimony
with Miss Burrill a 17 year old daughter of Lord &
Lady Gwydir who they say will not lose sight of him
till the knot is actually tied fast. It has been for
sometime the height of their ambition to catch him,
having, to them, the particular Merit of near neigh-
bourhood in addition to all other general ones, so that
I think he will hardly slip away, & I really shall feel
it a personal relief when he is settled, or at all events
when he is off our shoulders, which I think the proposal
to Miss B, effects, whatever may be the result. Lady
Emma Brudenell * is likewise provided for, tho' indeed
I am sorry to say, that can hardly yet be said, her
intended having been twice very seriously ill since the
beginning of the Summer, & not yet recovered, they
talk however of their marrying in October. Further-
more it is strongly reported that the Duke of Buccleugh '
1 Duchess of St. Albans, Harriet Mellon, the famous actress ; mar.
1st, Thomas Coutts the banker, and 2ndly, William, 9th D. of St.
Albans. She d.s.p. 1837.
1 Mr. Heathcote, afterwards Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 6th Bart. ;
created Ld. Cleveland 1859; born 1795; mar. October 8th, 1827,
Clementina, eld. dau. Ld. Gwydyr. He died 1867. She sue. her father
to the Barony of Willoughby d'Eresby in 1870. She died 1888.
3 Lady E. Brudenell, 3rd dau. of 6th E. of Cardigan; mar. as his 2nd
wife in 1827, David Pennant, Esq., of Downing, co. Flint. She died
1847.
* D. of Buccleuch, 5th Duke; born 1806; mar. 1829, Lady
Charlotte, dau. of 2nd Marq. of Bath.
364 SMALL TALK [CHAP, xvn
is to marry the one remaining Miss Sheridan, which as
the girl most admired & talked about, was pretty sure
to be said, & may or may not be true for ought I know
or care, excepting from the aristocratic feeling of its
being in fra : dig. George Neville on his return hither
from Escrick passed two days at Chatsworth, & says
that he never saw a Creature so pleased with a piece of
preferment as the Duke of Devonshire with his Gold
Key. Indeed he is free to own his being made quite
happy by it from its giving him so much patronage,
which is undoubtedly a very gratifying circumstance,
& one which shews the pillow with roses only, far dif-
ferent from that on which either the Canning had, or
the Goodrich will have to repose their weary heads.
The Duke gave the first vacant Hampton Court Apart-
ments to Mrs. Bochur with which the King expressed
himself to be particularly pleased, & indeed every body
approves of it, her good conduct in her adversity
having acquired to her the esteem of those who most
laughed at her in her prosperity.
" I was very sorry to hear from the Ladies of Llan-
gollen among many other peices of news, that poor
Mrs. Heber l has been robbed at Leamington both of
money & Papers, to what amount they did not know,
but the smallest must be more than she, poor soul could
conveniently spare. They assured me they did not
doubt the fact, but I still would fain doubt it. I was
surprised to hear of her being gone to settle at Hodnet,
I hope & trust that cannot be the case without essential
assistance from her Brother-in-law. . . .
" I do not think I half answered your last letter, or
thanked you half enough for all the amusement which
the delightful details gave me. I see on looking back
to it that you ask me Lord Grenville's opinion of the
life of Napoleon, which I can give you in a few words,
by telling you that both he & your Uncle Tom, for-
bade the Bookseller from sending it to them & can
hardly be pursuaded that Sir W. has written a word
of it. The extracts from it have pointed out to them
a number of statements perfectly erroneous, & with-
1 Mrs. Heber, Emilia, dau. of William Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph ;
mar. Reginald Heber, Bp. of Calcutta. He died 1826.
1828] POLITICAL STORMS 365
out one single new story even to enliven it, & the stile,
is by every body considered as so heavy, that I believe,
of those who have attempted to read it, hardly any
have got thro' it."
From Lady W. W. to the Et. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
"UPPER BROOK STREET, February 19th.
" Great are the political Storms at this moment, &
never was there a Union so widely disunited as that of
the present Administration but nothing I fear can
arise to our advantage out of the Jars & squabbles.
They have got a most despotic Chief l at their head,
who has been used to find in his Aid de Camps mere
instruments to his will and Cyphers in his Councils,
such may be found in the Cabinets as well as the field
but some will I doubt not be given to kick. Our late
Premier a has certainly not proved himself equal, even
to be dernier, and has, with the best intentions towards
Charles, done him a mischief, which I fear, will be long
irreparable.
" All the young Band of debutant Orators are, I fancy,
in high spirits and Lord King 3 as usual rubs his hands,
and chuckles over the prospect of such good sport.
Poor Ebrington * has just come, I met him on Sunday
at Church and thought him looking wretchedly ill, but
he had probably not recovered the painful impression
of his first return to the house in Grosvenor Square,
where he went thro' all the sad Scene of misery last
July, your Uncle Tom saw him yesterday and thought
him quite as well as he could expect, and talking with
much interest of all which was going on, which I was
sincerely rejoiced to hear.
" We have had a very serious alarm about your
dear Uncle 6 at Dropmore who has had another Attack
of the same nature as his former one. It however
gave way to bleeding and he is now recovering as well
as we could expect, but of course much enfeebled by
1 The D. of Wellington. * Ld. Goderich.
3 Seep. 317, note 1.
* Lady Ebrington (Lady Susan Ryder) died, after a long and painful
illness, in July 1827. 6 Ld. Grenville.
866 THE CIRCLE OF GOSSIP [CHAP, xvn
the necessarily exhausting remedies which the nature
of his Attack rendered necessary. I live, now so entirely,
out of the Circle of Gossip that I have not a word of
any sort to send you, Charles' St. Antonio's bon mot
in describing Lord Dudley, 1 (whose name you may have
seen lately in the ' Chronique Scandalue ' more or less
coupled with that of my Lady Chancellor 2 ) as a ' Ward
in Chancery,' may I fear have reached even Copen-
hagen, and it is the only bit of small talk that I can
give you."
From Fanny W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry
\W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, May 2nd.
" We were last night at a Party at Lady Elizabeth
Belgrave's, the wonder of the night was a Malachite
Vase of great size which he bought at Petersburgh, and
at which, almost every John & Jenny Bull looked with
amazement, that a Block so large had been found,
they have also imported a fine set of Chrysophrazes for
her, and for their Guests a more than foreign paucity
of Refreshment, not a drop of wine not an Ice, not
even homely Tea, nothing but Agrippa's fare, Lemon-
ade, Orangeade, and Chiny Water, set out with all the
pomp and circumstance of a Repast. She is as round
as her Vase and pale as her Lemonade."
From Lady W. W. to the Hon. Mrs. Henry W. W.
" BROOK STREET, May 1 5th.
" The great event of this week in the Bon Ton Circle
has been the King's Ball to all the Juvenile Nobility.
It took place last night, and Harriet and Lord Dela-
mere were graciously admitted to it tho' without a
regular ticket of Entree, not having a Child even of
the smallest dimensions to Chaprone them. How very
1 John Ward, 4th Vise. Dudley, created Earl 1827 ; born 1781 ; died
unmar. 1833.
1 Sarah Garey, Lady Lyndhurst, dau. of Charles Brunsden, widow
of Lt.-Col. Charles Thomas; mar. 1819, as his 1st wife, Sir John
Singleton Copley, 1st Ld. Lyndhurst (Ld. Chancellor 1827-30, 1834-5,
1841-6). She died 1834.
1828] THE KING'S CHILDREN'S BALL 367
tiny an Article would have answered this purpose was
exhibited in sundry instances under three years old !
Harriet says that such a beautiful Fairy Ground Scene,
she never beheld or could have imagined. All the
magnificent new Suite of Rooms at St. James' were
opened, and the immense proportions of the Rooms,
(particularly the great height of the Banqueting Rooms)
contributed to make the little pigmy Guests look still
more diminutive.
" Lord and Lady Worcester l were there and my
Lord Glamorgan, 2 a leetle newborn Mount-Charles 3
stood almost all the evening between the King's legs
dressed in a red velvet long Coat. The young Branches
of all sizes were admitted, and when Harriet came away
at twelve the younger were sweeping off, and an influx
of young Oxonians and Cantabs, were starting with the
Misses in their teens. The King looked very well and
seemed to enjoy it as much as the least of his company.
" Isabella Forester * was the decided Beauty of the
Room, and many, I believe, thought her too good for
our young Taffy, Lord of the Castle, who is not, I
think, at present very popular, but they have neither
of them numbered many years, they have both had a
large proportion of dissipation, and if they are fond of
each other, they may, and I trust will, sit down quietly
in their new characters. I understand they are not,
at present, to have more than 2000 pr. ann. and are
to go abroad immediately, which I always think a
hasardous way of starting.
" Harriet, had to-day a letter from the Duke of
Buckingham, written apparently under great depres-
sion of Spirits, but speaking of his health as much im-
proved by the sudorific effects of his toilsome ascent
1 See p. 291. Ld. Worcester mar. 2ndly in 1822, Emily, dau.
of Charles Culling Smith. She died 1889.
* Ld. Glamorgan, only son of Ld. Worcester (afterwards 7th D. of
Beaufort) and his 2nd wife; born February 1824. He sue. his father
as 8th Duke in 1853. He mar. 1845, Lady Georgina, dau. of 1st E.
Howe. She died 1906. He died 1899.
3 Ld. F. Conyngham, on the death of his elder brother in 1824,
took the courtesy title of Mount-Charles. His eldest son, afterwards
3rd Marq. of Conyngham, was born February 1825.
4 Hon. Isabella Forester, 3rd dau. of 1st Ld. Forester; mar. 1830,
Hon. George Anson. She died 1858. The marriage referred to did not
take place.
368 CABINET CHANGES [CHAP, xvn
up Mount Vesuvius which I believe, in point of fact
nearly killed him."
From Sir W. W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" Tuesday morning [May 1828].
" MY DEAR HENRY, I received a letter from Charles
this morning from Dropmore desiring me to send you
whatever political news I could pick up, all that I can
learn at present being that Huskisson, Palmerston, 1
Grant l and Lambe, are out, that Dudley l remains in
and that Huskisson is to be succeeded by Sir George
Murray, 1 if I can pick up anything later I will add it.
" I am happy to say that Charles makes a better re-
port of Lord Grenville and says that he was riding on
his pony for near an hour yesterday.
" Poor Lord Forrester * died on Thursday last. He
had been very ill, in consequence of a fall from his
pony, for the last three weeks, but Lady Forrester
was not aware of immediate danger and is, I fear,
suffering very severely, they had not, yesterday been
able to persuade her to take off her clothes and go to
bed. I hear that Smith has been very useful and does
everything for the family. I believe that Forrester
had ensured his Life to ensure a comfortable provision
for Lady F. but I fear her younger Children will be
ill-provided for.
" We were at the Ball at St. James' last night which
was very magnificent & well arranged, I thought the
King looked very well, he did not walk much, but
what he did was done much better than I expected.
" I thought that the description of Stowe was too
large to send by post and have therefore waited for an
opportunity to send it.
" The Duke is now at Sea, and I do not know where
to direct to him. Charles has lowered himself very
much by making his attack upon the memory of Can-
1 Huskisson resigned the Colonial Office and Sir George Murray
took his place. Ld. Palmerston left the War Office, Mr. C. Grant
the Treasury of the Navy and Presidency of the Board of Trade. Ld.
Dudley did resign the Foreign Office.
2 1st Ld. Forester; born 1707; mar. 1800, Katharine, 2nd dau.
of 4th D. of Rutland. He died May 23rd, 1828.
1828] SIR STEPHEN GLYNNE 369
ning the day after the debate and then leaving the
House lest any body should answer him. Palmerston
gave a general dressing to the detractors and then
Dawson most foolishly put the Cap on Chandos' head."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" VALE ROYAL, September 10th.
" I will talk of the great event of the Principality
the bringing young Sir Stephen l of age, for which all
sorts of preparations are being made, excepting the
one most necessary to give effect to the whole, a hearty
gaiete de Coeur, in Mary, 2 whose Spirits are so low at
the thoughts of quitting the Castle, that I know not
how she will assume the semblance proper for the
occasion. I cannot conceive how an event so common,
and so looked forward to with as much certainty as
can belong to anything in prospect, can so subdue her,
but such certainly is the case.
" He has never said a word about her continuing
there as his ...(?)& at all events it appears much
more desireable that all her Concerns with the Castle
should be closed at the natural period. She talks of
going straight to Paris for 3 or 4 months, but speaks
of it quite with horror, being sure that she shall be tired
to death of it from the first day of her arrival, of which
indeed I have no doubt, and why she should impose
upon herself such an infliction, I do not understand.
" Your Uncle Tom, who is really as well, I am happy
to say, as ever I saw him in his life, & I assure you 3
Septuagenarians 3 are quite vain of their active powers."
The Same
" VALE ROYAL, September 24th.
" Hugh returned last night from Ha warden Castle,
where he had been assisting at the Tenantry celebra-
1 Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th and last Bart. ; born 1807 ; sue. his father
1815; died unmar.
2 Hon. Lady Glynne.
3 Lady Williams Wynn, aged 74 ; Ld. Grenville, aged 70 ; Rt. Hon.
Thomas Grenville, aged 73.
370 SIR STEPHEN'S COMING OF AGE [CHAP, xvn
tion of Sir Stephen's coming of age, which took place
on the 22nd, and was ushered in by a letter from him
to his Mother desiring that she should continue to
make the Castle her permanent Home, and assuring
her of his perfect confidence that his Concerns there
never would be so well looked after as under her Eye.
This was the more gratifying to her as he had never
dropped a hint of his having an intention, and that she
had, as her Brother George l said, fretted herself quite
thin & ill with the thoughts of quitting a place so
endeared to her, and looking for another Home.
There is to be a grand Ball for the Nobility & Gentry
at Hawarden on the 29th. to which about 300 are asked.
The Tenants Fete went off as usual with great satisfac-
tion, i.e. with great profusion of eating and drinking,
hallowing & Speechifying. The Chester Papers notify
five consecutive Dinners on the same occasion at dif-
ferent Towns & Inns with tickets from a Guinea to 5/-
each.
" Your Sisters have, I hope been the Historiographers
of the grand Ceremony of the Eisteddfoed, which from
the beauty of the Spot where it was held, & the un-
common brilliancy of the day, must I have no doubt,
been for a short time a most striking and interesting
Scene, but when it went on to a second and a third day,
I should think the greatest Enthusiast both for the
National Music and Poetry must have been a good deal
over done.
" Your Sister Charlotte z says the first day's dose was
more than enough to last her for the rest of her life.
" Watkin's presentation of the successful Bardess,
Angharad,* to the Duke of Sussex,* must have been a
treat, and her Welsh-English answer to his compliments
on the occasion, surprised the Royal Ear probably not
a little. . . ."
1 George Neville, born 1789; 3rd s. of 2nd Ld. Braybrooke;
assumed the additional surname of Grenville 1825, in accordance with
the will of his kinsman Ld. Glastonbury. He mar. 1816, Charlotte,
dau. of 3rd E. of Dartmouth. Master of Magdalene College, Cam-
bridge, and Dean of Windsor. He died 1854.
2 Mrs. Shipley.
8 Miss Angharad Llwyd (see note p. 256).
4 Augustus Frederick, D. of Sussex, 6th s. of King George III;
born 1773. He died 1843.
1828] PUBLIC CONCERNS 371
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
"CASTLE HILL, December llth, 1828.
" Of my dear Brother l at Dropmore, I fear the best
that is to be said is that he does not grow worse, but
Lady Grenville's 2 fears for him are such as to make
her desirious of keeping him in as uniform a state of
quietude as possible, which of course excludes all
Society, excepting just those whom she must admit,
& reduces him, therefore poor Fellow to depend entirely
on her unwearied attentions & his own mental re-
sources. Of public Concerns, there is, I think nothing
to be said which either generally or individually can
make them a pleasing topic. We have only to comfort
ourselves with the idea that we know nearly as much
on the subject here, as those do who are in the Cabinet,
where the Duke of W. 3 puts forth, as I hear, the dictum,
* that if he thought that the hairs of his head knew
what was passing in his Brain he would pluck them
out.'
" The grand Annonce of the Approaching Fetes at
Wotton & at Stowe certainly gives me a pang, but
after all when the Owner of the Demain chuses to put
on his night-cap, he can hardly reproach the young
Prince 4 for taking the Crown. The Duke has sent
home his yacht, and notifies his intention of passing
the Winter at Rome with the A's, and of returning
home in the Summer, I wish I thought the last was as
probable as the first."
The Same
"UPPER BROOK STREET, March 2nd, 1829.
" The defeat of Peel 5 at Oxford, will I suppose be
matter of great triumph to the Antis', 5 and seems in
1 Ld. Grenville.
* Ann, Lady Grenville, dau. of 1st Ld. Camelford of Boconnoo. She
died 1864 (see p. 10).
3 D. of Wellington. * Ld. Chandos.
5 Robert Peel, now Leader of the Commons, had changed his policy
with regard to the Catholic question, and early in the session of 1829
had brought in and carried a Bill for the Emancipation of the Catholics ;
in consequence of this change of view, he felt himself bound to resign
his seat for the University of Oxford, and to offer himself for re-
election. Charles voted for his return. He was defeated by Sir
Robert Inglis, but at once found a seat at Westbury, and returned to
lead the Commons.
872 PUBLIC CONCERNS [CHAP, xvn
my humble opinion to have been a very weak attempt
on his part, but as to the general question it leaves
it only just as it was, no one having ever doubted
the general feeling of the University. In the House
of Commons there can be no question of the Majority,
but among the Lords, I can not help thinking it very
uncertain and the public ferment upon the Measure is
at this moment so great that I dread the excitement
which will be produced by its being even hard run.
The encreased virulence which all this ferment has
excited among all my Stowe relatives, is to me matter
of very serious concern, nor do I see any shape in
which there appears at present a Chance of its sub-
siding. The Duke talks of coming over in May, but
when I look at the state in which he will find his
domestic Circle, and even all his nearest neighbours,
and his oldest Allies, I hardly bring myself to wish for
his arrival.
" I have, I grieve to say, but an indifferent account
to give of my poor Dropmore Brother who is suffering
more than usual this last week, owing to his having
got a fall in crossing his Library, most imprudently
without his Stick. I trust, however that there is now
no reason to apprehand any evil consequences from it,
but of course in his weak state it must be some time
before he recovers such a severe shake and jarr."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" UPPER BKOOK STREET, June 25th.
" I do not know to which of my two loved ' H's ' '
I ought to address this Scrap, feeling that I owe to
both acknowledgements for letters received since I
wrote last, but truth to say I feel so utterly depousse of
news, & so entirely out lived the power of making the
gossip of the day in any degree matter of amusement
to my correspondents. Of marriages and deaths you
have, of course regular reports in the Whitehall Gazette.
