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 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV.
 
 JEx Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 WILLIAM lY. 
 
 INCLUDING A VIEW OF SOCIAL LIFE AND 
 MANNERS DURING HIS REIGN. 
 
 By PEKCY FITZGERALD, M.A., F.S.A., 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE LIFE OF GEORGE THE FODRTH," 
 
 'the life OF GARRICK," "A NEW HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH STAGE,'' 
 
 " KINGS AND QUEENS OF AN HOUR," ETC. ETC. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND, W.C. 
 
 1884
 
 CHAELE8 DICKENS AND EVANS, 
 CRYSTAL PALACE PEE8S.
 
 ^i1 
 V. 1 
 
 UNIVe;hptty r p>tt^ 
 
 SANTA I 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 As the political history of the reign of William IV. 
 has been so fully dealt with by political writers — the 
 Eeform Bill having even found a historian of its 
 own — the writer of the following Memoir has not 
 proposed to deal with such matter, save under certain 
 conditions, viz., where the King himself was directly 
 <ionnected with such incidents and fii2;ured as a leadino: 
 performer. Keeping this principle in view, I have 
 shown what part he took in all the fitful changes, and 
 «ven intrifijues, which attended the course of the ^^reat 
 Eeform Bill, including the various Court, or " back- 
 stairs," influences and plots, which were brought to 
 bear on the royal mind. These, though alluded to by 
 various writers of the time, will be new and interesting 
 to most readers.
 
 Vi PEEFACE. 
 
 One particular object also has been kept in view. 
 For many years past there have appeared innumerable 
 volumes of Memoirs and Eecollections, in which are 
 given many dramatic scenes and sketches connected 
 with eminent personages. These often make but a 
 small portion of the volumes in question, and, buried 
 in a mass of less interesting matter, are soon forgotten. 
 It is certainly a gain to have such little sketches 
 rescued from oblivion, and it is with this view that 
 the reader will find here most of what is amusing 
 and interesting in the books of Lords Brougham, 
 Campbell, Broughton, of Raikes, Greville, and a vast 
 number of other works of less pretentious writers. 
 This plan, which I have followed in other works, may 
 not be one that comes up to the high standard re- 
 quired by critics, but it at least helps to make a 
 readable, agreeable book. As an instance, I would 
 point to the passages taken from Lord Brougham's 
 "Autobiography" and Lord Campbell's "Life of Lord 
 Brougham," and which illustrate in an odd way the 
 vendetta of these remarkable but acrimonious men. 
 
 I have taken particular pains to collect all the 
 royal letters that are available. In various parts of 
 these volumes I have called attention to the curious
 
 PEEFACE. vii 
 
 changes in manners and social life which were then 
 settino; in, and which were the beo-innino; of the " order 
 of things" which has prevailed during the last fifty 
 years. 
 
 I may add that these volumes complete the series 
 of Memoirs of the Royal Family of George III., and 
 which include " The Life of Georsje IV." and " Lives, 
 of the Royal Dukes and Princesses."
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 OP 
 
 WILLIAM IV. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The third son of George III. was born on August 21st, 
 1765, between three and four o'clock in the morning, at 
 Buckingham Palace, in the presence of the Princess 
 Dowager of Wales, of the Lord Chancellor, and other 
 functionaries. He was christened William Henry, after 
 his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, Archbishop Seeker per- 
 forming the ceremony, porter being lavishly distributed 
 to the crowd on the occasion. The usual addresses 
 and felicitations were freely presented to their Majesties 
 on the auspicious event, that of the Corporation of 
 London exciting some surprise from the significant and 
 guarded tone of its congratulations : 
 
 "Permit us therefore, Ptoyal Sir," it rau, "to assure 
 your Majesty that your faithful citizens of London, from 
 their zealous attachment to your Eoyal House, and the 
 true honour and dignity of your crown, ivhenevei' a 
 happy cstaUishment of 'puhlic measures shall present a 
 ^avourahle occasion, will be ready to exert their utmost 
 abilities in support of such wise counsels as apparently 
 tend to render your Majesty's reign happy and glorious." 
 
 VOL. I. . c
 
 2 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 To whicli the King answered : 
 
 " I thank you for this dutiful address. Your 
 congratulations on the further increase of my family, 
 and your assurances of zealous attachment to it, cannot 
 but be very agreeable to me. I have nothing so much 
 at heart as the welfare and happiness of my people ; 
 and have the greatest satisfaction in every event that 
 may be an additional security to those civil and 
 religious liberties, upon which the prosperity of these 
 kingdoms depends." 
 
 In due course, preceptors were appointed — the 
 Messrs. Arnold and Majendie ; but these soon gave 
 place to a Swiss colonel, one Bude, recommended to 
 the King by another Swiss, De Salzes. This officer 
 had been page to the Prince of Orange, and had served 
 in the Sardinian army. " His religion," says one of his 
 biographers, "was founded on the firm base of un- 
 adulterated Christianity." He was also appointed com- 
 mander of the Hanoverian troops, though not obliged 
 to be with his corps.* He afterwards became private 
 secretary to the Duke of York. Bishop Butler paid a 
 visit to Windsor in 1778, when Prince William was 
 only thirteen, and Mrs. Chapone records the favourable 
 impression made upon the visitor. 
 
 "I was pleased," she says, "with all the princes, 
 
 * "When I returned here," writes Miss Burney, in 1786, "to the 
 conclusion of the tea-drinking, I found a new gentleman, dressed iu 
 the King's Windsor uniform — which is blue and gold, turned up with 
 red, and worn by all the men who belong to His Majesty, and come 
 into his presence at Windsor. It was General Bude : what his post 
 may be I have not yet learned, but he is continually, I am told, at 
 Windsor, and always resides in this lodge, and eats Avith the equerries. 
 I do not quite know what to say of General Bude, except that his 
 person is tall and showy, and his manners and appearance are 
 fashionable. But he has a sneer in his smile that looks sarcastic, and 
 a distance in Lis manner that seems haughty."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 3 
 
 but particularly with Prince AVilliam, who is little of 
 his age, but so sensible and engaging, that he won the 
 bishop's heart, to whom he particularly attached him- 
 self, and would stay with him while all the rest ran 
 about the house. His conversation was surprisingly 
 manly and clever for his age — yet, with the young 
 Bullers, he was quite the boy ; and said to John Buller, 
 by way of encouraging him to talk, ' Come, we are both 
 boys, you know.' All of them showed affectionate 
 respect to the bishop ; and the Prince of Wales pressed 
 his hand so hard, that he hurt it." 
 
 A choice had presently to be made of a profession, 
 and as all his brothers and uncles had served or were 
 to serve in the army, the King determined that one 
 at least of his sons should belong to the sister service. 
 It was currently reported that the young Prince had 
 an objection to this choice, which condemned him to 
 a dull, uninterestinof life, and removed him from the 
 scenes of pleasures to which so many of his family 
 were so partial. \Yith His Majesty, however, objections 
 of this kind were but a reason for enforcing his will, 
 and the harsh banishment of Prince Edward showed 
 how severely he could enforce his royal wishes. On 
 the loth June, 1779, accordingly, he was appointed 
 midshipman on the Prince George, ninety-eight guns, 
 flagship of Admiral Digby. This was no ornamental 
 or amateur office, as war was being waged with France, 
 and a few days or hours even after sailing might bring 
 on an engagement. On the night before his departure 
 the King gave his son some sound advice, and presented 
 him with a Bible. 
 
 Pie was then an " offhand " young fello\v, and many 
 
 anecdotes were told as to his readiness of tongue, and 
 
 manly bearing to his comrades. When sneeringly asked 
 
 B 2
 
 4 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 " by what name lie was rated on the ship's books ? " he 
 replied, that his father's was Guelph, though he himself 
 was entered as Prince William Henry ; but they were 
 welcome to call him William Guelph. It was also related 
 how, in a quarrel with a companion, who was younger 
 and delicate, he had been struck by the latter ; but the 
 Prince restrained himself, only saying that, on reflection, 
 the other would see that he had done him a wrong. 
 
 This first expedition was a sort of naval "promenade," 
 to watch the French and Spanish fleets, which had boldly 
 come up the Channel, and were threatening the coasts. 
 This ended rather ingloriously for the English fleet, 
 the enemy being allowed to retire without an encounter. 
 Had the fleets fought the young Prince would have 
 seen a serious and terrible battle. 
 
 His next cruise was under Eodney, whose squadron 
 was despatched to the Spanish coast to convoy a large 
 fleet of merchant vessels. The Eno^lish fleet was fortu- 
 nate enough to capture off" Sandwich a Spanish convoy 
 of sixteen vessels, with seven men-of-war, and in his 
 despatches the commander was glad to compliment the 
 Court in this ino-enious fashion : 
 
 • " As I thought it higlily necessary to send a sixty- 
 four-gun ship to protect so valuable a convoy, I have 
 commissioned, officered, and manned the Spanish ship- 
 of-war, of the same rate, and named her the Prince 
 William, in respect to His Eoyal Highness, in ivhose 
 presence she had the honour to he taken.'" ■ 
 
 Off Cape St. Vincent, on January 16th, they fell in 
 with another fleet, belonging to the luckless Spaniards, 
 commanded by Don Juan de Langara, anl consisting of 
 sixteen sail of the line, of which, after a severe engage- 
 ment, some were blown up, others ran ashore, and some 
 were captured. It was when the Spanish admiral was
 
 WILLIAM lY. 5 
 
 visiting his English conqueror that a truly characteristic 
 incident occurred. Colonel Drinkwater, the historian of 
 the siege of Gibraltar, relates, that when the Spaniard 
 was about to leave the ship, a young midshipman in 
 charge of the barge came respectfully to announce 
 that it was waitino-. When the admiral learned that 
 this was the son of the King of England, he could not 
 contain his astonishment, and exclaimed, " Well does 
 Great Britain deserve the empire of the seas when 
 the humblest stations in her navy are filled by her 
 princes." 
 
 During this expedition there were many other 
 stories reported of this young sailor Prince — his good 
 nature and combativeness. He seems to have been put 
 on his defence by the old insinuation that he was 
 favoured by being the King's son. This was cast in 
 his teeth by young Sturt of Crichel, then a midship- 
 man, and the Prince instantly offered "to fight him 
 over a chest." He then declined, as he had the 
 superiority in age and strength, on which handsome 
 self-denial both shook hands. With a Lieutenant 
 Moodie, of the Marines, he had a serious encounter ; 
 the lieutenant havino; declared that " but for his coat 
 he would give him a basting." The Prince gallantly 
 stripped his off", and a desperate set-to followed, 
 and continued until a superior ofiicer stopped the 
 combat. " You are a brave fellow, though you are 
 a marine," said the Prince.^' At Gibraltar where the 
 fleet put in, the royal midshipman indulged in various 
 
 * This recalls Fox's Jeliglitful spcecli after his duel with Dundas, 
 the dispute arising from rellections on " the Government powder," for 
 which Dundas was responsible. AVhen Fox was wounded, " You 
 would have killed me," ho said, as they were reconciled, " if it hadn't 
 been Government powder."
 
 6 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 escapcades in company witli Mr. Beauclorck and another 
 companion of a noble family. At a tavern these 
 young fellows got into a brawl with one, who loudly 
 maintained that Eodney " had not given so good an 
 account of the Spanish fleet as he might have done," a 
 sentiment he was required to withdraw. A regular 
 melee ensued, which ended in three young midshipmen 
 bein2f carried ofl' to the watch-house. 
 
 The situation of a midshipman in those days was 
 subject to the rudest conditions. Young lads of tender 
 age were put in command of boats and sent to attack 
 the enemy's ships. They lived on the coarsest fare, and 
 were roughly and cruelly treated. Cruikshank, in a 
 series of vigorous and dramatic plates, has given a 
 panorama of the midshipman's life — scenes of the 
 coarsest revelry and riot, of dirt and squalor ; while 
 Captains Chamier and Hall, in their stirring novels 
 and sketches, have described all the incidents of a sea 
 officer's life.''" Morals were not for an instant thought of. 
 
 " I always gave it as my opinion," says the former, 
 "that a midshipman's boy in a frigate, having about 
 fourteen masters and no assistant, is about as cursed a 
 situation as the vengeance of a man could suggest — a 
 galley-slave he is in every sense of the word. 
 
 "Cups were used instead of glasses. The soup, 
 tureen, a heavy, lumbering piece of block tin, pounded 
 into shape, was, for want of a ladle, emptied with an 
 everlasting tea-cup ; the forks were wiped on the table- 
 cloth by the persons about to use them, and who, to 
 save eating more than was requisite of actual dirt, 
 always plunged them through the tablecloth to clean 
 
 * When the Royal George went down there were on hoard some 
 two hundred women, who were officially "recognised" when the vessel 
 was in port.
 
 WILLIAM IV: 7 
 
 between tlie prongs. Of course, as only one tablecloth, 
 was used during the week, on the Saturday it was voted 
 always dirty enough to be put in a Mg, to await its 
 ablution. The rest of the furniture was not much, 
 cleaner ; now and then an empty bottle served as 
 a candlestick ; and I have known both a shoe and 
 a quadrant-case used as a soup-plate. One almost 
 shirtless boy to attend upon fourteen aspiring heroes — 
 heroes who commanded by right of years and streugth, 
 and not by birth. The business of the toilet was 
 finished in the dark, on his own chest in the steerage, 
 the watch below cleanino; the decks at the moment. 
 He dressed and undressed in public ; the basin was 
 invariably of pewter ; and the wet towels, dirty head- 
 brush, etc. etc., were, after use, deposited in his chest. 
 A hammock served as a bed, and so closely w^ere we all 
 stowed in the war, that the side of one hammock always 
 touched that of another ; fourteen inches being declared 
 quite sufficient space for one tired midshipman to sleep 
 in. How my first evening went I have, thank God, 
 quite forgotten. I only remember that, at about nine 
 o'clock, Mr. M'Queen stuck a large fork in the table ; 
 instantly all the youngsters retired to bed." 
 
 Prince William, however, is said to have Bad a 
 special allowance for his table — a thousand a year, 
 which seems to have been handsome enough for a 
 " middy." 
 
 The Prince was soon despatched home, arriving in 
 London on March 8th. He was introduced at Court, 
 and presented his father with the flag of the Spanish 
 admiral, and also a plan of the Gibraltar fortifications, 
 which he himself had made. The nation was delighted 
 with this early promise, and the people of London in 
 particular were filled with a tumultuous enthusiasm,
 
 8 THE LIFE AND TIMES OE 
 
 and when he visited Drury Lane Theatre there was 
 danger of many being crushed to death. His exploits — 
 such as they were — were sung by the Poet Laureate, 
 Mr. Pye, in the following strains : 
 
 Now last, not least in love, the Muse 
 Her William's name would fondly chuse 
 
 The British youth among. 
 Still may the sailors love thy name, 
 And happy wealth and hlooming fame, 
 
 Awake the future song. 
 
 So in the spring the promis'd rose 
 Eirst buds, and budding gently blows 
 
 Beneath the morning dew ; 
 Till nourished by a warmer ray, 
 The blushing leaves their sweets display, 
 
 And fragrance ever new. 
 
 E'en now the sea-green sisters bind 
 A wreath around thy growing mind, 
 
 And deck their favourite son. 
 E'en now the Bourbon colours meet. 
 Which laying at thy father's feet. 
 
 Thou tell'st how bravely won. 
 
 The young man was meanwhile employing his 
 holiday in learning from his elder brothers how to enjoy 
 the ^Id pleasures of the town, frequently masquerading 
 at Vauxhall and Kanelagh. At one of these places a tar 
 got into a conflict with a Spanish grandee, which ended 
 as usual in the watch-house ; when, on unmasking, it 
 was found that the latter was the Prince of Wales, and 
 the tar Prince William. This sort of roystering may 
 have contributed to the shortening of his furlough, 
 for on Admiral Geary setting sail from Spithead in 
 May, the Prince had to join his vessel, and sail with 
 him. The cruise was a short one, for the fleet returned 
 in August. On the 18th of this month the admiral
 
 WILLIAM lY. 9 
 
 struck his flag, celebrating the occasion by a farewell 
 dinner to his captains. When the King's health was 
 given, the young Prince, " to the surprise of all present," 
 we are told, made a speech. As this was the first of a 
 long series of rather long-winded speeches, all more or 
 less characteristic, and, towards the close of his life, 
 marked by something like incoherence, it may be given 
 entire : 
 
 "Admiral Geary, and Captains of the Fleet, — You 
 may, perhaps, deem it presumptuous in me to present 
 myself to your notice on this occasion, to return you my 
 most sincere thanks for the loyal manner in which you 
 have drank my royal father's health. As a father, I am 
 proud to speak of him with all the fulness of filial 
 affection, and I am certain that there are few monarchs, 
 who have swayed the sceptre of these realms, to whom 
 the title of the father of his people is more justly due. 
 Involved as the nation is at present in a most unnatural 
 war, for it cannot be considered in any other character 
 than that of a child fighting against its parent, it 
 becomes everyone to join heart and hand to bring the 
 rebellion to a speedy and fortunate issue, and to crush 
 the insidious enemies, who have so dishonourably to 
 themselves entered into an alliance with the revolu- 
 tionists, with the hope of reducing this great and noble 
 nation to the lowest rank in the scale of nations, and 
 with the avowed intent of wresting from it its foreie^n 
 possessions and distressing its trade and commerce. I 
 am proud to say that the safety, the glory and honour 
 of the country depend upon its navy, and when I see 
 myself surrounded by such men as are here present, I 
 have no fear for the stability of my flither's crown, the 
 integrity of his foreign possessions, or the safety of 
 my country. We are now fighting single-handed, the
 
 10 THE LIFE ASD TIMES OF 
 
 combined naval powers of France and Spain ; it becomes 
 us not to underrate a gallant and enterprising enemy ; 
 but in awarding them the merit which belongs to them, 
 I consider that our merit will be the greater, if we 
 obtain a victory over them, and which I make no doubt 
 will always be the case, whenever they will give us an 
 opportunity of trying our strength with them. For 
 myself, individually, I shall consider those days as the 
 proudest and the noblest in my life, in which I may 
 be called upon to shed my blood in the defence of my 
 father's flag, and should I ever be called upon to lead 
 his fleet against his enemies, my first study shall be to 
 imitate the example of that brave and noble ofiicer who 
 has done me the honour this day to invite me to his 
 table, and whose retirement from the command of the 
 Channel fleet must be a source of reo;ret to all who have 
 had an opportunity of witnessing the high degree of 
 nautical skill which he has displayed on the most 
 trying occasions, his determined bravery in the hour 
 of battle, and his general devotedness to the cause of 
 his country. I request you will accept of my apology 
 for this intrusion upon your time, and if I have not 
 delivered myself with the graces of elocution, I am 
 certain that I have spoken w^ith all the sincerity of a 
 sailor's heart, who glories in the profession to which his 
 father has appointed him, and who, he most sincerely 
 hopes, will never be induced by any dishonourable act, 
 unworthy of the British sailor, or the rank in life to 
 which he was born, to sully the flag under which he 
 fights, or tarnish the character which belongs to him 
 as a British subject. I hope I am not out of order in 
 recj^uesting you to fill your glasses, and drink to the 
 health of Admiral Geary." 
 
 However, only a week after his return he had to
 
 WILLIAM IV. II 
 
 set sail ao-ain. It was said that anotlier reason for his 
 departure was an early passion he conceived for a young 
 lady, Miss Fortescue, and which gave much displeasure 
 to his father. 
 
 On this occasion he made part of the expedition 
 that was to relieve Gibraltar under Admiral Darby, who 
 had nearly 300 vessels in charge. He thus witnessed that 
 stirring and oft-described scene, which makes one of the 
 most brilliant pages in English naval annals — perhaps the 
 most discreditable in those of the other powers. After 
 this he repaired to New York, where he arrived in 
 August, and was cordially received by all loyalists, 
 being the first Prince of the Royal Family that had 
 landed there. While in the capital he lived with the 
 Commander-in-Chief, and his careless gay habit of 
 wandering about in search of adventures, often without 
 a companion, led to an adventure which might have 
 caused the most serious and unpleasant annoyance. 
 The plan was detailed in the American papers, and 
 there seems no reason for doubtinc; the truth of the 
 story. 
 
 "While the Prince was enjoying himself in the city 
 of New York, a daring plan was formed, by some adven- 
 turous partisans of the revolutionary army, to pounce 
 upon him, and carry him off from the midst of his 
 friends and guards. The deviser of this plan was 
 Colonel Ogden, an officer who had served with great 
 bravery in the revolutionary army from the very com- 
 mencement of the war, and whose reoiment at that time 
 was stationed in the province (now State) of New 
 Jersey. 
 
 " The present statement is drawn up from docu- 
 ments still preserved by the family of Colonel Ogden, a 
 copy of which has been obtained from one of his sous.
 
 12 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 The Prince, at that time, was living on shore with 
 Admiral Digby, in quarters slightly guarded more for 
 form tlian security, no particular danger being appre- 
 hended. The project of Colonel Ogden was to land 
 secretly on a stormy night with a small, but resolute 
 force, to surprise and carry off the Prince and the 
 admiral to the boats, and to make for the Jersey shore. 
 The plan was submitted to General Washington, who 
 sanctioned it under the idea that the possession of the 
 person of the Prince would facilitate the adjustment of 
 affairs with the mother country, and a recognition of 
 the United States as an independent nation. 
 
 "The following is a copy of the letter of General 
 Washino;ton to Colonel Oo;den. The whole of the 
 original is in the handwriting of the general : 
 
 " ' TO COLONEL OGDEN, OP THE FIRST JERSEY REGIMENT. 
 
 '' ' Sm, 
 
 " ' The spirit of enterprise so conspicuous in your 
 plan for surprising in their quarters, and bringing off, 
 the Prince William Henry and Admiral Digby, merits 
 applause ; and you have my authority to make the 
 attempt in any manner, and at such a time, as your 
 judgment may direct. 
 
 " ' I am fully persuaded, that it is unnecessary to 
 caution you against offering insult or indignity to the 
 persons of the Prince or Admiral, should you be so 
 fortunate as to capture them ; but it may not be amiss 
 to press the propriety of a proper line of conduct upon 
 the party you command. 
 
 *' ' In case of success, you will, as soon as you get 
 them to a place of safety, treat them with all possible 
 respect ; but you are to delay no time in conveying
 
 WILLIAM lY. 13 
 
 them to Congress, and reporting your proceeding with a 
 
 copy of these orders. 
 
 '"Given at Morris Town, this 28th day of March, 
 
 1782. 
 
 '' ' G. Washington. 
 
 " 'Note. — Take care not to touch upon the ground 
 which is agreed to be neutral — viz., from Eayway to 
 Newark, and four miles back.' 
 
 " Before rehiting the particulars of this plan, it may 
 be expedient to state that the city of New York is 
 situated on the point of an island which advances into 
 the centre of a capacious bay. A narrow arm of the 
 sea, vulgarly called the East River, separates it on the 
 left from Long or Nassau Island ; and the Hudson, 
 commonly called the North River, separates it from the 
 State of New Jersey. The British army was in posses- 
 sion of the city, and was strengthened by a fleet ; but 
 the opposite bank of the Hudson, which is about two 
 miles wide, was under the power of Congress, and 
 the revolutionary army was stationed at no great 
 distance in New Jersey, in a winter encampment of 
 wooden huts. The party that should undertake this 
 enterprise would have to embark in boats for the Jersey 
 shore ; and it was essential that the whole affair should 
 be accomplished between sun and sun. 
 
 " The following is the plan, copied from the original, 
 in the handwritino; of Colonel Oo[den : 
 
 " It will be necessary to have four whale-boats, 
 (which can be procured without cause for suspicion) ; 
 they must be well manned by their respective crews, 
 including guides, etc. ; besides these, one captain, one 
 subaltern, three sergeants, and thirty-six men, with 
 whom the boats can row with case. N.B. — It is known
 
 14 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF • 
 
 where the boats are, and that they can be collected 
 without suspicion with their oarsmen ; and it is taken 
 for granted the owners will not object, though, for fear 
 of giving the least cause of alarm, nothing has yet been 
 said to them. The time of embarkation must be the 
 first wet night after we are prepared. The place is not 
 yet agreed on, as it will be necessary to consult those 
 skilled in the tides previous to determining, which must 
 be put off until we are as nearly prepared as possible, 
 for fear of inferences being drawn from our inquiries. 
 We must, however, set off from such part of the Jersey 
 shore as will give us time to be in the city by half-past 
 nine. The men must be embarked in the order of 
 debarkation. 
 
 " The Prince quarters in Hanover Square, and has 
 two sentinels from the 40th British Kegiment, that 
 are quartered in Lord Stirling's old quarters in Broad 
 Street, two hundred yards from the scene of action. 
 The main guard, consisting of a captain and forty men, 
 is posted at the City Hall — a sergeant and twelve at the 
 head of the old slip — a sergeant and twelve opposite the 
 coffee-house : these are troops we may be in danger 
 from, and must be guarded against. The place of 
 landing, at Coenties Market, between the two sergeants' 
 guards, at the head of the old slip and opposite the 
 coffeediouse. 
 
 " The order of debarkation to agree with the mode 
 of attack, as follows : Two men with a guide, seconded 
 by two others, for the purpose of seizing the sentinels ; 
 these men to be armed with naked bayonets and dressed 
 in sailors' habits : they are not to wait for anything, 
 but immediately execute their orders. Eight men, 
 including guides, with myself, preceded by two men 
 with each a crowbar and two with each an axe — these
 
 WILLIAM IV. 15 
 
 for tlie purpose of forcing the doors, sliould tliey be fast 
 — and followed by four men entering the house, and 
 seizing the young Prince, the admiral, the young noble- 
 men, aides, etc. A captain and eighteen to follow 
 briskly, form, and defend the house until the business is 
 finished, and retreat a half gun-shot in our rear. A 
 subaltern and fourteen, with half of the remaining of 
 the boat's crew, to form on the right and left of the 
 boats, and defend them until w^e return : the remainder 
 of the crews to hold the boats in the best possible 
 position for embarking. Necessary — two crowbars, two 
 axes, four dark lanterns, and four large oil-clothes. 
 
 " The manner of returning as follows : Six men 
 with guns and bayonets, with those unemployed in carry- 
 ing off the prisoners, to precede those engaged in that 
 business, followed by the captain (joined by the four 
 men from the sentry) at a half gunshot distance, wlio 
 are to halt and give a front to the enemy, until the 
 whole are embarked in the following order : 
 
 " 1st, the prisoners, wdth those preceding them ; 2nd, 
 the guides and boatmen; 3rd, the subalterns and fourteen; 
 4th, the rear." 
 
 That Washington not only abetted but approved of 
 this plan, is evident from several letters of his which were 
 written about this time. In one of his letters he quotes 
 from a secret despatch, dated March 23rd, sent to him 
 from his spies in New York : 
 
 " Great seems to be their apprehension here. About 
 a fortniofht ao-o a gfrcat number of flat boats were dis- 
 covered by a sentinel from the bank of the river 
 (Hudson's), which are said to have been intended to fire 
 the suburbs, and in the height of the conflagration to 
 make a descent on the lower part of the city, and wrest 
 from our embraces His Excellency Sir H. Clinton, Prince
 
 IG THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 William Henry, and several other illustrious personages, 
 since which great precautions have been taken for the 
 security of those gentlemen, by augmenting the guards, 
 and to render their persons as little exposed as possible." 
 In another letter, dated Newburgh, April 2nd, 1782, 
 he writes : "After I wrote to you from Morris Town, I 
 received information that the sentries at the door of Sir 
 Henry Clinton were doubled at eight o'clock every night, 
 from an apprehension of an attempt to surprise him in 
 them. If this be true, it is more than probable the 
 same precaution extends to other personages in the city 
 of New York, a circumstance I thought it proper for 
 you to be advised upon."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 After this escape the Prince saw some service, now 
 cruising, now capturing privateers, etc. He next sailed 
 in the Warwick, with Captain Elphinstone, afterwards 
 Lord Keith, and, with a view of learning more of his pro- 
 fession,* he passed under the command of Sir S. Hood, 
 with whom, in November, he sailed for Jamaica. This 
 expedition was interesting, as it brought our sailor 
 Prince his acquaintance with Nelson, with whom he 
 ever afterwards maintained a warm friendship. Of 
 this meetino- the Prince himself lono' after 2^ave an in- 
 
 O OCT 
 
 teresting account at Bushey Park to Dr. Clarke, Canon 
 of Windsor, dwelling with natural pride on the cir- 
 cumstances. Nelson was then only twenty-four years 
 old. " I was then," he would say, " a midshipman on 
 board the Barjieur, lying in the Narrows off Staten 
 Island, and had the watch on deck, when Captain 
 
 * ^Ir. James Williams had been his teacher, who had risen from 
 being " a foremast man " until he attained the rank of first lieutenant. 
 At this time, ]Mr., afterwards Sir K. Keats, Avas second lieutenant on 
 board the Prince Geonje. "Mr. Keats had received a very liberal 
 education under his father, who was a clergyman and master of the 
 grammar school at Tiverton, which, being combined with great afTa- 
 bility and pleasing manners, rendered him a fit person to perfect 
 Prince William in every branch of his profession." 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 18 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Nelson, of tli% Albemarle, came in liis barge alongside. 
 He appeared to be the merest boy of a captain I ever 
 bebeld, and bis dress was worthy of attention. He 
 bad on a full-laced uniform, his lank unpowdered hair 
 was tied in a stiff Hessian tail of an extraordinary 
 length ; the old-fashioned flaj)s of his waistcoat, added 
 to his general quaintness of his figure, produced an 
 appearance which particularly attracted my notice, for I 
 bad never seen anything like it before, nor could I 
 imagine who he was, nor what he came about. My 
 doubts were, however, removed when Lord Hood in- 
 troduced me to him. There was something irresistibly 
 pleasing in his address and conversation ; and an 
 enthusiasm, when speaking on ^professional subjects, 
 that showed he was no common being. Nelson, after 
 this, went with us to the West Indies, and served under 
 Lord Hood's flacj during^ his indefatio^able cruise off 
 Cape Francois. Throughout the whole of the American 
 War the height of Nelson's ambition was to command 
 a line-of-battle ship ; as for prize-money, it never 
 entered his thoughts ; he had always in view the 
 character of his maternal uncle. I found him warmly 
 attached to my father, and singularly humane. He 
 had the honour of the King's service, and the inde- 
 pendence of the British navy, particularly at heart, and 
 his mind glowed with this idea as much when he was 
 simply captain of the Albemarle, and had obtained none 
 of the honours of his country, as when he was after- 
 wards decorated with so much well-earned distinction." 
 
 This is an interestinsj seaman's sketch. 
 
 When staying at Port Eoyal he again fell in with 
 Nelson, and it is pleasant to read the favourable opinion 
 of that gallant young captain, imparted-to a friend. The 
 Prince was now in the Barjieur.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 19 
 
 " My situation in Lord Hood's fleet must be in the 
 highest degree flattering to any young man ; he treats 
 me as if I were his son, and will, I am convinced, give 
 me anything I can ask of him. Nor is my situation 
 with Prince William less flattering. Lord Hood was 
 so kind as to tell him (indeed, I cannot make use of 
 expressions strong enough to describe what I felt), that 
 if he wished to ask questions relative to naval tactics, I 
 could give him as much information as any ofiicer in 
 the fleet. He will be, I am certain, an ornament to our 
 service. He is a seaman, which you could hardly sup- 
 pose, with every other qualification you may expect 
 from him ; but he will be a disciplinarian, and a strong 
 one. A vast deal of notice has been taken of him at 
 Jamaica; he has been addressed by the Council, and 
 the House of Assembly was to address him the day after 
 I sailed. He has levees at Spanish Town ; they are all 
 highly delighted with him. With the best temper, and 
 great ^good sense, he cannot fail of being pleasing to 
 everyone." 
 
 He at this time received a gratifying compliment 
 from the Spanish Governor of the Havannah, and which 
 was conceived in an antique spirit of chivalry. Some 
 English prisoners, whom he had captured and released 
 on parole, repaid his liberal treatment by entering into 
 a conspiracy to seize the town, and induced some of 
 the inhabitants to join them. It was discovered, and 
 they were sentenced to death. Peace, however, being 
 now proclaimed, the Governor, Don Galvez, wrote the 
 following letter jto Prince Henry : 
 
 J, Q "Cape Frangois, April G, 1783. 
 
 "Tlie Spanish troops cantoned throughout the 
 
 country have not, as the French, had the happiness to 
 
 c 2
 
 20 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 take up tlieir arms to salute your Royal Highness, nor 
 that of paying you those marks of respect and con- 
 sideration which are your due : it is what they will ever 
 regret. 
 
 "I have in confinement, at Louisiana, the principal 
 person concerned in the revolt at Nachez, with some of 
 his accomplices. They have forfeited their parole and 
 oath of fidelity. A council of war, founded on equitable 
 laws, has condemned them to death, and the execution 
 of their sentence waits only my confirmation, as gover- 
 nor of the colony. They are all English. Will you 
 be pleased. Sir, to accept theii' pardon and their lives, 
 in the name of the Spanish army, and of my King ? 
 It is, I trust, the greatest present that can be offered to 
 one Prince in the name of another. Mine is generous, 
 and will approve my conduct. 
 
 " In case your Royal Highness deigns to interest 
 yourself for these unfortunate men, I have the honour 
 to send enclosed an order for their being delivered the 
 moment any vessel arrives at Louisiana communicating 
 your pleasure. We shall consider ourselves happy, if 
 this can be agreeable to you. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, etc., 
 
 "B. D. Galvez." 
 
 PEINCE WILLIAM TO DON B. GALVEZ. 
 
 "Port Koyal, Jamaica, April 13, 1783. 
 
 '' Sir, 
 
 " I want words to express to your Excellency 
 my just sense of your polite letter,' of the delicate 
 manner in which you caused it to be delivered, and 
 your generous conduct towards the unfortunate. Their 
 pardon, which you have been pleased to grant on my
 
 WILLIAM IV. 21 
 
 account, is the most agreeable present you could liave 
 
 offered me, and is strongly characteristic of the bravery 
 
 and gallantry of the Spanish nation. This instance 
 
 increases, if possible, my opinion of your Excellency's 
 
 humanity, which has appeared on so many occasions in 
 
 the course of the late war. 
 
 "Admiral Kowley is to despatch a vessel to Louisiana 
 
 for the prisoners ; I am convinced they will ever think 
 
 of your Excellency's clemency with gratitude ; and I 
 
 have sent a copy of your letter to the King my father, 
 
 who will be fully sensible of your Excellency's attention 
 
 to me. 
 
 " William Heney." * 
 
 The fleet being now ordered home, the Prince was 
 transferred to another vessel, for a pleasant 'cruise. He 
 was accompanied by Nelson in the Albemarle. They 
 arrived at the Havannah in May, where he was wel- 
 comed by the Spanish Admiral, Don Solano, by whom 
 he was entertained, and who held reviews, processions — 
 with all the captains of the fleet in their respective 
 barges. Don Solano had, moreover, two lovely daughters 
 — one, named Donna Maria, only sixteen years of age, 
 but rather awkwardly described as "one of those grand 
 commanding figures which history has pointed to as a 
 Cleopatra or a Messalina." The young Prince was quite 
 fascinated by this lady, and his attentions excited the 
 ire and jealousy of the Spaniards. He at last departed 
 from this agreeable Capua. His friend Nelson had now 
 to separate from him and sail on a different service, 
 
 * It is said there was much dissatisfaction in England at the 
 Prince's accepting this favour, it being maintained that the men 
 ought to have been left to their fate, as having dishonoured them- 
 selves and their country.
 
 22 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 but arrived in England just one day before the Prince, 
 who handed at Spithead on June 26, 1783. 
 
 Here the Prince was allowed to remain only a 
 few weeks, and was then despatched abroad to the 
 courts in company with his brother, under a German 
 guidance of two "bear-leaders," the General Bude for- 
 merly alluded to, and a naval officer, whom Prince AVilliam 
 had known on his last cruise. The party left Bucking- 
 ham House on July 31st, 1783, for Greenwich, off which 
 their vessel was lying. The young Prince, even at this 
 early age, showed a natural and genial interest in those 
 who had served with him or under him, and made it a 
 point to inquire about them and look after their interests. 
 It was thus that he asked to see an eccentric old sailor 
 who had shown attachment to him and used to call him 
 "my Royal *"VVilliam." This tar had been wounded in 
 one of the Spanish engagements. " Let me first see 
 John Adams," was the Prince's remark. " Well, my Royal 
 William 1 " said the old tar, " I am comfortably brought 
 up at last, and thanks to you for it — you promised me, 
 when you visited me in my berth after the action with 
 the lubberly Dons, that you would find a berth for me 
 for life, and I am now here safely moored. Thanks to 
 you, my Royal William." His Royal Highness inquired 
 of the old commodore how many there were in the 
 hospital who were in the action with Langara, and he 
 was informed that there were thirteen, on which he 
 handed thirteen guineas to Sir Hugh Palliser, to be 
 distributed amongst his old shipmates ; and putting two 
 guineas into the hand of the old commodore, he told 
 him never to want for a glass of grog, or a quid of 
 tobacco, as long as he had a guinea to give him. " Pll 
 drink your health this very night, my Royal William," 
 said the veteran, and kept his word.
 
 willia:m iy. 23 
 
 When he recaclied Hanover he met his brother, the 
 Bishop of Osnabiirgh. Both, according to the usual 
 fashion, assumed travelling names. Prince William 
 taking the odd one of " Lord Fielding," his brother 
 that of Count Hoya, At Hanover the roystering pair 
 indulged in gambling, and here the sailor Prince had 
 an adventure with one of those German gamblers who 
 frequented the play- tables — one Baron Hardulz, who was 
 said to have allowed the Prince to w^in a Q-ood stake at 
 first, to induce him to venture further. Warned by a 
 friend of the character of this adventurer, the Prince 
 declined " to give him his revenge," as it w^as called. 
 In consequence the Baron was loud in his abuse of the 
 Prince, whose friend, Captain Merrick, with much spirit 
 called upon the Baron for a retractation. As soon as 
 Prince William heard of this dispute, he at once took 
 the quarrel on himself, and sent " a friend " (Captain 
 Campbell, of the Scots Guards) with a demand for an 
 apology or a settlement of time, place, and choice of 
 w^eapons. The other guardian of the Prince, General 
 Bude, now thought it time to interfere, and setting on 
 foot inquiries as to the Baron, soon discovered his 
 history and antecedents. These he discovered through 
 a Countess Stolberg ; and having thus got the Baron 
 into his power, he gave him six hours to make an 
 apolog}^, or else suffer a public exposure. The Baron 
 judiciously chose the former, and the matter happily 
 terminated. 
 
 The allowance to the Princes was on the usual 
 niggardly scale. Prince William was said to receive 
 only .£100 a year for his pocket money, Avhile the 
 sum [dlowed for travelling expenses was on the most 
 ■contracted scale. We have seen the pittance given to 
 Prince Edward, and it was a singular retribution that
 
 24 , THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 this penurious system in all the instances where it was 
 applied led in the end to debts and extravagance, which 
 had to be defrayed by the country. 
 
 The Prince and his brothers next found their way 
 to Berlin, where they were entertained by the great 
 Frederick, of whom it is recorded that he showed 
 diso-ust when he found that Prince William had not 
 read " Candide." He took them with him to Silesia 
 to show them some soldierino-. The Prince next 
 repaired to Gottingen, where, at his special request, 
 the well-known Michaelis delivered a lecture. The 
 professor could not resist the opportunity of uttering 
 some lofty platitudes on the duties of royal families, 
 which, being printed at the desire of the Prince, excited 
 the displeasure of George III. and the authorities, and 
 caused him the loss of his situation. After sojourning 
 at various German towns and falling in love with 
 Friiulein Schinbach, who was, however, eventually dis- 
 posed of to Captain Merrick, H.R.H.'s bear-leader, the 
 Prince repaired to Italy, and having thus made the 
 grand tour, was at last allowed to return to London.* 
 
 These travels have supplied an occasion for bringing 
 forward a romantic story of a private or "left-handed" 
 marriage, which the Prince contracted in Hanover in 1790 
 with Caroline von Linsingen, and whom, after much pas- 
 sionate correspondence, he deserted. A volume of these 
 
 * On the evening of his arrival his brother was holding a fete at 
 Carlton House, who, leaving Lord and Lady Southampton to do the 
 honours of the evening, repaired to Buckingham House to 
 welcome home his brother, and invite him to join his party. " Eh ! 
 Avhat!" exclaimed the King. "Eh! what! take William away! 
 take William away ! he shan't go — he shan't go ! — ^just arrived from 
 Hanover — want to know how things are going on there — fine stud ! 
 fine stud ! " The Prince persisted. " Shan't go ! shan't go ! " again 
 exclaimed the monarch — " better with his mother to-night."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 25 
 
 letters was publislied, written in a sort of " Wertlier " 
 vein, but suggesting to one experienced in such things 
 those sham love-letters of Sterne, which Coombe and 
 other manufacturers used to contribute to maoiazines of 
 their time. A more transparent imposition could not be 
 conceived. All the "facts" are wrong;'. The Prince 
 was not in Hanover in 1790 ; he was not attended by a 
 General Linsingen, father of the heroine, but by General 
 Bude. He is also represented as being accompanied by 
 a " Lord Dutton," name unknown to our peerage, and 
 one Ernst. But a specimen of this imposition will be 
 sufficient. 
 
 "The marriage took place on the 21st of August, 
 1791, near Pyrmont, where the Linsingen family and 
 Prince William, Duke of Clarence, with his brother, the 
 Duke of York, were then staying. Tiie latter, whose 
 reputation gains little by what is said of him in the 
 letters, had arrived at this watering-place in time to 
 celebrate his brother's birthday. Here one should read 
 the extremely interesting description of the ball on the 
 night preceding the clandestine marriage (Caroline to 
 Teubner, p, 70). How William's jealousy is kindled 
 at the familiar tone adopted by his brother towards 
 Caroline, by which it nearly came about that all had 
 been discovered ; how Caroline's father, according to 
 custom, places her hand in that of her partner in the 
 dance, and how she, bending forward, says, as if to out- 
 trick fate, ' You are giving him to me for life, father ! ' 
 and how the venerable old man, seeming to half compre- 
 hend the agitation he cannot but notice, replies: 'Would 
 that ye could have your ^Yish, but that cannot be ; ' 
 how Caroline, before retirino:, hastens ao^ain to her 
 father's arms, as if to ask his pardon for all the cares 
 she is now^ about to bring upon him — all this has great
 
 26 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 dramatic force : it is full of the utmost freshness and 
 life. 
 
 " As one of the many delicate touches with which 
 the letters abound, Caroline relates, among other 
 things, how on her brother Ernst's attempting to crown 
 her with a myrtle- wreath, William springs forward to 
 wrest it from him. This beins^ resisted, a sjood- 
 humoured dispute ensued. ' To my gratification,' says 
 Ernst, with emotion in his voice, ' you both forgot this 
 beautiftd emblem : no dauo-hter of our house can wed 
 without it. It is for Caroline, this crown ; yet is it not 
 therefore yours also, beloved Prince ? William, brother,' 
 he added, in broken tones, ' to-day you are giving her 
 all — are leading her on to a paradise of bliss. Oh let it 
 be mine, too, to do something for the beauteous one 
 whom I to-day give wholly to your keeping — she of 
 whom I rob myself, whom I entrust to you.' There- 
 upon the Prince himself leads him up to the beautiful 
 bride, who stands there dissolved in tears, and Ernst 
 sets the wreath upon her brow. Dutton soon after this 
 conducts her to the chapel, where the Prince, with 
 Jackson, his faithful attendant. Parsons, the minister, 
 and George, the Duke of York, were already in waiting. 
 Ernst, filling the place of his father, gives the bride 
 away and leads her up to the altar, where she kneels 
 down between him and Dutton. ' William's responses,' 
 she writes, ' were uttered in a clear and solemn tone, 
 although he trembled no less violently than myself. 
 Indescribable were my feelings as in the gray haze of 
 morning (it was between five and six o'clock) I gave 
 myself up wholly to my beloved.' " * 
 
 * It miglit seem scarcely wortli while noticing this production, but 
 for the fact that it was accepted quite au serieux by the English press. 
 The Westminster Reviein, in a long article, gravely debated the
 
 WILLIAM lY. 27 
 
 question ^jro and con. The Times declared it was " of extreme 
 interest from a psycliological point of view. . . . l^o contemporary 
 of his in this country appears to have had the faintest suspicion that 
 the honest or silly sailor Prince had ever been susceptible of romantic 
 love, or enjoyed the gift of Avriting in a tone of Wertherian sentiment." 
 The Daily News thus describes it : " As a matter of history the story 
 is deserving of more critical investigation than it has yet received. . . . 
 The name of Baron Eeichenbach, the well-known philosopher, is a 
 sufficient guarantee for the good faith of his narrative." 
 
 However, it is not difficult to discover the material out of which 
 this legend has been constructed; and Mr. Huish, the eminent 
 chiffonier in such matters, supplies them. During his residence in 
 Hanover the Prince had formed a connection with a lady there, whom 
 he is said to have repudiated with her offspring. She came to London, 
 furnished with legal papers, &c., attesting the truth of her case. 
 Advertisements were put in the papers, and the Prince found himself 
 obliged to make some arrangement in the way of allowance, &c., and 
 sent her back to Hanover. This, beyond question, is the foundation 
 of the Linsingen legend.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 At this point it will be interesting to look back and see 
 of what stuff British captains and British admirals 
 were made in those old days. Such is well known from 
 the more general accounts of exploits such as the 
 innumerable sea-fights fought under Nelson, Howe, St. 
 Vincent, Cochrane, Collingwood, and other famous com- 
 manders. The naval biographies, which fill a large 
 department of the library, are astonishing records of 
 gallantry and heroism ; but more remarkable and less 
 known are the achievements of inferior and obscure 
 men — the unparalleled display of desperate gallantry 
 in the ordinary round of duty. Not less remarkable, 
 too, was the abundance of other gifts and qualities 
 which supplemented this bravery and made it doubly 
 effective, viz. sagacity, coolness, prompt resolution in 
 difficulty, and that surprising instinct which knows 
 when a perilous enterprise may be attempted, from 
 reliance on a knowledge of the opposing enemy. These 
 extraordinary enterprises almost take the breath away, 
 and in one respect offer a singular contrast to the mode 
 now in fashion, when ordinary services are requited 
 by the most lavish distribution of honours and rewards. 
 In those days men like Collingwood were delighted to
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM lY. 29 
 
 receive a medallion as the guerdon, and were often 
 refused the promotion of a deserving officer. Nothing, 
 however, will exhibit the prowess of these so well as a 
 short account of some officers whose names are known 
 but to few, and whose glories are unsung save in the 
 chronicles of their day. They were the Paladins of the 
 great war, who did their work in a quiet, unostentatious 
 fashion. These were the brave Captains Faulkner, father 
 and son, forgotten now, but the story shows what 
 desperate stuff there was in our seamen — the calm 
 calculation, the coolness in danger, and the amazing 
 power of doing by attempting to do. 
 
 These Faulkners belonged to a family of " sea-dogs," 
 who for four or five generations had fought for their 
 country. No less than seven or eight of these gallant 
 captains and admirals could be counted. But Captain 
 Kobert Faulkner, who flourished about the middle of 
 last century, and his son, were the most conspicuous. 
 After attaining to the command of the Bcllona, a seventy- 
 four, and 550 men, he signalised himself by his famous 
 action with Le Courageux, in August, 1761. The dry, 
 modest report by the victor is as follows : " Be pleased," 
 he says — from which one would suppose that some 
 ordinary business-like exploit had been performed — 
 " to acquaint my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 
 that on the fourteenth instant, at three p.m., we saw 
 three sail in the S.W. quarter. We immediately gave 
 chase, and by their crowding from us soon suspected 
 them to be enemies. We came up but slowly with 
 them, and continued the chase all night. At five a.m. 
 we got almost up with the frigates ; at six the Brilliant 
 began to engage one of them, and soon after the other 
 also. At twenty-five minutes after six we came along- 
 side the large ship, and began to engage as near as
 
 30 THE LIFE AND TUIES OF 
 
 possible ; at tliirty-four minutes after six our mizen- 
 mast went away by the enemy's shot, and at forty- 
 five minutes after six the enemy's mizen-mast went 
 over the side. At four minutes after seven the large 
 ship struck, which proved Le Courageux, of seventy- 
 four guns, commanded by M. du Gue Lambert, having 
 on board 700 men, from St. Domingo. The Brilliant 
 continued to engage the two frigates ; at half-past 
 seven the French frigates bore away, and neither of our 
 ships were in a condition to pursue them ; at the same 
 time the prize's main-mast went away. We found our 
 lower rigging much cut ; the fore-mast, main-mast, and 
 main-top-mast much shattered. We lost in action 6 
 men, and had 28 wounded ; the enemy had 240 men 
 slain, and 110 wounded." 
 
 M. Lambert was the commander of Le Courageux, 
 and at six o'clock bore down on his enemy. The English 
 captain then addressed his men in a short speech, and 
 explained his plan to them : " I have been bred a 
 seaman from my youth, and consequently am no orator ; 
 but I promise to carry you all near enough, and then 
 you may speak for yourselves. Nevertheless, I think it 
 necessary to acquaint you with the plan I propose to 
 pursue in taking this ship, that you may be the better 
 prepared to execute my orders with quickness and 
 facility. French men-of-war have been taken with their 
 guns lashed on the opposite side. They know little of 
 this business ; put them to management, and they run 
 into confusion ; for this reason I propose to lead you 
 close on the enemy's larboard quarter, when we will 
 discharge two broadsides, and then back astern, and 
 range upon the other quarter, and so tell your guns 
 as you pass. I recommend it at all times to point 
 chiefly at the quarters, with your guns slanting fore and
 
 "WILLIAM IV. 31 
 
 aft, this is the principal part of a ship. If you kill the 
 officers, break the rudder, and snap the braces, she is 
 yours, of course ; but for this reason I desire you may 
 only fire one round shot and grape above, and two 
 round shot only below ; take care and send them home 
 with exactness. This is a rich ship ; they will render 
 you in return their weight in gold." 
 
 Having made this manly harangue, he proceeded to 
 carry out his plan, receiving two broadsides before 
 returning a shot. Then, carrying out his manoeuvre of 
 backino- astern, her middle mast fell over the stern 
 with a number of men, who were in the tops, and 
 clambered back into their ship- only bruised. The 
 astonished enemy knew not what to make of such an 
 enemy. Taken in all directions, beat and buffeted on 
 every quarter, the captain killed, her mast gone, the 
 main-mast falling, her tiller rope cut, her quarters laid 
 open, 240 of her crew killed, 138 wounded, courage sub- 
 mitted to superior power, and the mast fell with the flag. 
 
 The Bellona only lost five men and twenty wounded. 
 The captain threw ofi" his coat in the action, though so 
 doing made him a conspicuous mark for the enemy. 
 When he got home a young lady was captivated by his 
 heroism and married him. After some years this brave 
 officer, wishing to have a more quiet life, asked for a 
 royal yacht in this modest strain : 
 
 " He is first to observe, that his grandfatlier was a 
 captain in the Koyal Navy, that he commanded the 
 Orforcl in Queen Anne's war, where he had the calf of 
 his leg shot away in an engagement. Your memorialist's 
 father was captain of the Victory, and perished with that 
 ship among the many ; besides several uncles and 
 brothers that were captains or lieutenants, who were 
 either killed or ended their days in the King's service.
 
 32 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 "That your memorialist has been thirty and one 
 years in the Eoyal Navy — twenty and five years of 
 which a commissioned officer, and ahnost ten years a 
 post captain. Your memorialist was at the siege of 
 Carthagena ; and was one of those three hundred volun- 
 teers that served on board the Galicia when she was 
 sent to batter the ramparts of the city, where he was so 
 severely wounded in the ankle by a grape-shot, as to go 
 upon crutches for six months, the effects of which he 
 feels to this day. That your memorialist commanded 
 His Majesty's sliip the Bellona in the last war, when 
 he had the good fortune to engage and take Le 
 Courageux, a ship of equal force. 
 
 " These circumstances induce your memorialist to 
 request your lordship to give him the command of a 
 yacht, when one shall become vacant. 
 
 " Your memorialist begs leave to refer his general 
 character, as an officer, to any of the admirals in the 
 service your lordship shall think proper to inquire of." 
 
 It was the general custom in those days to assume 
 that every man did no more than he ought to do, 
 and had no claim to reward. His request it was 
 found not convenient to gratify. He died in 1769. 
 His son Kobert was, of course, put into the navy, 
 where from his midshipman days upwards he saw 
 nothing but fighting, obtaining the command of the 
 Zebra, a sloop of only sixteen guns. Forming part of 
 an expedition to the West Indies to attack Port Eoyal, 
 in the island of Martinique, his vessel and the Asia 
 were ordered into the harbour to attack the forts. Sir 
 John Jarvis, the admiral, describes what follows : " This 
 combination succeeded in every part, except the entrance 
 of the Asia, which failed for the want of precision in the 
 lieutenant of the port, Monsieur de Tourelles, who had
 
 WILLIAM IV. 33 
 
 undertaken to pilot tlie Asia. Captain Faulkner, observ- 
 ing that ship baffled in her attempts, and the Zehra 
 having been under a shower of grape-shot for a great 
 length of time (which he, his officers, and sloop's 
 company, stood with a firmness not to be described), he 
 determined to undertake the service alone ; and he 
 executed it with matchless intrepidity and conduct, 
 running the Zehra close to the wall of the fort, and 
 leaping overboard, at the head of his sloop's company, 
 assailed and took this important post before the boats 
 could get on shore, although they rowed with all the 
 force and animation which characterise English seamen 
 in the face of an enemy. No language of mine can 
 express the merit of Captain Faulkner upon this occa- 
 sion; but as every officer and man in the army and 
 squadron bears testimony to it, the incomparable action 
 cannot fail of being recorded in the page of history. 
 The Grenadiers and Light Infantry made good use of 
 their field-pieces and muskets ; and soon after the 
 surrender of the fort took place." 
 
 Captain Faulkner had to be the pilot of his own 
 vessel, owino' to a curious circumstance. 
 
 When the action was commencing, observing a 
 visible confusion in the countenance of the pilot of 
 the Zehra, when he received orders to place the sloop 
 close under the walls of Fort Koyal, Captain Faulkner 
 
 said to one of the officers : " I think Mr. seems 
 
 confused, as if he did not know what he was about. 
 Was he ever in action before ? " " Many times, sir ; he 
 has been twenty-four years in the service." Captain 
 Faulkner, however, being more convinced that his sus- 
 picion was w^ell founded, went up to the pilot, and 
 asked him some trifling question, to ascertain the real 
 state of the case, when his agitation was such as entirely 
 
 VOL. I. i>
 
 34 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 to render liim incapable of giving any answer. But he 
 added in a low voice, and without raising his eyes to his 
 noble commander's face — "I see your honour knows me. 
 I am unfit to guide her. I don't know what is come 
 over me. I dreamt last night I should be killed, and 
 am so afraid I don't know what I am about. I never, 
 in all my life, felt afraid before." 
 
 In a letter to his mother, beo-innino- " Honoured 
 Madam," he describes his escapes ; how he had " a 
 cartouche box, which is made of thick wood, buckled 
 round my body, with pistol cartridges in it, for the 
 pistol I carried by my side. As the Zebra came close 
 to the fort, a grape-shot struck, or rather grazed my 
 rio-ht-hand knuckle, and shattered the cartouche in the 
 centre of my body ; had it not miraculously been there, 
 I must have been killed on the spot. Thanks to 
 Almighty God for his kind preservation of me in the 
 day of battle ! 
 
 " Postscript. — The Admiral has appointed me to the 
 Rose, paying me such compliments, that it is impossible 
 for me to relate them. The sword and colours of Fort 
 Eoyal were delivered to me by the Governor of the 
 Fort ; and I take some credit to myself that, after the 
 Zebra had stood a heavy fire, and when we had the 
 power to retaliate — for we were mounted upon the walls 
 — I would not allow a man to be hurt, on their being 
 panic-struck, and calling for mercy." 
 
 At last, in 1795, this brave ofiicer's career was to 
 come to a close in a sad but fitting style. Near Fort 
 Fleur de I'Epee, he found himself in the Blanche, with 
 thirty-two guns, watching a French frigate, the La 
 Pique, of thirty-eight and a number of swivels, and 
 360 men. This French frigate kept cautiously under
 
 WILLIAM ly. 35 
 
 shelter of the fort, but at last was tempted out. After 
 some distant firing, they came to close quarters : 
 
 "At one A.M. put our helm a-starboard, and ran 
 across her stern, and lashed her bowsprit to our cap- 
 stan ; kept firing our quarter-deck guns, and other 
 guns that would bear into her, and musketry ; which 
 she returned from her tops, and from her quarter-deck 
 guns, run in amidship fore and aft. At this time our 
 main and mizen-masts went overboard, and they wanted 
 to board us, but were repulsed." 
 
 The vessels were then getting separated, and the 
 brave Faulkner was actually lashing the bowsprits of 
 the two vessels together with his own hands, when he 
 was shot through the heart, from the bowsprit of the 
 other vessel. Nothing daunted, his crew continued the 
 fight. One of the survivors describes it : 
 
 " Y\Q continued keeping a constant fire of musketry 
 into her. Finding the carpenters could not make the 
 ports large enough, we blew out as much of the upper 
 transom beam as would admit the two aftermost guns 
 on the main-deck to be run out, and fired into her 
 bows. At two A.M. all her masts were shot away. In 
 this situation we towed her before the wind, engaging 
 till a quarter past five, when she called out ' That 
 she had struck !' The second lieutenant and ten men 
 then swam on board, and took possession of La Fiqiie. 
 They had 76 killed, 110 wounded, and 30 lost, with the 
 masts. Our loss, including our gallant Captain Faulkner, 
 was 8 killed, and 21 wounded. They came out on 
 purpose to fight us." 
 
 Men of this sort were not to be trifled with, or to be 
 denied. 
 
 It may be imagined that this story seized hold of 
 
 the public mind. A play was performed called the 
 
 D 2
 
 36 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 " Death of Captain Faulkner," pictures were painted 
 of tlie scene, and in the House of Commons it was 
 warmly pressed that a monument should be erected to 
 him at the public expense. This was opposed in cold 
 official style by the Government — it was against rule, 
 there was no precedent. Mr. Fox vehemently urged 
 it, and the Government was beaten, and a monument was 
 set up in St. Paul's. 
 
 What more dazzling achievement could be conceived, 
 as well for the almost supernatural daring as for the 
 sagacity that directed its operation, than the "cutting 
 out " of French vessels ! In this sort of enterprises, 
 especially English, Lord Cochrane signalised himself; 
 but not one of these brilliant actions approached to 
 the little-known " cutting out " of the Chevrette, one of 
 the most dramatic of sea battles. There is something 
 almost that belongs to comedy in the astonishment of 
 the Frenchmen, who, in the midst of the fighting, 
 found their vessel moving away, with all sails set, into 
 the hands of the enemy. 
 
 "In the month of July, 1801, a squadron of British 
 frigates, employed in watching the en^iy's fleet, lay at 
 anchor close in with the harbour of Brest, far above 
 St. Matthew's Lighthouse. The combined fleets of 
 France and Spain were full in their view ; still nearer, 
 and quite open to them, was the Bay of Cameret, where 
 the French national corvette La Chevrette lay protected 
 by the batteries. In this situation, she was considered 
 by the French as no less secure than if she had been in 
 the roads of Brest ; while the efl'ect which this seeming 
 impregnable position had upon the British squadron, 
 was to inspire a wish to cut her out. It was resolved 
 by the commander of the squadron that this attemjDt 
 should be made. Accordingly the boats of the Doris-
 
 ■\YILLIAM IV. 37 
 
 • 
 
 and BemiUeu, manned entirely by volunteers, under the 
 orders of Lieutenant Losack, wlio had been sent from 
 the admiral's ship to conduct the enterprise, set out on 
 the night of Monday, the 20th of July, to attempt 
 bringing out the corvette. But a separation of the 
 boats having taken place, no attempt was made that 
 nio;ht. Some of the boats havino; reached the entrance 
 of the bay, lay there on their oars till dawn of day, 
 in expectation of being joined by the rest ; and before 
 they got back to the frigates, were unfortunately seen 
 both from the corvette and from the shore, 
 
 "The enemy now concluded, what they had never 
 before imao^ined, that an attack was meditated. Though 
 they had judged it a measure of extreme rashness, they 
 were resolved to omit no possible preparation. In the 
 morning of the 21st they got the corvette under way, 
 moved her a mile and a half up the bay, and moored 
 lier under the batteries. They put on board of her 
 troops from the shore, so that her number of men now 
 amounted nearly to 400. The arms and ammunition 
 were brought upon deck, and the great guns were loaded 
 to the muzzle with grape-shot. The batteries were pre- 
 pared ; temporary redoubts were thrown up upon the 
 points ; and a gun- vessel, with a couple of thirty-two- 
 pounders, was moored at the entrance of the bay as a 
 guard boat. Having taken these precautions, tliey in 
 the afternoon displayed a large French ensign above an 
 Euglish one, as a signal of defiance. 
 
 "All these manoeuvres were well observed from the 
 Beaulieu, the crew of which ship had showed extraordi- 
 nary ardour to engage in this enterprise. Though they 
 now saw that a most desperate resistance was certain, 
 the severe disappointment which they experienced from 
 the fruitless expedition of the former night, filled them
 
 38 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 with eagerness to make an effectual attempt. Mr. 
 Maxwell, the first lieutenant, who had not been out on 
 the night before, and who was ordered on an expedition 
 then in agitation of carrying fireships into Brest, gladly 
 embraced this opportunity of practising his boat's crew 
 selected on this occasion, preparatory to the grand 
 object, and resolved to head his own shipmates in the 
 attack to be made that night. This officer, warned by 
 the former failure, resolved to keep his own boats in 
 close order ; and should a separation of the other boats 
 happen as before, through any unfortunate accident, ta 
 proceed to the attack with the Beaulieu^s boats alone. 
 This resolution, so congenial to their wishes, his ship- 
 mates heard with much satisfaction, and employed 
 themselves through the day in putting the arms in 
 the best order, particularly in grinding the cutlasses to- 
 cut the boarding nettings, and other imjDediments which 
 they expected to meet with. 
 
 " It was now about half-past twelve. The moon was 
 sinking beneath the horizon. The wind, which for the 
 first part of the night blew right into the bay, had been 
 dying away, and it was now a perfect calm. The night 
 was too far advanced to admit of any longer delay ; and 
 had the attempt been deferred till next night, it must 
 have been made to great disadvantage, on account of 
 the increasing moon, now in the eleventh day of her 
 age. However, Mr. Losack, and the boats which accom- 
 panied him, were still absent. These circumstances were 
 adverted to by Mr. Maxwell, who was now the senior 
 officer. He saw that there remained but one wav of 
 preventing a total failure of the enterprise ; and that 
 was, to assume the command himself, and immediately 
 to proceed to the attack with the boats present. 
 
 "About this time, by extraordinary good fortune, a
 
 WILLIAM IV. 39 
 
 gentle breeze sprung up from the south, right out of 
 the bay. This breeze, so auspicious to the success of 
 the enterprise, animated the men to enthusiasm. To 
 Mr. Maxwell it dictated a manoeuvre sino-ular and 
 
 o 
 
 daring. He gave orders that immediately upon board- 
 ing, while the rest were engaged in endeavouring to 
 disarm the enemy's crew on deck, the smartest topmen 
 of the Beaulieu, whose qualifications he well knew, 
 should fight their w^ay aloft, and cut the sails loose 
 with their cutlasses. He also appointed the most trusty 
 hands to cut the cable, one of the best men in the boats 
 for the helm, and hands for the rudder-chains, in case 
 of the tiller-ropes being cut. Having made this arrange- 
 ment for setting the ship adrift instantly upon boarding, 
 and thus takinsr advantaoe of the favourable breeze, he 
 gave orders for the charge. 
 
 " The sky being clear, though the moon was set, they 
 soon came in sight of the corvette, and were as soon 
 seen from her. The instant she hailed, at the distance 
 of four or five cables, she opened a heavy fire of 
 musketry from every part of the shi^D, accompanied 
 by showers of grape-shot from the great guns. A 
 heavy fire of musketry at the same time commenced 
 from the shore and batteries ; in the face of which, 
 the Beaulieu's boats, in the most gallant and intrepid 
 manner, rushed on to the attack, most nobly assisted by 
 those of the Uremic, commanded by Lieutenant Neville, 
 who stood up in his boat, cheering and animating his 
 men with the most undaunted bravery, while the bullets 
 were flying about their heads like hail, and many were 
 dropping down, killed or wounded, before they came 
 alongside. When they reached the vessel, the Beaulieu' s 
 boats boarded on the starboard bow and quarter ; the 
 Uranies, one of the Robust' s, and one of the Doris 8 on
 
 40 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the larboard bow. The attempt to board was most 
 obstinately opposed by the French, armed at all points 
 with fire-arms, sabres, tomahawks, and pikes, who in 
 their turn even boarded the boats. 
 
 "Notwithstanding this obstinate resistance, in the 
 course of Avhich the assailants lost all their fire-arms, 
 and had nothing remaining but their swords, the board- 
 in 2^ was efiected. The men who had been ordered for 
 that service proceeded to fight their way aloft. In 
 this attempt several of them were killed, and others 
 desperately wounded ; but the rest persevered with 
 unparalleled courage. Many of them, bleeding of their 
 wounds, got upon the yards, upon which they were 
 obliged to scramble out with their cutlasses, upon their 
 hands and knees, the foot-ropes having been all strapped 
 up ; and, surmounting every obstacle, they executed, 
 with inconceivable expedition, the arduous service in 
 which they were engaged. In less than three minutes 
 after the boats came alongside, in the very heat of the 
 conflict, when almost half of the British sailors were 
 killed or wounded, and the enemy were three to one 
 against them, down came the three top-sails and courses, 
 the ship at the same time casting, the cable being cut 
 outside. 
 
 " The prompt execution of these operations proved 
 decisive. The moment the French saw the sails fall, 
 and found themselves, as if by a miracle, under way 
 and drifting out, they were seized with astonishment 
 and consternation. Some of them jumped overboard, 
 others threw down their arms and tumbled down the 
 hatchways. The British sailors now soon got possession 
 of the Cjuarter-deck and forecastle, which in five minutes 
 after boarding were nearly covered with dead bodies. 
 The rest of the enemy, having retreated below, kept
 
 WILLIAM IV. 41 
 
 up a heavy fire of musketry from the main-deck and 
 up the hatchways. They also frequently set off large 
 trains of powder, endeavouring to blow up the quarter- 
 deck, and throw the British into confusion. This 
 obliged the British to divide into two parties. One 
 party guarded the hatchways and gangways, and 
 returned the fire of the enemy with their own arms and 
 ammunition. The other party made sail ; in order to 
 clear the decks for which it was necessary for them to 
 throw overboard two or three dozen of the Frenchmen 
 who had fallen in the conflict, among whom were some 
 of their own gallant companions. 
 
