Chapter 24
December 10th, 1829 {p.255}
Last night Miss Kemble acted Belvidera for the first time, and with great success.
December 18th, 1829 {p.255}
At Roehampton last Sat.u.r.day to Monday; Granvilles, Byng, Lord Ashley, and I. Dino was extricated from prison by Laval's paying the money, which he did very handsomely; he thought it wrong to have him in prison and wrong to attach him fict.i.tiously to his Emba.s.sy, so he paid the debt, and Dino is gone back to France.
Despatches were received from Gordon yesterday giving an account of a ball he had given to the Divan; the Turks came, and the Reis-Effendi waltzed with a Mrs. Moore. After supper they drank King George IV.'s health in b.u.mpers of champagne. This story was told to Lord Sidmouth as a good joke; but he said with a face of dismay, 'Good G.o.d, is it possible? To what extent will these innovations be carried?'
December 19th, 1829 {p.255}
There is a review in the 'Foreign Quarterly' (the last number) on Greece, which is a remarkably able critique of the conduct of our Government in the affairs of that State. The writer, whoever he may be, has been amply supplied with doc.u.ments and information, probably from Paris. Nothing can be more just than his remarks on our miserable policy, or more severe. I showed it to Lord Granville, who told me that it was generally correct, though containing some errors; for instance, that it was not true that we had engaged to afford the Greeks pecuniary aid, which we never did promise, but that he had been himself the person to negotiate with M. de la Ferronays, then Minister for Foreign Affairs at Paris, for the more limited boundary, and to dissuade the French from sending their expedition to the Morea; that there had been a violent contest in the English Cabinet on that subject, Huskisson and Dudley being in favour of the French expedition, and the Duke and the rest against it, but that the moment Huskisson and his party resigned the Duke gave way and agreed to the measure. This affords another example of his extraordinary mode of proceeding, that of opposing the views and plans of others violently, and when he finds opposition fruitless, or likely to become so, turning short round and adopting them as his own, and taking all the credit he can get for doing so. He did so in the case of the recognition of the South American colonies, of the Test and Corporation Acts, the Catholic question, and in this instance.
Then his conduct on the Corn Bill is only the converse of the same proposition--begins by being a party to it and then procures its rejection. Greece and Portugal, if well handled, would afford two great cases against the Duke's foreign policy, and they serve as admirable commentaries on each other. The raising the siege of Previsa, and the respect paid to Miguel's blockade, and compulsion exercised on the Terceira people are enough to prove everything.
Ashley told me a curious thing about Sir Thomas Lawrence the other day. His father kept the inn at Devizes,[2] and when Lord Shaftesbury's father and mother were once at the inn with Lord Shaftesbury, then a boy, the innkeeper came into the room and said he had a son with a genius for drawing, and, if they would allow him, his little boy should draw their little boy's picture; on which the little Lawrence was sent for, who produced his chalk and paper, and made a portrait of the young Lord.
[2] [Sir Thomas Lawrence's father at one time kept the 'Black Bear' at Devizes. In 1775 Lord and Lady Kenyon had the young prodigy (as he was called) introduced to them there. Lawrence was then only six years old.]
[Page Head: GALLATIN]
December 21st, 1829 {p.257}
At Roehampton from Sat.u.r.day; Maclane, the American Minister, Was.h.i.+ngton Irving, Melbourne, Byng, and on Sunday the Lievens to dinner. Maclane a sensible man, with very good American manners, which are not refined. Even Irving, who has been so many years here, has a bluntness which is very foreign to the tone of good society. Maclane gave me a curious account of Gallatin. He was born at Geneva, and went over to America early in life, possessed of nothing; there he set up a little huxtering shop--in I forget what State--and fell in love with one of the daughters of a poor woman at whose house he lodged, but he was so dest.i.tute that the mother refused him. In this abject condition accident introduced him to the celebrated Patrick Henry, who advised him to abandon trade, and go into the neighbouring State and try to advance himself by his talents. He followed the advice, and soon began to make himself known.
December 22nd, 1829 {p.257}
Dined with Byng yesterday and met Moore, Fitzgerald, and Luttrell. Luttrell is a great lover of conundrums, which taste he acquired from Beresford, the author of the 'Miseries of Human Life,' who has invented some very curious but elaborate conundrums. They are not worth repeating. Moore told a story of an Irishman at the play calling out, 'Now, boys, a clap for Wellington!' which being complied with, 'And now silence for the rest of the family!' He complained that all the humour which used to break out in an Irish audience is extinct.