In the Matrimonial line the Season has, I think, been
uncommonly prolific, and some, I understand, are still
in embryo, such as our Cousin Algernon Herbert, who
1 Henry and Hester Williams Wynn.
1830] THE LONDON CAMPAIGN 873
takes to his very nice Board a young lady without, as I
understand, either name or fortune, and throws himself,
as many others have done, and are doing, upon the
excellent Petworth Milch Cow. Far different is the
speculation which Lord Graham l is said to be making
in offering himself to Miss Strachan, to whom (for why
or wherefore nobody pretends to guess) Lord Hertford
gives 10,000 in present with the reversion of his house
in the Regents Park.
" Our Cousin Porchester * seems to have drawn a
first-rate gros lot in his accepted suit to Miss Howard
Molyneux,* the daughter of Lord Henry Howard who,
with every possible merit of character, brings him an
Estate of between 5 & 6000 pr. ann. which will be
7000 on the death of her Mother, 3 and moreover a very
good set of white Teeth, a circumstance of no small
value to that Family, d'ailleurs, truth to say hi the
Congress of parente which was invited the other night,
to meet her at Lady Ducie's, 4 she was certainly voted
nem. con. to have as little external Charm as can easily
be found in 20 years old.
** The London Campaign is breaking up a pace, and
it is supposed to have been a very dull one, owing to
the protracted state of anxiety about the poor King,
who is said to have often lamented that he may not be
suffered to die. He is now sinking from extreme weak-
ness and inflamation on the chest, but it appears pro-
bable that he will not have any more of his horribly
painful Spasms. The Bishop of Chichester is in daily
attendance, to read & pray by him, & his mind seems,
by report, to be very calm and resigned.
" The close of poor Lady Powis B life was quite to the
last, correspondent to the enviable frame of mind
1 Ld. Graham, afterwards 4th D. of Montrose ; born 1799; mar.
1836, Caroline, dau. of 2nd Ld. Decies. He died 1874.
2 Ld. Porchester, s. of 2nd E. of Carnarvon and his wife, Elizabeth
Acland. Seep. 19.
3 Lady Henry Howard was sister-in-law of Bernard Edward, 12th D.
of Norfolk.
4 Lady Ducie, dau. of 1st E. of Carnarvon; mar. 1793, 1st E.
of Ducie. She died August 1830.
8 Henrietta Antonia, Lady Powis, dau. of Henry, 1st E. of Powis,
and sister and h. of George, 2nd and last E. of Powis. She mar.
1784, Edward, 2nd Ld. Clive, created E. of Powis 1804. She died
June 3rd, 1830.
374 ACCESSION OF WILLIAM IV [CHAP, xvn
which had so peculiarly and invariably marked her
bed of sickness and her last words to the Duchess J were,
* I am quite happy.' Lady Harriet 1 is still at Rich-
mond but comes up in 2 or 3 days, & from her own re-
port as well as that of the Friends who have seen her,
essentially improved. I have every reason to hope
that I shall find her essentially improved in health
& strength, both of body and mind. She certainly
has passed the last 7 months under a pressure of sorrow
& anxiety which would have shattered the stoutest
nerves, & much more a frame so easily overpowered as
hers has been ever since we have known her."
Public events in the last week of June and through-
out July 1830 tumbled over each other. On June 26th
King George IV died. Parliament was dissolved on
July 23rd. In the meantime a revolution was in being
in Paris, and the Bourbon King, Charles X, after fruit-
less efforts at conciliation and compromise, withdrew
from France and for a second tune found hospitality
in England.
King William IV's accession was the signal for
Wellington's resignation. Parliamentary reform was
urgent, and Lord Grey, to whom the new King entrusted
the formation of a Ministry, was prepared to make
it a Government measure. Charles Williams Wynn
accepted the post of War Secretary, vacated by Har-
dinge, but he resigned it as soon as the character and
scope of the Reform Bill became known.
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
"UPPER BROOK STREET, July 13th.
" This has been, my dearest Henry, rather an event-
ful week in the family Circle beginning on Sunday last
with a sudden summons to Thompson 2 to repair to
1 Her two daughters, the Duchesa of Northumberland and Lady
Harriet Williams Wynn.
* Beilby Lawley Thompson. See p. 11.
1830] STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD 375
Wenlock where an alarm of Opposition had arisen from
two Iron-masters, who had subscribed, some say 500,
other 300 a piece to get a Candidate to stand against
the old Interests. It is not, however, supposed that
they will be able to make anything of it, but it has in-
duced the necessity of your Brother's going down to
attend their Races to-morrow.
"Then comes to him (Watkin) this morning a
note from Lord Hill 1 signifying that he has H.M.'s
commands to desire he will attend Him at St. James*
at 12, it being, His gracious intention to appoint
him Aid de Camp for the Militia of Wales. This is,
I suppose a Compliment and Feather, and as such
will be agreable to him, but it will be brisk work
for him to get down to Wenlock to-morrow, attend
the Races and be back the following day for the
Funeral, 1 which he thinks it, now necessary for him
to attend.
" The third Event of the. Duke of Buckingham's
appointment to be Steward of the Household, was
notified officially, only yesterday, tho' known to be in
Embryo the day before. I am sincerely glad of it, as
I think it just the one thing which will suit him best, in
giving to him importance and occupation without
mixing him up more than he already is, in political
intrigue or Jobbing. It will furnish him with details
of business which will save him from his sad Ennuie,
and what is best of all, will induce the necessity of his
associating with those of his own situation and time
of day, instead of having to beat up for an Audience of
Ghost-story listeners among all the Misses of the Family.
Of course he professes it to have been offered to him in
the ' most friendly manner by the Duke of Wellington,
and confirmed in the most gracious one by the King,'
which all ' va sans dire,' there is as yet no Chamberlain
appointed & it is supposed that both that and the
Lord Stewardship has been left to the Duke of Welling-
ton to make the best use of them, that he could. When
1 Ld. Hill, 1st Vise. ; born 1772. Distinguished General in the
Peninsula and other campaigns; Com.-in-Chief 1828-42. Created
a Baron 1814, and a Vise. 1842. He died unmar. 1842.
* The King's funeral.
25
376 OUR NEW MONARCH [CHAP.-XVII
Nugent ' learnt the News, he to my great amusement,
immediately said that he could not but ' be diverted
at the idea of Her Grace of Buckingham being selected
to replace the Marchioness of Conyngham ' which I
think had merit, but when I offered my Compliments
& congratulations to Her, her answer was, ' It is no
matter of Joy to me, I can assure you ' which, if felt,
had certainly better not have been expressed.
" I do not hear of any new Peers, but hitherto the
King has been indefatigable in his endeavours to make
himself popular, and to do goodnatured and amiable
things in every possible instances. He opens the Com-
munication from Regent St. to the Park, restores the
Sunday Promanades on the Terrace at Windsor, &
takes every opportunity of showing himself, driving at
a foots pace thro' the Park etc. with his head out of
the Glasses of his Carriage the whole way, bowing right
& left. This will of course, after the utter seclusion
in which the two last Kings have lived, come with re-
doubled effect, & must, at least, for a tune render him
very popular."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
" UPPER BROOK STREET, July 21th.
" Nothing ever equalled the spirit of amiability and
kindness, which seems to govern every act and word
of our new Monarch. Even Uncle Tom, who is not too
much given to the being a Courtier, said yesterday,
that he has done only two things which he could have
wished otherwise. The one was the alteration in the
Naval Uniform, (which was done from a recollection of
the worry which it used to be to the young Lieutenants
to see their new blue Coats spoiled by the Pipe clay
necessarily applied to their white cuffs) and the other
the keeping up one half of the late King's racing Stud,
saying that for his part he never wished to see or hear
of one of the set, but that he thought it might be right
1 Ld. Nugent (the D. of Buckingham's brother), 2nd s. of 1st
Marq. of Buckingham ; born 1 789 ; succeeded to his mother's barony,
by special remainder, on her death in 1812. He mar. 1813, Ann,
dau. of Hon. Vere Paulett. He d.s.p. 1850.
1830] OUR NEW MONARCH 877
that the King should in some degree encourage the
Breed and therefore he ordered Delme to keep every
other Stall inhabitant in the Racing Stable ! The
French Cooks are all turned off to a man but still his
dinners are said to be properly handsome. The Ger-
man Band is all disbanded which Article alone cost
14,000 per. ann. & throughout His Household he has
dismissed every Foreigner, all this, however has been
done with great personal attentions, and upon every
occasion he shews the most marked desire to please
his loving subjects, with whom he is, as you will believe
popular to the greatest degree. Never was there, cer-
tainly a more striking contrast than he exhibits, in
some instances perhaps a little more than might be
wished, but that will find its level.
" He seems not to have the slightest recollection of
any former greivances or animosities and in token
thereof at his Dinner the day before yesterday at
Apsley House, in drinking the Duke of Wellington's
health, He made a Speech of a full half hour long full
of Enconiums to him & professing in the strongest
terms, * that He possessed his entire Confidence & that
nothing could or should ever shake that feeling so long
as he should continue to govern this Kingdom.' This
has, as you will believe made a great Sensation & will,
I have no doubt, very essentially influence the pending
Elections. The Speech was addressed very pointedly
to the D. of Laval, and other Foreign Ministers who
were present & who took it in with open Eyes & Mouths.
" His Steward begins to complain heavily of this un-
interrupted Succession of great Dinners, which of course
are persued with redoubled vigour to do honor to ' our
dear Brother ' of Wurtemberg, 1 but tho' working so very
hard from Morn till Night, certain it is, that the King
never has appeared in any way affected by such encreas-
ing exertion & fatigue both of body & mind.
" The Queen has extorted from him a promise that
he will wholly abstain from his perambulations about
the Streets, which certainly was a very worthy cause
for her exerting that influence, which I have no doubt
1 The King of Wurtemberg's wife was Charlotte, Princess Royal,
the King's sister.
378 OUR NEW KING [CHAP, xvn
that she possess over him, tho' she is withal much too
prudent to bring it forward unnecessarily."
From the Rt. Hon. Thomas Grenville to the Rt. Hon.
Henry W. W. W.
" CLEVELAND SQUARE, July 28th, 1830.
" Many thanks, my dearest Henry, for your Danish
Catalogue, altho' it does not furnish to me any article
of curiosity enough to excite your bibliographical
activity which you so kindly offer in my service.
" Our new King is daily gaining great personal
popularity by his grace and kindness to every-body
that approaches him, and at his Dinner two days
ago at the Duke of Wellington's the King in giving
his health, made a Speech of a quarter of an hour
long in praise of the Duke of Wellington and declared
at the same time his ' unlimited ' confidence in him,
and his ' determination to support him to the utter-
most.' So that you see there is the strongest avowal
that can be given of the King's favour and confidence,
more especially as the King added in his Speech that
he purposely took the opportunity of making such a
declaration in order that all the Foreign Ministers
might hear it from his own mouth. I hear the Duke
has made a short, a modest, and a proper answer, to
say that as long as he enjoyed the honor of his Master's
favor and_ confidence, he should use it only for the pur-
pose of endeavouring to maintain peace and concord
in Europe.
" July you see has been fertile with us of great
events. . . ."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry W.W.W
"CASTLE-HILL, August 17th.
" What an extraordinary convulsion has been taking
place in France since I wrote to you last. The rapidity
with which the Change took place & the sudden ap-
parent calm into which it seems to have subsided,
made it at first seem quite like a dream.
1830] THE DUKE'S APPOINTMENT 379
" Nobody is able even to suggest what is likely to
become of the wandering ci-devants for whom, (or
rather for some of whom), it is impossible not to feel
great compassion.
" George Fortescue was at Wardour attending his
Hindon Election, when the Storm broke out, and Mary
Arundel's l distress was very great, indeed it was im-
possible that she should not feel much Concern for
some of the Individuals.
" Even her Brother G. z with all his ultra Liberal
feelings cannot entirely divest himself of personal re-
grets for those mixed up with so many of his early
recollections. I hope they will all go to Rome which
seems the best & most natural refuge for them.
" I think I have hardly written to you since your
good Cousin's s appointment in the Royal Household.
Never was there such a creature more pleased than he
is with his new situation, which he has found quite a
specific for his Gout, his low spirits, & in short all his
ills. I really believe that the constant fluid State
in which he was kept by the daily duties of his
Office have kept him, thro' all the hot weather which
we had in July, has had upon him all the beneficial
effects of his dear Colchicum, without its deliterious
ones, while all the extraordinary good-nature and
kindness of his Master to all about him, must render
their Attendance infinitely less irksome than it can in
general have been found. He has now given him a
furlough of * as long as he pleases,' but I suppose he
must come up again for a short time at least, in October.
The early Meeting of Parliament & the expectation of
important business with which the Session must open,
will sadly break in, both on the Lords & Commons and
make a very dull latter Season.
" I hear the King has regularly notified to the Duke
of Buckingham his intention of visiting him at Stowe
next Summer in his progress to Edinburgh."
1 Lady Arundel, Mary Anne, dau. of 1st Marq. of Buckingham ;
mar. 1811, James, 10th Baron Arundel. She was sister of the let
D. of Buckingham and niece to Lady Williams Wynn, Lady For-
tescue, and Lady Carysfort. She died without children 1845,
a George, Ld. Nugent. See p. 376,
3 D, of Buckingham.
380 A NARROWING OUTLOOK [CHAP, xvn
The first pause in the long correspondence of over
thirty years comes unexpectedly : on November 27th
Lady Williams Wynn had a stroke, which for some
months enfeebled her powers, but she gradually regained
something of her old vigour, and in the summer of 1831
she was moved out of London for a change, to a villa
at Richmond, an arrangement made for her through
the kind offices of " Uncle Tom." At Richmond she
once again takes up her pen, and her letters show that
her interest in politics, as well as in her neighbours,
is as fresh as ever. In the autumn she had the joy
of receiving a visit from Henry, now K.C.B., and his
wife, but after their return to Copenhagen, in the
spring of 1832, her letters become very few and far
between, and her outlook on the world is narrowing.
From Lady Delamere to the Rt. Hon. Henry W. W. W.
"BROOK STREET, December 3rd, 1830.
" MY DEAREST HENRY, Thank God I have nothing
but comfort to give you about our beloved Mother.
Sir Henry Halford has this moment left saying that
she is going on as well as possible and that * he scarcely
ever saw anyone in a similar case recover so satis-
factorily or regain strength so fast.'
" Her memory and intellect are most astonishing, as
when I read the Psalms to her she repeats every one
of the responses by heart. . . .
" No words can ever express the affection and tender-
ness of my dearest Uncle who is, as she herself desired
me to tell him, * quite an Angel of comfort to her.' "
From Fanny W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Henry
W. W. W.
" BROOK STREET, December 10th.
" Thank God my dearest Henry our beloved Mother
goes on as well as we could expect. Sir Henry Halford
has every day expressed himself perfectly satisfied,
1831J A VILLA AT RICHMOND 381
he says, ' I care not two pence for her age there is so
much spring and vigour hi her Constitution.'
" Letters arrive sometimes so irregularly at this
time of year that it may be better to say in two words
that my dear Mother suffered on Saturday 27th, (Novem-
ber) a paralytic Stroke which deprived her of the use
of the left side but never for one moment affected her
Mind. Her mouth is very slightly compressed on one
side, & her Speech very little thickened."
From Fanny W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry
W. W. W.
" BBOOK STREET, June 10th.
" Thank God I may still report some progress to-
wards recovery in my beloved Mother, and have just
heard a most favorable report from Sir Henry. He
does not think it at all advisable that she should under-
take a long Journey, I am therefore now in high hunt
for a Villa for the Summer, and as yet cannot fix upon
one, I am looking between Hampton and Richmond,
the society of Hampton Court, though not very intel-
lectual, will I think furnish a card table and a morning
visit better than those of higher pretensions."
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry
W. W. W.
"July -Qth, 1831.
" You have of course heard from some of the family
correspondants of the fresh instance of your dear
Uncle Tom's liberality or rather boundless kindness in
supplying me with the great and valuable desideratum
of a Villa with which he presents my most excellent
Nurse Fanny and thereby gives her an interest in it
which will in some degree counteract the dullness of
her monotonous hours by the side of my great Chair.
The spot itself is certainly uncommonly cheerful &
full of varies objects, being close upon the banks of
the River, opposite to Mr. Cambridge's meadows &
882 TALK OF CORONATION [CHAP, xvn
within a hundred yards of the beautiful Bridge. Of
society too she will be sure to have a choice, which will
be to her of more value than any external beauties,
and if it pleases God that I recover some little use of
my limbs, which have of course been enfeebled in no
small degree by the heat of the last month, I trust we
shall pass three or four months very comfortably. We
have it for six months & the house is good enough to
give me no fear of suffering cold. My dearest Brother
completed his kindness by taking a Lodging by me,
by the week that he may come and look at me. Grieved
am I to think that I cannot look to the dear Princi-
pality as in my neighbourhood, but in the present
state of things there seems little possibility of any
body turning their backs on the Metropolis for any
length of time this Season.
" Within the last three days there has been much talk
of Coronation which they say must come on during
the Summer but is to be as much compressed in point
of expence and parade as possible. There is not to be
any ceremonial beside that which is confined to the
Abbey, no Banquet, no procession, in short as little as
can be attached to the necessary form of the King's
taking the Oaths, & putting on his Crown. I should
suppose it is most likely just to fall in with your in-
tended trip which will be a very tidy coincidence.
" The Town has been mad with Balls and Fetes of
various kinds, the last always the finest, and gratifying
it is to think of what advantage it must have been
to trade, which indeed one has gratefully trumpetted
in every shop in to which one goes. I hear from Fanny
that the last nights Irish Ball at Drury Lane was the
finest spectacle she ever saw, and it is gratifying to
think that the brilliancy of it did not end with the
extinguishing of the lights.
" I have been writing to you with a wretched hard pen
which is very unfavorable to a weak and trembling
hand and will not allow me to proceed any further, so
with much love compressed into as few words, I remain
to my dear Hs and all their belongings, their most
kindly affectionate Mother.
" C, W. W."
1832] AN INVITATION TO STOWE 383
From Lady W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry W. W. W.
"RICHMOND, October Uth, 1831.
" We are still as you see under the influence of the
horrible Reform Bill and when or how we are ever to
look to the being at rest again God only knows. It is
fearful to think of being at the mercy of an infuriated
mob but we must hope for the best tho' in what shape
that is to be looked for nobody I believe can tell.