 " The engagement had now lasted upwards of two 
 hours, though during this time the enemy had kept 
 up a constant fire from the main-deck and from the 
 shore, yet the British seamen managed to set every 
 sail in the ship, and had even got to]D-gallant-yards 
 across. The ship being now quite clear of the batteries, 
 and our men having twice threatened that they would 
 give the enemy no quarter if they continued their fire 
 from below, they at last surrendered themselves prisoners 
 of war."
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The glorious naval war which was carried on for so 
 many years could not but have some marked eflfect 
 on the manners and social habits of the times. As 
 it is j^roposed in these volumes to give a view of society, 
 and the fashion in which it was directed by these excep- 
 tional influences, further on we shall consider more at 
 length the character of English society at the beginning 
 of the reign of William IV.; but in this place it may 
 be readily conceived what an effect on the home and 
 family a long sustained naval war would exercise. 
 
 In lookino' back to the characteristics of Ensflish 
 society, from the beginning of George III.'s reign to 
 the close of the great war in 1815, there were certain 
 elements of a marked characteristic which deserve to be 
 noted. This study, or at least observation of the charac- 
 teristics of society is always interesting, and it would 
 not be difficult to sum up pretty accurately the various 
 *' notes " of the old English society towards the close 
 of the last century. These were : the grand tour — 
 that is, travelling as a means of learning the science of 
 the world. Travel, being then difficult, called out all 
 the resources of the character, independence, facing of 
 difficulties, patient resting on one's own resources. It
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIDIES OF WILLIAM IV. 4S 
 
 was slow and tedious, and more was therefore seen and 
 noted. Languages were learnt, as English was then 
 little known upon the Continent. It may be conceived 
 how a couple of years' travelling on this system must 
 have opened the character. Next came the valuable 
 system of introduction to foreign Courts. A young 
 man of good birth or connections invariably brought 
 letters to the different kings and Courts. He made 
 acquaintance with all the leacKng statesmen and wits. 
 These experiences were often embodied in pleasing 
 volumes of travels or long graphic letters, which can 
 be read with pleasure. Another singular feature was 
 the reception of English into French society, both before 
 and after the Eevolution ; and readers of Selwyn's and 
 other " Memoirs " will be surprised to see how con- 
 stantly Lord March, Selwyn, Mr. Bolingbroke, Walpole, 
 and other men of wit and position, were hurrying to 
 Paris for the season. There they bought their velvet 
 suits from Le Due, the eminent tailor, just as French- 
 men come to London for their suits now. Even down 
 to the earlier years of Charles X.'s reign, literally 
 thousands of fashionable English would go over to Paris 
 for the season. The expense and slowness of the post 
 led to the greater care in the composition of a letter. 
 It was j)robablc that, in the dearth of news, the newly- 
 arrived letter would be shown to friends and neio-hbours ; 
 hence the inducement to write one's best, and hence 
 the long and really entertaining letters we find sent 
 home by young men to their families from abroad, 
 filled with lively gossip and shrewd traits of observa- 
 tion. These have been preserved in the Bath Archives, 
 Malmesbury Diaries, and other collections. Nor should 
 we pass over the settlement in foreign countries either 
 of free choice or enforced. To the former class bclonofcd
 
 ii THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the liealtli resort of jMontpellier, to wlncli invalids re- 
 paired as to Nice or Cannes, and whose reputation, now 
 completely faded out, still lives in the innumerable 
 " Montpellier Terraces " and " Hills " in Brighton, Twick- 
 enham, and indeed every sheltered watering-place. Mr. 
 Sterne's wife and family, and he himself for a time, 
 lived there. Of the latter class were the curious 
 colony of debtors at Calais, of which a lugubrious but 
 not uninteresting account might be given ; and the still 
 more curious society at Verdun formed by the com- 
 pulsory detention of innumerable English subjects of 
 all degrees, and for many years. The French Eevo- 
 lution, too, brought to English society a strange 
 admixture, owing to a sad cause — the horde of 
 emigres. Flying for their lives, destitute, of the 
 highest rank in their own country, young and very old, 
 priests and laymen, venerable duchesses and beautiful 
 girls, these unhappy persons had either to live on a 
 pittance extended to them by the charitable, or to earn 
 a miserable crust by '"giving lessons" or doing menial 
 work. A more piteous spectacle could not be con- 
 ceived. All these contrasted elements, for a period of 
 fifty years, were interwoven into the texture of English 
 society, and lent it a varied character and spirit which 
 it certainly does not now possess. I propose now to go 
 more into detail as to characteristics of one class of 
 these exiles, namely, those detained abroad by the cruel 
 fate of war. 
 
 Besides the large class of English who at the 
 beginning of the century were residing abroad for 
 pleasure or economy, there was yet another more un- 
 fortunate category, who, under compulsion, were for 
 many years forced to abandon all hope of setting foot 
 in their own country. This presents quite a new phase
 
 WILLIAM lY. 45 
 
 of Englisli society and English manners, and gave an 
 additional air of adventure to the complexion of the 
 times. There was hardly a family of note without 
 some unhappy relative, connection, or friend thus 
 cruelly detained in a hostile country, and the habits 
 and character thus eno-endered were, it mav be con- 
 ceived, of an exceptional kind and rather un-English. 
 No such incident as this seizure and imprisonment 
 of a number of inoffensive persons, who had committed 
 no crime beyond being away from their own country, 
 is on record ; and this alone would stamp Napoleon 
 as having a barbarous and even savage nature. The 
 history of the detenus, and the special and ingeniously 
 diabolical form of their sufferings, would fill volumes ; 
 but a sketch of the whole will not be found out of 
 place here, and it forms a painfully interesting chapter. 
 
 When Lord Whitvvorth finally quitted Paris iu 
 May, 1803, the English, on the 18th of that month, 
 declared war against France, and, according to their 
 custom, seized all vessels found in their ports on the 
 instant of the declaration. This, it must be said, seems 
 a harsh measure, and if the seizure applied to the crews 
 might warrant some sort of reprisal or remonstrance. 
 But the behaviour of the English Government was 
 generous. They who could not find any persons of 
 respectability to answer for their good behaviour were 
 obliged to quit the kingdom, and for those who were 
 unable to defray the expenses of the journey and 
 voyage a vessel was prepared at the Government's 
 expense, and five guineas given to each person for 
 his present necessities. As it was, the numerous 
 English in France, some days before the declaration, 
 were hurrying from France, exciting the ridicule and 
 remonstrance of the French. But scarcely had Lord
 
 46 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF * 
 
 Whitwortli left Paris, when tlie telegraphs or sema- 
 phores were set to work, an instrument which then 
 worked with surprising results and rapidity, and in 
 a single night every English person found between 
 Brussels and Montpellier, Geneva and Bordeaux, was 
 seized. Some were called out of the theatre, others 
 stopped at Calais when going on board. The number 
 of persons detained amounted to over five hundred, 
 including all ranks, from noblemen to poor English 
 workmen who were employed in France. 
 
 At first three depots were formed. The English at 
 Paris, Rouen, etc., were sent to Fontainebleau, those in 
 the south to Nismes, while those at Brussels, Boulogne, 
 etc., were gathered at Yalenciennes. Nothing could 
 exceed the harshness and insolence of the generals and 
 other officers before whom the English were summoned 
 like criminals, and which seems to show that the French 
 have no sense of returning the moderation shown by 
 Englishmen when put in situations of power, and which, 
 indeed, the latter feel is only due to their own sense 
 of self-respect. At Valenciennes, where they were kept 
 some time, Lord Barrington was regarded as the chief 
 of the party, and through his tact and influence contrived 
 many alleviations of their position. 
 
 But soon orders came that all the prisoners were to 
 be united at a single depot, namely, Verdun ; and now 
 began the systematised plunder of the '' detained," many 
 of whom had money. They were ordered to find their 
 way there separately. Those who chose to pay might 
 go in their own chaise, attended by a gendarme whom 
 they were to support, and to whom they were to pay 
 five francs. If, as some did, they declined to submit to 
 this imposition, they were sent like malefactors from 
 town to town, and thrust for the night into the common
 
 WILLIA^I ly. 47 
 
 jails. Some wlio were poor and with families suffered 
 terrible hardships, going in carts ; and the arrival of 
 such a number of strangers — nearly four hundred, of 
 which it was calculated about one hundred were wealthy 
 and flourishius: — was of enormous benefit to this town. 
 Lodgings, food, raiment, everything doubled in price. 
 The streets, which boasted only a few mean shops, were 
 nowfilled with windows full of jewellery and costly articles. 
 Every facility was given for running into debt, discount- 
 ing bills on England, etc. The commander of the depot 
 was a General Wirion, who had risen and who attained 
 notoriety by his system of despotism, cruelty, and 
 pillage. This fellow, who had begun by being an 
 attorney's clerk, was subject to strange bursts of fury 
 and excitement. He surrounded himself with spies, 
 and brought preying on the "detained" and enriching 
 himself into a system. Everyone had to appear to the 
 appel and sign his name within twenty-four hours ; 
 failure entailed fines. There were payments for exemp- 
 tion and privileges, and it was calculated that for a 
 time he received fifty pounds a month. 
 
 It must be said, however, that the behaviour of the 
 English under these restraints was almost an excuse for 
 any treatment. It was of the most reckless, extrava- 
 gant and debauched kind that could be conceived, and 
 showed a total lack of dignity and self-respect. Plea- 
 sure and caprice seemed their sole aim, and this was 
 sought with much obsequious fawning and familiarity 
 towards their jailers, who were thus, as it were, invited 
 to treat them with contempt and receive what was so 
 eagerly ofi"ered. 
 
 When it is considered what an extraordinary mis- 
 cellany was here collected, and the despair produced 
 by the sense left of there being no chance of release.
 
 48 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 there is something surprising. " Here," says the bio- 
 graplier of Captain Brenton, "all the English detenus 
 were assembled, forming perhaps one of the most 
 extraordinary groups of character that had ever been 
 collected in the same spot. There were many highly 
 respectable and exemplary persons, some of whom 
 had been travelling in France for their pleasure, some 
 for the purpose of educating their children, and some 
 for economy. There were others whose sole object 
 was curiosity or dissipation. There were many skilful 
 artificers who had brouoht their talent to a French 
 market, and were engaged in setting up manufactures 
 that might rival or surpass their own country. There 
 were many who, from seditious conduct, had found it 
 necessary to take shelter in France. There were 
 fraudulent bankrupts and broken tradesmen. There 
 were many who had fled from their creditors, and even 
 some who had fled from the gallows. With this motley 
 assemblage the prisoners of war were involved, en- 
 veloped in one measure, subject to the same proscrip- 
 tion and the same parole. The amalgamation was not 
 very favourable to the latter, particularly to the younger 
 branches of the service." 
 
 These persons transferred the fashionable vices of 
 London to Verdun. They established clubs, and, above 
 all, a gaming-house, where the unhappy prisoners learned 
 every vice. Wirion was said to have been a share- 
 holder. Young midshipmen even frequented these 
 hells, and w^re ruined for life. Money-lenders and 
 pawnbrokers flourished. With this there were extra- 
 vagant entertainments, dances, fetes, fancy balls, and 
 theatricals ; for the privilege of giving which entertain- 
 ments large sums had to be paid. 
 
 It is pitiable to read of the adulation paid to
 
 WILLIA:\I IV. 49 
 
 the General, who was always accessible to bribes, 
 presents, and flatteries. He was manageable if he 
 was approached in the proper way, and was fond of 
 repeating with many flourishes: ''Homo sum et," etc. 
 The detenus laughed, joked at their own misfortunes, 
 made satirical verses on each other, fought duels, 
 quarrelled w^ith the gendarmes, and certainly tried their 
 patience. Many, too, made their escape, some violating 
 their parole, which of course entailed greater severity 
 on those left behind. Those who were rich and of high 
 station, set a bad example, and exhibited all the 
 scandals of the time, purchasing toleration for their 
 vices. There w\as a fortress, well known as Bitche 
 {and celebrated in Douglas Jerrold's "Prisoner of 
 War "), where anyone who violated the rules was sent 
 for confinement, and whence release or alleviation of 
 hardship was only to be secured by payment. The 
 incidents have an air of farce. The parvenu General now 
 affecting the airs of state, now mollified by douceurs, 
 is now in a fury because some of the prisoners' ladies 
 had not called on Madame Wirion. The great fetes and 
 masquerades given by the Irish and Welsh in honour of 
 their patron saints, the ball to which Madame Wirion 
 had not been asked, and which was broken up by the 
 gendarmes under threats of " Bitche." 
 
 Amono- the persons of position assembled here were 
 Sir T. Wallace, the Kight Hon. Mr. Tufton of Lord 
 Thanct's family, Hon. Mr. Blaquiere, Sir John Morshead, 
 Colonel Wallop, Sir W. Sheridan, Sir S. May, M.P., 
 Lord Boyle, Colonel Milner of the Guards, Sir Beaumont 
 Dixie, Hon. ]Mr. Dormer, and others. Besides these 
 there were scattered about France dukes and duchesses 
 .(as of Newcastle), Lord Yarmouth, and many more. Most 
 ■of these distinguished persons, however, obtained per- 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 50 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 mission to live in villas in the country under due super- 
 vision. The characteristic part was the alternation of 
 brutal severities with lavish indulgences, persons who 
 had enjoyed favourable treatment being of a sudden 
 draoo-ed off and thrust into a dungeon, or beino^ beaten 
 
 OO CD ^ O 
 
 by the gendarmes and dragged with ropes round their 
 necks at the tails of the horses, all which is simificant 
 of the " grande nation " which in those days at Court 
 exhibited their tiger and monkey nature. In contrast 
 to which may be offered the behaviour of a noble sailor, 
 the brave Captain Brenton, who showed in his captivity 
 a truer heroism and bravery than he had ever displayed 
 in his many battles. His vessel, the Minerve, as was in 
 so many cases a captured French one used against its 
 late owners, ran ao-round off Cherbours^ in a foof, and 
 after a desperate engagement had to surrender.'"" The 
 English in such cases regarded their prisoners as victims 
 of fatality and generously released them ; not so the 
 " great nation," who marched them to jail. 
 
 Nothins^ could be more devoted or unwearied than 
 this gallant man. He constituted himself the guardian 
 and representative of all there, looked after the young, 
 formed schools, reformed the old, and won the respect 
 of all, so that any representations of his came to be 
 
 * A British sailor who had both his legs shot off -while the 
 Minerve lay under the fire of the batteries was carried to the cockpit. 
 Waiting for his turn to be dressed, he heard the cheers of the crew on 
 deck, and eagerly demanded what they meant. Being told the ship 
 was off the shoal, and would soon be clear of the forts, " Then, d — n 
 the legs ! " exclaimed the poor fellow, and taking his knife from his 
 pocket he cut the remaining muscles which attached them to him and 
 joined in the cheers Avith the rest of his comrades. When the ship 
 Avas taken he was placed in the boat to be conveyed to the hospital ; 
 but, determined not to outlive the loss of his liberty, he slackened his- 
 tourniquets, and bled to death.
 
 WILLLUI IV. 51 
 
 considered with respect and attention by the authorities, 
 who were eager to gratify him when they could. He 
 succeeded in checking the dreadful excesses of gambling 
 and in having it put down by the authorities. He was 
 allowed even to make tours of inspection from depot to 
 depot. It is impossible to give too much praise to the 
 earnest efibrts of this gallant man. He also introduced 
 a sort of missionary, a Eev. Mr. "Wolfe, who thus 
 describes the condition of the prisoners at Givet : 
 
 " I found the depot in the most deplorable state. 
 In a moral point of view, it would be difficult to con- 
 ceive anything more degraded and miserable. As 
 regards religion, every appearance of it was confined to 
 some twenty Methodists, who were the objects of the 
 most painful persecution, and often the innocent cause 
 of the most dreadful blasphemies. The bodily priva- 
 tions of the prisoners were equally distressing. In the 
 hospital, the sick were mixed with prisoners of other 
 nations, and were in a shocking state of neglect, and 
 covered with vermin. Not a single prisoner was allowed 
 to go out into the town, and even the interpreter was 
 accompanied by a gendarme. It was almost impossible 
 for any of them to get anything from their friends, for 
 there was no one to receive it for them ; and the little 
 that did come was subjected to a deduction of five per 
 cent, by the marechal des logis. And so great was their 
 distress at that moment, that, unable to satisfy the 
 cravings of hunger, they were seen to pick up the 
 potato-peelings that were thrown out into the court 
 and devour them." 
 
 One of Bonaparte's most cruel schemes of vengeance 
 was to force the prisoners, by various hardships and acts 
 of oppression, to enter his service. At other times 
 " every artifice of seduction, was employed, and in this 
 
 E 3
 
 52 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 latter department the tyrant found ready instruments 
 among certain renegades of the AVolfe Tone persuasion. 
 Adroit, plausible Irishmen, in gaudy uniforms, and with 
 the decoration of the Legion of Honour, beset the 
 prisoners with every flattery, scattered money freely 
 among them, and invited them to follow their example, 
 and hope for promotion and rewards like their own. 
 They had considerable success among the Irish sailors, 
 not a few of whom enlisted for the flotillas at Boulogne 
 and elsewhere ; but more, it seems, became substitutes 
 for army conscripts of the easier classes of society, and 
 were soon drilled and equipped." — [Quarterly Review, 
 1846, p. 296.) Captain Brenton found, one day at 
 Verdun, an Eno-lish sailor en route for Givet — an old 
 coxswain of Collingwood's, whose eyes had been scorched 
 in battle, and had since dropped out of his head. He 
 forwarded to Paris a petition for his release. The 
 answer was : " On n'accorde pas la petition de Monsieur 
 Brenton. Que son aveugle file avec les autres." 
 
 The allowance to the prisoners of low condition 
 was about three halfpence a day ; the officers of rank, 
 generals, etc., about seven pounds a month. But from 
 this pittance were all kinds of deductions for the benefit 
 of the grotesque Wirion and his subordinates. Even 
 false charges were trumped up against the detenus, though 
 it seems likely enough from their reckless behaviour 
 that these may have been well founded. But in either 
 ease, money could always purchase immunity. This 
 extraordinary being was always to be gained by flatteries 
 and attentions. 
 
 Indeed this prototype of "General Boum" furnished 
 amusement to the reckless and obsequious, who were 
 constantly ridiculing him and his lady, whom they 
 nicknamed Madame Angot. They allowed him to
 
 WILLIA:\r lY. 55 
 
 •win money of tliem in gaming, and wlien he had 
 been particularly fortunate, he was williug to grant 
 privileges to the losers. Having to attend Bonaparte's 
 coronation, the General borrowed a rich Englisliman's 
 carriaa:e and took it to Paris. 
 
 But at last when the Minister of War, Avho had 
 been his friend, was removed, and another, the Duke 
 of Feltre, appointed in his room, this oppressor was 
 deposed and summoned to Paris to answer charges. 
 Sooner than 'face the trial,- he went into the Bois de 
 Bouloo;ne and blew his brains out. 
 
 Some of the entertainments given so recklessly by 
 the Euglish were truly remarkable. In February, 1 807, a 
 masquerade was " offered," at the expense of four gentle- 
 men, two of whom were prisoners of war, the others 
 detenus. None of Lord Barrymore's fetes at Wargrave 
 could have surpassed it in eclat. One of the largest 
 hotels was decorated to the very foot of the staircase 
 with festoons of flowers, devices, illuminations, etc. 
 The supper was sumptuous, and everything regardless 
 of cost. "One mask was inimitable as a negro ; another 
 made a most capital tailor. Some changed their 
 costume, and appeared successively in different charac- 
 ters. All the English ladies, and the principal French 
 families were invited. The supper was sumptuous, the 
 tables laid out in different rooms ; and the company 
 remained for a regular breakfast. The whole passed 
 with the greatest gaiety." 
 
 This, however, was completely eclipsed by the 
 entertainment given by the Irish on the festival of 
 their patron. Mr. Watson, who was president, had a 
 vice-president and four stewards under him. About 
 eighty persons sat down to dinner at a louis each. 
 The dancing saloon of one of the coffee-houses was
 
 64 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 entirely filled witli an immense table in the form of a 
 double J_, at tlie liead of which sat the president, under 
 a green canopy, decorated with the Irish harp and 
 motto, Erin go Bragh, ^'elegantly painted by Mr. Halpin." 
 The invitation had been printed on green cards, with 
 the same motto and device. It would be needless to 
 say that no expense was spared either in the kitchen or 
 cellar. A quantity of claret arrived from Bordeaux, 
 at a price enormous in France, seven livres and a half 
 the bottle. An Irishman, who on his way to India had 
 been taken by the French and sent to Verdun, was a 
 perfect master of the Irish bagpipes. A number of songs 
 were suno-. The folio wins: was written for the occasion : 
 
 Like ourselves the good Patrick in France was detain'd, 
 But like a true Christian he never complain'd. 
 For the son of the Church, by permission divine. 
 Was a pris'ner at Bordeaux, the country for "wine. 
 
 It was not surprising that such inappropriate waste 
 and extravagance should be followed by debts and 
 difficulties. Usurers infested the town, and thoug^h for 
 a year or two the detenus were privileged, pressure was 
 brought to bear on the Government, and leave at last 
 given to use the process of law, which was added 
 to other modes of extracting money. It must be said, 
 reviewing the whole proceedings, that the English them- 
 selves brought much of the treatment they so bitterly 
 complained of, on themselves. 
 
 Among the most exciting incidents were constant 
 successful attempts at escape. Here, again, we find 
 frequent violations of parole. Ninety-six persons were 
 said to have got away during the two years succeeding 
 Wirion's recall. At last Bonaparte issued a decree con- 
 demning to death or the galleys any who violated their
 
 WILLIAM IV. 55- 
 
 parole, Tlie one that made tlie most noise was that of 
 the Chevalier Lawrence, who contrived to get away by 
 purchasing a passport. 
 
 At last, in December, 1814, news arrived that the 
 Allies had passed the Rhine, and the long-suffering 
 ■detenus received the welcome order that they were to quit 
 the depot. This notice was so short that it led to much 
 hardship and confusion ; for it had now become a regular 
 colony, having grown during eleven years, consisting of 
 100 married men, 1100 prisoners of all ranks, 200 of 
 whom, from age and infirmities, could not go on foot, 
 besides 500 children. These had all to break up their 
 homes and depart within three days. A worthy, humane 
 soldier, Latreille, who had w^on the esteem of the 
 Eaglish, had to superintend this painful operation. He 
 says : " The principal and most serious difficulty w^as to 
 procure money ; for being now on the theatre of war, 
 all the military chests were nearly emptied, and the 
 persons who had hitherto provided themselves with 
 funds from their Verdun bankers could not draw largely 
 on them at such a moment. By good fortune, on 
 reaching Troyes, I obtained about £300 from a pay- 
 master, which I advanced to the prisoners as their 
 wants required, without receipt, or keeping any account 
 whatever. It is a trait very honourable to the gentle- 
 men, that although I took this measure entirely upon 
 myself, everyone afterwards repaid me what I had lent." 
 By April, 1815, however, passports were given to 
 all the English to go whither they pleased ; and thus 
 •ended this unique and discreditable episode in the 
 history of warfare.'" 
 
 * la 1814 there were nearly 20,000 prisoners in England, whoso 
 repatriation, to use a lately devised and pedantic Trench term, 
 was attended with serious difficulties.
 
 66 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 As ca pendant to these strange saturnalia, we may turn 
 to what offers a more unhappy contrast — the case of the 
 French prisoners who at this time, and indeed all 
 through the war, filled the English prisons in large and 
 embarrassino; numbers. It suo^sjests the case of the 
 Prussian Government in the last war. 
 
 The difficulties of dealing with such a body of men, 
 violent and excitable, of finding places sufficiently large 
 to serve as prisons, were immense ; and these were 
 increased by the characteristic behaviour of the French 
 Government. Finding that the detention of English 
 officers and sailors was of OTeater advantao;e to them- 
 selves than the release of their own men, who would 
 soon be recaptured, they threw difficulties in the way of 
 exchange and release. They refused to exchange an 
 English captain for a French captain, considering that 
 they were not of the same value ; while an Englishman 
 of any reputation was detained for years, though a 
 Frenchman of capability and merit was offered for 
 him. 
 
 In the years 1799 and 1800 there were some 
 20,000 French prisoners in England distributed in 
 various depots, the principal of which was at Norman 
 Cross, not far from Peterborough, a healthy, airy situa- 
 tion on a hill. Here thev were treated with fairness 
 and humanity, in strange contrast to the brutality of 
 Bonaparte and the Consuls, who appeared to imitate the 
 savage mode of making their enemies feel by jDunishing 
 such of them as had fallen into their hands. The diffi- 
 culties arising from this cause, as well as the behaviour 
 of the prisoners themselves, made the task of the 
 English Government very difficult. It was found that 
 though well fed and taken care of, many of the French 
 prisoners were in des^jerate condition, owing to the
 
 WILLIAM IV. 57 
 
 followiDg cause reported by the superintendent. Their 
 allowance, he says, was quite sufficient. " There are in 
 these prisons," he observes, "some men, if they deserve 
 that name, who possess money with which they purchase 
 at the daily market w^hatever is allowed to enter, and 
 with those articles they purchase of some unfortunate 
 and unthinking fellow-prisoner his ration of bread for 
 several days together, and frequently hoth bread and 
 heef for a month, which he, the merchant, seizes upon 
 daily, and sells out again to some other unfortunate 
 beinof on the same usurious terms, allowino; the former 
 one haJfpennyivorth of potatoes daihj to keep him alive. 
 Not contented with this more than savage barbarity, he 
 purchases next his clothes and bedding, and sees the 
 miserable man lie naked on the plank, unless he will 
 consent to allow him one halfpenny a night to lie in his 
 own hammock, and which he makes him pay by a 
 further deprivation of his ration when his original debt 
 is paid." 
 
 Disputes arising out of this arose between the 
 Governments : the English appealing to the French to 
 furnish means for taking care of their prisoners, 
 especially in the matter of clothes ; the French 
 declaring that they clothed the English prisoners, and 
 that the Eni^lish were bound to do the same in the 
 case of the French. There is no doubt that the EnMish 
 authorities were responsible for the abuses in their 
 2:)risons, and there must have been some defect of 
 administration, if they could not check such practices. 
 The dispute ended in the King ordering that the wants 
 of the prisoners should be supplied. Their life was 
 not one of hardship) ; they followed many ingenious 
 trades, and in old houses are now often seen little 
 ships fashioned out of ivory and bone, and rigged,
 
 58 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 Tivliicli were sold to visitors. Many saved large sums 
 of money. Nor was there a dramatic element wanting 
 in daring and liairbreadtli escapes, wliicli have been told 
 in an exciting and picturesque style.
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 On the Prince's return lie was to pass for liis lieu- 
 tenancy, and on the I7tli of June, 1785, a full board of 
 Admiralty was held, for the examination of His Royal 
 Highness as to his qualifications. The King was said 
 to have ordered that no favour should be shown his 
 son. But Lord Howe,* who presided in person at the 
 board, told His Majesty afterwards that he had great 
 j^leasure in saying, '•' the Prince was every inch a 
 sailor." His commission, as third lieutenant of the 
 Hebe frin-ate, was then made out, after which he 
 returned to St. James's, where he changed his dress 
 of a midshipman for that of his new rank. 
 
 In this vessel he made a voyage round the British 
 Islands, during which he met with a serious accident. 
 
 " The father of the Avriter of this work," Mr. Huish tells lis, 
 " and Lord Howe wer« on terms of the greatest intiniac3\ His 
 lordship lieing on a visit to my father at Xottingham during tlie 
 latter part of the time that my mother was pregnant with me, his 
 lordship offered, on the supposition that the offspring was a hoy, and 
 that my father would hring me up to the naval service, to place me 
 on the books of the Admiralty as a midsliipman at the very hour of 
 niij birth. His lordship kept his word, and on the day on which I 
 was born, I belonged to His IMajosty's navy as a midshipman. 
 
 " The other instance is in the army, relative to a Miss Gaff, now
 
 60 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 " On the 6tli of July, the Hehe and the sloop arrived 
 in Bridlington Bay ; and the next day the Prince, with 
 Captains Thornborough and Kogers, landed amidst a 
 vast concourse of the inhabitants from all parts of the 
 country. The wind proving unfavourable, the ships lay 
 here at anchor above a week, during which time His 
 Eoyal Highness made several excursions on shore; one of 
 which, however, had like to have proved of serious 
 consequences. According to the account published at 
 the time, the Prince was thrown from his horse, and 
 received a contusion on the head, w^ith some other bruises. 
 Dr. Johnson, a physician of Beverley, being sent for, 
 took the royal j)atient home to his own house, where he 
 was bled, and slept that night ; but the next morning 
 he was sufficiently recovered to set off." 
 
 Mr. Gilpin relates the story more circumstantially 
 in his memoir of Captain Rogers. He says : " Captain 
 Rogers, on being appointed to that station, purchased a 
 little cottage not far from Yarmouth, where the Prince 
 was a frequent guest while off that coast. Here, he one 
 day persuaded Captain Rogers to make a little excursion 
 with him into the country, to see a race. They had 
 neither horses to carry them nor servants to attend 
 them, but hired, as the Prince proposed, two hackney 
 horses at Yarmouth, and went alone. Before they got 
 to the race-ground, the Prince's horse fell. The Prince 
 was thrown off, and received a very violent shock. 
 
 Mrs. McGhee, of Kilkenny, in Ireland, -whose mother -was delivered 
 of her on the field of battle, in America. Lord Cornwallis promised 
 during the time of ]\Irs. Gaff's pregnancy, that whatever her offspring 
 might be he would make it an ensign. Miss Gafif was born, and was 
 promoted immediately to be the bearer of a pair of colours, receiving 
 her pay as an ensign. On her arrival in England, she was placed at 
 Grove House, Hammersmith, then kept by Mrs, Delamain, and her 
 pay as an ensign defrayed the expenses of her education."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 61 
 
 Captain Rogers saw no signs of life in liim, and believed 
 lie was dead. Greatly distressed, lie took the Prince 
 up in his arms, and carried him by main strength to the 
 nearest cottao-e, where he laid him on such a bed as he 
 could procure. He was blooded as soon as any medical 
 assistance could be had, but it was some time before he 
 came to himself. As he lay upon the bod, pale and 
 languid, his flaxen hair discomposed and tumbled about 
 his face, a report spread in the neighbourhood that the 
 Prince was a young lady going off with her lover to 
 Scotland ; which entertained His Royal Highness very 
 much when he recovered. The old woman who inhabited 
 the cottage, on finding her mistake, and knowing the 
 quality of the guest she had received, showed the bed 
 on which the Prince had lain to all the country round, 
 at a penny a head ; and while the novelty lasted she 
 turned it into a comfortable livinfr." 
 
 These and other pranks were in the " vein of the 
 fashionable blood " of the day. " When the Duke of 
 Clarence was a very young man," Mr. Rogers tells us, 
 " he was dining at the equerries' table, when he told 
 one of his facetious stories. * Excellent,' said Major 
 Price, who was present ; ' I wish I could believe it.' 
 * If you say that again. Price, I'll send this claret at 
 your head.' He did say it again, and the claret came, 
 and it was returned. I had this," Mr. Rogers adds, 
 "from Lord St. Helens, who was of the party." 
 
 Later, our young Prince visited many countries, 
 including Italy and Switzerland, and acquiring a certain 
 knowledge ; but he seems to have always retained the 
 blunt, rough manners of his profession. 
 
 In his new ship he was sent off to visit the Scotch 
 Coast, the Orkneys, Falmouth, and other places. In 
 April, 1786, he was made a captain. He was then
 
 G2 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 appointed to the Pegasus, a small vessel carrying 
 twenty-eight guns, and sailed for the AVest Indies. 
 Anchorino' in Antii^ua on October 8th, he was delis^hted 
 to meet his friend Nelson, who was now commander of 
 the station. Their rather interesting friendship was 
 to be further strengthened, for we find the hero writing 
 home thus favourably of his royal subordinate officer on 
 December 29th, 1786 : 
 
 "You must have heard^ long before this reaches 
 you, that Prince William is under my command. I 
 shall endeavour to take care that he is not a loser by 
 that circumstance. He has his foibles, as well as 
 private men ; but they are far overbalanced by his 
 virtues. In his professional line he is superior to 
 nearly two-thirds, I am sure, of the list ; and in 
 attention to orders, and respect to his superior officer, 
 I hardly know his equal. This is what I have found 
 him." 
 
 In another letter written from Montserrat, on the 
 14th February, 1787, Nelson says : 
 
 " I am here with the Pegasus and Solehay. The 
 island has made fine addresses and good dinners. To- 
 morrow we sail for Nevis and St. Christopher's. His 
 Royal Highness keeps up strict discipline in his ship, 
 and, without paying him any compliment, she is one of 
 the finest-ordered frio;ates I have seen. He has had 
 more plague with his officers than enough. His first 
 lieutenant will, I have no doubt, be broke. I have sent 
 him under arrest, he having written for a court-martial 
 on himself, to vindicate his conduct, because his captain 
 thought proper to reprimand him in the order-book. 
 In short, our service has been so relaxed during the war, 
 that it will cost many a court-martial to bring it up 
 again."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 63 
 
 Nelson was at this time on the eve of his marriage ; 
 and, in a letter to his future bride, writes : 
 
 " What is it to attend on princes ? Let me 
 attend on yon, and I am satisfied. Some are born for 
 attendants on great men ; I rather think that is not my 
 particular province. His Royal Highness often tells 
 me, he believes I am married, for he never saw a lover 
 so easy, or say so little of the, object he has a regard 
 for. When I tell him I certainly am not, he says, 
 ' Then he is sure I must have a great esteem for yon^ 
 and that it is not what is vulgarly called love.' " 
 
 The marriage of Nelson and Mrs. Nisbet, who was 
 the widow of a physician at Nevis, took place in tha;t 
 island, March 11th, 1787. The bride was given away 
 by the Duke of Clarence. 
 
 Nelson, writing to Captain Locker, ten days after- 
 wards, off Tortola, says : 
 
 " My time since November has been entirely taken 
 np in attending the Prince on his tour round these 
 islands. However, except Granada, this is the last ; 
 when I shall repair to English Harbour, and fit the 
 Boreas for a voyage to England. Happy shall I be 
 Avhen that time arrives. No man has had more illness 
 or trouble on a station than I have experienced ; but 
 let me lay a balance on the other side — I am married 
 to an amiable woman. That fixr makes amends for 
 everything. Indeed, until I married her, I never knew 
 happiness, and I am morally certain she will continue to 
 make me a happy man for the rest of my days. Prince 
 William did me the honour to stand her father upon 
 the occasion, and has shown me every act of kindness 
 that the most sincere friendship could bestow." 
 
 The italicised words have a stranoe sic^nificancc, 
 and were true enough in their import, for had she been
 
 G4 THE LIFE AI^D TIMES OF 
 
 permitted to do so, the lady would have continued to 
 make the hero a happy man for the rest of his days. 
 And of Nelson the Prince later wrote : 
 " It was at this era he first formed his character as a 
 naval officer, and was employed in a manner highly 
 gratif3ang to his feelings. It was then that I parti- 
 cularly observed the greatness of Nelson's superior 
 mind. The manner in which he enforced the spirit 
 of the Navigation Act, nrst drew my attention to the 
 commercial interests of my country. We visited the 
 different islands together ; and, as much as the man- 
 oeuvres of fleets can be described off the headlands of 
 islands, we fought over again the principal naval actions 
 in the American war." 
 
 Indeed, he attributed all his naval knowledge to 
 Nelson's teachings, and it is something for an English 
 Prince to boast of, that he had been the friend and pupil 
 of the greatest naval hero the world had seen. 
 
 For the treatment that Nelson's dying requests received 
 a grateful nation was not accountable, but it proceeded 
 from the action of a too cautious Government. There 
 were peculiar difliculties in the case of Lady Hamilton, 
 but somehow all connected with him seemed to have 
 suffered from the same neglect. His doctor^ Magarth, 
 was told : " We admit your claim, but our parliamentary 
 interest requires all our patronage." Pollard, the mid- 
 shipman who shot the French sailor that killed Nelson, 
 was in 18G3 a lieutenant, at the age of seventy-four! 
 Nelson's chaplain, Scott, who was with him at his death, 
 was driven to the Charterhouse, from which he wrote the 
 following piteous letter : 
 
 "Dear Sir, "Charterhouse, March 31, 1813. 
 
 " It will be doing an act of charity, if you 
 see nothing improper in the enclosed letter, to present
 
 WILLIAM IV. G5 
 
 it for me, or send it so as to get it read. I have never 
 liked to trouble you, or I do not believe I sliould have 
 failed in the manner I have lately done at the Charter- 
 house. A country parson, wholly secluded from the 
 world, is but a weak adversary at an election — more so 
 if he neo;lects the counsel of those he misjht have called 
 upon, and who know the carte du pays. 
 
 "I was once without preparation or the least know- 
 ledge of His Koyal Highness, suddenly, I may say 
 somewhat clumsily, in the midst of a party, introduced 
 to the Prince. He immediately rose, grasped my hand, 
 shed tears — in short, his feelings ivere so acute, that I 
 retreated into the crowd to spare him. I never can 
 forget the pressure of his hand, nor the sensibility he 
 evinced. This was shortly after Lord Nelson's burial, 
 and ever since I felt awkward at intruding myself upon 
 him, though in fact for the last five years my illness 
 rendered it impossible. 
 
 " I am gratefully, 
 
 " Your obliged, 
 
 (( 
 
 A. Scott." 
 
 " P.S. — All the documents of my claim are in Lord 
 
 M 's hand, but I do not think it right to trouble 
 
 him to search for papers, and his word would be sufficient, 
 as to the substance of them, if he leaves it. Observe, 
 every individual accidental follower of Lord Nelson has 
 had some favour conferred upon him by the Government ; 
 I alone, for whom he spoke and solicited, and to whom 
 he bequeathed a legacy under the title of ' his friend,' 
 have hitherto been neglected. What can I say more ?" 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 66 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 It is indeed remarkable what a number of testimonies 
 have been given to this spirit of good-nature and 
 friendship in the young prince. 
 
 PEINCE WILLIAM TO CAPTAIN CHRISTIAN. 
 
 " Halifax, Sept. 30, 1788. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " Permit me to recommend the bearer of this, 
 Mrs. Dalrymple, to your notice and that of the amiable 
 Mrs. Christian. This lady is returned from America, 
 and proposes spending the winter at Portsmouth, as her 
 husband returns with his regiment next spring to Eng- 
 land. You will, my good friend, easily perceive myself 
 interested for this lady when I inform you that her 
 husband, Captain Dalrymple, passes the winter with me 
 at Jamaica. Any kindness or attention shown to her 
 I shall receive as a proof of your attention to me, which 
 I have on so many occasions experienced from you. 
 Let me desire you, to present my best wishes and most 
 respectful compliments to Mrs. Christian. Eemember 
 me to my good master, and ever believe me, 
 
 " Yours, &c., 
 
 " William." 
 
 From Antigua a planter wrote home in 1786' : 
 " Prince William Henry has been here for some time 
 past, repairing his ship ; where all ranks are vying with 
 each other in making grand entertainments for their 
 illustrious visitor. The Prince is quite the officer, never 
 wearing any other dress but his uniform, and his star 
 and garter only when receiving addresses, or on any 
 other public occasion. He has not slept a night out of 
 his ship since his arrival in these seas, until coming into 
 English harbour, when the ship's heaving down obliged
 
 WILLIAM IV. 67 
 
 him to be on sliore. His Eoyal Highness shows the most 
 amiable disposition and condescension on every occasion, 
 sees into the detail of the business of his ship, and 
 delivers his own orders with the most minute attention 
 to the duty and discipline of the frigate. In short he 
 promises to be what we all hope and wish, the restorer 
 of the ancient glory of the British navy." 
 
 Long after, the Prince used to relate how very 
 much he was impressed with Nelson's powers of com- 
 mand, and how much he owed to his instructions. On 
 taking leave of his friend he w^as much depressed, 
 particularly as Nelson was to return to England and 
 the Prince was to sail for Jamaica. In a fit of ill- 
 humour and despondency he set off, without orders, for 
 Halifax, whence he was required to go to Quebec. Not 
 relishing being obliged to stay there all the winter, the 
 young Prince set out for England, again without orders; 
 but when he reached Cork, in December, 1787, he grew 
 nervous, and bethinkino; him of his friend the Duke 
 of Rutland, whom he believed was viceroy, made up 
 despatches addressed to him. Meanwhile the Duke had 
 died, and a new viceroy had been appointed. 
 
 When the news reached London the Admiralty was 
 
 thrown into commotion, the Lords Commissioners 
 
 a,ssembled, and His Majesty was called into council. 
 
 Meanwhile the Prince enjoyed himself. He was waited 
 
 upon by the Mayor of Cork, with whom he dined at the 
 
 Mansion House of that city ; as he afterwards did with 
 
 the merchants, at the " King's Arms." He also went to 
 
 the Assembly Ptoom, where it was recorded with pride, 
 
 " he danced with Miss Kellett, daughter of one of the 
 
 aldermen ; and with Miss Lane, w^hose father had been 
 
 town-clerk of Cork." Then he went to Youghal ; and 
 
 there, also, dined with the Corporation. He next 
 
 F 2
 
 68 THE LIFE AND TIMES OE 
 
 visited, accompanied by the High Sherifi*, Sir Eichard 
 Musgrave, the Earls of Shannon and Grandison ; and 
 lastly, the Marquis of Waterford, at whose seat His 
 Eoyal Highness received the letter which recalled him 
 to Eno:land. 
 
 He was then summarily ordered to Plymouth to 
 remain there, his father being much displeased at this 
 violation of discipline and the want of proper sub- 
 ordination. He was forbidden to leave his ship or 
 come up to London, and was required to superintend 
 the refittino; with a view to at once returninof to the 
 port he had so improperly quitted. Part of this laudable 
 severity was no doubt owing to vindication of public 
 interest and that of the service ; but part was certainly 
 prompted by that harshness with which George HI. 
 was then treating all his younger sons. The Prince 
 of Wales and his brother, the Duke of York, with the 
 amiable view of bringing their father's authority into 
 contempt, set off for Plymouth to comfort their 
 naval brother in his disgrace. The two Princes 
 left Carlton House on the 6th of January, 1788; 
 and, on the 8th, reached Devonport. On their arrival, 
 Prince William hastened to meet them ; and it was 
 represented, by one who witnessed it, " as an affecting 
 sight, to behold the three royal brothers assembled 
 together, after so long a separation. The next mornino- 
 the Princes, attended by several naval and military 
 officers, visited the dockyards, &c. In the evening 
 they dined with a select party, and, at eleven o'clock, 
 proceeded to the Long Eoom, at Stonehouse, where was 
 an assemblage of the principal ladies and gentlemen of 
 Plymouth and the neighbourhood." 
 
 When the Princes entered arm-in-arm, the eldest in 
 the centre, they received the compliments of the whole
 
 WILLIAM IV. C9 
 
 company, wliicli they returned witli affability, ease, and 
 dignity. It was recorded in the local annals that the 
 royal personages, in the course of the evening, danced 
 with Mrs. Depeister, Miss Fanshawe, Miss Wynne, Miss 
 Calton, and Miss Arthur, the reigning beauties of Ply- 
 mouth. About one in the morning, they retired to rest. 
 On the following day, their Royal Highnesses went afloat ; 
 and the whole fleet manned the yards, and saluted with 
 twenty- one guns each. After riding to Maker Heights, 
 the Princes returned to Dock — dined — and in the evening 
 went again to the Long Room, where the night was spent 
 as before. 
 
 During these revels the susceptible sailor was said to 
 have been captivated by Miss Wynne, who is mentioned 
 among the number of his partners, and who appears to 
 have been a sort of dockyard belle. However, like so 
 many other tendres, it was of a transient character. 
 The next day his brothers returned to town, and the 
 Prince sailed with a squadron for the West. This expe- 
 dition, which offers little interest, was destined to be his 
 last opportunity of active service, and a stupid policy 
 doomed him for the rest of his life to inaction or some 
 ornamental office at home. 
 
 A story is told of his good-nature and charity at 
 Plymouth at this time. 
 
 One morning, when the Prince, having received his 
 commission and his ship, was on his way to his tailor's 
 in Plymouth, to get the new uniform, at a street 
 corner he saw a boy crying, and stopped to inquire the 
 cause. The lad looked up through his tears, revealing a 
 handsome, winning, and intelligent face, and replied that 
 his mother had died only a few days before, and that he 
 had been cast homeless into the streets. "Where is 
 your father "? " asked the Prince. " He was lost in the
 
 70 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Sussex, on the Cornwall coast, two years ago." " How 
 would you like to go to sea in a first-rate man of war ? '^ 
 The boy's face brightened as he answered that he should 
 like it very well. The Prince took out his pocket-book 
 and wrote something upon a slip of paper, which he 
 gave to the boy with a shilling. " Go down to the 
 docks," he said, " and with this shilling you will hire a 
 boatman to carry you off" to the Pegasus. AVhen you 
 get on board the ship, you will give this paper to the 
 officer whom you find in charge of the deck, and he will 
 take care of you. Cheer up, my lad ! Show me that 
 you have a true heart, and you shall surely find a true 
 friend." Arrived on board the Pegasus, the officer of 
 the deck received him kindly, and sent him to sit upon 
 a gun-carriage under the break of the poop. In les& 
 than an hour the Prince came off in his new uniform ;. 
 and the boy was strangely moved upon discovering that 
 the man who had promised to be his friend was none 
 other than AVilliam, Duke of Clarence, and captain of 
 the frigate. 
 
 The boy, whose name was Albert Doyer, was taken 
 into the cabin, where the Prince questioned him, and 
 forthwith he ordered him to be rated as a midshipman,, 
 and from his own purse he procured him an outfit. 
 During the voyage to the American coast the Prince 
 became strongly attached to his youthful protege, keep- 
 ing him about his person continually, and instructing 
 him in general branches of education, as well as in his 
 profession. 
 
 Time passed on, and the boy grew to be a man, 
 serving King and country faithfully. In time William 
 became King, and signed the commission which made 
 Albert Doyer a rear-admiral. He exclaimed, as he put 
 his signature to the document : " There — if I have ever
 
 '^VILLIAM lY. 71 
 
 done a good deed for England, it was when I saved to 
 her service that true and worthy man ! " * 
 
 The grievous and exciting episode of the King's illness 
 had taken place during his absence, but on his arrival 
 he found his father happily restored for the present. 
 But the Court was shockingly distracted by family 
 quarrels and political cabals. He arrived early in May, 
 and was received affectionately by his father, who almost 
 immediately created him Duke of Clarence and Earl of 
 Munster. This creation took place on June 8th, 1789. 
 He also received from the nation a liberal " Establish- 
 ment " — a settlement to which the eyes of the numerous 
 Princes were ever fondly turned. He was now to enjoy 
 £12,000 a year, with his "table, lights and coals," 
 supplied by the Board of Green Cloth at the palace, for 
 himself and suite. He was also given the Lodge at 
 Eichmond Park as a country residence, which was com- 
 pletely furnished and refitted for his use. 
 
 Notwithstanding this favourable treatment, we find 
 him almost at once in H^ague with his two brothers to 
 form an ors^anised cabal ao^ainst their father and his 
 Court, and conspicuously exhibiting their hostility in 
 public places. This was shown with particular un- 
 graciousness on the occasion of a dinner given to his 
 brother by the Prince to celebrate his promotion to the 
 Dukedom of Clarence, and where banners were hung 
 round with inscriptions to the effect that the three 
 royal brothers were "united for ever," though opposed 
 by all the world. It was noted also that at the fetes 
 given by the ambassadors to celebrate His Majesty's 
 recovery, the brothers always sat together apart from 
 the rest of the Royal Family. This system was 
 steadily pursued during the scandals that followed 
 * Eelated lately in a journal called " The Magpie."
 
 72 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 — the Duke of York's duel with Colonel Lennox, the 
 letters to the King complaining of the Queen's behaviour, 
 etc.; while, in incurring enormous debts, we find the 
 three brothers affectionately bracketed together. 
 
 When this party feeling had somewhat died away, the 
 old afifection of the King revived, and the Duke was made 
 welcome at Court, where, even thus early, his blunt 
 manners and rough quarter-deck bearing caused much 
 amusement and embarrassment. In 1791, Miss Burney, 
 then on the eve of her departure, records a well-known 
 scene arisino- out of one of their intrusions. It is done 
 in her best bravura style. 
 
 "At dinner Mrs. Schwellenberg presided, attired mag- 
 nificently. Miss Goldsworthy, Mrs. Stainforth, Messrs. 
 De Luc and Stanhope dined with us ; and, while we were 
 still eating fruit, the Duke of Clarence entered. He was 
 just risen from the King's table, and waiting for his 
 equipage to go home and prepare for the ball. To give 
 you an idea of the energy of His Eoyal Highness's lan- 
 guage, I ought to set apart a general objection to writing, 
 or rather intimating, certain forcible words, and beg 
 leave to show you in genuine colours a royal sailor. We 
 all rose of course, upon his entrance, and the two gentle- 
 men placed themselves behind their chairs, while the 
 footmen left the room ; but he ordered us all to sit 
 down and called the men back to hand about some wine. 
 He was in exceeding high spirits and in the utmost 
 good humour. He placed himself at the head of the 
 table, next Mrs. Schwellenberg, and looked remarkably 
 well, gay, and full of sport and mischief, yet clever 
 withal as well as comical. 
 
 " ' Well, this is the first day I have ever dined with 
 the King at St. James's on his birthday. Pray, have 
 you all drunk His Majesty's health ? '
 
 WILLIAM IV. 73 
 
 " ' No, your Eoy'l Highness : your Eoy'l Highness 
 mi^ht make dem do dat/ said Mrs. Schwellenberor. 
 
 " ' Oh, by will I ! Here, you (to the footman) ; 
 
 bring champagne ! I'll drink the King's health again, 
 if I die for it ! Yet, I have done pretty well already : 
 so has the King, I promise you ! I believe His Majesty 
 was never taken such good care of before. We have 
 kept his spirits up, I promise you ; we have enabled 
 him to sfo throuo;h his fatio^ues : and I should have done 
 more still, but for the ball and Mary — I have promised 
 to dance with Mary ! ' 
 
 " Champagne being now brought for the Duke, he 
 ordered it all round. AVhen it came to me I whispered 
 to Westerhaults to carry it on : the Duke slapped his 
 
 hand violently on the table, and called out, ' Oh, by , 
 
 you shall drink it ! ' 
 
 "There was no resisting this. We all stood up, 
 and the Duke sonorously gave the royal toast. 
 
 " 'And now,' cried he, making us all sit down again, 
 " where are my rascals of servants ? I shan't be in time 
 for the ball ; besides, I've got a deuced tailor waiting to 
 fix on my epaulette ! Here, you go and see for my 
 servants ! D'ye hear ? Scamper off ! ' 
 
 " Off ran William. 
 
 " ' Come, let's have the King's health again. Do Luc, 
 drink it. Here, champagne to De Luc ! ' 
 
 " I wish you could have seen Mr. De Luc's mixed 
 simper — half pleased, half alarmed. However, the wine 
 came and he drank it, the Duke taking a bumper for 
 himself at the same time. 
 
 " 'Poor Stanhope I' cried he : ' Stanhope shall have 
 a glass, too ! Here, champagne ! What are you all 
 about ? Why don't you give champagne to poor 
 Stanhope ? '
 
 74 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 " Mr. Stanhope, witli great pleasure, complied, and 
 the Duke again accompanied him. 
 
 " ' Come, hither, do you hear ? ' cried the Duke ta 
 the servants, and on the approach, slow and submissive, 
 of Mrs. Stainforth's man, he hit him a violent slap on 
 the back, calling out, ' Hang you ! why don't you see 
 for my rascals ? ' 
 
 "Away fiew the man, and then he called out to 
 A^esterhaults, ' Hark'ee ! bring another glass of cham- 
 pagne to Mr. De Luc ! ' 
 
 " Mr. De Luc knows these royal youths too well to- 
 venture so vain an experiment as disputing with them ; 
 so he on]y shrugged his shoulders and drank the wine. 
 The Duke did the same. 
 
 " ' And now, poor Stanhope,' cried the Duke ; ' give 
 another glass to poor Stanhope, d'ye hear ? ' 
 
 " * Is not your Royal Highness afraid,' cried Mr. 
 Stanhope, displaying the full circle of his borrowed 
 teeth, ' I shall be apt to be rather up in the world, as 
 the folks say, if I tope on at this rate ? ' 
 
 " 'Not at all ! you can't get drunk in a better cause. 
 I'd get drunk myself if it was not for the ball. Here, 
 champagne ! another glass for the philosopher ! I keep 
 sober for Mary.' 
 
 " 'Oh, your Eoyal Highness !' cried Mr. De Luc, gain- 
 ing courage as he drank, ' you will make me quite droll 
 of it if you make me go on — quite droll ! ' 
 
 " ' So much the better ! so much the better ! it will 
 do you monstrous deal of good. Here, another glass 
 of champagne for the Queen's philosopher ! ' 
 
 " Mr. De Luc obeyed, and the Duke then addressed 
 Mrs. Schwellenberg's George. ' Here, you ! you ! why, 
 where is my carriage ? Run and see, do you hear ? ' 
 
 " Off hurried George, grinning irrepressibly.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 75 
 
 " ' If it was not for that deuced tailor, I would not 
 stir. I shall dine at the Queen's house on Monday, Miss 
 Goldsworthy ; I shall come to dine with Princess Eoyal. 
 I find she does not go to Windsor with the Queen.' 
 
 " The Queen meant to spend one day at Windsor^ 
 on account of a review which carried the King that w^ay. 
 
 *' Some talk then ensued on the Duke's new carriage, 
 which they all agreed to be the most beautiful that day 
 at Court. I had not seen it, which, to me, was some 
 impediment against praising it. 
 
 " He then said it was necessary to drink the Queen's 
 health. 
 
 " The gentlemen here made no demur, though Mr. 
 De Luc arched his eyebrows in expressive fear of con- 
 sequences. 
 
 "'A bumper,' cried the Duke, 'to the Queen's 
 gentleman-usher.' 
 
 " They all stood up and drank the Queen's health. 
 
 " ' Here are three of us,' cried the Duke, * all 
 belonging to the Queen : the Queen's philosopher, the 
 Queen's gentleman-usher, and the Queen's son ; but, 
 thank Heaven, I'm nearest ! ' 
 
 " 'Sir,' cried Mr. Stanhope, a little affronted, 'I am 
 not now the Queen's gentleman-usher; I am the Queen's 
 equerry, sir.' 
 
 " ' A glass more of champagne here ! What are you 
 all so slow for ? Where are all my rascals gone ? 
 They've put me in one passion already this morning. 
 Come, a glass of champagne for the Queen's gentleman- 
 usher ! ' laugliing heartily. 
 
 " ' No, sir,' re2)eated Mr. Stanhope ; ' I am equerry 
 now, sir.' 
 
 " ' And another glass to the Queen's philosopher ! ' 
 
 "Neither gentleman objected; but Mrs. Schwellen-
 
 76 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 berg,* wlio had sat laughing and happy all this time, 
 now grew alarmed, and said : ' Your Eoyal Highness, I 
 am afraid for the ball ! ' 
 
 " ' Hold you your potato-jaw, my dear,' cried the 
 Duke, patting her ; but, recollecting himself, he took 
 her hand and pretty abruptly kissed it, and then, 
 flinging it hastily away, laughed loud and called out : 
 ' There ! that will make amends for anything, so now I 
 may say what I will. So here a glass of champagne for 
 the Queen's philosopher and the Queen's gentleman- 
 usher ! Hang me if it w^ill not do them a monstrous 
 deal of good ! ' 
 
 " Here news was brought that the equipage was in 
 order. He started up, calling out : ' Now, then, for my 
 deuced tailor.' 
 
 " ' Oh, your Royal Highness ! ' cried Mr. De Luc, in 
 a tone of expostulation, ' now you have made us droll, 
 you go ! ' 
 
 " Off, however, he went. And is it not a curious 
 scene ? All my amaze is, how any of their heads bore 
 such libations." 
 
 * The Prince did not relish the stiff manners of Madame Schwellen- 
 berg. " A story was circulated to the effect that he once entered a 
 room where she was sitting, on which she was retiring with great haste; 
 then returned and attempted to apologise, saying that she thought it 
 was the Duke of York. 'And suppose it was the Duke of York,' 
 said the Prince, giving old Schwellenberg a not very gracious look as 
 she went off, adding, softo voce, that she deserved a round dozen before 
 all the pages of the back stairs."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 One of the redeemino; features in a loiio- course of 
 excesses and indiscretions was the warm affection that 
 always subsisted between the Prince of Wales and his 
 two brothers of York and Clarence. This, as the latter 
 reminded his brother when King and on his death-bed, 
 subsisted for over fifty years. The Duke was ever 
 ready to take his side, and in the innumerable difficulties 
 of the Prince of Wales we find him coming forward in 
 Parliament, in defiance of his own interests, to champion 
 his cause. Thus, in 1795, when what was the considera- 
 tion for the Prince's marriage had to be paid, and there 
 was rather a shabby attempt to avoid carrying out all 
 the conditions of the contract. When the matter came 
 before Parliament the Royal Sailor made a sensible 
 speech on behalf of his brother, which was, indeed, 
 styled " an elaborate and impassioned defence." 
 
 '•'A Prince of Wales," he went on to say, "by a 
 particukir law, became of age at eighteen, while every 
 other subject did not attain his majority till he was 
 twenty-one. A young man at that time of life, when 
 the passions were at their height, might be led into 
 expenses beyond his income even to a degree bordering
 
 78 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 on extravagance, and yet the circumstance ought not to 
 be considered as calling for any serious reflection." 
 
 He next said, " lie would not betray anything that 
 passed in private conversation, yet he could not avoid 
 making some remarks on the manner in which the 
 business had been introduced. It was a matter of public 
 notoriety that, before the marriage took place, it was 
 stipulated that the Prince should, in the event of the 
 union, be disencumbered of his debts. What could be 
 understood by this stipulation, but that measures should 
 be taken for the immediate exoneration of those debts 
 — not, as by the provisions of the present bill, that they 
 should be left hanging over for the space of nine years 
 and a half, and perhaps a longer period. The authors 
 of the bill had stated that the honour and stability of 
 the throne rested upon the support of the independence 
 and dignity of every branch of the Eoyal Family, and 
 particularly of the Prince of AVales. Was the method 
 they had taken calculated to support that dignity and 
 that independence ? 
 
 " The Prince had, indeed, expressed his acquiescence 
 in Avhatever measures the wisdom of Parliament might 
 think proper to recommend ; but in what situation was 
 he placed ? The bill, in one point of view, was a jDublic 
 bill — as every bill was which related to any member of 
 the Eoyal Family ; but it was nevertheless more strictly 
 a private bill, as nothing could be done without the 
 consent of the Prince himself. Advantaa^e then had 
 been taken of the difilculties in which he was involved, 
 in order to procure from him this consent. He was 
 forced to express his acquiescence, in order that something 
 might be done. He was in the situation of a man who, 
 if he cannot get a j^'^i'ticular haunch of venison, will 
 take any other haunch, rather than go without."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 79 
 
 The Duke next alluded to tlie great number of 
 pamphlets which had been published in order to influence 
 the minds of the good and generous people of England 
 against his royal brother. He knew persons in another 
 place, he said, who possessed great powers of eloquence 
 and an abundant choice of animated expressions. These 
 persons had exerted their powers in order to support the 
 measure of granting a subsidy of £200,000 a year to the 
 King of Sardinia, a sum of £1,200,000 to the King of 
 Prussia, and lately a loan of £4,600,000 to the Emperor 
 of Austria. But though on these occasions they dis- 
 played all their stores of animated language, yet, when 
 they brought forward the situation of the Prince of 
 Wales, they prefaced what they had to propose with the 
 expressions — "an unpleasant task — an arduous under- 
 taking — the distresses of the people in consequence 
 of the war — the regret at haying additional burdens 
 on the public " — yet he must remark, that if they had 
 adopted, w^ith regard to his brother, a language some- 
 thing more favourable, as to the impression it was 
 calculated to give of his conduct, to the country, 
 they would not have had a vote less to the present 
 bill. * 
 
 His Royal Highness next " touched on the situation 
 of that lovely and amiable woman, thePrincess of Wales, 
 torn from her family ; for, though her mother was the 
 King's sister, she might still be said to be torn from her 
 family, by being removed from all her early connexions ; 
 what must be her feelings from such circumstances, 
 attendant on her reception in a countr}^, where she had 
 a right to expect everything befitting her high rank, 
 and the exalted station to which she was called?" As 
 the friend of the Prince, however, the Duke said, he 
 would not oppose the passing of the present bill, for he
 
 80 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OE 
 
 was convinced that the sooner it passed, the sooner 
 would its absurdity and malignity appear. 
 
 If, as has been stated, the arrears of the Duchy of 
 Cornwall were due to the Prince during the period of his 
 minority, he hoped that question would be quickly 
 brought forward, and he trusted that the noble lord 
 (Loughborough), before whom it would come to be 
 argued in his judicial capacity, and whose justice could 
 not be impeached, would throw no impediment in the 
 way of its speedy decision. 
 
 An allusion having been made to the foreign loan 
 that had been negotiated on behalf of the three Princes, 
 His Eoyal Highness took occasion to say, that the affair 
 was completely settled. 
 
 Lord Grenville replied, and observed that he held 
 no official situation under the Crown, when the debts of 
 the Prince of Wales were before Parliament on a former 
 occasion, but that the opinion he then formed, he still 
 maintained on the subject. 
 
 The Duke again rose, and in retort observed the 
 Secretary of State had said, that he was not a minister 
 when the debts of the Prince of Wales were before 
 Parliament on a former occasion. But His Eoyal High- 
 ness begged leave to recall to his recollection, that 
 he was minister in 1792. He now wished to know, 
 whether there was not a statement of facts on the 
 encumbrances of the Prince of Wales at that time, pre- 
 sented to a certain cjuarter. He knew there was, and 
 therefore the noble secretary could not be ignorant of 
 the affairs of the Prince at that period. 
 
 Lord Grenville, in reply, said, with some heat, that, 
 as he was not inclined to enter into controversy with the 
 Prince, he must decline any further contest on the subject. 
 He had stated what part he had taken as a member of
 
 WILLIAM IV. 81 
 
 Parliament, and wliat had officially occurred upon tlie 
 matter before the House. He apprehended that it did 
 not come within the line of his duty to state anything 
 concerning what happened in another quarter." 
 
 After the battle of Cape St. Vincent Nelson returned, 
 and was welcomed with delight by his royal patron, 
 who hurried up from Bushey Park — a place of which 
 he had been recently appointed Ranger — to greet his 
 friend, whom he brought with him to Court.* 
 
 The Duke of Clarence, like all his royal brothers, 
 was fond of speaking, and in his place in the House of 
 Lords often delivered his sentiments on the most varied 
 questions. To some of these he made contributions of 
 rather an eccentric kind, as when a Divorce Bill was 
 brought forward in 1800, the Duke gave utterance, in 
 the presence of his brothers, to excellent morality, 
 branding the adulterer as "an insidious and designing 
 villain, who would ever be held in disgrace and 
 
 *A curious pageant presently followed, on Dec. 19th — a naval 
 procession to St. Paul's, comprised of marines and sailors, with 
 captured flags, the Lords and Commons, the Royal Family, etc., and 
 a perfect band composed of all the fighting admirals then in London. 
 The scene was a brilliant one, and likely to kindle all the martial 
 sympathies of the nation. When the procession reached the church, 
 the lieutenants, taking tlie flags from the waggons, attended by the 
 seamen and marines, divided into two lines, for the captains to pass to 
 their seats in the galleries. The colours were carried in procession, 
 with martial music, to the middle of the dome, where they were 
 placed in a circle. The Princesses, with the Dukes of York and 
 Clarence, Prince Ernest, and the Duke of Gloucester, formed a 
 crescent within the church; and opposite were the Lord Mayor, 
 aldermen, sherifl"s, and admirals. The service then began ; and, 
 at the end of the First Lesson, the flag-officers entered in two divisions, 
 right and left of the King's chair, the ends of the flags supported by 
 those officers who immediately followed the bearers in regular suc- 
 cession, advancing to the altar to deposit the naval troiihics. The 
 King was much affected at this unusual and brilliant spectacle. 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 82 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 abliorrence by cm enlightened and civilised society."' 
 This criminal, however, he urged, might be changed into 
 " a man of honour," by making reparation to his victim 
 by marrying her. There was a grotesqueness in the test 
 applied to the other victim, the injured husband : 
 
 " The husband," said the Duke, *' who by suing for 
 pecuniary damages obtained a verdict, was considered 
 not a very honourable man if, when he received them, 
 he put them in his own pocket, instead of returning 
 them to the purse of the defendant." 
 
 These oddities excited much comment and even 
 ridicule, and it was felt that, considering the life of the 
 royal brothers, they had better not have taken part in 
 such discussions. Another indiscreet interference was hi& 
 defence of the slave-owners when Mr. Wilberforce brought 
 forward his motion. He argued that, " having served 
 for some time on the West India Station, he had had 
 frequent opportunities of being an eye-witness of the 
 treatment of the negro slaves, and he was able and 
 ready to prove, whenever he was called upon, that the 
 conduct observed towards the negroes was not contrary 
 to any one principle of humanity and justice." From his 
 observation he urged that the bringing of the slaves 
 from the slave coast, where they were treated with 
 shocking barbarity, " was a blessing instead of an evil "" 
 — it saved them from destruction, and placed them in a 
 state of comfort ; that the abolition of slavery would 
 ruin commerce, etc., with other arguments of the same 
 description. But the remarkable incident of the debate 
 was an altercation between the Duke and Lord Grenville. 
 That nobleman was betrayed into the extraordinary 
 statement that " between him and His Eoyal Highness 
 there could be personally no debate, because between them. 
 the7X ivas no equality."
 
 WILLIAM TV. 83 
 
 For this he was called to order by Lord Romney, 
 who said that he agreed that there was no equality 
 between the illustrious Prince and any other member 
 of that House ; yet, that he always understood, as 
 a peer, he stood in that House on a perfect equality 
 with any personage in it, as to the right of speaking. 
 