Fitzgerald told me that the King had been annoying them as much as he could, that he took pleasure in making his Government weak, that the money matter (which the Duke told me of before) had been settled by 'contrivances,' or that they must have gone to Parliament for the amount; that he has just ordered plate to the amount of 25,000. Fitzgerald is so ill that he can scarcely carry on the business of his office, and yet he does not like to give it up, for fear of embarra.s.sing the Government; he complained that the other offices had thrown much of their business on the Board of Trade, a custom which had grown up in Huskisson's time, who was the most competent man, and who took it all. Probably Huskisson was not sorry, by making himself very useful, to make himself nearly indispensable, and thought that he was so; and so he was _de jure_, but the Duke would not let him be so _de facto_.
[Page Head: PRESS PROSECUTIONS]
December 23rd, 1829 {p.258}
Went to the Court of King's Bench this morning to prove that the Duke of Wellington is a Privy Councillor, on the trial of the action which the Duke brought against the 'Morning Journal.' The action brought by the Chancellor had been tried the day before.
Scarlett was feeble; Alexander again defended himself in a very poor speech; the jury retired for three hours, and I thought would have said 'Not guilty;' but they brought in a verdict which is tantamount to a defeat of the prosecution on this charge, and amply proves the folly of having inst.i.tuted it at all. I did not hear the second trial, on which they gave a verdict of guilty, after consulting for about half an hour. The jury in each case consisted of eight special jurors and four talesmen. Afterwards there was a _crim. con._ case, which I did not stay out, but which was amusing enough from the translations of the counsel, the Judge, the witnesses, and the interpreters, for some of the witnesses were French. Lord Tenterden has a comical way of muttering to himself half aloud as the counsel are speaking, either answering or commenting on what they say. Scarlett was saying (in this last case) that he could not prove the fact, but he could prove that the defendant pa.s.sed the night in the lady's room, and the jury might judge what he did, when Tenterden muttered, 'If he did nothing, what was he there for?'
The prosecution finished with the trial of Bell (of the 'Atlas'), who made a very good speech (it was about Lord and Lady Lyndhurst), and the jury found him guilty of publis.h.i.+ng only, which I take to be an acquittal; the point, however, will not be tried probably, for it is not likely that he will
December 27th, 1829 {p.259}
At Panshanger since the 24th; Lievens, J. Russell, Montrond, M.
de la Rochefoucauld, F. Lamb. On Christmas Day the Princess [Lieven] got up a little _fete_ such as is customary all over Germany. Three trees in great pots were put upon a long table covered with pink linen; each tree was illuminated with three circular tiers of coloured wax candles--blue, green, red, and white. Before each tree was displayed a quant.i.ty of toys, gloves, pocket-handkerchiefs, workboxes, books, and various articles-- presents made to the owner of the tree. It was very pretty. Here it was only for the children; in Germany the custom extends to persons of all ages. The Princess told us to-day about the Emperor of Russia's relapse and the cause of it. He had had a cold which he had neglected, but at length the physicians had given him some medicine to produce perspiration, and he was in bed in that state, the Empress sitting by him reading to him, when on a sudden a dreadful noise was heard in the next (the children's) room, followed by loud shrieks. The Empress rushed into the room, and the Emperor jumped out of bed in his s.h.i.+rt and followed her. There the children, the governess, and the nurses were screaming out that Constantine (the second boy, of two years old) was destroyed; a huge vase of porphyry had been thrown down and had fallen over the child, who was not to be seen. So great was the weight and size of the vase that it was several minutes before it could be raised, though a.s.sistance was immediately fetched, and all that time the Emperor and Empress stood there in ignorance of the fate of the child, and expecting to see the removal of the vase discover his mangled body, when to their delight it was found that the vase had fallen exactly over him, without doing him the least injury, but the agitation and the cold brought on a violent fever, which for some time put the Emperor in great danger. The Princess said she was surprised that it did not kill the Empress, for she is the most nervous woman in the world, ever since the conspiracy at the time of his accession, when her nerves were _ebranles_ by all she went through. That scene (of the revolt of the Guards) took place under the window of the Palace. The whole Imperial Family was a.s.sembled there and saw it all, the Emperor being in the middle of men by whom they expected him to be a.s.sa.s.sinated every moment.