" Ebrington's speeches from as far as the Newspaper
report one can collect, have been very calm and gentle-
manlike which is an enconium which few others can
lay claim to. I hear they talk of proroguing the Par-
liament this week, which will be to many a most wel-
come prolongation of holidays.
" My brother Tom and my sister have most kindly
devoted themselves to me for a fortnight from Monday
next. We have taken for them a house within 3 or 4
doors which I trust they will find very clean and com-
fortable and I know it will give you pleasure to hear of
a circumstance which holds out to me the prospect of
such unexpected gratification and enjoyment.
" Adieu my dearest, dear Henry, I hope you duly
gave all the assurances of kindest love & remembrance
from me to your most dear and excellent moitie, and
all your Board of young ones, and remain comme tou-
jours,
" Ever, Ever most affectionately yours,
" C. H. W. W."
From Fanny W. W. to the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry
W. W. W.
[Undated; probably April 1832.]
" Did I tell you of the extraordinary kindness of the
Duke and Duchess who want my Mother to make Stowe
her Summer residence, giving her the Clarence Apart-
ments and the one above for me, quite a House, to live
as much in her own rooms as she pleased, with a back-
way and a very few steps into the Garden & tho' last
but best of all a Medical man always in the house.
No son could do more, few would and none of hers
884 THE CURTAIN FALLS [CHAP, xvn
who would can, indeed I hardly know any where such
a position for an invalid. It would be to me a great
comfort to feel that in their present total lack of society
one can in some degree repay this excessive kindness
by attention and conversation."
The visit to Stowe during the summer was never
accomplished. Fanny and her patient remained quietly
at Richmond until the autumn, when the last act
ended suddenly and the curtain was rung down.
On October 3rd, 1832, sitting in her " great chair,"
her writing materials round her, and some finished
letters on her table, the final seizure came, and thirty-
six hours later Lady Williams Wynn passed away.
All her children, excepting Henry, were with her.
Their sorrow in her loss was shared by the nephew,
who had ever looked for her presence at the times of
his own rejoicings, and who, when her health failed,
offered her a welcome, and lavish care. With a letter
from Copenhagen, and one from the Duke, these selec-
tions from the Correspondence fittingly close.
From the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry W. W. W. to the Rt.
Hon. Charles W. W. W.
"COPENHAGEN, October 13th, 1832.
" MY DEAR CHARLES, Your letter of the 1st only
reached me at the same time as those from my Sisters
announcing to me the death of our beloved Mother.
Her age and former attacks ought perhaps to have
prepared me for this melancholy event, but the blow
when it came was most unexpected, we had only the
preceding week received a letter from her, the sub-
stance and handwriting of which delighted us, as they
were like those of former days.
" I have, notwithstanding my frequent absences, so
long considered her existence as bound up with my
own, that I can hardly persuade myself of the sad
reality that she is gone. Few Children ever owed so
much to a Parent, we have not, I hope any of us, been
1832] CONDOLENCES 885
insensible of the Blessing conferred on us, by so effec-
tually supplying the place of him we so early lost.
God grant that we may follow her bright example, and
that we may go to the Grave as justly regretted by our
Children.
" God bless you my dear Charles, to our lamented
Parent we owe those precepts of attachment to one
another which makes the comfort of our latter years.
" H. W. W. W."
From the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos to the
Rt. Hon. Sir Henry W. W. W.
"AvnroTON, November 1st, 1832.
" MY DEAR WYNN, I have been so unwell since the
late sad event that I have scarcely had the power of
taking up my pen to offer you my condolences. All
that can be said is that it must be a great comfort to
you all that your poor Mother died full of feeling of the
affectionate care taken of her to the last moment by
her children, and it is indeed a consolation to you to
reflect how fully you all deserve, by your attention to
her, her latest and warmest feelings. Never did chil-
dren follow, or better do their duty by their Parent.
" Thank God your dear Mother was spared the con-
sciousness of the pain of parting, and she died free from
pain.
"I fear that my poor Uncle Tom is severely beat
down by the blow. Harriet is also very heavy struck.
In short the death of one so beloved as your Mother
was, is felt like an electric shock through all parts
equally of a very extended circle. I trust that your
health is good. Remember me most kindly to your
Wife, and believe me always,
" Yours affectionately,
"BUCKINGHAM & CHANDOS."
INDEX
Abbott, Charles, Speaker, resigna-
tion, 198, 203. See Colchester
Abdy, Sir William, 109 n.
Abercorn, James, 1st Marquess of,
172, 177 n.
Abercromby, Sir Ralph, Com-
mander-in-Chief, 29
Aberystwyth, National Library
of Wales, v, 14
Aboyne, George, Lord, 331 n. See
Huntly
Acard, Citoyen, ascent in a
balloon, 70
Acklom, Esther, marriage, 170
Acklom, Richard, 170n.
Acland, Elizabeth, 19, 373 n. See
Porchester
Acland, Lady Harriet, 19 n., 20 n.
Acland, Col. John Dyke, 19 n.,
20 n.
Aeland, Sir Thomas, 20 n.
Acton, 74, 186
Addington, Henry, Prime Minis-
ter, 67, 72, 274 n. ; nickname,
80 n.; abuse of Pitt, 111.
See Sidmouth
Addington, Lord, 274 n.
Adelaide, Queen, 266 n.
Adolphus, Prince, 66. See Cam-
bridge
Albemarle, William, 4th Earl of,
239 n.
Alexander I, Emperor of Russia,
at Berlin, 91 ; Dresden, 92 ;
Olmutz, 92 ; refuses an armis-
tice, 92 ; death, 333, 340
Alnemouth, 322
Alnwick, 322
Althorp, Lord, marriage, 170.
See Spencer
America, South, trade with, 333
Amherst, William Pitt, 1st Earl,
206, 213, 334 n.
Amiens, Treaty of, 67 ; abortive,
77
Amyand, Sir George, 327 n.
Ancaster, 2nd Duke of, 78 n.
Ancaster, Peregrine, 3rd Duke of,
138 n., 239 n., 250 n., 313 n.,
344 n.
Andover , William, Viscount, 1 1 3 n. ,
224 n.
Anglesey, Charlotte, Lady, 145 n.,
192 n.
Anglesey, Henry William, 1st
Marquess of, 145 n., 192 n., 194,
217 n., 238 n., 276 n., 312 n.,
31 5 n.,; High Steward at the
Coronation of George IV, 245
Angouleme, Due d', at Stowe, 121
Angouleme, Marie Th6rese Char-
lotte, Duchesse d', 121 n.
Anne, Queen, 2
Anson, Hon. George, 367 n.
Anson, Thomas, 1st Viscount,
360 n.
Antrim, insurrection in, 34
Antrim, William, 6th Earl of,
321 n.
Argyll, Caroline Elizabeth,
Duchess of, 145 n., 312, 315
Argyll, George, 6th Duke of,
145 n., 312 n.
Argyll, John, 5th Duke of, 218 n.
Arklow, 33
Armstead, Elizabeth Bridget, 70 n.
Army, sale of commissiona, 30 n.
Arundel, James, 10th Baron,
marriage, 152, 379 n.
Arundel, Mary Anne, Lady, 122n.,
379; at Paris, 356
Ashburton, Anne, Lady, marriage,
342. See Macdonald
Ashburton, Lord, 342 n.
Ashridge, 334
Ashton, John, 245 n.
Ashton, Mary Anne, 245 n.
Astle, 187, 261
Astley, Sir Jacob, marriage, 227.
See Hastings
387
Aston Hall, theatricals, 305
Atholl, John, 4th Duke of, 197 n.
313 n.
Atholl, Marjorie, Duchess of, 313
Auckland, William 1st Lord
50 n., 247 n.
Audley End, 75, 123 ; improve-
ments at, 338
Augusta, Princess, 143 n., 228,
300
Austerlitz, Battle of, 93, 95
Austria, Emperor of, 168 n.
Austria, Empress of, death, 212
Austrian army, capitulates at
Ulm, 90 ; enters Lyons, 170
Avaray, Due d', 292 n.
Avington, 269
Aylesbury, 253
Baden, Prince of, 102 n.
Bagnall, John, 343 n.
Bagot, Sir Charles, 217 n., 225
Bagot, Emily, Lady, 330 n.
Bagot, Frances, 113n.
Bagot, Henrietta, 21 7 n.
Bagot, Louisa, Lady, 330 n.
Bagot, Mary, 113n.
Bagot, Richard, 113n., 225
Bagot, Sir Walter, 224 n.
Bagot, William, 2nd Baron, 225,
330 ; gift of money to, 229 ;
marriage, 258
Bagration, Prince, 93
Bagwell, Mr. 243
Baird, Sir David, at the battle
of Corunna, 129
Bajariovitz, Anne de, 51 n.
Balcarres, James, 5th Earl of,
250 n.
Ballinger, Mr., Librarian of the
National Library, vi
Banks, county, suspend payment,
334
Bantry Bay, French fleet anchor
in, 29
Bar-sur-Aube, 168n.
Barcelona, note, 188
Barnard, Sir Andrew, at Wynn-
stay, 230
Barnstaple, election, 110
Barrington, George, 6th Viscount,
206 n., 346 n.
Bassett, Francis, 31 In. Be*
Dunstanville
Bastard, Edmund Pollexfeu, 211
Bath, Harriet, Lady, 197n.
Bath, 1st Marquess of. 197 n.
Bath, Thomas, 2nd Marquess of,
363 n.
Bathurst, C. B., President of the
Board of Control, 258 n.
Bathurst, Lady Georgina, 271
Bathurst, Henry, 3rd Earl, 271 n.;
President of the Board of
Trade, 148
Bayley, Henry, 144 n. See
Uxbridge
Beaufort, Charles, 4th Duke of, 6
Beaufort, Emily, Duchess of,
275 n,
Beaufort, Georgina, Duchess of,
275 n.
Beaufort, Henry, 7th Duke of,
163n., 275 n., 367 n.
Beaufort, Henry, 8th Duke of,
367 n.
Beckford, William, 303 n.
Bedford, Georgina, Duchess of,
235 n., 282 n.
Bedford, John, 6th Duke of,
235 n., 250 n.; attack on the
Duke of Buckingham, 281 ;
correspondence, 284-289
Belgrave, Lady Elizabeth, 276;
death of her son, 306 ; appear-
ance, 366
Belgrave, Richard, Lord, 209,
276 n., 330; at Wynnstay,
230. See Westminster
Bell, Andrew, 249
Belvoir, painting on the ceiling
of the Great Saloon, 347
Benkendorff, Princess Dorothea
de, 340 n. See Lieven
Bennet, Elizabeth Amelia, 215 n.
Bennet, R. H. A., 215 n.,
216n.
Bentinck, Lord Henry, 296
Bentinck, Mary, Lady, 296 n.
Bentinck, Lord William, 142
Benyon, Elizabeth, 280 n.
Benyon, Richard, 280
Beresford, Henry de la Poer,
40 n. See Waterford.
Beresford, Lady Sarah, marriage,
342
Berkeley, Frederick, 6th Earl,
221 n.
Berkeley, Thomas, 6th Earl,
221 n.
Berlin, mission to, 8, 42
Beme, 280, 294
Berry, Lady Charlotte, 270
Berthier, Louis Alexander, Mar-
shal of France, 81
INDEX
Bertie, Lady Priscilla, 138n.,
250 n., 313 n.
Bertie-Greathead, Bertie, 78
Berwick, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Barons,
228 n., 296 n.
Beseborough, Frederick, 3rd Earl
of, 183n., 222 n.
Bessborough, Lady, 8
Best, Marianne, 271 n.
Best, Admiral Hon. Thomas, 271 n.
Bethlehem, 159
Bexley, Nicholas, Baron, 247 n.,
294 n., 299 n.
Bickerton, Sir R., 169
Billingbear, 25, 54, 55
Blane, Sir Gilbert, 213
Blaquiere, Anna Maria de, 36 n.
Blaquiere, Lord de, 36 n.
Bligh, Captain Thomas, 329 n.
Bloomfield, 1st Baron, letter
from, 357
Bloomfield, Harriet, Lady, 357 n.
Boats, Ellen, 242 n.
Boats, William, 242 n.
Bochur, Mrs., 364
Boconnoo, 10, 128
Bodrhyddan, 15
Boileau, Lady Catherine, 327
Boileau, Mr., marriage, 327
Bonaparte, Jerome, 298, 329 n. ;
advance on Dresden, 104 ;
marriages, 105
Bonaparte, Madame Jer6me, 298
Bonaparte, Lucien, Prince of
Canino, 100
Boothby, Sir Brook, at Dresden,
100
Bosphorus, the 155
Boston, Frederick, 2nd Baron,
207n.
Bouverie, Hon. Bartholomew,
360 n.
Boycott, Charlotte, 335
Bradford, George, 2nd Earl of,
314 n.
Bradford, Orlando, 1st Earl of,
at Wynnstay, 230, 231 ; acci-
dent, 232
Bradford, Lucy, Lady, 231 n.
Bradshaw, Dandy, 293
Bragg- Bathuret, Rt. Hon. Charles,
Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, 274
Bragg-Bathurst, Charlotte, 274 n.
Braybrooke, George, 2nd Baron,
54 n., 132 n., 201 n., 336 n.
Braybrooke, John, 1st Baron,
23 n.
Braybrooke, Richard, 3rd Baron
22, 23, 235 n., 338
Bread, scarcity of, 62
Breadalbane, John, 1st Marquees
of, 232; at Stowe, 317
Breadalbane, Mary, Lady at
Stowe, 317
Brentford, 62
Brest, 29
Breydenbach, " Peregrination," 23
Bridgeman, Lady Mary Selina
314n.
Bridgeman, Vice- Admiral Charlea
231
Bridgewater, Countess of, 333
Bridgewater, John, 7th Earl of,
237
Bridport, Alexander, 1st Viscount,
50
Bristoe, Robert, 100 n.
Bristoe, Susannah, 100 n.
Bristol, 3rd Earl of, 273 n.
Brooke, Emily, at Wynnstay, 230
Brooke, Harriet, Lady, 305
Brooke, Mary, 290 n. See Riddell
Brooke, Peter Langford, 210 n.
Brooke, Sir Richard, 290 n.,
305 n. ; at Wynnstay, 133
Brooke, Thomas, 230 n.
Brougham, Henry, Baron, 220,
243
Broughton, John, Baron, 237 n.
Browne, Herbert, 49 n.
Brownlow, Elizabeth, 99 n.
Brownlow, Rt. Hon. W., 99 n.
Brownrigg, Robert, Bart., 66
Bruce, James, friendship with
Lady Hester Stanhope, 164
Brudenell, Lady Emma, marriage,
309, 363
Brudenell, Lord, duel, 309. See
Cardigan
Brunsden, Charles, 366 n.
Brunswick, Duke of, 109 n.,
242 n.
Brydges, Lady Anne Eliza, 88 n.,
316 n. See Buckingham
Buccleugh, Charlotte, Duchess of,
340 n., 363 n.
Buccleugh, Walter, 5th Duke of,
marriage, 340, 363
Buck, Sarah, 234 n. See Enkme
Buckingham, Alice, Duchess of,
316 n.
Buckingham, Anne Eliza, Lady,
279, 316
Buckingham, Caroline, Duchess
of, 316n.
390
INDEX
Buckingham, George, 1st Marquess
of, 7, 23 n., 39, 80, 88 n. ;
entertains Louis XVIII at
Stowe, 118-122; letters to
H. W. W., 118, 268-270, 296,
360, 385 ; death, 170 n.
" Buckingham, John, Duke of,
Works of," 357
Buckingham, Mary, Lady, 7, 23 n.,
235 n., 317 n. ; epigram on the
Prince and Princess of Conde,
131
Buckingham and Chandos, Rich-
ard, 1st Duke of, 8, 88 n.,
276 ; portrait, vi ; at Ryde,
1 70 ; wish for a Dukedom,
244 ; receives the Garter, 247 ;
unpopularity at Aylesbury,
253 ; negotiations with the
Foreign Office, 268-270 ; at
Avington, 269 ; " meeting "
with the Duke of Bedford,
281 ; correspondence with him,
284-289 ; advice to Henry
W. W. on the mission to Berne,
296 ; christening of his grand-
son, 316-320 ; purchases
estates, 323 ; wish to be
appointed Governor- General of
India, 328, 332, 335, 336;
limitations, 336 ; tour abroad,
335, 336; Private Diary,
336, 360 n. ; relations with
Charles W, W., 336, 346,
348-350 ; at Stowe, 345 ;
Steward of the Household,
355, 375, 379 ; cruise in the
Mediterranean, 360 ; ascent of
Mount Vesuvius, 367 ; at Rome,
371 ; invitation to Lady Wynn,
383 ; on her death, 385
Buckingham, Memories of the
Duke of, 335
Buckingham and Chandos, Rich-
ard Plantagenet, 2nd Duke of,
232 n., 235, 317 n., 319 n.
Buckingham and Chandos, Rich-
ard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of,
christening, 316, 319
Buckinghamshire, John, 2nd Earl
of, 61 n., llln.
Buckinghamshire, Robert, 4th
Earl of, 362 n.
Bucknall, Sophia, 234. See Paget
Bucknall, Hon. W., 234 n.
Buckworth, Charles Watkin John,
292 n. See Shakerley
Burdett, Sir F., 144
Burdett, Sir Robert, 144 n.
Burgh, Lady Catherine de, mar-
riage, 193
Burghersh, John, Lord, 238 n.
Burghersh, Priscilla Anne, Lady,
238
Burke, Sir Thomas, 193 n.
Burnand, Ellen, 21 7 n.
Burnand, George, 217 n.
Burrell, Elizabeth, 216n.
Burrell, Hon. Elizabeth, marriage,
339. See Clare
Burrell, Frances Julia, 215 n.
Burrell, Miss, 363
Burrell, Peter, 215 n.
Burrell, Sir Peter, 250. See
D'Eresby
Burrell, Sir Peter, 138 n., 250.
See Gwydyr
Bury, Rev. Edward, 21 8 n.
Bute, Frances, Lady, 310
Bute, John, Earl of, 215 n.
Bute, John, 1st Marquess of, 310n.
Butler, Lady Eleanor, 218 ; bund-
ness, 226, 263, 362 ; operation
on her eyes, 329
Buxton, 166
Cabarerme, Madame, 70
Cabinet, resignation, 354
Cadiz, 130, 145, 162
Cadogan, Charles, 1st Earl, 145 n.,
192n.
Caerynwch, 26
Cairo, 160
Calder, Sir Robert, court-martial
on, 89, 93 ; career, 89 n.
Caledon, Catherine, Lady, 329
Caledon, Dupre, 2nd Earl of,
329 n.
Calvary, Mount, 159
Cambridge, Adolphus Frederick,
Duke of, 65 n. ; action against,
143
Camden, Frances, Lady, 194
Camden, John, 1st Marquess, 1 32 n. ,
194n.