 Lord Thurlow then interposed. " I wish to have it 
 clearly understood," he said, " whether it is the consti- 
 tution of this House that we are unequal in our rights 
 to speak here. I am one of the lowest, in point of 
 rank ; I contend not for superiority of talent, or for 
 preference, or for any consideration whatever ; but I 
 claim to be exactly equal, not only to the illustrious 
 personage who has just spoken, and whom their lord- 
 ships had heard with so much pleasure, but also with the 
 Prince of Wales, if he were present, and acting as a peer 
 of Parliament. I know," said the noble and learned 
 lord, "of no difference between peers of Parliament, 
 considered in their legislative character ; and I do 
 think that the lowest in rank in the House is equal to 
 the highest, while we are debating. If rank or talent 
 created an inequality in our rights to speak in this 
 House, the illustrious personage who has just spoken 
 would have a higher right than I pretend to have ; but 
 I do claim, for my humble self, an equality with every 
 Prince of the Blood, or any other who has a seat in 
 this House, to speak my sentiments with uncontrolled 
 freedom." 
 
 When some time after, the slave question was again 
 brought forward, the Duke, who had fallen into the 
 habit of makimx rather " flounderino: " and incoherent 
 speeches, delivered himself of some further foolish 
 remarks : 
 
 " The complexion of the slaves," he said, " is the 
 
 G 2
 
 84 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 obstacle to every redress ; their complexion is suitable to 
 the climate; that alone is a host against superior European 
 discipline and knowledge. No temporising subterfuges 
 of change will do good. An instantaneous emancipation 
 is as bad, or worse. It is a system that is incurable as 
 mortality. The slightest innovation will spread like 
 flames over the sun-burnt fields of a West Indian island. 
 The trade and the slavery must stand together, or the 
 latter will fall. There must be no experiments of 
 gradual prohibition of trade. The whites must keep up 
 adequate numbers of themselves, of the strictest military 
 discipline and headlong courage, with a constant watch- 
 fulness against arming the negroes, and above all, that 
 every roving missionary he exiDelled from their conver- 
 sation, and that they be immersed in illiterate stupidity." 
 
 His Eoyal Highness proceeded to state that Mr. 
 James Eamsey, in the government of his own plantation 
 in the island of Nevis, acted in the most tyrannical 
 manner. None hut fanatics or hypocrites -were for the 
 abolition. He concluded with some very severe animad- 
 versions on Mr. Wilberforce, and others, who had latelv 
 received from the National Convention the flatterinsf dis- 
 tinction of republican denizenship — an honour which 
 would never be envied by any loyal or virtuous man in 
 England. 
 
 Lord Grenville, in rejoly, felt it his duty to censure, 
 but in a serious and respectful manner, the language 
 that had, in the ardour of debate, escaped His Royal 
 Highness, to the injury of one of the most upright and 
 loyal characters in the kingdom; while Dr. Horsley, 
 Bishop of St. David's, and a most determined opponent 
 of the trade, repelled the charge of being a " fanatic," 
 and the friend of Condorcet. *' As to fanaticism," said 
 the Bishop, " I know not at whom that shot was directed,
 
 AVILLIAM lY. 85 
 
 nor do I care. It concerns not me ; conscious, as I am, 
 that, with the profoundest reverence for religion, the 
 constant tenour of my life bears not the slightest stamp 
 of fanaticism." With respect to the charge of Jacobinism, 
 thrown upon the abolitionists, the Bishop said, " that it 
 was a wretched calumny, and that the question had no 
 more to do with French philosophy, than with the 
 religion of the Pharisees." His lordship acknowledged 
 that he had formerly corresponded with Condorcet on 
 mathematical subjects, but said, that, since the Revo- 
 lution, he had neither written, nor received a letter from 
 him. 
 
 This pleading made the Duke highly unpopular. He 
 was attacked, ridiculed — the abolitionists accused him 
 of beino- the bribed advocate of the slave-dealers. A 
 caricature Vv^as published in which the Duke was repre- 
 sented leading a train of negroes in chains, whilst in the 
 back<xround were exhibited the various methods of in- 
 flicting punishment on the refractory slaves, especially 
 on the women ; the anti-abolitionists retaliated and 
 published a counterpart, representing Mr. Wilberforce, 
 Mr. Clarkson, and a few Quakers drilling some negro 
 recruits, and in the background were the insubordinates 
 tied to the halberds. More suitable was his manly and 
 generous tribute to the memory of Rodney : " I cannot 
 give a silent vote on the present occasion. The services 
 of the late Lord Rodney are so great, that it did 
 infinite honour to His Majesty's Ministers to pay every 
 respect to his memory, such services meriting the highest 
 rewards from his country ; and I am happy to hear this 
 public testimony to their value and importance. For 
 myself, I have particular reasons to endeavour to do 
 justice to the singular merits of my deceased friend, 
 who, unhappily for this country, is no more ; but I hope
 
 86 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the House will indulge me a few moments, while I 
 briefly recall to their recollection the noble services 
 his lordship has rendered, which I am certain they can 
 never foro;et." 
 
 After enumerating these services, he added : " But 
 the most glorious period of his life was the 12th of 
 April, 1782, which will ever be held as a most sacred 
 epoch in this country. The enemies of England were 
 vain enough to think they could crush her for ever ; 
 but the event of that day clearly proved, that a British 
 fleet, of nearly equal force, when opposed to a French 
 fleet will be sure to beat them. The victory of the 12tli 
 of April was more honourable to Lord Eodney, as it was 
 obtained over De Grasse, one of the best and bravest 
 admirals that France ever produced. Had it been in the 
 power of valour to have saved a brave man from dis- 
 grace and misfortune, it never would have been the lot 
 of De Grasse to have been disgraced and banished from 
 the French court — a conduct, however, that had too 
 often prevailed in courts/' It was that victory which 
 decided the fate of the war, and taught our particular 
 enemy, France, that however for a time we might be 
 depressed, we arose, after a seeming defeat, with reno- 
 vated strength and courage. "I trust," concluded the 
 royal speaker, " this House will pardon my expatiating 
 on the virtues and great professional merits of my 
 departed friend, for which myself and every officer of 
 the British navy entertain the highest respect and 
 veneration." 
 
 For the son of Rodney he tried to obtain promotion, 
 but failed. Indeed, the Duke of Kent and the Duke of 
 Clarence '"' in the direction of patronage seemed to have 
 
 * That worthy old fencing-master, Angelo, who was " patronised by 
 the nobility and gentry," and had the honour of instructing the Koyal
 
 WILLIAM IT. 87 
 
 been always damaging to their 2)roteges, and the Admiralty 
 and Horse Guards seem to have declined endorsing any 
 of their recommendations. Nelson had warmly promised 
 to forward the wishes of his patron in this respect, 
 but seems to have failed. " I agree with your Royal 
 Highness," he wrote, " that the son of Rodney ought to 
 be the lorotege of every person in the kingdom, and 
 particularly of all sea officers. Had I known that there 
 had been this claimant, some of my own lieutenants must 
 have given way to such a name, and he should have been 
 placed on the Victory. The whole fleet is full, and I 
 have twenty on my list, but whatever number I have 
 the name of Rodney must cut many of them out." 
 
 DUKE OP CLA.KENCE TO CAPTAIN CHRISTIAN. 
 
 "Clarence Lodge, Jan. 22, 1792. 
 
 '' Dear Sir, 
 
 " I am to return you many thanks for your 
 obliging letter of the 19th inst., which came safe to 
 hand yesterday, and, in answer, cannot help observing 
 %hat, in the present critical and awful state of 
 affairs in this country, is not only a measure replete 
 with danger, but mischief. The minister, if he has 
 at heart the true interest of the kinejdom, will brint^" 
 
 Dukes in this accomplishment, records with much admiration and 
 loyalty the following act of seamanship of the Prince : 
 
 "It will appear Ijy the books of the Valiant that, from the 12th of 
 May, 1790, to the 27th of ISTovember following, the illustrious Duke 
 was borne on her books as captain, and continued on board nearly the 
 whole of that time, cruising in the chops of the Channel and several 
 leagues to the westward with a view of exercising her crew. Her Royal 
 Commander one day received orders to proceed to Portsmouth. In 
 ■consequence of sudden unfavourable appearances in the weather, it 
 was advisable for the ship to proceed through the JNTeedles ; and orders 
 were accordingly issued to that effect; but the Duke having learnt 
 .that the master had never taken a shi;p of the lino through tliat channel,
 
 83 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 nothing forward to cause violent debate, but those 
 measures immediately requisite to counteract the spirit 
 of licentiousness, little short of rebellion, and which, if 
 not subdued, must end, I am afraid, fatally. I fancy 
 these sentiments of mine are not very different from 
 yours and those who are sincerely attached to the King 
 and Constitution, for they never can, or ought to be 
 divided. By all means let me know the various steps 
 that are taken pro and con. in this New Forest busi- 
 ness, and likewise how the people feel in your island, 
 and their sentiments as to reform, &c., &c., to the end 
 of this new and truly damnable political creed. My 
 best wishes attend Mrs. Christian and your family, and 
 ever believe." 
 
 PEINCE WILLIAM TO CAPTAIN CHEISTIAN. 
 
 "St. James's, Dec. 25, 1795. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " I am to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 
 of l7th inst., and feel very much obliged to you for 
 the communication of Lord Howe's signals. If you 
 ask me my opinion relative to Lord Howe's conduct 
 while in command, try to take up from the year 
 'seventy-six, when his lordship went to America. He 
 is, in my opinion, deservedly unpopular for his conduct 
 with his brother in not doing their utmost against the 
 rebels. On his lordship's conducting the British fleet 
 to the relief of Gibraltar in 'eighty-two, I shall ever 
 
 and had become alarmed at so important a charge (as at that period 
 such an undertaking was deemed), lost not a moment in relieving the 
 master from his apprehensions, by saying, in the presence of the entire 
 ship's company, that he would himself navigate the ship, with the 
 blessing of Providence, to her anchorage. And to the high gratification 
 of the officers and men, the Valiant was ably piloted through the 
 Narrows and brought to her berth at Si^ithead."
 
 WILLIAM TV. 89 
 
 think him to blame in risking an action, after he had 
 performed the service on which he was sent, with so 
 superior a force as the combined fleets of France and 
 Spain. In the armament of 'ninety Lord Howe made 
 himself unnecessarily unpopular by taking Curtis as 
 his first captain, and not permitting officers to go on 
 shore. During this last summer, this same unpopularity, 
 from the same motives, has caused a violent party in 
 the fleet, and consequently the letters teem with abuse 
 relative to his lordship's conduct when in sight of the 
 enemy's fleet, the first and last cruises. 
 
 " I believe from my information that on both these 
 occasions Lord Howe did his duty to his King and his 
 country ; though, at the same time, I think his lordship 
 was ill-advised upon the sight of the French squadron 
 during the last cruise not to make the general signal for 
 chase to please John Bull. I am sure you will forgive 
 my freedom. You are, I understand, shortly again to 
 return to sea with the different convoys, and then, I 
 suppose, you will have some quiet. Adieu for the 
 present, and believe me." 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLAKENCE TO LORD NELSON. 
 
 " Clarence Lodge, Sept. 21, 
 
 "My dear Nelson, 
 
 " I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 friendly letter of the 12th inst., that came safely. I am 
 so fully persuaded of your real regard for me, my good 
 friend, that no fresh mark can be wanting to convince 
 me. Still, however, at the present moment, when the 
 public have two opinions, the one good, the other dis- 
 advantageous, of my parliamentary conduct, I feel 
 highly obliged to you, as a person qualified to judge.
 
 90 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 for delivering your sentiments. I think it is the duty 
 of every subject to prevent, if possible, that confusion 
 which mioht throw our kino-doni into the wretched, 
 ■deplorable state of France. Assure our common friends 
 in the West Indies, that I will neither neglect nor 
 desert them. My best wishes and compliments attend 
 Mrs. Nelson, and ever believe me yours, 
 
 "William." 
 
 LOKD NELSON TO THE DUKE OP CLAEENCE. 
 
 '' Sir, 
 
 " Your Eoyal Highness will not, I trust, deem it 
 improper, although I have no doubt it will be thought 
 unnecessary, at this time, to renew my expressions of 
 invariable attachment, not only to your Royal Highness 
 but to my King ; for I think that very soon every 
 individual will be called forth to show himself, if I may 
 judge from this country, where societies are formed and 
 forming on principles inimical to our present Constitu- 
 tion, both in Church and State. Sorry am I to believe 
 that many give a countenance to these societies, who 
 ought to conduct themselves otherwise. 
 
 " In what way it might be in the power of such a 
 humble individual as myself best to serve my King has 
 been matter of serious consideration, and no mode 
 appeared to me so proper as asking for a ship ; 
 accordingly, on Saturday last, Lord Chatham received 
 my letter desiring the command of one. Still, as I have 
 hitherto been disappointed in all my applications to his 
 lordship, I can hardly expect any answer to my letter, 
 which has always been the way I have been treated. 
 But neither at sea, nor on shore, can my attachment 
 to my King be shaken. It will but end with my 
 life."
 
 WILLIAM lY. 91 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLAEENCE TO NELSON. 
 
 ''Dear Nelsox, 
 
 " Though at present the armament is confined to 
 
 small vessels, I much doubt whether any fleet will be 
 
 equipped, and still less do I see any chance of any 
 
 rupture between this country and France. At the same 
 
 time, this pernicious and fallacious system of equality 
 
 and universal liberty must be checked, or else we shall 
 
 here have the most dreadful consequences. I perfectly 
 
 agree with you that it is the duty of every individual to 
 
 use his utmost efforts to counteract those incendiaries ; 
 
 and I hope we shall in Parliament take vigorous and 
 
 effectual means to restore tranquillity at home. Should 
 
 matters between the two countries grow serious, you 
 
 must be employed. Never be alarmed; I will always 
 
 stand your friend. I wish you would write me word 
 
 how you and Lord Hood are at present. My best 
 
 wishes and compliments attend Mrs. Nelson, and ever 
 
 believe me, etc., 
 
 "William." 
 
 In 1793, the Duke was promoted to be "Rear-Admiral 
 of the Red," but, like his eldest brother, he was to apply 
 for active employment in vain. This, it was believed, 
 was owing to his political opinions, and to his having 
 opposed ]\rr. Pitt. He found comfort, however, in 
 stimulatinoj the martial ardour of the Teddinofton Volun- 
 teers, whom he thus encouraged : " My friends and 
 neighbours ! wherever our duty calls us, I will go with 
 you, fight in your ranks, and never return home with- 
 out you." 
 
 In the following year (1794) the Duke ardently 
 supported the Ministers in the debate on the address ;
 
 92 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 defended the war in what was described as one of the 
 most rambling, " inconclusive, and unargumentative 
 speeches ever delivered," urging that, as France had set 
 the example of cutting off the heads of their King 
 and Queen, it ivas not at all improhahle that the same 
 system might he adopted in other countries, and Europe 
 might exhibit the exti^aordinary spectacle of thrones 
 without Kings, and Kings ivithout heads. As to any 
 alarm for the safety of their country, he deprecated the 
 idea of it, so Ions: as his gallant brother was at the head 
 of the army, who no doubt before the end of the 
 ensuing campaign would drive the French back into 
 their own territory, and force them to sue for peace at 
 the feet of their royal conqueror. 
 
 He was thoroughly convinced that the war was 
 highly popular with the people of this country, who 
 were more than desirous to protect their blessed Consti- 
 tution, their laws, their rights and privileges from the 
 attacks and encroachments of French regicides who, by 
 the prowess of his royal brother, would soon be made to 
 answer for the enormity of their crime. The English 
 people he knew to be brave, generous, and loyal, and 
 although he would not recommend the general principle 
 of intervention in the affairs of other nations, yet when 
 they carried their revolutionary spirit to that excess as 
 to cut oft" the heads of their King and Queen, then, 
 indeed, would England be highly culpable and deserving 
 of the contempt of all the nations of Europe, if she did 
 not interfere and show the regicides that they were not 
 to cut oft" the heads of Kings and Queens like so many 
 poppies in a garden without meeting with the severest 
 punishment, by cutting oft" their heads in return. He 
 then alluded to the capture of Toulon, which had been 
 mainly efi'ected by the extraordinary bravery of the
 
 WILLIAM IV. 93 
 
 English navy, and tliat although of thirty- one ships of 
 the line, Britain had obtained only three, yet it was 
 highly satisfactory to the country to know that Lord 
 Hood had taught the French a lesson which they would 
 never foro-et whenever the two fleets of the hostile 
 nations should meet on the open seas. His Royal High- 
 ness then warmly panegyrised Napoleon Bonaparte, who 
 had conducted the siege of Toulon, although a subaltern 
 in the artillery, and His Royal Highness concluded a 
 wild and extravagant speech, with calling upon the 
 people to resist the revolutionary spirit of France, and 
 to rally round that throne which had been the source to 
 them of so much blessing and national prosperity. 
 
 He addressed a personal appeal to the Admiralty 
 for employment : 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLARENCE TO THE LOEDS OP THE ADMIRALTY. 
 
 "Clarence Lodge, March 15, 1794:. 
 
 " My Lords, 
 
 "At a time when this country is engaged in a war 
 with a powerful and active enemy, whose great aim 
 appears to be the subversion of all the ancient monarchies 
 of Europe, it becomes every man who values the Consti- 
 tution under which he enjoys so many blessings, to rally 
 round the throne, and protect it from the dangers by 
 which it is so imminently threatened. Conscious that 
 during my naval career, I never committed an act which 
 could tarnish the honour of the flag under which it was 
 my pride and glory to fight, I solicit in this hour of 
 peril to my country that employment in her service 
 which every subject is bound to seek, and particularly 
 myself, considering the exalted rank which I hold in the 
 country, and the cause which it is my duty to maintain 
 and defend. I regard a refusal of that employment as
 
 94 THE LIFE AN'D TIMES OF 
 
 a tacit acknowledgment of my incapacity, and which 
 cannot fail to degrade me in the opinion of the public^ 
 who, from the conduct which has been pursued towards 
 me, are justified in drawing a conclusion unfavourable to 
 my professional character, on account of the very marked 
 neglect which has been shown towards every applica- 
 tion on my part which has been transmitted to your 
 lordships to be employed in the service of my country. 
 If the rank which I hold in the navy operates as an 
 impediment to my obtaining the command of a ship 
 without that of a squadron being attached to it, I will 
 v/illingly relinquish that rank, under which I had 
 formerly the command of a ship, and serve as a volunteer 
 on board any ship to which it may please your lordships 
 to appoint me. All I require is active service, and that 
 when my gallant countrymen are fighting the cause of 
 their country and their sovereign, I may not have the 
 imputation thrown upon me of living a life of inglorious 
 ease, when I ought to be in the front of danger. 
 
 *' William." 
 
 Of this appeal not the slightest notice was taken, 
 on which the Duke, stung by such contemptuous neglect,, 
 complained to his royal father: 
 
 DUKE OP CLARENCE TO THE KING. 
 
 "March 24, 1794. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " On the 15th of this month I addressed a letter 
 to the Lords of the Admiralty, of which I transmit you 
 a copy, soliciting from them that employment in the 
 service of my country to which my rank and character 
 entitle me. To neglect they have added insult, inas- 
 much as they have withheld from me even that courtesy
 
 WILLIAM TV. 95 
 
 wliicli is clue to every individual who makes a respectful 
 tender of his services at a momentous period like the 
 present, when everything that is valuable to an English- 
 man is at stake, and the throne on which you sit is 
 endano-ered by the machinations of regicides and revo- 
 lutionists. As in this treatment of the Lords of the 
 Admiralty my character as a naval officer becomes 
 seriously implicated, I am emboldened to make this 
 appeal to my royal father, soliciting from him that he 
 will be pleased to issue his commands to the Lords of 
 the Admiralty to grant me that employment which I 
 desire, or publicly to state the grounds on which their 
 
 refusal is founded. 
 
 ''William." 
 
 It will be remembered that the Prince of AVales 
 attracted much attention by addressing the same sort of 
 appeal to his father, and, later, to his brother, then 
 Duke of York, and Commander-in-Chief; but neither 
 were successful. 
 
 DUKE OF CLARENCE TO LOED NELSON. 
 
 "July 4, 1797. 
 " Dear Nelsox, 
 
 " I am very happy to find that you had executed 
 
 with so much success and promptitude Lord Viscount 
 
 St. Vincent's order for the evacuation of Port Ferrao^o. 
 
 I feel for poor Oakes on every account, and sincerely 
 
 wish he was safe at home ; and, believe me, I am also 
 
 much concerned at the state of your own health. After 
 
 such long and distinguished service, you will, of course, 
 
 get leave to return. In answer to your last letter, I can 
 
 only say that I hope and believe our confidence is 
 
 mutual ; therefore, in future, no apology on either side 
 
 is wanted. Under this idea I must begin by defending
 
 96 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 an officer against whom you have become prejudiced ; 
 want of discipline in some of our home squadrons, and 
 the energy of infamous incendiaries, had for many 
 months thrown the whole fleet into a state of democracy 
 and absolute rebellion. I rejoice that the Theseus has 
 fallen into such good hands, and that I shall shortly 
 hear she is in the best order of the Mediterranean fleet. 
 One word more about what has passed at Spithead, 
 Plymouth, and the Nore, and I will never mention the 
 disgraceful business again ; but I cannot pass over your 
 remark about short w^eights and measures. Every 
 officer must know that, by the old allowance, the men 
 on board the King's ships had more provisions than 
 they could consume, and that they always sold a part ; 
 therefore, an increase of provisions was not wanted. 
 I will not hurt your mind by relating the horrid parti- 
 culars of the late events, but shall conclude the subject 
 by observing that, in your next, you will unsay what 
 you have too hastily expressed. I dread nothing, as 
 the Government here appear to pursue proper measures ; 
 and I am convinced St. Vincent will keep up his disci- 
 pline. Lenity at first is severity at last. My best 
 wishes and compliments attend your gallant com- 
 mander ; my only acquaintance with him is as an 
 officer. His very great attention and abilities were 
 shown to me during the Spanish armament, since which 
 time I have, and always shall respect him. You will, 
 I am sure, always distinguish yourself ; and I am afraid, 
 from the exorbitant demands of the Directory, that for 
 some time your fleet will be constantly employed. I 
 am happy to find you are at last come over to my way 
 of thinking. As circumstances arise, pray write, and 
 ever believe me, dear sir, yours sincerely, 
 
 " William."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 97 
 
 When Nelson returned to England in 1799, almost 
 invalided, he was welcomed warmly by his friend, and 
 carried off by him to Bushey House, where he was kept 
 until he w^as quite recovered. 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLAEENCE TO SIR T. SINCLAIR. 
 
 " Had this country an able and an active admiuis- 
 tratiou, I should be afraid of nothing ; but, in my 
 opinion, our ministers, and even the country, want 
 energy, which I will endeavour to give in every debate 
 w^e shall have in Parliament. I am ready either for the 
 Cabinet or the Fleet, but I have no reason to expect either 
 situation, and must do all the good I can in Parliament ; 
 and if the invasion does take place, I shall have the 
 honour of attending His Majesty, if permitted." 
 
 In a subsequent letter he writes : "As for politics, you 
 never heard me say I thought the present administra- 
 tion efficient, and without doubt Lord Hobart is the worst 
 of all. But I see no likelihood of a change ; where Pitt 
 goes against Addington, there Fox will support ministers ; 
 and Fox will oppose Government in those measures which 
 Pitt will approve. In short, if these champions could 
 unite, they would not carry above one hundred members 
 out of six hundred and fifty-eight. The Crown, the 
 union with Ireland, and above all, the dread of the times, 
 will, in my opinion, prevent a change of men. Certainly 
 Lord Moira ought to be brought forward, and I wish the 
 overtures of the Prince of Wales had been rejected." 
 
 VOL. I. n
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 In tlie course of his professional life at liome and abroad 
 the Sailor Prince became acquainted with many of the 
 leading officers and distinguished admirals, and with 
 whom he continued on terms of fast friendship all 
 through his life. Such friendships a Prince in the naval 
 profession would have no difficulty in forming ; but it 
 is plain that there was a cordiality and zeal in his 
 regard, which he showed by his exertions in their 
 behalf, even though these exertions, he felt, would be 
 attended with little result. The names of Nelson, 
 CoUingwood, and Saumarez, were among those whom he 
 thus distinguished. His intimacy with Nelson we have 
 followed, but his regard for CoUingwood was even more 
 creditable to him. He did his best to aid him and his 
 family, and his letters are full of a sincere sympathy. 
 
 PKINCE WILLIAM TO CAPTAIN COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 "l^evis, May 3, 1787. 
 
 "My dear Collingwood, 
 
 " To be the messenger of bad news is my mis- 
 fortune ; but still it is a tribute we owe each other. I 
 have lost my friend — you an affectionate brother ; too 
 great a zeal in the service of his country has hastened
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OE WILLIAM IV. 99 
 
 liis end. The greatest consolation the survivor can 
 receive is a thorough knowledge of a life spent with 
 honour to himself and of service to his country. If the 
 tribute of tears be valuable, my friend had it. The 
 esteem he stood in with His Royal Highness was great. 
 His letter to me on his death is the strongest testimony 
 of it. I send you an extract of it : ' CoUingwood, poor 
 fellow ! is no more. I have cried for him, and most 
 sincerely do I condole with you on his loss. In him 
 His Majesty has lost a faithful servant and the service 
 of a most excellent officer.' 
 
 > ;> 
 
 DUKE OP CLA.EENCE TO AD3IIEAL COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 « St. James's, Is^ov. 9, 1805. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " As a brother admiral, and as a sincere well- 
 wisher to my King and my country, permit me to con- 
 gratulate you on the most important victory, gained on 
 the 21st of October, by your gallant self, and the brave 
 officers, seamen, and royal marines, under your com- 
 mand, and formerly under my lamented and invaluable 
 friend Lord Nelson. The country laments the hero, and 
 you and I the loss of our departed friend. Five-and- 
 twenty years had I lived on the most intimate terms 
 with Nelson, and must ever, both publicly and privately, 
 regret his loss. Earl St. Vincent and Lord Nelson, both 
 in the hour of victory, accepted from me a sword, and I 
 hope you will now confer on me the same pleasure. I 
 have, accordingly, sent a sword, with which I trust you 
 wdll accept my sincere wishes for your welfare. I must 
 request you will let me have the details of the death of 
 our departed friend ; and I will ever remain, dear sir, 
 yours unalterably, 
 
 "William." 
 
 H 2
 
 100 THE LIFE AjS'D TIMES OF 
 
 At Lord Nelson's funeral, on tlie 9tli January, 1806, 
 the Duke of Clarence, with his brothers of Wales and 
 York, formed part of the procession to St. Paul's. 
 
 DUKE OP CLAEENCE TO LOED COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 "May 21, 1808. 
 
 "My Dear Lord, 
 
 "A few days ago, I received your lordship's 
 letter of the 30th of March, which has given me great 
 satisfaction. I am most seriously interested in all your 
 operations, and must be allowed to be a sincere friend 
 and well-wisher to the navy ; for though I have lost 
 one son on board the Blenheim, I have just started 
 another with my old friend and shipmate, Keates ; and 
 I have another breeding up for the quarter-deck. From 
 the secresy of those Frenchmen, and their power on the 
 Continent — which are equally known to your lordship 
 and myself — the affairs of war are more intricate than 
 ever ; but in your hands the interests of the country 
 are safe. The great object of the enemy must be 
 Sicily ; for your lordship observes, with as much truth 
 as wisdom, that we cannot maintain ourselves in the 
 Mediterranean without that island. I sincerely trust 
 that the next time the French venture out, your lordship 
 will fall in with them ; the event will speak for itself — 
 another Trafalgar. All I ask is, that the life of the 
 gallant admiral may be spared to his grateful country. 
 Your lordship mentions my approbation and friendship. 
 Had not circumstances, which it is unnecessary to dwell 
 upon, prevented me following our profession, I should 
 have been proud to have seen the word ' approbation ' 
 in your lordship's letter ; but situated as I am, I must 
 to your lordship confess, that I merit not that epithet ;, 
 but every individual who does his duty well is sure of
 
 WILLIAM IV. 101 
 
 my friendship. I need not say more to Lord Colling- 
 wood, the bosom friend of my ever-to-be-lamented 
 Nelson. I took my second son to Deal, which gave me 
 an opportunity of visiting the different ships there. I 
 was very much pleased with what I saw, and found the 
 navy infinitely improved. This country cannot pay too 
 much attention to her naval concerns. We are the only 
 barrier to the omnipotence of France, and it is to our 
 navy alone that we owe this superiority. Though I 
 have not yet the advantage of being personally known 
 to your lordship, I trust I may be reasonably permitted 
 to take up my pen, and that as events may arise your 
 lordship will favour me with a few lines. I know your 
 time is invaluable. For the present, adieu ! Believe 
 me most sincerely interested in your lordship's welfare, 
 and in the success of those valuable officers and men 
 under your lordship's command. I remain ever, my 
 dear lord, yours unalterably, 
 
 " William." 
 
 CoUingwood perhaps offers the noblest specimen of 
 the British naval officer — brave as a lion, unselfish, 
 unthcatrical, putting up with unmerited official slights, 
 and in being ''passed over," all for the good of the 
 service ; and while away doing battle for his country, 
 with a most affectionate nature yearning for his family, 
 gentle as a woman, modest. It is impossible to follow 
 the course of this noble being without pride and admira- 
 tion. See him in action, falling on the Spaniards at 
 Cape St. Vincent. His style of writing was vivid and 
 dramatic. He thus describes the onset in a letter to 
 his wife : 
 
 " We flew to them as a hawk to his prey, passed 
 through them in the disordered state in which they 
 
 L
 
 102 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 were, separated tliem into two distinct parts, and then 
 tacked upon tlieir largest division. I by chance became 
 the admiral's leader (Nelson was in tlie Captain), and 
 bad the good fortune to get very early into action. The 
 first ship we engaged was the San Salvador del Mundo, 
 of 112 guns, a first-rate ; we were not farther from her 
 when we began than the length of our garden. Her 
 colours soon came down, and her fire ceased. I hailed, 
 and asked if they surrendered ; and when by signs 
 made by a man who stood by the colours, I understood 
 that they had, I left her to be taken possession of by 
 somebody behind, and made sail for the next, but was- 
 very much surprised on looking back to find her colours 
 up again, and the battle recommenced. "We very soon 
 came up with the next, the San Isidro, 74, so close 
 alongside, that a man might jump from one ship to the 
 other. Our fire carried all before it ; and in ten minutes 
 she hauled down her colours ; but I had been deceived 
 once, and obliged this fellow to hoist English colours 
 before I left him, and made a signal for somebody 
 behind to board him, when the admiral ordered the 
 Lively frigate to take charge of him. Then, making all 
 sail, passing between our line and the enemy, we came 
 up with the San Nicolas, of 80 guns, which happened 
 at the time to be abreast of the San Josef, of 112 
 guns. "We did not touch sides, but you could not put 
 a bodkin between us, so that our shot passed through 
 both ships, and in attempting to extricate themselves, 
 they got on l^oard each other. My good friend the 
 commodore had been long engaged with those ships,, 
 and I came happily to his relief, for he was dreadfully 
 mauled. Having engaged them until their fire ceased 
 on me, though their colours were not down, I went on 
 to the Santissima Trinidada, the Spanish Admiral
 
 WILLIAM IV. 103 
 
 Cordova's ship, of 132 guns, on four complete decks — 
 such a ship as I never saw before. By this time our 
 masts, sails, and rio-o-incr were so much shot, that we 
 could not get so near her as I would have been ; but 
 near enough to receive much injury from her, both in 
 my men and ship. We were engaged an hour with this 
 ship, and trimmed her well — she was a complete wreck." 
 
 He touches lightly on the relief he gave to his 
 "good friend the commodore," but Nelson gave a 
 different version. " Captain Collingwood," he says, 
 " disdaining the parade of taking possession of beaten 
 enemies, pushed up, with every sail set, to save his old 
 friend and messmate, who was, to all appearance, in a 
 critical situation. The Excellent ranged up, and haul- 
 ing her mainsail just astern, passed within ten feet 
 of the San Nicolas, giving her a most awful and 
 tremendous fire." 
 
 His feeling-s on beino; ordered home to En2:land, and 
 when he had to cons^ratulate his friend Ball on the 
 victory of the Nile : 
 
 *' Oh, my dear Ball, how I have lamented that I 
 was not one of you ! Many a victory has been won, 
 and I hope many are yet to come, but there never has 
 been, nor will be perhaps again, one in which the fruits 
 have been so completely gathered, the blow so nobly 
 followed up, and the consequences so fairly brought to 
 account. I have been almost broken-hearted all the 
 summer. ]\Iy ship was in as perfect order for any 
 service as those which were sent ; in zeal I will yield 
 to none ; and my friendship — my love for your admirable 
 admiral gave me a particular interest in serving with 
 him. I saw them preparing to leave us, and to leave 
 me, with pain ; but our good chief found employment 
 for me, and to occupy my mind, sent me to cruise off
 
 104 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 St. Luccars, to intercept — the market-boats, tlie poor 
 cabbage-criers. Oh, humiliation ! But for the con- 
 sciousness that I did not deserve degradation from any 
 hand, and that my good estimation would not be 
 depreciated in the minds of honourable men by the 
 caprice of power, I should have died with indignation. 
 I am tired of it ; and you will believe I am glad that 
 to-morrow I depart for England." 
 
 Yet with this greed for hard knocks no one more 
 long-ed for his fireside and his dear 2;irls : 
 
 " It is a great comfort to me, banished as I am from 
 all that is dear to me, to learn that my beloved Sarah 
 and her girls are well. Would to heaven it were peace ! 
 that I might come, and for the rest of my life be blessed 
 in their affection. Indeed, this unremitting hard service 
 is a great sacrifice, giving up all that is pleasurable to 
 the soul, or soothing to the mind, and engaging in a 
 constant contest with the elements, or with tempers and 
 dispositions as boisterous and untractable. Great allow- 
 ance should be made for us when we come on shore ; for 
 being long in the habits of absolute command, we grow 
 impatient of contradiction, and are unfitted for the 
 gentle intercourse of quiet life. I am really in great 
 hopes that it will not be long before the experiment 
 will be made upon me, for I think we shall soon have 
 peace ; and I assure you that I will endeavour to con- 
 duct myself with as much moderation as possible. I 
 have come to another resolution, which is, when this 
 war is happily terminated, to think no more of ships, 
 but pass the rest of my days in the bosom of my family, 
 where I think my prospects of happiness are equal to 
 any man's." 
 
 It would be idle to say that he was not often dis-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 105 
 
 contented, and grumbled at tlie fashion in which the 
 Admiralty dispensed rewards and honours ; but it was 
 for those who had served under him and were passed 
 over, not for himself. In the moment of victory he had 
 promoted some young midshipmen from Nelson's ship, 
 and also some of his own fighting men. His promotions 
 were annulled, and he was coldly and ungraciously told 
 that, " In order to prevent disappointment to individuals, 
 I must beg that you will strictly conform to the rules 
 laid down by the Admiralty, by which they leave deaths 
 and court-martial vacancies to the commanding officer, 
 and reserve all others to themselves." The First Lord 
 added " that he should send him a list of his own 
 candidates." 
 
 No wonder he wrote in indignant remonstrance : 
 " It will scarcely be credited, that I am the only 
 commander in that fleet who has not had, by the 
 courtesy of the Admiralty, an opportunity to advance 
 one officer of any description. My first lieutenant (he 
 adds) stands where I placed him, covered with his 
 wounds, while some of those serving in j)rivate ships are 
 post-captains. Lieutenant Landless (he continues), the 
 only person I recommended to your lordship, is an old 
 and valuable officer ; he has followed me from ship to 
 ship all the war. My other lieutenant, who removed 
 with me into the Sovereign, was, happily for him, killed 
 in action, and thereby saved from the mortification 
 to which otherwise he would probably have been 
 subjected." 
 
 The Duke of Clarence said later : " I am clearly of 
 opinion, the lieutenants deserve and ought to be pro- 
 moted : I am for liberal rewards : I have ever been, and 
 ever shall be of opinion that zeal and bravery ought to 
 be the great and sole causes of promotion."
 
 106 THE LIFE AN'D TIMES OF 
 
 When it came to rewards of money, lie showed the 
 same noble disdain. 
 
 This true and gallant hero, for such he was, united 
 the sweetest and most amiable nature with the heart of 
 a lion, a fine capacity for his profession, and a strictness 
 of discipline. Mutinous subjects were sent to him, his 
 resolute treatment beino- so well known. A rebellious 
 sailor, who had loaded a cannon to fire on any one who 
 attempted to punish him, was thus sent to him. " On 
 his arrival on board the Excellent, Captain Collingwood, 
 in the presence of many of the sailors, said to him, 
 with great sternness of manner, ' I know your character 
 well, but beware how you attempt to excite insubordi- 
 nation in this ship ; for I have such confidence in my 
 men, that I am certain I shall hear in an hour of every- 
 thing you are doing. If you behave w^ell in future, I 
 will treat you like the rest, nor notice here what 
 happened in another ship : but if you endeavour to 
 excite mutiny, mark me well, I will instantly head you 
 up in a cask, and throw you into the sea.' Under the 
 treatment which he met with in the Excellent, this man 
 became a good and obedient sailor, and never afterwards 
 gave any cause of complaint." 
 
 Yet another trait supplies the secret of his influence: 
 
 "When a midshipman made a complaint, he would 
 order the man for punishment the next day ; and, in 
 the interval, calling the boy down to him, would say, 
 ' In all probability the fault was yours ; but whether it 
 were or not, I am sure it would go to your heart to see 
 a man old enough to be your father disgraced and 
 punished on your account ; and it will, therefore, give 
 me a good opinion of your disposition, if, when he is 
 brought out, you ask for his pardon.' AVhen this recom- 
 mendation, acting as it did like an order, was complied
 
 WILLIAM IV. lOr 
 
 with, and the lad interceded for the prisoner, Captain 
 Collingwood would make great apparent difficulty in 
 yielding ; but at length would say, ' This young gentle- 
 man has pleaded so humanely for you, that in the hope 
 that you will feel a due gratitude to him for his benevo- 
 lence, I will for this time overlook vour offence.' " 
 
 He watched over all his men, attended them when 
 sick, and treated them with unvarying kindness, so that 
 *' though no man less courted what is called popularity, 
 the sailors considered him, and called him their father ; 
 and frequently, when he changed his ship, many of the 
 men were seen in tears at his departure." He would 
 not permit his officers to make use of coarse or violent 
 language to the men : " If you do not know a man's, 
 name," he would say, " call him sailor, and not you-sir, 
 and such other appellations : they are offensive and 
 improper." If he had to reprove an officer, it was 
 always done in few words, and in the language of a 
 gentleman ; and, though strict in exacting from them 
 the due performance of every part of their duty, lie- 
 never teased or worried them with unnecessary trifles. 
 From his superiors, on the other hand, he always ex- 
 pected that respect to which by his character and 
 station he was entitled. Here is a perfect lesson in the 
 art of dealing with inferiors, addressed to his girls : 
 
 " I received your letter, my dearest child, and it 
 made me very happy to find that you and dear Mary 
 were well, and taking pains with your education. The 
 greatest pleasure I have amidst my toils and troubles, 
 is in the expectation which I entertain of finding you 
 improved in knowledge. When I write to you, my 
 beloved child, so much interested am I that you should 
 be amiable and worthy of the friendship and esteem of 
 good and wise people, that I cannot forbear to second
 
 108 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 and enforce tlie instruction which you receive by ad- 
 monition of my own, pointing out to you the great 
 advantages that will result from a temperate conduct 
 and sweetness of manner to all people on all occasions. 
 It does not follow that you are to coincide and agree in 
 opinion with every ill-judging person; but, after show- 
 ing them your reason for dissenting from their opinion, 
 your argument and opposition to it should not be 
 tinctured by anything offensive. Never forget for one 
 moment that you are a gentlewoman ; and all your 
 words and all your actions should mark you gentle. I 
 never knew your mother — your dear, your good mother 
 — say a harsh or a hasty thing to any person in my life. 
 Endeavour to imitate her. I am quick and hasty in my 
 temper ; my sensibility is touched sometimes with a 
 trifle, and my expression of it sudden as gunpowder ; 
 but, my darling, it is a misfortune, which, not having 
 been sufficiently restrained in my youth, has caused me 
 much pain. It has, indeed, given me more trouble to 
 subdue this natural impetuosity than anything I ever 
 undertook. I believe that you are both mild ; but if 
 ever you feel in your little breasts that you inherit a 
 particle of your father's infirmity, restrain it, and quit 
 the subject that has caused it until your serenity be 
 recovered. So much for mind and manners ; next for 
 accomplishments. No sportsman ever hits a partridge 
 without aiming at it ; and skill is acquired by repeated 
 attempts. It is the same thing in every art : unless 
 you aim at perfection you will never attain it ; but 
 frequent attempts will make it easy. Never, therefore, 
 do anything with indiff'erence. AVhether it be to mend 
 a rent in your garment, or finish the most delicate 
 piece of art, endeavour to do it as perfectly as it is 
 possible."
 
 WILLIAM lY. 109 
 
 As we thus turn from the hero at his duties to 
 find him writing to his family and to his " sweet " 
 daughters, who could think that this was the terror of 
 the Frenchmen, the intrepid captain ! 
 
 In one of the old autograph catalogues, which often 
 contains much entertainine: matter, I find the followinsf 
 letter from the brave old admiral to his old gardener 
 Scott. It is despatched from on board the Ocean in 
 November, 1806. 
 
 " Good Old Scott, 
 
 "The winter is coming and the weather cold, 
 and as I suppose your lady is gone as usual amongst the 
 fine people at Newcastle, and left for a little time the 
 good people at Morphet, I have sent you a little 
 present to help to keep you warm. How does the 
 garden go on, does it look comfortable, and do my trees 
 thrive ? I wish I was with you to plant a few nice 
 cabbages for spring, for I get very few here, and I am 
 afraid before the war is over I shall be too old to do 
 much good amongst them. I have not had a salad, 
 Scott, nor even a cauliflower, these two years, nothing 
 but salt-fish and seaweeds. 
 
 " They tell me Peggy is going to be married to a 
 sailor. I desire you will advise her not to do so foolish 
 a thing — a woman may as well be without a husband as 
 have a sailor." 
 
 Pining for home, and literally worn out with his 
 nearly fifty years' hard service, and feeling himself 
 dying, he made a request that he might be allowed 
 to return home to his family, if consistent with the 
 state of the service. It was pointed out to him by 
 the authorities that he could not be spared, and he
 
 110 THE LIFE AXD TBIES OF 
 
 acquiesced at once. At last lie was permitted, but it was 
 too late. He rallied on beginning the voyage, declaring 
 that he hoped to meet the French once more : thus 
 *' strong in death " appeared " the ruling passion." On 
 the following morning, when his friend Captain Thomas, 
 on entering his cabin, observed that he feared the 
 motion of the vessel disturbed him, " No, Thomas," he 
 replied, " I am now in a state in which nothing in this 
 world can disturb me more. I am dying ; and I am 
 sure it must be consolatory to you, and all who love me, 
 to see how comfortably I am going to my end." 
 
 He told one of his attendants that he had en- 
 deavoured to review, as far as was possible, all the 
 actions of his past life, and that he had the happiness 
 to sav that nothino- o-ave him a moment's uneasiness. 
 He spoke, at times, of his absent family, and of the 
 doubtful contest in which he was about to leave his 
 ■country involved, but ever with calmness and perfect 
 resignation to the will of God ; and in this state of 
 mind, after taking an affectionate farewell of his attend- 
 ants, he expired without a struggle, at six o'clock in the 
 evening, having attained the age of fifty-nine years and 
 six months. 
 
 9 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO LOED COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 "December 7, 1809. 
 
 "My dear Lord, 
 
 "Your lordship's agreeable letter of November 
 3rd, from off Cape St. Sebastian, has reached me, and I 
 congratulate you sincerely on the event of Admiral 
 Martin having destroyed the ships of the line, and 
 Captain Hollo well having made an end of the convoy. 
 I am only to Lament that the enemy did not give your 
 lordship and the British fleet an opportunity of doing
 
 WILLIAM IV. Ill 
 
 more ; and I trust, from the bottom of my heart, that 
 the next letter which you will have occasion to write 
 will bring the news of the Toulon squadron being in 
 your lordship's power. It is odd that the enemy should 
 have selected the 21st of October for sailing; and ex- 
 traordinary, also, that the French should build such 
 fine ships, and handle them so ill. I am glad that your 
 lordship is satisfied with the conduct of our officers and 
 men on this occasion ; and am clearly of opinion that 
 the lieutenants deserve, and ought, to be promoted. I 
 am for liberal rewards. The gallant Keith, of course, 
 comes within my ideas of promotions and gratuities. 
 I have ever been, and ever shall be, of opinion that 
 2eal and bravery ought to be the sole causes of pro- 
 motion. Your former favourite, the Empress Catherine, 
 knew well this secret of state ; and your lordship's 
 observation is quite correct, that Her Imperial Majesty 
 carried the same notions even into her private amuse- 
 ments : ' None but the brave,' my dear lord. I am glad 
 that Sprainger has done his duty, in taking four out of 
 the seven islands, and hope the remainder will soon fall. 
 The enemy must feel very awkward without them, and 
 cannot fail to be interrupted in attempting the Morea. 
 My best wishes attend your lordship, publicly and 
 privately ; and believe me ever, my dear lord, yours 
 most sincerely, 
 
 "William." 
 
 The gallant Keith was soon after promoted to the 
 rank of post-captain ; but died in the prime of man- 
 hood, at Aberdeen, in 181G. It was not long after 
 he had been promoted that he saw the death of his 
 patron, Lord Collingwood. The admiral was worn out 
 by fatigue and hard service, having been scarcely out
 
 112 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 of his ship from the battle of Trafalgar to the hour 
 he expired. He had again and again vainly applied to 
 be relieved. He had been nearly five years on the 
 ocean at one spell. The widow sent a mourning ring 
 to the Duke of Clarence. 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLARENCE TO LADY COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 " Busliey House, Saturday Niglit. 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 " I this morningj received a mournino; rino- in 
 memory of the deceased Lord Collingwood, which, of 
 course, I owe to your ladyship's politeness and atten- 
 tion. No one can regret the melancholy event of the 
 death of his lordship more sincerely than I do ; and 
 I feel great concern in having been prevented from 
 attending the funeral. I was informed the interment 
 was to be quite private, or else I should have made a 
 point of attending the remains of my departed friend 
 to the grave. No one could have had a more sincere 
 regard for the public character and abilities of Lord 
 Collingwood than myself ; indeed, with me it is enough 
 to have been the friend of Nelson, to possess my estima- 
 tion. The hero of the Nile, who fell at Trafalgar, was a 
 man of great mind, but self-taught ; Lord Collingwood, 
 the old companion in arms of the immortal Nelson, was 
 ecjually great in judgment and abilities, and had also 
 the advantage of an excellent education. Pardon me, 
 madam, for having said so much on this melancholy 
 occasion ; but my feelings as a brother officer, and my 
 admiration of the late Lord Collinirwood* have dictated 
 
 o 
 
 * "When, after the battle of Trafalgar, grateful record of JSTelson 
 ■was made in both Houses, and thanks given to the services, it 
 was the Duke of Clarence that caused CoUingwood's name to be 
 introduced.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 113 
 
 this expression of my sentiments. I will now conclude 
 
 and shall place on the same finger the ring which your 
 
 ladyship has sent me, with a gold bust of Lord Nelson. 
 
 Lord Collingwood's must ever be prized by me, as 
 
 coming from his family. The bust of Lord Nelson I 
 
 received from an unknown hand, on the day the 
 
 announcement of his death reached this country. To 
 
 me the two rings are invaluable ; and the sight of them 
 
 must ever give me sensations of grief and admiration. 
 
 I remain ever, madam, your ladyship's obedient and 
 
 most humble servant, 
 
 " William." 
 
 The Duke had before addressed a letter to Commo- 
 dore Owen, who commanded a squadron in the Channel, 
 in which he alludes to his own ardent desire of employ- 
 ment, and the wish he felt to share in the dangers of 
 the war, and to accompany the brave men who were 
 gathering laurels from the enemy. " When I shall 
 have the honour to hoist my flag, I cannot be certain ; 
 but I am very much inclined to think that eventually I 
 shall have the honour and happiness of commanding 
 those fine fellows whom I saw in the spring, in the 
 Downs and at Portsmouth. My short stay at Admiral 
 Campbell's had impressed me with very favourable 
 ideas of the improved state of the navy ; but my resi- 
 dence at Portsmouth had afforded me ample opportu- 
 nity of examining, and consequently of having a perfect 
 judgment of the high and correct discipline now 
 established in the King's service." 
 
 The late Lord William Campbell, one of the Argyll 
 family, a gallant naval officer who had seen much 
 service, used often to speak of Nelson to Mrs. Anne 
 Seymour Damcr, the accomplished sculptress. From 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 114 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 his description, as well as from her own admiration, 
 she conceived quite an enthusiastic feeling towards the 
 hero, and through her uncle's influence readily prevailed 
 on him to sit to her for a bust ; and this operation he 
 went throu2!;h " as often and as long^ " as she thousfht 
 necessary. The bust was presented to the City of 
 London, and placed in the Guildhall, where it may 
 now be seen. It is a striking performance, exhibiting 
 the morne gauntness which distinguished the face of 
 Nelson. 
 
 The Duke of Clarence, who had long known Lord 
 William Campbell in the course of his profession, and 
 had been an admirer of his niece's talents, came to her 
 with a request that she would give him a cast in plaster 
 of Lord Nelson's bust. I have indeed heard from 
 my friend Mr. Campbell Johnston, to whose family 
 Mrs. Damer left all her busts and statues — a most 
 interestino; collection — that so eao;er was the Prince to 
 possess this memorial that he took it away with him, 
 placing it between his feet on the coach-box. Many 
 years later, when he was Lord High Admiral, he came 
 again, and, after kindly ofi"ering to provide for one- 
 of the family in the navy, asked her to execute the- 
 finest bronze bust she could, which he proposed to< 
 place on a pedestal formed out of the stump of the fore- 
 mast of the Victory, which was at Bushey. Mrs. 
 Damcr was then nearly eighty years old, but she set 
 herself resolutely to the task, and finished the bust 
 only a few days before her death ; but, not being able 
 to present it, she left directions that her cousin, Mrs.. 
 Campbell Johnston, should do so, on which the Duke 
 appointed a day for the ceremony, inviting the family 
 to Bushey, where the bust was solemnly placed in its 
 fi'ame on the pedestal designed for it. There is a.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 115 
 
 pleasant earnestness and antique simplicity in this little 
 incident, which does credit to all concerned. 
 
 The Duke of Clarence was thus allowed not to see 
 any service, for some incomprehensible reason, but was 
 employed on various showy duties, such as escorting the 
 King of France on his restoration, and bringing over the 
 Allied Sovereigns. He had been promoted to be Admiral 
 of the Fleet during the first year of his brother's 
 regency. Like his royal brothers he had received 
 sundry pecuniary gifts in aid of his necessities ; 
 £20,000 from the convenient Admiralty Droits, and 
 a sum of £30,000 by way of loan. By a singular 
 arrangement he was to repay this sum in a certain 
 number of years at the rate of £750 a quarter ; but His 
 Eoyal Highness had neglected to repay these instal- 
 ments, and awkward questions were often asked in 
 Parliament. 
 
 I li
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Duke thus unemployed found the only opening 
 for his energies in frequent, perhaps too frequent, 
 speeches in the House of Lords. These utterances were 
 on all kinds of subjects, and he frequently reverted 
 to his favourite subject of the slave trade, being ever 
 ready to vindicate the planters. The worst of such 
 exhibitions was that it drew him into rather undignified 
 controversies, in which, as he abdicated the privileges of 
 his rank, he was sometimes treated with scant ceremony. 
 Such was the occasion of his warmly vindicating his 
 friend Lord St. Vincent, asking was there to be an 
 inquiry into his conduct ? This he pressed so per- 
 tinaciously that the Chancellor gave him a rebuke, 
 quitting his seat on the woolsack to do so. The Duke 
 did not relish this tone, and retorted that the reason he 
 was not answered was that the reply would be highly 
 inconvenient to ministers. Later he twitted Lord 
 Eldon with his too frequently finding excuse to leave 
 the woolsack. 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLAEEKCE TO CAPTAIN WEIGHT. 
 
 " St. James's, December 15, 1801. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " You may well be surprised at my not having 
 sooner acknowledged yours of 25th October. The fault
 
 THE LIFE A^D TIMES OE WILLIAM IV. 117 
 
 is really not mine, for my head servant at Bushey, who 
 is none of the best, kept saying the case of noyau you 
 were so jii^ite as to send me had never arrived. It is 
 only within these few days I have discovered his mistake, 
 and it has been a long time in the cellar. I now, there- 
 fore, hasten to return you my thanks for this mark of 
 your attention, and to regret the misconduct of my 
 servant. I am very glad to hear my little godchild is 
 doing so well ; my best wishes and compliments attend 
 the little gentleman and his fair mother. I hope the 
 time will not be lono; before I shall be able to be of 
 service to you; but with the present First Lord I cannot. 
 Adieu, and ever believe me, dear sir, 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 "William P." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " Bushey House, DecemlDer 15, 1803. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " I am to acknowledge yours of 5th instant, and 
 return you my thanks for the pheasants. The easterly 
 wind by this time, I suppose, has brought woodcocks. 
 
 " It has given me great concern to learn that Mrs. 
 Wright has been dangerously indisposed ; my best wishes 
 and compliments attend her. Those who have children 
 know if they are healthy they will be mischievous, and 
 therefore your account of the young hopeful gives me 
 pleasure. 
 
 "As for this rascal Bonaparte, I wish he was at the 
 bottom of the sea. All naval officers think invasion 
 impossible, and that is clearly my opinion ; yet what 
 else can this Corsican scoundrel do against this country ? 
 As you justly observe, it is very late to ^ut his threats
 
 118 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 in execution, and I hardly conceive this winter lie will 
 attempt it. 
 
 " The King's speech is very much to my liking, and I 
 have no doubt if we are true to ourselves Great Britain 
 must rise and France must fall. My best wishes and 
 compliments attend you rather afloat than on shore, and 
 I remain, 
 
 "Yours sincerely, 
 
 " William P." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME, 
 
 " Busliey House, Thursday night. 
 
 *' Dear Sir, 
 
 '' I must acknowledge yours of 20th, and return 
 you many thanks for your attention and politeness. 
 Believe me, I should have been very much concerned 
 that you should on my account have left home. As 
 a farmer, I am well aware of the necessity of the presence 
 of the master ; but at this time of the 3^ear, when the 
 harvest is going on, he ought not to be absent a minute, 
 except half-an-hour at breakfast, and an hour to dinner. 
 I never am out of the field the whole day. I am glad 
 to find you are turned farmer. I believe ofiicers of the 
 navy make the best, as they are always active. Our 
 crops are excellent, and I sincerely hope the distresses 
 of the poor will now be alleviated. I have not for some 
 time seen General Bauermeister, but I understand he is 
 better. You are right, it is Colonel Dalrymple who 
 has written the pamphlet on wheat ; it will, I am sure, 
 give you any explication you may wish. My best wishes 
 and compliments attend your lady and my godson. I 
 remain, dear sir, yours sincerely, 
 
 "William P."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 119 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME.* 
 
 "Bushey House, April 22, 1803. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 "I am to acknowledge yours of IStli instant, 
 and lament the death of our 2:ood friend Bauermeister. 
 The poor General sent me your official letter, which I 
 forwarded to the Admiralty. No man can tell whether 
 the sea officers are wanted or not, because we have to do 
 with a madman ; but I cannot think it will blow over. 
 
 "My best wishes and compliments attend your lady, 
 and from your letter I may say to her what is said to 
 those on their trial, ' God give you a safe deliverance.' 
 I am glad my young friend drinks wine after dinner, 
 and shall be happy to see him and his parents. In the 
 mean time adieu, and ever believe me, yours sincerely, 
 
 "William P." 
 
 Some further letters show the same genuine sym- 
 pathy with those whom he had made his friends. 
 
 DUKE OP CLAKENCE TO CAPTAIN HAEGOOD. 
 
 " Bushey House, Friday night. 
 
 ^'Dear Hargood, 
 
 " I congratulate you from the bottom of my 
 heart that you have at last had the opportunity of con- 
 vincing your brother officers of those merits which I 
 have long known you to possess. Everybody that had 
 the honour and glory of sharing in the action speak and 
 write in the highest terms of the Bdleisle and her 
 gallant commander. To me it is a matter of great 
 satisfaction that my old shipmate is so well thought of. 
 I hope to see you, that we may converse over the action, 
 
 * For the above interesting letters tlie author is indebted to Mr. 
 Wright, son of tlio officer to whom they were addressed.
 
 120 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 and tliat I may be master of the subject. Besides, I 
 must consider you as a child of my own, and we are to 
 celebrate the victory here, which I have not yet done 
 till you can be present. I wish another brave fellow 
 could have witnessed our rejoicings, but he is gone. I 
 mean my friend Nelson. You knew well my attach- 
 ment and friendship for him, and you may therefore 
 easily conceive what I must have felt, at the moment of 
 the most brilliant victory, to lose my friend, covered 
 with glory and entitled to the first honours of a grateful 
 country. I did not think it was possible, but for one 
 of my dearest relations, to have felt what I have, and 
 what I do still, for poor Nelson, I shall now conclude, 
 as I trust to see you shortly ; but I must request you 
 will let me know the day, that we may arrange your 
 reception. You cannot refuse the pleasure to several 
 young ladies and gentlemen, who talk of nothing else 
 but the brave Captain Hargood. 
 
 " Adieu ! and ever believe me, dear Hargood, your 
 most sincerely, "William." 
 
 A letter really charming for its native w^armth, 
 simplicity, and affection. It shows, too, better than 
 anything else, how much the writer's heart was in his 
 profession, and how eager he was to associate himself 
 with all that concerned it. There is, moreover, an 
 admirable revelation of character. 
 
 THE SAME TO SIR E. BEKEY. 
 
 "DEAP.SIR, "Aprils, 1800. 
 
 "Your letter of 15th last November reached me, 
 of course, and by some accident has been mislaid ; since 
 which public affairs and indisposition have kept me
 
 WILLIAM I\^ 121 
 
 silent. But yours from St. Domingo brought Trafalgar 
 back to my mind, and I now therefore take up my pen 
 to congratulate you on being safe after two such actions. 
 Many and brave men fell on 23rd October, and the 
 success was brilliant, but the country has to lament her 
 hero, and through life I cannot forget my friend. In 
 this last action everything has been done that discipline, 
 valour, and zeal could ; and it is a real pleasure to me 
 that wherever our navy is employed, the brave fellows 
 go to certain victory. I congratulate you most heartily 
 on being quite well after two such actions, and hope 
 you Avill be in many more, and enjoy in them all the 
 same good fortune, both publicly and privately, as you 
 have off Cadiz and St. Domingo. Ever yours, 
 
 ''William." 
 
 During this early period of his life the Duke had 
 formed a connection with a well-known actress, Mrs. 
 Jordan, which was continued for many years, and by 
 whom he had a very large family — no less than four 
 sons and five daughters. There is no need to do more 
 than to chronicle the fact, as the subject is a distasteful 
 one, and that on their separating after more than twenty 
 years, much odium and abuse was incurred by the Duke.* 
 
 * There was a long and large controversy between the friends of 
 tlie lady and of the Duke as to liis treatment on their separation. 
 This will Le found discussed at length in Mr. Wright's "Life of 
 William IV.," and in Sir J. Earrington's "Memoirs," who was her 
 warm partisan. It is certain that a fair provision was made for her 
 and her children ; but as she was foolish enough to involve herself in 
 debts and liabilities for others, owing to which she was driven abroad 
 to die in miserable circumstances, this imparted a tragic interest to her 
 fate, and was unfairly set down to the account of her royal protector. 
 There was certainly a painful contrast between the brilliant alliances 
 and flourishing careers of all her children and the lot of their luckless 
 mother.
 
 122 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 This was said to have been owing to one of tlie many 
 eccentric schemes of the Duke for marrying an heiress, 
 and which required the united efforts of his family and 
 of the Ministers to frustrate. But as this present work 
 is intended to illustrate the social life and manners of 
 the day, I cannot omit an account of an extraordinary 
 scene or festival at the Duke's, which seems to have 
 been accepted as quite a matter of course, and really 
 makes us open our eyes with amazement. The descrip- 
 tion appeared in The Courier : 
 
 '' The Duke of Clarence's birthday was celebrated 
 w^itli much splendour in Bushey Park, on Thursday. The 
 grand hall w^as entirely new fitted up with bronze 
 pilasters, and various marble imitations ; the ceiling 
 was correctly clouded, and the wdiole illuminated with 
 some brilliant patent lamps suspended from a beautiful 
 eagle. The pleasure-ground was disposed for the occasion, 
 and the servants had new liveries. In the mornino; the 
 bands of the Dukes of York and Kent arrived in caravans ; 
 after dressing themselves, and dining, they went into the 
 pleasure-grounds, and played alternately some charming 
 pieces. About five o'clock the Prince of \Yales, the 
 Dukes of York, Kent, Sussex, and Cambridge, Colonel 
 Paget, &c., arrived from reviewing the German Legion. 
 After they had dressed for dinner, they walked in the 
 pleasure-grounds, accompanied by the Lord Chancellor, 
 Earl and Countess of Athlonc and daughter, Lord 
 Leicester, Baron Hotham and lady, Baron Eden, the 
 Attorney-General, Colonels Paget and M'Millon, Serjeant 
 Marshall, and a number of other persons. At seven 
 o'clock, the second bell announced the dinner, when the 
 Prince took Mrs. Jordan by the hand, led her into the 
 <lining-room, and seated her at the top of the table.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 123 
 
 The Prince took Lis seat at her riMit hand, and the 
 Duke of York at her left ; the Duke of Cambridge sat 
 next to the Prince, the Duke of Kent next to the Duke 
 of York, and the Chancellor next to His Royal Highness. 
 The Duke of Clarence sat at the foot of the table. 
 
 " It is hardly necessary to state the table was 
 sumptuously covered with everything the season could 
 afford. The bands played on the lawn, close to the 
 dining-room window. The populace were permitted to 
 enter the pleasure-grounds to behold the royal banquet, 
 while the presence of Messrs. Townshend, Sayers, and 
 Macmanu preserved the most correct decorum. 
 
 " The Duke's numerous family were introduced, and 
 ■admired by the Prince, the Royal Dukes, and the whole 
 company ; an infant in arms, with a most beautiful 
 white head of hair, was brought into the dining-room by 
 the nursery-maid. After dinner, the Prince gave ' The 
 Duke of Clarence,' which was drunk with three times 
 three ; The Duke then gave ' The King,' which was drunk 
 in a solemn manner. A discharge of cannon from the 
 lawn followed. ' The Queen and Princesses,' — ' The Duke 
 of York and the Army ! ' His Royal Highness's band 
 struck up his celebrated march ! " 
 
 In the year 1814, we find the Duke setting off to 
 witness some British operations in Holland under Sir T. 
 Graham. But Carnot, the engineer, had contrived to 
 make Antwerp perfectly secure, and the Duke had 
 only to record the failure of the attack, in a letter to 
 Prince Munich. 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO LORD LIVERPOOL. 
 
 "Eritish Headquarters, February 6, 1814. 
 
 *'My Dear Lord, 
 
 " I was so suddenly called away by Sir Thomas 
 Graham that it was not in my power at the time to
 
 124 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 inform your lordship. I must ever regret the fleet was 
 not burnt ; but at the same time the ships, without the 
 greatest repairs, will never be able to put to sea. Two 
 entire days and part of a third were dedicated to the 
 most perfect and unmolested practice of our artillery 
 against the ships and buildings. We ought to have 
 been crowned with success, for every exertion was made, 
 and all ranks tried who could most do their duty ; our 
 loss, thank God, has been but small ; and Sir Thomas 
 Graham did all in his power, and was well seconded by 
 those under him. Being, therefore, perfectly satisfied 
 with the Commander-in-Chief and his gallant ofiicers 
 and men, I remain with the British army on the march, 
 and shall continue with them at least four-and- twenty 
 hours after they are in their permanent quarters. Before 
 I return to the Hague I shall pay a visit to the Duke 
 of Saxe Weimar, if he is at Breda. I shall, however, 
 write as circumstances arise, and, if anything should 
 prevent my returning to the Hague directly, you shall 
 hear from me ; but I am determined to proceed to those 
 j)laces only where my reception is secure and proper. 
 " Adieu, and ever believe me, my dear lord, 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 "William."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 We now pass over a number of unsuccessful and mono- 
 tonous years. The death of the ill-fated and beloved 
 Princess Charlotte, in 1817, was destined to have an 
 important bearing on the condition of the Eoyal 
 brothers. This tragic event found the Queen and her 
 family, with the Duke of Clarence, down at Bath, 
 *' drinking the waters," and enjoying those local 
 festivities which this visit prompted. The Duke's 
 health was never good ; all his life he suffered much 
 from asthma. He had been attacked by gout and an 
 affection of the stomach, and it was determined that he 
 and the Queen should spend the winter in that gay 
 and handsome city, which has since sadly declined in 
 popularity. Three houses were taken for the Royal 
 party. The news, which reached the Queen while she 
 was at dinner, threw her into a succession of faintinsf 
 fits. The Duke was at the Guildhall, dining with the 
 Mayor and Corporation, when a despatch was brought 
 in to Sir Henry Halford, by whom it was handed to the 
 Duke of Clarence, and he rose in much agitation and 
 withdrew. In "faltering tones" Lord Camden proposed 
 breaking up the entertainment, and all retired in silence. 
 After the funeral the Royal party returned to Bath to 
 complete the "cure." 
 
 The Royal Princes were now restored to the chance
 
 126 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 of a direct succession, and began to consider their posi- 
 tion. The Duke of York, who was next heir, was 
 chiklless. The Duke of Clarence, who came next, was. 
 unmarried. The Duke of Cambrido-e came next, who 
 was also unmarried. By April, 1818, the two Princes 
 had selected consorts ; the first, " Amelia Adelaide • 
 Louise Therese Caroline Wilhelmina, Princess of Saxe 
 Meiningen ;" the second, a Princess of Hesse. Princess. 
 Adelaide was twenty-six years old, and not remark- 
 able for personal attractions, but she had been brought 
 up simply and strictly by an excellent mother in every 
 branch of polite and useful learning. From earliest 
 childhood, the Princess Adelaide, in particular, was 
 remarkable for her sedate disposition, and rather re- 
 served habits. The greatest portion of her time, it is 
 said, was devoted to her studies ; and though perfectly 
 cheerful with her intimate companions, she took little 
 pleasure in the gaieties and frivolities of fashion. Even 
 when arrived at more mature years, she manifested a 
 strong dislike to that laxity of morals, and contempt 
 for religious feeling, which had sprung out of the 
 French Revolution, and infected all the courts in Ger- 
 many. This excellent selection was, it is said, the 
 suggestion of the Queen. 
 