During all that time--many hours--the young Empress never spoke, but stood 'pale comme une statue,' and when at length it was all over, and the Emperor returned, she threw herself on her knees and began to pray.
December 29th, 1829 {p.260}
At Osterley;[3] Lady Euston, Mrs. Sheridan and her son; a very fine house, which is thrown away, as they hardly ever live there.
They spent 200,000 in building Middleton, which is the worst place in England, and now they regret it, but Lord Jersey hates Osterley and likes Middleton. This place belonged to Sir Thomas Gresham, but the present house is modern. It was here that Sir Thomas Gresham feasted Queen Elizabeth, and pulled down a wall in the night which she had found fault with, so that in the morning she found it was gone.
[3] [Lord Jersey's seat near Hanwell, Middles.e.x.]
1830.
[Page Head: WELLINGTON AS A MINISTER]
January 2nd, 1830 {p.261}
At Roehampton; William Howard, Baring Wall, and Lady Pembroke's son;[4] the best sort of youth I have seen for a long while, and he will have 12,000 a year, besides what his mother may leave him. Vesey Fitzgerald is so ill that it is doubtful if he will recover, and, at all events, almost impossible that he should remain in office. It will be very difficult for the Duke to fill his place. There is not a man in office now who is fit for it, and where is he to look for anyone else? Yet I think almost anybody would take it; for although the late prosecutions are blamed, and the foreign policy is thought by most people to have been very miserable, there is an extensive disposition to support the Duke and to keep him at the head of affairs. Huskisson is the man whose knowledge and capacity would be of the greatest service just now, but the Duke will not like to apply to him in a moment of distress, because he would probably take advantage of that distress to make better terms for himself; at the same time, I should not be surprised if the Duke were to invite him to return to the Cabinet, and that he accepted the Chancellors.h.i.+p of the Exchequer or one of the Secretarys.h.i.+ps without any conditions.
Vesey will be a great loss, for he is clever and ready in debate, and by great diligence and application, and the powerful a.s.sistance of Hume and Stephen, he has made considerable progress in the science of trade and commerce.
[4] [Sidney Herbert, afterwards Lord Herbert of Lea, whose life and character did not belie the promise of his youth.]
January 5th, 1830 {p.261}
There are many speculations about Vesey's successor; some think Lord Chandos or Herries; I think Frankland Lewis, but that Lord Chandos will have some place before long; the Duke has a great hankering after that set. In the meantime all accounts concur in admitting the great and increasing distress; and, as such a state of things not unnaturally produces a good deal of ill-humour, the Duke is abused for gadding about visiting and shooting while the country is in difficulty, and it is argued that he must be very unfeeling and indifferent to it all to amuse himself in this manner. Nothing can be more unjust than such accusations as these. The sort of relaxation he takes is necessary to his health, and, all things considered, it is not extraordinary he should prefer other people's houses to his own, particularly when everyone invites him in the most pressing manner. But these visits by no means interrupt the course of his official business; all his letters are regularly sent to him, and as regularly answered every day, and it is his habit to open his letters himself, to read them all, and to answer all. He never receives any letter, whatever may be the subject or the situation of the writer, that he does not answer, and that immediately, to a degree which is not only unprecedented, but quite unnecessary, and I think unwise, although certainly it contributes to his popularity. It is another proof of that simplicity of character and the absence of all arrogance which are so remarkable in him, especially as he has long been used to command and to implicit obedience, and the whole tenor of his conduct since he has been in office shows that he is covetous of power and authority, and will not endure anybody who will not be subservient to him; still in his manner and bearing there is nothing but openness, frankness, civility, and good-humour. As to his supposed indifference to the public distress, I firmly believe that his mind is incessantly occupied with projects for its relief, and that when unwarped by particular prejudices, partialities, and antipathies, which have had a stronger and more frequent influence over him than befits so great a man, he is animated with a sincere desire to reform abuses of any kind, and is not diverted from his purpose by any personal considerations or collateral objects. The King is preparing for a new battle with him (stimulated, I presume, by the Duke of c.u.mberland) about the appointment of sheriffs. He has taken it into his head that he will not appoint any Roman Catholic sheriff; and as several have been named, and these generally first on the list, according to the usual practice, they must be chosen. The King will be obliged to give way, but it is an additional proof of his bad disposition and his pleasure in thwarting his Ministers on every possible occasion.