Camelford House, sale of, 304
Camelford, 1st Lord, 23 n., 277 n.,
371 n. ; killed in a duel, 10
Camelford, Thomas, 2nd Baron,
277 n.
Cameron, General Sir Alexander,
128, 130; at the battle of
Corunna, 130 n.
Campbell, Anne Preston Menzies,
129 n.
Campbell, Caroline, 250 n.
INDEX
391
Campbell, Lady Charlotte, 21 8 n.
Campbell, General Sir Colin, 250 n.
Campbell, Eleanora, marriage, 217
Campbell, Lady Elizabeth, at
Stowe, 317
Campbell, Colonel John, 21 7 n
218 n.
Campbell, Lady Mary, 232, 235
Cana, 157
Canning, Rt. Hon. George, 243 ;
Foreign Secretary, 124, 143,
291 n. ; President of the Board
of Control, 258 ; resignation,
258 ; leader of the House of
Commons, 275 ; support of
the Catholic Emancipation Bill,
354; Prime Minister, 354;
death, 355 ; illness, 356 ; re-
covery, 358
Canterbury, Viscount, 205 n.
Capel, Harriet Jane, story of, 227
Capel, Hon. John, 227 n.
Cardigan, 6th and 7th Earls of,
309 n., 363 n.
Carhampton, Lord, 29
Carlisle, Frederick, 5th Earl of,
138 n.
Carlisle, George, 6th Earl of,
143 n., 333 n.
Carlisle, Georgina, Lady, 143 n.
Carlscrona, 118
Carmichael, Sir John, 202 n.
Carnarvon, Elizabeth, Lady,373 n.;
death, 346
Carnarvon, Henrietta, Lady,
346 n.
Carnarvon, Henry, 1st Earl of,
308 n., 346 n., 373 n.
Carnarvon, Henry, 2nd Earl of,
194, 373 n.
Carnarvon, Henry, 3rd Earl of,
346 n.
Caroline, Queen, wife of George II,
224
Caroline, Queen, trial, 198, 248,
250, 251, 259; at Rome, 239,
241, 242 ; arrival in London,
247; at St. Paul's, 254;
provision, 266 ; attempt to
hold a Drawing-room, 270
Carr, Sir Henry, marriage, 183
Carrington, Catherine Lucy,
199n.
Carrington, Lord, 161 n., 164,
166, 199.n. ; on the marriage
settlement of hia daughter
Hester, 167 ; plan of division
of income, 181
26
Carteret, George, 2nd Lord, 197 n.
Carysfort, Elizabeth, Lady, 12,
65, 191 ; illness, 301
Carysfort, Granville, 3rd Earl of,
215 n.
Carysfort, John, 1st Earl of, 12,
38, 64, 122, 216 n. ; marriages,
39 n. ; attends the Drawing-
room, 315
Carysfort, John, 2nd Earl of,
38 n., 135 n.
Castanheira, 130
Castle Hill, 371, 378
Castlebar, engagement at, 30
Castlereagh, Amelia Ann, Lady,
61 n.
Castlereagh, Emily, Lady, 111
Castlereagh, Richard, Viscount,
61, 111 ; negotiations with the
Allied Powers, 168. See Lon-
donderry
Cathcart, Lord, 283 n.
Cathcart, Mary, 283 n.
Catholic Emancipation Bill, 63,
260, 269, 351, 354, 371 n. ;
Question, 77, 236, 244, 264,
304
Cato Street Plot, 198, 237
Caton, Louisa Catherine, marriage,
200. See Hervey and Leeds
Caton, Richard, 200 n., 329 n.
Cavendish, George, drowned,
135
Cecil, Lady Georgina, marriage,
192
Chamberlain, Sir Charles, 231 n.
Chamberlain, Eliza, marriage, 23 1
Champagne, Very Rev. Arthur,
144 n.
Champagne, Jane, 144 n.
Chandos, James, 3rd Duke of,
279 n., 316 n., 319
Charles X, King of France
121 n. ; in England, 374
Charles Edward, Prince, 6
Charlotte, Princess Royal, 24 n. ;
marriage, 1 69
Charlotte, Princess, education,
109; marriage, 193, 196
Charlotte, Queen, 196 ; illness,
208, 210, 214, 216; death,
221 ; will, 224 ; charities,
228
Chatham, Hester, Lady, 5, 12
Chatham, John, 2nd Earl, 138,
333, 334; Governor of Ply-
mouth, 111 ; Master-General
of Ordnance, 142
392
INDEX
Chatham, Mary, Lady, 11 In.,
333 n.
Chatham, William, 1st Earl, 3,
llln., 199 n.
Chesham, William, 2nd Lord,
330 n.
Chesswright, 173
Chester, Elizabeth, 229
Chesterfield, Philip, 5th Earl of,
108 ; treatment by George III,
108
Chevigne, Marquis de, marriage,
265 n.
Chichester, Bishop of, 373
Child, John, 149 n.
Child, Sarah, 149 n.
Chimay, Prince de, 70 n.
Chirk Castle, 221
Chiswick, 16, 17
Cholmondeley, Caroline, death,
224
Cholmondeley, Catherine, 324 n.
Cholmondeley, Lady Charlotte,
207; marriage, 208
Cholmondeley, EJizabeth, 337 n.
Cholmondeley, George, 1st Mar-
quess, 142, 207 n., 239, 250 n.
Cholmondeley, George, marriage,
324 ; stories of, 334, 337, 339
Cholmondeley, Georgina, Lady,
239 n.
Cholmondeley, Harriet, 16, 54 n. ;
at Astle, 187 ; in London, 207 ;
at Wynnstay, 230. See Dela-
mere
Cholnaondeley, Rev. Horace
George, 337 n.
Cholmondeley, Hugh, 272, 278,
305 n. See Delamere
Cholmondeley, Marcia, 32 4 n.,
337 n.
Cholmondeley, Hon. Mary, 324
Cholmondeley, Rev. Robert, 324 n.
Cholmondeley, Thomas, marriage,
16, 150-153. See Delamere
Cintra, Convention of, 128, 132
Clancarty, Richard, 2nd Earl,
185
Clanricarde, Elizabeth, Lady, 193
Clanricarde, Thomas, 13th Earl
of, 193 n.
Clanricarde, Ulick, 1st Marquess,
lottery, 335
Clanwilliam, Richard, 3rd Earl
of, Ambassador to Berlin. 299
Clare, Elizabeth, Lady, 339 n.
Clare, John, 1st Earl of, speech
on Irish affairs, 61
Clare, John, 2nd Earl of, marriage,
339, 344
Clarence, William, Duke of, 228 n. ;
marriage, 211 ; nickname, 291,
343. See William IV
Clark, Godfrey, Gleanings from an
Old Portfolio, 178 n.
Clarke, Mrs., sale of army com-
missions, 30 n., 137 ; trial,
137-141; annuity, 139; ex-
amination of her letters, 143
Cleveland, Duchess of, " Life of
Lady Hester Stanhope," v
Cleveland, Gilbert, Lord, 363 n.
Cliefden, remains of, 18
Clifford, Lord de, 338
Clifton, Edward, Lord, marriage,
302
Clifton, Emma, Lady, 302 n.
Clinton, Charles, 17th Baron,
31 In.
Clive, Anne, voyage to Alnwick,
322
Clive, Lady Charlotte, marriage,
200. See Northumberland
Clive, Edward, 2nd Lord, 218 n.,
373 n. ; marriage, 200, 206.
See Powis
Clive, Lady Harriet, 314n. See
Windsor
Clive, Lady Harriet, marriage,
13, 200 n. (See Wynn
Clive, Henrietta Antonia, Lady,
218 n. See Powis
Clive, Henry, voyage to Alnwick,
322. See Plymouth
Clive, Lady Lucy, 226 ; birth of
a son, 219
Clive, Robert, 244 ; engagement,
206; broken off, 207; birth
of a son, 314
Clive, Robert Windsor, 314n.
Cobbett, William, 237
Cobham, Viscount, 3
Cockburn, Wm., 51
Coed-y-Maen, vi
Coigny, Duchesse de, at Stowe,
120
Coigny, Francois Henri, Due de,
at Stowe, 120
Coke, Mr., sale of Hillesden, 323
Coke, Thomas, 239. See Leicester
Colchester, Baron, 198, 203
Colvin, Sir Sidney, History of the
Dilettante Society, 7
Combermere Abbey, 224, 258
Combermere, Caroline, Lady,
illness, N 265
INDEX
893
Combermere, P.-M. Stapleton,
1st Viscount, 56 n., 192, 223 n.,
262 ; appointed Commander-
in-Chief in India, 265
Conde, General, at Stowe, 121
Conde, Prince de, 84 n. ; epigram
on, 131
Condorcet, Eliza de, 51 n.
Congleton, Henry, 1st Lord, 302 n.
Connaught, condition of, 39
Constantinople, 164
Conwy, Sir John, 5n., 15n.
Conwy, Penelope, 15n.
Conyngham, Elizabeth, Lady,
244, 266 n. ; mobbed at
Brighton, 306
Conyngham, Lady Elizabeth,
332 n.
Conyngham, Francis, 2nd Mar-
quess of, 238 n., 367 n. ; Master
of the Robes, 238, 241 ; mar-
riage, 276n., 311 ; member of
the Royal Household, 275 ;
appointed Under - Secretary,
298
Conyngham, George, 3rd Marquess
of, 367 n.
Conyngham, Henry, 1st Marquess
of, 238 n., 266
Cope, Arabella, 37 n.
Cope, Catherine, 332 n.
Cope, Sir Charles, 37 n., 332 n.
Copenhagen, 118, 304, 323;
Battle of, 65
Copley, Sir John Singleton, 366.
See Lyndhurst
Copson, Thomas, 322 n.
Corbet, Emma, 242 n.
Corbet, John, 242 n.
Corbett, John, 225 n.
Corbett, Mary, 225 n. See Ky-
naston
Corn Bill, 359
Corn Laws, 351, 354; Repeal of
the, 304
Cornwall, Sir George, 190 n., 212,
245 n., 362 n.
Cornwall, Harriet, 245 n.
Cornwall, Lady, in London, 345
Cornwall, Sir Veltus, birth, 345 n.
Cornwallis, Charles, 2nd Earl,
Viceroy of Ireland, 30 ; char-
acter of his policy, 30 ; career,
36 n. ; force in Ireland, 37, 38 ;
proclamation, 39 ; promise to
the Hosiers, 40
Cornwallis, George, 2nd Marquess,
235 n.
Cornwallia, Jemima, Lady, 36 n.
Cornwallis, Louisa, Lady, 235 n,
Corunna, Battle of, 129 n., 130 n.
Cottesloe, Thomas, 1st Lord
317n., 318 n.
Cotton, Frances, Lady, 54 n.,
223
Cotton, Hester, 223
Cotton, Lynch, 56
Cotton, Penelope, 223
Cotton, Sir Robert Salusbury,
54 n., 56 n., 222 n., 223 n..
292 n.
Cotton, William, 265
Courtenay, Hon. Harriet, 197 n.
See Thynne
Courtenay, Hon. Louisa, engage-
ment, 75 ; breaks it off, 88,
113; marriage, 88 n.
Courtenay, William, 2nd Viscount.
75, 197n.
Coutts, Francis, 310 n, See Bute
Coutts, Harriet, 331, 340
Coutts, Sophia, 144 n.
Coutts, Thomas, 144 n., 310 n.,
331 n., 363 n.
Cowley, Henry, Earl, 145n.,
192n.
Cowper, 5th Earl, 132 n.
Cox, Charlotte, 293. See Greville
Cox, R. H., 293
Cracow, 106
Craddock, Sir John, 131
Cranborne, Lord, 166. See
Salisbury
Creevey, Thomas, 296
Crowe Hall, 326
Crewe, Henrietta, 256 n.
Crewe, John, 1st Baron, 115,
256 n.
Crewe, John, 2nd Baron, 256
Crewe, Miss, 272
Cuesta, General, 133
Cunliffe, Emma, 256
Cunliffe, Foster, 256 n.
Cunliffe, Sir Foster, 3rd Baron,
15, 112, 277 n. ; at Wynnstay,
133
Cunliffe, Harriet, Lady, 152, 277 ;
at LlangoUen, 362
Cunliffe, Mary, marriage, 15, 75,
112n. See Wynn
Cunliffe, Robert, in Paris, 73
Cunningham, W., 342 n.
Curran, John P., Counsel for
Lord E. FitzGerald, 40
Cust, Lionel, History of the Dilet-
tante Society, 7
394
INDEX
Cuxhaven, 44
" Cwrw," meaning of the word,
48 n.
Dalhousie, George, 8th Earl of,
100 n.
D'Arcy, Colonel Joseph, marriage,
201
Darnley, John, 3rd Earl of,
321 n.
Darnley, John, 4th Earl of,
64, 99, 302 n.
Dartmouth, Frances, Lady, 206n.,
346 n.
Dartmouth, George, 3rd Earl of,
278 n., 330 n., 336 n., 370 n.
Dartmouth, William, 2nd Earl of,
167 n.
Dartmouth, William, 4th Earl of,
marriage, 206, 346
Dashwood, Georgina, marriage,
227
Dashwood, Sir Henry, 227 n.
Davies, Whitittall, 134
Davis, Sir John, 311 n.
Dawson, Mr., 243
Dawson, Rev Mr., 344
Daylas, John, 357 n.
Dead Sea, 157, 159
Decies, John, 2nd Lord, 373 n.
Delamere, Harriet, Lady, 16,
278; at the Children's Ball, 366
Delamere, Hugh, 2nd Baron, 305
Delamere, Thomas, 1st Baron, 16,
272 n., 278
Delaware, George, 5th Earl of,
resignation, 360
Delawarr, John, 4th Earl of,201 n.
Denbigh, Mary, Lady, 280 n.,
346 n.
Denbigh, William, 7th Earl of,
marriage, 280, 346 n.
Denison, Elizabeth, 238 n., 266 n.
Denison, John, 205 n.
Denison, Joseph, 238 n., 266 n.
Denison, Lucy, 250 n.
Derby, Edward, 12th Earl of,
53, 276 n., 303 n.
Derby, Edward, 13th Earl of,
303 n.
Derby, Elizabeth, Lady, 53 n.,
303 n.
D'Eresby, Peter, Baron Willough-
by, 250 n.
D'Eresby, Priscilla, Baroness Wil-
loughby, 31 3 n., 344
Devereux, Charlotte, marriage,
139. See Wellington
Devereux, George, 139n.
Devereux, Marianne, 139 n. See
Hereford
Devon election, 211
Devonshire, Georgina, Duchess
of, 53
Devonshire, William, 4th Duke
of, 109 n., 135 n.
Devonshire, William, 5th Duke of,
53 n., 143 n.
Devonshire, William Spenser, 6th
Duke of, 196, 364
Dickinson, Mr., 203
Dieppe, 67
Dilettante Society, 7
Disbrowe, Colonel, death, 224
Donkin, Lady Anna Maria, 327
Donkin, Lieut. -General Sir Ruf-
fane Shaw, 327 n.
Donoughmore, Baroness, 247 n.
Dorset, Charles, 6th Duke of,
331 n.
Dorset, John, 3rd Duke of,
37 n., 213 n., 334 n., 360 n.
Douglas, Lord, 99
Douglas, Mrs. Fred, 309
Downshire, Arthur, 3rd Marquess
of, 314 n.
Downshire, Wills, 1st Marquess of,
194n.
Downshire, Maria, Lady, 314 n.
Dresden, 77 ; fete of Mardi
Gras, 80; "le corridor de
T Europe," 85
Dropmore, 10, 125, 149, 365
Drummond, Charlotte, 362 n. See
Townley
Drummond, Clementina, 250 n.
Drummond, John, 262
Drummond, Miss, 234
Drummond, Hon. Mrs. Robert,
262
Drury Lane, fire at, 138, 142 ;
Irish Ball at, 382
Dublin, attempt to capture, 30 ;
mail coach office, stables on
fire, 38
Dubouchet, John James, 228 n.
Dubouchet, Sophia, 228 n.
Ducie, Frances, Lady, 308, 373
Ducie, Thomas, 1st Earl of, 280 n.,
308 n., 346 n., 373 n.
Duckenfield, Captain, drowned,
135
Dudley, John, 4th Viscount, 366 ;
at Madeley Manor, 325 ; Foreign
Secretary, resignation, 368
Dumeril, M., 182
INDEX
395
Dundalk, 30
Dundas, Henry, llOn. See Mel-
ville
Dundas, Mary, 202 n.
Dundas, 1st Lord, 202 n.
Dungannon, Arthur, 3rd Viscount,
218
Dunnally, Emily, Lady, 335 n.
Dunnally, 2nd Baron, marriage,
335
Dunrobin, 127
Dunstanville, Francis, 1st Baron
de, marriage, 311
Dutton, James, 239 n.
Dutton, Jane, 239 n.
Dysart, Louisa, Countess of, 100 n.
Ebrington, Hugh, Lord, 11 ; at
Eton, 22, 24 ; experiences at
Oxford, 57-59 ; M.P. for Barn-
staple, 110 ; joins the army
under General Cameron, 128,
130 ; on the character of Lady
Hester Stanhope, 154 ; election
contest, 198, 212 ; marriage,
203; death of his wife, 365;
character of his speeches, 383.
See Fortescue
Ebrington, Susan, Lady, 228 n. ;
death, 365
Ebury, Robert, 1st Baron, 230 n.
Eden, Elizabeth, 83 n.
Eden, Hon. Elizabeth, 60 n.
Eden, Mary Anne, 220 n.
Eden, Morton, 83 n. See Henley
Eden, Sir Robert, 83 n.
Eden, Sir Thomas, 220 n.
Edgeworth Town, 167
Edwards, Georgina, 49 n.
Edwards, Pryce, 49 n.
Egerton, Mr. and Mrs., 154, 272
Egremont, Charles, 1st Earl of,
346 n.
Eisteddfod, ceremony of the, 370
Elba, 164
Elbe, the, 42
Eldon, John, 1st Earl of, 51 n.,
274, 343 n. ; Lord Chancellor,
63 n. ; illness, 234, 236; opposes
the Catholic Emancipation Bill,
354
Election, General, 198, 210, 347
Elgin, Charles, 5th Earl of, 109 n.
Elgin, Martha, Lady, 109 ; gover-
ness to Princess Charlotte, 109 n.
Eliot, Lady Catherine, marriage,
327. See Boileau
Elizabeth, Princess, 24, 216
Elizabeth Georgina Adelaide,
Princess, 266
EUesmere, Francis, Earl of, 324 n.