 "When these alliances had been arranged, the neces- 
 sary step of "making suitable provision" for their 
 support was taken. In April Lord Liverpool brought 
 the matter before the House of Lords, saying that they 
 had originally intended an annuity of £20,000 for 
 the Duke of Clarence, and £12,000 for the Duke of 
 Cambridofc. The same was suG^ijested for the Duke of 
 Cumberland, Lord Liverpool rather ominously announcing 
 that " he knew of nothins: in the conduct of the Duke 
 of Cumberland or his wife that subjected them to the
 
 WILLIAM lY. 127 
 
 stisfma of such an allowance beinof refused to them." 
 The Duke of Gloucester having already a handsome 
 allowance of nearly £30,000 a year, did not judge it 
 necessary, or perhaps prudent, to ask for more. The 
 Duke of Clarence would, he said, be quite content with 
 £10,000 a year, and the two Dukes with £6000 a year. 
 In the House of Commons, however, these proposals 
 met with unexpected hostility and opposition, and,, 
 after a warm debate, during which it was stated that 
 the Duke of Clarence was in debt to the amount of 
 £50,000 or £60,000, and a sum of £30,000 granted 
 now would free him from embarrassment, an amend- 
 ment was carried reducing the allowance to £6000 a year. 
 This was only passed by a narrow majority of nine ;. 
 on which the Duke of Clarence made the extraordinary 
 announcement that he could not afford to marry 
 on such a sum, and that the negotiation with the 
 German Princess was at an end. This announcement 
 ■was made in pique, and indeed had an air of absurdity, 
 as such a marriage could hardly be dependent on so- 
 slight a sum as £4000 per annum. The House was in 
 a very angry temper, and positively declined to grant 
 any sum whatever to the Duke of Cumberland, though 
 it was willing to allow the Duchess a dowry of £6000 
 a year, which the lady declined. A heated discussion 
 took place on the grant to the Duke of Cambridge, 
 led by Mr. Brougham, who pointed out that he 
 already enjoyed £18,000 a year, " besides free lodg- 
 ings and a free table," to say nothing of £6000 a 
 year as Regent of Hanover. He suggested that the 
 Royal Family should provide for their son. However, 
 the vote was carried. The Duke of Clarence, meanwhile, 
 on consulting with his friends, thought it wiser to 
 reconsider the case, and the German Princess was
 
 128 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 informed that her marriage should go on. There was 
 another marriage also on the tapis, as it is called, that 
 of the Duke of Kent with the sister of Prince Leopold. 
 The Queen was now dying, and could not attend any- 
 serious public ceremonial ; so a room was fitted up in 
 Kew Palace overlooking the gardens, and there, on July 
 13th, the Duke of Kent and his wife were married 
 accordinof to the Ene^lish rite, havino- been married in 
 Germany a few weeks before, and the Duke of Clarence'"* 
 and his bride were then united. Two weeks before the 
 Duke of Cambridge and his Princess had been also 
 Avedded at Kew. The marriage of the Princess Eliza- 
 beth with the LandQ;rave of Hombursf, which had taken 
 place a month before, completed this unprecedented 
 series of weddings in a single family. 
 
 Both the brides were given away by the Prince Eegent, 
 after which they knelt with their partners before the 
 Queen, who gave them her blessing, and then retired 
 into the adjoining room, being too feeble to remain 
 with the company. At five o'clock, the Prince Eegent, 
 the rest of his relatives and friends, sat down to a most 
 sumptuous dinner, which lasted till seven ; and about 
 half an hour afterwards, the Duke and Duchess of Kent 
 departed for Claremont. The Kegent and the remaining 
 Eoyal party then proceeded in open carriages to the 
 Cottage in Kew Gardens, near the Pagoda, where they 
 drank tea, after which, the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, 
 with the Dowasjer of Meinino;en, left the Palace for the 
 house of His Eoyal Highness at St. James's. The Duke 
 
 * The Duke of Clarence and his family were not indifferently 
 provided for. He enjoyed these pensions : By 43 Geo. III., cap. 45, 
 £6000; hy 58 Geo. III., cap. 53, £17,500 ; by 1 & 2 Geo. IV., cap. 
 119, £6000; and 7 & 8 Geo. IV., cap. 110, £3000; while the 
 Duchess of Clarence had £6000 ; total, £38,500.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 129 
 
 and Duchess of Clarence took a final leave of the Queen 
 in a few days after their marriage, and proceeded to the 
 Continent. Before the end of the year the Queen, who 
 during her long life had seen so many changes and 
 endured such troubles, expired. 
 
 In the following year the two august ladies, within a 
 day of each other, presented their respective husbands — 
 the Duchess of Cambridge with a son, at Hanover, on 
 March 26th, the Duchess of Clarence with a daughter, 
 on March 27th. The latter, however, survived only a 
 few hours, being named Charlotte. The Duchess of 
 Clarence's health was much affected, and she was ordered 
 to travel. 
 
 In June, 1822, the Duke and Duchess set off on a 
 tour through Germany. They brought with them a very 
 intelligent physician. Dr. Beattie,* who has left some notes 
 of their progress. The Royal pair proceeded by w^ay 
 of Belgium to Homburg to see the Duke's sister. 
 
 " During the eight days' journey to this country,'' 
 says Dr. Beattie, " His Royal Highness has not dined 
 more than twice. He breakfasted in the morninef at 
 seven upon tea, and a simple slice of dry toast. A 
 slight luncheon, consisting of cold fowl, Westphalia 
 ham, veal or gibier (the latter a favourite viand), was 
 prepared, and put into a small basket in the chariot. 
 One or more of these, with bread, formed the staple 
 banquet of the day, and were resorted to at pleasure. 
 At night, on arriving at the inn. His Royal Highness 
 took tea — and onhj green tea — of which a supply was 
 
 * This gentleman later Lecamo one of Lady Blessington's train 
 and contributed largely to her annuals. But he is perhaps better 
 known by a rather indifferent life of the Poet Campbell. The reader 
 ■will certainly be entertained by the rapturous devotions of this Avorthy 
 physician and true courtier. We can indeed call to mind nothing liko 
 it, the " only green tea " being an admirable touch. 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 130 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 brought from Ghent. This summed up the day's enter- 
 tainment. However late the hour, or potent the 
 infusion, the beverage, I understand, never interferes 
 with His Koyal Highness's rest. Such is the power of 
 lono: habit. 
 
 " No man can be more attentive and anxious to 
 limit and reduce his expenditure as much as- is possible^ 
 or consistent with his exalted station, than His Royal 
 Hiirhness. He looks over all the accounts himself, 
 sums up, calculates, adjusts, and compares, nicely 
 balancing every item. When the first account of tho 
 expenditure from England to Altenstein was given in, 
 he examined it for half an hour with great attention,, 
 and expressed much surprise at the smallness of the 
 amount. * I advise you to take it back, and recalculate 
 the items. It is impossible that I can have travelled 
 from Antwerp to Altenstein for this sum ! How many 
 miles is it ? I observe here it is specified in stages : 
 nine days from the coast — fifteen persons — sixteen 
 horses — three carriages, estafette included — one horse 
 being charged for each person.'" 
 
 On the 24th of July, the Duke of Clarence set out 
 to visit his sister, the Queen of Wurtemberg, at 
 Stuttgardt. Next day, he had a narrow escape of his 
 life. At Kungelsau, where the carriage stopped to 
 change horses, the postilion appeared to be drunk, but 
 there was no other in the place ; so " away," says 
 the Doctor, " we went, as if drawn by the devil, and 
 driven by an attorney. The road was good, confined 
 between tw^o hedges, and rising in a gentle acclivity, 
 which was speedily overcome. Our postilion, suiting 
 the word to the action, administered his mettled steeds 
 with an alternate kick, and crack of the whip, which 
 carried us in quick time to the top of the ascent.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 131 
 
 ** So far, well. Here began another experiment, the 
 descent — much too rapid and slippery to be safe. The 
 road was bordered by a rugged precipice, and turned, at 
 the foot of the descent, by a sharp apgle to the left, 
 which to have described, at this our present rate, muse 
 have been attended with imminent hazard. Crossino- 
 also the road at right angles, there was a second preci- 
 pice, defended only by a slight parapet of two feet 
 high. The danger was, that the sudden check which 
 must be sjiven to the carriacfe, in order to turn the an^le 
 safely, might be so sudden, as to overbalance it ; or that 
 the horses, either incapable of opposing sufficient resist- 
 ance, or becomino; unmanao^eable, it miffht be hurried 
 over the precipice. The latter seemed the more pro- 
 bable, and one or other inevitable, at the time. The 
 postilion, however, continued his career, every moment 
 accelerated by the increased momentum. It was 
 abundantly evident that he had no power. He made 
 use of every exertion, but in vain, to check the velocity 
 with which he was proceeding. He had by no means 
 calculated the weight of the carriage. His leaders, as 
 usual, had neither bit nor rein ; so that he had no 
 command over them, but, instead of driving, was 
 dragged after them. The danger was at its height. 
 The precipice, upon which we were rushing, suddenly 
 appeared. The feeling it excited was like that of the 
 boatman who feels himself hurried irresistibly towards 
 the cataract of Rheinfelden. Though momentary, it 
 left an impression of all that is sublime in fear. The 
 leaders touched the parapet ; the wheelers, by a 
 momentary and desperate manoeuvre, were thrown on 
 their haunches, almost under the body of the carriage. 
 They offered all the resistance which living muscle and 
 wretched harness could oppose in such an emergency. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 The eflfort succeeded. The leaders bolted instinctively 
 from the precipice. The carriage reeled for a moment — 
 tlie wheelers sprang to their legs — -the danger was over 
 — but an instance of more imminent dan2;er is of rare 
 occurrence." 
 
 On the 1st of September, the Duke and his royal 
 consort left Meiningen for Heidelberg, where they were 
 met three days afterwards by the Queen of AVurtemberg, 
 to whom the Duke of Meiningen was now introduced 
 for the first time. Her Majesty and the Duchess of 
 Clarence had met on a former visit to this country. At 
 Heidelberg the Queen entertained her guests with some 
 excursions. 
 
 It is well known that George III. had a tenacious 
 memory, and some extraordinary instances are recorded 
 of his recollection of persons and circumstances after 
 very long intervals of time. It appears that the same 
 faculty was common to all his children. In connection 
 with this, Dr. Beattie says in his journal : " The Queen 
 of Wurtemberg is not less gifted with a faithful memory 
 than her royal brother. In conversing upon the many 
 pleasing topics which early reminiscences supply, there 
 was one here to-day, respecting their favourite Kew. 
 Both agreed as to the year, the month, and the day, upon 
 which the circumstance in question took place : the hour 
 alone was left undecided. This might appear unim- 
 portant to any one not accustomed to place implicit 
 reliance upon this faculty ; but with these royal person- 
 ages, the memory is almost an infallible book of 
 reference." 
 
 The reflection suggested in these travelling chronicles 
 is that the Doctor was a man of a rather banal turn 
 of mind, and, as this last " little anecdote " shows, 
 inclined to be fittingly and awfully impressed by his
 
 WILLIAM lY. 133 
 
 august companions. On embarking at Antwerp on 
 August 21st to return home, our Doctor sums up the 
 happy results. 
 
 " It is pleasing to reflect that during a journey of 
 such length and variety, through the less frequented 
 circles of Germany, neither hurt nor accident has 
 occurred to anyone. His Eoyal Highness has derived 
 essential benefit from the tour. His confirmed state of 
 health is a topic of frequent remark with himself, and of 
 gratifying observation with others. Air and exercise, in 
 their due time, place, and proportion, seldom fail in im- 
 parting strength and stability to the constitution. In 
 the economy of health, they are of the first-rate import- 
 ance. There is probably no country in Europe where 
 they will be productive of more certain pleasure and 
 advantage than in the provinces of the Rhine." 
 
 In March, 182.5, the Duke and Duchess once more 
 embarked, on this occasion aboard the " Eoyal Comet 
 Steamer." The Duke always disliked ceremony, and was 
 perhaps not sorry to escape from the inconvenient 
 attendance of an escort of ships, &c. A few days later, 
 when he set off abruptly and took passage with his 
 Duchess on board the common steamer to Dieppe, he 
 little thought that there was one in office and authority 
 who would take care that the proper etiquette was not 
 violated. He already had had disagreeable experience 
 of this stern monitor. 
 
 By no one was the Duke of Clarence better " kept 
 in order," as it is called, than by the Duke of Wellington, 
 whose watchful eye was on his movements, and in a 
 stern but respectful manner would point out the fault 
 and require alteration in conduct. Thus, in September, 
 1829, when he learned that His Roval Hidmess, with 
 the Duchess, had set off by an ordinary packet for
 
 134 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 Dieppe, against all order and rules of State, the Duke at 
 once despatched a reproof, and supplied a remedy. 
 
 THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON TO THE DUKE OP CLARENCE. 
 
 28tla September, 18S9. 
 
 ''Sir, 
 
 " Having perused in the newspapers of this morn- 
 ing that your Royal Highness and Her Eoyal Highness 
 the Duchess had gone to Dieppe in the steam-packet, 
 and having incjuired at the Admiralty I found that 
 there had been no intimation of your Eoyal Hic^hness's 
 intention to go abroad, I conclude that your Eoyal 
 Highness did not give this intimation because you 
 thought that your employing one of His Majesty's 
 yachts or steam-vessels might be inconvenient to the 
 public service. I am certain, however, that your Eoyal 
 Highness will feel that it is not fit that Her Eoyal 
 Highness the Duchess should be in a French port other- 
 wise than properly attended by one of His Majesty's 
 yachts, although your Eoyal Highness personally, as an 
 officer, may do as you please ; and your Eoyal Highness 
 will not be surprised that the Lords Commissioners of 
 the Admiralty should have sent over to attend your 
 Eoyal Highness the Admiralty yacht and one of His 
 Majesty's steam-vessels, as soon as it was made known 
 to them that your Eoyal Highness had left England. 
 I have the honour, &c,, 
 
 " Wellington." 
 
 This was treating him almost like a youth ; and the 
 erratic Prince must have been sorely annoyed at finding 
 the English ships sent to wait on him at Dieppe. 
 
 The occasion of the present tour was the marriage 
 of the Grand Duke of Meiningen, which was to be
 
 WILLIAM IV. 135 
 
 •celebrated at Cassel "with great demonstrations of joy." 
 The Duke's two daughters were of the party, together 
 with the recording Doctor (who was indeed working his 
 •observations into a " Journal of a Eesidence in Ger- 
 many," in two volumes octavo). 
 
 On the young ladies the Doctor observes : "As a 
 father, His Royal Highness might serve as a model to 
 every parent in the British empire. Unremitting atten- 
 tion to their intellectual improvement, unwearied solici- 
 tude for tlieir personal comfort and welfare, and an 
 affection limited only by the dictates of prudence and 
 good sense, give him at once a title to the affection of 
 his family, and to the approbation of every observer. 
 
 " On attending the Duke in his private apartment, 
 I every morning make my report respecting their health. 
 A fortnight ago. Miss Amelia caught cold, followed by 
 symptoms of a nature that demanded prompt and de- 
 cisive treatment. During the interval, His Royal High- 
 ness visited her at a distance from the chateau, four or 
 five times a day ; always suggesting something to engage 
 and divert her attention. She has been able to resume 
 her usual exercise this afternoon, which has afforded the 
 greatest satisfaction." 
 
 Among the domestics and dependants was " an 
 aged African," to whom the Duke was very kind, and 
 of whose feeling, in return. Dr. Beattie relates this 
 anecdote. 
 
 "Poor old Henri ! wherever I meet him, he expresses 
 his gratitude both loud and long. ' pless His High- 
 ness ! pless him ! AVhat you tink his Highness give 
 me ? — pless him. What you tink ? ' * I don't know, 
 indeed, Plenri ; but here is something more, which you 
 may count over at your leisure ; it has a pleasant clink.' 
 
 " Poor Henri's fluency of speech was suddenly
 
 136 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 stopped. He could not even repeat ]pless him! but 
 instantly burst into tears — which said more." 
 
 Here the Duke and his family took up their residence 
 at the ChateaU'd-quatre-tours. 
 
 " Unless when engaged with important business or 
 company, His Royal Highness observes the same punc- 
 tuality in his hours of retiring and getting up, that he 
 does in the public and private duties of his station. 
 Eleven o'clock is the hour at which he generally retires. 
 At seven in the morning he is dressed ; and, when the 
 weather permits, w^alks in the avenue or gardens till 
 eight, or later. 
 
 " When the letters are finished, and enclosed to the 
 charge cVaffaires at Frankfort, His Royal Highness walks 
 till dinner time ; then comes in, dresses, and proceeds 
 to the drawing-room. He does everything by system. 
 His walks, which have occasionally extended to four, 
 are very seldom less than two hours' duration, and gene- 
 rally taken at the hottest period of the day. When 
 prevented by the state of the weather from indulging in 
 out-door exercise, His Royal Highness uses the large 
 drawing-room as a substitute, with one or more windows 
 thrown open, so as to afiford the best means of counter- 
 acting the efi'ects of temporary confinement. 
 
 " In travelling, whenever the carriages halt at a fresh 
 relay, it is his custom to alight, and employ the interval, 
 though only five minutes, in exercise. In wet or damp 
 weather, he never ventures abroad, not even in the 
 carriage, without adopting the precaution of wearing 
 galoches. 
 
 " In diet here, as in England, His Royal Highness 
 observes a strict regimen, — plain roast or boiled mutton 
 to dinner : such George III. preferred. Sherry is his 
 favourite and I may say, only wine. I never saw him
 
 WILLIAM IV. 137 
 
 taste port ; and seldom French or Rhenish wines. He 
 rarely eats roots or vegetables, not even a potato. The 
 only beverage in which he indulges an innocent freedom, 
 is barley-water flavoured with lemon." 
 
 While at Ems, the Duke was attacked by his asthma, 
 of his sufferings under which trial Dr. Beattie o;ives 
 this account. 
 
 "His Royal Highness, as a patient, takes freely 
 whatever is prescribed, and with that measure of con- 
 fidence which is always gratifying to the physician, and, 
 in certain cases, contributes not a little to accelerate the 
 cure. During his present illness, I am usually asked 
 about what hour the attack will subside. To such 
 questions, the answer must be more or less hazardous — 
 yet they must be answered. Last night, the spasm was 
 protracted nearly an hour beyond the time predicted. 
 ' Well, Doctor, you thought this fit would abate by 
 nine o'clock ; now, you observe, it is near ten. Well, 
 well, it can't be helped.' This said, he became perfectly 
 calm. The paroxysm abated so far, that he was able to 
 retire to bed, and enjoy some hours of refreshing sleep." 
 
 " The right of interrogation," adds the Doctor, who 
 furnishes all particulars, " has been duly exercised by 
 His Royal Highness during the attack. When adminis- 
 tering the different medicines suggested by the symp- 
 toms present, he has generally desired me to explain to 
 him, ' why exhibited in this or that form ; how, why, 
 and with what combined ; their nature, properties, and 
 the indications they were intended to fulfil.' These 
 were questions, which, at times, I felt difiiculty, often 
 delicacy, in answering. To one of them he was pleased 
 to add the following compliment : — ' I will do you the 
 justice to say, that, although a young physician, the 
 medicines you have given mc during my illness have
 
 138 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 fully answered the purpose intended. I have not got so 
 easily over it for many years.' " 
 
 Soon after his recovery, in the middle of July, the 
 Duke went to visit the Queen of Wurtemberg at 
 Deinach, her summer residence in the Black Forest. 
 In this tour, we are told, a pleasing incident occurred. 
 
 " On the heights of Mergentheim," says the Doctor, 
 " there is an isolated linden-tree by the roadside — one 
 of the forest outposts, inviting the traveller to admire 
 its stately growth, and, if he please, refresh himself 
 under its shade. The morning was very hot, and the 
 ascent from Mers^entheim laborious. Haltino- at this 
 point, to allow the postilion time to repair his harness 
 and light a fresh pipe, His Royal Highness was so much 
 struck with the landscape, that he alighted, had the 
 luncheon spread upon the soft moss under the tree, and 
 enjoyed at once a kingly repast and a kingly prospect. 
 The former consisted of cold fowl, gihier pique au lard, 
 a bottle of Volnay, bread, and barley-water ; the latter 
 comprised towns, terraced hills, forests, flocks, vineyards, 
 and their villages. At this elevated point, the air was 
 peculiarly balmy and invigorating, aud, so to speak, 
 spiritual. His Eoyal Highness, during the journey, 
 has repeatedly mentioned the agreeable surprise this 
 halt at noon afforded him. The tree may one day, 
 perhaps, obtain the flattering designation of ' The 
 King's Tree.' " 
 
 *' These early hours," says Dr. Beattie, "in conjunc- 
 tionVith daily exercise and the salubrious air in which 
 that exercise is taken, have contributed most materially 
 to benefit His Royal Highness's health. He is at this 
 moment as vigorous as if he had not passed the age 
 of forty. In proof of this, he has on various occasions
 
 WILLIAM IV. 139 
 
 been several hours a-foot, without experiencing anything 
 like exhaustion or even fatigue." 
 
 Finally the Duke and Duchess of Clarence took 
 leave of their German friends, and proceeded to Antwerp, 
 where the royal yacht was waiting for them ; and on 
 board of which a gala dinner was given to the King 
 •of Prussia, the King and Queen of the Netherlands, 
 and a number of others, to the amount of one liundred 
 persons of the first distinction. 
 
 The next morning, the royal yacht, towed by the 
 Comet steamer, fell down the Scheldt to Flushing ; and 
 on the ensuing day got under weigh, with a fresh breeze 
 at the north-west, for the Thames, which it was sup- 
 posed they would enter in a few hours. The Flushing 
 pilot, however, predicted a storm ; and the prophecy 
 was falfilled. In less than two hours after leaving the 
 ■Scheldt, the wind blew a hurricane, and the sea ran 
 mountains high, insomuch that the steamer which had 
 the yacht in tow could not hold, and the vessels sepa- 
 rated. Upon this, the yacht bore away for Yarmouth 
 Eoads, which she fortunately reached the next day, and 
 landed the royal party, who set off for Loudon. Mean- 
 while, the Comet steered for the Downs, and, after 
 narrowly escaping the Goodwin Sands, entered Kamsgate 
 without any accident.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A.D. 1826 TO 1827. 
 
 Again, in 1826, the Duke and Duchess of Clarence set 
 out for the Continent, and proceeded through Flanders to 
 their former residence near the baths of Ems. In June 
 the Duke had a very severe visitation from his old 
 asthmatic disorder. " During this attack," says Dr. 
 Beattie, " I have very seldom left him even for an hour. 
 I have watched, as on a former occasion, six nights in 
 succession. I have seen him under the pressure of much 
 personal suffering, exhausted by a series of spasmodic 
 attacks, surprised by their sudden accession, or unex- 
 pected recurrence ; but I have never seen him lose his 
 temper, or self-possession. The perfect composure with 
 which he waits the result, is a lesson in practical phi- 
 losophy, which it is edifying to observe, and pleasing 
 to commemorate." 
 
 On the conversational powers of his illustrious 
 patron, the same gentleman has the following observa- 
 tions and anecdote. 
 
 " I am often surprised at the facility which His 
 Royal Highness evinces in conversing upon a variety of 
 topics, which might be thought entirely foreign to the 
 natural channel of his thoughts and pursuits. I uni-
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 141 
 
 formly remark, that with whomsoever he enters into 
 conversation, he accommodates himself to the topic in 
 which that individual is known, or supposed, to take 
 most interest, and upon which he may be more easily 
 drawn out. With the soldier he discusses the merits 
 of the last campaign, or enters into a dissertation upon 
 military tactics — with the senator, some popular ques- 
 tion of the Cabinets. With respect to one subject, 
 wherewith the glory of England is so interwoven, I 
 repeat the words of a distinguished admiral who dined 
 here : * I am astonished,' said he, ' at the thorough know- 
 ledge which His Royal Highness retains of naval affairs ; 
 so minute, and laid down in such accurate detail, I was 
 quite taken by surprise. I had often heard of the 
 Duke's excellent memory, but confess I was not pre- 
 pared to find it exemplified by such instances as you 
 heard to-day. I had, myself, hardly any distinct recol- 
 lection of the lieutenant, but His Royal Highness re- 
 members every officer of the ship ; and not their names 
 only, but their family. This must be little less than 
 forty-five years ago.'" 
 
 " On post-days. His Royal Highness generally 
 employs from two to three hours in correspondence. 
 The method of answering all letters by autograph is 
 habitual, and always appears to afford him satisfaction. 
 Upon my making some observation during his late 
 attack, to induce him to limit his application on this 
 head, His Royal Highness replied, 'I admit the propriety 
 of your suggestion, but I must keep up the practice of 
 letter- writing — I have always done so — and one day or 
 other, I may have still more occasion for it.' " 
 
 Speaking of another characteristic feature of his 
 illustrious patron, the Doctor says : 
 
 " In expressing his opinion of men and things, the
 
 142 THE LIFE Al^D TIMES OF 
 
 Duke is always frank and explicit. Whatever be tlie 
 subject upon which he chooses to communicate his sen- 
 timents, they are invariably followed by a statement of 
 the premises from which his conclusions are drawn. 
 For example, ' This is my opinion ; and I'll tell you 
 why :' — or, ' There I differ from you ; and I will give 
 you my reasons.' " 
 
 On the loth of July, the party arrived at Schwal- 
 bach, after encountering a tremendous storm of thunder,, 
 lightning, and rain, which flooded the roads, and 
 nearly blinded the horses and their drivers. The- 
 horizon was so darkened, and the wind increased ta 
 such a degree, that great fears were excited lest the 
 carriages should be precipitated into the deep ravines 
 which flanked the road in every direction. Fortu- 
 nately, no accident occurred, and at Schwalbach 
 their Koyal Highnesses were welcomed by a party of 
 minstrels, who had travelled one hundred and fi.fty 
 miles from Meiningen, on purpose to greet their beloved 
 Princess. 
 
 The Duke of Clarence and his family having now 
 spent four months in visiting their friends, and making^ 
 several excursions throughout Germany, prepared to 
 return. They left Altenstein, for the purpose of visit- 
 ing the Landgrave of Hesse Rothenbourg at AVildeck. 
 Here, we are told, a considerable number of French 
 emisrrants found shelter during: the lono^ and eventful 
 period of the Revolution. " The generous disposition of 
 the Landgrave was exerted to the utmost on their behalf ; 
 and those whom he could not restore to their country, 
 he admitted to his society, and supported by his bounty. 
 Among other peculiarities. His Serene Highness had at 
 this time upwards of three hundred parrots, comprising 
 every known variety of the species ; or, at least, all
 
 WILLIAM IV. 143 
 
 that could be procured from different countries, and 
 capable of being reared in a climate to which they were 
 not used." 
 
 This lono- and last Continental tour terminated at 
 Calais, on the 30th of September, without any serious 
 mischance ; and on the following day, the royal party 
 and their suite landed safe at Dover. 
 
 Our enthusiastic Doctor sees merit in every detail, 
 even in the posting arrangements. 
 
 "On alighting at the hotel at night," he says, *'it 
 was the rule to make every arrangement for the expe- 
 dition of the party en route, and their comfortable 
 reception at the inn the following day. 
 
 *•' To secure these important objects, I wrote a letter 
 to the master of the hotel, where their Royal Highnesses 
 proposed to dine and sleep the night ensuing. This 
 letter contained a statement of the number of the suite, 
 arrangements for the first, second, and third apartments, 
 chambers, and beds. The dinner ordered for each table 
 was restricted to a fixed price ; that of wines, and 
 apartments for the night, was left to the discretion of 
 the landlord. To these particulars was added the hour 
 at which the party would take the road in the morning ; 
 so that the landlord could calculate the exact time at 
 wdiich, barrinix accidents, his welcome visitors would 
 honour his table. 
 
 " This quiet and unostentatious way of travelling 
 adopted by their Royal Highnesses, afforded them so 
 much satisfaction in respect to comfort and expedition, 
 that it was invariably employed on all occasions. On 
 alio^hting: at Calais, the Duke, in alludiniij to this circum- 
 stance, 'felt persuaded,' he said, ' that, in these exten- 
 sive journeys, he had never been delayed ten minutes on 
 the road by ivant of horses.'"
 
 144 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 So early as 1823 the Duke of Clarence had been 
 lookinof to the succession. As some one noted, "The 
 Duke runs about announcing his speedy accession to the 
 throne." Lord Campbell saw a letter of his to a parson 
 who was asking his interest at court : " My dear sir, I 
 made an application in your favour but, as usual, I am 
 refused. However, you will not have to wait long, 
 yours truly." He called on this clergyman next day 
 and said : " The king cannot last long, and poor 
 Frederick is in a bad way." 
 
 The death of the Duke of York on Jan. 5th, 1827, 
 was to make an important change in the position of the 
 Duke of Clarence, who now became heir to the throne. 
 Hitherto he had attracted little attention from the 
 public, being known as a blunt and perhaps eccentric 
 seaman. But it will be seen that this alteration in his 
 position developed a sense of responsibility exhibited in 
 a rather grotesque fashion. This sense seemed to de- 
 velop in a most unfortunate way, as the moment of his 
 coming to power drew nearer, until it culminated in 
 those royal extravagances which have been recorded by 
 Mr. Greville. These again subsided as he grew accus- 
 tomed to his high office ; but while they lasted they 
 seem difficult to account for in any way but that of 
 some temporary aberration of intellect. 
 
 This change in his position brought him an imme- 
 diate increase of income, £3000 a year being voted to 
 him by Parliament, and an addition of £6000 a year 
 being made to the Duchess's dowry. 
 
 In politics, it must be said, he had the merit of being 
 ever consistent, and in spite of many temptations, which 
 Lis eldest brother could not resist, he was always a steady 
 Whig and *' stuck to his principles." To the cause of 
 Catholic Emancipation he was a steady adherent, and in
 
 WILLIAM IV. 145 
 
 tlie final debate, lie made a sound, sensible speeeli, not 
 without force. 
 
 He began by saying, " that he rose in consequence 
 of an expression that had fallen from his noble friend 
 who had just sat down. His noble friend had said, 
 that His Majesty's ministers were unanimous on this 
 question, and that those who had been generally opposed 
 to it, had become its advocates. It was this observation 
 which called on him to address their lordships on this 
 occasion, which was nearly connected with the internal 
 state of Ireland, rather than ^a the petitions of those 
 who appeared to know little or nothing about the 
 situation of that country. It was remarked by his 
 noble friend, that His Majesty's ministers were now 
 unanimous on a question relative to which they were 
 hitherto divided. He washed to God that His Majesty's 
 ministers had been unanimous on that question long 
 ago ; or, he rather wished, that an united administration 
 could have been formed in 1804, for the purpose of 
 carrying this measure, for, from that hour to the present, 
 his opinion had invariably been, that what was falsely 
 called concession, ouojht to have been resorted to. He 
 said ' falsely called concession,' because he maintained 
 that what was asked for, was not concession ; it was 
 merely an act of justice, to raise the Koman Catholics 
 from their present state of degradation. It was that, 
 and nothing more. And when an Act was passed for 
 that purpose, he would pledge his life that it would have 
 the efiect of uniting and quieting eight millions of His 
 Majesty's subjects. Now he was on his legs, he would 
 state his opinions as shortly as he could, reserving to 
 himself the right to support the noble Duke and his 
 colleagues, when he saw them so unjustly and infamously 
 attacked. If His Majesty's ministers, fortunately for 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 146 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 tlie good of their sovereign and of their country, were 
 at lenofth united with reference to a measure of such 
 great consequence, he did, from the bottom of his heart, 
 thank the noble Duke for having effected such an union; 
 and he would support, as he ought, a measure which he 
 most deeply and decidedly believed to be favourable to 
 the best interests of the country. For forty years he 
 had enjoyed the honour of a seat in that House, and 
 during that time, he trusted in God that he had never 
 given a vote at which he need blush ; but unquestionably 
 he never had given a vgite with so much pleasure and 
 satisfaction as he should feel in supporting the con- 
 templated measure. He congratulated all Europe on 
 His Majesty's conduct in recommending this subject to 
 the consideration of Parliament. He did so, because 
 every man who had common sense must see that the 
 settlement of this question would be beneficial to the 
 interests of England ; and he would maintain that the 
 interests of Europe were closely connected with the 
 interests and prosperity of England. Everything which 
 operated to the preservation and security of British 
 interests, operated also to the benefit of the general 
 interests of Europe. He looked upon the measure 
 which was about to be proposed, as one of the most 
 important for this country that could possibly be con- 
 ceived. He was happy that the noble Duke was 
 selected by His Majesty to effect this great object. He 
 rejoiced to find him placed in his present situation ; and 
 so long as he acted as his colleagues had hitherto done, 
 so long should the noble Duke and His Majesty's 
 ministers have his hearty vote. When he thought it 
 was right to tender his resignation, which His Majesty 
 was graciously pleased to accept, he, in the only con- 
 versation he ever had with the noble and learned
 
 WILLIAM IV. 147 
 
 lord on the woolsack (Lyndliurst), told him that he 
 never would join in a factious opposition to ministers, 
 but that on the contrary, he should feel it to be liis 
 bounden duty to give them bis support, when their 
 measures appeared to be calculated for the benefit of the 
 empire ; and he trusted that no action of his had belied 
 the declaration. Nothing but the absolute conviction 
 of the important crisis at which the country had arrived, 
 and a strong desire to support the administration, could 
 have induced him to come forward on this occasion. 
 The noble Duke and his colleagues had acted openly, 
 boldly, firmly, and valiantly, and he thought it but an 
 act of justice, thus publicly before God and man, to 
 declare his sentiments with respect to their conduct. 
 Professionally educated as he had been, it had fallen to 
 his lot to have visited Ireland ; and he should be the 
 most ungrateful of men, if he forgot the reception he 
 had there met with. During all his experience, he 
 could bear testimony to the character, the energy, the 
 bravery, and the thorough good humour, of Irishmen. 
 If the venerable Duncan, who gained immortal fame by 
 his victorious action with the Dutch, but who had 
 served his country more by the energy and discipline 
 with which he kept his fleet at sea at the time of the 
 mutiny at the Nore, were in existence — if Earl St. 
 Vincent, whose blockade of Cadiz reflected the highest 
 honour on him, were living — or if one, who was more 
 dear to him than any other officer in the service, he meant 
 the great Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar, were in being — 
 would they not hold up their heads in admiration, and 
 say, that the dawn of peace, and happiness, and tran- 
 quillity in Ireland, had arrived; that justice was, at length, 
 about to be done to the country of those men who had 
 been fighting the battles of the empire on the lower 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 decks of the ships which they commanded ? Sure he 
 was, that the service of the Irish Catholics could not be 
 forgotten by the Duke of Wellington — that their bravery, 
 valour, and devotion, in fighting the battles of this 
 country, could never leave his recollection ; and their 
 deeds must have been present to his mind, when he 
 advised his sovereign, with so much honour to himself, 
 and with such advantage to the empire, graciously to 
 recommend their claims to the serious consideration of 
 the Legislature. For his own part, His Royal Highness 
 said, that he had differed with the noble Duke on one 
 particular occasion, but that this difference should never 
 alter his opinion as to what he had already done, or as 
 to the great service which he was now rendering to his 
 sovereign and the State. He recollected all the achieve- 
 ments of the noble Duke, and the victories which he 
 had won for his country from the period when he led on 
 the first battalion at the storming of Seringapatam, 
 down to the glorious day of Waterloo — that day, which 
 for a length of time had closed the horoscope of Europe. 
 The noble Duke was a soldier ; and when he bore in 
 mind the regiments which fought under his command, 
 he must consider that he w^as now only discharging a 
 debt of gratitude which, as a soldier, he owed to those 
 brave and gallant men, who had achieved his victories, 
 and contributed to raise him to his present exalted 
 situation. The noble Duke had brought forward the 
 question when he possessed the full power to carry it — 
 it was recommended in the speech from the throne ; and 
 it was announced at length from such high authority, 
 that the thing could be done with perfect safety to the 
 country ; and it was his firm conviction, that it could 
 be so done, not only consistently with the safety of the 
 country, but to its future security and advantage. At
 
 WILLIAM IV. 149 
 
 present he had no more to say, but he trusted he had 
 said enough to convince their lordships and the country, 
 that he seriously intended to give his cordial support 
 to those just measures of relief in favour of His 
 Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects. He should have, 
 perhaps, a great deal more to say, when the sub- 
 ject came fully and regularly before their lordships. It 
 was a question which he had long turned in his mind, 
 and which he believed he had considered in every direc- 
 tion, and under every point of view in which it could 
 possibly be considered ; and his settled opinion on the 
 subject, for many years, was that to which he had now 
 given utterance. Here, it might be asked, if such had 
 been his opinion, why had he not stated it earlier, in 
 some of the numerous discussions which had taken 
 place on the question ? In answer he could simply 
 reply, because the measure had not been made a Govern- 
 ment measure. He felt no hesitation in calling on their 
 lordships to look to his public conduct during the forty 
 years that he had enjoyed the honour of a seat in that 
 House ; and he would ask any of them to point to any 
 part of that conduct of which he should be ashamed. 
 If he had erred at any time, he was sure that it would 
 be conceded to him, he had erred with honour. He 
 was ready to go through all the events of his public 
 life, from the first time he mingled in public affairs ; and 
 he was willing to submit his conduct to the most rigid 
 examination. He had commenced his early career on 
 the benches of the Opposition. After the year 1807, 
 this was the third time that he had troubled their lord- 
 ships with his opinions on a public occasion. When it 
 pleased the Almighty to render it necessary for the 
 present sovereign of these realms to assume the office of 
 Regent, he (the Duke of Clarence) formed a resolution,
 
 ISO THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 that altliongli he should not be satisfied with everything- 
 that might occur, he would thenceforth give his support 
 to His Majesty's ministers. To that resolution, he had 
 hitherto adhered. On the Catholic question, he had 
 always maintained the same opinion ; but he did not 
 come forward actively and openly to support the mea- 
 sure, not only because he saw His Majesty's Cabinet un- 
 fortunately divided upon it, but also because he saw 
 that the measure itself was every year making way, and 
 gaining new ground, and that it was every year acquiring 
 such consequence, that the time was not far distant, 
 when ministers would be compelled to make up their 
 minds upon it ; and he reserved the declaration of his 
 own opinion until that period should have, as happily it 
 now had, arrived. He thought it better and more be- 
 fitting on his part to act thus, than to make that 
 Government, which was at all times arduous and difii- 
 cult, still more difficult, by giving to it his opposition. 
 Entertaining that ojDinion, he had acted accordingly. 
 The noble Duke at the head of aff'airs would recollect. 
 His Koyal Highness said, that he had expressed to him 
 opinions similar to those which he had just delivered, 
 at the period that he was removed from the high office 
 which some time since he had the honour to fill. In a 
 conversation which he then had with the noble Duke, he 
 expressed his sorrow that Catholic concession was still 
 to be resisted, and that the Government should continue 
 divided in opinion upon that question, which, above all 
 other questions, was one that involved the interests and 
 safety of the country. He added, at the same time, that 
 while such diff"erences in the Cabinet existed, the measure 
 should not have his support ; but still it was his opinioUj, 
 that it ought to be carried. Thank God, the day had 
 at length arrived for the carrying of this great and
 
 WILLIAM IV. 151 
 
 healing measure of liberality and justice. He was not 
 in the secrets of the Cabinet, but he trusted that what- 
 ever measure might be introduced, it would be found 
 much less objectionable than was now supposed, particu- 
 larly by the right reverend lords on the bench opposite. 
 He trusted that before the measure was brought under 
 their consideration, those right reverend prelates would 
 seriously deliberate, duly weigh, and anxiously consider, 
 in what way they ought to act — that they would keep 
 in mind they were the ministers of peace — that 
 they would consider whether the situation of Great 
 Britain, wdiich must and would be influenced by this 
 important event — whether the situation of this country, 
 and that of Europe at large, was not such, as, that dif- 
 ferent events, upon which none could calculate, might, 
 at no distant day, be productive of war — that they 
 would seriously ask themselves whether their perse- 
 vering opposition to the claim of their Catholic country- 
 men, might not hasten such a crisis, or produce far 
 worse, a civil war at home ; and in such a case, how 
 would they then dare to call themselves the ministers of 
 peace ? Let the right reverend prelates duly weigh 
 these considerations, before they determined on opposin<T 
 His Majesty's ministers. The royal Duke said, he would 
 again repeat, that he knew not the exact nature of the 
 measure which was to be introduced. It was sufficient 
 for him, that the intention of bringing it forward had 
 been announced ; and he thanked his God that the 
 measure of justice was at length about to be carried 
 into effect, which would purify and tranquilis? that 
 dear, generous, and aggrieved country, whose rights had 
 been so loni]: withheld." 
 
 Some expressions in this speech, reflecting strongly
 
 152 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 upon the opponents of the proposed measures, produced 
 an altercation between His Eoyal Highness and the Duke 
 of Cumberland, who defended himself from the imputa- 
 tion of being actuated by factious motives, in his resist- 
 ance to ministers ; on this subject the Duke of Clarence 
 replied, and pledged himself to support the measure 
 throughout.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 At this exciting period the Duke of Clarence was to 
 be in close relation with one of the most conspicuous 
 figures in English society, the Duke of Wellington, 
 the Prime Minister, who had met, or knew inti- 
 mately, or had corresponded with every sovereign or 
 minister. Yet, though not twenty years had elapsed 
 since the battle that had closed the chapters of his 
 great wars, his fame had been gradually eclipsed by 
 the ill-success and partial unpopularity of his political 
 course ; and it was not until another reign, when he 
 had altogether and finally given up ofiSce and politics, 
 that he regained that old admiration, and even venera- 
 tion, which was to attend him to his death. The great 
 soldier was indeed unsuited to the shifts and intrigues 
 of parties, though it must be owned he seemed to 
 lend himself to underhand courses and plots for sup- 
 planting opponents with extraordinary readiness. Such 
 attempts were conspicuous failures, and only brought 
 him discredit and mortification. It was a pity that he 
 should have lent his honoured name to what were 
 nothing but coups d'etat, in carrying out which he 
 showed himself but a clumsy conspirator."'* 
 
 * The military despatclies of the Duke liave long been the 
 admiration of all "vvho have studied military subjects ; but the long
 
 154 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 "We find liim in communication witli all tlie military 
 chiefs of Europe : emperors, kings, diplomatists, and 
 with even local correspondents of an humbler kind. His 
 mode of dealinof with his own sovereio^n or with the 
 royal dukes was admirable for the tone of authority and 
 respect and good sense. What could be more admirable 
 than his contemptuous account of his differences with 
 the ill-conditioned Duke of Cumberland ? 
 
 One incident that occurred only two years before the 
 Kino' came to the throne exhibits him in so singular a 
 light, that it will be found interesting to pause a little 
 here and consider the details, which are literally unknown 
 to the public. 
 
 The conflict of the Catholic Emancipation was marked 
 during its last crisis by a truly extraordinary and ex- 
 ceptional incident, the details of which are little known, 
 and which offer an interesting illustration of character 
 and manners. This was the duel between the Prime 
 Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and a tolerably 
 obscure "Protestant" peer, the Earl of Winchilsea. 
 However admirable as a great captain, he here showed 
 but little sense or sagacity, though, indeed, it will be 
 seen that everybody concerned in the business seems 
 to have behaved with a certain indiscretion or im- 
 becility. 
 
 series of volumes devoted to " civil " matters — offer an extraordinary- 
 body of entertaining and significant information. Everything has 
 
 . teen given to the public with a singular candour, if not indis- 
 cretion ; and the curious gossip, and bits of secret history there to 
 be found, have only escaped notice from the quantity of irrelevant 
 matter in which they are buried. It is impossible not to admire 
 the sense of duty and universal power, and his sensible, manly 
 views on all the ordinary topics a man of the world encounters, save 
 one subject, on which he utters what might be called incredible 
 
 , nonsense.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 155 
 
 The quarrel, as is pretty well known, arose out of an 
 offensive letter written by Lord Winchilsea, who seized 
 the opportunity of withdrawing his subscription to 
 King's College to indulge his political rancour. He 
 writes on March 4, 1829 : 
 
 "Late political events have convinced me that the 
 whole plan of the foundation of King's College was. 
 intended as a blind to the Protestant and Hioh Church 
 party, that the noble Duke, who had for some time 
 previous to that determined upon breaking in on the 
 Constitution of 1688, might the more effectually, under 
 the cloak of some outward show of zeal for the Pro- 
 testant religion, carry on his insidious designs for the 
 infrinirement of our liberties and the introduction of 
 Popery into every department of State." 
 
 This insult could not be passed over by a soldier. 
 On the same day the Duke wrote two letters to different 
 addresses to know whether the letter was authentic. 
 The Earl answered that he thought it necessary ta 
 make public the reasons for withdrawing his name. 
 The Duke replied, saying that no man had a right 
 to insult another by attributing disgraceful motives 
 for his conduct. He was convinced that " Lord Win- 
 chilsea would make reparation for such a charge, and 
 relieve himself from the ban of havino- insulted a 
 man who never injured you." The other then an- 
 nounced that he was willinjx to withdraw his chars^e 
 on the Duke's declaring that there was no foundation 
 for it. 
 
 On this the Duke called on his friend Sir Henry 
 Hardinge, and put the matter in his hands ; but he 
 could not obtain any satisfaction, and at last the Duke
 
 156 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 himself wrote to his traducer : " Instead of apologising 
 for your conduct, your lordship has called upon me to 
 explain mine. The question for me now to decide is 
 this : Is a gentlemau, who happens to be the King's 
 minister, to submit to be insulted by any gentleman who 
 thinks proper to attribute to him disgraceful or criminal 
 motives ? I cannot doubt of the decision which I ought 
 to make on this question. Your lordship is alone 
 responsible for the consequences. I now call upon your 
 lordship to give me that satisfaction for your conduct 
 which a gentleman has a right to require, and which a 
 gentleman never refuses to give." 
 
 The other wrote, that "the satisfaction which your 
 grace has demanded, is, of course, impossible for me to 
 decline." Accordingly the matter was arranged by the 
 seconds. Sir H. Hardinge and Lord Falmouth. Nothing 
 could have been more extraordinary than the choice of 
 the two assistants, and it was by merest accident that the 
 whole did not end disastrously. On the one side there 
 was an almost insolent military bearing, which it will be 
 seen put aside even the usual etiquette of the duello ; 
 on the other there was an extraordinary indecision and 
 feminine helplessness. It is a fact that Lord Falmouth 
 made his principal promise that he would not fire at 
 the Duke, as a condition of his attending him to 
 the ground, where he placed him to be fired at by 
 the Duke. But a well-known physician of the time, 
 who was actually present, shall relate what took 
 place. "^ 
 
 This Dr. Hume was asked by the Duchess of Wel- 
 lington to set down for her the particulars of the scene, 
 which he accordingly did, in a pleasant, vivacious style. 
 
 * See the Duke of Wellington's "Correspondence and Memoranda 
 for 1829."
 
 WILLIAM TV. 157 
 
 The paper is dated March 21, 1829, and introduced with 
 a motto : 
 
 " Les moindres circonstances deviennent essentielles quand il s'agit 
 d'un grand homrae. 
 
 "In consequence of a note from Sir H. Hardinge I 
 repaired to his house in Whitehall Place at a quarter 
 before seven, and I found that he was ensras^ed as second 
 in a duel and desired that I should accompany him 
 to the field. He didn't mention the names, but said 
 they were persons of rank and importance, and desired 
 particularly that I would keep near him on the ground, 
 so that I might testify how anxious he had been to 
 prevent bloodshed." He then set off on horseback to 
 meet his friend, and told the doctor to get into the 
 
 carriage. 
 
 He drove off by Pimlico over Battersea Bridge, 
 and stopped about half a mile on the other side of the 
 river at a point where the two roads cross each other at 
 the foot of the hill. 
 
 "Here I alighted, and was looking about me to see 
 if anyone should make his appearance, when, to my 
 astonishment, I perceived Sir H. Hardinge and the Duke 
 of Wellington riding towards me. The Duke rode up 
 suddenly, saying in a laughing manner : ' Well, I 
 daresay you little expected it was I who wanted you 
 to be here.' I was overwhelmed with amazement, and 
 so greatly agitated that I could scarcely answer him ; 
 but I put on as steady a countenance as I was able, 
 and replied : ' Indeed, my lord, you are the last person 
 I should have expected here.' He said : ' Ah, perhaps 
 so ; but it was impossible to avoid it, and you will see 
 by-and-by that I had no alternative.' " 
 
 Sir II. Hardinge now came, and requesting Dr. 
 Hume to fetch the case of pistols he had brought
 
 158 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 with liim, the party moved on to Battersea Fields, 
 when the principal and his second rode up the hill 
 to look out for the arrival of their opponents. And 
 here our doctor, having laid the pistols in a field 
 behind some broken hedges, continued walking quietly 
 along the path, so as not to attract observation. Pre- 
 sently Lord Falmouth and Lord Winchilsea arrived. 
 Sir H. Hardin ge got off his horse and saluted them, but 
 the Duke kept at a distance. After some remarks. Lord 
 Falmouth asked Sir Henry if he had received a paper he 
 had sent him. The other replied that he had, but had 
 not read it ; and added a remark on the little necessity, 
 as it appeared to him, for coming to this extremity. 
 Lord Falmouth seemed much agitated and much affected, 
 and said nothing had ever given him so much pain ; 
 but it was impossible to avoid it. The whole party now 
 moved on to the ground selected, but perceiving some 
 people at work, they leaped a ditch and got into another 
 field. Sir H. Hardinge having only one hand, the doctor 
 ofi"ered to load the pistols ; and when he was proceeding 
 to load the second. Lord Falmouth asked : " Would not 
 one be sufficient ? " The doctor replied that it would 
 save trouble afterwards. 
 
 Lord Falmouth, who was in a stransre state of as^i- 
 tation that almost unfitted him for the duties he had 
 undertaken, invited the physician to look at his operations ; 
 but he got into such confusion that the doctor ofi'ered to 
 help him, and he at last succeeded in getting the bullet 
 home. The doctor now remonstrated warmly, saying 
 that he, Lord Falmouth, might surely have prevented 
 the business ; but he insisted it was unavoidable. The 
 ground was now stepj)ed out and twelve paces measured 
 out. Lord Falmouth marking " the point with the heel 
 of his boot." Lord Winchilsea, however, on taking his
 
 WILLIAM IV. 159 
 
 place, objected that lie was placed between two trees, 
 when the doctor obligingly said : " Oh, my lord, you 
 may place yourself where you like, a little more to the 
 right or to the left." " Have the goodness to place 
 yourself here, Duke," said Sir Henry to his principal. 
 Then followed this remarkable incident : 
 
 " Sir Henry then took one of the pistols from me, 
 and placing it under his arm he went about half way 
 between Lord Winchilsea and the Duke, where he stood 
 still, and taking a paper from his pocket lie called on 
 Lord Falmouth to come near him, and Lord Winchilsea 
 to pay attention while he read it aloud. After protest- 
 ing in the strongest manner against the whole proceeding, 
 lie reminded and warned both Lord Falmouth and Lord 
 Winchilsea that they alone must be answerable for the 
 consequences that must ensue : ' And, if I do not now 
 express my opinions to your lordship in the same tone 
 of disgust I have done in the progress of the affair, it is 
 because I wish to imitate the moderation of the Duke of 
 Wellington ; ' on which Lord Winchilsea said something 
 in a low voice about ' rather strong language^ Lord 
 Falmouth seemed much affected, and replied, I think 
 with tears in his eyes, that nothing had ever given him 
 so much pain, etc., and that though he disapproved of 
 the publisher of the letter, which was indeed indefensible, 
 what he had done was unaccountable." 
 
 After some other remarks over which Lord Falmouth 
 fairly defended himself, Sir Henry said : " Indeed, my 
 Lord Falmouth, I don't envy your feelings." Now it is 
 evident that all this lecturing and " hectoring " on the 
 part of the Duke's second was unbecoming and undigni- 
 fied in the hiirhest deojree, and had all the air of an 
 attempt at intimidating his opponents into withdrawal 
 through fear of consequences.
 
 160 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Sir Henry, now noticing some people who were 
 collecting to look on, said, " I think we had better take 
 our ground ; " and the Duke, who had remained all the 
 time in the same spot, without saying a word, but 
 with a smile of good nature on his face, received his 
 pistol and cocked it. Poor, helpless Lord Falmouth 
 now could only say he would leave the mode of firing, 
 etc., entirely to Sir H. Hardinge, and accordingly had 
 simply to give the word "Fire." He did so. Then 
 followed this extraordinary incident of this extraordinary 
 duel. The Duke raised his pistol and presented it, but 
 hesitated a moment when he saw his adversary did not 
 do the same, and at last fired, but without effect. Lord 
 Winchilsea remained passive till the Duke had fired, 
 holding his arm down by his side, then raised his pistol 
 perpendicularly and fired in the air. On which Lord 
 Falmouth now came forward and declared : "Lord Win- 
 chilsea, having received the Duke's fire, is now in 
 different circumstances from those in which he stood 
 before," and pulled out a paper. Sir Henry said : " The 
 Duke expects an ample apology and acknowledgment 
 of error." Lord Falmouth then proceeded to read some 
 sort of acknowledgment. Now it would reasonably be 
 thought that the Duke had received full satisfaction. 
 He had shot at his enemy, who received his fire without 
 shooting at him. An apology, or what purported to be 
 an apology, was read. The Duke's second, too, had 
 enjoyed the privilege of reproaching and vituperating 
 the other second and his princijDal. But, no; the military 
 men were not satisfied. Though couched in terms of 
 regret, etc., it seems the word " apology" was not men- 
 tioned, and the Duke, who had drawn near to listen, 
 said in a low voice : " Ihis iiwi't do ; it is no cqoology.'* 
 Sir Henry took a paper from his pocket, and read out
 
 WILLIAM lY. 161 
 
 sometliing, saying : " This is what we expect." On 
 which the unhappy Lord Falmouth interrupted, declar- 
 ing what he had read was meant as an apology. But 
 Sir Henry insisted bluntly that unless the word 
 " apology " was inserted, " we take our ground." Then 
 turning to Lord Winchilsea, who had come up, like the 
 Duke, to consult with his second, the ofiBcer haughtily 
 rebuked him : "My Lord Winchilsea, this is an affair 
 between the seconds," on which Lord Winchilsea retired. 
 Only the instant before Sir Henry had himself consulted 
 with his principal. 
 
 After some hesitation Lord Falmouth agreed to 
 insert the word " apology," and the opposite side 
 declared themselves satisfied. But Sir Henry Hardinge 
 had something yet before him : that is, to reprove the 
 guilty party who had been shot at, who had not shot, 
 and who had apologised. 
 
 "And now, gentlemen," he said, "without making 
 any invidious reflections, I cannot help remarking that, 
 whether wisely or unwisely the world will judge, you 
 have been the cause of bringing this man (pointing to 
 the Duke) into the field, where, during the whole course 
 of a long military career, he never was before." The 
 Duke here came forward and bowed coldly to his 
 two opponents. Lord Falmouth, still much affected, 
 completed his series of mistakes by saying that he 
 had always thought and told Lord Winchilsea " that he 
 was comi^letehj in the lowig;" to which Sir Henry fairly 
 retorted " that if he did this, he had done that which 
 he would not do for the dearest friend he had in the 
 world." Lord Falmouth then began to address himself 
 to the Duke in vindication of his conduct, saying what 
 pain it had given him, etc. But the Duke coldly 
 interrupted him : " My Lord Falmouth, I have nothing 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 162 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 to do witli these matters." He then touclied the brim 
 of his hat with two fingers and mounted his horse, 
 saying: "Good-morning, my Lord Winchilsea ; good- 
 morning, my Lord Fahiiouth." And thus the victorious 
 pair rode quietly ofi" the field of battle. 
 
 The doctor was left behind to gather up the pistols, 
 etc. ; and when Lord Falmouth, with needless caution 
 it would seem, must point out that the alteration in 
 the paper had not been verified, and so got the doctor 
 to attach his initials, he assured the latter that he 
 never would have gone out with his friend unless he 
 had promised not to fire at the Duke. 
 
 " God forbid," murmured Lord Winchilsea, " that 
 I should ever lift my hand against him." 
 
 Thus the affair ended. It is clear indeed that with 
 two discreet seconds the quarrel, in the temper of Lord 
 Winchilsea, could have been easily settled. But it is 
 curious to speculate what would have been the result 
 had one of the " Protestant " champions been killed by 
 the Prime Minister, and what would have been the 
 result on the great question of Emancipation.* 
 
 * As everything about this great man is interesting, another 
 dramatic incident may be referred to here, viz. the one connected with 
 the ball at the Duchess of Kichmond's, on the eve of Waterloo, and 
 which throws some light on the question whether the Duke was 
 " surprised." Captain Bowles wrote describing the Duke, asking the 
 Duke of Eichmond for a map as the ball was going on, and being 
 brought by him into a room where there was one. "He has 
 
 humbugged me (by G ), he has gained twenty-four hours' march 
 
 on me." The Duke of Eichmond said : " What do you intend 
 doing?" The Duke of Wellington replied: "I have ordered the 
 army to concentrate at Quatre-Bras ; but we shall not stop him 
 there, and if so I must fight him here " (at the same time passing his 
 thumb-nail over the position of Waterloo). He then said adieu and 
 left the house by another way out. He went to his quarters, slept 
 six hours and breakfasted, and rode at speed to Quatre-Bras, where
 
 WILLIAM lY. 163 
 
 he met Hardinge and went with him to Blucher, who took him over 
 the position at Ligny. The Duke of Wellington suggested many- 
 alterations, but Blucher would not consent to move a man. The 
 conversation in the Duke of Eichmond's dressing-room was repeated 
 to me two minutes after it occurred, by the Duke of Eichmond, " who 
 then marked the Duke of Wellington's thumb-nail on the map" 
 — The First Earl of Mcdmeshury, ii., 445. To this may be added a 
 passage in his letter to the conference. " I say nothing about our 
 defensive operations, because I am inclined to believe that Blucher 
 and I are so well united and so strong that the enemy cannot do us 
 much mischief. I am at the advanced post of the whole ; the greatest 
 part of the enemy's force is in my front ; and if I am satisfied, others 
 need be under no apprehension." 
 
 M 2
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 We are now arrived at a singular passage in our royal 
 hero's life, wlien his promotion to an ornamental office 
 completely overset him, and caused him to play such 
 fantastic pranks, as to excite the serious concern of 
 his friends. It had been determined to revive for his 
 benefit the obsolete office of Lord High Admiral, 
 which had been left unfilled since the days of Prince 
 Georofe of Denmark and the Earl of Pembroke, while 
 the predecessor of Prince George had been King 
 James 11., a name of awkward omen. Whatever might 
 have been its ancient efficiency, this honourable" posi- 
 tion was now little more than a "senior Lordship 
 of the Admiralty." It might have been thought, 
 from long experience of the Duke, and his curiously 
 excitable nature — certain to be quickened into extra- 
 vagance where authority was given to him — that this 
 was a foolish step, and likely to engender inconvenience 
 and annoyance. But it was probably a humour of His 
 Majesty who ever delighted in theatrical shows, and 
 who was besides fond of his brother. As his health was 
 failing, ministers were not inclined to cross him. 
 
 Accordingly the commission was made out, and
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 165 
 
 the Duke entered on his office. He had by this time 
 attained a sort of professional reputation for looking 
 after discipline, the state of his ships, etc., and he 
 would now have good opportunities for exerting his 
 fancy. 
 
 This was one of the first acts of the Canning govern- 
 ment. That eminent statesman had a certain taste for 
 theatrical effects in politics, and in this respect was akin 
 to the late Lord Beaconsfield, and he may have thought 
 that the revival of this high office might "redress a 
 balance " of some kind ; but such aspirations, if they 
 existed, were soon to be rudely checked. It was a most 
 unlucky appointment. There was something amusing 
 in givino; a Prince of the Blood an office which had an 
 air of such authority, and yet which was in reality to be 
 limited to the functions of a mere official. The name 
 and the office seemed antagonistic, and, as if to prevent 
 their awkward antagonism, the patent was prepared in 
 the strictest terms. There is a curious analogy in the 
 relation of the office of Commander-in-Chief to that 
 of Secretary at War, and rumours have been afloat 
 that the royal holder of the former office has often 
 struggled to give his powers a more extended direc- 
 tion. Another inconsistency was remarked, viz., that 
 if the Lord High Admiral was no more than a common 
 official and First Lord, why was he not in the Cabinet as 
 other First Lords were ? 
 
 His Royal Highness entered on his duties with 
 surprising alacrity, announcing that he would hold 
 levies open to all officers, beginning by making altera- 
 tions in the UDiform and new regulations as to promo- 
 tion, etc. He was particularly fond of aquatic tours 
 of inspection or nautical promenades along the coast.
 
 166 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 His vessel was TJie Royal Sovereign yacht, and the 
 Ducliess, who had no fancy for the sea, kept up with 
 the vessel by following the line of the coast, being- 
 entertained as she travelled at the various houses of the 
 nobility along the coast. Various odd speeches and 
 proceedings of the Lord High Admiral were now re- 
 ported, which seemed to give a significant warning of 
 future eccentricities, and which by-and-by gave reason 
 to doubt whether the force of circumstances and novel 
 concession of authority had not some efi"ect in disturbing 
 His Eoyal Highness's wits.* After his tour, which he 
 intercepted to attend the funeral of his friend Mr. 
 Canning, the Lord High Admiral returned to London. 
 Attending a Lord Mayor's banquet, in Nov., 1827, he 
 had rather a narrow escape from a serious casualty. A 
 heavy and enormous chandelier, suspended over the 
 table, and made into the form of an anchor, suddenly 
 fell with a crash, and so close to the Duke as to inflict a 
 slight bruise. In 1828 his mother-in-law, the Duchess 
 of Meiningen, came to London, and in her honour the 
 Lord High Admiral organised a singular description of 
 fete on the Thames — a Venetian res^atta — in which all 
 the great City barges took part. The Duke of AVel- 
 lington was the chief attraction — it being the anni- 
 versary of the Battle of Waterloo — who was rowed in a 
 cutter manned by young noblemen. 
 
 * It was reported that, after inspecting the ships, he dined with the 
 Mayor, and desired Mr. Selwyn, the Eecorder, to give his compliments 
 to Chief Justice Best, now Lord Wynford, then one of the judges on 
 the circuit, and desire him, when he had a touch of the gout, to 
 remember His Eoyal Highness, and their early acquaintance.
 
 WILLIAM lA^ 167 
 
 THE LOED HIGH ADMIRAL TO A LADY. 
 
 " Bushey House, Thursday (undated). 
 
 '' JVIadam, 
 
 " This morning I received your letter and its 
 
 enclosure, which I return. I cannot but feel obliged by 
 
 your attention on this occasion, but am decidedly of 
 
 opinion that silent contempt is the best refutation of 
 
 totally unprovoJced falseliood, and particularly where a 
 
 female is concerned. 
 
 "Ever believe me, 
 
 "Yours sincerely." 
 
 THE SAME TO LADY DAENLEY. 
 
 "My deaeest Lady Darnley, 
 
 " Certainly I take it not amiss that you wish 
 better to come this evening. Will you then be so kind 
 to come toofether at nine o'clock. I am delitrhted that 
 
 O O 
 
 the dear baby is better. God bless her and you, dearest 
 Lady Darnley, 
 
 " Believe me, your very afifectionate 
 
 " WiLLIAxAI." 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLAEENCE TO SIR HOWARD DOUGLAS. 
 
 "Bushey, 17th October, 1829. 
 
 " Deah Sir, 
 
 " Late last night I received yours of yesterday 
 and the book. I shall have much pleasure in reading 
 your new edition on Naval Gunnery, because, though 
 Sir G. Cockburn and other self-conceited assistants in the 
 Koyal Navy may ridicule attention to gunnery, I know 
 by experience that your worthy father and Admiral 
 Digby did their duty by introducing precision among
 
 168 THE LIEE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the officers and men in the King's fleet as to the use of 
 the great gun. Notwithstanding the splendour of the 
 important victories gained in the late revolutionary war, 
 the 12th April, 1782, must stand unrivalled in the 
 naval history of this country, and I am therefore not 
 surprised you should feel proud of being the son of the 
 late Sir Charles Douglas. 
 
 " I remain, &c., 
 
 " Claeence." 
 
 In 1827, when the Duke of Clarence was in the 
 high enjoyment of his fantastic office, the well- 
 remembered difficulty in the East, which led to the 
 battle of Navarin, or Navarino, came about. Of Sir 
 Edward Codrington, the admiral in command, he was 
 an ardent friend and patron. Nothing could show 
 more clearly the cumbrous nature of the arrangement 
 which ejave the Lord Hifj^h Admiral a share in the 
 direction of the arrangements, as we find despatches 
 addressed to him by the Foreign Secretary, and by the 
 Admiral himself. 
 
 The details were a good deal arranged by His Royal 
 Highness. For Admiral Codrington he seems to have 
 had a warm regard, and in the later discussions took up 
 his cause with much warmth. His correspondence with 
 the Admiral is in his own characteristic manner. 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO ADMIRAL CODRINGTON. 
 
 "Royal Sovereign Yacht, Plymouth, 
 "July 16, 1827. 
 
 *' Dear Sir, 
 
 " You will see from whence I write that I have 
 not time to say all I ought in consequence of the impor-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 169 
 
 tant despatches which this accompanies. I make no 
 doubt discretion, prudence, and perfect deliberation will 
 be your guides. One thing I particularly mention : not 
 permitting yourself to be commanded by the Admirals 
 of either of the other Powers. Your card is the more 
 difficult because I am afraid France is not sincere, and 
 perhaps Eussia is not. But I am sure coolness and 
 deliberation will direct you. 
 
 " I shall be anxious to know the course this negotia- 
 tion loill or may take. 
 
 " God bless you, and ever believe me, 
 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 "William." 
 
 It will be seen that His Royal Highness had already 
 hoisted his flaQ^ in that unlicensed fashion which was 
 to cause him so much trouble. It may be that his 
 naval ardour was kindled by the far-off battle that was 
 impending. 
 
 PROM THE DUKE OP CLARENCE TO ADMIRAL CODRINGTON. 
 
 "Admiralty, October 16, 1827. 
 
 ''Dear Sir, 
 
 "Yours of the 10th off Napoli di Malvasia, and 
 its continuation of September 12 off Navarin, reached 
 me on the 9th of this month ; it is therefore clear the 
 Turkish expedition was, when you wrote, in Navarin 
 and Modon. I trust there they will remain till the 
 force employed against them will be of that nature that 
 the Turks will not think of comino: out for fear of the 
 result. You will receive the official orders to endeavour 
 to get the Pacha of Egypt and his son to withdraw the 
 troops and ships, but the forces must be on board the 
 Egyptian ships. ... I recommend to you again
 
 170 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 prudence and coolness, and shall be guided by my 
 own judgment. ... I shall be most anxious to hear of 
 events as they arise ; and ever remain, 
 
 " Dear Sir, yours most truly, 
 
 " William." 
 