[Page Head: STAPLETON'S 'MEMOIRS OF CANNING']
January 7th, 1830 {p.263}
Stapleton's 'Memoirs of Canning' are coming out directly, but he is prevented from making use of all the doc.u.ments he, or rather Lady Canning, has. She has had an angry correspondence with the Foreign Office. Every Minister takes away a _precis_ of all he has done while in office, but Canning's _precis_ was not finished when he died. She wrote and demanded that what was incomplete should be furnished to her, but claimed it as a right, and said it was for the purpose of vindicating him. Lord Aberdeen declined giving it, and I think very properly. The reason he a.s.signed was that a Minister who was furnished with such doc.u.ments for his own justification was bound by his oath of secresy not to reveal the contents, but the secrets of the State could not be imparted to any irresponsible person, who was under no such restraint.
Vesey Fitzgerald is better, but will hardly be able to do any business. Some think he will have leave of absence, that Dawson will exchange offices with Courtenay, and do the business of the Board of Trade; others, that Herries will succeed Vesey, or Frankland Lewis. The revenue has fallen off one million and more.
The accounts of distress from the country grow worse and more desponding, and a return to one pound notes begins to be talked of.
Roehampton, January 9th, 1830 {p.263}
Yesterday morning died Sir Thomas Lawrence after a very short illness. Few people knew he was ill before they heard he was dead. He was _longe primus_ of all living painters, and has left no one fit to succeed him in the chair of the Royal Academy.
Lawrence was about sixty, very like Canning in appearance, remarkably gentlemanlike, with very mild manners, though rather too _doucereux_, agreeable in society, una.s.suming, and not a great talker; his mind was highly cultivated, he had a taste for every kind of literature, and was enthusiastically devoted to his art; he was very industrious, and painted an enormous number of portraits, but many of his later works are still unfinished, and great complaints used to be made of his exacting either the whole or half payment when he began a picture, but that when he had got the money he could never be prevailed on to complete it. Although he is supposed to have earned enormous sums by his paintings, he has always been a distressed man, without any visible means of expense, except a magnificent collection of drawings by the ancient masters, said to be the finest in the world, and procured at great cost. He was, however, a generous patron of young artists of merit and talent. It was always said that he lost money at play, but this a.s.sertion seems to have proceeded more from the difficulty of reconciling his pecuniary embarra.s.sments with his enormous profits than from any proof of the fact. He was a great courtier, and is said to have been so devoted to the King that he would not paint anybody who was personally obnoxious to his Majesty; but I do not believe this is true. He is an irreparable loss; since Sir Joshua there has been no painter like him; his portraits as pictures I think are not nearly so fine as Sir Joshua's, but as likenesses many of them are quite perfect.
Moore's was the last portrait he painted, and Miss Kemble's his last drawing.
The King has been very ill; lost forty ounces of blood. Vesey is better, but has no chance of going on with his office. The general opinion seems to be that Herries will succeed him. I do not believe he knows anything of the business of the Board of Trade. Charles Mills told me yesterday that a proposal was lately made by Government to the East India Company to reduce their dividends, and that at the very time this was done Rothschild, who had 40,000 East India stock, sold it all out, and all his friends who held any did the same. The matter was eventually dropped, but he says n.o.body doubts that N---- gave notice to Rothschild of the proposed measure. The Company are mightily satisfied with Lord William Bentinck, who has acted very handsomely by them in this business by the reduction of the pay of the troops. He has written some very tr.i.m.m.i.n.g letters to Lord Combermere, who is coming home, and if he had not been, would probably have been recalled. The Duke, as well as the Company, is furious with Combermere for the part he has acted in the affair.
[Page Head: LEOPOLD AND THE THRONE OF GREECE]
Leopold's election to the throne of Greece seems to be settled, and while everybody has been wondering what could induce him to accept it, it turns out that he has been most anxious for it, and has moved heaven and earth to obtain it; that the greatest obstacle he has met with has been from the King, who hates him, and cannot bear that he should become a crowned head. He may think it 'better to reign in h.e.l.l than serve in heaven,' but I should have thought he had a better prospect here, with 50,000 a year and as uncle to the heiress apparent, than to go to a ruined country without cities or inhabitants, and where everything is to be created, and to sit on such a wretched throne as the nominee of the Allied Powers, by whom he will be held responsible for his acts; however, 'il ne faut pas disputer des gouts.'