Slliot, Homer, death, 220
Elliott, Cornelius, 202 n.
Elphinstone, Janet, Lady, 202
Elphinstone, John, 12th Lord
202 n.
Elton, 123, 214, 251, 301
Elvas, 132
Elwell, Sir John, 201 n.
Enghien, Louis de Bourbon, Duo
d', 84
England, war with France, 28,
95 ; Peace Treaty with, 67
Englishmen, in France, prisoners,
77, 81
Enniskillen, William, 1st Earl of,
46 n.
Errol, Elizabeth, Lady, 360 n.
Errol, William, 18th Earl of,
resignation, 360
Erskine, Frances, Lady, 234 n.
Erskine, Sarah, Lady, marriage,
234
Erskine, Thomas, 1st Baron, Lord
Chancellor, 10 ; second mar-
riage, 234
Eskalon, plain of, 157
Essex, George, 5th Earl of, 227
Eton, 13 ; Montem, 25
Eton, Mr., book on Russia and
Turkey, 37
Exeter, Brownlow, 2nd Marquess
of, 202, 293 n. ; marriage, 307
Exeter, Isabella, Lady, 307
Fagniani, Maria, 308 n.
Fairy, the, wrecked, 327
Falmouth, 190
Farquhar, Sir Walter, 53
Farren, Eliza, 63 n.
Feilding, Captain, 21 7 n.
Feilding, Sophia, 217n.
Fellowes, Henry Arthur, 246 n.
Fellowes, N. D., marriage, 246.
See Portsmouth
Ferdinand VII, King of Spain,
189
Fife, James, 4th Earl of, 100,
270
Finch, Charles, 69
Finch, Lady Charlotte, 135
Finisterre, action off, 89 n.
Fisher, Mr., Secretary to Lord
St. Helens, 37
FitzClarence, Elizabeth, 360 ;
sobriquet for. 245. See Errol
396
INDEX
FitzGerald, Lord Edward, leader
of the " United Irish Party,"
28 ; arrested, 29 ; death in
prison, 33 n.
Fitzgerald, Bt. Hon. James Vesey,
243
FitzGerald, Matilda, 217
FitzGerald, Lord Robert, death
of his son, 217
Fitzgibbon, John, Baron, 61 n.
See Clare
FitzHardinge, Charlotte, Lady,
346 n.
FitzHardinge, Frederick, 221. See
Berkeley
FitzHardirige, Maurice, 1st Lord,
346 n.
FitzMaurice, Hon. Thomas, 18 n.,
36 n.
Fitzroy, Hon. Emily, 330 n. See
Bagot
Fitzroy, Georgina, 163n.
Fitzroy, Hon. Henry, 163 n.,
276 n., 290 n.
Fitzroy, Admiral Lord William,
335
Fitzwilliam, Charles, 5th Earl,
202 n.
Fitzwilliam, 5th, 7th, and 8th
Viscounts, 194
Flahault, August Charles Joseph,
Comte de, marriage, 149 n., 202
Flahault, General, 202 n.
Fleming, Elphinstone, 140
Flint, election, 115-117
Foley, Edward, 209
Foley, Lord, 210
Folkestone, Lord, 46 n. See
Radnor
Fondi, 267
Fontenay, Comtesse de, 70 n.
Font-hill, sale, 301
Forbes, Lady Elizabeth, 248
Forbes, James, 16th Lord, 313 n.
Forbes, Admiral Hon. John,
213 n.
Forbes, N Katherine, 213 n.
Forester, Cecil, 1st Baron, 134,
278 n., 367 n. ; death, 368
Forester, Hon. Isabella, at the
Children's Ball, 367
Forester, Katharine, Lady, 152 ;
death of her husband, 368
Fortescue, Catherine, marriage,
246
Fortescue, Elizabeth, Lady, 203 n.
Fortescue, Hon. George, 10, 12,
50. 228, 277 n.
Fortescue, Hester, 11, 50 n.
Fortescue, Hugh, 1st Earl, 11,
50 n., 317 n.
Fortescue, Hugh, 2nd Earl, 203 n.
Fortescue, John, 12
Fortescue, Louisa, 50 n.
Fortescue, Lady Mary, 210
Fortescue, Susan, Lady, 203 n.
Fox, Rt. Hon. Charles James,
8 ; Foreign Secretary, 10, 95 ;
death, 10, 95, 103, 144, 220;
career, 69 n. ; marriage, 70 n. ;
funeral, 114
Fox, Mrs., 70; pension, 114
Fox, Sackville Lane, 302 n.
France, war with England, 28,
95; Treaty with England,
67 ; with Russia, 101 ; with
Spain, 128
Francis, Sir Philip, 324 n.
Franciscans, in Palestine, 157
Frederick II, King of Prussia,
101 n.
Frederick August I, King of
Saxony, 78 ; library, 79
Frederick William II, King of
Prussia, 94, 101 n. ; treatment
by Napoleon, 96 ; cowardice, 97
Fremantle, Louisa, Lady, 31 7 n.,
318 n.
Fremantle, Selina, Lady, 201
Fremantle, Admiral Sir Thomas,
318 n.
Fremantle, Sir Thomas, 31 7 n.,
31 8 n. See Cottesloe
Fremantle, Rt. Hon. Sir William,
201 n.
French army, land at Killala,
30, 36 ; number of, on the
Rhine, 96 ; defeated at Madrid,
129 ; cross the Tagus, 130 ;
advance on Prentillo, 132
French fleet, in Bantry Bay, 29
Frogmore, gala at, 24
Gainsborough, Thomas, picture
by, 283 n.
Gairn, David, 317 n.
Gaja, General the Chevalier Victor
de Marian, 217 n.
Galilee, 157 ; Sea of, 167
Galloway, Alexander, 6th Earl of,
177n.
Galway, William, 2nd Viscount,
280 n.
Gambier, John, 324 n.
Garbett, Anne, 220 n. See
Romilly
INDEX
397
Garbett, Francis, 220 n.
Gascoyne, B., 166n.
Gascoyne, Francis, 166n.
Gaskell, James Milnes, 256 n.
Gaskell, Mary, 272 n.
Geale, Elizabeth, marriage, 203 n.
See Fortescue
Geale, Piers, 203 n.
Genlis, Mdme. de, 33 n.
George III, King, 143 n., 195 n.,
228 n., 370 n.; gala at Frog-
more, 24 ; holds a Drawing-
room, 46 ; reviews the Kentish
Volunteers, 64, 55 ; at Billing-
bear, 54 ; proposed visit to
Stowe, 56 ; illness, 65, 107,
193 ; treatment of Lord Ches-
terfield, 108 ; picture with the
Prince of Wales, 108 ; death,
198 ; discovery of his jewels,
233
George IV, King, ,24 n. ; acces-
sion, 198, 236 n. ; value of
his jewels, 238 ; Levee, 239 ;
preparations for his Coronation,
239-241, 245 ; intention to
visit Ireland, 264 ; Coronation,
264, 275 ; banquet at Windsor,
300 ; postpones the Drawing-
room, 312 ; appearance, 315 ;
sitting Levee, 352 ; death, 355,
374; Children's Ball, 366;
illness, 373 ; racing stud, 376
George IV, Memories of the Court
of, extract from, 275
Ghent, retaken, 170
Gibraltar, 140
Gladstone, Catherine, 11, 361 n.
Gladstone, Kt. Hon. W. E.,
11, 361 n.
Glamorgan, Lady Georgina, 367 n.
Glamorgan, Lord, at the Children's
Ball, 367. See Beaufort
Glastonbury, James, Baron, 1 70 n. ,
203, 205, 241 ; illness, 281
Glenbervie, Catherine, Lady, 252
Glenbervie, Lord, 252 n.
Glenlyon, James, Lord, 197 n.
Gloucester House, reception, 208
Gloucester, William Frederick,
2nd Duke of, marriage, 195
Gloucester, William Henry, 1st
Duke of, 104
Glynne, Catherine, 11, 361. See
Gladstone
Glynne, Mary, Hon. Lady, 11,
272 n., 306, 361 ; at Wynnstay,
230; distress at the thought
of leaving Hawarden Castle.
369
Glynne, Sir Stephen, 8th Bart., 1 1 ;
contests election at Flint, 115-
117 ; marriage, 116, 361 n.
Glynne, Sir Stephen, 9th Bart. , 306 ;
festivities on coming of age 369
370
Goderich, Lord, 362, 365. See
Ripon
Godolphin, Francis, Baron, 50 n.
Golden Grove, 152
Gony, fight at, 34
Gordon, Alexander, 4th Duke of
45 n., 235 n., 282 n.
Gordon, Caroline, Lady, 190, 216,
333, 362 n.
Gordon, Jane, Duchess of, 45, 235
Gordon, Sir William, killed at
the battle of Waterloo, 192
Gordon, Sir William Duff, 190 n. f
362 n.
Gore, Mrs. Ormsby, 233
Gore, William, 133 n.
Gore-Langton, Lady Anna, 262
Gore-Langton, William, 252 n.
Gorhambury, 108
Gosport, 1st Earl of, 296 n.
Gower, Lord Granville Leveson,
293 ; Private Correspondence, 8
Grafton, Augustus, 3rd Duke of,
335 n.
Graham, Lady L., marriage, 206
Graham, Lord, marriage, 273.
See Montrose
Graham, Mary, 283 n.
Graham, Sir Thomas, 283 n. ;
attack on St. Sebastian, 169.
See Lynedoch
Granard, George, 5th Earl of,
248 n.
Grant, C., Treasurer of the
Navy, resignation, 368
Grantham, Thomas, 3rd Baron,
46
Granville, George, 333. See
Sutherland
Greathead, Mary, 78 n.
Greathead, Samuel, 78 n.
Grenville, Ann Lucy, 118 n.
Grenville, Anne, Lady, 10, 23 n.,
277, 371
Grenville, Catherine, marriage, 11.
See Neville
Grenville, Elizabeth, 2, 3 ; char-
acteristics, 5 ; death, 5
Grenville, Elizabeth, marriage,
12, 39 n. See Carysfort
398
INDEX
Grenville, Rt. Hon. George, 23 n. ,
39 n., 60 n., 241 n. ; marriage,
2 ; characteristics, 3 ; death,
6; sons, 7-10; daughters, 11,
12
Grenville, Hon. George, '118n.,
152 n.
Grenville, George, 7. See 1st
Marquess of Buckingham
GrenviUe, Hon. Henry, Governor
of Barbadoes, 199n.
Grenville, Lady Hester, marriage,
3. See Pitt
Grenville, Hester, marriage, 11.
See Fortescue
Grenville, James, 241 n. See
Glastonbury
Grenville, Rt. Hon. James, 170 n.,
241 n.
Grenville, Lady Mary, 122. See
Arundel
Grenville, General Richard, 170
Grenville, Rt. Hon. Thomas, 251,
275, 323 ; birth, 4 ; career, 8 ;
mission to Berlin, 8, 42, 45 ;
President of the Board of
Control and First Lord of the
Admiralty, 8 ; social reforms,
9; library, 9, 10, 352, 358;
on the mission at Berne, 297 ;
at Hawarden Castle, 361 ; sep-
tuagenarian, 369
Grenville, William Wyndham,
Lord, 23 n., 249, 268 ; career,
9 ; Home Secretary, 9 ; Auditor
of the Exchequer, 9 ; created
Lord Grenville, 9 ; Ministry of
All the Talents, 10, 95, 103;
death, 10 ; Leader in the House
of Lords, 41 ; on the American
Embargo, 138 ; sale of Camel-
ford House, 304 ; recovery,
307, 368 ; illness, 365, 371 ;
septuagenarian, 369 ; fall, 372
GrenviUe Papers, 3, 4, 5
Gretton, Mr., 23
Greville, Algernon, marriage, 293
Greville, Charles, at Madeley
Manor, 324
Greville, Charlotte, 293
Greville, Lady Charlotte, at
Madeley Manor, 324
Greville, Frances, 256 n.
Greville, Fulke, 256 n., 324 n.
Greville, William Fulke, 265 n.
Grey, Amabel, Countess de, 46 n.
Grey, Charles. 1st Earl, 104 n.,
147 n.
Grey, Charles, 2nd Earl, 249;
Prime Minister, 374
Griffiths, Mr., his son seized by
Neapolitan banditti, 267
Grimston, Hon. Charlotte, 76 n.,
258
Grimston, Hon. Harriet, 76, 258
Grimston, Sophia, 75
Grimston, William, 75 n.
Grivel, 84
Grosvenor, Hugh Lupus, chris-
tened, 330. See Westminster
Grosvenor, Lady, 276
Grosvenor, Robert, 2nd Earl, 258.
See Westminster
Grosvenor, Lord Robert, at
Wynnstay, 230. See Ebury
Grosvenor, Thomas, 276 n. See
Wilton
Gubbins, General Joseph, 331 n.
Guildford, Frederick, 2nd Earl of,
250 n., 262 n.
Gummow, the housekeeper, 174,
178
Gustavus IV, King of Sweden,
83 ; hostility to Bonaparte,
83, 87
Gwydyr, Peter, 1st Lord, 138 n.,
215 n., 239 n., 250, 309 n.,
339 n.; death, 344 n., 363 n.
Gwydyr, Priscilla, Lady, 239 n.,
313
Halford, Sir Charles, 300 n.
Halford, Sir Henry Vaughan,
316; at Windsor, 300 ; report
of Lady Williams Wynn, 380
Halford, Sarah, Lady, 300 n.
Hamel, Frank, Life of Lady
Hester Stanhope, v
Hamilton, Alexander, 9th Duke
of, 175 n., 177 n.
Hamilton, Alexander, 10th Duke
of, 303 n.
Hamilton, Lady Anne, letter to
Young, 172, 174, 175-177;
criticism on, 178 n.
Hamilton, Lord Archibald, 248
Hamilton, Douglas, 8th Duke of,
303 n.
Hamilton, Edward, 9th Duke of,
248 n., 303 n.
Hamilton, Elizabeth, Duchess of,
303 n.
Hamilton, Harriet, Duchess of,
177n.
Hamilton, James, 5th Duke of,
303 n.
INDEX
Hamilton, James, 6th Duke of
53 n., 303 n.
Hamilton, James George, 7th
Duke of, 303 n.
Hamilton, Susan, Duchess of
303 n.
Hammond, Leonard, 72 n.
Hammond, Ursula, 72 n.
Hanover, evacuation of, 91
Harcourt, Edward Vernon, Arch-
bishop of York, 203
Hardwick, 3rd Earl of, 329 n.
Harewood, Edwin, 1st Earl of,
47 n.
Harlech, John Ralph, 1st Baron,
133 n.'
Harley, Edward, 70 n., 182 n.
See Oxford
Harmer, Sir M., 271 n.
Banner, Margaret, 271
Harmer, Peregrine, 271 n.
Harrington, Charles, 3rd Lord,
208 n., 210 n.
Harrow, 16, 22
Harrowby, Dudley, 1st Earl of,
50 n., 203 n., 228; appointed
Foreign Secretary, 82
Harrowby, Dudley, 2nd Earl of,
310 n.
Harrowby, Susan, Lady, 228 n.
Harvey, Caroline, 316 n. See
Buckingham
Harvey, Sir Eliab, 305 n.
Harvey, Robert, 31 6 n.
Hastings, 275, 278
Hastings, Francis, Marquess of,
109 n.
Hastings, Jacob, 8th Lord,
227 n.
Hawarden Castle, 227, 291, 361,
369; Children's Ball at, 271
Hawarden, Cornwallis, 1st Vis-
count, 335 n.
Hawkesbury, Lord, signs the
Preliminaries of Peace, 67
Hay, Lady Sarah, 305
Hayman, Mrs. A., 327
Haynes, "Charlotte, 237 n.
Haynes, \3amuel, 237 n.
Hayward, Abraham, The Lady of
Quality, v, vi, 14
Heathcote, Sir Gilbert, 227 ; duel,
309 ; marriage, 363. See
Cleveland
Heber, Emilia, robbed, 364
Heber, Rev. Reginald, 341 n.,
364 n.
Heber, Richard, 341, 343
Heley-Hutchinson, Rt. Hon. John
247 n.
Henley, Morton, 1st Baron at
Dresden, 83
Herbert, Algernon, marriage, 372
Herbert, Lord Edward, 218 n.
Herbert, Lady Elizabeth, 299 n.
Hereford, Frances, Lady 345
362
Hereford, George, 13th Earl of
139 n.
Hereford, Henry, 14th Viscount
345, 362 n.
Hereford, Marianne, Lady, 139
Hertford, Francis, 3rd Marquess
of, 46 n., 308, 347, 356
Hertford, Isabella, Marchioness
of, 244, 265 n.
Hertford House, 321
Hervey, Felton Elwell, marriage
200
Hervey, Louisa Catherine, 200 n.
See Leeds
Hervey, Lady Louisa, 273. See
Liverpool
Hesse-Homburg, H.S.H. Fred-
erick, Landgrave of, 24 n.,
143 n., 216 n.
Hill, Lord A., 265
Hill, Rowland, 1st Viscount, 375
Hill, Hon. William, British Minis-
ter at Turin, 296. See Berwick
Hillesden, 323
Hipperley-Cox, Frances, 311 n.
Hipperley-Cox, John, 31 In.
Hobhouse, Sir John, 237. See
Broughton
Hobhouse, Lady Julia, 237 n.
Holland, Henry, 1st Lord, 69 n.
Holland, Henry Richard, 3rd
Baron, 115
Holland, Lord, at Cadiz, 145, 147
Holland, Lady, 70 ; at Cadiz, 145
Holy Sepulchre, Church of the,
in Jerusalem, 158
Honolulu, Queen of, 240 n.
Hood, Henry, 2nd Viscount,
135 n.
Hood, Lady, 214
Hood, Samuel, 1st Viscount,
50 n.
Hood, Sir Samuel, 135, 214 n.;
accident to, 143
Hopetown, John, 2nd Earl of,
HOn.
Hoppner, John, portraits, 45
Horn, Admiral, in command of
the French fleet, 29
400
INDEX
Horsey, Adelaide Horsey de,
309 n.
Horsey, Spencer Horsey de, 264 n.,
309 n.
Howard, Mrs. Greville, gifts of
money, 229
Howard, Lady Henry, 373 n.
Howard, Lord Henry, 346 n., 373
Howard, Hon. Hugh, 215 n.
Howard, Isabella, 215 n.
Howard, Richard Bagot, death,
224; will, 225
Howard, William, 113n. See
Andover
Howe, Lady Louisa, 193n. See
Sligo
Howe, Richard, 1st Earl, 193n.,
343, 367 n.