 There is a story which has been often repeated, 
 but which it is believed deserves a place among these 
 "mock pearls of history," which Mr. Hayward has 
 collected. It is to the effect that the Lord High 
 Admiral encouraged his friend in a private letter to 
 attack the Turks with a pithy "Go it, Ned!'' No 
 such expression is to be found in any of the letters 
 published by his family. 
 
 The testimony of Sir W. Codrington, G.C.B., son 
 of the Admiral, will be sufficient on this point. He 
 writes to me : 
 
 " I have frequently contradicted, and I have heard 
 my father frequently contradict, the assertion of the 
 truth of that message or expression, ' Go it, Ned ! ' 
 
 "There is not even the slio;htest foundation for it. 
 I believe it to have been invented for a purpose in 
 England. Sir Edward Codrington left England for the 
 command in the Mediterranean in February, 1827. The 
 Treaty of London was not signed till July of that 
 year, consequently there could have been no verbal 
 communication of that nature. 
 
 " I was cognizant at the time, and have now in my 
 possession every private letter written by the then 
 Duke of Clarence, 
 
 " There is no sino;le word, sentence, or hint of the 
 nature of such a sentence as that about which you 
 inquire." 
 
 This seems to set the question at rest. 
 
 AVhen the news of the battle arrived, the enthusiastic
 
 WILLIAM IV. 171 
 
 Prince sent a generous token of liis appreciation of his 
 friend's behaviour. 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLAKENCE TO ADMIRAL CODPJNGTON. 
 
 "Admiralty: November 19, 1827. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " In the first place, I am to congratulate you 
 on the splendid victory you have obtained, and rejoice 
 you are quite well. I admire your perfect conduct on 
 the day of battle, and most highly appreciate the 
 exertions of all ranks under your orders. . . . 
 " Ever believe me, dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours most sincerely, 
 
 "William. 
 
 "P.S. — By the mail coach of this evening I send 
 down to Captain Bridgeman, of the Rattlesnake, your 
 Insignia of the Bath, and the crosses of the C.B.'s for 
 the various Captains and Commanders who had the 
 honour and happiness of serving under, and sharing 
 with you the glory of the 20th of October last. 
 
 " By the same conveyance I venture to send a sword 
 from myself, which I trust you will accept as a small 
 token of my admiration of your conduct in Navarin 
 Bay." 
 
 FEOM SIK JOHN GOEE TO ADMIRAL CODRINGTON. 
 
 ".K'ovember U, 1827. 
 
 *' My dear Codrington, 
 
 " In my letter of Monday I purposed to make 
 my bow of congratulation to the Lord High Admiral 
 upon your brilliant victory under his Koyal Highness's 
 administration. I did so yesterday, and was well re- 
 ceived. . . . He said :
 
 172 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 " ' As I have nothing to do with political considera- 
 tions, and only look to the conduct of the navy, when 
 I sent Codrington s despatches to the King I requested 
 that the Grand Cross of the Bath should be sent to him 
 at ouce ; and as the case is entirely novel, and sloops of 
 war have fought with ships of the line, I have promoted 
 all the commanders, the senior officer of each rank in 
 every ship, and, contrary to the routine, I have given 
 the vacancies in the Marines to the officers on the spot. 
 But, to effect this, I have been obliged to fight a battle 
 to overcome the obstinate prejudices which exist in that 
 Board-room of which you can form no idea — . . . but 
 I conquered, and will again, in order to do justice. 
 
 " ' . . . The consequences of this victory to the navy 
 must be most beneficial and lasting, and it is my duty 
 to see justice done to all who aided in its achievement.' 
 
 " ' Your Eoyal Highness has enhanced the value of 
 your approbation by the promptness of the rewards.' 
 
 "'Yes, in that consists the advantage of my not 
 being a Cabinet Minister. I, like the Duke of York, 
 have only to look to my own duty, without waiting the 
 cold calculation of political considerations. Ministers 
 would gladly shelter themselves from the odium of the 
 nation by throwing the blame on Codrington ; but he 
 has done his duty nobly. I will uphold him. And he 
 has placed himself above their disapprobation by linking 
 Count Heiden and Admiral de Rigny to his car.' 
 
 *' This is the substance (if not verbatim) of our 
 conversation on the subject." 
 
 It will be seen by the allusion " not being in the 
 Cabinet," etc., that serious doubts had already risen as 
 to the propriety of the course taken.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 173 
 
 It is difficult to read the full accounts of the battle 
 and all that preceded it without coming to the con- 
 clusion that the Admiral departed from his instructions, 
 which were, in the words of Lord Dudley : " The prin- 
 ciple to bear in mind, as the key to any difficulties that 
 may still present themselves to you, is that we are not 
 at war — that we do not desire to be at war — but that 
 what we aim at is to part the combatants." 
 
 It is remarkable that a person now alive, honoured, 
 and esteemed, and just touching his hundredth year, 
 was the person who carried Admiral Codrington's 
 despatches home. This was the pre?ent Sir Moses 
 Montefiore, who posted with four horses through Italy 
 and France, bearing letters to the Duke of Clarence. 
 "With characteristic punctuality he delivered them, by 
 leaving them with the Duke immediately on reaching 
 London, and before going to his own house. At eleven 
 o'clock next morning His Eoyal Highness sent for him 
 to Park Lane, and in the course of the conversation 
 which followed asked, what people in the East were 
 saying of the battle. Mr. Montefiore replied that it was 
 thought the Admiral was compelled to act as he had 
 done, for, as Codrington himself had said : " When the 
 British flag is insulted, a British seaman then knows 
 what is his duty." Whereupon the Duke of Clarence 
 exclaimed, with the characteristic trick of iteration, 
 " Inevitable, inevitable ! " 
 
 At this time the feud between the Lord Hioh 
 Admiral and his colleagues was raging, and this having 
 his way in showering decorations on tlie performers 
 in the Navarino business, before a decision had been 
 arrived at as to their merits, was to prove highly in- 
 convenient.
 
 174 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 H.E.H. THE DUKE OF CLAEENCE TO SIE E. C. 
 
 " Eushey House, November 4, 1827. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " Your confidential of SOtli September is wliat it 
 ouglit to be from a Commander-in-Chief to a person in 
 my situation. You and I ouglit to know ivheii and 
 ivhere to be prudent, and to write and talk with con- 
 fidence. ... 
 
 " You know I never approved of our ships in peace 
 having a difi"erent complement from war ; and as fast as 
 I have the power so will I send you men to complete 
 the whole squadron. The War spite will have joined 
 you. 
 
 "I admire your public despatches and approve 
 altogether of your conduct. I trust all the captains and 
 commanders will follow your excellent example in zeal 
 and ability." 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLAEENCE TO THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 
 
 "Admiralty, February 10, 1828. 
 
 "Dear Duke, 
 
 "The enclosed memorial from Sir E. Codring- 
 ton reached me at the moment of the dissolution of the 
 Government, on which account I then kept it back. 
 Since that time I was not inclined to trouble your 
 grace, because I clearly saw the many and conflicting 
 difficulties which existed in the arrangement of the 
 present Administration, which I trust in God is now 
 formed. Under this persuasion, I now send your grace 
 the memorial of Sir E. Codrington in behalf of himself 
 and his brave companions in arms at the battle of 
 Navarino, for head-money, and also stating the value of 
 the loss of the ships and vessels in the Turkish Empire. 
 Though I had the good fortune to agree with your
 
 WILLIA^I IV. 175 
 
 grace in every sentiment expressed by yourself in the 
 House of Lords respecting the Grand Signor being the 
 ancient and natural ally of England, I must call your 
 grace's attention to the memorial and earnestly entreat 
 a favourable consideration of so extraordinary and novel 
 a case, where His Majesty's ofi&cers and men have con- 
 ducted themselves with great honour to their King and 
 country, and with such credit to themselves. Being 
 now on the subject of naval and, of course, of military, 
 achievements, I wish to call your grace's mind to the 
 propriety of re-establishing, in both services, the medals 
 again; as from the statutes of the military Order of the 
 Bath, till officers become in either army or navy 
 generals or admirals, they are most properly not 
 entitled to become K.C.B.'s. Another point I wish to 
 mention to your grace, and on which, as on these, I 
 shall converse when your grace is less occupied, is the 
 expediency of enlarging and introducing the third class 
 into the Civil part of the Order of the Bath. 
 
 " I remain, &c., 
 
 " Clarence." 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLARENCE TO SIR E. CODRINGTON. 
 
 "Admiralty, FeLruary 5, 1828. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 ". . . . I conceive the King's Speech, which I 
 enclose, the complete and manly declaration of the 
 Duke of Wellington, the perfect concurrence in your 
 conduct from the Marquis of Lansdowne and Viscount 
 Goderich, and the unqualified approbation in the House 
 of Commons, will entirely satisfy your mind. The letter 
 from the Emperor of Eussia, together with the honours 
 conferred on you by the King of France and his Russian
 
 176 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Imperial Majesty, must convince you of the opinion of 
 
 the Allied Powers 
 
 "I remain, dear Sir, yours truly, 
 
 "William." 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO SIR E. CODRINGTON. 
 
 "Admiral, February 17, 1828. 
 
 ''Dear Sir, 
 
 " I say nothing more on the subject of Navarin, 
 because I conceive the public mind here for ever at rest. 
 You ought, with your friends, to be most perfectly 
 satisfied ; and / once more repeat you were fully 
 authorised by your instructions to strike the blow you 
 did in Navarin, and the loliole of Europe has amply and 
 honourably done you justice. 
 
 " God bless you, and ever believe me, dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 '' William." 
 
 It would appear that, but for the interposition of 
 the King and the Lord High Admiral, Codrington 
 would have been at once punished by being recalled. 
 "Your Royal Highness," he writes, "will see at once 
 that my original sin was the battle of Navarin ; and 
 that this predetermined mode of throwing upon me 
 the natural, the inevitable consequences of the Treaty, 
 though prevented heretofore by the kind protection of 
 His Majesty and your Royal Highness, has been perse- 
 vered in till a better opportunity has offered." 
 
 AVhen the Speech from the Throne was delivered in 
 February, 1828, there occurred in it the awkward phrase 
 "untoward," as applied to the battle. It had been 
 objected to by the occasionally sagacious King, and the 
 Duke of Wellington had to explain that what was
 
 WILLIAM IV. 177 
 
 intended was, tliat it was "unfortunate," and unex- 
 pected. The Duke of Clarence wrote, ardently con- 
 gratulating his friend. 
 
 The indignant Admiral, when he got to London, 
 brought the Duke of Wellington "to book," on the 
 treatment he had received, when the following not 
 undramatic dialoo;ue ensued : 
 
 Duke. Hostility ! I give you my word that neither 
 I myself, nor any one member of the Government, nor 
 the Government as a whole, have the most distant 
 feelings of hostility towards you. I know no officer 
 for whose services or whose conduct I have a higher 
 esteem. 
 
 Sw E. C. Then will your Grace let me ask you why 
 I was so superseded ? 
 
 Duke. Because you seemed to understand your orders 
 differently from myself and my colleagues, and I felt that 
 we could not go on. 
 
 Sir E. C. I only understood my orders in what ap- 
 peared their very obvious sense to my colleagues as well 
 as myself, but if your Grace instructed me to take a 
 different reading of them, I should readily have guided 
 myself by it. 
 
 Duke. AVcll ! I still understand them as I did at first. 
 
 Sir E. C. And / understand them as I did at first. 
 But let me ask your Grace which is the part in which 
 we differ ? 
 
 Duke {after a ixiuse). You must excuse me ! 
 
 Sir E. C. (A low how ; taking up his hat and turning 
 to depart). 
 
 Duke. If at any time, while in town, you should wish 
 to say anything further to me, I should be very happy 
 to see you. 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 178 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 Sir E. C. Pardon me, your Grace ; but if you feel 
 you cannot answer that simple question, I have nothing- 
 further to say, and it is thus quite unnecessary for me 
 to trouble your Grace again. 
 
 Admiral Codrington must have been an embarrassing 
 person to deal with, for when he was in the House, he, 
 on one occasion, produced " a bill," that had been sent in 
 to him, for charges connected with the Grand Cross of 
 the Bath, which he had received. 
 
 " Upon receiving it I showed the bill to the First Lord 
 of the Admiralty, who observed that it was very hard 
 upon me to have such a sum to pay. ' Not the least,' I 
 replied, '^for I dont mean to 'pmj a farthing J I was 
 told there was an Order in Council that everybody must 
 pay the customary fees ; but my reply was that I had 
 nothing to do with the Order in Council ; and that as I 
 had 'neither contributed to the Order in Council, nor 
 asked for this or any other such distinction, I would not 
 pay one single farthing for it ; and I wish, Sir, all the 
 officers on whom the honour was conferred had done the 
 same thing. It would have upheld the distinction very 
 much. Among the items which struck me most forcibly 
 is the charge of £122 to the King's household. What 
 patent right can they have to entitle them to this sum ? 
 The fees amounted to nearly £400. After a certain 
 time I was sent for by the First Lord of the Admiralty, 
 who told me that I should hear no more of the claim. I 
 said : ' If this distinction is conferred only upon the 
 condition of paying for it, you may take it back again 
 from me, for I would not have it on such terms.' "
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 But now strange rumours got abroad of attempts on tlie 
 part of the Lord High Admiral to assume despotic and 
 independent power. This was first shown in a dispute 
 about a commission on gucnery, which the High Admiral 
 had arrancred after his own fashion and in the absence of 
 his colleagues. One of these, a highly efficient officer, 
 Sir George Cockburn, when he returned to town firmly 
 pointed out that the Duke had exceeded his powers, and 
 the Council accordingly modified the whole. 
 
 This roused the anger of the Lord High Admiral, 
 who, after complaining in very bitter terms of Sir 
 Geor2:e, seems to have henceforth conceived a rooted 
 antipathy to him. But he presently put forth his 
 claims in yet more illegal and eccentric fashion, for 
 news now arrived that he had hoisted his flag on 
 board the Royal Sovereign yacht in the river without 
 consulting his Council, and had sent an order directing 
 the commission to meet him at Portsmouth. This was 
 in defiance of his patent, wliich enjoined that in every 
 step he should be advised by two members of the 
 council. His order ran : 
 
 "It is my directions that the members of the com- 
 
 N 2
 
 180 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 mittee on gunnery, now sitting at the Admiralty, proceed 
 to Portsmouth, ready to wait upon me there by Monday 
 morning, the 14th instant, and that they be prepared to 
 remain at Portsmouth if I shall think proper. Given 
 under my hand, on board the Royal Sovereign yacht, 
 this 10th day of July, 1828. 
 
 "William." 
 
 There is an air of burlesque abont this proclamation, 
 and, indeed, about the incidents of the whole ; the 
 " putting to sea" and hoisting his flag exciting the con- 
 sternation and perhaps amusement of his bewildered 
 colleagues. The Duke of Wellington was appealed to 
 to briuo^ him back to reason, and throuo^h all that 
 followed the difficult task was cast upon that great man 
 of humouring and lecturing this extraordinary Prince ; 
 a duty he performed with much tact and good humour. 
 
 As he very properly pointed out to him, the object 
 of the Act of Parliament was to give no pecuniary or 
 official responsibility to the Duke of Clarence, who 
 should be merely the official head of the navy. The 
 King was to nominate the Council, so that the Lord 
 High Admiral, while in London and acting with his 
 Council, had all the power that the Board of Commis- 
 sioners formerly had. If he should be afloat, he should 
 be attended by some of the Council, or transmit his 
 orders to them. 
 
 On receipt of the order Sir George Cockburn humbly, 
 and most respectfully, as part of his bounden duty, j)ro- 
 tested against it, as being illegal and ultra vives. He 
 reminded the Duke that he was merely a high officer of 
 State, not a flag officer, in which capacity he could only 
 appear under the special order of the King. 
 
 " Sir," haughtily answered the Duke from his vessel,
 
 WILLIA]\r IV. 181 
 
 on July lOtli, "your letter does not give me displeasure, 
 but concern, to see one I had kept when appointed to 
 this situation of Lord High Admiral constantly opposing 
 what I consider good for the King's service. In this 
 free country everyone has a right to have his opinion, 
 and I have therefore to have mine, which differs totally 
 from yours. ... I cannot conclude without repeating, 
 my Council is not to dictate, but to give advice." He 
 later complained of receiving a letter, " if possible, a 
 more disrespectful, more impertinent, if possible, than 
 his first." 
 
 Sir George in the most respectful terms attempted 
 to vindicate himself, and humbly asked for particulars 
 of the occasions on which he had had the misfortune to 
 offend His Royal Highness and set himself against his 
 wishes. On receipt of which patient letter the Lord 
 High Admiral became even more inflamed, and wrote 
 thus to the Duke of AYellington : 
 
 ^^ Royal Sovereign yacht, off the Korth Foreland, 
 " 11th July, 1828. 4 a.m. 
 
 ''Dear Duke, 
 
 "Finding by the continued and seinous differ- 
 ence of opinion there is between me and Sir George 
 Cockhurn on points of the utmost consequence con- 
 cerning His Majesty's naval service, it will not be to the 
 advantage of the public good that Sir George should 
 continue one of my Council. I am to request your Grace 
 humbly to submit to the King in my name that Rear- 
 Admiral the Honourable Sir Charles Paget may be 
 appointed a member of my Council in the room of Sir 
 George Cockburn. At the same time I submit to your 
 Grace that the sooner this measure takes place the 
 better, in order that, if possible. Sir Charles Paget may
 
 182 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 be returned to Parliament hcfore this Session is con- 
 cluded. 
 
 " I have also to submit to His Majesty, through 
 your Grace, the appointment of Eear- Admiral Sir 
 Edward Owen to the highly honourable situation of 
 Privy Councillor. I remain, etc." 
 
 The Duke forwarded this strange paper to the King, 
 and answered the Lord High Admiral, telling him 
 plainly that he had exceeded his duty, and that Sir 
 George had only done his. " I am convinced your 
 Eoyal Highness is too well acquainted with the 
 principles of military discipline and subordination not 
 to be aware that your Eoyal Highness cannot hoist the 
 flag of the Lord High Admiral for the purpose of 
 exercising a military command and power, unless by 
 the special command of His Majesty." It was his plain 
 duty to tell His Eoyal Highness that " this course could 
 not be pursued without creating public discussion and 
 giving much annoyance to the King and the Lord 
 Hi^h Admiral himself." But this had no effect on His 
 Eoyal Highness, and we find that on July 12th, Captain 
 Spencer, his officer, informed Sir George Cockburn that 
 the Duke, having applied for his removal, declined to 
 receive further communications from him. 
 
 The case was now growing serious, and the confusion 
 general ; for the other members announced that they 
 would retire if Sir George were dismissed. Nothing, 
 however, could exceed the good nature and patience 
 mtli which the Duke of Wellino-ton and all concerned 
 tried to reason His Eoyal Highness into something 
 like sense. The Duke almost entreated of him to con- 
 sider his position, sending him copies of his patent and 
 proving to him that what he had done was illegal. It
 
 WILLIAM IV. 183 
 
 was of no use. Tlie Lord High Admiral continued "at 
 sea" flying his flag. The King had now to interfere. 
 
 THE KING TO THE DUKE OP CLAEENCE. 
 
 "Eoyal Lodge, Tuesday night, July 15, 1828. 
 
 " My dear William, 
 
 " My friend the Duke of AVellington, as my 
 first minister, has considered it his duty to lay before 
 me the whole of the correspondence that has taken 
 place with you upon the subject relating to yourself and 
 Sir George Cockburn. It is with feelings of the deepest 
 regret that I observe the embarrassing position in which 
 you have placed yourself. You are in error from the 
 beginning to the end. This is not a matter of opinion, 
 but a positive fact ; and when the Duke of Wellington 
 so properly calls your attention to the words of your 
 patent, let me ask you how Sir George Cockburn could 
 have acted otherwise ? 
 
 "You must not forget, my dear William, that Sir 
 George Cockburn is the King's Privy Councillor, and so 
 made by the King to advise the Lord High Admiral. 
 AVhat becomes of Sir George Cockburn's oath, his duty 
 towards me, his sovereign, if he fails to offer such 
 advice as he may think necessary to the Lord High 
 Admiral ? Am I, then, to be called upon to dismiss the 
 miost useful and perhaps the most important naval officer 
 in my service for conscientiously acting up to the letter 
 and spirit of his oath and his duty ? The thing is 
 impossible. I love you most truly, as you know, and 
 no one would do more or go further to protect and meet 
 your feelings ; but on the present occasion I have no 
 alternative ; you must give way, and listen to the 
 affection of your best friend and most attached brother. 
 
 "G. K."
 
 184 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 To whom the Lord High Admiral, in reply, still 
 from his vessel, writes : 
 
 " Royal Sovereign yaclit, Portsmouth Harbour, 
 "July 17, 1828. 
 
 '' Sir, 
 
 " Your Majesty's most affectionate letter of the 
 17th inst. from the Eoyal Lodge has this moment reached 
 me ; and in consequence of another I have also received 
 from the Duke of Wellington, as the Minister, I think it 
 best to proceed without loss of time to see his Grace in 
 town. I am fally aware I stand at this moment in tivo 
 relations to your Majesty, the one puhlic the other 
 private. I rejoice, Brother, the affection and friend- 
 ship of seven and ffty years remain undiminished, and 
 will, I know, always continue. 
 
 " But the duty I owe my sovereign is quite another 
 thing ; and, until I have convinced the Duke of Wel- 
 lington that Sir George Cockburn has materially erred, 
 or that I shall be obliged to tender my resignation to 
 your Majesty, I will not, by seeing your Majesty, place 
 my sovereign in that situation where there might be a 
 conflict in the mind of your Majesty between the feelings 
 of a Brother and the necessary support the King of 
 this country must give to his ministers. 
 
 " I shall, however, make one observation to your 
 Majesty, that Sir George Cockburn cannot be the most 
 useful and the most important officer in your Majesty's 
 service, who never had the ships he commanded in 
 prosper fighting trim. I remain, etc." 
 
 A most extraordinary production, whether we con- 
 sider the strange modes of emphasis and " underlinings," 
 or its odd insinuations.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 185 
 
 The Lord High Admiral havins; thus thouoht it 
 better to set off for town to see the Duke, he first appeared 
 at the Admiralty, and, as Mr. Croker reported, sent word 
 to the offending Sir George " that if he retracted, all 
 might be well." The latter declared that he had the 
 highest respect for His Eoyal Highness, and would 
 repeat as often as desired his regret at having offended 
 him ; but as to the principle or the point in discussion, 
 he felt himself obliged so stand by that. 
 
 "His Eoyal Highness," as Mr. Croker described his 
 share of these amusing episodes, " afterwards sent for me. 
 He talked of ordinary matters with singular good humour, 
 told me what he had done in his visitation, and what he 
 still meant to do. He alluded very slightly to the pending 
 discussion, but hinted at Cockburn with considerable 
 exasperation, and talked of eternal displeasure. ]My 
 opinion is that he means to submit, and would be glad 
 to find any decent excuse for retracting." 
 
 On July 18th, the Duke of AVellington had the Lord 
 High Admiral and his enemy before him. Sir George 
 having written a letter in the strict sense of his verbal 
 declarations, tlie mediator contrived by his serious 
 influence to bring about a direct peace, or rather truce. 
 The Lord High Admiral wrote on the same day to 
 the King. 
 
 "Admiralty, July IS. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " By the letter I had the honour of sending 
 your Majesty yesterday from Portsmouth, it must be 
 evident I came up with a determination of having a 
 full explanation with the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 "It has taken place, and I therefore hope, consider- 
 ing the anxious desire I must have to give your
 
 186 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 Majesty's Government as little trouble as possible, I 
 may yet be of use to my sovereign in the situation I 
 now hold from your Majesty's gracious kindness to me, 
 and I have in consequence to inform your Majesty that 
 I return to-morrow to Portsmouth to continue my in- 
 spection of the outposts, and to exercise for a few days 
 with the three-deckers. I am, etc." 
 
 In which complacent frame of mind the Lord High 
 Admiral appeared, as it were, " to strike his flag," and 
 withdraw from the false position he had taken up.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 All mioflit now conoTatulate tliemselves that the in- 
 
 o o 
 
 cident was '*' closed," and that, after this lesson, there 
 would be no more trouble and no more extravagance. 
 Little they knew the Lord High Admiral. Before a 
 fortnight was out news came that the Lord High 
 Admiral had again put to sea, and was flying his flag — 
 his military flag ; for one of his odd ideas now was that 
 the King had allotted him military duties. 
 
 On the 6th of August the much troubled Duke of 
 AVellington had to write to His Majesty : 
 
 " I am sorry to tell your Majesty that I received 
 accounts this day that the Lord High Admiral sailed 
 from Plymouth on July 30th, in the Royal Sovereign 
 yacht, which bore his flag as Lord High Admiral, 
 with the squadron of ships and vessels." 
 
 At a Cabinet Council, Lord Ellenborougli heard 
 more particulars of an astonishing kind. " First, the 
 Lord High Admiral, who is endeavouring to establish 
 a. claim to be obeyed without the intervention of his 
 Council, is gone to sea with two three-deckers and 
 .some small vessels, and is not to*rcappcar till August 9.
 
 188 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 Nobody knows where lie is gone. He has ordered pilots 
 
 to be ready to take the to Copenhagen on 
 
 the 10th from the Nore. She is to stay there twenty- 
 four hours, and return by the Great and Little Belts. 
 The orders are to be secret. This expression of his 
 opinion is conveyed in a letter to the two naval lords, 
 in which he tells them he may not have an opportunity 
 of writing again till he returns to the Admiralty. The 
 last order about the vessel going to Copenhagen looks 
 like madness, but it seems it is to take G. Fitz-Clarence 
 there for his pleasure. The letters will be laid before 
 the King, but nothing done yet." On which startling 
 news the King wrote, " that if the Lord Admiral could 
 not make up his mind to fill his station according to 
 the laws of the country, it will be quite impossible for 
 the King to retain him in his present situation." 
 
 The Duke at once despatched a severe rebuke saying 
 that he was under the necessity of complaining to the 
 King, who had expressed the greatest concern and sur- 
 prise, inasmuch as he observed : " No man understood 
 discipline better than His Eoyal Highness." He again 
 pointed out he had exceeded his duty. This had the 
 eff"ect of brino-ino; him to town. But he was now in a 
 stubborn humour, and determined not to yield. 
 
 THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 "Dear Duke, 
 
 " On my arrival this morning I found your Grace's 
 letter of yesterday which has surprised me not a little ; 
 because, unless some pe7'50?i or j'^crsons had particularly 
 called your attention to mij having remained from 30th 
 July to August 4th at sea luithout Sir H. Blackwood, I am 
 confident I never should have received such a letter
 
 WILLIAM IV, 189 
 
 from your Grace. Under this persuasion I feel singularly 
 situated, but if I am to be guided in everything by my 
 Council, or if your Grace is to have information of m?/ 
 conduct from others, and not listen to my motives for 
 my conduct, I am sure the sooner I resign my official 
 situation the better. 
 
 " On all matters of expenses I thank God I have a 
 Council to consult, and on many points I am sensible of 
 the advantage of having two professioncd men to con- 
 verse with. But to submit to the previous concurrence 
 of my Council on all points may perhaps be the object 
 of the Cabinet, but to which I ivill not and / cannot 
 submit. Therefore, unless it be clearly understood be- 
 tween your Grace and myself that I am to be in future 
 the judge, except in matters of expense, on what subjects 
 I shall consult my Council, / must resign. 
 
 " I remain," etc. 
 
 The Lord High Admiral, however, begged the Lord 
 Chancellor to come and consult with him, and, in his 
 odd phrase, " bring with him a ijrecis of the Act, when- 
 ever I shall have the pleasure of shahing your lordship 
 by the hand." This meeting was the suggestion of the 
 Duke of Wellington, who was sadly plagued by the 
 impracticable Prince and his wayward behaviour. But 
 it will be seen this " shaking of his lordship " by the 
 hand was not to come about. 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "August 10th. 
 
 *'Dear Duke, 
 
 " In answer to your Grace's letter of yesterday in 
 answer to mine, which ivas and was not sent, because 
 your Grace must recollect the circumstances under which
 
 190 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 it was put into your own liands, I shall make two obser- 
 vations. The first is, I hope and expect to see the 
 Chancellor in his room on the 14th instant, to talk over 
 entirely my j^afew^ and the Act of Parlianient, as I am 
 commanded by His Majesty to be at the Royal Lodge 
 on the 17th. I shall then be a better judge of how I 
 feel as to the positive power 1 2'^ossess, and therefore my 
 mind will then be able to direct my line of conduct in 
 convincino: me whether I can be of real use to the 
 country or not in the situation I now hold in the 
 Admiralty. The other, and the most imijortant, is, I must 
 feel hurt, your Grace conceives it was your duty, from 
 whatever quarter the intelligence was received, to men- 
 tion to me the opinion your Grace entertained, after what 
 I had thought I had so fully and so satisfactorily stated 
 had arisen from a mere accident. I will not at present 
 say more, because it is possible that m}^ conversation 
 with the Lord Chancellor may be satisfactory, and that 
 the mere accident of my having been alone without Sir 
 Henry Blackwood can never happen again. 
 
 " I remain." 
 
 The Duke, in reply to this mysterious eflfusion, the 
 innuendoes of which he did not notice, simply enclosed 
 him copies of letters from the King and from himself to 
 the King. 
 
 The King now interposed, and in a rather stern 
 letter required that he should " se soumettre ou se 
 demettre." 
 
 " I cannot help thinking," whites Lord Ellenborough, 
 " that 7101V or very soon the Lord High Admiral will 
 resign. Spencer, his secretary, urges him forward. His 
 family are afraid the fatigue will kill him. He is now 
 and then mad — or very nearly so. The King would be
 
 WILLIAM IV. 191 
 
 glad to oust him, thus removing from a prominent 
 situation a brother of whom he is jealous, and creating 
 ill blood between the Heir Presumptive and his Ministers 
 — a thing all Kings like to do." 
 
 THE KING TO THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 
 
 "Eoyal Lodge, August 11, 1828. 
 
 " My dear Friend, 
 
 "I have read with the most careful attention 
 your further correspondence with the Lord High 
 Admiral. 
 
 " I will repeat to your Grace the words that I used 
 to my brother when I had occasion to write to him on 
 this painful subject, namely : ' That he was in error 
 from beo;innins^ to the end.' 
 
 " I now desire distinctly to state, once for all, that I 
 most entirely approve of all that you, in the exercise of 
 your bounden duty towards me, as my First Minister, 
 have communicated to the Lord High Admiral on the 
 subject now before me. When I appointed my brother 
 to the station of Lord High Admiral I had reasonably 
 hoped that I should have derived comfort, peace, and 
 tranquility from such an appointment ; but from what 
 has hitherto taken place, it would seem as if the very 
 reverse v/ere to happen. 
 
 *' Can the Lord High Admiral suppose that the laws 
 are to be infringed, the rules of true discipline (which he 
 knows so well how to uphold) are to be broken in upon ? 
 and that these things are to pass without notice or re- 
 monstrance by the responsible advisers of the Crown ? 
 Can the Lord High Admiral suppose that his best friend 
 and his soverei2;n is to have no feelino; under the cir- 
 cumstanccs 1 I am quite aware that I am drawing fast
 
 192 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 to tlie close of my life ; it may be the will of the 
 Almighty that a month, a week, a day, may call the 
 Lord High Admiral to be my successor. I love my 
 brother William : I have always done so to my heart's 
 core ; and I will leave him the example of what the 
 inherent duty of a King of this country really is. The 
 Lord High Admiral shall strictly obey the laws enacted 
 by Parliament, as attached to his present station, or I 
 desire immediately to receive his resignation. 
 " Such are my commands to your Grace. 
 
 " Ever your sincere friend, 
 
 " G. E." 
 
 Things had therefore come to such a pass that the 
 Lord Hifrh Admiral had to resign. 
 
 THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 " Bushey House, August 11, 1828, 9 p.m. 
 
 "My dear Duke, 
 
 '' Your Grace's letter of this day, enclosing a 
 letter from His Majesty, also of this day, accepting in 
 its contents my resignation of the office of Lord High 
 Admiral, together with copies of your Grace's letters 
 to the King of the 8th and 10th instant, have just 
 reached me. 
 
 " I have very little, under the present circumstances, 
 to observe to your Grace, except that I trust in God, 
 from the bottom of my heart, that our justly beloved 
 and gracious sovereign may be spared to govern as all 
 for many and many a day. However others might feel 
 at the resignation of so high an office, I can with equal 
 truth and satisfaction declare that I retire from this 
 situation with the most perfect satisfaction to my mind, 
 as conceiving that, with the impediments thrown and 
 intended to have been thrown, in the way of the execu-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 193 
 
 tion of my office, I could not have done justice either to 
 the King or to my country." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE KING. 
 
 "August 11, 9 p.m. 
 
 "Dearest Brother, 
 
 "I have just received from the Duke of Wel- 
 lington your most kind acceptance of my resignation 
 of the office of Lord Hisrh Admiral, for which I thank 
 you from the bottom of my heart. As the sovereign 
 you could not have done otherwise, because ' tlie King 
 must support his ministers' I have my story and facts 
 to relate, whenever you can give me an hour's inter- 
 view. To-morrow is to me a day of peculiar joy and 
 satisfaction, and long may T and all my fellow subjects 
 celebrate the 12th of August as the natal day of the 
 best of sovereigns, and to me of the kindest and most 
 affectionate of brothers and friends. At half-past six 
 to-morrow, I shall pay my personal regards at the Royal 
 Lodge, and then assure you that I am, must and ever 
 shall be, 
 
 " Dearest brother, 
 
 " Yours most affectionately and unalterably, 
 
 *' William." 
 
 The same day he wrote to the Lord Chancellor, to 
 say that their consultation on his powers and privi- 
 leges need not take place, as he had now resigned office. 
 Still the Duke and the Cabinet were not anxious to 
 push matters to extremities, and wished the Duke to 
 remain and obey the law. But the Duke was sulky, 
 and insisted. Further explanations took place, in 
 presence of the King and Chancellor, when the Duke 
 declared that if he remained, Sir George Cockburn 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 194 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 must be removed. " I spoke to the King after dinner," 
 says the Duke of Wellington, "and explained that I 
 must tell His Majesty, that it would not answer to 
 remove from his office a gentleman who had performed 
 his duty, for no reason except that he had remonstrated 
 against a breach of the law by the Duke. His Royal 
 Highness is therefore out of office." 
 
 THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 "Admiralty, August 14. 
 
 " Dearest Brother, 
 
 " On my arrival here this morning, I found a 
 letter from the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 " I have nothing to say or remark except that, in 
 my resignation and retirement from office, I go without 
 the least feeling of any anger or disappointment. I 
 could not do justice to the King and the country, or 
 have remained in office with honour to myself, if Sir 
 G. Cockburn was to continue upon my Council. Con- 
 sequently, my retirement has become absolutely neces- 
 sary. Having now lived in this uninterrupted and 
 closest union of friendship with your excellent and 
 valuable self for fifty-seven years, I can neither forget 
 the affection due to a brother, or the duty I owe my 
 sovereign. Under other circumstances, as you now know 
 my zeal, application, and activity in office (I claim not 
 ability) you may at any time, and in any way, claim 
 my services, and they are entirely at your command. 
 Whenever Parliament meets I shall not set my foot 
 into the House of Lords, and no man living shall have 
 my proxy. The only favour I ask is, that Watson may 
 be permitted to send a copy of the letter I wrote to 
 you from Portsmouth on 17th July, as I am not in 
 possession of a copy."
 
 WILLIAM ly. 195 
 
 Mr. Croker describes the Duke suddenly appearing 
 at tlie office on this very day, when, after business, 
 he made a speech, under the influence of a good 
 deal of suppressed agitation. " He said that he 
 looked upon himself as a military officer ; that if he 
 were a civil officer, like the First Lord, he would 
 have many observations to make on the cause of his 
 resignation, etc. The speech was very confused, and 
 we did not, and do not, very well see what His Eoyal 
 Highness meant by his military and civil distinctions. 
 I believe his idea was to assert his ris^ht to hoist his 
 military flag, and to hint that the cause of his retire- 
 ment was in consequence of his military obedience to 
 the King. He spoke with an eager look and impas- 
 sioned voice." He then summoned Mr. Croker and 
 commended him ; but uttered violent complaints 
 against others. " At his first ap|)earance he treated 
 Sir George with marked displeasure ; but afterwards 
 was more civil." 
 
 On the IGtli Mr. Croker described how the unlucky 
 Prince was "so earnest in imputing his retirement to 
 a personal opposition on the part of his colleague " — 
 Sir George — that the latter felt it due to himself to 
 have the Duke informed that he did not stand alone, 
 and that if he had been forced to retire, three others, 
 including Mr. Croker, would have done so. On which 
 a new surprise took place, and the odd Duke instantly 
 sent for Sir George, told him that this made a vast 
 diff^ereuce, " that he had no longer any enmity to him, 
 and begged to shake hands with him." He then called 
 the other lords, who sided with Sir George, into his 
 private room, applauded him " for his manly conduct," 
 and hoped all three would come and dine with him ! 
 Mr. Croker was left out, and fancied that he was now 
 
 o 3 1
 
 19G THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 to become tlie Duke's hete noire, " for he must have 
 one." The Duke announced, also, "that he was de- 
 lio;hted at beino; out, that he looked on a flasc-officer as 
 being much higher than a Lord High Admiral." 
 
 The Duke of Wellington fancied he had discovered 
 the secret of these capricious charges. The Prince was 
 directed by his secretary, Captain Spencer. "It is 
 Captain Spencer, or rather Lady Spencer, who does all 
 the mischief," said His Majesty, " and my poor brother 
 is the victim." "He is quite right," adds the Duke. 
 
 The matter was, however, by no means at an end. 
 The King, who really loved his brother, and was per- 
 haps moved by his affectionate letters, was persuaded by 
 the Duke's friends that his painful recognition was 
 unavoidable owing to the terms of the patent, which 
 restricted him in a manner unknown to other patents 
 of the kind. One of the royal doctors instantly 
 drove off with the news of his reconciliation with 
 Cockburn to Windsor, which the King, ever impression- 
 able, thouo;ht removed a good deal of the obstacles. 
 Captain Spencer was sent for to give the further expla- 
 nations. His Majesty, in a conversation with Captain 
 Spencer, of which " notes " were shown about, declared 
 that " this new state of thins^s should be somehow made 
 known to the Duke of Wellino-ton. He thouo;ht it due 
 to all parties, and to his Grace as minister, that his 
 Grace should undertake that, unless the patent was 
 altered so as to give His Eoyal Highness more power, 
 he could not with propriety hold the situation." His 
 Majesty also observed that with the minister's view of 
 the patent, the Lord High Admiral would scarcely have 
 as much power as a first commoner. 
 
 Kumours getting abroad of this intrigue, ministers 
 became a little alarmed. It had been remarked that
 
 WILLIAM ly. 197 
 
 when tlie Duke resigned lie gave orders for the removal 
 of his effects " with more precipitation than was neces- 
 sary," but now everything was suspended, even the 
 hurried shower of promotions in which he had been 
 indulorina:. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington, however, wrote in very 
 plain terms to His Majesty declining to recommend 
 altering the patent, and put the whole thing aside. 
 Lord Melville was named as the new chief of the 
 Admiralty. The Duke was determined to have no more 
 worry or scandal. 
 
 " This is the last chapter of the history of His Royal 
 Highness the Lord High Admiral," wrote Mr. Croker on 
 the 19th August. He then gives the following pleasant 
 sketch of the scene for the entertainment of his friend 
 the Duke of Wellington : 
 
 "He (the Lord High Admiral) came to town to-day 
 about noon with the intention, so we were told, of 
 seeing us all and of taking leave ; but he only saw two 
 or three. To Mr. Barrow he gave, with very high com- 
 pliments, a very handsome silver inkstand. This was 
 intended, like His Royal Highness's great civility to me 
 two months ago, to mark his displeasure to others. 
 When he was so gracious to me it was accompanied by 
 innuendoes against Cockburn, and now his kindness to 
 Barrow is made in the same way with allusions to me. 
 
 "The patent arrived about three o'clock, and I 
 immediately sent Spencer to receive it, as Spencer had 
 told me that His Royal Highness had desired him to 
 bring it in, instead of me, whose duty it was. His 
 Royal Highness then sent for Barrow to give him the 
 cabinet key, which he had received from me, and which 
 should have been returned to me. When five o'clock 
 came, and His Royal Highness showed that he did not
 
 198 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 intend to come into tlie council-room or send for us, 
 Cockburn thought it respectful to send, saying, that His 
 Eoyal Highness not having sent for us, we did not 
 wish to intrude upon him, but that we were all in 
 attendance to pay our duty, if he should think fit to 
 admit us. To this, after a long pause, he replied, through 
 Spencer, that he felt towards us as he did when we last 
 met ; but that as an interview could not but be painful, 
 he would rather postpone it for the present ; and he soon 
 after set off for Bushey." 
 
 It is infinitely to the Lord High Admiral's credit 
 that, when he became King, he appointed Sir George 
 Cockburn to the American station in the room of 
 Admiral Colpoys. When Sir James Graham sent for 
 him to announce his appointment, he told him that he 
 was indebted for it solely to the earnest wish and 
 interference of the King ; and that they would never 
 have appointed him themselves, as he was such a bitter 
 opponent. 
 
 It may be conceived from this episode that there 
 was little cordiality between the Duke and the Secretary 
 to the Admiralty. This clever, bitter man was likely 
 to return enmity with full measure ; and a story that 
 was in circulation shows how artfully he could seize 
 an opportunity of doing mischief with an adroitly aimed 
 shaft. 
 
 He was one day at the Pavilion, when the Duke of 
 Clarence was there. The King was in the drawing-room, 
 the Duke of Clarence and some others formed a group 
 at a table conversing about the navy. On some remarks 
 made by Mr. Croker, the Duke said : " Croker, were I 
 King, I'd be my own First Lord of the Admiralty, and 
 you should not be my secretary ; " to which Croker 
 answered : " Then I must do the best I can now I am
 
 WILLIAM lY. 199 
 
 secretary ; but does your Eoyal Highness recollect 
 what King: of England was his own First Lord of the 
 Admiralty?" The Duke replied in the negative. "Why, 
 it was James II.," said Croker, in his pert manner. 
 The King, hearing the laugh, said : " AVhat, Croker, 
 what is that ? One of your good things, I suppose ? " 
 "Nothing, but your royal brother is saying what he 
 will do ivlien your Majesty is no longer King." The 
 King walked away, making no reply. But Mr. Croker 
 received a reprimand before he left the next morning. 
 
 Thus the matter happily concluded, and the Lord 
 High Admiral ceased to hold office. The whole offers 
 a curious revelation of character and evidence of a 
 certain aberration of mind which seemed to visit him 
 on coming into sudden possession of authority, just as 
 it did when he became Kino;. It is interestinsr to note 
 the good-natured tolerance with which his erratic be- 
 haviour was indulged, and with what firmness and 
 moderation the point was gained. 
 
 We pass over the next two years, when we find the 
 Duke, on the eve of the King's illness, writing with a 
 portentous significance, as though he forecasted his own 
 coming importance. 
 
 DUKE OP CLAEENCE TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 "Bushey House, Feb. 30, 1830. 
 
 " My Lord Duke, 
 
 " I am favoured with your Grace's letter of this 
 day, including the speech of the Lords Commissioners 
 to be to-morrow delivered at the opening of Parliament. 
 I have read it with the greatest attention, and most 
 highly approve of it in every particular. I am also 
 sensible of your Grace's polite consideration of informing
 
 200 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 me that in the Lords the Duke of Buccleuch will move, 
 and the Lord Saltoun second, the Address ; and that 
 in the Commons the Earl of Darlington moves and 
 Mr. Ward seconds the Address. These four individuals 
 are equally satisfactory to me from their respective 
 situations in the Empire at large. 
 
 " With these sentiments you will not be surprised 
 in my request that a proxy may be sent to me here 
 to sign, for the Lord Chancellor to hold in my name. 
 For the present / shall not attend. But, in the event 
 of any peculiar attack on the King's Government, I 
 shall certainly take the same line I did last year, and 
 decidedly and in the most public manner support the 
 confidential advisers of the Crown. 
 
 " I remain, etc., 
 
 " Clarence."
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 It had been known for some time that the health 
 of the King was giving way, though such was the 
 strange and mysterious seclusion in which he had been 
 livins;', that he mig-ht almost be considered to have 
 abdicated. In the middle of April it was known that 
 he was ill, and whispers got abroad that this illness was 
 of a serious kind. His faithful secretary, Sir William 
 Knighton, being presumed to be able to furnish the 
 most authentic information, daily received communi- 
 cations from the different members of the royal family, 
 and the Duke of Clarence — then residing at Bushey 
 House — was naturally eager to have the earliest news. 
 His naive disposition allowed as much of curiosity as 
 of affectionate solicitude to escape him in these earnest 
 inquiries. 
 
 THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO SIR W. KNIGHTON. 
 
 "April 16, 1830, 9 p.m. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours of this afternoon has this moment reached 
 me, and is, I am sorry to say, not what I could have 
 wished. The vomiting I do not like. However, thank 
 God, His Majesty since that time has been tranquil. 
 I am glad to hear the King thinks himself better ; so
 
 202 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 far is comfortable, and I therefore trust that your 
 anxiety and love for the best of masters and sovereigns 
 makes you consider too highly the single symptom. I 
 must be anxious to have the report of to-morrow of 
 Sir Henry Halford, and trust in God it may be 
 favourable. 
 
 "Under the present circumstances of the King's 
 state, I have only to repeat my anxious wishes for that 
 amendment which gratitude of fifty-nine years' standing 
 calls me to express from the bottom of my heart. 
 
 " I remain, dear Sir, yours truly, 
 
 " William." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "Bushey House, April 18, 1830, 9 p.m. 
 
 " Dear Sie, 
 
 "I have this instant received yours of to-day 
 from Windsor Castle, and lament the report is not more 
 favourable. I dislike still more your expression 'that 
 your anxiety is not lessened.' I know your sincere 
 attachment to our beloved monarch, and, unfortunately, 
 I am too well acquainted with your abilities in the 
 medical line not to dread your anxiety for our much- 
 esteemed and valuable King. I shall wait with impa- 
 tience the statement from Sir Henry Halford to-morrow. 
 God grant it may be such as I wish ! In the meantime, 
 adieu, and ever believe me, 
 
 " Dear Sir, yours truly, 
 
 "William." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "Bushey House, April 21, 1830, 3 p.m. 
 
 "Dear Sir, 
 
 " I have just received yours ' most secret and 
 confidential ' of this day, which I properly value.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 203 
 
 " On the whole, the account, thank God, is favour- 
 able ; and God grant it may continue so, and that on 
 Friday I may have the happiness and satisfaction of 
 finding our beloved sovereign in a progressive state 
 of improvement. I shall be at the Castle a few minutes 
 before one ; and I value most highly and gratefully the 
 kind expressions of the King, and I also thank you 
 gratefully for the expressions that accompany from your- 
 self His Majesty's gracious message to me. I cannot 
 forget the uninterrupted friendship that has subsisted 
 between the King and me for nine-and-fifty years ; and 
 I trust, from the bottom of my heart, I shall really find, 
 next Friday, the best of brothers, masters, and men. 
 advancing in a favourable way, and your comprehensive 
 and affectionate mind far more easy upon the 'single 
 symptom' which produces with you so much painful 
 anxiety. You may rely on my perfect and complete 
 silence. 
 
 " And I now remain, dear Sir, yours truly, 
 
 ''William." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " Eushey House, May 1, 1830. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " I am to acknowledge yours ' most secret and 
 confidential,' and perfectly understand your silence, as 
 Sir H. Halford daily reported the state of our beloved 
 monarch. Of course I was aware the King had yester- 
 day seen the Princesses, and am not surprised weakness 
 ensued. I am glad the difficulty of breathing is less the 
 last two days, and I therefore trust in God His Majesty 
 will ultimately do well. I highly appreciate the constant 
 attendance of Sir H. Halford and Sir M. Tierney, and 
 shall anxiously wait the reports of Sir Henry, which
 
 204 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 God grant may be favourable ! I most heartily and 
 earnestly join with you in prayer that the Almighty 
 may give me in particular, and all His Majesty's loving 
 subjects, the happiness and comfort of looking to the 
 prosperous termination of this very severe illness. 
 " Ever believe me, dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " William." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " Busliey House, May 2, 1830. 
 " Half-past 5 p.m. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours ' most secret and confidential,' and, un- 
 fortunately, ' most lamentable,' has just reached me. 
 The only consolation I have, is to know that I have the 
 approbation of the best of sovereigns and brothers, and 
 at the same time the gratitude of my brother Adolphus, 
 for taking charge of his son, whom I will consider 
 quite as my own. I shall write to that effect to-morrow 
 to Hanover. 
 
 *' Every other part of your letter is indeed a dagger 
 to my heart. Since May 2, 1771, has the Prince of 
 Wales, the Prince Eegent, and the King of this country, 
 my eldest brother, treated me with unvaried affection 
 and friendship, and I must and do feel his last days are 
 arriving. 
 
 " I cannot say more on this most truly painful 
 subject. Still, however, whilst life lasts there is hope ; 
 and God grant the life of our beloved master and friend 
 may yet be spared ! 
 
 " I shall be most anxious to hear to-morrow, and 
 ever remain, 
 
 " Dear Sir, yours truly, 
 
 " William."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 205 
 
 It is plain that His Eoyal Highness, though he 
 was sincerely and affectionately attached to his brother, 
 had become excited by the prospect of his own approach 
 to sovereignty. This was shown in a sort of feverish 
 eagerness to learn details, an anxious watchins; of those 
 who obtained access to the King, and in even a little 
 anticipation of future arrangements. In this view he 
 opened communications with the Duke of Wellington, 
 whose straightforward military nature disdained even to 
 notice the appearance of intrigue. The correspondence 
 is a curious one, and reveals character in an odd way. 
 It also gives an idea of what the labours of a Prime 
 Minister are in a crisis, even in the duty of answering 
 innumerable letters which must be answered. 
 
 THE DUKE OP CLARENCE TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 <cTVT ^ . ■nxTx.T. "April 27, 1830. 
 
 "My dear Duke, ^ ' 
 
 " I have this instant received your Grace's letter 
 of this day, and can perfectly understand the verbal 
 communications of Sir Matthew Tierney. The non- 
 arrival of Sir H. Halford I do not like, and I shall 
 therefore feel the more obliged to your Grace for any 
 information received in the course of the day from 
 Windsor. In the critical state of His Majesty, the 
 oftener you can find time to proceed to Windsor the 
 
 better. 
 
 " I remain, etc., 
 
 "Clarexce." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "My Lord Duke, "Apdl 29. 1830. 
 
 " In answer to your letter of this day I have to 
 acknowledge the receipt of this morning's bulletin,
 
 206 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 which, I lament to say, does not give me satisfaction. 
 To the " Private and Confidential " of this morning, I 
 am to remark, that perhaps the firing of the Port and 
 Tower guns, and the great officers of State giving their 
 usual dinners, may be a prudent measure. But I am glad 
 to find that your Grace is of the same opinion as myself, 
 that neither the Duchess nor myself should at present 
 appear either in London or at public amusements. Your 
 Grace may rest assured that we are eventually to dine 
 with your Grace, should it please Almighty God to 
 restore His Majesty to his people, though your Grace 
 would not see the King ; but I trust your^ Grace will 
 continue to proceed to Windsor when public aflPairs will 
 permit of the absence of the ministers for some hours 
 from London. The critical situation of the sovereign 
 must make me think seriously ; and I consider it is a 
 fortunate circumstance I see the true objects contained 
 in the last letter, as your Grace does, and I think, 
 during the continuance of His Majesty's illness, our 
 sentiments will agree ; for I must look to your Grace in 
 that event which would involve me and the empire at 
 large in grief for the loss of the best and most amiable 
 of monarchs. But I am lamentably afraid of the worst, 
 which God avert. 
 
 " I am, my Lord Duke, 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 " William." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 1, 1830. 
 
 " My Lord Duke, 
 
 " I have this instant received your Grace's letter 
 from Windsor Castle, and the bulletins, which, though 
 certainlv different from what I wished, relative to the
 
 WILLIAM lY. 207 
 
 passing of the night, does not surprise me, as His 
 Majesty was much affected with his interview with 
 the Princess Augusta and the Duchess of Gloucester. 
 They left the King exhausted and uneasy about himself 
 
 " I remain, etc." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 3. 
 
 ^'My Lord Duke, 
 
 "I am just returned from riding, and found 
 your Grace's letter of 2 p.m. this day ; and however 
 much I do and must lament the state of His Majesty, I 
 dread it can only end fatally. I know not what more 
 to say than that I put my confidence in the will of 
 God, and am fully aware of the medical abilities of those 
 who have the painful honour of witnessing the alarming 
 illness of the Kinoj. 
 
 " I remain, etc." 
 
 '&• 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 4. 
 
 *'My Lord Duke, 
 
 " In answer to your Grace's letter of 1.45 of this 
 day, I am sadly afraid the King continues very unwell 
 still, and has not regained where His Majesty was last 
 Friday. In short, I candidly own to your Grace I dread 
 the ultimate event, though the case may linger. I most 
 highly approve of your Grace's visit to-morrow to 
 Windsor Castle, and shall be most anxious for the report 
 from thence. 
 
 "I remain, my Lord Duke." 
 
 It is curious to note his eagerness that the Duke 
 should go to Windsor.
 
 208 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 7. 
 "My Lord Duke, 
 
 *' I sincerely rejoice the King has passed the 
 last four-and-twenty hours easier and with more com- 
 fort. I shall be anxious for the report of your Grace 
 to-morrow, from Windsor. I can only repeat, so long 
 as the King continues indisposed, I trust your Grace 
 will go to Windsor whenever the public concerns will 
 allow your Grace. 
 
 ''I remain." 
 
 His suspicions of the other visitors — his relations — 
 are shown in the next. 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 8. 
 
 "My Lord Duke, 
 
 "Your Grace's letter of to-day, from Windsor, 
 has just reached me, and I rejoice to hear the King 
 looks w^ell and is in good spirits. I am surprised the 
 Duchess was sent for, and hope her visit, and the un- 
 necessary intrusion of the Duke of Cumberland with 
 his son, may not injure His Majesty. The Duchess 
 of Gloucester dined with me here yesterday, and in- 
 formed me that neither she nor Princess Augusta would 
 go to AVindsor unless sent for. I admire your Grace's 
 delicacy and consideration in not seeing His Majesty 
 after the visitors who will have been introduced this 
 day, when I trust no harm may ensue. 
 
 " I remain." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 " May 9. 
 
 "My Lord Duke, 
 
 " I am not astonished His Majesty was unwell 
 after having seen his favourite sister; but it is with
 
 WILLIAM IV. 209 
 
 real concern I see, by your Grace's letter of this 
 (lay, that the King has been very unwell. I shall, 
 of course, be anxious for the report of to-morrow, and 
 remain, etc." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "May 11. 
 
 "My Lord Duke, 
 
 " I am to acknowledge the letter of your Grace 
 
 of this day, and fully coincide in opinion with your 
 
 Grace that, notwithstanding the comfortable day of 
 
 yesterday, and the quiet night. His Majesty is not 
 
 better this mornino;. I feel satisfaction in hearinsj 
 
 your Grace proceeds to Windsor Castle to-morrow, 
 
 when I am afraid the King will not be found at all 
 
 better, because this day he has appointed to see 
 
 Princess Augusta and the Duchess of Gloucester. 
 
 These interviews produce harm instead of good ; and, 
 
 unfortunately, my sisters have not the power to retain 
 
 their feelings, and these meetings only tend to increase 
 
 the sufferings of His Majesty. 
 
 " 1 remain." 
 
 THE SAME TO THE SAME. 
 
 "May U. 
 
 *'My Lord Duke, 
 
 " I understand the punctures made on the 
 
 King's feet on Monday have given great pain, and 
 
 of course occasioned want of sleep at night. During 
 
 the very precarious state of His Majesty, I shall always 
 
 hear with pleasure of your Grace's visit to Windsor, 
 
 and shall, of course, be anxious for the report of your 
 
 Grace from thence. 
 
 "I remain." 
 
 VOL. I. p
 
 210 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 Tills confidcDtial strain was leadiDf^ up to pre- 
 mature political approaches, and the eagerness of the 
 impulsive Prince led him into a highly indiscreet course. 
 He was so foolish as to make a proposal to the Duke — 
 which the latter thus related to Mr. Greville. 
 
 " I was in constant communication with the present 
 Kino' for a month before Georo;c IV. died. Georo-e IV. 
 was for a month quite as had as this King, and I sent 
 the Duke of Clarence the bulletins every day, and 
 besides wrote to him the private accounts I received, 
 and what is very odd, I had a quarrel with him in the 
 course of this. He constantly wrote to me, and in one 
 of his letters he told me he meant to make me his 
 minister. I felt this was a very awkward subject for 
 me to enter upon, and that I could not, being the 
 minister of the King, with any propriety treat with his 
 successor, so I resolved to take no notice whatever of 
 this part of his letter, and I did not. He was very 
 indignant at this, and complained to his friends (to 
 Lord Cassilis, for instance) that I had behaved very 
 rudely to him. When I met him — for I met him con- 
 stantly at Windsor, and in the King's room — he was 
 very cold in his manner, but I took no notice, and went 
 oil as before." 
 
 Just before the King's death took place, the Duke 
 of Wellino^ton wrote a curious letter to Sir R. Peel 
 on the new politics opening, showing that the Duke 
 of Clarence was already making his arrangements. 
 " Lord Grey," the Duke writes, " must be informed of 
 the Duke of Clarence's inclination to have his services," 
 though he, the Duke, did not think it would bring any 
 strength. He would not sit with Lord Palmerston,. 
 Huskisson, or Grant. " I urge," he added, " that I
 
 WILLIAM IV. 211 
 
 should take the opportunity of the King's death to 
 retire, and let you come in."""' 
 
 In reference to this delicate matter we have also the 
 testimony of Sir Henry Cooke, a well-informed agree- 
 able man, writing to his friend, Lord Fitzgerald. Other 
 portions of his letter, being gay and lively, and present- 
 ing a little sketch of society, will be found interesting. 
 
 "I have it from undoubted authority," wrote this 
 gentleman, " that the conduct of the Duke throughout 
 this illness has been so kind, so upright, so delicate and 
 sincere towards the King, that His Majesty, who is very 
 susceptible, has manifested the strongest gratitude and 
 attachment towards the Duke. It seems that the Duke 
 has abstained from all intercourse of a political character 
 with the Duke of Clarence, treating with manifest cold- 
 ness all such approaches on the part of the Duke of 
 Clarence's friends or agents as might bear the impress 
 even of intris-ue. 
 
 " As betting is the feature of public opinion in this 
 country, I will inform you that now the general bet is 
 that Clarence is in a strait-waistcoat before the King 
 dies. 
 
 "Lord Londonderry is giving a series of balls and fine 
 things with my lady on a throne, sinking over £80,000 
 of jewels, to establish a sort of brevets to lead her 
 world. AVe have laro^e dinners in the Reojent's Park of 
 forty covers, with a macedoine of society every week. 
 I never could guess the motive of this peculiar mixture 
 of women whom none wish to cultivate, and roturiers 
 who, it would seem, were intended to fill up sudden 
 gaps, were they not too numerous for such a chance. 
 
 " Mrs. Cadogan fait des frais to dispose of the girl 
 
 * Despatches, etc. 
 
 r 2
 
 212 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 Lazarus, arose blooming in comparison with her quick- 
 silver countenance. The very atmosphere seems to 
 render her a living barometer, but I despair of seeing 
 her set fair. The timid form is a great feature in our 
 select circle ; he sticks to us like a cataplasm, hut does 
 not draw. 
 
 " Raikes has returned among us, or rather the clubs 
 and Crockford's, with increased quantum of shirt-frill 
 and breast-button. I guess there will be great demand 
 for such goods. There is a great struggle to keep 
 Almack's alive. Stock — I mean ewe stock — meets no 
 sale there. They run them up and down, and show 
 their paces to no purpose. In fact, scarce a bargain is 
 struck." 
 
 The event so long expected took place on the 
 morning of June 26, when an express was dispatched 
 to Busliey announcing to the Duke that he was King of 
 England,
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 On the raornins: of the Kincr's death, which was known 
 to the ministers in London about eight o'clock, a Cabinet 
 Council hastily met at half-past ten. One point dis- 
 cussed was what dress they were to appear in at the 
 Privy Council to be held at noon. It was settled that 
 all were to wear black. News however came that the 
 Kinor intended to wear his uniform. The result was, 
 therefore, a most motley gathering of costumes at the 
 Council, some appearing in uniform, others not. 
 
 There is always something dramatic in the first 
 Council, on the accession of a new sovereign ; in the 
 hurry, the excitement, the novelty of the situation ; and 
 nothing too so painfully expresses the truth of the 
 often quoted " Le rot est mort, vive le roi ! " ^ 
 
 "We waited a long time," says Lord Elienborough, 
 who was present, " before the Council met — almost two 
 
 * "KingWilliam," says Stockmar, " succeeded to the English throne 
 on June 26, 1830, at the age of sixty-five. Of a kindly, good-natured 
 disposition and lively temperament, he was in no Avay distinguished 
 either in character or intelligence. He owed his want of success as a 
 politician, no less to his good qi:alities, than to the defects of his 
 character. Ills powers of mind were not great enough to enable him 
 to understand and weigh complicated questions ; he was incapable, 
 from the weakness of his character, of any determined resolution."
 
 2U THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 hours being occupied in audiences. Tiie Duke of 
 AVellington, Lord Bathurst, Rosslyn, tlie Chancellor, and 
 Sir E. Peel went in together, and personally acquainted 
 the King witli the late King's death. The King said lie 
 might not have an opportunity of seeing that day the 
 rest of his late Majesty's confidential servants ; but he 
 told those present that all had his confidence, and that 
 they would receive his entire, cordial, and deter^nined 
 support. He told the Chancellor in a private audience 
 not only the same thing, but that if at any time he 
 should hear reports of his ceasing to place confidence in 
 his Government, they were not to be believed. If he 
 had any fliult to find he would at once tell them. AVhen 
 the Duke and the others came out from the King we all 
 went to the ball-room, where we began to sign the 
 proclamation, and a few, the Royal Dukes and others, 
 had signed, when we were called to the Privy Council 
 room, where the King soon arrived, attended by the 
 household of the late King. He took his seat, and read 
 his declaration. He read it with much feeling, and it 
 was well imagined, and will have a good efi"ect. The 
 Lord President entreated it might be printed." 
 
 The King addressed the Privy Council as follows : 
 " I am convinced you will fully participate in the 
 affliction which I am sufi'ering on account of the loss of 
 a sovereign under whose auspices, as Regent and as 
 King, this country has maintained during war, its 
 ancient reputation and glory, has enjoyed a long period 
 of happiness and internal peace, and has possessed the 
 friendship, respect, and confidence of foreign Powers. 
 In addition to that loss which I sustain in common with 
 you, and with all who lived under the government of a 
 most beneficent and gracious King, I have to lament the 
 death of a beloved and aficctionate brother, with whom
 
 WILLIAM IV. 215 
 
 I have livTcl from my earliest years on terms of the 
 most cordial and uninterrupted friendship, and to whose 
 favour and kindness I have been most deeply indebted. 
 After having passed my life in the service of my country, 
 and having, I trust, uuiformly acted as the most faithful 
 subject and servant of the King, I am now called upon, 
 under the dispensation of Almighty God, to administer 
 the government of this great empire. I am fully sensible 
 of the difficulties I have to encounter ; but I possess the 
 advantage of having witnessed the conduct of my revered 
 father, and my lamented and beloved brothers ; and I 
 rely with confidence upon the advice and assistance of 
 Parliament, and upon its zealous co-operation, in my 
 anxious endeavours, under the blessing of Divine Provi- 
 dence, to maintain the reformed religion established by 
 law, to protect the rights and liberties, and to promote 
 the prosperity and happiness, of all classes of my 
 people." ''' 
 
 " I should have mentioned that before the Kinsr 
 came iu, the Council made the usual orders, with the 
 addition of an order for defacing the late King's stamps, 
 which was accordingly done by the clerk of the Council. 
 When the declaration had been read the King took the 
 Scotch oath in the usual form, the Lord-President 
 reading it to him, and the King holding up his right 
 hand. He then said it was a satisfaction to him to find 
 such a Privy Council, and requested them all to take 
 the oath. 
 
 " The King then retired, and the Council ordered as 
 usual respecting the disposal of the late King s body. 
 
 " The Duke of Norfolk was there as Earl Marshal. 
 
 * The Duke of Cumberland Avas absent; for l)y an extraordinary 
 mistake, which he assumed to bo intentional, the messenger had 
 blundered about his address.
 
 216 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 He observed he was tlie only person there who was not 
 a Privy Councillor, and expressed a wish to be one. 
 The Duke mentioned it to the King, who readily 
 assented. He observed there had been no Duke of 
 Norfolk a member of the Privy Council since the time 
 of James H., and that that Duke of Norfolk was a 
 Protestant. The Duke of Norfolk, however, will con- 
 sider the oath before he takes it. He would have taken 
 the Earl Marshal's oath to-day, but it was not there. 
 
 "Wood told me the King had rehearsed his declara- 
 tion to him, Sir Ch. Pole, and Lord Errol, before he 
 went into the Privy Council. 
 
 " There was no grief in the room in which we 
 waited. It was like an ordinary levee." 
 
 Mr. Greville, who was also present at the scene, 
 describes a grotesque incident arising out of what he 
 happily calls the burlesque character of the King. *' He 
 spoke of his brother with all the semblance of feeling, and 
 in a tone of voice properly softened and subdued ; but 
 just afterwards, when they gave him the pen to sign 
 the declaration, he said, in his usual tone : ' This is a 
 damned had j^en you have given me.' My worthy 
 colleague, Mr. James BuUer, began to swear Privy 
 Councillors in the name of 'King George IV. — Williamy 
 I mean' to the great diversion of the Council." 
 
 On the following day, June 28th, His Majesty 
 showed himself at St. James's Palace, going to a large 
 window looking into the court-yard, and stood forward. 
 The King's band played " God save the King," and 
 those who were there cheered, upon which numbers 
 of people came round from before the Palace and filled 
 the court-yard. They then cheered well. 
 