Howick, Charles, Lord, Foreign
Secretary, 95 ; First Lord of
the Admiralty, 104. See Grey
Hughes, Miss, 272
Hughes, Mrs., 232
Hunloke, Anne, Lady, 261
Hunloke, Sir Thomas, 261 n.
Hunt, Henry, 237
Hunter, Mrs. Orby, masquerade,
48
Huntly, Charles, 10th Marquess of,
332 n.
Huntly, Elizabeth, Lady, 332 n.
Huntly, George, 9th Marquess of,
331 n.
Huntly, Maria Antoinetta, 332 n.
Huskisson, Rt. Hon. William,
258 ; President of the Board of
Trade, 300 ; Colonial Secretary,
resignation, 368
Hussey, Dr. Thomas, titular
Bishop of Cork, 63 ; at Paris,
63
Hutchinson, John, Baron, 247
Ilchester, Henry Thomas, 2nd
Earl of, 357 n.
Ilchester, Stephen, 1st Earl of,
20 n.
Imley Park, 49 n.
Inge, Miss, 346
Ingestre, Viscount, 361 n.
Inglis, Sir Robert, M.P. for
Oxford, 371 n.
Inverary, 126
Irby , Anne Maria Louisa, marriage,
207
Ireland, parties and feuds, 28 ;
dislike of English rule, 29, 30 ;
Rebellion, 29; fighting in,
30-35 ; character of the Militia,
38 ; condition, 351
Irvine, Colonel G. D'Arcy, 218n.
Irvine, Sophia, 218n.
Irving, Washington, Sketch Book,
257, 265, 302
Isted, Mr. 264
Jaffa, 156
Jenkinson, Hon. C., 332
Jenkinson, Julie, 332 n.
Jericho, 160
Jerome, Madame, marriage, 327
Jersey, George, 4th Earl of,
145 n., 217 n., 312 n.
Jerusalem, Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, 158
Johnson, Colonel W., 307 n., 309
Johnson, Dr., 343 n.
Johnson, Godschale, 337 n.
Jones, Harriet, Lady, 219, 242
Jones, Harriet, marriage, 209 n.
See Mytton
Jones, Colonel James, 36 n.
Jones, Jemima, 36 n.
Jones, Sir Tyrwhitt, 209 n., 219 n.
Jones, leaves Dresden, 99
Jordan, the, 157
Josephine, Empress, 338
Keats, Henrietta, 256 n. See
Crewe
Keats, John Hungerford, 256 n.
Keith, George, 1st Viscount, 149,
202 n.
Keith, Margaret, Baroness, 149 n.,
202 n.
Kemmis, Colonel, in command of
British troops at Elvas, 132
Kenyon, Lord, 51 n.
Kenyon, George, 2nd Baron, 271
Keppel, Lady Anne, 239 n.
Keppel, Sir William, 238
Kerr, Lady Charlotte, 321 n.
Kew, Botanic Garden at, 52
Kilcullen, 30
Kildare, 30
Killala, French land at, 30, 36
Kihnorey, Frances, Lady, death,
222
Kihnorey, Francis, 12th Viscount,
34 n., 232
Kilmorey, Robert, 1 1th Viscount ;
death of, 223
Kilpatrick, Miss, 340
King, Hester, Lady, 317
King, Peter, 7th Lord, 317, 365
Kinloch, Sir David, 277 n.
INDEX
401
Kinloss, Barony of, 31 6 n.
Kinloss, Lady, vi
Kinnaird, Lord, 210
Kinnoull, Thomas, 10th Earl of,
305 n.
Kirkwall, John, Viscount, offer
of a Volunteer Corps, 35, 36
Konigsberg, 105
Konigsmarck, Count, 2 n.
Kynaston, Sir Edward, 134, 225 n.
Kynaston, Sir John, 225
Kynaston, Mary, Lady, 225
Lake, General Gerard, 1st Vis-
count, expedition to disarm
Ulster, 29 ; treatment of the
Irish, 35 n. ; expedition against
Wicklow, 35, 39
La Lippe, Port, 132
Lamb, Lady Caroline, treatment
of her page, 183
Lamb, Hon. William, 183n.,
222, 368. See Melbourne
Lambart, Charles, 361 n.
Lamport estate, 323
Lancy, Stephen de, 307 n.
Langham, Sir James, 271 n.
Langham, Margaret, Lady, 271 n.
Langston, James Haughton, mar-
riage, 308, 346 n.
Langston, Hon. Julia, 308 n.,
346 n.
Lansdowne, Henry, 3rd Marquess,
357
Lansdowne, Louisa, Lady, 357 n.
Lascelles, Edwin, 1st Baron, 47.
See Harewood
Lascelles, Mary Anne, 47
Lauderdale, Eleanor, Lady, 250
Lauderdale, James, 3rd Earl, 250
Lavington, Lady, 275
Lawley, Beilby, 201 n. ; claim
to the title of Wenlock, 255.
See Wenlock
Lawley, Caroline, 227, 229
Lawley, Sir Robert, 304 n.
Leche, John, 34 n.
Leche, Penelope, 34 n.
Leeds, Charlotte, Duchess of, 1 96
Leeds, Francis, 5th Duke of,
50 n.
Leeds, Francis, 7th Duke of, 200 n.
Leeds, George, 6th Duke of,
196n., 302 n.
Leeds, Louisa Catherine, Duchess
of, 200 n.
Legge, Admiral Sir Arthur Kaye,
at Buxton, 167
Legge, Lady Louisa, 330. See
Bagot
tiehaunstown Camp, 40
Leicester, Oswald, at Wynnstay,
230
Leicester, Thomas, Earl of, 239 n.
Leigh, Mrs., 272
Leighton, Sir Baldwyn, 230 n.
Leighton, Mrs. Stanley, v
Leinster, Augustus Frederick, 3rd
Duke of, marriage, 208, 210
Leinster, Charlotte, Duchess of,
208, 210
Leinster, James, 1st Duke of,
33 n., 217 n.
Le Marchant, Colonel, 148
Lemon, Miss, marriage, 311
Lemon, Sir William, 31 In.
Lennox, Lord George Henry,
148 n., 271 n.
Lennox, Lady Georgina, 148 n.
Leopold, King of the Belgians,
253 n. See Saxe-Coburg
Lero, 156
Letter-writing, the art of, 65
Leveson, Lady Elizabeth, mar-
riage, 209
Leveson, Lord Francis, at Madeley
Manor, 324. See Ellesmere
Leveson, Harriet, Lady, at Made-
ley Manor, 324
Lewis, Harriet, Lady, 362 n.
Lewis, Mrs., 333
Lewis, Bt. Hon. Sir Thomas
Frankland, 229, 337 ; sobri-
quet for, 245 ; Under-Secretary
of State, 362
Lieven, Count de, 340 n.
Lieven, Madame, 340
Lincoln, Frances, Lady, 46
Lincoln, Lord, 46 n.
Lindsay, Lady Charlotte, evidence
at the trial of Queen Caroline,
250, 251
Lindsay, Lieut.-Colonel Hon. John
250 n.
Liverpool, Charles, 1st Earl of,
332 n.
Liverpool, Robert, 2nd Earl of,
204, 243, 273 ; character of his
Government, 275; unpopularity,
276 ; opposes the Catholic
Emancipation Bill, 354 ; stroke
of paralysis, 354, 357
Liverpool, George, 3rd Earl of,
332 n.
Liverpool, Louisa, Lady, death,
273
402
INDEX
Llangedwyn, 178, 267, 326
Llangollen, 218, 226, 329, 362
Llanvorda, 219, 264, 266
Llewenny Hall, 18n., 36 n.
Lloyd, Angharad, History of
Anglesey, 256 ; presented to
the Duke of Sussex, 370
Lloyd, Anna, 283 n.
Lloyd, Edward, 283 n.
Lloyd, Rev. John, 256 n.
Lloyd, Louisa, 305 n.
Lloyd, William, 134, 305 n.
Lock, Mrs., 328
Lockhart, Mr., 341
Londonderry, Amelia Ann, Lady,
61 n. ; death of her husband,
292
Londonderry, Catherine, Lady, 321
Londonderry, Charles, 3rd Mar-
quess of, 186n., 321
Londonderry, Frances Anne, Lady,
321 n.
Londonderry, Richard, 2nd Mar-
quess of, 111 n.
Londonderry, Robert, 1st Mar-
quess of, 186n. ; commits
suicide, 291
Londonderry House, 321
Long, Sir James Tilney, 329 n.
Loudoun, Flora, Countess of,
109 n.
Loughborough, Lord, Lord Chan-
cellor, resignation, 63. See
Rosslyn
Louis XVI, King of France,
picture of, 71
Louis XVIII, King of France,
at Stowe, 118-122
Louise, Queen of Prussia, 91
Lowe, Sir Hudson, 307 n.
Lowe, Lady, 307
Lucy, George, 230 n., 301
Lutwyche, Mrs., 88
Lyggins, William, 173
Lyndhurst, John, 1st Lord, 366 n.
Lyndhurst, Sarah Garey, Lady,
366
Lynedoch, Thomas, 1st Lord,
169 n., 283
Lyons, 170
Lyttelton, Appia, Lady, at Stowe,
317
Lyttelton, Mr., 203
Lyttelton, Thomas, 2nd Lord, 5,
31 7 n.
Macdonald, Anne, 342 n.
Macdonald, Lady Catherine, 342 a.
Macdonald, Elizabeth, 342 n.
Macdonald, Reginald George, 25th
Chief of Clanranald, marriage,
342
Mackenzie, Stewart, 302
Mackintosh, Sir James, Vindicia
Qattica, 69 ; at Paris, 69 ;
conversation with Tallien, 71
Macleod, Lord, 313 n.
Madeley Manor, 324
Madocks, William, Vice-Chamber-
lain to Queen Caroline, 266
Madrid, 162, 189; defeat of
the French at, 129
Mahon, Catherine Lucy, Lady,
at Malta, 161. See Stanhope
Mahon, Philip Henry, Lord, 161 n.
See Stanhope
Maidstone Riot, 61
Mainwaring, Sir Henry, 262,
292
Mainwaring, Sophia, Lady, 223 n.,
262, 292 n.
Majorca, 15, 165
Malmo, 118
Malta, 161
Manchester, Susan, Duchess of,
235 n., 262 n.
Manchester, William, 5th Duke of,
235 n., 262; illness, 265
Manners, Lord C., 361
Manners-Sutton, Most Rev.
Charles, Archbishop of Can-
terbury, 205
Manners-Sutton, Charles, 1st Vis-
count, candidate for the Speaker-
ship, 198, 203 ; elected Speaker,
205. See Canterbury
Mansfield, General the Hon.
Henry, at Paris, 69
Manvers, Charles, 1st Earl, 49 n.
Marlborough, Duchess of, 2
Marlborough, Duke of, 209, 274 n.
Marseilles, 182
Mary, Princess, marriage, 195,
228. See Gloucester
Maryborough, William, Lord, 213,
329 n. See Mornington
Mattocks, Mrs., 24
Maurus, John, 100 n.
Maurus, Mary Caroline, 100 n.
Maxwell, Jane, 45 n., 235 n.
See Gordon
Maxwell, Sir William, 46 n.,
235 n.
Meath, Harriet, Lady, 305 n.
Meath, William, llth Earl of,
305 u.
INDEX
403
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Grand Duke
of, 91 n.
Melbourne, Elizabeth, Lady, death,
217 n.
Melbourne, Peniston, 1st Viscount,
132 n. ; report of his marriage,
217
Melbourne, William, 2nd Vis-
count, 183 n., 222 n.
Mellon, Harriet, 331 n., 363 n.
Mellon, Matthew, 331 n.
Melville, Elizabeth, Lady, HOn.
Melville, Henry, 1st Viscount,
Treasurer of the Navy, charges
against, 107 ; resignation, 107 ;
Report of the Commission, 110
Melville, Jane, Lady, 1 10 n.
Melville, John Whyte, 227 n.
Melville, Robert, 2nd Viscount,
247
Mercer, Jane, 149 n.
Mercer, Hon. Margaret, marriage,
149, 202
Mercer, William, 149 n.
Merida, 130
Merrion Square Watch, or the
Fogies, 35
Middleton, Henry, 6th Baron,
purchases Camelford House,
304
Middleton, Jane, Lady, 304 n.
Milbanke, Sir Ralph, 217 n.
Milner, Diana, Lady, 49
Milner, Sir William, 49 n.
Milton, Charles, Lord, 202. See
Fitzwilliam
Ministers, change of, 273, 275
" Ministry of All the Talents,"
10, 95, 96
Minto, Gilbert, 1st Earl of,
327 n.
Minto, Lady, 327
Moira, Francis, Lord, 109. See
Hastings
Moira, Lady, 109
Molesworth, Frances, 194 n. See
Camden
Molesworth, William, 194 n.
Molyneux, Miss Howard, appear-
ance, 373
Molyneux, Lady Louisa, 210
Monaco, Princesse de, 131 n.
Moncrieff, Georgina, 231 n.
Moncrieff, Sir Thomas, 231 n.
Montague, Lord, drowned, 307 n.
Montague, Mrs., 6
Montgomery, Alice, 31 6 n. See
Buckingham
Montgomery, Sir Graham, 316 n.
Montgomeryshire, election, 47 ;
Yeomanry Cavalry, 35, 113
Montrose, Caroline, Duchess of,
373 n.
Montrose, James, 3rd Duke of,
200 n., 209 n., 219 n.
Montrose, James, 4th Duke of,
373 n.
Moore, Daniel, 234 n.
Moore, Frances, 234 n. See
Erskine
Moore, John, 129 n.
Moore, Sir John, Commander-in-
Chief of the British troops in
Spain, 129 ; dispatches from
Salamanca, 129; death, 143,
150.
Moreton, Charlotte, 346. See
FitzHardinge
Moreton, Hon. Julia, marriage,
308. See Langston
Moreton, Hon. Mary, marriage,
280. See Denbigh
Morgan, Sir Charles, 228 n.
Morgan, Charlotte, marriage, 228
Morgan, Major, 316 n.
Morgan, Lady Mary, 316 n.
Morier, Mr. and Mrs., at Madeley
Manor, 325
Mornington, Garret, 1st Earl of,
147 n., 192n., 320 n.
Mornington, William, 3rd Earl of,
213 n., 329 n.
Mornington, William Pole, 4th
Earl of, 238 n., 329 n.
Morpeth, Lord, 143. See Carlisle
Morton, Frances, marriage, 206,
346 n. See Dartmouth
Mount-Charles, Lord Francis,
367 n.
Mount-Edgcumbe, Earl of, 342 n.
Munich, 323
Murray, Lady Emily, 197
Murray, Sir George, Colonial
Secretary, 360
Murray, Lord James, 197 n. See
Glenlyon
Murray, John, The Representative,
341
Mytton, Harriet, 209 n., 219 n.;
illness, 242
Mytton, Jack, marriage, 209
Naas, 30, 32, 40
Nantwich Bank, failure, 334
Napier, William, 345 n.
404
INDEX
Napoleon, Emperor, aggressions,
42 ; unpopularity, 69 ; attends
Mass, 70 ; policy to subjugate
the Continent, 77 ; declared
Emperor, 82 n. ; applies for
an armistice, 92 : treatment
of the King of Prussia, 96,
97 ; abdication, 164 ; retires
to Elba, 164; escape, 165;
defeated, 170 ; unfinished
works in Paris, 181
Narischin, Madame, at Dresden,
102, 104
Naval uniform, alterations hi the,
376
Nazareth, 156
Neapolitan banditti, demand
ransoms, 267
Needham, General, 34 ; com-
plaints against, 35. See Kil-
morey
Nelson, William, 1st Earl, 135 n. ;
at the Battle of the Nile, 40 ;
killed at the Battle of Trafalgar,
92
Neville, Caroline, marriage, 11.
See Thompson
Neville, Caroline, marriage, 201.
See Wenlock
Neville, Catherine, 11
Neville, Hon. Catherine, 132
Neville, Lady Charlotte, 278, 328,
370 n. ; illness, 336
Neville, George, 11. See Bray-
brooke
Neville, Hon. George, 336 n.,
370 ; at Chatsworth, 364. See
Grenville
Neville-Grenville, Rev. and Hon.
George, 278 n.
Neville, Henry, 11, 54
Neville, Lady Jane, 236 n.
Neville, Mary, marriage, 11, 116.
See Glynne
Neville, Hon. Richard, 11, 235;
at Eton, 11, 18, 22, 25, 57;
present of books, 23 ; on the
charge of letters, 59; attack of
colic, 61. See Braybrooke
Neville, Richard Aldwater, 23 n.
Newcastle, Dowager-Duchess of,
326
Newcastle, Henry, 2nd Duke of,
46 n.
Newerke, island of, 42
Newman, Elizabeth, 342 n. See
Macdonald
Newport, Lord and Lady, 231
Nicholas I, Czar of Russia,
340 n.
Nicholson, Mrs., housekeeper at
Stowe, 318
Nicols, Sir J., 203
Nile, Battle of the, 40
Norfolk, Bernard Edward, 12th
Duke of, 373 n.
Normanton, Lady, illness, 201
North, Lord, 260,252. See Guild-
ford
Northumberland, Charlotte,
Duchess of, 200, 226, 245;
voyage to Alnwick, 322 ; death
of her mother, 374
Northumberland, Hugh, 2nd Duke
of, 197 n., 215
Northumberland, Hugh, 3rd Duke
of, 216n. ; marriage, 200;
treatment of his tenants, 266 ;
voyage to Alnwick, 322
Northumberland, Joceline, llth
Earl of, 2 n.
Northumberland House, assem-
blies, 313 ; the Gallery, 314
Nugent, Ann, Lady, 376 n.
Nugent, Earl, 7, 23 n.
Nugent, George, 2nd Baron, 8,
118 n., 131, 152 n., 376, 379;
political views, 254
Nugent, General Sir George, at
Stowe, 317
Nugent, Maria, Lady, at Stowe,
317
Nugent, Walter, 342 n.
O'Connor, Arthur, trial at Maid-
stone, 51
Ogle, Henry, Earl of, 2 n.
Ogle, Mr., in the Irish Rebellion,
41
Olavi Rudbeckii Atlantica, 352
Olmutz, 92
Orchard Wyndham, 2
Orford, Horatio, 2nd Earl of,
87 n.
Orkney, Mary, Countess of, 18,
36 n.
Orleans, Louise Therese d', 84 n.
Ormonde, Walter, 16th Earl of,
218 n., 263
Ormsby, Mary Jane, 133, 134
Ormsby, Owen, 133 n.
Osborne, Lady Catherine, mar-
riage, 227
Osborne, Lady Charlotte, 302
Osborne, Elizabeth, 39 n.
INDEX
405
Osborne, Lord Francis, 60. See
Godolphin
Osborne, Rt. Hon. Sir William,
39 n.