 To Lord Ellenborough he said he should go down 
 to Bushey soon, and as he was living near he would
 
 WILLIAM IV. 217 
 
 have liim over at eleven o'clock some morning, and give 
 liim some hours to make him acquainted with the state 
 of India. He then expressed " apprehension of Russia." 
 Many of his remarks were characteristic, and already 
 began to excite grave misgivings. 
 
 Thus Lord Bathurst had to change a sheriff. The 
 King, when he heard the name of the new^ one (sheriff 
 of Suffolk, I think), said: "J/e is a Whig." Lord 
 Bathurst said: "He is a very good man, I believe, sir, 
 and is recommended by the Duke of Grafton." *' Oh 1 " 
 said the King, "I do not mean to say it is wrong ; only . 
 remember, he is a Whig." 
 
 The funeral of the late King offered a sad instance 
 of the speedy forgetfulness of the dead. This has been 
 often moralised upon ; but in this instance, the defunct 
 Prince, and all connected with him, were disposed of 
 almost to general enjoyment. The late Mr Charles. 
 Knight often recalled the gala character of the day. 
 
 "A gayer company," says Mr. Greville, "I never 
 beheld ; with the exception of Mountcharles, who was 
 deeply affected, they were all as merry as grigs. The 
 King w\as chief mourner, and, to my astonishment, as 
 he entered the chapel directly behind the body, he 
 darted up to Strathaven, who was ranged on one side 
 below the Dean's stall, shook him heartily by the hand, 
 and then went on nodding to the right and left. He 
 had previously gone as chief mourner to sit for an hour 
 at the head of the body as it lay in state, and he walked 
 in procession with his household to the apartment. 
 When Lord Jersey preceded him w4th the white wand, 
 he said : ' Go on to the body, Jersey, and you will get 
 your dress coat as soon as you can.' " 
 
 "The day, which was July 15, was beautiful, and," 
 says Lord Ellcnborough, "all the world made it a holiday.
 
 218 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Carriages of all sorts and liackney coaches were on the 
 road all the morninix to Eichmond. We went to St. 
 George's Hall, where we all assembled. A great many- 
 were already come. They began formhig the procession 
 at half-past seven, and it was all formed so as to move 
 before nine. There were ten or twelve barons, a number 
 of judges, six or eight bishops, and upon the whole a 
 fair representation of the peerage and the Privy Council. 
 There was a double line of Life Guardsmen within the 
 castle, without Foot Guards, and the Blues in the 
 chapel. We did not see the body as we passed. A 
 screen of black concealed the room in which it lay in 
 state. It struck nine as we came to the Kound Tower. 
 A rocket was fired as soon as the body moved, to give 
 notice for the firino^ of the minute o-nns. The bands of 
 the several regiments played the Dead March in Saul, 
 etc., as the procession passed. The Foot Guards stood 
 close together with arms reversed, every fifth man having 
 a flambeau. The platform was, in most places, open on 
 both sides. There was a good deal of air, but the night 
 was warm. Had there been rain, or had it been cold, 
 some must have died. There were but few people on 
 the right of the platform in the inner court, but in the 
 outer court there was a dense mass of people, and all 
 the roofs were covered. There was hardly a whisper. 
 All the people seemed very decent in their dress, and 
 their conduct was perfect. The procession entered at 
 the great door of the chapel and turned to the left, went 
 down to the end of the aisle and then turned, facing 
 the door of the inner chapel. In the space we thus 
 w^ent round were the Eton boys. In the chapel there 
 were some persons on the right of the altar. I could 
 not well see who they were, as there was a sort of haze, 
 but they were all in uniform. With this exception the
 
 WILLIAM IV. 219 
 
 cliapel was empty. We were all placed as we entered 
 in the seats and stalls. The body was drawn npon a 
 carriage. It was too heavy to be carried. The King 
 had a vast number of attendants, such as equerries, etc. 
 Half of them captains in the navy. The attendants 
 pressed rather too close upon him. He was in black, 
 Avith the collars of all the Orders. He nodded occa- 
 sionally as he recognised people ; but wdien his 
 countenance was still he looked very grave. He is 
 become very like his father. The last who entered 
 were the Guard, the colours preceding. These came 
 half way into the aisle, the colours depressed. The 
 banners were depressed on the two sides of the grave. 
 Over the grave was a black canopy, on the top of which 
 was an enormous crown. The music was good. The 
 service was very ill-read by the Dean Hobart, and the 
 Garter could not make himself heard when he recited 
 the King's titles. Lord Jersey walked as Lord Cham- 
 berlain, Lord Conyngham as Steward. He broke his 
 staff into the grave. Lord Cholmondeley was there as 
 Lord Great Chamberlain, and sat on the left of the 
 aisle in a stall opposite the passage. The magnificence of 
 the castle aided the spectacle and made royalty appear 
 almost as imposing in death as at the moment when 
 the Crown was assumed in the Abbey. We had supper 
 and they all went to London." Some singular descrip- 
 tions of the confusion at Windsor, of the holiday folks 
 who had gone down for a junketing, will be found in 
 Mr. C. Kniiiht's " Recollections," and in Huish's " Life 
 of George IV." 
 
 Of course all the movements of a new Kinix are 
 construed indulgently, and receive abundant praise. 
 The present King's activity and attention to business 
 were said to "astonish every one. It was confidently
 
 220 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 stated that he rose at six in the mornino;, and sfot 
 through despatches and other documents with incre- 
 dible celerity." A handsome act of condescension to the 
 veteran Lord Eldon was also reported. The King had 
 been on indifferent terms with the Lord Chancellor, 
 who shortly afterwards went with the Bishop of Bristol 
 to the Palace with an address. '"'After it had been 
 presented," Lord Eldon states, " as I was jD^'^ssing, 
 the King stopped me, and said, ' My lord, political 
 parties and feelings have run very high, and I am afraid 
 I have made observations upon your lordship, which 
 
 now ' Here Lord Eldon interrupted him, begging 
 
 His Majesty's pardon, and saying he could not permit 
 the language of apology to come from the lips of his 
 sovereigrn." 
 
 This veteran, however, looked with misgiving on 
 some of the royal " antics." " I hear," he writes to his 
 brother, " the condescensions of the Kinof are befjinninof 
 to make him unpopular. In that station such familiarity 
 must produce the destruction of respect. If the people 
 don't continue to think a kino- somewhat more than a 
 man, they will soon find out that he is not an object of 
 that high respect which is absolutely necessary to the 
 utility of his character." 
 
 The incidents connected with the office of Lord 
 High Admiral had not unnaturally left a bitter feeling 
 in his mind towards the Duke of Wellington; but this, 
 with much magnanimity, he dismissed from his mind on 
 comino^ to the throne, when he exhibited a true 
 
 CD y 
 
 cordiality and friendship to the Duke.* 
 
 * After the King's death, the Duke bore handsome testimony to 
 this treatment. " N"ot\vithstanding," he said, " I had been under the 
 necessity of opposing His late Majesty while Duke of Clarence, when 
 employed in a high situation under Government, by taking measures
 
 WILLIAM IV. 221 
 
 The early clays of the accession were celebrated by 
 great festivities at Windsor, and numerous dinner 
 parties, on such a scale as to cause alarm to the 
 Treasurer of the Household, Sir W. Freemantle, to 
 whom his Majesty gave an invitation for the Duke of 
 Buckingham, saying: "I wish you to tell the Duke I 
 shall be most happy to see him" (at the birthday 
 dinner), " but, being settled at Stowe, if he should 
 have made any arrangement for that day, or if ho 
 should have the slightest apprehension of gout, I beg 
 he will have no difficulty in making his excuses. I 
 would not invite so large a company without including 
 the Duke of Buckingham, but he must not consider it 
 an order. I really wish him to consult entirely his 
 own convenience. The dress," he added, "is frock, but 
 whether mourning is put off for the day I cannot say. 
 
 which led to His Koyal Highness's resignation of that office, that 
 ■was far from causing any coldness in His Majesty when he came to 
 the throne, for he employed me in his service, and ever treated me 
 with the greatest tenderness, condescension, confidence, and favour, 
 that so long as I live I never can forget." It is to be feared that 
 George lY. was not so magnanimous in forgetting offences as his 
 brother. It seems certain that he could not forgive Brummel, and a 
 letter which has been lately sent me by the descendant of one of his 
 old favourites, Mr. Scott, bears this out in a striking way : 
 
 " My father's quarrel with the Prince of Wales arose from my 
 father's indiscretion. I think that it was at White's Club that he 
 mentioned his having been present when His Royal Highness was 
 undergoing a process invented by his coiffeur, Avho applied to his 
 bald head not a toupet or wig, but locks of hair glued to the skin. 
 An ill-natured listener repeated this to the Prince, who never forgave 
 my father. 
 
 "When I was appointed Attache to Buenos Ayres, in 1826, my 
 father accompanied me to England, and on stopping a few hours at 
 Calais, he took me to see Beau Brummel, avIio lived there in a 
 miserable lodging. It seemed to me they were intimate friends, as 
 they called each other l)y their Christian names. 
 
 " I forget in what year George IV. crossed the Channel — for the
 
 222 THE LIFE A^"D TIMES OF 
 
 The invitations already amount to nearly ninety persons. 
 Since His Majesty has been at Windsor there have seldom 
 been less than forty at dinner. I am in dread at the 
 expense, but AVatson assures me that every attention 
 is paid to keep down expense, and at the same time 
 to preserve regularity in our accounts." 
 
 The Government were alive to this subject of royal 
 extravagance, on the ground of the embarrassment 
 caused by the follies of the late King in this direction. 
 Returns from the various offices were beinor called for. 
 We find the same official, writing rather nervously, that 
 "The entertainments which continue, and are likely 
 to do so, naturally engage our attention with regard 
 to expense, and most particularly so from the hints 
 
 first time, in his life — on his way to visit his kingdom of Hanover,, 
 but my father and several other consuls in France went to Calais to 
 greet His Majesty. My father was in the crowd of persons when the 
 King landed, and, as he bowed to all, he recognised my father, and 
 said : ' Ah ! Harry, I congratulate you upon the lot of hair on your 
 head, though it is nearly white,' or some words to that effect ; 
 but he took no further notice of him." 
 
 The following letter to the discarded favourite was written over 
 twenty years before : 
 
 "C. St., Saturday night, February 14th, 1807. 
 "My dear Harry, 
 
 " I am quite ashamed at not having had it in my pov/er to 
 keep my engagement at your house this day, and what is, if possible, 
 worse, at the not having acquainted you in time, that it was quite 
 impossible for me to do so. The truth is, that I was detained the 
 whole morning at home, waiting for Adam, who did not arrive till 
 past three o'clock, and who then stayed three hours with me. How- 
 ever, as to-morrow is a day of rest, and as I do not foresee the proba- 
 bility of my being plagued with any particular business, I think that 
 I can with safety promise to be at your house between two and three 
 o'clock, if that hour should be convenient. Till then, adieu. Let 
 me have a line in answer. 
 
 "Ever very aflfectionately yours, 
 
 "George P."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 223 
 
 which we receive from Government. It is clear that 
 the Treasury is preparing a statement of the Civil List 
 for the meeting of Parliament, and in your return of the 
 state of the Lord Steward's department I am extremely 
 anxious that the fullest possible explanation should be 
 made by the Lord Steward in his return. This in 
 fairness towards the Government, who will have to 
 fight the battle, and therefore must be fully and com- 
 pletely seconded and supported by us. As far as we 
 can at present see to expenses incurred, it really ajipears 
 (and we have examined — that is, Watson and myself — 
 every possible charge) that in the first mouth of this 
 reign, notwithstanding all the dinners and entertain- 
 ments, that our expenditure has not been equal to that 
 of the corresponding month of last year. In truth, 
 dinners are not the most alarming of expenses, provided 
 we can but maintain some degree of honesty in the 
 servants and purveyors ; and as yet we have no reason 
 to distrust our new men, most particularly Macfarlane." 
 
 Already the most extraordinary stories were in cir- 
 culation as to the King's restlessness, strange speeches, 
 and 2feneral delio;ht with his situation. 
 
 " I can fancy nothing," says the acute observer of 
 these early days, "like his delight at finding himself in 
 the state coach surrounded by all his pomp. In his 
 private carriage he continues to sit ])ackwards, and 
 when he goes with men makes one sit by him and 
 not opposite to him. Yesterday, after the House of 
 Lords, he drove all over the town in an open caleche 
 with the Queen, Princess Augusta, and the King of 
 "VViirtemberg, and coming home he set down the King 
 {dropi''ed him, as he calls it) at Grillon's Hotel. The 
 Queen, they say, is by no means delighted at her 
 elevation. She likes quiet and retirement and Bushey
 
 224 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 (of which the King has made her Ranger), and does not 
 want to be a Queen. He says he does not want luxury 
 and magnificence, has slept in a cot, and he dismissed 
 the King's cooks, ' renverse la marmite.' Altogether 
 he seems a kind-hearted, well-meaning, not stupid, bur- 
 lesque, bustling old fellow, and if he doesn't go mad 
 may make a very decent King, but he exhibits oddities." 
 Meanwhile he was winning popularity by various gra- 
 cious acts — throwing open AVindsor Castle, long barri- 
 caded to the public, showing himself to the people, etc. 
 He was fond of these sort of harangues, and eagerly 
 seized on every opportunity of making one. He would 
 "alarm and pain" his Council, and the Duke often had 
 to cover his face from shame. 
 
 " The King," adds Mr. Greville, " has been exhibit- 
 ing some symptoms of a disordered mind, reviewing the 
 Guards and blowing up people at Court. He made the 
 Guards, both horse and foot, perform their evolutions 
 l:)efore him ; he examined their barracks, clothes, arms, 
 and accoutrcQients, and had a musket brought to him, 
 that he might show them the way to use it in some 
 new sort of exercise he wanted to introduce." 
 
 One of these expeditions was to inspect the Tower. 
 A lady who was present gives the following rather 
 vivacious sketch of the royal pair : 
 
 " The King is a little old, red-nosed, weather-beaten, 
 jolly-looking person, with an ungraceful air and carriage ; 
 and as to the Duke of Sussex, what with his stiff collar 
 and cocked hat bobbing over his face, nothing could be 
 seen of him but his nose. He seemed quite overcome 
 with heat, and went along puffing and panting with the 
 G;reat fat Duchess of Cumberland leaninof on his arm. 
 The Queen is even worse than I thought — a little insig- 
 nificant person as ever I saw. She was dressed, as
 
 WILLIAM IV. 225 
 
 perhaps yon will see by the papers, ' exceedingly plain,' in 
 bombazine, with a little shabby muslin collar, dyed Leg- 
 horn hat, and leather shoes." 
 
 The King thus appeared to be so intoxicated with 
 his new-found power, that he was led in many extrava- 
 gances and rather ridiculous exhibitions, wdiich even 
 began to excite serious doubts as to his sanity. It was 
 curious that when, of late, he had found himself in any 
 situation of authority, his head and self-restraint seemed 
 to eive wav. It was so wdien he was Lord Hii]fli Admiral. 
 Mr. Greville, in his now familiar memoirs, gives further 
 graphic sketches of him at this crisis. 
 
 " The present King and his proceedings occupy all 
 attention, and nobody thinks any more of the late King 
 than if he had been dead fifty years, unless it be to abuse 
 him and to rake up all his vices and misdeeds. Never 
 was elevation like that of King William IV. His life 
 has been hitherto passed in obscurity and neglect, in 
 miserable poverty, surrounded by a numerous ^Drogeny, 
 without consideration or friends, and he was ridiculous 
 from his grotesque ways and little meddling curiosity. 
 Nobody ever invited him into their house, or thought 
 it necessary to honour him with any mark of attention 
 or respect ; and so he w^ent on for above forty years, till 
 Canning brought him into notice by making him Lord 
 High Admiral. He then dropped back into obscurity, 
 but had become by this time somewhat more of a 
 personage than he was before. His brief administration 
 of the navy, the death of the Duke of York, which 
 made him heir to the throne, his increased wealth and 
 regular habits, had procured him more consideration, 
 though not a great deal. Such was his position when 
 George IV. broke all at once, and after three months of 
 expectation William finds himself King. 
 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 226 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 " He proposed to all tlie Household, as well as to 
 the members of the GoverDment, to keep their places, 
 which they all did except Lord Conyngham and the 
 Duke of Montrose." 
 
 Some scenes and sketches of a highly grotesque 
 character are drawn by this same vivacious artist. But 
 it is only fair to add that this was but a temporary over- 
 set, and the intoxication of the moment. After a few 
 months he grew accustomed to his position, and ceased 
 to astonish the town with his eccentricities. " In the 
 morning (July 30), he inspected the Coldstream Guards, 
 dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military uni- 
 form and with a great pair of gold spurs halfway up 
 his legs like a game-cock, although he was not to ride, for 
 having; chalk-stones in his hands he can't hold the reins." 
 
 But his expeditious through the public streets are 
 thus recalled : 
 
 " In Pall Mall he met Watson Taylor, and took 
 his arm and went up St. James's Street, There he 
 was soon followed by a mob making an uproar, and 
 when he got near White's a woman (an Irishwoman) 
 came up and kissed him. Belfast, who saw this from 
 White's, and Clinton thought it time to interfere, and 
 came out to attend upon him. The mob increased, and 
 always holding W. Taylor's arm, and flanked by Clinton 
 and Belfast, who got shoved and kicked about to their 
 inexpressible wrath, he got back to the Palace amid 
 shouting and bawling and applause." 
 
 These exhibitions tempted Charles Lamb into one of 
 his few political epigrams : 
 
 The Eoyal "Wonders. 
 Two miracles at once ! Compell'd by fate, 
 His tarnish'd throne the Bourbon doth vacate ; 
 "While English William — a diviner thing — 
 Of his free pleasure doth put off the kinr 
 
 '■o }
 
 WILLIAM IV. 227 
 
 The forms of distant old respect lets pass, 
 And melts his crown into the common mass. 
 Health to fair France and fine regeneration ! 
 But England's is the nohler abdication. 
 
 Perhaps the most amusing of these scenes, and 
 ■described by Mr. Greville with a pleasant vivacity, was 
 the impromptu dinner at the Duke of Wellington's. 
 
 " On July 25th, or the evening before, he announced 
 to the Duke of Wellino-ton that he should dine with 
 him on that day ; accordingly the Duke was obliged, in 
 the midst of preparations for his breakfast, to get a 
 dinner ready for him. In the morning he took the 
 King of Wllrtemberg to Windsor, and just at the hour 
 Avhen the Duke expected him to dinner he was driving 
 through Hyde Park back from Windsor — three barouches- 
 and-four, the horses dead knocked up, in the front the 
 two Kings, Jersey, and somebody else, all covered with 
 dust. The whole mob of carriages and horsemen 
 assembled near Apsley House to see him pass, and to 
 wait till he returned. The Duke, on hearing he was 
 there, rushed down without his hat, and stood in his 
 gate in the middle of servants, mob, etc., to see him 
 pass. He drove to Grillon's, * to drop ' the King of 
 Wllrtemberg, and at a quarter past eight he arrived at 
 Apsley House. There were about forty-five men, no 
 women, half the Ministers, most of the foreiijn Ministers, 
 and a mixture rather indiscriminate. I went afterwards 
 to Crockford's, where I found Matuscewitz, who gave 
 me a whole account of the dinner. The two Kiufrs 
 went out to dinner arm-in-arm, the Duke followed ; the 
 King sat between the King of Wllrtemberg and the 
 Duke. After dinner his health was drunk, to which he 
 returned thanks, sitting, but briefly, and promised to 
 say more by-and-by when he should give a toast. In 
 process of time he desired Douro to go and tell the 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 band to play tlie merriest waltz they could for tlie 
 toast he was about to give. He then gave ' The Queen 
 of Wilrtemberg,' with many eulogiums on her and on 
 the connubial felicity of her and the King ; not a very 
 agreeable theme for his host, for conjugal fidelity is not 
 his forte. At length he desired Douro to go again to 
 the band and order them to play ' See the conquering 
 hero comes,' and then he rose. All the company rose 
 with him, when he ordered everybody to sit down. 
 Still standing, he said that he had been so short a time 
 on the throne that he did not know whether eticpette 
 required that he should speak sitting or standing, but, 
 however this might be, he had been long used to speak 
 on his legs, and should do so now ; he then proposed 
 the Duke's health, but prefaced it with a long speech — 
 instituted a comparison between him and the Duke of 
 Marlborough ; went back to the reign of Queen Anne, 
 and talked of the great support the Duke of Marlborough 
 had received from the Crown, and the little support the 
 Duke of Wellington had had in the outset of his career, 
 thouo-h after the battle of Vimeiro he had been backed 
 by all the energies of the country ; that, notwithstanding 
 his difficulties, his career had been one continued course 
 of victory over the armies of France ; and then recol- 
 lecting the presence of Laval, the French Ambassador, 
 he said, ' Remember, Due de Laval, when I talk of 
 victories over the French armies, they were not the 
 armies of my ally and friend the King of France, but of 
 him who had usurped his throne, and against whom you 
 yourself were combating ; ' then going back to the 
 Duke's career, and again referring to the comparison 
 between him and Marlborough, and finishing by advert- 
 ing to his 23olitical position, that he had on mounting 
 the throne found the Duke Minister, and that he had
 
 WILLIAM IV. 229 
 
 retained liim because lie tliought liis administration had 
 been and would be biglily beneficial to the country ; 
 that he gave to him his fullest and most cordial con- 
 fidence, and that he announced to all whom he saw 
 around him, to all the Ambassadors and Ministers of 
 foreign Powers, and to all the noblemen and gentlemen 
 present, that as long as he should sit upon the throne he 
 should continue to oive him the same confidence. The 
 Duke returned thanks in a short speech, thanking the 
 King for his confidence and support, and declaring that 
 all his endeavours would be used to keep this country in 
 relations of harmony with other nations. The whole 
 company stood aghast at the King's extraordinary speech 
 and declaration. Matuscewitz told me he never was so 
 astonished, that for the world he would not have missed 
 it, and that he would never have believed in it if he had 
 not heard it, 
 
 " Falck gave me a delightful account of the speech and 
 of Laval. He thought, not understanding one word, 
 that all the King was saying was complimentary to the 
 King of France and the French nation, and he kept 
 darting from his seat to make his acknowledgments, 
 while Esterhazy held him down by the tail of his coat, 
 and the King stopped him with his hand outstretched, 
 all with great difficulty. He said it was very comical."
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 One of tlie earliest proceedings of the King was a tardy 
 
 act of reparation to that strange adventurous character, 
 
 Sir Robert Wilson, whose career, like that of so many 
 
 others shows, that under so-called British " phlegm," 
 
 there is a turn for daring, much exceeding what is 
 
 found in other nations. The story of this wonderful 
 
 man had been one chequered romance. He had been a 
 
 traveller ; he had served as a soldier of fortune, had 
 
 assisted, characteristically, with a Scot and an Irishman 
 
 in the escape of Lavalette, and on the occasion of the 
 
 " Queen's funeral " had foolishly taken part with the 
 
 mob, for which he was dismissed from the army. For 
 
 many years he lay under this disgrace, when he was 
 
 said, like so many extreme and excitable politicians, to 
 
 have suddenly changed his principles. He became a 
 
 Tory and admirer of the Duke of Wellington, and this 
 
 year found him restored to his grade in the army, and 
 
 also appointed commander of a regiment of Dragoons.. 
 
 This was probably owing to the good nature of the 
 
 King.'" 
 
 * " On the evening," says Mr. Eaikes, " when we received news of 
 the great victory of Waterloo, I dined with the present Lord and Lady 
 "Willoughby de Eresby in Piccadilly ; there was a large party, among 
 whom I remember Miss Mercer (now Madame de riahault), Sir'
 
 TPIE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM lY. 231 
 
 One of the first difficulties of tlie new reia'n arose 
 out of the fact tliat tke Kiuir was cliildless, and the 
 question of a Regency had to be settled at once. The 
 heiress presumptive to the throne, as she had to be 
 styled — though virtually she was heir apparent — was the 
 young and interesting Princess Victoria, now living 
 under the guardianship of her mother, the Duchess of 
 Kent. Their relations to the Court were of a rather 
 strained and unpleasant kind — a state of things that 
 arose from several causes. The first was the antao-onism 
 of two factions, as they might be called. The King and 
 
 H. Cooke, and Sir E. Wilson, "who entered the room with a grave 
 portentous countenance, as if he knew more than he was willing to 
 comnnmicate. 
 
 When the ladies had retired and the wine had opened Sir R. 
 Wilson's heart, he condescended to inform the company that he had 
 received a private despatch from Brussels, announcing the total defeat 
 of the Anglo-Prussian army by the French, with the additional cir- 
 cumstance that Xapoleon, after his decided victory, had supped with 
 the Prince d'Aremberg at his palace in that city. On doubts being 
 expressed as to the correctness of his information, he offered readily to 
 bet any sum on the strength of his despatches. We took him at his 
 word : I betted with him £400 or £500, and others did the same to 
 the amount of £1000. 
 
 There was a ball that night at Sir George Talbot's ; and when I 
 arrived there about eleven o'clock, I found the whole house in confu- 
 sion and dismay ; ladies calling for their carriages, and others fainting 
 in the ante-room, particularly the Ladies Paget, who seemed in the 
 utmost distress. The mystery, however, was soon cleared up ; Lady 
 Castlereagh had just made her appearance in the ball-room, with the 
 official account of the battle, and a partial list of the killed and 
 wounded, which had caused so much distress among the various rela- 
 tives of the sufferers. She had been at a grand dinner given by Mrs. 
 Boelim in St. James's Scpiare, to the Prince Regent, during which 
 Colonel Percy, having first driven to Carlton House, had arrived in a 
 chaise and four at the house and presented to His Ifoyal Highness, at 
 table, the official despatches from the Duke of Wellington (recounting 
 Lis victory), as well as the French eagles, which ho had brought as 
 trophies with liiia in the carringe.
 
 232 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Queen were in tlie hands of that large, illegitimate 
 family of sons and daughters, whose peculiar position 
 made them specially sensitive and jealous. Their father 
 was old or elderly, in indifferent health, and they 
 seemed determined to turn what might prove a short 
 reign to as much profit as they could contrive. Again, 
 the relations of the Duchess of Kent to the King^ and 
 Queen were almost hostile ; the Duchess, feeling she 
 was disliked, kept her young charge altogether away 
 from Court. This abstention naturally embittered the 
 situation, and the rival factions were not eaerer to 
 smooth matters. 
 
 Mr. Greville gives an unpleasant picture of the greed 
 and plottings of the King's family, whom he almost 
 invariably designates by an antique but expressive term. 
 They were eager for honours and promotions ; as the 
 Duke of Wellington said, "to be all made dukes and 
 duchesses," which, he considered, would not do. At the 
 beofinnino; the Kino- had made three of his sons-in-law 
 Knights of the Guelphic Order,* besides making his 
 eldest son Earl of Munster, and conferring lucrative 
 offices on the other children. Even his son-in-law. Lord 
 Errol, received a step in the peerage at the coronation. 
 If we can trust Mr. Greville, the proceedings of these 
 personages was encroaching and des23otic to a degree ; 
 rulins: their father, and even intimidatino: him into 
 paying their debts, etc. From the children of his 
 brother, the Duke of Sussex (the unrecognised D'Estes), 
 the King had also to suffer much worry, and when their 
 recognition was still denied, the publication of the Duke's 
 
 * The King was complaining to one of his admirals of the perse- 
 cution he met with in this matter of honours. " I had at last," he 
 said, *' to make him a Guelphic Knight." "And serve liim right, 
 your Majesty," said the rough seaman.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 23 
 
 o 
 
 letters to their mother caused further scandal and 
 amazement. 
 
 In the organisation of his Court entourage the 
 King's chief embarrassment was thus providing for his 
 illegitimate family, nine in number, and whose claims 
 were pushed in a most pressing fashion. The "Fitz- 
 Clarences" were George, in the Army, and hiter created 
 Earl of Munster; Frederick, also in the Army; Adolphus, 
 an admiral in the Navy ; and Augustus, who was in the 
 Church. Of his daug^hters three made what are called 
 good marriages: Sophia to Lord de L'Isle; Elizabeth to 
 the Earl of Errol ; and Amelia to Lord Falkland. The 
 remaininsf daughters married : one Colonel Fox, another 
 Mr. Erskine and secondly Mr, John Gordon. 
 
 It is curious to note that this recognition was 
 accepted by the public with good-natured toleration ; 
 whether it was that " it was too old a story " now to 
 cause any surprise. But it was certainly the first time 
 since the days of Charles II., when these royal offsprings 
 were ennobled. 
 
 The King's sons, according to their inveterate enemy, 
 Mr. Greville, were now confederated together to add to his 
 annoyances, pressing their claims for honours and places. 
 
 "There has been a desperate quarrel between the 
 Kimr and his sons. Georsje Fitz-Clarence wanted to 
 be made a peer and have a pension ; the King said 
 he could not do it : so they struck work in a body, and 
 George resigned his office of Deputy Adjutant-General 
 and wrote the Kinc: a furious letter. The Kino- sent for 
 Lord Hill, and told him to try and bring him to his 
 senses ; but Lord Hill could do nothing. Speedily, how- 
 ever, one was created Earl of Munster. His IMnjesty, 
 however, bore this treatment with much good humour 
 aud partiality.
 
 231 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 "Dolly Fitz-Clarence lost £100, betting 100 to 10 
 that the Kino; would go to Guildhall, and he told the Kino; 
 he had lost him £100, so the King gave him the money." 
 
 It is evidence of the tendency to favour the King's 
 children that Lord A. Fitz-Clarence was despatched on a. 
 " mission " to Berlin, to present the King of Prussia 
 with the small model of a man-of-war fully rigged. " On 
 his return he amused his friends with his adventures and 
 the flattering receptions he met with, which, if he had 
 been a Prince of the Blood, could not have been more 
 flattering. On his arrival, as he told humorously, an 
 aide-de-camp of the King was attached to him, and royal 
 carriages placed at his disposal. He was escorted with 
 every honour to the races at Potsdam ; but by his own 
 account was bored, and left the course before the royal 
 family, for Berlin. The next day he dined at Court, and 
 taking his opportunity to glide away from the palace, 
 got into a hackney coach, and went to a pe?/^ spectacle; 
 here he v/as detected by the aide-de-camp, who tapped 
 him on the shoulder, and told him the royal carriage 
 was in waiting to convey him to the opera." 
 
 The fate of the Kino;'s eldest son was trao-ic. In 
 March, 1842, a sad catastrophe occurred, thus related 
 by Mr. Raikes : 
 
 " Tliis nio'ht, at twelve o'clock, Lord Munster shot 
 himself throuoh the head at his house in Bel^rave 
 Street. No reason, as yet, can be assigned for this 
 horrid catastrophe. It appears that he had been for 
 two or three days in a very dejected state of mind,, 
 and the physicians who had been consulted on his case 
 in the morning, were apprehensive as to his safety. 
 His brother Adolplms passed the evening with him, and 
 left him at half-past ten still very unwell. At twelve 
 he retired to his room ; he had two pistols within reach.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 235 
 
 The first attempt was fruitless, and lie only sliot him- 
 self through the hand, upon which he called his servant, 
 said he had wounded himself by accident, and sent him 
 to fetch a suro^eon. As the man was goinc: out of the 
 house he heard a fresh report, which was the accom- 
 plishment of the fatal deed. He had the place of 
 Constable of AYindsor Castle, and he had just been 
 appointed to the command of the troops at Plymouth, 
 with which he was much pleased. He was a very 
 amiable man in private life, not without some talent, 
 and given to study Eastern languages." 
 
 We hear of Lord Egremont, enormously wealthy, 
 the patron of painters, and the dispenser of a generous 
 hospitality, giving Lady Munster, his daughter, a fortune 
 of £90,000. Once this nobleman presented a lady, to 
 whom he was attached, with a blank clieque — the fair 
 one filled it up for £30,000, and it was duly honoured. 
 The King's putting on mourning for his son-in-law was, 
 however, thought an odd and unprecedented proceeding, 
 and it was so declared by solemn sticklers for etiquette.'"' 
 
 * In the year 1837, the last of the King's life, Lady Morgan 
 describes a rather touching little scene, creditable to the feelings of 
 those concerned : " We had a very amusing, and to me, very in- 
 teresting dinner at Lord Adolphus Fitz-CIarence's, in the old St. 
 James's Palace. Lord Adolphus took me into his boudoir in the 
 evening ; Ave were alone, and he showed me a miniature set in bril- 
 liants. 'The King!' I said. 'Yes, my father,' said he, taking 
 another picture out of the casket, 'and,' added he, with emotion, 
 ' this was — my mother.' After a pause, I said, ' It is a great like- 
 ness, as I last saw her.' 'Where was that?' 'In Dublin.' 'On 
 the stage 1 ' ' Yes, in the " Country Girl," the most wondrous repre- 
 sentation of life and nature I ever beheld ! I saw her, also, when 
 she was on a visit at Sir Jonah Barrington's. She sent to my fatlier 
 to go and visit her, ho did so ; she calhid him the most amiable of 
 all her managers.' After a pause, he said, 'Sir Charles and you will 
 accompany me to Cltantrcy's to-morrow, to see her beautiful monu-
 
 236 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 ment, which they have refused to admit into St. Paul's, though Mrs. 
 "Woffington's monument is still expected there.' " 
 
 Of this popular man, who followed his father's profession and 
 long commanded Her Majesty's yacht, these stories were told to Mr, 
 Jerdan, and they are not without interest as anecdotes of coincidence. 
 " Lord.Adolphus Fitz-Clarence happened to drop into Coutts's with his 
 friend Mr. W., who wanted to draw some money, for which purpose 
 he got a cheque from the cashier, and filled it up for £200. Lord A., 
 left standing by the counter, noticed laughingly : ' Well, it is a very 
 pleasant thing to be able to Avalk in and draw £200 in that way.' 
 ' If your lordship wishes to draw,' replied the cashier, ' I will hand 
 you a cheque.' ' Oh, yes ; but as I do not keep an account here, 
 that would be of very little use,' said my lord ; and the conversation 
 Avent on as his lordship thought jocularly. 'I beg your lordship's 
 pardon, but I shall be very happy to cash it.' ' But I tell you I 
 have no money in the bank, and never had any at Messrs. Coutts.' 
 ' Your lordship is mistaken ; there is a larger sum than that standing 
 in our books in your name,' and consulting a large ledger he pointed 
 out the entry. It turned out that his royal father had vested certain 
 amounts for the younger branches of his family, and had somehow 
 forgotten to mention the circumstance ; and so there it might have 
 lain for a long time, as it is a rule of the house never to announce 
 monies paid in, but for this curious coincidence ! " 
 
 The same noble lord, whilst iip the country at the Cape, was 
 suddenly summoned to his ship, in consequence of the breaking out 
 of some mutinous insubordination, and hastily getting on horseback, 
 galloped towards the shore, where his boat Avas waiting him. On his 
 course he arrived at a barrier where there Avas toll to pay, and found 
 that in his haste he had forgotten his purse. He explained to the 
 keeper who he was. " Oh, then," said the fellow, "you are most 
 welcome to proceed ; for your brother took me with the rest of the 
 Cato Street conspiracy, and it Avas only through his goodness that I 
 obtained mercy, and was permitted to come out here, Avhere I Avas 
 put to this employment." 
 
 On a visit to inspect Bethlehem Hospital, his lordship Avas pertina- 
 ciously asked for his name by a female patient, and, to avoid trouble, 
 gave that of Mr. Jones. Some time after he again went Avith some 
 friends, and Avas speedily encountered by his former interrogator; but 
 this time it Avas in a different tone. "You did not," said she, "con- 
 duct yourself like a gentleman to me Avhen you Avere last here. No, 
 no, I knew you Avere no Mr. Jones, but (taking a shilling) your like- 
 ness to that shoAved me at once Avho you Avere. And now, sir, you
 
 WILLIAM lY. 237 
 
 may give my compliments to your fatlier, and tell liim that the day 
 he signed the Reform Act he was much madder than I am." 
 
 Mr. Raikes tells us : " The other day a large party dined at the 
 Pavilion. Among the guests was the American minister. The King 
 was seized with his fatal habit of making a speech, in which he said 
 that it was always a matter of serious regret to him that he had not 
 been born a free, independent American, so much he respected that 
 nation, and considered Washington the greatest man that ever lived. 
 Lord F. Fitz-Clarence succeeds his brother Lord Munster as Vice- 
 constable of the Tower, and Lord Adolphus Fitz-Clarence is made 
 Lord of the Bedchamber, The King has given to Lord Munster the 
 place of Governor of Windsor Castle, vacant by the death of Lord 
 Conyngham."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Already the ill-conditioned nature of the Duke of 
 Cumberland began to give trouble. In the late King he 
 had lost his friend and patron, and the new sovereign, 
 who had always differed from him in politics, cordially 
 disliked him. At a great dinner to his household, he 
 gave as a toast, " The land we live in, and let those ivJio 
 don't like it leave it " — a fraternal allusion, and unmis- 
 takable. It need hardly be said that the Duke of 
 Cumberland was certain to put himself in the wrong 
 from his violent and uncontrolled temper. All his horses 
 were in the Queen's stables, and on being requested or 
 rather ordered to remove them, he replied with an oath 
 that they should stay there. He was told in reply that 
 they should be taken out the following day, if he did 
 not remove them. His Majesty was reported to have 
 said that he had a very bad opinion of him, and wished 
 he would go and live out of the country. But a more 
 serious and undignified quarrel arose about "the Gold 
 Stick." Formerly this symbol was held alternately by 
 the two Colonels of the Life Guards ; but the Duke had 
 obtained the command in chief of all the regiments 
 from the late King, and retained the Gold Stick in his 
 own hands. The new King now restored the old system, 
 and at the funeral gave orders to Lord Combermere to
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 239 
 
 take the command of the troops as Gold Stick. The 
 Duke of Cumberland was so intemperate as to resist, 
 and sent counter-orders to another officer to take the 
 command. This unseemly dispute ended in the Duke's 
 TesijxninCT the command of his reofiment, and the com- 
 mand beins; handed over to the Duke of Wellinorton. 
 Notwithstanding all this, the King was too good-natured 
 to be at enmity with him, and they were soon on good 
 terms again ; and, as we shall see presently, the Duke 
 was at his old tortuous games, trying to work on the 
 King's mind, or to set others to work on it, witli a view 
 to overruling the Cabinet Ministers.* 
 
 The second great personage to whom the eyes of the 
 public were directed with curiosity and interest was the 
 Queen. This great lady was in a situation of peculiar 
 delicacy in reference to her family, having no children 
 of her own, being surrounded by her husband's children, 
 and having further to deal with the party who surrounded 
 the young heiress to the throne. In person she 
 appears to have been unattractive, not to say absolutely 
 plain, and her manners were homely, and with a more 
 than German reserve. But she was an excellent, upright 
 woman, having much good sense, and fulfilled the duties 
 of her high station in an exemplary way. Mr. Greville 
 speaks of her always in a very coarse way, and seems to 
 have nourished an extraordinary dislike to her, mainly 
 founded on her unprepossessing appearance. Her royal 
 husband was attached to her, and sometimes exhibited 
 this feeling in a grotesque fashion; as when, at the close 
 of one of his dinner-parties, he took leave of the 
 
 * The sinfjular violence of his nature may be conceived from 
 this entry in Lord Ellcnboron^di's Diary : " The Duke goes to AVindsor 
 to-morrow respecting tlie kite King's papers, the Duke of Cumberland 
 having meditated an enlevement."
 
 240 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 company : " Now, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a 
 good-night. I will not detain you any longer from your 
 amusements, and shall go to my own, which is to go to 
 bed ; so come along, my queen." 
 
 The question of the Eegency had, however, to be 
 settled at once ; and the Cabinet embarrassed itself with 
 a rather theoretical question, which in practice was 
 not likely to arise, namely, if the Queen should have 
 offspring, etc. 
 
 Thus Lord Ellenborough gravely sets down : " The 
 Chief Justices will be asked whether, supposing the 
 Queen to be pregnant at the death of the King, the 
 next livino- heir would succeed ? How in the event of 
 the birth of a child the de facto sovereign is to be put 
 aside ? And what should be done if the Queen only 
 may he with child ? The difficulty consists in the oath 
 of allegiance, which must be altered and made con- 
 ditionaL But what a curious position the Queen 
 Victoria would be placed in, if a baby were to oust her 
 after eight months of reign 1 " 
 
 However, in November, 1830, it was decided that 
 the Princess Victoria should be considered Queen, and the 
 oath of allegiance taken to her with the reservation of 
 the rights of any child that might be born. If the child 
 should be born, the Queen Dowager to be Eegent ; 
 during the Princess's minority the Duchess of Kent. 
 
 One of the last ministerial acts of the Duke of 
 AVellington was to inform the Duchess of Kent that he 
 had a communication to make to her on the part of His 
 Majesty, and courteously proposed to wait on her at 
 Kensington. The Duchess, it seems, was at Claremont, 
 and from that place addressed to him the following stiff 
 communication, which was scarcely respectful to the 
 Kinc^ :
 
 WILLIAM IV. 241 
 
 " Claremont, November 14, 1830. 
 
 *'MyLoed Duke, 
 
 " I have just received your letter of this date. 
 As it is not convenient for me to receive your Grace at 
 Kensington, I prefer having in writing, addressed to me 
 here, the communication you state the King has com- 
 manded you to make to me. 
 
 " Victoria." 
 
 The Duke, in reply, explained that he simply 
 wished to explain the Eegency ]3roposals to her, which 
 were that she Avas to be Eegent until the young Princess 
 was eighteen years of age. But as it was impossible to 
 give in writing the various details, he would forward the 
 Bill to her. 
 
 It will be seen from this little incident that the 
 relations between the Court and the Duchess could not 
 have been of an agreeable kind.'" 
 
 * Mr, Greville explains how these angry feelings of the Court 
 ■were gradually -worked up. According to some " lights " thrown on 
 the subject by the Duke of Wellington, " the late King disliked her ; " 
 the Duke of Cumberland too was her enemy, and George IV., " who 
 Avas as great a despot as ever lived, was always talking of taking her 
 child from her, which he inevitably would have done but for the 
 Duke, who, Avishing to prevent quarrels, did all in his power to deter 
 the King, not by opposing him when he talked of it, which he often 
 did, but by putting the thing off." Sir John Conroy was supposed to 
 be her adviser. The truth was, her position was exceedingly awkward, 
 and it required more delicacy of management than she or her friends 
 Avere gifted Avith, to avoid these jealousies. Wo shall see how, shortly 
 before the King's death, they came to an open rupture. 
 
 Yf)I.. I. R
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The King having found a Tory Ministry in power when 
 he ascended the throne, it mi2:ht have been thousrht 
 that so old and consistent a Liberal would have felt 
 himself awkwardly situated. But, like his late brother, 
 he bad become a Tory; and had already assured 
 ministers, with enthusiasm, that " they should have his 
 entire, cordial, and determined support." No wonder the 
 Duke of Sussex was heard to say to a friend, "You and 
 I, my lord, are old Whigs." The ministry, however, 
 was already falling. 
 
 The following lively but bitter sketches of the 
 personnel of the first ministry of King William are 
 scarcely overcharged. The praise of Lyndhurst is of 
 course ironical : 
 
 " It would be easy to find an abler man than the 
 Prime Minister ; but impossible to name any one less 
 popular, whether with the aristocracy, the Church, or the 
 community at large. Civil experience he has hardly 
 any — political knowledge, none — his talents lay in war, 
 and with the peace they have ceased to be of any more 
 use than an old matchlock or a battcrins; ram. He was 
 of some service while the King's personal prejudices and
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 243 
 
 Tinsteadiuess required the control of a strong hand ; with 
 the life of the late monarch, that use too has ceased. 
 
 " The Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst has notoriously- 
 disappointed, by his indolence, all who had formed any 
 expectations of him. He is, by common consent, the 
 most inefficient Keeper to whom the Great Seal has been 
 entrusted, since Lord Bathurst. No doubt, as far as 
 personal weight and consideration go — the dignity 
 derived from consistency, steadiness of principle, and all 
 that goes to make up public virtue — the present 
 Ministry may boast of a share in the person of its First 
 Law Officer, such as none ever had, and such as it 
 would be absolutely cruel to examine in detail. 
 
 " Amono; his colleag^ues, the Earl of Aberdeen stands 
 distinguished (bold as the assertion may to some appear) 
 for that union of feebleness with presumption — of inca- 
 pacity in every other man's eyes, with all-sufficiency in 
 his own — which constitutes the ridiculous in character. 
 It is from such originals that the pencil of Cervantes 
 drew the Baratarian Government of Sancho Panza, 
 that of Sheridan his Lord Burleigh, and of Swift his 
 Gulliver drawing upon the King of Brobdingnag. Man- 
 kind have yet to learn one single ground upon which 
 this lord should affect to hold any other given lord 
 cheap ; and yet he never opens his mouth but to try 
 some clumsy sneer. He is supposed to have studied 
 under Mr. Pitt, who had some right to indulge in such 
 supercilious demeanour. 
 
 "The other members of the Cabinet it is really 
 difficult for any one, not having a peculiarly retentive 
 memory, to recollect. One, indeed, Lord EUenborough, 
 is remembered, not from the possession of any shining 
 or statesmanlike qualities, but on account of certain 
 awkward passages in his history. This individual pro- 
 
 R 2
 
 244 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 fessecl himself at different times tlie follower of Lord 
 Lansdowne and of Lord Grey ; but he left them all 
 upon the first hint of a place from the Duke of Welling- 
 ton, and he accepted it, with an amendment to the 
 Duke's address ready written in his pocket, which he 
 had had the impudent vanity to show to several persons. 
 Of Sir Eobert Peel we have not spoken. He is a man 
 of respectable talents, moderate acquirements, un- 
 questioned propriety, undeniable self-complacenc}^, and 
 brilliant and boundless wealth. Whether these, added 
 to the possession of as much unpopularity as ever fell 
 to one man's share, be exactly the qualifications that 
 W'ill fit him for leadino; such a House of Commons as is 
 just returned, and against such an opposition, may be a 
 different thing. He is supposed to have so deep, so 
 devout a veneration for himself (testified among other 
 things by reverently dropping the voice upon naming 
 the object of his adoration), as rather to have enjoyed 
 standing alone last session. He probably is now hugging 
 himself in the hope of alike enjoyment at the approach- 
 ing meeting. If so, it may be asserted with great 
 safety, that, though his portion of bliss be not the 
 greatest, it is at least the most unenvied ever yet 
 bestowed upon mortal." 
 
 From the very beginning, one of the political pana- 
 ceas that filled the King's mind on every emergency, 
 was the idea of a coalition. This he pressed on almost 
 every occasion when there was a crisis ; and so absurd 
 were some of these Utopian combinations, such as Peel 
 Avith Melbourne, that the ]3ersons addressed could 
 scarcely bring themselves to think him serious, or to 
 answer him seriously. Even at the outset, his plan was 
 to have Lord Grey and the Duke in the same Cabinet 
 — which did not seem feasible, save, perhaps, to Lord
 
 WILLIAM IV. 245 
 
 Monmoutli in the novel, who cried, " D the Reform 
 
 Bill ! If the Duke had not quarrelled with Lord Grey- 
 on a Coal Committee, we should never have had the 
 Reform Bill, and Grey would have gone to Ireland." 
 
 Before he came to the throne the King was anxious 
 for this junction with Grey, and it is observable in the 
 letters of Lord Grey and Lord Rosslyn how great a dis- 
 position existed in these and other chiefs of the Whig 
 party to join with the Duke of Wellington, had they 
 been met with a like disposition on his part. Indeed, 
 the latter held the Duke of Bedford's proxy for a con- 
 siderable period. But the Duke did not relish the notion. 
 
 In every respect this rather effete Government was 
 unsuited to the country. We even find, from an in- 
 discreet revelation of Lord Ellenborough, that the 
 desperate resource of bribing, or " nobbling," the Press 
 was seriously planned in the Cabinet. 
 
 " This Press," said a Cabinet Minister contemptuously, 
 " may be bought, but we have no money. Five-sixths 
 of the Foreign Secret Service money are preoccupied by 
 permanent old charges — the Secret Service money of 
 the Treasury is preoccupied in the same way. There 
 is a small sum of droits which may be turned over to the 
 Privy Purse, and then hij the King to the Government, 
 but it is not more than £3000. It is thought that 
 perhaps some of the pensions on the Secret Service 
 money of the Treasury may be turned over to the 
 Foreign OlHce." He then adds, naively enough: "J7ie 
 Treasuiy money is the only money applicable to the 
 'purchase of neivspapers." It should be remembered, 
 however, that later, both Whig and Tory Governments 
 tried hard to win over Mr. Barnes. 
 
 The stranGje incident of both Whicjs and Tories 
 having made contracts with the editor of The Times,
 
 246 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 is not only significant of the fiexihility of that journal, 
 but carries evidence of the relations of Government 
 with the Press, as the bargain was actually sealed in Lord 
 Lyndhurst's dining-room, whilst the pasting together 
 the pieces of Brougham's letter brought out awkwardly 
 his connection with the same paper. 
 
 Mr. Jerdan, who directed The Sun, gives many 
 curious instances of the anxiety of the Government to 
 propitiate that paper by imparting notices of its plans. 
 The Government also reaped advantages during war 
 times from their connection with the pa23ers. For as 
 these organs would greedily purchase precious copies of 
 foreign newspapers, brought over by daring smacks and 
 smugglers, which were offered at the offices, and valued 
 at twenty, thirty, and sometimes at a hundred pounds. 
 These purchases were quite of a speculative character, 
 often proving worthless, but oftener containing some 
 highly valuable piece of news which, before publication, 
 was communicated to Ministers. Then, as now, special, 
 second, and third editions were issued of an evening as 
 fast as the news came in. 
 
 Mr. Jerdan, in his somewhat diffuse " Eecollections," 
 gives some curious details of these intimate relations 
 between ministers and journalists, which reached to the 
 extent of confidential interviews and consultations 
 — the journalist asking for a meeting when anxious 
 for special information. Later on, the Government of 
 the Regent, and, still later, that of the King, was to 
 receive invaluable assistance from such organs as The 
 Post and the John Bull. 
 
 Even sixty or seventy years ago foreigners were 
 amazed at the bold enterprise of the leading journals, 
 and the immense advance made in the department of 
 reporting. The reader turns in vain to the newspapers
 
 WILLIAM IV. 247 
 
 of the time of the Warren Hastings' impeachment for 
 some idea of the great speeches of Sheridan and Burke, 
 which so electrified their contemporaries, and only finds 
 n meagre record in the shape of two or three dwindled 
 columns, equivalent to about half a column of the news- 
 papers of our own time. It was not infrequent, however, 
 to issue a verbatim report of a series of debates, like those 
 on the Regency, or some important process like that of 
 the Duke of York, in a thick octavo volume. Mr. Rush, 
 who was American Minister at St. James's in 1818, thus 
 records his admiration of the enterprise of the English 
 Press : 
 
 " I live," he says, " north of Portman Square, nearly 
 three miles from the House of Commons. By nine in 
 the morning, the newspapers are on my breakfast-table, 
 containing the debate of the preceding night. This is 
 the case, though it may have lasted until one, two, or 
 three in the morning. There is no disappointment ; 
 hardly a typographical error. The leading papers pay 
 to the Government an annual tax in stamps, of from 
 twenty to fifty thousand pounds sterling. I have been 
 told that some of them yield a profit of fifteen thousand 
 sterling a year, after paying this tax, and all expenses. 
 The profits of The Times are said to have exceeded 
 eighteen thousand a year. The cost of a daily paper to 
 a regular subscriber is about ten pounds sterling a year. 
 But subdivision comes in to make them chea,p. They 
 are circulated by agents at a penny an hour in London. 
 When a few days old, they are sent to provincial towns, 
 and through the country at reduced prices. In this 
 manner, the Parliamentary debates and proceedings, 
 impartially and fully reported, go through the nation. 
 The newspaper sheet is suited to all this service, being 
 substantial, and the type good. Nothing can exceed
 
 248 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 tlie despatch with which the numerous impressions are 
 worked off." 
 
 At this time The St. James's Chronicle was, the type 
 of the old newspaper, but its newer rivals had completely 
 j)ut it aside ; conspicuous among which was The Morning 
 Chronicle, which the late Mr. Perry raised into a 
 successful journal and held the office of editor for 
 nearly forty years. Says one who knew him : " He was a 
 man of strong natural sense, some acquired knowledge, 
 a quick tact ; prudent, plausible, and with great hearti- 
 ness and warmth of feeling. His cordial voice and 
 sanguine mode of address made friends, whom his 
 sincerity and gratitude ensured. An overflow of animal 
 spirits, sooner than anything else, floats a man into the 
 tide of success. He possessed a most tenacious memory, 
 and often, in the hottest periods of Parliamentary 
 warfare, carried off half a debate on his own shoulders. 
 .... Perry was more vain than proud. This made 
 him fond of the society of lords, and them of his. 
 His shining countenance reflected the honour done him, 
 and the alacrity of his address prevented any sense 
 of awkwardness or inequality of pretensions. He was a 
 little of a coxcomb. Towards the last, he, to be sure, 
 received visitors in his library at home, something in the 
 style of the Marquis Marialva in ' Gil Bias.' " 
 
 Another important paper was The Times, which is 
 described as a "commercial paper, a paper of business, 
 and it is conducted on principles of trade and business. 
 It floats with the tide : it sails with the stream. It has 
 no other principle, as we take it. It is not ministerial ; 
 it is not patriotic ; but it is civic. It bears down upon 
 a question, like a first-rate man-of-war, with streamers 
 flying and all hands on deck ; but if the first broadside 
 does not answer, turns short upon it, like a triremed
 
 WILLIAM IV. 249 
 
 galley, firing ofi" a few paltry squibs to cover its retreat. 
 It takes up no falling cause ; fights no up-liill battle. 
 Let the mob shout, let the city roar, and the voice of 
 The Times is heard above them all, with outrageous, 
 deafening clamour ; but let the vulgar hubbub cease, 
 and no whisper, no echo of it is ever after heard of in 
 The Times:' 
 
 The new Times, which is the existing newspaper of 
 the name, was, it will be seen, a high Tory paper. 
 " The editor deals in no half measures, in no half 
 principles ; but is a thorough-paced stickler for the 
 modernised doctrines of passive obedience and non- 
 resistance. Dr. Sacheverel, in his day. could not go 
 beyond him. He is no flincher, no trimmer ; he 
 ' champions legitimacy to the outrance: There is 
 something , in this spirit, that if it exposes the pos- 
 sessor to hatred, exempts him from contempt. The 
 present editor of the New, and late editor of the Old 
 Times, whatever we may think of his opinions, must be 
 acknowledged to be staunch, determined, and consistent 
 in maintaininsr them."* 
 
 o 
 
 * To Mr. Black, of The Chronicle, ]\Ir. Dickens has given generous 
 testimony, and indeed his account of the energetic system on Avhich 
 newspapers were administered in 1834, might stand for what goes on 
 in the office of a spirited newspaper of our day. (" Life of Dickens," i., 
 77, 79.) See also Lamb's account of " Newspapers Five-and-thirty 
 Years Ago."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 William IV., wlien he came to the throne, was un- 
 fortunate in finding his Ivingdom, as to politics, in a 
 highly critical situation. A Tory ministry was in 
 power ; yet the nation, wliich had just obtained the 
 immense measure of^ Catholic Emancipation, was, as it 
 proved, on the eve of another change far more im- 
 portant. To complicate matters, the feelings of the 
 King, himself a tried Liberal and " an old Whig," were 
 utterly opposed, on the grounds of prerogative, to the 
 o^reat measure on which the nation was en2:ao;ed. No 
 situation could be imagjined more embarrassing^ or more 
 delicate. Nor was he likely to have any assistance 
 from his present advisers, who, like the Premier, held 
 that the signature of the King to the Reform Bill was 
 the destruction of the monarchy. 
 
 But there was yet another event impending, and 
 which was to take place almost on the King's accession, 
 which gave an irresistible impulse to the cause of Reform. 
 This was the French and Belgian Revolutions of 1830. 
 The almost insane behaviour of Charles X. and his 
 minister, the fatal consecjuences of which were already 
 portrayed in all the letters and commentaries of the 
 time, threw a sort of discredit on the existence of the 
 Tory party in England ; while the brilliant success of
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 251 
 
 the insurrection, and tlie genuine " Eeform " that fol- 
 lowed, imparted an irresistible force to the partisans of 
 the Enolish movement. 
 
 A dramatic incident was the flight of the luckless 
 monarch and his court, who, as usual, sought shelter 
 in the land where every exile is certain of protection 
 and sympathy; bringing also with them a certain em- 
 barrassment for the Government. For it was a delicate 
 matter to find the nice mean between partisanship and 
 ii neutral toleration. On the whole, how^ever, through 
 a period of nearly forty years, the English Government 
 had acquitted itself with admirable impartiality and 
 Avith due humanity, and even generosity. 
 
 "The history of French Sovereigns in England" 
 would be an interesting story ; but would also reveal, it 
 is to be feared, a chapter of ingratitude, a display of 
 grudge and wounded pride, at being forced to accept 
 such hospitality, and even charity. We constantly hear 
 of generous loans, never repaid ; of neglect, when the 
 return visit was repaid, of a wish to wipe out the recol- 
 lection of the whole awkward episode ; while King Louis 
 himself and his family, who ought to their dying day 
 to have, in his own phrase, " been penetrated with 
 gratitude " for the generous partisanship which over- 
 whelmed them with honours and kindness, and finally 
 gave them back their throne, treated his English visitors 
 wdth a patronizing state and graciousncss which seemed 
 to signify that they had only done this by him. These 
 discreditable facts are attested by many writers and 
 travellers. Even the late Mr. Planche, who went over for 
 the coronation of Charles X., and who rested all his 
 hopes of a good place at the show on a wealthy noble 
 to whom his family had been most kind and charitable, 
 found that this personage forgot all about him.
 
 252 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 When tlio news of the Eevolution arrived in London, 
 the royal family were at Brighton, where was also that 
 eminent intrigante, Madame de Lieven. She wrote to 
 a friend : 
 
 " I was dining at the Pavilion when the Duke of 
 Wellington was there, quite calm, and certain that 
 everything would be put down. After dinner came a 
 courier with the news that the royal army had with- 
 drawn. He was terribly taken back, and overwhelmed 
 with this devilish had business. 
 
 " There will be a general war out of this, of which it 
 is impossible to see the ending. The Duke appears to 
 be devoted to Talleyrand. He says he is a very honest, 
 worthy man. This honest)/ in Talleyrand suggests that 
 esprit of Polignac." 
 
 It is amusing to contrast her later obsequiousness 
 to the Duke with this manifest spite. 
 
 When, in 1830, London was waiting with feverish 
 interest for further new^s from Paris, an express arrived, 
 on August IGth, for the Admiral with news that 
 the Royal Family were off Spithead, on board an 
 American fris^ate. He had found them in a sad state of 
 depression. His Majesty wept, and said that he was too 
 old to be a King of France, that he was only concerned 
 for his little grandchild. He had despatched one of his 
 suite with letters for the King and the Duke of Wel- 
 lino;ton. The latter also received a distracted letter from 
 Madame de Gontant, one of the ladies whom he had 
 known in more prosperous days. 
 
 " My dear duke," it ran, " will you read the enclosed 
 letter, quite confidential, which I write to Lady Mary- 
 borough. It is the exact state of things. All our hopes 
 are in you. Poor Charles X. has had the discretion not 
 to ask to be landed, and does not venture to ask any
 
 WILLIAM lY. 253 
 
 more, but to stay till he knows where he is to go ; and 
 he does not know yet what he had better do. But his 
 wish and all our hopes are of our settling in quiet retraite 
 here, anywhere you wish, private and quiet. Do save 
 us, save him, and save the poor children ; il ny a jamais 
 eu de position plus affreuse. And save us also from les 
 gardiens qui nous entourent." 
 
 The "gardiens" thus alluded to were the emissaries 
 of the new French Government, and it is characteristic 
 of the French character that the party should have felt 
 this comparatively slight annoyance almost more than 
 they did the real hardship of their position. 
 
 The great anxiety of the Government, whatever their 
 reason, was that the King should not go ashore till he 
 reached his destination, and they did not relish the plan 
 he had determined on of staying for a time with Mr. Weld, 
 at Lulworth. But this was not all that was in store for 
 the fallen monarch, for we find that some Jews to whom 
 the King owed money in Germany, were eager now to 
 seize this favourable opportunity of arresting him. And 
 the Prime Minister was much disturbed by the possi- 
 bility of such an event taking place, and for which it 
 seemed difficult to find a remedy, as the King could not 
 now claim protection. 
 
 When it was known that the Eoyal party were es- 
 tablished at Holyrood Palace, it seemed likely that their 
 troubles would recommence, for there were symptoms of 
 an angry popular outburst against the abettors of the 
 Polignacs. This was happily averted, owing in the main, 
 to an appeal by Sir Walter Scott, who reminded his 
 countrymen that the unfortunate family were their 
 <Tuests, and, whatever were their errors, they were now 
 atoning for them. Their situation, indeed, deserved all 
 pity ; and even their accommodation in the chilly, ill-
 
 254 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 furnislied cliurclies of the old palace, seems to have been 
 anything but comfortable. Lord Aberdeen, who had an 
 interview with the ex-King in November, 1831, thus 
 describes the situation : 
 
 " He was in a wretched, cold, unfurnished bedroom ; 
 he was in good health and spirits ; he entered into a 
 long justification of his conduct ; he said he committed 
 but one error, and that was a fatal one ; he never men- 
 tioned Polignac ; he spoke ill of none except Louis 
 Philippe, whom he abused a good deal ; he appeared to 
 be quite confident of a restoration, that is, of Henry V. ; 
 he thought that time would do everything for him ; 
 and " (to prove that he had even then heard nothing 
 and foro^otten nothino;) "he said that our revolution" 
 (that is the Keform Bill) "required very little to be as- 
 eflectual as the French one." 
 
 The Eoyal family soon became popular from their 
 abundant charities and affability. But the jealousy of 
 the French was gradually exerted on the English 
 Government, and pressure was put to compel the ex- 
 King to engage to cease all correspondence with his- 
 adherents in France, else shelter could not be given 
 to him. This he declined. 
 
 A plot, too, was discovered to assassinate the young 
 Duke of Bordeaux. For these reasons the King resolved 
 to quit the country ; and he did so, to the last attended 
 by a certain brusque lack of courtesy on the part of our 
 Government ; for he had to take passage to Hamburg in a 
 common trader, while the Duchess of Angouleme crossed 
 in the ordinary packet. 
 
 The confusion at Paris had drawn to London some 
 remarkable characters ; so celebrated a personage as 
 Marshal Marmont, who, invited to many houses, found 
 comfort in relating his recent adventures, and in shift-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 255 
 
 inof the blame from his own shoulders. The Duke of 
 Wellington called on his old enemy, and must have 
 found it a curious situation, as he recalled the long- 
 march, when he and the doughty Marshal were for 
 days manoeuvring in front of each other. In London 
 society, at this time, the Duke was a figure of much 
 interest ; and by the various " Recollections," particularly 
 those of Mr. Raikes, he appears to have talked freely 
 and pleasantly of his campaigns, furnishing light re- 
 miniscences of the great people whom he had en- 
 countered. But a person of far more mark and one of 
 the most unique characters in history had now arrived 
 as ambassador. This was Prince Talleyrand. There 
 was something strange in finding this adventurous, 
 brilliant being in London, though he was grown old 
 and feeble. He arrived in October, and was duly 
 presented to His Majesty. 
 
 " It was noted that he backed to the window and 
 read a speech in which there were several erasures. 
 He declared the determination of France to pursue the 
 course so wisely followed by England of non-inter- 
 ference. He spoke of himself as Ministre d'une Royaute 
 votee il Vunanimite. The King did not much like re- 
 ceiving him, and was a little nervous. To what Talley- 
 rand said about non-interference the King answered it 
 was a very good thing, especially when exercised de 
 bonne foi. This he said by Aberdeen's advice." '"' 
 
 On a former occasion the Government was caused 
 much embarrassment by the arrival of exiled French, 
 as in the case of the Count de Provence, or as he was 
 officially styled, " His Majesty Louis XVIII. ," and his 
 
 * Talleyrami being later asked in a London drawing-room to 
 explain what " non-intervention " "was, said gravely, it was a mode 
 of diplomacy '^^ d pcu ^rhs la mc7ne chose que I'intervention."
 
 256 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 entourage. It was announced in October, 1807, that lie 
 was coming to England, and would avail himself of the 
 offer of staying at Holyrood House. He was to land at 
 Yarmouth, where he would be met by his brother, the 
 Count of Artois ; but there was some awkwardness 
 about his reception on landing, the Government clearly 
 not wishing to recognise him by official salutes and 
 other marks of honour. 
 
 The only thing to be done was to despatch envoys 
 to receive him and perhaps watch him, and the Count, 
 it was evident, was also eager to avoid this attention. 
 Lord Buckingham was entrusted with this delicate 
 mission, and set off in pursuit.''" 
 
 " From delays on the road for want of horses, and a 
 detour to be made by the road to Gossfield Hall (Lord 
 Buckingham's seat), we entered Yarmouth at the very 
 moment that Louis XVIII. quitted it; our carriages passed 
 each other. As soon as our horses were refreshed we 
 turned their heads round and followed Louis XVIII. 
 Luckily he also was retarded by the want of horses, and 
 could only get as far as Yexford, thirty miles from 
 Yarmouth, that evening. On our arrival at Yexford, 
 and learning that His Majesty was there and at supper, 
 Mr. Bagot sent in a note to Monsieur, to whom he was 
 directed in the first instance to address himself, statin of 
 in few words that he was charged to make a communi- 
 cation to him from His Majesty's Ministers, and couch- 
 
 * On the landing of the Queen of France in England, Queen 
 Charlotte wrote to Lady Harcourt : "The Queen is very infirm, in low- 
 spirits, and easily alarmed. When He landed, the Common People 
 touched Her, and then Huzah'd ; but She Shrunk back, till Captain 
 Dundas told Her it was a testimony of their joy. Then she came 
 forward and gave them Her Hand, shedding Tears Avhen She was told 
 they were (jlad She was safe in Good Old Emjiand. The Populace were 
 quite affected to see Her cry."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 257 
 
 ing the note in such language as not to give rise to any 
 suspicion that our mission was of an unpleasant nature. 
 Monsieur came out to us immediately, and received us 
 with his usual good-nature ; he could not help re- 
 marking, however, in answer to what Mr. Bagot wag 
 charged with to Louis XVIII., ' C'est un pen tarcl, 
 messieiLvs, mais erifin j^cisse pour cela." As soon as His 
 Most Christian Majesty had supped, we were introduced 
 to him. Mr. Bagot and myself (for it was a sort of 
 joint conversation) then told him ' that we were charged 
 by His Majesty's Government, and more particularly by 
 Lord Hawkesbury and Mr. Canning, to inform His Most 
 Christian Majesty that we had not approached him 
 sooner from a wish not to break in upon the first 
 moments of his interview with his royal brother ; that 
 we were now come to learn, without giving His Most 
 Christian Majesty the trouble of waiting a formal 
 answer, what were His Majesty's intentions w^ith respect 
 to his residence at Holyrood House ; and that, wdiatever 
 for the moment they might be, His Majesty's Govern- 
 ment would receive with respect His Most Cliristian 
 Majesty's determination ; and that we were instructed 
 to receive His Majesty's orders, and to facilitate by 
 every means in our power every object which could 
 contribute to His ]\Iajesty's personal convenience and 
 comfort. Louis XVIII. received us with his well-know^n 
 benignity, heard us with attention, and replied to us in 
 a few words, that he was very sensible of this attention 
 on the part of His Majesty's Government, that he 
 proposed going to Gossfield Hall, where he intended to 
 remain for about eight days, and that from thence he 
 would acquaint Lord Hawkesbury with what were his 
 future intentions." 
 