Owen, Caroline Smyth, 224 n.
See Cholmondeley
Owen, Nicholas Smyth, 224 n.
Oxford, Edward, 6th Earl of
70 n., 182 n. ; action against
the Duke of Cambridge, 143
Oxford, Jane, Lady, 70, 182
Oxford election, 371 n. ; Uni-
versity, 57
Paget, Arthur, 98
Paget, Hon. Berkeley, 75 n., 234
Paget, Henry William, Lord, 145
Paget, Lady Jane, 238 n., 276 ;
marriage, 311
Paget, Sophia, 234
Pains and Penalties, Bill of, 248
Palestine, 157
Palk, Elizabeth Malet, marriage,
208. See Seymour
Palk, Sir Lawrence, 208 n,
Palmerston, Henry, 3rd Viscount,
132; Minister for War, 354;
support of the Catholic Emanci-
pation Bill, 364 ; resignation,
368
Paris, 69, 181 ; Louvre Gallery,
73 ; disuse of the national
cockade, 74 ; revolution in,
374
Parker, Mary, at Wynnstay, 230
Parker, Master, recitations, 63
Parker, Mrs., 226
Parker, T. N., 226 n., 230 n.
Parliament, dissolved, 67, 67,
116, 210 n., 236 n., 347 n., 374 ;
prorogued, 67, 220, 276, 359;
charges of corrupt practices,
146; adjourned, 248 n., 351;
the new, meeting, 351
Parry, Isabella, Lady, 326 n.
Parry, Sir William, 326
Parry-Okeden, David Okeden,
227
Parry-Price, Richard, 242 n.
Paterson, Miss, 105 n., 298 n.
Paterson, Robert, 320 n., 329 n.
Paterson, Colonel Thomas, 329 n.
Paton, Marianne, 320 n. See
Wellesley
Paton, Richard, 320 n.
Paul I, Czar of Russia, 66 ;
assassinated, 65 n.
Paulett, Ann Lucy, 118 n., 254 n.
Paulett, Hon. Vere, 118 n., 254 n.,
376 n.
Peach, Joseph, 317 n.
Peel, Sir Robert, 9, 243 ; Home
Secretary, 259 ; Catholic Eman-
cipation Bill, 371 n. ; M.P. for
Westbury, 371 n.
Peel, William, 243
Peers, the new, 274
Pegas, Rev. P. W., 332 n.
Pembroke, Catherine, Lady,
191 n.
Pembroke, George, llth Earl of,
191 n., 194, 299 n.
Pembroke, Henry, 9th Earl of,
194n.
Pembroke, Mary, Lady, 194 n.
Penbedw, 223, 292
Peninsular War, 128
Pennant, David, 309, 363 n.
Peploe, Mr., 361
Perceval, Jane, second marriage,
183
Perceval, Spencer, Chancellor of
the Exchequer, 143 ; First
Lord of the Treasury, 183 n. ;
assassinated, 183 n., 220
Percy, Lady Elizabeth, 216
Percy, Lady Elizabeth, marriages,
2. See Somerset
Perth, Lady, 202
Perth, 1st Lord, 260 u.
Philippe Egalite, 33 n.
Phillimore, Joseph, 347
Phillimore, Mrs., 229
Pierrepont, Philip, 49, 52, 83
Pigot, Mr., 23
Pigott, Harriet, 134
Pigott, Miss, at Stowe, 318
Pintz, Madame, 78
Piozzi, Mrs., 149 n.
Pitt, Hon. Anne, 23 n. ; marriage,
10. See Grenville
Pitt, Lady Hester, 3, 199n.
Pitt, John, 324 n., 337 n.
Pitt, Margaret, 324 n.
Pitt, Rt. Hon. William, 3, 111 ;
on the birth of Thomas Gren-
ville, 4. See Chatham
Pitt, Rt. Hon. William, Irish
legislation, 28 ; resignation, 57,
63 ; Catholic Bill, 63 ; illness,
94; death, 94 n., 107, 114,
220
Pitt, William Moreton, 324
Piua VII, Pope, 100 n.
Pizarro, 52
Plunkett, William C., 213
406
INDEX
Plunkett, Mr., on the Catholic
Emancipation Bill, 269 n.
Plymouth, Henry, 7th Earl of,
322 n.
Plymouth, Mary, Lady, 213 n.,
334
Plymouth, Other Archer, 6th
Earl of, 213 n., 314 n., 322 n.,
334 n.
Plymouth, Other Hickman, 5th
Earl of, 213 n., 314 n., 322 n.
Plymouth, Sarah, Lady, 213 n.
Pole, William Wellesley, 228 n.
See Mornington
Ponsonby, Chambre Brabazon,
218n.
Ponsonby, Elizabeth, 104 n.
Ponsonby, Lord, 104 n., 249 n.
Ponsonby, Mary, 249 n.
Ponsonby, Sarah, 218, 226, 329,
362
Pool Park, 175, 330
Porchester, Elizabeth, Lady, 1 9 n. ,
373 n. See Carnarvon
Porchester, Lord, marriage, 19n.,
373 ; " ring-fence match," 346.
See Carnarvon
Porkington, 133, 233 ; theatricals
at, 134
Portland, Anne, Duchess of, 109 n.
Portland, Dorothy, Duchess of,
109 n.
Portland, William Henry, 3rd
Duke of, 293 n., 296 n., 324 n. ;
President of the Council, 109 ;
Prime Minister, 142 ; illness,
148
Portland, William Henry, 4th
Duke of, death of his son,
307
Portsmouth, 149
Portsmouth, John, 1st Earl of,
246 n.
Portsmouth, Newton, 4th Earl of,
246 n.
Portugal, partition of, 128
Portuguese troops, training, 132
Power, Edmund, 205 n.
Power, Ellen, 205 n.
Powis, Barbara, Lady, 114, 218 n.
Powis, Edward, 2nd Earl of,
218 n., 373 n.; marriage, 200
Powis, Edward, 3rd Earl of,
219n.
Powis, George, 2nd Earl of,
373 n.
Powis, Henrietta Antonia, Lady,
245; death, 373
Powis, Henry, 1st Earl of, 200 n.,
218 n., 219 n., 314 n., 373 n.
Powis Castle, 114
Poyntz, Isabella, marriage, 202 n.,
293 n., 307. See Exeter
Poyntz, William Stephen, 202 n.
Pratt, Lady F., 132
Prenillo, 132
Presburg, Treaty of, 95 n.
Pro by, Lady Elizabeth, 214n.
Proby, Hon. Granville, marriage,
215. See Carysfort
Proby, John, Lord, 38, 135. See
Carysfort
Proserpine, the frigate, wrecked,
42
Prussia, August Ferdinand of,
101 n., 106 n.
Prussia, Frederica, Princess Royal
of, 49 n.
Prussia, Louis Frederick Chris-
tian, Prince, 101 ; death, 103
Prussia, ports closed to the British
Flag, 97 ; spirit of discontent,
98
Puleston, Anne, 242 n.
Puleston, Lady, 242
Puleston, Sir Richard, 242 n.
Puleston, Thomas, 34, 242 n.
Purves, John Hume, 205 n.
Quarterly Review, 257
Racine, Jean, Bajazet, 74
Radizivil, Antoine Henri, Prince,
106 n.
Radizivil, Frederique Louise,
Princess, 53, 106
Radnor, Catherine, Lady, 46 n.
Radnor, William, 3rd Earl of,
46 n.
Raglan, Fitzroy, Lord, 192 n.
Ramsay, General James, 100
Rathfaran, 30, 32
Rayleigh, Baroness, 217 n.
Reform BUI, 374, 383
Ronnie, David, 1 10 n.
Rennie, Elizabeth, llOn.
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, portraits,
7
Rhodes, Island of, 156
Richards, Sir Richard, Lord Chief
Baron, 50, 183, 234
Richards, the agent, 174, 178
Richmond, 380, 381
Richmond, Caroline, Duchess of,
315 n.
INDEX
Richmond, Charles, 3rd Duke of,
315
Richmond, Charles, 4th Duke of,
148 n., 235 n.
Richmond, Charlotte, Duchess of,
235 n.
Richmond and Lennox, Charles,
2nd Duke of, 33 n.
Riddell, Sir James, marriage, 290
Riddell, Mary, Lady, 290
Ridley, Sir Matthew White, 203
Rifle Brigade, 130 n.
Rfpon, Frederick, 1st Earl of,
; 362 n.
Ripon, Sarah, Lady, 362 n.
Rochfort, Charlotte de Rohan,
84 n.
Rocksavage, George, 1 Lord, 250
Rocksavage, Susan, Lady, 250 n.
Roden, Lord, 32
Rodney, Hon. Anne, 211 n.
Rodney, George, 2nd Baron,
. 211 n.
Rodney, George, 3rd Baron,
marriage, 228
Roland, Hyacinth, 109 n., 320 n.
See WeUesley
Roland, M., 109 n., 320 n.
Rolle, Judith, Lady, 31 1 n.
Kolle, Lord, lines on his second
marriage, 311
Rolle, Louisa, Lady, 311 n.
Roman Catholics, emancipation, 9
Rome, 295, 299
Romilly, Lady, death, 220
Romilly, Sir Samuel, commits
suicide, 220
Romney, George, portrait by, vi
Rosebery, Anne, Lady, 360 n.
Rosebery, Archibald, 4th Earl of,
360
Rosebery, Archibald, 5th Earl of,
Life of Lord Chatham, extract
from, 10
Rosebery, Harriet, Lady, 360 n.
Ross, Mrs., 208
Rosslyn, Earl of, 63 n.
Rouen, 68 ; Church of St. Ouen,
681
Rous, Hon. Louisa, marriage,
264
Rowley, Admiral Sir Charles,
210 n.
Rowley, Charlotte, 16
Rowley, Elizabeth, marriage, 210
Rowley, Hon. Richard, 16
Ruabon Yeomanry, 164
Russell, Rt. Hon. Lord John, 290 i
27
Russia, Constantino, Grand Duke,
renounces his rights to the
throne, 340
Russia, peace with France, 101
Ruthin, meeting at, 186
Rutland, Charles, 4th Duke of,
361 n., 368 n.
Rutland, Elizabeth, Duchess of,
138n. ; death, 331
Rutland, John, 5th Duke of,
138, 142 ; death of his wife",
331
Ryde, 170
Ryder, Dudley, 82 n. See Harrow-
by
Ryder, Lady Georgina, marriage,
327. See Wortley
Ryder, Henry, Bishop of Glouces-
ter, 203
Ryder, Lady Susan, marriage,
203 ; death, 365 n. See
Fortescue
Sackville, Lady Mary, 334 n.
See Plymouth
St. Albans, Elizabeth, Duchess of,
331 n.
St. Albans, Harriet, Duchess of,
331 n., 363. See Mellon
St. Albans, William, 9th Duke of,
marriage, 331 ; anecdote of, 363
St. Domingo, victory of, 99
St. Germains, 68
St. Helens, Lord, 37, 195
St. James's Palace, fire at, 135
St. Sebastian, attack on, 169
Salamanca, 129, 162
Salisbury, Frances, Lady, 166n.
Salisbury, James, 1st Marquess of,
192 n., 194 n.
Salisbury, James, 2nd Marquess of ,
166n.
Salisbury, Mary, Lady, 194
Salt Hill, 25
Sandon, Frances, Lady, 310
Sandon, Lord, marriage, 310.
See Harrowby
Sapieha, Prince, 293
Saunders, Jane, 149n., 215 n.
Saunders, R. N., 149 n., 215 n.
Saxe-Coburg, Prince Leopold of,
marriage, 193, 196 ; in England,
253
Saxe-Meiningen, Princess Adelaide
of, marriage, 211
Saxony, mode of execution, 85 ;
population, 185; restoration,
185
408
INDEX
Saxton, Sir Charles, 2nd Bart.,
150, 153
Scarisbrick, Charles, 201 n.
Schonbrunn, Treaty of, 95 n.
Schwartzenburg, Prince, victory
over Bonaparte, 170
Scott, Anne Marie, Lady, 343 n.
Scott, James, 292
Scott, Rev. James, 70 n., 182
Scott, Jane, 182. See Oxford
Scott, Sir John, 51 n. See
Eldon
Scott, Louisa, Lady, 343 n.
Scott, Sir Walter, The Abbot,
257 ; Kenilworth, 266, 267 ;
Woodstock, 341 ; financial losses,
341, 344; Life of Napoleon,
345, 364
Scott, Lord William, 193 n., 343 n.
See Stowell
Seaforth, Francis, Lord, 214n.
Seaforth, Lady, 214
Sebright, Sir John, 213
Sefton, William, 2nd Earl of,
210 n.
Selsey, Lord, marriage, 207
Severn, the frigate, 52
Seyd, 182
Seymour, Augusta, 305 n.
Seymour, Elizabeth, Lady, 208 n.
Seymour, Frances Maria, marriage,
265
Seymour, Rt. Hon. Sir George
Hamilton, 305 n.
Seymour, Sir Horace, marriage,
208 n.
Seymour, Lieut.-Colonel Hugh,
207 n. ; marriage, 208
Shaftesbury, Anne, Lady, 274 n.
Shaftesbury, Cropley, 6th Earl of,
274
Shakerley, Charles Watkin John,
292
Shakerley, Eliza, 292 n.
Shakerley, Frances, 34 n., 292 n.
See Wynn
Shakerley, Jessie, 292 n.
Shakerley, Laura Angelique
Rosalba, 292 n.
Shakerley, Peter, 292 n.
Sheffield, Lord, 310
Shelburne, John, Earl of, 1 8 n.
Sheridan, Miss, 364
Shiffner, Vice-Admiral Sir Henry,
230 n.
Shipley, Charlotte, 15, 99, 361 ;
at Majorca, 15, 165; death of
her husband, 259 ; return to
England, 259 ; opinion of the
Eisteddfod, 370
Shipley, Charlotte, marriage, 16.
See Rowley
Shipley, Conwy, 361
Shipley, Penelope, 1 5 n.
Shipley, Colonel William, mar-
riage, 15, 45 n., 99 n., 102, 116 ;
financial difficulties, 15 ; at
Majorca, 15, 165; contests
election at Flint, 115-117;
death, 259
Shipley, William, Dean of St.
Asaph, 16, 116, 364 n.
Shipley, William Conwy, 15
Shrewsbury, 113
Shrewsbury, John, 18th Earl of,
342 n.
Shuckburgh-Evelyn, Sir George,
332 n.
Sidmouth, Henry, Viscount, 72 n.,
274 n., 343 n.
Sidmouth, Mary Anne, Lady,
343 n.
Sidney, 1st Viscount, llln.
Skinner, Cortlandt, 31 7 n.
Slane Castle, 266
Slave trade, abolition, 9 ; in the
Colonies, 354
Sligo, Howe, 2nd Marquess of,
marriage, 1 93
Sligo, John, 1st Marquess of,
193n., 343 n.
Sligo, Louisa, Lady, 193
Smith, Charles Culling, 163 n.,
275 n., 290 n., 367 n.
Smith, Lady Drummond, 280
Smith, Sir Drummond, 280 n.
Smith, Emily, marriage, 163n.,
275 n., 290. See Beaufort
Smith, Hon. Heater, marriage,
164. See Wynn
Soho bazaar, 194
Somerset, Charles, 6th Duke of,
2
Somerset, Charlotte, Duchess of,
175, 178n.
Somerset, Edward, llth Duke of,
175
Somerset, Lord Edward, marriage,
88
Somerset, Elizabeth, Duchess of, 2
Somerset, Lord Fitzroy, wounded
at the battle of Waterloo, 192.
See Raglan
Somerset, Lady Henrietta, mar-
riage, 6. See Wynn
SomervHle, Dr., 272
INDEX
409
Somerville, Sir Marcus, 203 n.
Sophia, Princess, illness, 215
Southampton, Charles, 1st Lord,
330 n.
Southampton, Charles, 3rd Baron,
marriage, 342
Southampton, Harriet, Lady,
342 n.
Southampton, Ismay, Lady,
342 n.
Spain, Treaty with France, 128
Spalding, John, 220 n.
Spencer, Ann, 303 n.
Spencer, Edward, 303 n. See
Hamilton
Spencer, Esther, Lady, 170n.,
205
Spencer, John, Earl, 63 n.
Spencer, John Charles, 3rd Earl,
170n.
Stadbroke, Lord, 264 n.
Stafford, Elizabeth, Lady, 127
Stafford, George, Earl of, 127n.
See Sutherland
Stafford, Granville, 1st Marquess
of, 228 n.
Stamford Park, 292
Stanhope, Catherine Lucy, Lady,
161 n.
Stanhope, Charles, 3rd Earl, 12,
199n.
Stanhope, Harriet, marriage, 342.
See Southampton
Stanhope, Hon. Henry Fitzroy,
342 n.
Stanhope, Hester, Lady, 12
Stanhope, Lady Hester, 12, 114 ;
omission of her letters, v ;
in Syria, 150 ; meeting with
Henry W. W., 150, 155, 160;
eccentricities, 1 55 ; connection
with Bruce, 155 ; shipwrecked,
156; attack of plague, 182
Stanhope, Philip, 108 n. See
Chesterfield
Stanhope, Philip Henry, 4th Earl,
161 n., 199
Stanley, Sir John, 326 n.
Stanley, Lady Mary, 276 n.
Stanley, Lord, claim to the
Dukedom of Hamilton, 303
Staples, Henrietta Margaret,
185 n.
Staples, Rt. Hon. John, 185 n.
Stapleton, Catherine, 6
Stapleton, James Russell, 5 n.,
15 n., 64 n., 223 n.
Stapleton, Penelope, 5n., 15n,
Stewart, Sir Charles, Bart.,
Minister to The Hague, 186.
See Londonderry
Stewart, Rt. Hon. James, 214 n.
Stewart, Lady K., 272
Stewart, Mrs., 214
Stowe, 23, 55, 316, 383
Stowell, William, Lord, 72 n.,
193n., 342
Strachan, Miss, 373
Strathallan, 4th Viscount, 262 n.
Strathavon, Lord, 332 n. ; illness,
335 n. See Huntly
Strutt, Lady Charlotte, 217. See
Rayleigh
Strutt, Colonel, 21 7 n.
Sturt, Humphrey, 49 n.
Stuttgart, 295
Suchet, Louis Gabriel, Due
d'Albufera, 171
Suffolk, Henry, Earl of, 113n.
Sullivan, Mrs., 361
Sussex, Augustus Frederick, Duke
of, 370
Sutherland, Elizabeth, Countess of,
127 n. See Stafford
Sutherland, George, 1st Duke of,
127 n., 209 n., 276 n., 306 n.,
324 n.