 After more ofi'ers of service, which were rather drily 
 
 VOL. I. s
 
 258 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 acknowledged with the remark " that the way in which 
 we could best serve His Majesty at present would be 
 by ordering him horses on the road, which he would 
 take it very kind of us to do. On the whole our mission 
 seems to have turned out very well ; we were certainly 
 rather late, by which means some etiquette (such as a 
 salute at landing, &c.) was omitted ; but as it was 
 given to be understood that His Majesty's sudden and 
 unexpected arrival was what we were not _237'ej9are(i for, 
 this may surely be forgiven. Admiral Douglas sent his 
 barge for him, and took him to his apartments, where 
 he remained till he left Yarmouth. Burke of the Alien 
 Office accompanied him, and did everything that could 
 be done. Louis XVIH. made him sup with him, and 
 spoke of him in the highest terms. Burke says that 
 when Monsieur had read Mr. Bagot's note he handed it 
 to Louis XVHL, whose countenance immediately fell, 
 though, as I have before said, pains had been taken 
 to avoid the possible construction of anything un- 
 pleasant." 
 
 It is amusing to find how the persons who were 
 sent to receive him, and bear him com|)liments, 
 contrived to arrive too late, and how ingeniously 
 it was arranofed to throw the f^iult on the Kin 2^. 
 Mr. Eoss, of the Foreign Office, thus explains the 
 manoeuvres : 
 
 " Burke the messenger preceded him by a few hours. 
 He found, 'tis true, the beds aired, but no fires lighted, 
 nor any provision for supper (this will serve to show 
 how Louis XVin. has acted), nor any person to cook it. 
 A servant of M. Puysegur who travelled with Burke 
 was the cook, after they sought about and found a hare, 
 some partridges, &c." 
 
 One of the most gratifying and spontaneous testi-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 259 
 
 monies of the feeling of the English to the royal exiles, 
 was the general joy on the exciting occasion of the 
 restored King's departure for his dominions. There 
 was somethino; dramatic and fittinsf in this romantic 
 close to nearly twenty-five years of trouble and banish- 
 ment. It was a day, indeed, of exhilaration and un- 
 bounded joy, patience and long waiting being at last 
 crowned with a happy issue. The Prince Regent and 
 his brother ostentatiously and affectionately took part 
 in the pageant. Indeed, it is to his credit that, during 
 the whole time of the exile, he had been conspicuous 
 and unwearied in his attentions and efforts to make 
 them forget all they had lost, and at his own house and 
 on every public occasion he took care to pay them the 
 most conspicuous honours. 
 
 Early on this exciting day he had gone down to 
 Stanmore, Lord Abercorn's seat, to attend the royal party 
 up to town, while his brother, the Duke of Clarence, was 
 to escort them, as admiral, across the Channel. Large 
 crowds gathered, and it was admitted that the honest 
 London burghers had never shown such generous and 
 -cordial enthusiasm for a foreigner. 
 
 This bewildering, entrancing day ought never to 
 have been forgotten by His Majesty. It had been one 
 •entire tumult of joy and uproarious shoutings. The 
 ■Regent had gone down and attended him in all state. 
 Honest John Bulls, ces gens de hiere et de 2^^^dding, 
 as a Frenchman styled him, filled the streets ; every- 
 thing was done that could lend state and show to 
 the joyful solemnity. And this, it must be remem- 
 bered, was but the crown of a long scries of atten- 
 tions and favours. Not yet forgotten was the fiimous 
 Regent's fete, when the exiles were given the place 
 ■of honour, and treated as Sovereign Princes. And 
 
 s 2
 
 260 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 now, when at last the new King sailed away from 
 our shores to ascend his throne, Prince William took 
 the command of the attendant fleet, and saw him safely 
 landed in his own realms.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 An unfortunate incident that now clouded the King's 
 popularity occurred in November, when the ministers 
 prevented the King going to dine at the City Guild- 
 hall, owing to fear of riots, etc. There were at first 
 great apprehensions, and troops were massed, etc. ; but it 
 was last determined to give up the plan altogether. 
 
 Durino; the Kins^'s visits to the theatres and on his 
 return from the House of Lords this hostility had been 
 shown. The " new police " (Sir R. Peel's), instituted in 
 1829, was particularly odious to the crowd, and even 
 if the King escaped, the ministers who attended the 
 show would incur attack. The Lord Mayor Key, on 
 this state of things, addressed this warning to the 
 Government : 
 
 "My Lokd Duke, 
 
 " From the station of Lord Mayor, to which I 
 have been elected, numberless communications are made 
 to me, both personally and by letter, in reference to the 
 9th ; and it is on that account I take the liberty of 
 addressing your Grace. Although the feelings of all the 
 respectable citizens of London are decidedly loyal, yet
 
 262 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 it cannot but be known there are, both in London as 
 well as the country, a set of desperate and abandoned 
 characters, who are anxious to avail themselves of any 
 circumstance to create tumult and confusion ; while all, 
 of any respectability in the city, are vieing with each 
 other to testify their loyalty on this occasion. From 
 wdiat I learn, it is the intention of some of the desperate 
 characters alluded to to take the opportunity of making 
 an attack on your Grace's person on your approacli to- 
 the hall." 
 
 The Duke and his colleagues on this determined to 
 decline attending, and the King was advised to do the same. 
 The publication of this document caused the greatest con- 
 sternation. The Funds fell three per cent. ; the banquet 
 itself was abandoned. Soldiers were brought into the 
 City, and the ditch of the Toiver Jilled uith ivater. It 
 was soon found that the panic was an exaggeration, and 
 that the ministry had blundered. 
 
 Lord Ellenborough reveals to us the agitation that 
 prevailed in the ministerial camp. 
 
 Many have speculated on the mystery that en- 
 shrouds Cabinet Councils. Lord Ellenboroufrh is 
 perhaps the only one who has left a journal of these 
 solemn proceedings. His account of a rather anxious 
 meeting connected with this " Visit to the City " 
 business shows in an agreeable way how affairs are- 
 conducted on these occasions : 
 
 " The Cabinet was to meet at three. We did not, 
 however, all assemble till four, the Duke having beea 
 w^itli Peel at the Home Office. Before the Duke came, 
 we had all been talking of the Lord Mayor's Day, and 
 the manner in which we should go into the City and 
 return, and the precautions taken against riot. The-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 263 
 
 Duke and Peel came together, and it was evident from 
 the first words the Duke spoke that he and Peel had 
 made up their minds to put off the King's visit to the 
 City. The Chancellor seemed almost to take fire at the 
 idea of this, but the Duke very quietly begged him to 
 hear the letters before he decided. The Duke then read 
 various letters he had received, all warnino; him a2;ainst 
 going, as there was a plot to assassinate him, and raise a 
 tumult. The impression seemed to be general that the 
 attempt would be made. The Duke said he would not 
 go. Peel, who had received many letters informing him 
 of the intention to assassinate him, said if he went he 
 would go privately and come away privately. The 
 consequences of putting off the King's visit were not 
 lost sight of ; the effect it would produce on the Funds, 
 and on public confidence — all that would be said against 
 the Government as weighing down the King by its 
 unpopularity. The letter it was proposed to send was 
 WTitten, and the Duke and Peel went with it to the 
 Kincc at a little before seven. 
 
 " While they were gone the feeling of the Cabinet 
 underwent a change. Lord Bathurst first observed that 
 it would put an end to the Government, and carry 
 Eeform. The Chancellor was most unwilling to post- 
 pone the King's visit. It would be said we did it for 
 our sakes only, and sacrificed him. Lord Bathurst 
 thought the King would take the advice, but be very 
 angry, and get rid of us. There w^ould be a violent 
 storm in Parliament, and the mobs would come to our 
 houses. All these feelings rested upon the supposition 
 that the procession could return without a tumult, but 
 the letter had been written on the supposition that it 
 could not ; which was the correct one. The Duke and Peel 
 came back and told us the Kino; had thouoht the advice
 
 264 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 quite riglit, and had behaved as well as possible. The 
 tears were in his (the King's) eyes while the Lord 
 Mayor's letter was read. He said he had already deter- 
 mined in his own mind to bring the Duke and Peel 
 back in his own carriae^e. The Duke thouQ-ht the Kinoj 
 had rather expected the advice, and that his mind was 
 relieved by it. 
 
 " We knew the Queen was much alarmed ; but it 
 had been said that the King would not hear of there 
 being any danger. 
 
 " The account of the King's manner of receiving the 
 advice seemed to tranquillise those who had before been 
 dissatisfied with the resolution which had been come to. 
 
 " After we had disposed of this matter we spoke a 
 little of Civil List and Regency. Notice is to be given 
 to-morrow of the two Bills, as if ice were still a Govern- 
 ment, but I now think nothing but general alarm can 
 enable us to weather the question of Reform." '"" 
 
 * A placard was circulated to this effect: — ^'Liberty or Death! 
 Englishmen, Britons, and honest men ! The time has at length 
 arrived — all London meets on Tuesday — come armed. We assure 
 you from ocular demonstration, that six thousand cutlasses have been 
 removed from the Tower for the immediate use of Peel's bloody gang; 
 remember the cursed speech from the throne ! ! These damned police 
 are now to be armed. Englishmen, will you put up with this 1 " 
 
 A pleasant story was told of a sentry, who, as the mob advanced 
 shouting "Liberty or Death," answered, "My lads, I don't know 
 anything of liberty, but you shall have death if you advance ! "
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The course of politics during the opening of William 
 IV.'s reign was simple, and is easily followed. The 
 Duke of AVellington's ministry, which had given the 
 great measure of Emancipation, as we said, was tottering, 
 chiefly owing to the discontent of a section of the Tory 
 party, who were indignant at that concession. But 
 what precipitated the fall of the Government was this 
 City business, which, in familiar phrase, was " the last nail 
 in its coffin." Everybody seemed to turn against them. 
 The Queen was heard to declare that she was much 
 disappointed at not being allowed to go to the Guildhall, 
 thouoli the Fitz-Clarence faction declared themselves 
 
 O 
 
 against it. It is clear, indeed, from Lord Ellenbourgh's 
 private diary that the danger was overrated and coloured 
 as a justification. A week before the fall it was actually 
 understood that they could not stand and must resign. 
 The King himself, Lord Ellenborough heard from the 
 Duke, "was anxious about the duration of his Govern- 
 ment. He would concede on the subject of Reform, 
 althouo;li he is a2:aiust it. Peel told him he thouc^ht 
 that by opposing all Reform in the first instance the 
 Government would be able to make better terms after- 
 wards. The King said either course had its conveniences 
 and inconveniences. He did not decide between them."
 
 26G THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 This singular notion of Peel puzzled liis colleagues- 
 exceediuglj, to whom he declared in Cabinet only two- 
 days before their fall, that he was satisfied that, what- 
 ever might be the division on Keform, the question tuas- 
 carried. " If the county members voted for it, and it 
 was thrown out by the representatives of Scotch and 
 English boroughs, it was impossible to stand much 
 longer. I cannot understand his reasoning ; if he thinks 
 Eeform must be carried, surely it is better to vote a 
 general resolution, and to fight the details. By object- 
 ing to the general resolution we shall probably be turned 
 out, and have much less power to do good out of office 
 than if we were in. 
 
 " It seems to me that obstinacy, and the fear of being 
 again accused of rattino;, lead to this deteraiination ta 
 resist when resistance is, in his own opinion, fruitless."'" 
 
 The great captain who was at the head of the Govern- 
 ment w^as indeed an indifferent politician, and it had 
 been well for his reputation that he had never travelled 
 beyond the arts in which lie was such a master. His- 
 prophecies and forecasts were of the most extraordinary 
 kind— witness that of May 21, 1831 : "I don't believe 
 that the King of England has taken a step so fatal 
 to his monarchy, since the day that Charles I. passed 
 the Act to deprive himself of the j)ower of pro- 
 rosfuino; or dissolvino; the Lons; Parliament, as Kinsr 
 William IV. did on the 22nd." 
 
 And again, on December 30, 1829 : ''However black- 
 guard O'Connell is, it is quite clear he will not retain or 
 
 * It must be said tliat this passage with many others relating to 
 his hesitation to join the Duke in common action, are all consistent 
 with a particular view of Sir E. Peel's character. He saw that the 
 old violent Toryism v/as useless as a factor in politics ; that for the- 
 moment he could not shake himself free, but looked steadily forward 
 to the time when he should head a party of his own principles.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 267 
 
 reo^ain his influence in Ireland. If lie should be vulvar 
 or violent in Parliament, nobody will listen to him after 
 the first days, and he will lose his influence everywhere. 
 But he is a very diligent and a very able lawyer, and a 
 good debater ; and if he should be only moderate in his 
 language, and he behaves at all like a gentleman, he will 
 be listened to, and his influence will be greater than ever."^ 
 One of the chief motive powers which helped the 
 Keform Bill now impending was undoubtedly the 
 violent excesses of the mob, who were to come in aid of 
 the Government, and found a convenient subject of 
 excuse for immediate concession and non-resistance. 
 Here was an early application of the modern principle, 
 that " force is no remedy." '"' 
 
 But the Duke was not alone in these alarms. 
 Some light is thrown on the discontent of the Tories- 
 with their chief in a letter of bitter complaint from 
 the Marquis of Londonderry, who had been refused 
 some ofiice. 
 
 * On which point the thoughtful words of that experienced 
 veteran statesman, Mr. Thomas Greville, might he well commended 
 for consideration. " You are quite right in saying that our revolution 
 is, I should indeed say, not hetjuii, but far advanced. It is, as usual 
 in such cases, very easy to point out, and to condemn, the long course- 
 of misconduct continued quite up to this actual moment, which ha& 
 brought us into this fearful condition. But it is very difficult, if not 
 impossible, to show what can now stop the mischief. Concession and 
 resistance are questions not to be treated now in abstract propositions 
 of the general policy of either, but with a most delicate and difficult 
 reference to the actual state of the country in which they are to be 
 pursued. Some proportion of both these must quite evidently now 
 be, and so indeed it always is in such a crisis. I am sure that under 
 such circumstances of public danger you will mean to do riglit, and I 
 heartily pray tliat you may do what really is best for the country. 
 For myself, I am a poor, infirm, and superannuated passenger, sharing 
 in all the danger of the storm, but wholly incapable of aiding to keep 
 the vessel in a safe course, if indeed there is any such open to her."
 
 2G8 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 " "When I contemplate the list of the H s, etc. 
 
 etc., I ask myself, with this portrait, if the Duke's com- 
 munication is not mere mockery ? If D. of W. believes 
 that this course towards me will insure cordial sup- 
 porters, I think he must little know the ordinary bent 
 of human minds. We are none of us so entirely dis- 
 interested as he may be, nor devoid of ambition as one 
 who has grasped every worldly glory. Nor are we 
 without followers and adherents who look up to us. It 
 is for these I combat, and these will not brook our being 
 neglected and passed by." 
 
 The fall of the ministry the Duke of Wellington 
 always attributed to the enmity of his own party. It 
 was really due to this famous, reckless, and astounding 
 declaration against Eeform, in its way as blind a piece 
 of infatuation as Polignacs ordinances. Of this an 
 acute observer said : 
 
 " The effect produced by this declaration exceeds 
 anything I ever saw, and it has at once destroyed what 
 little popularity the Duke had left. The sensation 
 produced in the country has not yet been ascertained, 
 but it is sure to be immense. I came to town last 
 night, and found the town ringing with his imprudence, 
 and everybody expected his resignation. However, his 
 Grace only repeated, ' Lord, we shan't go out ! ' " 
 
 Everyone was so engrossed with the Eeform ques- 
 tion that the ordinary business was neglected, and on 
 November 16th they were beaten by a small majority on 
 a civil question. ■''''■ On the 17th the Ministry sent in 
 their resignation. 
 
 * "An unlucky contretemps shows how unexpected this defeat was," 
 says Sir D. Le Marchant, giving, as usual' one of his agreeable remi- 
 niscences. "There was a large party at Apsley House that night, and Lord 
 Worcester, who was one of the guests, left the table rather abruptly,
 
 WILLIAM lY. 2G9 
 
 Lord Broughton describes the scene vividly as lie 
 does so many others. The opposition was wild with 
 delight, and already seeing themselves back in their old 
 places. 
 
 " The Duke went to the King in the morning, and 
 told him it was better he should resign immediately, and 
 so force the new Government to bring forward their 
 measure of Reform. It was better for the country. 
 The King asked the Duke's opinion of Lord Grey, and 
 whether he had ever had any communication with him. 
 The Duke said, 'No.' The King knew the personal 
 objections the late King had to Lord Grey, and he could 
 not, although often pressed by Lord Grey's friends, have 
 any communication with him without either deceiving 
 him or deceivino: the Kinsj ; and he would not do either. 
 The King asked what sort of a man Lord Grey was ? 
 The Duke said he really did not know. He had the 
 reputation of being an ill-tempered, violent man ; but he 
 knew very little of him. He had never had any political 
 conversation with him. The King was much agitated 
 and distressed." " 
 
 that he might be in time for the division. On his way to the House, 
 he overheard some one saying the division had already taken place, 
 and there was a majority of twenty-nine, which he presumed to be in 
 favour of the Ministers. He returned at once Avith the intelligence, 
 Avhich created no surprise. Shortly afterwards ]\Ir. Holmes arrived 
 with the true version, which lie communicated to the Duke privately ; 
 and nothing was at first mentioned to the guests, so that a lady 
 present went away believing the accuracy of Lord Worcester's report, 
 and on reaching the Princess Lieven's, she soundly rated some in- 
 oflensive Whig member for presuming to say that the majority was 
 against the ministry instead of for them." 
 
 * Mr. Watson, who sat for Northamptonshire during this time, 
 described in 184G, to Dickens, " the constitutional impossibility ho 
 and Lord Lansdowne and the rest laboured under of ever personally 
 attaching a single young man in all the excitement of that exciting
 
 270 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 " I met the Duke comiDg out of his room," says Mr. 
 Greville, " but did not like to speak to him ; he got into 
 his cabriolet, and nodded as he passed, but he looked 
 very grave. The King seems to have behaved perfectly 
 throughout the whole business, no intriguing or under- 
 hand communication with anybody, with great kindness 
 to his Ministers, anxious to support them while it was 
 possible, and submitting at once to the necessity of 
 parting with them. The fact is, he turns out an incom- 
 parable King, and deserves all the encomiums that are 
 lavished on hiui. All the mountebankery which signalised 
 liis conduct when he came to the throne has passed away 
 with the excitement which caused it, and he is as dignified 
 as the homeliness and simplicity of his character will 
 ^Uow." 
 
 It is amusing to contrast this warm encomium of the 
 diarist with his later torrents of abuse ao:ainst this 
 monarch. 
 
 "I dressed," says one of the ministers, "and went, 
 and in a few moments was admitted to the King. The 
 Kins: desired me to sit down, and asked me wdiether I 
 had any expectation of the division of last night ? I 
 said no. I thought that upon any question connected 
 with the Civil List we should have had a majority ; that 
 the question itself was one of little importance. The 
 King said it was probably chosen as a question merely 
 to try strength. I then said I supposed I must take 
 leave of His Majesty. He said in one sense his Ministers 
 
 time to tlie leaders of the party. It was quite a delight to me," adds 
 Dickens, " as I listened, to recall my own dislike of his style of 
 speaking : Ids fishy coldness, his uncongenial and unsympathetic 
 politeness, and his insufferable though most gentlemanly artificiality. 
 The shape of his head (I see it now) was misery to me, and weighed 
 ■down my youth." — ''Life of Dickens," ii., 238.
 
 WILLIiUr lY. 271 
 
 seemed to think they could not go on. I said I could 
 not but express my sentiments — which were, I was sure, 
 those of all my colleagues — the sentiments of deep 
 gratitude to His Majesty for the constant kind and 
 honourable confidence he had placed in us. 
 
 " His Majesty said he thought it his duty to give 
 the full support of the Crown to his Ministers. He had 
 confidence in those he found at his brother's demise ; and 
 since July 26th, which was the commencement of our 
 troubles, he had regarded with admiration that which 
 was most important in their conduct, their Foreign 
 Policy. He had a feeling of entire satisfaction with 
 them. 
 
 " The King was much affected, and had the tears 
 in his eyes all the time T was speaking to him. I then 
 rose and kissed his hand, and he shook hands with me, 
 and wished me good-bye for the present. I asked for 
 the entree, which he gave me very good-naturedly. The 
 three Fitz- Clarences ivere in the lower room, seemingly 
 enjoying our discomfiture." 
 
 This trifling entry is significant, and not merely a 
 trivial piece of gossip ; for it will be seen presently what 
 a share these persons w^ere to have in at least the un- 
 making of a ministry, and what a baleful influence they 
 exercised. 
 
 On November 23rd, a Court was held for the old 
 Ministers to give up their seals, and by an awkward 
 -contretemps the new j\Iinisters arrived before their de- 
 parture. ]\Ir. Greville, who was with the old set, 
 chanced to look into the next room and found it full of 
 the new — Graham, Althorp, Durham, etc. "Each after 
 his audience departed, most of them never to return. 
 As they went away they met the others arriving. 
 I was with the old set in the Throne Koom till they
 
 272 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 went away, and on opening the door and looking into 
 the other room I found it full of the others — Althorp, 
 Graham, Auckland, J. Russell, Durham, etc., faces that 
 a little while ago I should have had small expectation of 
 finding there. The efi"ect was very droll, such a complete 
 cJiangement de decoration. When the old Ministers 
 were all off the business of the day began. All the 
 Cabinet was there — the new Master of the Horse (Lord 
 Albemarle), Lord Wellesley, his little eyes twinkling 
 with joy, and Brougham, in Chancellor's costume, but 
 not yet a peer. The King sent /or me into the closet to 
 settle about their beinsj sworn in, and to ask what was 
 to be done about Brougham, whose patent was not come, 
 and who wanted to go to the House of Lords. These 
 things settled, he held the Council, when twelve new 
 Privy Councillors were sworn in, three Secretaries of 
 State, Privy Seal, and the declarations made of Presi- 
 dent of Council and Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. The 
 King could not let slip the opportunity of making a 
 speech : ' My Lords, it is a part of the duty I have to 
 perform to declare a Lord-Lieutenant of L^eland, and 
 although I certainly should have acquiesced in any 
 recommendation which mio^lit have been made to me for 
 this appointment by Earl Grey, I must say that I have 
 peculiar satisfaction in entrusting that most important 
 charge to the noble lord, whom I therefore declare with 
 entire satisfaction Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. And, 
 my Lords, I must say that this day is since the death of 
 my poor brother (here his voice faltered and he looked 
 or tried to look affected) the most important which 
 has occurred since the beginning of my reign, for in the 
 course of my long life it has never happened to me to 
 see so many appointments to be filled up as on this day ; 
 and when I consider that it is only last Tuesday night
 
 WILLIAM IV. 273 
 
 that tlie force of circumstances compelled tliose who 
 were the confidential advisers of the Crown to relinquish 
 the situations which they held, and that in this short 
 space of time a new Government has been formed, I 
 cannot help considering such despatch as holding forth 
 the best hopes for the future, and proving the unanimity 
 of my Government ; and, my Lords, I will take this 
 opportunity of saying that the noble Earl (Grey) and 
 the other noble lords and gentlemen may be assured 
 that they will receive from me the most cordial, un- 
 ceasing, and devoted support.' The expressions of 
 course are not exactly the same, but his speech was to 
 this purpose, only longer. Brougham kissed hands in 
 the closet, and afterwards in Council as Chancellor and 
 Privy Councillor, and then went off to the House of 
 Lords." 
 
 The King received Lord Grey cordially, and with 
 much good humour ; but he little knew the troubles that 
 were impending over him. 
 
 " The King," we are told, as he received the resigna- 
 tion, " shed tears," which were no doubt genuine, for he 
 w\as handed over, bound hand and foot, to a Liberal 
 ministry. Reform was now upon him, and there was no 
 one to whom he could look for protection. The Duke 
 accepted his fall with the bitterest feelings, not against 
 the enemy, but against his own friends, on whose heads 
 he laid the consequences. In that curious, vast, and 
 entertaining miscellany, the Wellington jDapers still 
 being published in a fitfLd "vvay, we find in a letter to his 
 friend, General jMalcolm, the fullest expression of this 
 sense of injury. Referring to his celebrated declaration 
 against reform, he says : 
 
 " It is very easy to say that this declaration broke 
 down my Government. That is not true. My Govern- 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 274 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 ment was broken down by the Koman Catholic question. 
 The Tories separated from me. The proof that I am 
 right upon this point is that in the list of the division 
 upon the second reading of the Eeform Bill, there are no 
 less than forty-six members against the Bill, who voted 
 against my Government on the 14th November. The 
 truth is my Government was broken down by a political 
 combination (Whigs, Eadicals, Canningites and Tories) ; 
 and the nobility and genti^y and Royal Family of 
 England ivill yet hite their thumbs for it"
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 If ever there was a remarkable Ministry the new one 
 deserved the title, comprising as it did men like Lord 
 Grey, Lord Brougham, Lord Althorp, Lord Melbourne, 
 Lord Palmerston, Sir James Graham, Lord J. Russell, 
 Mr. Stanley, and Sir J. Campbell. Many of them had not 
 at the time " made their mark," or full mark ; but there 
 were figures among them of a truly remarkable order for 
 turbulent vigour and force of character, whose move- 
 ments it is interesting to follow. 
 
 The First Minister was a more extraordinary cha- 
 racter, who had again and again resisted all invitations 
 to office under conditions of compromise, and had spent 
 the later portion of his life in honourable retirement. 
 Again ami again during the last thirty years he was 
 brought or forced to town by his party and friends, 
 under the idea that place was in their grasp ; but he 
 had always declined to accept, save under terms which 
 were not offered. 
 
 " I have lived," he said, on the eve of the defeat of the 
 Reform Bill, "along life of seclusion from office — I had 
 no official habits — I possessed not the advantages which 
 those official habits confer. I>^am fond of retirement 
 and domestic life, and I lived happy and contented in 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the bosom of my family. I was surrounded by those to 
 whom I am attached by the warmest ties of affection. 
 What, then, but a sense of duty, could have induced me 
 to plunge into all the difficulties, not unforeseen, of my 
 present situation ? What else, in my declining age. 
 
 What else could tempt me on those stormy seas, 
 Bankrupt of life, yet prodigal of ease 1 
 
 I defy my worst enemy, if he has the most moderate 
 share of candour, to find ground for charging me with 
 any other motive. I have performed my duty as well 
 as I am able. I shall still continue to do so, as long as 
 I can hope to succeed in the accomplishment of an 
 object which I believe to be safe, necessary, and 
 indispensable." 
 
 Lord Grey, whose nature was thus retiring, and, to 
 a certain extent, timorous, suffered now from having 
 to encounter the enormous, innumerable difficulties 
 that rose up on every side. It became almost agony to 
 him. It is perfectly true that few have ever made such 
 sacrifices in the public interest. He was advanced in 
 life, and very different from the eminent but restless 
 statesman who now directs affiiirs. He longed for 
 the repose of a country life at Howick, and shrank 
 from the agitation of politics. In this distaste he was 
 exceeded by his colleague Lord Althorp, who was only 
 drawn to politics by the pressure and persuasion of 
 friends, and longed to get back to his farms, and his 
 breeding of cows. 
 
 Among the officials who had joined the Ministers — 
 not by any means an o&cisii faineant, of which there are 
 so many nowadays — there was one with purpose, 
 character, even wit — a figure that stands out, in short. 
 This was John Campbell, "plain John Campbell," a
 
 WILLIAM lY. 277 
 
 singular instance of Scotch cleverness and tenacity, who 
 from a raw, poor lad, came finally to be Lord Chancellor, 
 not a very wonderful thing in its way, but Lord Chan- 
 cellor in his old age. A really flattering tribute this ; 
 for it proves that even the ancient lees are superior to 
 other men's sprightly runnings. It is wonderful, indeed, 
 to look back and see what power and vigour was then 
 abroad. Such men and such minds as Brougham, 
 Campbell, Lyndhurst, all struggling and battling, are 
 not to be found now. Brougham, indeed, well deserves 
 study ; and it will be interesting to pause a little here 
 and consider the quaint and other dramatic incidents 
 connected with this portion of his history, for which we 
 owe so much to the colouring of his " friend " and 
 colleague, " Jock Campbell." To the intrepid and master- 
 ful Brougham the Premier was only too glad to delegate 
 the duty of encountering the King and '' managing " him. 
 A more extraordinary character than the new Chancellor 
 could not be conceived, from the union of amazing 
 abilities — eloquence, combativeness, labour, and energy, 
 with a natural and almost absurd vanity — which 
 delighted in any and every opportunity, even to the 
 prejudice of his actual interest, of coming before the 
 public, by speech, writing, or action. These extra- 
 ordinary "antics," as they might be called, he exhibited 
 during the course of a long life, to the amusement of 
 his enemies and embarrassment of his friends. Of the >^ 
 latter, however, he does not appear to have had many. 
 
 These two officials, both greedy for office, and the 
 good things of office, soon quarrelled. It is likely 
 enough that the origin of this particular wrangle rested 
 with Brougham, ever sordidly jealous, and even angry 
 at another's advancement ; for he seemed to hold that 
 all praise and all success in another instance was just
 
 278 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 SO mucli abstracted from him. That tliis is not specula- 
 tion can be shown by his incredible treatment of 
 Macaulay, and it furnished a key to his motives in 
 the present transaction. 
 
 A highly piquant sensation was enjoyed in literary 
 circles in the year 1869, when a posthumous work by 
 Lord Campbell was published — the concluding volume 
 to his well-known entertaining " Lives of the Chan- 
 cellors." Here he dealt with the lives of Lords Brougham 
 and Lyndhurst, and, it was well known, the author, for 
 many reasons, did not venture to publish it during 
 the lifetime of Lord Brougham. On the other hand 
 Brougham had himself prepared an autobiography, in 
 which he spoke with much freedom, not to say bitter- 
 ness, of his old friend and colleague. He was well 
 aware of what the latter had in store for him ; and this 
 feeling no doubt sharpened his pen. Thus was presented 
 the singular and cynical spectacle of two octogenarians, 
 both of whom had been Chancellors, both gifted with 
 singular powers of vigorous writing, w^aiting on 
 each other, each furnished, to use Dr. Johnson figure 
 when speaking of Mallet, with a loaded gun, which 
 he was afraid to discharge during his " friend's " life- 
 time ! 
 
 Such a condition of things was but a just retribution, 
 and shows the embarrassment to which those who 
 indulge their animosities reduced themselves. Certainly, 
 to find two veterans — one, indeed, was in his ninetieth 
 year — thus confronting each other, was anything but 
 edifying. 
 
 Lord Campbell, however, who had held over his 
 charged weapon for so many years, was by a fitting 
 Nemesis destined to die before the subject of his dis- 
 like. The stroke of death overtook him in 1861, while
 
 WILLIAM IV. 279 
 
 Lord Brougham perhaps found a satisfaction in surviving 
 him. The long-delayed memoir was at last issued, in 
 1868, and the aged Brougham was unable to peruse 
 the venomous chronicle of his own life. This record is 
 certainly amusing from its vivacity and bitter ridicule, 
 secret thrusts and dramatic interest ; for accounts 
 of political events and ministerial and Parliamentary 
 changes are generally of a dry character ; but this is 
 so " spiced " and seasoned as to become highly enter- 
 taining. 
 
 It is difficult to account for this vendetta be- 
 tween two such successful men. Both were virtually 
 Scots — Lord Brougham having a Scotch, mother, and 
 having been born and reared in that country — both 
 were keenly alive to their own interest, and likely to 
 use due control over their feelings and prejudices ; both 
 had a steady course of success, and reached to the 
 highest honours. Thus there seemed to be ample scope 
 and verge enough for both. The memoir of Lord 
 Campbell recently published by his daughter sets him 
 forth in an amiable light, as mellowed by old age and 
 surrounded by his friends. 
 
 Jealousy, it might seem, was the cause, and nothing 
 will better show the relations of the two men than an 
 account given by both of a single transaction. This 
 arose in 1833, in reference to the retirement of a Baron 
 in the Exchequer. Campbell was Solicitor, and as the 
 Attorney-General (Hornc) was supposed to fill the va- 
 cancy, Campbell naturally expected to become Attorney. 
 Through some scruple of Mr. Home's as to trying cases 
 of murder, he declined promotion ; and the result 
 appears to be that another was appointed to be Judge. 
 This arrangement of course made no promotion for the 
 Solicitor, and who was much aggrieved. Here is
 
 280 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Campbell's account, which is besides a fair specimen of 
 his feeling. 
 
 After ascribing to the loss of his brother James 
 ''many of the fantastical acts and the misfortunes which 
 soon after marked the Chancellor's career," he continues, 
 " but I doubt whether anything could have saved this 
 misguided man from the promptings of the evil genius 
 which he carried about with him in his own breast, and 
 which was ever ready to lead him astray." He repre- 
 sents Brougham as informing him that he was actually 
 Attorney- General. He then met Home, who had declared 
 he had been juggled out of office ; that Brougham had 
 assured him that "an Equity Baronship " — a new legal 
 monster — was to be created specially for him, so that 
 he would not have to go circuit. When Home saw 
 Lord Grey the latter exclaimed : " Equity Baron ! it is 
 the first time I have heard of such an arrangement, and 
 I cannot say that the Cabinet, much less that Parliament, 
 will sanction it. I understood from the Chancellor that 
 you wished to become a puisne judge in the common 
 course, without any special stipulations ; and I confess 
 for one, I do not understand a puisne not being ready to 
 discharge all the duties of the office." 
 
 "Brougham," Lord Campbell says, "protested he 
 had never said anything of the kind," and the result 
 was that the tricked Attorney-General had to go back 
 to the bar, while Campbell took his place. 
 
 Having heard Campbell upon Brougham, let us now 
 hear Brougham upon Campbell : 
 
 " Nothing could exceed the gratitude which Camp- 
 bell loudly 2^i^ofissed for his appointment (as Solicitor- 
 General). From all I have known and observed of his 
 character, I much doubt if he felt all he said and wrote 
 to me on the subject. I really believe he kept a form
 
 WILLIAM IV. 281 
 
 of thanksgiving, that he might always be ready to 
 express, in appropriate terms, his gratitude in the event 
 of any of his everhisting applications for something for 
 himself or his connections succeeding. 
 
 " His applications to me began very soon — in fact, 
 almost the day after I was in office, he pestered me to 
 appoint a Mr. John Campbell, Deputy-Registrar of the 
 Court of Bankruptcy. He pressed this so strongly, 
 urofinor it as one of the neatest favours that could be 
 conferred upon him, that I acceded ; and he then wrote 
 to me expressing his warmest thanks, and saying it was 
 a kindness he never should forget. When I helped, and 
 that most willingly, to make him Solicitor-General in 
 November, 1832, his letter of thanks was almost a fac- 
 simile of his letter in Mr. John CampbelVs case." 
 
 They continued on apparently cordial terms, the 
 Chancellor addressing him as " dear Jack." They met 
 at Edinburgh in 1834, when Campbell tells us, "I am 
 sorry to say this was the last instance of cordiality 
 between Brougham and myself till ten long years had 
 elapsed. He now began and long continued, without 
 any fault of mine, to persecute me. . ." Their new 
 quarrel was connected with the death of Leach, Master 
 of the Rolls, to whose place the greedy Attorney at once 
 laid claim. 
 
 "I ought," says Campbell, "to have had the offer 
 of succeeding to the vacancy. But the notion of my 
 becoming an Equity Judge was very distasteful to him. 
 So Pepys was appointed Master of the Rolls. I con- 
 tented myself with protesting against the precedent, 
 knowing that plausible reasons might be given for it. 
 Brougham felt that he had injured me, and he hated me 
 accordingly. But ere long," adds IMr. Attorney, with 
 intense satisfaction, "he found himself 'the engineer
 
 282 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 hoist with his own petard' — driven from office, in 
 short." 
 
 Now for Brougham : " Ahnost as soon," he says, 
 *' as this couki be known, I found that Campbell had 
 written to Melbourne urging his claim as Attorney- 
 General, for the EoUs. Now this was rather too bad, 
 because I had taken an opportunity, on his being ap- 
 pointed Attorney, to tell him most distinctly, that in 
 the event of a vacancy, an Equity man would probably 
 be selected by the Government. Great, then, was my 
 surprise, when I found that the moment the breath was 
 out of Leach's body, Melbourne had been written to. I 
 presume no notice was taken of the application, because 
 it was followed up by an immediate attack upon me in 
 a letter." 
 
 Pepys being appointed, Campbell had to swallow 
 his disappointment with a wry face. 
 
 "When in November," goes on Brougham, "I saw 
 Lyndhurst, I told him of Campbell's attempt upon the 
 EoUs, and entered fully into all the circumstances. He 
 said I could not possibly have acted otherwise, but 
 added, that for one reason he rather regretted what 
 had happened, because it would to a certainty make 
 Campbell my enemy for life. I could not see the matter 
 in that light, but he insisted. ' Depend upon it,' said 
 he, ' Campbell will never forgive you. And I'll tell 
 how he will pay you off". You remember Wetherell 
 said, when the " Lives of the Deceased Chancellors " 
 came out, " Campbell has added a new sting to death." 
 I predict that he will take his revenge on you by 
 describing you with all the gall of his nature. He will 
 write of you, and perhaps of me too, with envy, hatred, 
 malice, and all uncharitablcness, for such is his nature.' 
 I always thought Copley was much too hard upon
 
 WILLIAM IV. 283 
 
 Campbell, yet tlie judgment he formed of men was 
 generally as accurate as it was sagacious ; so perhaps he 
 was right, and I wrong." 
 
 Of animosity such as this there have been many 
 examples ; but scarcely anything parallel to the case 
 of two men thus privately setting down their jealous 
 hatreds, almost in the same words, and, after so many 
 years, keeping them fresh and green. We might be 
 inclined to doubt whether Wetherall gave the warning 
 here set down to him.'" 
 
 Nothing is more piquant or characteristic than what 
 followed in relation to the promotion of this tempestu- 
 ous being. His confidence in his powers, his obstre- 
 perous vigour, his sociability, his popularity, made him 
 an awkward but unavoidable colleaorue. In a com- 
 
 O 
 
 manding office, such as that of Lord Chancellor, he 
 would dominate, and it was but too likely that he would 
 not be content with any more subordinate post, such as 
 the Attorney-General. His behaviour under this showed 
 adroitness, and the account drawn by the acrid pen 
 of Lord Campbell, in his amusingly vivacious " Chronicle 
 of the Two Chancellors," seems to be founded in truth, 
 
 * Lord Macaulay complains bitterly of the hatred and jealousy 
 which Lord Brougham displayed to him when he became successful. 
 This was certainly a disagreeable and marked feature in Brougham's 
 character. But Macaulay himself was a good hater. His animosity 
 to Croker was almost appalling, and it is amusing to find him even 
 discovering a " leer of hatred " on his enemy's face. Much admira- 
 tion for the great historian's domestic character has been excited, 
 owing to Mr. Trevelyan's charming biography, which sets out the 
 domestic virtues and affections of the hero, in a marked degree. But 
 there were some striking blemishes in that otherwise amiable man, and a 
 rather ungenerous animosity to those who opposed him, with an unduo 
 exultation in making money. It is remarkable to any one reading the 
 life impartial!}', how seldom he can " give a good word " to any 
 literary confrere — all are " mostly fools."
 
 284 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 thongb it does not agree with that given by Brougham 
 himself : 
 
 *'Now began his (Grey's) difficulties, the greatest of 
 which was — ivhat uxis to he done ivith Brougham^ He 
 dreaded the member for Yorkshire in the Cabinet, and 
 the danger w^as appalling of entirely excluding him from 
 the new arrangement ; for in that case he might head a 
 Kadical opposition, and Whig rule would be very brief. 
 Lord Grey said to Lord Althorp : ' May he not belong 
 to the Government, and be obliged to support us, with- 
 out being in the Cabinet ? He may like to be Attorney- 
 General' Lord Althorp, who, from sitting so long with 
 Brouo^ham in the House of Commons, better knew his 
 insubordinate nature, shook his head, but said there 
 could be little harm in the offer if Lord Grey had the 
 courage to make it. Brougham was accordingly asked 
 to call on Lord Grey, and the offer was made, but was 
 rejected with scorn and indignation. 
 
 " What Brouo-liam's views and wishes orio-inallv were 
 with respect to the office he should fill on the advent of 
 the AVhigs to power, I never could rightly learn. He 
 positively refused on this occasion to make any counter 
 proposal, or to give a hint of the sort of place he 
 desired, saying that ' he was resolved not to be in- 
 cluded in the arrangement, although he should be 
 disposed to support the new Government in as far as 
 he conscientiously could.' These portentous words caused 
 great dismay." 
 
 It was like the sudden turn in a pantomime to find 
 on one day Brougham thus dictating to the House : 
 
 " What do we want with Ministers ? We can do as 
 well — (I speak with all possible respect of any future 
 Ministry) — we can do as well without them as with 
 them. I have nothing to do with them except in the
 
 WILLIAM IV. 285 
 
 respect I bear tliem, and except as a member of this 
 House." 
 
 A few days later it was known that he was Chancellor! 
 
 " I do not certainly know the exact turn which the 
 negotiation then took, but I have heard," says Lord 
 Campbell, " and I believe that, the Whig leaders still 
 expressing a strong desire that Brougham should join 
 them on his own terms, he caused a verbal intimation 
 to be given to them that he expected an ofifer of the 
 Great Seal. Lord Grey, although well stricken in years, 
 was supposed at this time to be platonicalhj under the 
 fascination of the beautiful Lady Lyndhurst, and to 
 have had a strong desire to retain her husband as his 
 Chancellor." 
 
 Brougham's own account, however, gives a different 
 view ; but it must be said that men of his type, vain, 
 fond of perpetually addressing the public, live in a 
 succession of delusions as to the motives of their ac- 
 tions, and it is impossible to read his voluminous 
 memoirs and note how every transaction is coloured 
 to his own advantage. Here is his story : 
 
 "When I returned home that evening (the ICth) 
 from Lincoln's Lm, where I had as usual gone after 
 dinner, I found the following note from Lady Grey : 
 
 *My dear Mr. Brougham, 
 
 * Lord Grey desires me to tell you that he has 
 this moment been sent for by the King. 
 
 ' Sincerely yours, 
 
 *M. E. Grey.' 
 
 " I found also several letters referring to what had 
 passed in the House, and deprecating my supposed
 
 28G THE LIFE AI^D TIMES OF 
 
 intention to refuse office ; and as it had been said that 
 I should certainly refuse the Attorney- Generalship, 
 when I went to Brooks's in the evening of Wednesday 
 the 17 til and the day after, I was surrounded by lead- 
 ing men among our friends, who strongly urged upon 
 me the duty of not refusing it. 
 
 "On Wednesday the 17th, just as I was getting 
 into the carriage, and going to chambers for the even- 
 ing, Lady Glengall, a friend of Leach's as well as of 
 mine, called with a view of ascertaining whether I was 
 a candidate for the Great Seal, as Leach was bent upon 
 it, and feared I might stand in his way. I told her to 
 relieve his mind from any such alarm, for I never cer- 
 tainly dreamed of such a thing. 
 
 " On that same day, Grey asked me if I would 
 accept the office of Attorney-General. I said, ^ Most 
 certainly not.' And being again pressed, I said that I 
 wished to have no office whatever. I was member for 
 Yorkshire, and desired to keep by that and by my 
 profession. This, I found, threw them into much 
 difficulty. However, I remained firm till Thursday 
 night, always assuring them of my hearty support out 
 of office ; and they as constantly saying that such 
 support would not be sufficient for carrying on the 
 Government, considering my position in Parliament 
 and in the country. At length, late on Thursday 
 evening, I was told that the negotiation must go off, 
 on account of my persistent refusal. I repeated that 
 I would take the Rolls, but nothing else, as I was 
 resolved to remain in the House of Commons, and that 
 I would not take a subordinate place like Attorney- 
 General. I was then told the Rolls was impossible ; 
 and this, from something I had just heard, did not 
 surprise me.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 287 
 
 "Late on Thursday evening, November 18th, I 
 received a note from Lord Grey asking me to come 
 to him. 
 
 " Accordingly, I called on my way to Westminster, 
 and he at once said that he had been desired by the 
 Kins: to ask if I would take the Great Seal. I stared, 
 and said it was utterly out of the question — that I 
 could not give up the bar, and take the chance of 
 being turned out of office in two or three months — 
 that my fortune was not sufficient to support a peer- 
 age — and that I would not on any account give up 
 Yorkshire and my position in the House of Commons. 
 He said he had received the answer I gave to Dun- 
 cannon and Althorp, positively refusing to be Attorney- 
 General, and that I would support the Government as 
 zealously as possible without office ; or that, if I must 
 take office, the EoUs was the only place I could take. 
 He added that, when he first saw the King and men- 
 tioned it, the King answered that the Eolls was quite 
 impossible, and dwelt upon the Attorney-Generalship, 
 which that day Lord Grey had told him I positively 
 refused, thouQ;h I knew that his takinof the Government 
 depended upon my consenting. The King then asked, 
 on his (Lord Grey's) saying that the negotiation must 
 go off, as Mr. Brougham was inflexible, if he had offered 
 me the Great Seal ? and on Lord Grey's saying he had 
 not, because he supposed there was the same objection 
 to that as to the Eolls, — 'Oh no,' said the King, 'there 
 is no one I would rather have for my Chancellor.'''' 
 He afterwards once or twice alluded to this when in 
 particularly good humour, and called me his Chancellor, 
 as named by himself and not by my colleagues. 
 
 * A favourite joke of Ilis Majesty's family. King George III. 
 was fond of using it.
 
 288 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 " On Thursday evening, tlie 18tli, I received from an 
 intimate friend, who happened also to be much connected 
 with the Duke of Wellington, the following note : 
 
 " ' Thursday Eveniog. 
 
 " ' It will be interesting, and possibly may be im- 
 portant (while all this Cabinet-making is going on) to 
 you to know, on the authority of Alava, from whom I 
 had it, that the Duke, on leaving the King on Tuesday, 
 thus spoke to him : "If I may be permitted to give 
 your Majesty one piece of advice, it is — on no account ^ 
 to allow Mr. Brougham to be Master of the Rolls ; for 
 such a position, coupled with the representation of 
 Yorkshire, would make him too powerful for cmy Go- 
 vernment.' " 
 
 " I told Lord Grey that I had every kind of ob- 
 jection to quit the House of Commons and the bar for 
 a promotion so very precarious ; and I showed him 
 how absurd such a sacrifice would be on my part. I 
 made no objection to the construction of the Cabinet, 
 as he described it, only I remarked that Graham's place 
 was prematurely high ; observing that he was a kind of 
 pocket-vote of Lambton's. Grey begged I would see 
 Althorp before I rejected the office of the Great Seal ; 
 assuring me the whole treaty was up, if I refused to 
 concur. I then left him, having to go to the House of 
 Lords at ten. There I argued a long, dull, dry, and 
 complicated appeal case, chiefly turning on accounts 
 and figures. I sent for Althorp and for Sefton, whom 
 I often used to consult on my private concerns, having 
 the greatest confidence in his soundness and judgment. 
 They arrived separately before the time came for me 
 to reply, and I made my junior take the reply ofi" my
 
 WILLIAM IV. 289 
 
 hands ; so I went to the consultation-room, where I 
 found Althorp, Sefton, Duncannon, and my brother 
 James, whom Althorp had desired to come, as thinking 
 he w^ould be in favour of my acceptance." 
 
 After dwelling on the flattering appeal made to him by 
 these persons, that he would break up the Government, 
 etc., " I said I must have an hour to consider ; and I sent 
 for my brother and Denman, with whom I had a conver- 
 sation upon the way in which Althorp had put the 
 matter. They both said the same thing had occurred 
 to them, and also to Sefton and Duncannon, after the 
 meeting an hour ago. It ended in my letting Grey 
 know that I yielded to their remonstrances." 
 
 Now, it may be asked, who could accept a story 
 such as this, that a lawyer, even the most successful 
 lawyer of his time, should hesitate to accept so brilliant 
 a prize ? The objection that there was a sacrifice of 
 income, is only what might be urged by successful 
 barristers who have accepted the great offices.* Whether 
 he was looking to the post of Master of the Kolls, which 
 would have left him independent, it is difficult to say. 
 
 But there was another well-known personage whose 
 character has been much contested of late, and who in 
 a measure seems, at this period at least, to belong to 
 both parties. This is Lord Lyndhurst, whom we shall 
 consider in the next chapter. 
 
 * At the present moment there could be named a puisne judge 
 who was making between fourteen and fifteen thousand a year when 
 ho accepted the comparatively slender emoluments of a ijuime 
 judrjeship. 
 
 VOL. I. U
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Nothing is so interesting iis the discussion of a many- 
 sided character, wliich offers different modes of treat- 
 ment according to various prejudices or tlie comparative 
 mystery of the transactions in which it figured. The 
 popular or accepted idea of Lord Lyndhurst has been 
 that he was a sort of Machiavel, or a political adventurer, 
 flexible in his views, and ready to take service with 
 either side ; while old people who recall his earlier days 
 repeat stories of a similar flexibility in morals. An 
 ingenious advocate has been cleaning the old picture, 
 has ''got off" half a century of dirt, has restored, 
 and varnished, and regilt the frame. This task, it 
 seems, was done to the order of the family, but there 
 is a feeling, on reading the defence, that the whole is 
 more laboured and inirenious than convincinsf.'"'' There 
 
 * Thus, Lord Lyndhurst was in court. Lord Campbell tells us, 
 ■when he heard the news of his mother's death, " He swallowed a 
 large quantity of laudanum and set off to see her remains." " iNow,'' 
 says Sir T. Martin gravely, "had Lord Cami^bell really known any- 
 thing of Lord Lyndhurst as a friend, he would have known that he 
 took laudanum every night. Out of this practice Lord Campbell's 
 fiction teas manufactured." But had he not shown that he knew 
 something "as a friend"; for a person who takes laudanum every 
 night would naturally take it on a sudden shock of this kind. The
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 291 
 
 is too muck of "Would it be jikely that Lord Campbell," 
 *' Is it credible," " A man would not have deserved the 
 name," etc. Many of Lord Campbell's charges and 
 vituperative attacks are disposed of, by showing mis- 
 takes and inconsistencies in detail ; but the impression 
 remains that the story is right in the main. But even 
 these refutations seem insufficient. 
 
 In appraising Lyndhurst's character it should always 
 be kept in view that his contemporaries held him in 
 suspicion. Wherever we look we are certain to find this 
 distrust. A long list could be made of eminent persons 
 who have recorded their unfavourable opinion of him. 
 Lord Grey, Lord Tavistock, Lord Lansdowne, Lord 
 
 laudanum of tlie day-time may have been a fiction, but not because 
 it was also taken at night. Sir T. Martin quotes Lyndhurst as 
 praising a disphxy of great loyalty, zeal, and unanimity. " Strange 
 words for one supposed to be devotedly attached to republican 
 doctrines." But Lyndhurst was merely speaking of the zeal of the 
 volunteers in the defence of the country against the French. There 
 were plenty of republican patriots of that kind. Lord Campbell 
 speaks of Copley attending anniversary dinners to celebrate Fox's 
 return for Westminster and the acquittal of Home Tooke and 
 Hardy. "Now," says Sir T. ]\Iartin, "the wanton recklessness of 
 this statement is proved by a reference to dates. Fox's election for 
 Westminster took place in 1784, when Copley was twelve years old. 
 Hardy and Tooke were tried in 1794 when Copley was at Cambridge." 
 Now the "wanton recklessness" of this refutation might also be 
 proved by a reference to dates. Fox was again elected for West- 
 minster, in 1791, and dinners were often held to celebrate it and other 
 of his victories. Again, "the anniversary of" Hardy's acquittal in 
 its ordinary sense might surely be celebrated a dozen years after the 
 event. This was what Lord Campbell meant. A legal story is 
 quoted from the Edlnhur(jh Review as an instance of the fashion in 
 which fictions are " manufactured." Lord Lyndhurst, it seems, used 
 to relate how at the trial of Watson and Thistlewood his leader, 
 Wetherall, had suddenly collapsed in his speech, and that he himself 
 not being prepared to go on Avas in mortal terror, when the other 
 luckily recovered himself and spoke for a day and a half. This is 
 declared to be incredible. A barrister who was not ready for his case 
 
 U 2
 
 292 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 DcDman, Mr. Canning, Stanley, Scarlett, Lord George 
 Bentinck, and many more, all expressed hostile opinions 
 of his character. Lord Denman, one of the most just 
 and honourable of men, declared he had betrayed 
 his cause, which he had undertaken, for the sake of his 
 own interests — a serious charo-e from such a man. He 
 spoke of him as a " Mephistophelcs," and described 
 Canning as " exposing the baseness and impudence of 
 his conduct." Lord Derby refused to serve with him, 
 as did also Lord George Bentinck. 
 
 But the most curious test of character is that, on 
 almost every change of Government, we find this con- 
 
 "woukl be a disgrace to the gown lie wore, and " tlie greatest fool 
 besides." "Wetherall rose late in the day — for twenty-two Avitnesses 
 had been examined — and concluded his speech the same evening. 
 There was no failure mentioned in the report. Xext day, witnesses 
 were examined and Lyndhurst spoke. Thus it turns out that 
 Wetherall spoke for a singularly short time, and that Copley applied 
 to have the examination of the Avitnesses postponed till next morning, 
 a fair presumption that he Avished for time. The thing is hardly 
 Avorth minute investigation, but it may be said that there is not a 
 barrister of eminence who is not occasionally surprised in this way, 
 or has come into court unprepared. 
 
 Then of a story so pleasantly told of his spouting in the Temple, 
 debating so excitedly that the laundresses and other attendants 
 gathered round the AvindoAvs, a cry of fire Avas raised and the engine 
 brought. This is gravely refuted as a moral imputation ; it is urged 
 that the topics Avere purely legal, so he could not excite himself — that 
 the Temple is shut up at night. But some of the scouts live in the 
 Temple, or have business there of nights, bringing in suppers, oysters, 
 etc., and it is possible to grow excited over a legal topic. It is absurd 
 arguing on stories. Too much importance has been attached to the 
 charge of Copley's having been a Jacobin and having changed his 
 opinions. Eut the real force of the accusations lay in his constant 
 denials — this, too, joined Avith the shiftiness that seemed to attach to 
 his political acts. There is a passage in Lord Campbell's diary Avhich 
 he himself did not publish or use. When both Avere rising men at the 
 bar, Scarlett reminded him that he used to be called " Jacobin Copley,"
 
 WILLIAM IV. 293 
 
 sistent politician being proposed to be continued in 
 office by the incoming pcarty, Tliis at least shows a 
 belief in his flexibility, even though he did not accept. 
 When the Tories fell in 1830, in a conversation with 
 Mr. Greville, he seemed to say that the chancellorship 
 ought to have been put in commission, and that he him- 
 self might have been called on to fill it in a few months. 
 AVithout going deeply into politics, it certainly strikes 
 one as singular that the appearance of Lyndhurst, in 
 any striking situation, is always attended by some 
 awkward shifty associations. A defence of some kind 
 has to be offered, there is an air of suspicion about. 
 
 wliich the other said, " was a calumny invented at the time ; " on which 
 Scarlett replied, " I remember it perfectly." 
 
 Sir T. Martin gives substantial proof of the attentions and friend- 
 liness of Sir R. Peel when Lord Lyndhurst was advanced in life. 
 l>ut he tries to prove too much when he makes out that all the stories 
 of hostility are Lord Campbell's lictions. The latter mentions Peel 
 studiously pretending not to pay attention when Lyndhurst was 
 enforcing his views. Friendliness at a late period does not negative 
 previous hostility. As well might Sir T. Martin argue from the 
 cordiality and affection that now exist between Mr. Gladstone and 
 Mr. Chamberlain, that it was a pure fiction that only four years ago 
 the latter had bitterly described the Premier as the " meanest of states- 
 men," with much more coarse abuse. 
 
 To show what little confidence Sir E. Peel had in Lyndhurst, 
 Lord Campbell declares that he issued the famous Tamworth mani- 
 festo without consulting him, " What will be thought of such a state- 
 ment," asks Sir T. Martin, " when the fact is that it was actually settled 
 and adopted in Lord Lyndhurst's own dining-room 1 " But we find that 
 this was merely a Cabinet dinner, where Sir Robert showed it to his 
 colleagues when complete, to receive their approbation. The obvious 
 meaning of Lord Campbell was that he had not thought fit to consult 
 his important colleague on the paper, and had not planned or drawn 
 it up in conceit with him. 
 
 He describes Lord Eldon advising his friend to choose a short 
 title, saying it would be easily and (piickly written as he would have 
 to sign it often. "He I'rpf thU jru'iull ij liinf in vicir" says Sir T.
 
 294 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 When the " true-blue " Tories declined serving under 
 Mr, Canning, it seemed odd that Copley should have 
 consented to join him. That in this first step he should 
 be looked on as a deserter is characteristic, and this is 
 shown by a little sketch in Lord Kiugsdown's KecoUec- 
 tions : "Lord Lyndhurst was engaged to dine the 
 following week at a large political party of his old 
 colleagues, I forget at what house, and having aban- 
 doned them, to their great annoyance, he had some 
 doubt whether he should keep his engagement. After 
 consulting with his wife, however (the then Lady Lynd- 
 hurst), they determined that it would be cowardly to 
 stay away, and that they would face it out. Lord 
 Lyndhurst says that he took down to dinner Mrs. 
 Arbuthnot, who did nothing but reproach and abuse him 
 the whole time that he sat by her ; but Lady Lyndhurst 
 was taken down by Lord Eldon, who was most marked 
 in his attentions and courtesy to her, and in enabling 
 her to overcome the awkwardness of the position in 
 which, she could not but feel she was placed." Lord 
 Kingsdown adds significantly : " Soon after Lord Lynd- 
 
 Martin; ''the result was Lyndhurst"- — a long and rather difficult word 
 to write. Sir T. Martin also decides that the "Lives of the Chancellors" 
 belongs to the category of unlia^ppilij long-lived hooks, which Charles 
 Lamb declared "no gentleman's library should be without." Lamb 
 was not thinking of " long-lived books " but of annual registers, 
 Josephus, court calendars, and 'such dreary literature, in which 
 category the entertaining " Lives of the Chancellors " Avould never 
 have been placed by "Elia." It is clear Sir T. Martin has the 
 Caledonian's impenetrability to a jest. Lord Campbell tells how he 
 met Lyndhurst at a dinner, when the latter told him that " he had 
 some thouglits of dying a Whig in order that he (Campbell) might 
 deal mercifully with him ; " upon which Sir T. Martin exclaims in 
 grave rebuke, "Lyndhurst die a Whig!" The drollery here is that the 
 critic is so insensible to the jest, while the persoir he reprehends 
 sees it.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 295 
 
 Imrst's appointment, some new King's Counsel were 
 made, amongst otliers Brougham and my great friend (as 
 he afterwards became) Bickersteth. These promotions 
 sufficiently showed on what political support Canning 
 relied." In the suspicious transaction of Lyndhurst's 
 accepting the Chief Baronship from the Tories, Sir T. 
 Martin appeals to Brougham's eagerness for his place, 
 and his general assurances that there was no pledge 
 given or asked for ; it was a disinterested act done to 
 secure a good judge for the public. These impartial 
 appointments are so rare that one is inclined to be 
 suspicious. 
 
 The reason of Brougham's eagerness is plainly revealed 
 in his letters and conduct — he wished to have a precedent 
 which would help liirii when he was out of office, as he 
 was feverishly anxious to get back to freedom and public 
 life. But as to the disinterestedness on the part of Lords 
 Grey and Brougham, to which Sir T. Martin appeals, 
 as proving that they had no proselytising views, it is 
 enough to turn to their letters. Lord Grey writes : " It 
 would materially contribute to our ease and comfort in 
 the House of Lords ; " while Lord Brougham says him- 
 self, " It ivould he a great thing, as Lord Grey hoped, 
 for the party — a hope which Lyndhurst's conduct soon 
 showed to be grievously fallacious." So much for the 
 public grounds of the aj^pointment ; it matters not that 
 the hook did not land the fish, though the bait was 
 taken. The ^^oint is, the showing that there was an 
 impression that Lyndhurst was in the market. He 
 himself was uneasy as to the ugly look of the transac- 
 tion — this being the second of his promotions which was 
 regarded askance — and asked favourable opinions from 
 his friends all round. Sir T. Martin does not see that 
 their answers are exceedingly guarded, Peel merely
 
 296 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 wisliiug that " it may promote his happiness, whether 
 he accept or decline ; " the Duke of Wellington, " that 
 he shall be happy at any arrangement that tends to give 
 you convenience, etc. ; " while another colleague bids 
 him take the post "if he can accept with propriety " — 
 which seems either to say it was a matter for his own 
 nice sense of decency, or that, considering his own 
 embarrassment in money matters, he might be privileged 
 not to be too nice in matters of principle. Lyndhurst 
 himself stated that the place came to him unsolicited, 
 **and further that he was certain to be subjected to so 
 much obloquy and abuse that he was inclined to decline." 
 But here, again, the purely disinterested view is awk- 
 wardly disturbed by the vision of the beautiful Lady 
 Lyndhurst, for w^hom, both Mr. Greville and Lord 
 Brougham tell us, the venerable Grey had a gallant 
 tendre. She herself told a friend that her admirer had 
 given the place as a present for herself, to give to 
 her husband. Thus, as I said, the transaction assumes 
 a curious intriguing air. But when this appointment is 
 taken in connection with a negotiation that was supposed 
 to be going on, this view is strengthened. 
 
 Mr. Eeeve, the editor of Mr. Greville's " Memoirs," 
 tells us that " Lord Grey certainly contemplated giving 
 the office of the Great Seal to Lord Lyndhurst," in itself 
 an extraordinary fact, and significant of a flexible political 
 temper. He was disgusted at its being given to Brougham, 
 which seemed to support Mr. Greville's statement that 
 he thought it would be put in commission, and that 
 he would be called to hold it in a few months. He 
 said " he had over and over again remonstrated with 
 the Duke on the impossibility of carrying on such a 
 Government." Again, " Lord Lyndhurst, ivho loses 
 everything hy the fall of the late Government, cannot
 
 WILLIAM IV. 297 
 
 get over it, particularly as lie feels that the Duke's 
 obstinacy brought it about, and that by timely 
 concessions and good management he might have 
 had Lord Grey, Palmerston, and all that are worth 
 having." 
 
 Further, Mr. Greville was assured by Mr. Arbuthnot 
 that they knew that Lyndhurst was intriguing with the 
 Whio's when the Duke was turned out in '30, and that 
 it had been settled that he was to remain their Chan- 
 cellor ; and so he would have been if Brougham woidd 
 have consented to be Attorney-Genera). 
 
 Thus this general appreciation of a man by his 
 contemporaries is always significant. Mr. Arbuthnot 
 was the faithful confidant of the Duke, as the Duke 
 was of Lord Lyndhurst. 
 
 Mr. Ticknor, an impartial critic, had a conversation 
 with Lord Althorp during one of his visits to this 
 country. The nobleman, "in talking a little politics," 
 spoke of Lord Lyndhurst, to whom he gave all praise 
 for temper and ability, but declared to be entirely un- 
 principled. In illustration he cited the history of his 
 own Bill for the Recovery of Small Debts, which, he 
 said, Lord Lyndhurst (then Solicitor-General), on its 
 being first mentioned to him, entirely approved : 
 
 " He (Lord Althorp) introduced the Bill, and was 
 surprised beyond measure to have Copley oppose it in 
 a very able and acute argument. He went over in- 
 stantly and spoke to him on the subject, and reminded 
 him of what he had previously said in its favour in 
 private, to which ' Copley made no sort of reply but by 
 a hearty laugh.' Lord Eldon, however, on whom Copley's 
 promotion then depended, it was found afterwards, was 
 opposed to the Bill, and this explained it." 
 
 Surely this generally ditlused impression of lack of
 
 298 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 honesty cannot liave been so wholly unfounded. Even 
 that old gossip, Sir R. Heron, who has left a not un- 
 amusing book of "Notes,"* records, with much political 
 bias, this general feeling. He describes a well-known 
 scene in the House, in a " Catholic " debate, when 
 " Copley made a violent, and, as I thought, a weak 
 speech against the Catholics, which entitled him to a 
 most severe reply from Canning, under whose sarcasms 
 he seemed to writhe ; he could not even decently sup- 
 press his feelings, but soon afterwards, in the lobby, in 
 the presence of many strangers, he declared his astonish- 
 ment at the treatment he had received. ' Canning,' he 
 said, 'ouo-ht to have seen that throuo;h the whole of his 
 speech he had left a loophole, which might make him 
 still capable of being his Chancellor to carry the 
 measure.' So much for consistency and political probity ! 
 Abercrombie, who was present, to put an end to such 
 a scene, asked him when he meant to brinsf forward his 
 Chancery Bill. ' Perhaps never,' said Copley, ' let them 
 do their own work : I am independent of them, and will 
 have no connection with such men.' Yet this man 
 was made Master of the Eolls by them a few months 
 ago, and is now, it seems, to be made Chancellor by 
 Cannino^." 
 
 The same lively and rather amusing gossip, Sir R. 
 Heron, records another instance of the general belief in 
 Copley. He also mentions a story of Lady Lyndhurst 
 sayiug to someone who remarked on his changing his 
 views : " And he would change again if you make it worth 
 his while." 
 
 Again, a character is greatly influenced by certain 
 
 * In which he repeated some charge against Mr. Croker, who 
 accordingly flung himself on the book and tore it and its writer to 
 pieces in a most savage review.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 299 
 
 elements often found in the adventurer. Lyndliurst,"" it 
 is well known, suffered all his life from money difficulties. 
 He married two beautiful women. His second wife was 
 the dauo-hter of a certain Lewis Goldsmith, who wrote 
 -sucli books as " The Crimes of Cabinets," of which it is 
 enough to say they were subsequently imitated by Mr. 
 O. W. Eeynolds. 
 