Sutherland, George, 2nd Duke of,
330 n., 333 n.
Sutherland, Harriet, Duchess of,
333 n.
Sutherland, William, 17th Earl
of, 127 n.
Sweden, Crown Prince of, 168 n., .
169
Swinburne, Emilia, Lady, 216
Swinburne, Sir John, 216 n.
Swinnerton, Miss, marriage, 258
Sydney, John, 2nd Viscount,
324 n., 338, 344
Sykes, Sir Francis, 280 n.
Syria, 150
Tabor, Mount, 167
Tagus, the, 130
Talbot, Charles, 2nd Earl, 206 n.
346 n., 361
Talbot, Frances, Lady, 361 n.
Talleyrand, Charles Maurice,
Prince de, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, 89 n.
Talleyrand, Madame, 70
Tallien, Madame de, 70 n.
Tallien, M. de, divorce, 70 n. ;
conversation with Sir J. Mack-
intosh, 71
410
INDEX
Taplow, 18, 23
Taylor, Sir Brook, Minister Pleni-
potentiary to the Elector of
Cologne, 85
Tempest, Sir Harry Vane, 321 n.
Temple, Hester, Countess; ' 3 n.,
23 n.
Temple, Lord, 111 ; report of
his marriage, 232 ; fire at
Wootton, 252
Temple, Richard, Earl, 7, 23 n. ;
.- Lord. Privy Seal, 4
Temple, Richard, Lord, 88 n.
Temple, Sir Richard, 3 n.'
Templeton, John, 1st Viscount,
113n.
Teplitz, 104
Thanet, 9th Earl, trial, 51 ; sen-
' tence, 62
Theale, Henry, 149 n.
Theale, Hester Marie, 149 n.
Thistlewood, Arthur, 199 ; trial,
242
Thomas, Lieut. -Colonel Charles,
366 n.'
Thompson, Beilby Lawley, 11,
374. See Wenlock
Thompson, Caroline, 11
Thompson, Mr., story of, 328
Thompson, William, 262 n.
Thompson, Winifred, 262 n. See
Drummond
Thorwaldsen, Bartholomew, mar-
riage, 234
Thynne, Lady Charlotte, marriage,
340 n. See Buccleugh
Thynne, Lady George, 197
Thynne, Lord George, 197 n.
See Carteret
Thynne, Thomas, 2 n.
Tiberias, 157
Tierney, George, 147 ; at Drop-
more, 149 ; leader of the
Opposition, resignation, 268
Titchfield, Lord, 142 ; death,
307
Todd, Anthony, 250 n.
Todd, Eleanor, 250. See Lauder-
dale
Tollemache, Admiral, 309
Tollemache, Elizabeth, 309 n.
Tollemache, John, 1st Baron,
309 n.
Tork Hill, 31
Torrington, George, 4th Viscount,
231 n., 282 n.
Townley, Charlotte, 261, 262 n.
Townley, Peregrine, 261, 262 n
Townley, Chateau of, 261
Townsend, George, 1st Marquess,
196n.
Townshend, Marianne, 72 n.
Townshend, Thomas, 72 n.
Tracy, Mrs. Hanbury, 272
Trafalgar, Battle of, 92
Trevor, Arthur Hill, 218n. See
Dungannon
Tripp, Baron, 227
Trotter, Mr., 195
Truxille, 130
Tweeddale, 7th Marquess of, 237 n.
Tyrwhitt, Thomas, 119n. See
Jones
Ulm, Capitulation of, 90, 95
Ulster, disarmed, 29
Upsala University, Library at,
353
Upton, Hon. Fulke Greville, 113,
224 n.
Upton, Mary, 224 n.
Uxbridge, Caroline, Lady, 145 n.
Uxbridge, Henry, 1st Earl of,
98 n., 144, 192
Uxbridge, Henry William, 2nd
Earl of, 145, 312 n. ; marriage,
217. See Anglesey
Vale Royal, 16, 153 252, 271,
323, 369
Valentia, 140
Vansittart, Nicholas, 247 ; Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, 294,
299. See Bexley
Vassall, Richard, 70 n., 115n.
Vaughan, Anne, 6
Versailles, 72
Vesuvius, Mount, 368
Vienna, Congress at, 165, 171 ;
mission to, 118
Vimeiro, Battle of, 130n,
Vinegar Hill, action at, 30
Visme, Emily de, 69 n. ,
Visme, General de, 69 n. , .>
Voltaire, Francois, Adelaide du
Quesclin, 72, 74
Volunteers, the Kentish, review,
54, 55
Waldegrave, Elizabeth, Lady,
death of her relations, 135
Waldegrave, 2nd and 4th Earls,
135
Walden, John, 4th Lord Howard
de, 11, 23 n. See Braybrooka
INDEX
411
Waldron, Henry, 311 n.
Wales, Princess Augusta of, 224
Wales, Caroline, Princess of, 109
Wales, H.R.H. George, Prince of,
24 ; picture with his father,
108 ; prevented from attending
. Fjox's funeral, 116f illness,
168. See George IV
Walker, the apothecary, 272
Wallop, John, 246 n. See Ports-
mouth
Walpole, 4th Baron, 87
Walpole, Horatio, 87 n. See
Orford
Walpole, John, at Dresden, 87
Warburton, Mary, 305 n.
Warburton, Rowland Egerton,
305 n. :
Ward, John, 366 n. See Dudley
Wardle, Gwilliam Lloyd, Colonel,
letter to Sir Watkin, 30-32;
charges against the Duke of
tfork, 137-141 ; freedom of the
city of London, 137 ; result of
the trial, 148
Wardle, Mrs., 140
Waterford, Henry, 2nd Marquess
of, 40 n.
Waterloo, Battle of, 191
Watson, Richard, Bishop of Llan-
daff, 184 ; volumes of tracts, 184
Webster, Sir Godfrey, 70 n., 1 15 n.
Wellesley, Anne, 109 n.
Wellesley, Lady Anne, 290 n.
Wellesley, Catherine, 329 n.
Wellesley, Lady Charlotte, 145
Wellesley, Helena, 329 n.
Wellesley, Sir Henry; 145 n. ;
second marriage, 192. See
Cowley -, >
Wellesley, Hyacinth, Lady, 320 n.
Wellesley, Marianne, Ladv, 320 n.,
. 329 n.
Wellesley, Richard, Marquess of,
10.9 n., 213 n., 320 ; mission to
Spain, 147 ; attack of gout,
148 ; second marriage, 327,
329
Wellesley, William Pole Tilney
Long, 329 n. See Mornington
Wellington, Arthur, 1st Duke of,
9 ; Generalissimo of the Spanish
Armies, 162 ; Battle of Water-
loo, 191 ; attends a reception
at Gloucester House, 208 ;
High Constable at the corona-
tion of George IV, 245 ; at
Combermero, 258 ; reception
at Avington, 270 ; withdraws
his support of the Catholic
question, 354 ; Prime Minister,
365; saying of, 371 ; resigna-
tion, 374 ; encomiums on, 377,
378
Wellington, Arthur Richard, 2nd
Duke of, 329 n.
Wellington, Charlotte, 139n.
Wellington, Henry, ' marriage,
I39tu
Wells, Captain, M.P. for Hunting-
donshire, 214
Wenlock, Beilby, 1st Baron, 11,
201 n..
West, Lady Catherine, marriage,
201
Westbury, election, 371 n.
Westminster, Constance, Duchess
of, 330 n.
Westminster, Eleanor, Lady,
258 n.
Westminster, Hugh, 1st Duke of,
330 n.
Westminster, Katherine, Duchess
of, 330 n.
Westminster, Richard, 2nd Mar-
quess of, 209 n., 230 n., 276 n.,
330 n.
Westminster, Robert, 1st Marquess
of, 230 n., 258 n., 276 n., 330 n.
Westminster, election, 213, 222
Westmorland, Jane, Lady, 215
Westmorland, John, 10th Earl of,
149, 215 n., 238 n.
Westmorland, Sarah, Lady, at-
tempt to kill herself, 149
Whameliffe, John, 2nd Lord,
327 n.
Whitbread, Lady Elizabeth, 147 n.
Whitbread, Samuel, 147 ; charges
against Lord Melville, 107 ;
death, 220
Whitelock, Mrs., 214
Whitwell, John Griffin, 23 n. See
Braybrooke
Whitworth, Charles, career, 37 n.
Whitworth, Lord, at Paris, 66
Whyte, Thomas, 109 n.
Wicklow, rebellion, 35, 39
Wighill Park, 47 n.
Wilberforce, Mr., 204
Wilbraham, Anne, 317
Wilbraham, George, 317
Wilbraham, Jessy, 305 n.
Wilbraham, Hon. Richard Booth,
305 n.
Willey Park, 278
412
INDEX
William IV, King, 211 n., 228 n.,
266 n. ; accession, 355, 374 ;
popularity, 376, 378 ; enco-
miums on the Duke of Welling-
ton, 377, 378 ; coronation,
382
Williams, Edwards, 21 9 n.
Williams, Elizabeth, 64
Williams, Henrietta, Lady, 13,
301 n.
Williams, Hugh, marriage, 214 n.,
231 n., 301 n.
Williams, Sir James Hamlyn,
210n., 317
Williams, John, at Wynnstay,
231
Williams, Sir John, 210 n., 230 n.,
301 n. ; at Wynnstay, 231
Williams, Mrs. Lloyd, 332
Williams, Margaret, 301
Williams, Mary, 301 n. ; at Wynn-
stay, 230
Williams, Mary, Lady, 317
Williams, Mr., M.P. for Flint,
resignation, 103
Williams, Mrs., 223 n.
Williams, Richard, 332 n.
Williams, Lady Sarah, at Wynn-
stay, 231
Williams, Watkyn, 54 n.
Willis, Dr., Court physician, 47
Wilson, Jane, 1 83 n. See Perceval
Wilson, Sir Thomas Spencer,
183n.
Wilton, Viscount Grey -de, 330
Wilton, Thomas, 1st Earl of,
230 n., 258 n.
Wilton, Thomas, 2nd Earl of,
276 n., 330 n. ; at Wynnstay,
230
Wilts, Broome, 317 n.
Windham, William, Secretary at
War, 69 ; death, 220
Windsor, Harriet, Baroness, 206 n,
314 n.
Wingfield, Mr., 134
Woffington, Mary, 324 n.
Wootton, destroyed by fire, 4,
252, 254
Worcester, Emily, Lady, at the
Children's Ball, 367
Worcester, Henry, Lord, 163,
275 ; marriage, 290 ; at the
Children's Ball, 367. See
Beaufort
Woronzow, Count, 191
Worthington, Robert, 1st Earl of,
83 n.
Wortley, Lady Georgina, 327 n.
Wortley, John Stewart, marriage,
327. See Wharncliffe
Wrightson, Mr., accident to, 309
Wiirtemberg, Princess Catherine
of, 105 n., 298 n.
Wiirtemberg, Charlotte, Queen
of, 295, 340, 377 n.
Wiirtemberg, Frederick, King of,
24 n., 377
Wy combe, 148
Wyndham, Catherine, Lady, 2
Wyndham, Elizabeth, 2 ; mar-
riage, 3. See Grenville
Wyndham, Sir William, 2 ; Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, 2 ;
arrested, 2
Wynn, Arthur Williams, vi
Wynn, Rt. Hon. Charles Williams,
birth, 14; M.P. for Mont-
gomery, 14, 47 ; candidate for
the Speakership, 14, 198, 200,
203; marriage, 15, 112, 116;
attentions to Miss Acland,
19-21 ; birthday letters, 21,
26 ; in command of the Mont-
gomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry,
35 ; in Dublin, 35 ; on circuit
at Oxford, 60 ; at Dieppe, 67 ;
Rouen, 68 ; Paris, 69-74 ;
excursion to Versailles, 72 ;
rumours of his marriage, 75 ;
advice from his mother, 112;
at Shrewsbury, 113; Wynn-
stay, 116; discovery of Young's
frauds, 171, 173-175, 179; at
Pool, 175; Llangedwyn, 178,
294 ; Acton, 186 ; on the trial
of Queen Caroline, 248 ; Presi-
dent of the Board of Control,
260, 279 ; attitude on the
Catholic Bill, 260; relations
with the Duke of Buckingham,
336, 346, 348-350; resigna-
tion, 355 ; War Secretary, 374
Wynn, Charlotte, Lady Williams,
1 ; birth, 2 ; parents, 2 ;
death of her mother, 5 ; mar-
riage, 6 ; death of her husband,
7; children, 7, 13-16; brothers,
7-10; sisters, 11, 12; advice
to her son Charles, 19-22,
112; at Taplow, 23 n. ; por-
trait, 45 ; on the art of letter-
writing, 65 ; at Stowe, 79,
316-320; Gorhambury, 108;
stewardship of her son Henry's
patrimony, 124-126; at Wy-
INDEX
413
combe, 148 ; marriage of her
daughter Harriet, 150 ; affec-
tion for her daughter-in-law
Hester, 164, 165 ; in Spain,
165; at Buxton, 166 ; Ryde,
170 ; search for a courier,
171-173; at Paris, 181 ; Aix,
182; Madrid, 189; Falmouth,
190 ; Elton, 214, 251, 301 ;
Llanvorda, 219, 264, 266; gives
a ball, 229 ; at Wynnstay,
230, 263, 304, 329; Vale
Royal, 252, 271, 323, 369;
Llangedwyn, 257, 326 ; Astle,
261 ; Hawarden, 271, 291,
361 ; Hastings, 275, 278 ; on
the claims of office, 276 ; at
JPenbedw, 292 ; Stuttgart, 295 ;
the Aston Hall theatricals,
305 ; Madeley Manor, 324-326 ;
septuagenarian, 369 ; at Castle
Hill, 371, 378 ; paralytic stroke,
380 ; moved to Richmond,
380, 381 ; invitation to Stowe,
383 ; death, 384
Wynn, Charlotte Williams, 222,
272, 310
Wynn, Charlotte Williams, mar-
riage, 15, 45 n., 99 n., 102 ;
at Ranelagh, 53 ; present from
her brother Henry, 102, 106.
See Shipley
Wynn, Fanny Williams, diaries,
vi, 14, 76 n. ; birth, 13 ;
travels abroad, 14, 198, 304 ;
on the engagement of her
sister Harriet, 151 ; in Spain,
165; debut, 195; at Majorca,
259
Wynn, Frances, Lady Williams,
vi ; portrait, 7
Wynn, Harriet Williams, birth,
16; marriage, 16, 150-153. See
Cholmondeley and Delamere
Wynn, Lady Harriet Williams,
13, 149, 200 ; birth of a
daughter, 214 ; of a sou, 244 ;
health, 294 ; at Rome, 295 ;
voyage to Alnwick, 322 ; death
of her mother, 374
Wynn, Henrietta Williams, 13,
301 n. ; birth, 214 ; marriage,
231 n. See Williams
Wynn, Lady Henrietta Williams,
death, vi ; portrait, 7
Wynn, Sir Henry Williams, birth,
16; at Chiswick, 16, 17; taste
for travel, 22 ; at Harrow, 22 ;
leaves Harrow, 41 ; private
secretary to the Rt. Hon. T.
Grenville, 42 ; in the wreck of
the Proserpine, 42-44 ; at Cux-
haven, 44 ; private secretary
to Lord Grenville, 57, 62 ;
engagement, 75 ; Minister at
Dresden, 77 ; audience with
the Elector of Saxony, 78 ;
treatment of a French emigree,
79 ; takes part in the fete of
Mardi Gras, 80 ; increase of
salary, 83 ; household expenses,
86 ; engagement broken off,
88, 113; present to his sister
Charlotte, 102, 106 ; JRenvoye
Extraordinaire, at Teplitz, 104 ;
Konigsberg, 105 ; mission to
Vienna, 118; return to England,
118; at Stowe, 119; descrip-
tion of the visit of Louis
XVIII to Stowe, 119-122;
patrimony, 124-126 ; tour in
the Spanish Peninsula, 124, 128 ;
at Inverary, 126; Lisbon,
129; Elvas, 132; Gibraltar,
140; Cadiz, 145, 150, 162;
Portsmouth, 149; in Syria, 150;
meeting with Lady Hester
Stanhope, 150, 155, 160; at
Constantinople, 154 ; Rhodes,
156; in Palestine, 156-160;
at Cairo, 160 ; illness at Malta,
161 ; marriage, 161 n., 164 ;
at Salamanca, 162 ; travels
abroad, 164, 170 ; Minister at
Stuttgart, 260, 295 ; at Berne,
280; at Copenhagen, 304,
323 ; at Munich, 323 ; book
collector, 352 ; K.G.C.H., 380 ;
on the death of his mother, 384
Wynn, Herbert Watkin Williams,
13 ; birth, 283, 290 ; appearance,
306
Wynn, Hon. Hester Williams, 164.
See Smith.
Wynn, Mary Williams, marriage,
15, 75 n., 112; at Wynn-
stay, 116; Llangedwyn, 178;
Brighton, 342
Wynn, Mary Williams, 256, 272 ;
at Stowe, 320. See Gaskell
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, 3rd
Baronet, 6
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, 4th
Baronet, 6 ; portraits, 7 ; death
7; will, 12
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, 6th
414
INDEX
Baronet, portrait, 7 ; career,
13; marriage, 13, 200 n. ; in
command of the " Ancient
British Dragoons," 30 ; quar-
tered at Naas, 40 ; in command
of the Buabon Yeomanry,
164 ; ordered to France, 164 ;
at Vienna, 186; appreciation
of his patriotism, 186; presen-
tation plate, 188 ; celebration
of his birthday, 218 ; views on
politics, 260 ; on the " meet-
ing " between the Dukes of
Buckingham and Bedford, 281-
283 ; at Rome, 295, 299 ;
attack of St. Anthony, 316 ;
at Stowe, 316 ; voyage to
Alnwick, 322 ; Aide-de-Camp
for the Militia of Wales, 375
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, 6th
Baronet, 13, 244, 306
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, vi
Wynnatay, vi, 45 n., 74, 215,
304; ball at, 229
Yonge, Ellis, 15n.
Yonge, Penelope, 15 n. See
Shipley
York, Frederica, Duchess of,
illness, -241, 242
York, Frederick, Duke of, 49 ;
in, . command in Holland, 56 ;
charges against, 137-141 ; re-
signation, 141 ; result of the
trial, 148 ; illness, 347 ; re-
covery, 352 ; death, 355 ; debts,
355; funeral, 356
York, Richard, 47 n.
j Young, steward at Wynnstay,
systematic frauds, 171, 174,
1 78 ; attempt on his life,
171, 173; recovery, 172; his
son, 172, 179 ; letter from Lady
A. Hamilton, 175-177
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