 The first Lady Lyndhurst was much admired, and 
 drew many admirers to her husband's interest. His 
 mode of living was certainly lavish, ostentatious, and 
 extravagant. These elements, taken sejDarately, are 
 ■common enough ; but combined in a prominent lawyer 
 and functionary do unkindly suggest something of an 
 adventurer, and would naturally entail unsteadiness of 
 principle. The man with expensive tastes and little 
 money is likely enough to be shifty. The beautiful 
 Lady Lyndhurst figured in an extraordinary adventure, 
 in which the Duke of Cumberland was concerned. There 
 were then flourishing some scurrilous prints, whose gossip 
 was supposed to be supplied by the servants ; and in one 
 <A these papers appeared a strange story — that the Duke 
 of Cumberland, calling on Lady Lyndhurst, had so out- 
 rageously misconducted himself that he was turned out 
 of the house. Tliis excited much astonishment ; and it 
 seems that, according to the Lyndhurst accounts, her 
 story was true, and that the Duke had come a second 
 time, when he contented himself with lavishing* coarse 
 
 * " La<ly Lyndhurst still lives, and in this year has, it is announced, 
 resigned lier rooms in Hampton Couit. The sort of society to he 
 ■found among the dowagers of "Wolsey's palace was not palatable to a 
 clever Avoman accustomed to. the old houi^e in George Street, Hanover 
 4Square, where Lady Lyndhurst spent so many years in the midst of 
 social brilliancy. 'J'iie house builL by Mi". Gore-Langton now stands 
 on the silc of Lord Lyndhurst's former house and that which slwod 
 next to it."
 
 300 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 abuse on the lady's husband. It was only this second 
 visit that she revealed ; the first she thought it better 
 to conceal for a time. On seeing the paragraph, the 
 Duke addressed the Chancellor, sending him a copy, 
 " relating to a pretended transaction in your lordship's 
 house;" and desiring "to have Lady Lyndhurst's 
 authority for contradicting this gross falsehood." 
 
 Now here was a plain issue, whether the Duke's 
 statement was true or the reverse ; and it would not be 
 easy to guess what sort of answer a straightforward and 
 indio^nant husband would have sent. He would have 
 simply declined to do what he was asked, or he would 
 have written a stern rebuke. But, instead, Lord Lynd- 
 hurst's friends gave out that it would not do to have 
 been drawn into a duel with the Duke, as he would have 
 to resign his office, which he could not afford ; so he 
 wrote : " The Lord Chancellor, with his duty, begs 
 to acknowledge the favour, etc. He had never seen 
 the paragraph, and regarded it as one of the series of 
 calumnies to which Lady Lyndhurst has been for some 
 time exposed." To say nothing of this bated tone, the 
 word "calumnies" would seem to support the Duke's 
 denial. No wonder it was pronounced "Jesuitical and 
 evasive," and no wonder the Duke wrote back that " it 
 was not so explicit as he had a right to expect." He 
 again repeated that the statement was false and calum- 
 nious, and he had a right to her sanction to the 
 contradiction. 
 
 Nothino- was more losrical. If the Duke were slan- 
 dered, the lady ought to clear him ; if he were not, then 
 " her being the subject of calumnies" did not prove the 
 case against him. After consultation with the Duke 
 of Wellington, he wrote that " he did not wish to 
 annoy Lady L." by troubling her. As to his being
 
 WILLIAM IV, 301 
 
 excluded from tlieir house, the grateful attachment they 
 both felt to their sovereign, made that impossible — all 
 which was hardly straightforward. On which the 
 Duke replied that the Chancellor might have his own 
 reasons for not telling Lady Lyndhurst, and to his 
 owu friends he declared he had been encourao;ed, 
 asked to dine, etc. In short, there is a shifting 
 tone about the discussion which docs not correspond 
 with that of a manly nature. He certainly was too 
 amiably obsequious and forbearing. It will be seen 
 later, that when the Peel Government set itself to 
 gaining over the editor of The Times, the duty was 
 entrusted to Lord Lyndhurst, who, at interviews and 
 dinners at his house, succeeded in cementino; a formal 
 alliance with the great power, Mr. Barnes. 
 
 In spite, therefore, of all ingenious pleadings, the 
 presumption against this personage is far too strong to be 
 easily disposed of. But it will be found, when we come 
 to consider his share in a certain political crisis, that 
 the epithet used of " intriguer," is scarcely too strong. 
 Finally, it is recorded of him that he carefully destroyed 
 all his papers, letters, etc., before his death, a circum- 
 stance not unlikely to rouse suspicion where character 
 is involved. 
 
 What strikes one perpetually in this view of society 
 is the character and individuality of all concerned. The 
 lawyers particularly were men of far more mark, and 
 far less j^^'ofessional, than they are now. Brougham, 
 Copley, Eldon, Denman, were all much more than mere 
 law officers. Even such a man as Leach was a cha- 
 racter in his way, and represented the "legal adven- 
 turer," in which category Lyndhurst has been ranked 
 by distempered partisans. 
 
 But, as a contrast to this ** schemer," associated with
 
 302 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 one of the most pathetic tragedies of this time, was the 
 catastrophe of Romilly, the admirable and popular 
 lawyer, whose pad fate excited the sympathy of the 
 kingrdom, and of which the details are little known 
 to our generation. His political life was distinguished 
 by little excitement, but more remarkable was his love 
 of home and of his wife, to which, with a rare self- 
 denial, he subordinated all his hopes of professional 
 advancement. 
 
 His attachment — constant and ever-increasing as- 
 they grew old together — offers the greatest evidence 
 of the charm of disposition of this amiable man, and it 
 is melancholy to think that this devotion should have 
 actually been the cause of his disastrous end. He was 
 always welcomed at Bowood, Lord Lansdowne's place^ 
 which he visited nearly every year, and in 1796 he had, 
 by an accident, all but interrupted the agreeable series. 
 Of this special occasion, he writes some twenty years 
 later : 
 
 "To what accidental causes are the most important 
 occurrences of our lives sometimes to be traced ! Some 
 miles from Bowood is the form of a white horse, 
 grotesquely cut out upon the downs, and forming a 
 landmark to a wide extent of country. To that object 
 it is that I owe all the real happiness of my life. In the 
 year 179G I made a visit to Bowood. My dear Anne, 
 who had been staying there some weeks, w^ith her father 
 and her sisters, was about to leave it. The day fixed 
 for their departure was the eve of that on which I 
 arrived, and if nothing had occurred to disappoint their 
 purpose, I never should have seen her. But it happened 
 that on the preceding day she w\as one of an equestrian 
 party w^hich was made to visit this curious object. She 
 overheated herself by her ride ; a violent cold and pain
 
 WILLIAM IV. 303 
 
 in her face was the consequence. Her father found it 
 indispensably necessary to defer his journey for several 
 days, and in tlie meantime I arrived. I saw in her 
 the most beautifid and accomplished creature that ever 
 blessed the sin^ht and understandino- of man. A most 
 intelligent mind, an uncommonly correct judgment, a 
 lively imagination, a cheerful disposition, a noble and 
 generous way of thinking, an elevation and heroism of 
 character, and a warmth and tenderness of affection such 
 as is rarely found even in her sex, were among her 
 extraordinary endowments. I was captivated alike by 
 the beauties of her person and the charms of her mind. 
 A mutual attachment was formed between us, which at 
 the end of a little more than a year was consecrated by 
 marriage. All the happiness I have known in her 
 beloved society, all the many and exquisite enjoyments 
 which my dear children have afforded me, even my 
 extraordinary success in my profession, the labours of 
 which, if my life had not been so cheered and exhila- 
 rated, I never could have undero^one — all are to be 
 traced to this trivial cause." 
 
 " Of the worth of Lady Romilly's mind," says Mr. 
 Croker, " her nearer friends only could be adequate 
 judges ; but those who remember her in society will 
 admit that her husband, who never ceased to be a pas- 
 sionate lover, has but little exaggerated her personal 
 charms. She was lively, elegant, and pretty." 
 
 With this lady Eomilly spent some twenty-two happy 
 years, and it was destined that they were not to be sepa- 
 rated in death longer than a few days, when the disastrous 
 issue which filled England with grief closed his life. 
 
 " Lady Romilly died," says his editor, " on the 29th 
 of October, 1818. Her husband survived but for three 
 days the wife whom he had loved with a devotion to
 
 304 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 whicli licr virtues, and her liappy influence on the 
 usefuhiess of his life, gave her so just a claim. His 
 anxiety during her illness preyed upon his mind and 
 affected his health ; and the shock occasioned by her 
 death led to that event which brought his life to a close, 
 on the 2nd of November, 1818, in the sixty-second year 
 of his age." 
 
 This would be read as nothing very exceptional by 
 the average reader, but the catastrophe is best described 
 in the narrative of his old friend Dumont, a most natural 
 and affecting one, and told at the inquest : 
 
 "Mr. Stephen Dumont, of Geneva, then stated that 
 he was one of the Keprcsentatives of the Council at 
 Geneva, but had been in England previous to the 
 restoration. ' I have,' he said, ' been connected with 
 Sir Samuel Romilly a great many years ; my intention 
 was to have spent the summer with my best friend, Sir 
 Samuel, and his lady ; but the state of Lady Eomilly's 
 health was such that she was removed to Cowes, in the 
 Isle of Wight.' Here the witness, in great anguish, 
 said it u^ould be better that he should read the letters 
 he had then received from Sir Samuel. A letter was 
 then read from Sir Samuel, dated from Cowes, 27th 
 September, inviting Dr. Dumont to visit him there ; 
 saying that he could not promise him any pleasure, as 
 he considered Lady Romilly in a very perilous state, as 
 the physicians did not say she was out of danger ; and 
 concluded thus : ' She is considered by her medical 
 attendants in some danger. She is for the present a 
 little better, and I take care neither to let her nor the 
 poor children see the anxiety I feel, but it costs me a 
 great deal ; with all this, do not suppose I have not 
 resolution to undergo everything to preserve my health 
 for my children's sake.' "
 
 WILLIAM IV. 305 
 
 He then went on : '"I arrived in the Isle of Wioht 
 on the 3rd of October, and Lady Eomilly was well 
 enough to spend a few hours in company ; but Sir 
 Samuel seemed to have no confidence, and notwithstand- 
 ing that recovery he was in the same state of anxiety. 
 Lady Romilly had a relapse, and was for some days in a 
 great state of suffering. During that time nothing 
 could equal the excruciating pains of Sir Samuel but 
 his fortitude and resignation. He was almost entirely 
 deprived of sleep, and I saw he began to entertain the 
 greatest apprehension from that circumstance. Twice 
 or thrice he has expressed to me his fears of mental 
 derangement. Once he sent for me in the middle of 
 the nioht, at least at two o'clock in the mornino-, and 
 spoke to me of a dream he had had full of horrors, and 
 said that an impression had remained ujdou his mind as 
 if the dream had been a reality. He asked me if I did 
 not consider that as a proof that his mind was broken, 
 and his faculties impaired. Conversations about his 
 children generally restored a certain degree of peace to 
 his mind, and sometimes he proposed plans for their 
 education and future establishment. On Thursday, the 
 29th of October, about ten o'clock, while at Cowes, in 
 the Isle of Wight, he was informed by his nephew. 
 Dr. Roget, for whom he always showed the same attach- 
 ment as for one of his sons, that his lady was no more. 
 I have omitted to say that the two sisters of Lady 
 Romilly came on the Tuesday previous, and he said he 
 could shed no tears when he saw them. He told me 
 his brains were burning hot. He left Cowes with great 
 reluctance the next day (Friday), but he declared he 
 would be governed entirely by Dr. Roget and his 
 friends. I accompanied him, and on Friday we slept at 
 Winchester. He felt extremely exhausted. Dr. Roget 
 
 VOL. I. X.
 
 306 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 slept ia tlie same room, and Sir Samuel's niglit was 
 extremely restless. The next morning I observed 
 marks of great agitation, which he tried to subdue ; he 
 was constantly tearing his gloves, or the palm of his 
 hand, scratching his fingers and his nose, and some 
 blood came from his nose. When we arrived at an inn 
 on the road he was so weak that we could proceed no 
 furtlxer. I had proposed to him not to come to Russell 
 Square, but to take some other house for the present. 
 He answered, that he was likely to be laid up for some 
 time, and he was desirous of getting home, and he pro- 
 ceeded ; but I observed more violent signs of agitation 
 still, more tearing of his hands and of his nose. In a 
 moment that he was shutting his eyes and wringing his 
 hands, I took the hand of his daughter and placed it in 
 his hand ; upon which, opening his eyes, and having 
 perceived what I had done, he cast upon me an unutter- 
 able look of gratitude, and embraced his dauo-hter. 
 When we arrived in Russell Square he made great 
 efibrts to compose himself, and went to his library, and 
 threw himself upon a sofa, quite in a manner that was 
 alarming to me ; then for some moments he was joining 
 his hands, as in a state of delirium, but he spoke 
 nothing. A moment after he got up, took my arm, 
 went round the two rooms, and appeared to me to be in 
 the state of a man dying of an internal wound. About 
 seven in the morning of Monday, Dr. Roget came to 
 me in a state of extreme anxiety, telling me that his 
 uncle was much worse, with a violent fever, uttering 
 some expressions in a state of perturbation, and com- 
 plaining that he was distracted. I went then to Holland 
 House, at Kensington, to see his three youngest children, 
 whom Lord Holland had taken from school to his house, 
 and to make some arrangements with respect to them.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 307 
 
 When I returned to Eussell Square, about half-past 
 three, I found one of the servants in tears, and Dr. 
 Eoget in a state approaching to despair. My first 
 feeling was stupor and astonishment. I never had any 
 apprehension of the act by which he had lost his life. 
 The intimate knowledge that I had of his high principles 
 of duty, of his moral and religious fortitude, of his love 
 for his country, and of his — (much affected) — of his 
 parental affection, totally excluded from my mind every 
 suspicion or idea of the catastrophe that has happened.' 
 " His mind, overwrought by grief, had given way 
 under the strain, and this most amiable and affectionate 
 of men had destroyed himself." 
 
 x2
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Two very prominent figures in the ministry were those 
 of Lord Althorp, a most interesting cliaracter, whose 
 position was a peculiar one, and Lord Durham. The 
 first was a Parliamentary leader, rude and uncouth 
 of speech, scarcely able to put a few sentences together ; 
 a Chancellor of the Exchequer ignorant of all the rules 
 of finance, and astonishing his friends with the most 
 crude and even ij^norant statements as to finance. 
 Another sinojular note in his character was his hatred of 
 politics. He pined to be free, to get back to the 
 country, and, in one serious crisis when he was in office, 
 ministerialists were delighted to find, from his dejected, 
 despairing face, that the difficulty had been surmounted. 
 There is something piquant in this inversion of the 
 usual conjectural inferences. 
 
 Yet with such qualifications he was thought essential 
 to his party, for his name was evidence of honesty and 
 faith and loyalty. He was beloved by his friends ; and 
 " Jack," as he was nicknamed, who could neither speak 
 nor reason, and who was ever trying to get rid of otticc 
 with the ardour that most men seek it, was such a factor 
 in politics, that the mere promotion of him to the Upper 
 House actually overturned a ministry. There is some-
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 309 
 
 tiling very pleasing in reading the history of this genuine, 
 unaffected man : his dislike of his work, coupled with 
 his wish to sacrifice himself for his friends ; his afi'ection 
 for his family, his love of the country, his emancipation, 
 and enjoyment of his beloved farm and his placid life.* 
 
 The other very conspicuous figure in the ranks of 
 the Reformers of 1832 is Lord Durham, whose political 
 character is interestins: from a certain intractable 
 passion or fervour which too often betrayed his own 
 interest. There are not found so very many political 
 men with this colouring in their nature, and in many 
 instances the reader finds little beyond the dry bones of 
 Parliamentary " speeches," and a steady ascent from one 
 office to one still higher, or change from being "out" 
 to being " in." Canning, Fox, Gladstone, Disraeli, 
 Castlereagh, are specimens of the more romantic class ; 
 Addington, Lord Liverpool, might be accepted as the 
 ofiicial and useful, but uninteresting politicians. Lord 
 Durham's life is but little familiar to the general public, 
 save from ]\Ir. Trevelyan's short and picturesque para- 
 graphs ; yet his career excites at least curiosity and 
 much interest, as a turbulent, intolerant, but still 
 thoroughly genuine and unselfish person. He was not 
 one of those pliant, self-seeking politicians who, if they 
 are above any necessities of life, absolutely hunger for 
 office or place. Lord Durham's life was short — he died 
 comparatively young — but it was hardly marked with 
 brilliancy, and must have been one of utter disappoint- 
 ment to him. 
 
 " Durham," says one of his friends (Lord Brougham), 
 *' had many good and some great qualities, but all were 
 
 * On his death-bed he made the odd declaration that he anticipated 
 liappiness in the next life, because ho had received so many blessings 
 in the present. The presumption, at least, is the other way.
 
 310 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 much obscured, and even perverted, by his temper, 
 which was greatly affected by the painful liver disease 
 under which he laboured all his life. He was in the 
 best sense of the word high-spirited. He was generous, 
 open, and incapable of falsehood or meanness of any 
 kind. His abilities were ejreat, thousfh not cultivated 
 by instruction, for his education had been much 
 neglected. He was very modest respecting his own 
 merits, and favourable towards those of others, with 
 even an enthusiasm that was exceedingly touching and 
 amiable. Instead of pluming himself on his talents, 
 he really was chiefly fond of exalting his wealth and 
 family." 
 
 From this it will be seen how one of the most 
 melancholy disabilities in the world, for a political 
 leader, is to suffer from the malady above alluded to as, 
 besides the physical torment, it brings with it the chronic 
 irritability, which is fatal to the reserve, and patience, 
 and good humour so necessary in political life. 
 
 According to Lord Brougham he was passionately 
 desirous of a peerage, not in the ordinary advancement,, 
 but of receiving, j9er saltum, the immediate distinction 
 of an earldom. He pressed this rather unusual claim 
 with great eagerness. 
 
 It is not a surprise to find this most Eadical of Peers 
 complaining that he was " to be put on a level with a 
 barber's son."'" 
 
 " I know very well," he wrote to Lord Brougham, in 
 1827, "that many persons think, by accepting any 
 peerage whatever, I shall descend from the prominent 
 
 * A propos of this remark about "the barber's son," I have heard 
 it stated that this eminent Eadical kept up the highest and strictest. 
 state at his mansion, at Lambton, exacting from even his own family 
 and dependents homage to his magnificence.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 311 
 
 position I now occupy. Certainly, if it is an inferior 
 rank, they are right, as the situation of the first Com- 
 moner is more marked and honourable than that of the 
 last Baron. 
 
 " Coke, in 1806, was offered an earldom ; he refused 
 it. His son-in-law, Mr. Anson, was made a viscount. 
 The present Lord Londonderry was given an earldom 
 for his son by Lady Frances Yaue ; and in 1784, Sir 
 James Lowther was created Earl of Lonsdale and 
 Viscount Lowther. The latter is an unanswerable 
 precedent ; his situation was exactly like mine — large 
 landed possession, and great influence in the north, 
 added to a most ancient family, were his claims. They 
 are mine, without taking into account my own situation 
 in the political world." 
 
 His friend wrote back, disposing of all these pre- 
 cedents. Lord Lonsdale had vast estates and many 
 boroughs. Mr. Coke had peerage in his family already. 
 
 " He had a way of reckoning his income by some great 
 years of the yield of his coal-mines, and then he would 
 say his property was so many thousands a year ; but I 
 said : ' My dear fellow, I can assure you that the 
 Darlingtons, Fitzwilliams, Thanets, Lonsdales, only 
 reckon by surjace, and reduce mere coal-owners, like 
 Curwen, to a low figure.' " 
 
 It had been a common subject of aspersion by his 
 enemies that he w^as somewhat deficient in personal 
 courage, though ready enough in speech. At an election 
 in Northumberland, in 1820, he was enabled to dispose 
 of these calumnies in what was considered the most 
 satisfactory manner, and such attacks ceased from that 
 moment. * 
 
 "Beaumont" (the other candidate), he wrote, "at 
 last, on Friday, broke out against me, and used, on the
 
 312 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 liustiDgs, language that I was compelled to notice. He 
 seems to have been long seeking an opportunity, and he 
 certainly could not have chosen a worse (as you will see 
 by the report), of quarrelling with me. A meeting was 
 appointed for the same evening at nine. We arrived on 
 the ground (General Grey and I) at the time ; Beau- 
 mont's second came after us, and said that so many 
 people had assembled at the skirts of the town, three 
 miles from which we were to go, that he feared we 
 should be interrupted, and had sent Beaumont back. 
 He then appointed four o'clock the next morning. We 
 then settled to meet in the neighbourhood of Belford, 
 and at four o'clock we at last overcame all interruptions, 
 and met near Bamburgh Castle. We exchanged shots 
 without any injury — the seconds interfered, and the 
 affair terminated." 
 
 This is told gaily, and with an absence of fan- 
 faronnade which is significant of character.'"" 
 
 After the Reform Bill passed, we find him resigning 
 his office, a step Lord Palmerston tells us was "really on 
 account of his health, for had he been well, nothing, 
 I believe, would have persuaded him to go out." He 
 was never to return to office again. When, however, 
 others, like Lord Ripon, and Sir J. Graham, and Stanley 
 withdrew. Lord Palmerston raises the curtain a little and 
 affects to have discovered Lord Durham's hand. "What 
 is most provoking, the break-up was, I am convinced, 
 brought on by an intrigue planned and directed by 
 Durham, who fancied if he could drive them out he 
 should, as a matter of course, come in ; and great, I 
 understand, was his mortification, disappointment, and 
 
 * Lord Ellenborough describes one of the quaint old customs of an 
 election still surviving in 1830 — the candidate entering the town 
 arrayed in a cocked hat.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 313 
 
 astonisliment, tliat no offer was made to liim. AYe 
 all protested agaiast it, both on account of his extreme 
 opinions and because his coming in would have given 
 a new character to the Government. It was suo^o-ested 
 that he should be sent to Paris. I protested against 
 it, saying that Durham I knew to be my enemy, and 
 was a man I could not trust. Grey assured me I 
 was mistaken. It was found next morning that Lord 
 Durham would not listen to any such proposal." 
 
 In June, 1833, we find him on board his yacht, the 
 Louisa, named after his wife, and cruising off Ryde, 
 writing to his friend Duncombe : *' Pray continue to let 
 me know what is going on. Yesterday we went out 
 with our new sail and four tons more ballast, as it was 
 discovered that some had been stolen last year. I had 
 Corke on board, who steered her. Her trim was quite 
 a different thing. The breeze was good, and we had a 
 fair trial of her. She beat the Arundel 'in a canter' — 
 ran past her as if she had been anchored. Don't expect 
 me to talk politics — / am quite ivretched about the state 
 of things.'^ 
 
 After his success at the Edinburo-h dinner to Lord 
 Grey, he became quite elated. A dinner in London was 
 talked of, and he was informed of the plan by his friend 
 Duncombe. " If the dinner was really desired by the 
 great mass of metropolitan electors, and would be not 
 merely well but warmly supported, and the attendance 
 more than usual, I should like it much. It would do 
 great good to the cause of real Pieform, and it would be 
 a gratifying compliment to me, who certainly did them 
 more good than anyone ; and up to this hour I have 
 never received the slightest acknowledgment of my 
 exertions. Grote would be an excellent chairman. You 
 must take care not to be too prominent, or they will say,
 
 314 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 from your intimate friendship with me, that the affair 
 was got up from private and personal motives." 
 
 There is something pleasant and natural in this 
 candour. A little later he wrote thus, a p^^opos of the 
 Tories comino; in : 
 
 " Nothing can be better than the spirit here. Surely 
 it must be the same everywhere. The people cannot 
 look quietly on whilst the Dictator is preparing to crush 
 them under his iron heel. Can you be spared from 
 
 town ? If so, pray come north. 
 
 "Ever yours, 
 
 "D." 
 
 On every side, therefore, his unhappy temper seems 
 to have raised him up enemies. The cry w^as : " No one 
 could get on with him." And this he appeared to own 
 himself "Writes the late Lord Dalling : " One of my 
 brothers. Lord Lytton, was dining at home, where there 
 w^as some discussion as to a probable successor to Lord 
 Grey. Lord Durham being mentioned, he himself said : 
 ' Melbourne is the only man, because he is the only one 
 of whom we would not be jealous." 
 
 However, he was presently consoled with the 
 embassy to St. Petersburg, an office which suited his 
 splendid tastes by an odd contradiction. Thence he 
 wrote gay letters to his friend Duncombe, the Eadical 
 Member for Finsbury. In one Avas a highly characteristic 
 protest against infringing our monopolies : 
 
 *'I see you have been presenting a petition against 
 me from your constituents. Do they know what mono- 
 poly means ? Why, exclusive privilege of selling any- 
 thing. Now, all Finsbury may go and open mines and 
 sell coals in the county of Durham. But the secret is.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 315 
 
 these speculators want Parliament to give them an 
 advantage over private individuals, by being enabled to 
 force their way through other persons' lands whether 
 they will or not — an exclusive privilege denied to us. 
 The senseless, false cry of monopoly is always raised to 
 recover some City job. But enough of this. How are 
 you, my dear D, ? Shall you pay me a visit this 
 summer ? It would repay you the trouble. 
 
 '' Ever yours, 
 
 " If you know of a case of good dri/ champagne, 
 pray send it me through the Foreign Office also." 
 
 AVhen the Whig Ministry of 1834 was formed he 
 was once more excluded, for, as The Globe declared, 
 " No member who has been in the Cabinet with Lord 
 Durham is disposed to sit with him again." He thus 
 became a sort of political pariah. 
 
 When Lord Melbourne's second ministry was formed, 
 he was still determined to exclude this troublesome but 
 powerful man. However, in 1838 he was provided with a 
 handsome appointment in Canada under a sort of Special 
 Commission. Here, however, he was destined to em- 
 broil everything. 
 
 In Canada, the behaviour of this unlucky man 
 suggested the present policy of a later Viceroy in 
 India. In their proceedings there is indeed a curious 
 parallel. The Eadical Earl of Durham was opposed by 
 all the loyalists of the country, who deprecated his 
 conciliation as only encouraging " the natives," and 
 enfeebling authority. Not content with this course, 
 Lord Durham, like many a Radical, actually took to 
 suspending the laws, and, in defiance of an Act of 
 Parliament, banished certain persons to Bermuda. This
 
 316 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 excited quite a commotion, and ministers, with tlie aid 
 of Lord Brougham, contrived to pass an Act of 
 Indemnity, for when he was despatched to Canada as 
 Governor, he stipulated for the steady support of Lis 
 own Government in some striking, almost revolutionary, 
 reforms. This was promised to him. Many excit- 
 ing debates took place in Parliament, arising out of 
 his high-handed conduct ; but though supported by 
 his Government it was but an official sort of pro- 
 tection, and the personal dislike which followed 
 worked against him. A letter of extraordinary com- 
 pliment was despatched to him from the Government 
 at home : 
 
 " I cannot conclude this despatch without expressing 
 the deep regret which Her Majesty's Government have 
 felt at the embarrassment to ichich you will have been 
 suhjected hy the recent proceedings in Parliament, 
 regarding the difficult and delicate question of the 
 disposal of the persons charged with treason in Lower 
 Canada. On a deliberate review of the whole case, Her 
 Majesty's Government are enabled distinctly to repeat 
 their approbation of the spirit in which those measures 
 were conceived, and to state their conviction that those 
 measures have been dictated by a judicious and en- 
 lightened humanity, and were calculated, under your 
 authority, to satisfy the ends- of justice, although in 
 some respects they involve a departure from its ordinary 
 forms. The Government are also persuaded that your 
 lordship will be equally anxious with themselves to 
 avoid, as far as possible, giving even a plausible ground 
 of cavil or objection to hostile criticism. It only remains 
 for me to assure you of the undiminished confidence 
 which Her Majesty's Government repose in you ; and 
 of their earnest desire to afford you the utmost support
 
 WILLIAM IV. 317 
 
 in the discharge of the arduous duties with which you 
 are entrusted. I have, etc." 
 
 This mode of speaking of the House of Commons, 
 who had merely stigmatised a violation of the law, seems 
 strano-e. But it did not soothe, as it was intended 
 to do, the excitable Earl. In a fury of vexation, 
 without waiting to have his resignation accepted 
 according to the usual form, he determined to set off 
 and return home ; but not before making excited appeals 
 to the people, or rather populace, with undignified 
 protests against the conduct of the English House of 
 Commons. 
 
 " I do not return to England from any feelings of 
 disgust at the treatment I have personally experienced 
 in the House of Lords. H I could have been influenced 
 by any such motives, I must have re-embarked in the 
 very ship which brought me out ; but that system of 
 jparliamentary ijersecution to which I allude, com- 
 menced from the moment I left the shores of Enirland. 
 I return for these reasons, and these alone — the pro- 
 ceedings in the House of Lords, acquiesced in by the 
 ministry, have deprived the Government in this province 
 of all moral power and consideration. In truth and in 
 effect, the Government here is now administered by two 
 or three j^eers, from their places in Parliament." 
 
 The agreeable " dandy," Mr. Thomas Duncombe, had 
 gone out to him on a visit, and describes the junketings, 
 yacht sailings, etc. But these were brought to a close 
 by this unlucky business, and he sailed home with his 
 friend in the Inconstant, which twice took fire and once 
 ran on a rock ; so that ill-luck seemed to pursue this 
 tempestuous character. On his arrival he found himself 
 at war with his col]eao;ues and diso-raced. He considered 
 they had sacrificed him. His friends laid much of his
 
 318 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 fall to tlie account of Lord Brougham, but who says " he 
 rendered the best service in my power by bringing in a 
 Bill to indemnify him for his utterly illegal acts. John 
 Russell attacked my Bill, and would have thrown it out, 
 but refrained on the lawyers satisfying him that Durham 
 was a ruined man unless it passed ; for actions to an 
 enormous amount would have been brought against him, 
 and must have succeeded." 
 
 It is curious to read The Times of the day on this 
 business.'"" 
 
 '■' No episode in our political history is more replete 
 with warning to honest and public-spirited men, who, in 
 seeking to serve their country, forget what is due to 
 their own interests and their own security, than the 
 story of Lord Durham. He accepted the Governorship 
 of Canada during a supreme crisis in the affairs of that 
 colony. He carried with him thither the confidence of 
 the great body of his fellow-countrymen ; — a confidence 
 which he had conciliated by his earnest and courageous 
 demeanour in the welfare of Parliament. From his 
 political opponents, in the place of generous forbearance, 
 he met with unremitting persecution ; and, as for the 
 character of the support which he obtained from those 
 Ministers who had themselves placed him in the fore- 
 front of the battle, it is more becoming to leave it for 
 Tory historians to recount the tale. But Macaulay was 
 
 * "True to their base and selfish instincts, the time-serving Whigs, 
 in deference to whom the noble Earl had, at great personal sacrifice, 
 placed himself in the van of their Canadian conflict, have at the first 
 shot deserted, dishonoured, and dismissed him ; nor is it possible that 
 his lordship can retain their commission for a single day; unless, 
 indeed, that proud and generous spirit, heretofore reputed as the very 
 model of sensitive honour, shall now be so abased by contumely as to 
 submit ignominiously to those freedoms with his character and coronet 
 which formerly he would have perilled his life to resent."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 319 
 
 mistaken in expecting that Lord Durham would call his 
 enemies to account, and still less his friends. His heart 
 was broken, but not estranged. His tongue, which had 
 too seldom, perhaps, refrained from speaking out what 
 was brave and true, could keep silence when silence was 
 demanded by the claims of past alliances and the 
 memory of old friendships. During the remnant of his 
 life, Lord Durham continued to support the Whig 
 Cabinet with all the loyalty and modesty of a young 
 peer hopeful of an under-secretaryship." 
 
 Disappointed, broken, and sunk into obscurity, he 
 never asfain emerored from his retirement. His career 
 offers a melancholy instance of the fatal effects of 
 " temper " and intractability in politics ; and it is 
 curious that a man of far greater talents than himself 
 should have found his career destroyed almost at the 
 same time from the same causes. His life was per- 
 petually fretted by disease and irritability. He died in 
 1840, a disappointed man. 
 
 There was something tragic, as there ever is, in these 
 perverse men of talent, who, sooner than subdue them- 
 selves and their temper, prefer to let it lead them on to 
 failure. Imagination can always supply the picture of 
 their unrestrained nature preying on them from rage 
 and disappointment. Lord Durham's career was destined 
 to be one of ill-luck and mortification.^^ 
 
 * A little additional celebrity was attached to this family from the 
 artistic association Avitli Lawrence's much-admired portrait of Master 
 Lambton, Lord Durham's son.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The relations of the King with his minister, Earl Grey, 
 during the critical time of introducing and passing the 
 great Reform Bill, were destined to be of rather a 
 strained and awkward kind. Though the Duke of 
 Clarence had always voted with the " Liberals " on the 
 great questions, yet his new situation had had the in- 
 variable efi'ect, and he now looked with alarm and distrust 
 on the measure. There were, indeed, a large number of 
 the Whig party, who, while willing to remove all that 
 constituted the subservience of any portion of the com- 
 munity and abate the ascendency of Toryism, were by 
 no means prepared " to alter the lines of the Constitu- 
 tion" or abolish the influence of those important con- 
 trolling factors — the King and the Lords. It now 
 began to occur to not a few that the alteration of the 
 franchise might cover an attempt in this direction, and 
 the King himself was really one of the first to antici23ate 
 this effect, forecasting that "the people," i.e., the House 
 of Commons, were in future to have the sole direction of 
 the country. He was led to this view by an immediate 
 and curious experience, and which, in truth, marks an 
 era in the constitutional history of the country. The 
 power of choosing and dismissing ministers had been
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 321 
 
 exercised at pleasure by the last two monarclis ; aud 
 nothing is more curious, and perhaps perplexing, to the 
 reader of the history of the times, than the power of this 
 setting aside a ministry and of ignoring even a hostile 
 majority. This would seem to have been absolutely 
 founded on the influence of the King's name, the power 
 of the Court, the power to give " pensions on Ireland," 
 place, military offices, etc. ; supported also by the House 
 of Lords, in which were the "King's friends," and by 
 family boroughs in the House of Commons. These were 
 the materials of control ; and certainly, if " Kings, Lords, 
 and Commons " were to be elements of equal force in 
 the Constitution, the royal one would appear to be 
 furnished with unfair advantages. While the House of 
 Commons claimed then to fill the function that the 
 House of Lords does now, on the other hand, the power 
 of the House of Lords seems year by year to be more 
 and more effaced. 
 
 It must have been a disagreeable surprise for the 
 " Sailor King " to have found himself confronted by this 
 new state of affairs. It was indeed most significant. 
 Earl Grey, an admirable type of character, the " soul of 
 political honour," known to have made many sacrifices 
 to his faith, now advanced in life and full of years, was 
 to show in the conduct of this measure the most extra- 
 ordinary energy, skill, and vigour. But he was to 
 exhibit also in his dealings an independence and plain- 
 ness of speech and uncompromising sense of the " rights 
 of the people," which must have been as new as it was 
 distasteful to the Kinnj. What a chano^e from the civil, 
 obsequious tone of the Sidmouths and Eldons, the 
 resigned submission of " Lords Grey and Grenville," of 
 Liverpool, and even Pitt ! Lord Grey, in this contest, 
 greatly suggests the versatility of a modern statesman, 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 322 THE LITE AND TIMES OE 
 
 whose intrepidity of speech is justified, as was Lord 
 Grey's, by the sense that he had tliat " the people " 
 believed in him and that he was speaking for them. 
 
 The communications with Lord Grey and the 
 Cabinet began auspiciously enough on November 26, 
 1830, with this wholesome declaration: "The King 
 acknowledges the receipt of Lord Grey's letter, and 
 will be glad to receive him at three this day, or at 
 any other hour that may suit him. His Majesty indeed 
 wishes it to be clearly understood by Lord Grey and 
 the other members of his Government, that he will 
 never suffer any engagement or his convenience to 
 interfere with the attention which His Majesty con- 
 siders to be due to public business." 
 
 But the first note of distrust — which indeed fur- 
 nishes the key to the King's real sentiments — was 
 sounded on the occasion of " some hints thrown out" 
 by Lord Holland when resigning the Seals of the 
 Duchy, to the effect that he would favour the inter- 
 ference of a Committee of the House of Commons in 
 investigating, or, perhaps, abolishing the rights of the 
 Crown. This occasioned His Majesty " considerable 
 alarm and uneasiness" as threatening his rights. 
 
 Lord Grey, however, succeeded in soothing His 
 Majesty, and was enabled to satisfy the King's mind 
 on this point, by assuring him that nothing of the 
 kind was intended or should be allowed. 
 
 " Earl Grey cannot be surprised that the King 
 should view with jealousy any idea of Parliamentary 
 interference with the only remaining pittance of an 
 independent possession which has been enjoyed by his 
 ancestors during many centuries, as their 2^'^^^'vcite and 
 independent estate, and has now, as such, lawfully de- 
 volved upon him in right of succession."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 323 
 
 A question then arose as to paying for the '' Queen's 
 outfit," which had been found to exceed a sum of 
 £25,000, of which £20,000 was incurred for the Stable 
 Department — a heavy charge on her resources, if not 
 defrayed by the nation. On looking back for pre- 
 cedents, no trace could be found of any sum provided 
 from the public purse ; but all had been supplied, even 
 her trousseau awaitino; her arrival in England. Her 
 jewels had cost £50,000. Lord Grey owned that it 
 was hard ; but there was such a jealousy abroad, that 
 it was difficult to charge it to the public. But he 
 hoped to contrive it somehow, especially as it was 
 found that the Duke of Wellington had given an 
 engagement on the point.'" - 
 
 By the middle of January, 1831, when Lord Grey 
 had been only a few weeks "one of His Majesty's co7i- 
 Jidential servants" — the hackneyed phrase which the 
 King and his ministers delighted in repeating — His 
 Majesty expressed himself greatly satisfied with Lord 
 Grey's " treatment of him." After giving much praise, 
 he, however, thought it necessary to express his un- 
 easiness at certain symptoms that he had noted, and 
 at the same time gave him this warning — the first 
 of many such. 
 
 He said he was satisfied that Lord Grey would resist 
 all attempts *'to sap the established rights of the 
 Crown," the fate of others being a warning as to what 
 might be looked for ''from what are called Eadical 
 
 * The jewels which the Queen had willed away it was now found 
 •were the property of the State as purchased by jmblic money, and, 
 therefore, reverted to the nation. The same principle was applied to 
 the enormous quantity of gold and silver plate ordered by the late 
 King when near his death, and which were charged on the public. 
 These were very properly made over to the State. 
 
 Y 2
 
 324 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 remedies." Sir H. Taylor (the secretary) wrote also, as 
 liis custom was, as a sort of " candid friend " or umpire : 
 
 " The King's general health is good, and his spirits 
 are even. He appears to me to enter into the general 
 situation of affairs at home and abroad with increasing; 
 interest, but without agitation and alarm, and nothing 
 can be more firm than his language. I do not conceal, 
 however, from your lordship, that he looks forward 
 with more anxiety to the proceedings in Parliament 
 than to any other circumstance ; and that the evils and 
 the mischief which may be met by the salutary exercise 
 of the authority of a vigorous Government strike him as 
 unimportant when compared with the possible admission 
 of projects which may have the effect of permanently 
 lessening the authority and resources of that Govern- 
 ment, the maintenance of which His Majesty considers 
 indispensable to the security of the country, and to its 
 preservation from revolution. I venture to state this 
 confidentially to your lordship, and I am convinced 
 that you will not mistake my motive." 
 
 And here we find the private secretary carrying on 
 that curious double role which has no doubt often 
 suggested grave doubts as to the propriety of this 
 office, and the awkward and ambiguous situation it 
 creates for the minister and the Kino; himself. D urine: 
 the late reign, Sir William Knighton had filled this 
 office, and his personal feelings being on the side of the 
 Duke of Wellington, his aid was often invaluable in 
 humouring His Majesty, soothing him, and getting him 
 to view proposals which he detested in a favourable 
 light, or at least bringing him to tolerate them. This 
 was found very useful, and certainly smoothed the task 
 of the Government ; and in the Duke's correspondence 
 will be found abundant letters of a private sort actually
 
 WILLIAM IV. 325 
 
 accompanying the more official ones, and qualifying 
 them, as who should say, " You must not mind what 
 the King says," etc. 
 
 But a more serious difficulty would arise where, as 
 in the present case, the secretary seemed to have been 
 the adviser of the King, and wrote, not only letters of 
 his own, but composed those of the King, who was rude 
 of speech, and not at all accustomed to discuss nice 
 and critical questions. King George IV. had a long 
 and valuable training in official matters, his letters he 
 wrote or dictated himself, and they unmistakably re- 
 flected his thoughts and ojDinions. Now, on reading 
 the whole of the voluminous correspondence between 
 Kincr William and his minister, the idea is left on the 
 mind that His Majesty was "primed," as it were, and 
 that the arguments and topics with which he opposed 
 his Cabinet must have been suggested and marshalled 
 by this valuable aid. "Very few of the King's letters," 
 Earl Grey tells us, " were in his own handwriting. 
 This arose from a difficulty he had in writing, owing to 
 a rheumatic affection." 
 
 In some interesting passages. General Grey and the 
 secretary explain their system. " I write all his letters 
 for him," says Sir H. Taylor, " and they have been 
 very numerous lately, and others I receive in the course 
 of the day average about fifty."* 
 
 That this system was a false one there can be little 
 doubt, and though Lord Grey declares that the Secretary 
 gave invaluable aid in soothing the irritation of the King, 
 
 * " We have heard," says a writer in the " Quarter!}'," " that the 
 Queen (Her present Majesty) sent for Sir Herbert, to ask his advice 
 on tlie point whether she should have a secretary. * Is your ^Majesty 
 afraid of the work 1 ' She replied she meant to work. ' Then don't 
 have a secretary,' was his answer."
 
 326 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ^ 
 
 and excited tlie ministers' admiration by tlie way "in 
 which he discharged the difficult and delicate duties of 
 his situation," it does seem that occasionally Sir H. Taylor 
 could not help using his assumed role in aid of the King. 
 But the plan of using a confidential servant as an agent 
 to humour and moderate the feelings of the principal, 
 was at least undignified ; and though it might be suited 
 to a Knighton, and necessary in the case of a sick and 
 dying monarch, was hardly so in that of one in good 
 health, and just come to the throne. Something of the 
 same inconvenience has been shown in the instance of 
 the late Prince Consort, whose ceaseless direction of his 
 sovereign, set out in five bulky volumes, was admittedly 
 unconstitutional, and caused grave trouble to ministers. 
 Lord Grey, however, complains of the inordinate number 
 of private letters with which the secretary overwhelmed 
 him, two or three being generally received in one day. 
 These had to be answered ; and his complaint gives a 
 good idea of the minor burdens laid on a Premier's 
 shoulders. Those to the King had to be written in a 
 hurry, without any draft or rough copy, generally in 
 great haste, frequently amidst constant interruptions : 
 some of not the least important were written by him 
 from the room where Cabinets had been held, before his 
 colleagues had left him, in order that they might be 
 shown to them before being sent. The Cabinet Minutes 
 were generally written in the same manner, the originals 
 in his own handwriting being usually sent to the King, 
 and copies made for himself by his private secretary. 
 
 He owned, however, that he found a certain ad- 
 vantage in these constant communications ; and it is a 
 highly curious justification, " Objections were thus re- 
 moved before they became too deeply rooted in His 
 Majesty's mind; and there were persons having access
 
 - WILLIAM IV. 327 
 
 to the King wlio were eager to avail tliemselves of every 
 opportunity of endeavouring to injure his ministers in 
 his opinion, and there was always a danger that such 
 attempts might succeed, though it will be seen in the 
 correspondence that His Majesty checked them as far as 
 he could." 
 
 All this offers a curious picture of the difficulties a 
 minister had to contend with in addition to the ordinary 
 cares of Government. It might cause a smile now if it 
 were said that the present Prime Minister had to devote 
 a great j)art of his time in counteracting secret influences 
 and smoothing away difficulties and opposition in his 
 Sovereign's mind. 
 
 A report of the debate in the House is, however, 
 regularly written at the close of each day, with an 
 ■account of the speeches, and signed, not by the Prime 
 Minister, but by a person deputed for the purpose ; 
 while the Prime Minister writes a short commentary 
 each day, addressed to the Sovereign. 
 
 The political history of the Reform Bill has been 
 often fully and well told, notably by Mr. Molesworth. 
 I shall only deal with it in the view of showing what 
 were the relations of the King and Court to the Ministry 
 during the struggle, and will be found new and enter- 
 taining. It will be seen how the King was at the time 
 not at all well ; indeed, Mr. Greville heard from his 
 surgeon Keatc that he was not likely to live.* 
 
 * " lie will be a great loss," he adds, " in these times ; he knows 
 his business, lets his ministers do as they please, but he expects to be 
 informed of everything. He lives a strange life at Brighton, with 
 tagrag and bobtail about him, and always open house. Tlie (^ueen is 
 a prude, and will not let the ladies come dScoUetees to her parties. 
 George IV., who liked ample expenses of that sort, would not let them 
 be covered."
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 In the troubled and disturbed course of the Reform Bill 
 but little account has been taken of certain secret and 
 undisguised difficulties, worked during its progress with 
 extraordinary pertinacity, and which repeatedly went 
 nigh to shipwrecking the measure. These were wholly 
 apart from what might be termed the official obstacles — 
 the opposition in Parliament and the King's personal 
 objections to the spirit of the measure. This chapter 
 has never been opened ; and it really explains the extra- 
 ordinary dramatic incidents, the sudden changes of 
 ministry and the abruptly-announced hostility of His 
 Majesty, which, at various periods, thwarted the pro- 
 gress of the Bill. These influences were of what is called 
 the obstructive kind, and, in proportion to which forces 
 the Bill drifted backwards and forwards in a most 
 capricious way. They operated in various shapes. And 
 the wonder really is that the worthy old monarch, thus 
 severely pressed, should have behaved so well, and, on 
 the whole, have shown himself so staunch. 
 
 The first of these disturbing influences was the 
 unflagging exertions of Tory peers, such as Lord 
 Londonderry, Lord Camden, the Duke of Buckingham, 
 and, above all, of the Duke of Wellington, who was
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 329 
 
 appealed to on every serious crisis ; but who prudently 
 did not wish to be thought active. These persons 
 worked on the King by means of '' audiences/' letters, 
 interviews with the King's sons, or, with Sir Herbert 
 Taylor. It may be conceived how difficult must have 
 been the King's position under this pressure, as they 
 were presumed to have outside political knowledge. 
 Next came the more dangerous influence of the Court 
 camarilla, composed of the Queen and her officers, 
 too-ether with the aid of his own sons, and, notably. 
 Lord Munster. No one could have an idea of the per- 
 sistent and ignorant pressure that was exercised by this 
 coterie whenever it was found that His Majesty was 
 hesitating ; and it will be seen that all his painful and 
 humiliating mistakes, together with much "eating of 
 humble pie," can be traced to this source.''^ 
 
 Now, on reading Lord Grey's many personal remon- 
 strances with the King on the subject of this entourage, 
 the first reflection is that there was something petty 
 in a Prime Minister condescending to be affected by 
 such matters ; but it will be seen that he was more than 
 justified in his peremptory complaints and requests. 
 Almost at once this baleful influence began to make 
 itself felt ; and Lord Grey had found ground for com- 
 plaint, which seems of an undignified sort, as it was 
 based on anonymous letters. 
 
 " It would not have obtained from me more atten- 
 tion," he writes to Taylor, "than other anonymous 
 letters, had I not heard of a conversation, exactly corre- 
 sponding with it, which had been held at the Speaker's, 
 in a party at which Mr. Croker and ]\[r. Theodore 
 
 * "VVo owe much of these revelations to tlic latest volume of the 
 Duke of "Wellington's " Correspondence and ^Memoranda," -which 
 furnishes the most private of private papers.
 
 530 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Hook were present. It had also been reported to me, that 
 several times there had appeared in John Bull — a paper 
 which I never see — details respecting the arrangements 
 that were going on, which could not have been obtained 
 except from persons who had accurate information re- 
 specting them. With this paper Mr. Hook is said to be 
 €onnected ; Mr. Croker is also said to write in it." 
 
 The answer of the secretary is given here, as it also 
 furnishes a sketch of the King's behaviour to those about 
 him. He vindicates the persons accused. Sir Andrew 
 Barnard, he pleaded, never touched on politics, but only 
 on " the Queen's Band," which was his hobby. 
 
 "I have no doubt he may be in the habit of meeting 
 Mr. Croker and Mr. Theodore Hook, but I should very 
 much doubt his mentioning what passes here unless it be 
 connected with his pet hand. I may add that I 
 generally frank his letters when here, and should there- 
 fore be aware of any active correspondence with Mr. 
 Hook." 
 
 He then gives this sketch of the Court : " But after 
 all, there never was any Court from which and of which 
 so little could be told, which every servant in the house, 
 from the highest to the lowest, might not tell. Their 
 Majesties are accessible at all hours ; the apartments 
 are open to everyone; there is no seclusion, no mystery, 
 nothing to conceal. The King sees numbers of persons 
 in the course of the day, and converses freely with them 
 upon subjects on which they may give him information ; 
 but I am confident that, although he may listen to them, 
 he never converses upon any matter which may be the 
 subject of communication with his Government, or 
 respecting ministerial or ofiicial arrangements in con- 
 templation. Politics are never the subject of conversa- 
 tion at dinner, or at the evening parties ; indeed. His
 
 WILLIAM lY. 331 
 
 Majesty professes not to allow it, and lie never touches 
 on the subject with the Queen, who indeed does not 
 seem at all disposed to break through a rule so essential 
 in such a society." 
 
 On January 14th, Sir H. Taylor wrote the minister 
 some solemn reflections on the approaching " perilous " 
 question of Parliamentary Eeform. " His Majesty is 
 not surprised that your lordship should approach it with 
 dread ; that you should feel all its difficulties : nor is 
 His Majesty blind or indifferent to public feeling, or to 
 public expectation ; and he is yet more satisfied that no 
 one can be more strongly opposed in sentiment, in 
 principle, in judgment, and firm solicitude for the 
 preservation of the constitutional monarchy of this 
 country, and for its welfare and security, to the ivild and 
 onischievous projects of the Radicals. His Majesty rests 
 his confidence in your lordship. He looks to you for the 
 exertion of those high qualities which have secured to 
 you that confidence in rescuing him from the difficulties 
 in which His Majesty may be placed by the agitation of 
 this perilous question ; and His Majesty authorises me 
 to assure you that you will find him disposed to give a 
 reasonable and dispassionate consideration to wlmt you 
 may have to propose, and anxious not to embarrass you 
 by objections." 
 
 Lord Grey replied after a pattern that was 
 to become almost a common form, reassuring His 
 Majesty against all dangers. " I am sensible, moreover, 
 of all the disadvantage of entering upon the discussion 
 of such a question, in a moment of so much difficulty 
 and danger. It has often been my wish to find the 
 means of postponing it. But the result of all my con- 
 sideration has been, that an attempt to do so would be 
 fatal to the character of the Government, and would
 
 333 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 lead to its dissolution under circumstances still more 
 disastrous than those which would follow such a result, 
 if His Majesty were unfortunately compelled, by a sense 
 of duty, to withhold his assent from the measure which 
 may be submitted to him by his Ministers." 
 
 There was somethino; like a warnino^ in these serious 
 words. 
 
 In view of the difficulties awaiting him, Lord Grey 
 almost shrank from the task before him. He knew that 
 the King, while engaged to give him formal support as 
 a minister, would be jealous in strictly enforcing any 
 conditions, and would give him no more aid than he was 
 officially bound to do. 
 
 Towards the latter end of January, 1831, arrange- 
 ments began to be made for settling the terms of the 
 great measure. Up to the eve of the introduction of 
 the Bill, little was known of its provisions. Sir D. Le 
 Marchant, the most interesting portion of whose memoir 
 of Lord Althorp are his own reminiscences, was assured 
 by the Chancellor that so earnest were ministers in 
 keeping their plans secret, that the copies of the Bill 
 were made by Lord Durham's eldest daughter, a young- 
 lady hardly out of the school-room. He adds, however, 
 that this could not be strictly true, as to make copies of 
 the Bill would have been a very heavy task for a young 
 lady to perform. " I think that the author referred 
 to the Eeport of the Committee of the Cabinet," he says, 
 *' who prepared the scheme of the Bill ; during the pre- 
 paration of which (as I am informed by members of 
 Lord Grey's family) Lord Durham was much assisted in 
 the necessary copying by his wife and eldest daughter. 
 It was not till the last week in February that the Bill 
 was referred to Mr. AVm. Adam, an eminent Par- 
 liamentary lawyer, and Mr. Stephenson, a Chancery
 
 WILLIAM IV. 333 
 
 barrister, intimately connected with Lord Durliam, for 
 correction. By this time the excitement in the country 
 had greatly increased, as appeared in the extension of 
 the Political Unions and the violence of their proceed- 
 ings : but amono^ the hio^her classes this feelinsj showed 
 itself so faintly that the Ministers were suspected of 
 doubting its existence, and fears were entertained that 
 their Bill would not be strong enough to satisfy the 
 country. Even on the very day that it was to be 
 brought forward, these apprehensions prevailed at 
 Brooks's, where the general despondency was alarmingly 
 ominous of an approaching failure." 
 
 The abuses of the old electoral system have been 
 often dwelt on, but few, perhaps, know the monstrous 
 character of " Old Sarum," so frequently quoted. It 
 consisted of nine portions of ground amounting in all 
 to 23 acres 2 roods. The borough was 1,600 feet in 
 diameter, and the elections took place in what was 
 called " Election Acre," at the foot of a hill where a 
 tent was pitched beneath the branches of an ancient elm 
 tree. It returned two members to Parliament for years 
 after its last house had disappeared. 
 
 " Great Snoring " was the odd name of another of 
 the corrupt places, of which Lord Eldon used to tell this 
 pleasant anecdote : 
 
 " The Duke of Norfolk, towards the latter end of his 
 life, was extremely apt to fall asleep. This happened 
 very often in the House of Lords, and its proceedings 
 were in some measure interrupted by the noise which 
 his Grace's snoring made. Upon one day, whilst he 
 was sound asleep, and very sonorous, the members of 
 the House of Commons came up with a Bill, and I 
 announced to the House of Lords, as Speaker, that the 
 message from the Commons was, tliat the Commons had
 
 334 THE LIFE A^^D TIMES OF 
 
 passed a Bill relative to Great Snoring, to which they 
 desired their lordships' concurrence. I spoke very loud 
 when I mentioned Great Snoring, which, with a laugh 
 throughout the House, awaked the Duke." 
 
 Speaking of Sunderland, Lord Durham once de- 
 scribed the state of things there. " All electoral proceed- 
 ings were held at the gate of the Bishop's Palace, the 
 reverend prelate himself attending ; instructions were 
 given to the people how they were to vote, and they 
 held up their hands according to orders." 
 
 On Sunday, January 31, Earl Grey repaired to 
 Brighton, and in the Pavilion, and on this momentous 
 occasion, he opened to the King all the details of the 
 Geeat Eeform Bill. 
 
 In a letter to his son-in-law, Lord Durham, Lord 
 Grey thus describes what passed in his interview with 
 the King : 
 
 " Within ten minutes after my arrival here I was 
 introduced to the King, and he immediately entered 
 into the consideration of our plan of Eeform. He 
 attended very minutely to every part of it, put questions 
 wherever doubt occurred, and at the conclusion under- 
 stood it perfectly. The result is most satisfactory. He 
 approves entirely of the general view and effect of the 
 measure, reserving to himself only the right of making 
 such observations on the details as further consideration 
 may suggest. He was particularly pleased with your 
 report, and entirely concurred in the statement so 
 clearly and powerfully made in it, of the necessity of 
 doing something, and that that something should be 
 effectual and final." 
 
 Grey told Lord Brougham " that the King said ho 
 should consider the subject of Eeform more fully, and 
 give the Cabinet his opinion in writing." This he did
 
 WILLIAM IV. 33& 
 
 very minutely, prefacing it by an observation that it 
 would be more satisfactory for us to learn on what 
 points he had doubts, and on wdiat points objections, 
 because we should thus be satisfied that he had fully 
 considered the subject. 
 
 Many attempts were made to have it believed that 
 he had not given his concurrence ; and these were aided 
 by the bad habit which he had of conversing on all 
 subjects with the peers to whom he gave audience, and 
 some of whom were in opposition to the Government. 
 I had to explain this to him, and to show him that, as 
 no responsible minister w^as present, he ought, as the 
 rule was, only to hear and not to speak. '^^ 
 
 Generally speaking, it must be said, he was an 
 excellent man of business — unlike his brother, who 
 would ask no questions for fear of showing his ignorance 
 — or his father, who ran on with too many, and would 
 not wait for answ^ers. He asked as many as were re- 
 quired to let him fully understand whatever was brought 
 before him, and gave his owm views with perfect candour 
 and fairness ; nor was he the least impatient of contra- 
 
 * In the Duke of Wellington's " Correspondence and Memoranda " 
 (vol. vii. p. 456), Lord Brougham gives a fuller account of the King's 
 reception of the Bill. "I myself," he says, "had much corres- 
 pondence with him for weeks on the general subject, and removed 
 many difficulties. Lord Grey went through every detail of the plan 
 for three hours with His Majesty. He argued it all most accurately 
 and most favourably with Lord Lansdowne. He then said ho should 
 write about it fully. In three or four days he wrote a long and 
 elaborate and able letter of nine or ten sides of large paper. He gives 
 his consent plainly, unequivocally, and without any reserve." Xext 
 day the King gave his views on the matter in a rather lengthy essay, 
 at the close categorically giving his approval to the various points of 
 the measure. He, however, found it necessary, like his late brother, 
 to give the exposition of his " feelings," and what led to his assent, 
 motives for his previous behaviour, etc. — a rambling commentary, to 
 which he was always partial, and which, as it were, eased his mind.
 
 336 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 diction, but, on the contrary, ratlier courted it, in order 
 that he miofht come to a full understandins: with his 
 ministers. One circumstance of a trifiino; nature was 
 yet very characteristic of his honesty : he generally sat 
 opposite to the light, so that you might see the expres- 
 sion of his countenance, he never having anything to 
 conceal or any part to play. The King made this reply : 
 
 "Although the King had felt willing to admit the 
 necessity of engaging in this question. His Majesty 
 would deceive Earl Grey and his other confidential 
 servants if he were to diso-uise from them that his 
 anxiety w^as not free from uneasiness, or that the appre- 
 hension of innovations fraught with danger, and pro- 
 posed to be introduced at a period which other circum- 
 stances rendered so critical, did not greatly outweigh his 
 expectations of advantage to the State and the country, 
 from measures of which he had yet to learn the nature 
 and the extent. These having, indeed, been produced, 
 or at least hastened into discussion, more or less, by 
 popular clamour, might prove of such a character as to 
 call upon the King for an opposition to them of which 
 the possible results would have been decidedly at vari- 
 ance with his general inclinations, and with his sense of 
 the necessity of stability, and of cordial union in the 
 councils of the nation. 
 
 "Earl Grey cannot possibly be surprised that such 
 should have been His Majesty's feeling, nor consider it 
 as betraying any w^ant of that confidence which induced 
 him to call upon him for his able and valuable services, 
 and to entrust him with the formation of the Adminis- 
 tration at a period of extreme national and general 
 importance. That confidence has continued unimpaired, 
 and it has been amply justified. 
 
 " His Majesty had, little more than four months after
 
 WILLIAM lY. 337 
 
 his accession to the throne, been under the necessity of 
 changing his Government — a Government to which he 
 had given his strenuous and unqualified support — in 
 consequence of the influence of that very House of 
 Commons, of which, as the "popular branch of the Legis- 
 lature, it w^as to be understood that the power and 
 influence should be further increased. He could not be 
 iofnorant, and was not ignorant, that some of those who 
 had, in consequence of that change in the Government, 
 been called to his councils were, more or less, committed 
 in pledges on popular questions ; and it was, therefore, 
 natural that he should dread, independently of other 
 sources of objection, the introduction into the House of 
 Commons of such measures of Reform as would be likely 
 to be rejected in the House of Lords, whence must arise 
 a quarrel between these two branches of the Legislature. 
 
 " The King does not deny that he hails that rejection 
 (of the Ballot) as removing an insuperable bar from his 
 assent to the proposed measure ; and he is induced thus 
 pointedly to notice the proposal of introducing Election 
 hy Ballot, in order to declare that nothing should ever 
 induce him to yield to it, or to sanction a practice which 
 would, in his opinion, be a protection to concealment, 
 would abolish the influence of fear and shame, and would 
 be inconsistent with the manly spirit and the free avowal 
 of opinion which distinguish the people of England. 
 His Majesty need scarcely add that his opposition to the 
 introduction of another, yet more objectionable, proposal 
 • — the adoption of Universal Suffrage, one of the wild 
 projects which have sprung from revolutionary specula- 
 tion — would have been still more decided. 
 
 " Great stress is laid upon the general opinion of the 
 people, as being in favour of an extensive Reform ; but 
 His Majesty very much doubts whether there be sufli- 
 
 VOL. I. z
 
 338 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 cient ground for tliis conclusion. He cannot consider 
 public meetings as a just criterion of the sentiments 
 of the people. The objects of those meetings have, in 
 general, been the promotion of discontent and the dis- 
 turbance of the public peace. 
 
 " The Kino^ conceives that the most strenuous advo- 
 cates for Keform, those whose object it may be to intro- 
 duce a preponderance of popular influence, will not be 
 disposed to deny that the influence of the House of 
 Commons has increased more than that of the Crown, 
 or of the House of Peers ; and the question is. Whether 
 greater danger be not to be apprehended from its en- 
 croachments than from any other evil which may be 
 the subject of speculation ; and whether it is not from 
 this source that the mixed form of government of this 
 country has to dread annihilation ? " 
 
 Such was this curious paper, which however is full 
 of character, not without sagacity, and certainly de- 
 serving the praise of Lord Brougham as an " able " 
 one. 
 
 Yet it must be confessed, after an important review 
 of the intricate controversies that were to follow, that 
 the attitude of the King little differed from that of his 
 late brother towards emancipation — whose course he 
 followed, even to the calling in another ministry, and 
 having to take back those he dismissed. He was, indeed, 
 more honest in his support, but he was determined to 
 seize on the first opening to "trip up" his ministers, 
 and to allow them no more than the strictest measure 
 of their bond. 
 
 Thus Mr. Greville learned that " the King said to 
 Cecil Forrester yesterday, who went to resign his office 
 of Groom of the Bedchamber, ' Why do you resign ? ' 
 He said he could not support Government or vote for
 
 WILLIAM IV. 339 
 
 Reform. 'Well, but you don't know what it is, and 
 you might have waited till it came on, for it probably 
 will not be carried.' " 
 
 " As to the Government," the same authority adds, 
 " neither the late nor any other Government ever cut 
 so poor a figure as this does. Palmerston does nothing, 
 Grant does worse, Graham does no good, Althorp a 
 great deal of harm; Stanley alone has distinguished 
 himself, and what he has had to do he has done very 
 well. It is not, however, only in the House of 
 Commons that the Government are in such discredit." 
 
 This feebleness was shown on the question of 
 •economy, respecting which, when in opposition, they 
 had' been clamorous. The immediate test was the 
 Budget, introduced by Lord Althorp, whose Budget 
 and plan for reduction of expenditure turned out to be 
 no better than that of his predecessors."^^ 
 
 The Kind's forebodino^s as to the " awful " advances 
 democracy was making, were certainly quickened by 
 various unceremonious attempts to question the royal 
 allowances, and go into the matters of the Civil List. 
 A Committee on the Civil List was sitting, and Lord 
 Althorp had laid before the King some of his proposals. 
 Lord Grey took the King's side very warmly, and de- 
 clared that " a most painful impression had been made 
 upon His Majesty. I am not surprised at these feel- 
 in srs, acknowledfrinsf, as I do without reserve, their 
 justice, and thinking that the reductions proposed are 
 consistent neither with true policy, nor with the grate- 
 ful seuse which ought to be entertained of what is, on 
 
 * Tliere were two extraordinary items in the Budget : one was 
 a tax on passengers going by steamboats, and the other a half per 
 cent, on all transfers in the Funds. This last was so absurd, and 
 became so unpopular, it had to be withdrawn. 
 
 z 2
 
 340 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 many accounts, so justly due to His Majesty. "^^ I feel 
 myself bound, however, not more by duty than by my 
 own feelings and opinions, to give it, on those points 
 which are connected with the comfort and dignity of 
 His Majesty, and with the permanent interests of the 
 Crown, all the resistance in my power, though the 
 result should be the necessity of tendering to His 
 Majesty my resignation of the office which he has so 
 graciously committed to my care, and my humble ser- 
 vices which he has received with so much favour and 
 indulcfence." 
 
 How much the King was moved by these attem^Dts, 
 and how he connected them with the coming march of 
 the api^roaching Reform, will be seen from what he 
 wrote to Lord Grey : "A doubt had occurred to him, 
 Vk^hether the Committees of the House of Commons 
 upon the Civil List and Salaries are justified, by the 
 principles and the spirit of the Constitution, in their 
 usurpation of functions which apj^ear to His Majesty 
 constitutionally to belong to the Government of the 
 State alone. His Majesty is confident, it will be found, 
 that the history of this country has never before ex- 
 hibited an instance wherein a Committee of the House 
 of Commons has presumed to dictate to the sovereign 
 Jiow he is to conduct his Civil List in all its minute 
 details, and the amount of the salaries which he is 
 to grant to each and every one of his own personal 
 servants ; and it appears to the King very desirable 
 that the opinion of the Crown Lawyers and the Lord 
 
 * He was certainly justified in his alarm by the rough treatment 
 he occasionally received. "February 20, 1831, — The King went to 
 the play the night before last ; was Avell received in the house, but 
 hooted and pelted coming home, and a stone shivered a window of 
 his coach and fell into Prince George of Cumberland's lap. The. 
 King was excessively annoyed.'
 
 WILLIAI\I IV. 341 
 
 Chancellor should be taken privately, whether the 
 House of Commons is invested by the laws and the 
 constitution of the country with the powers of doing 
 that which they (their Committees) are now doing." 
 
 He thus contrived to point a moral and connect 
 every evil with his Mte noire. The garrulous King, 
 however, was not satisfied with this disclaimer, but 
 seized the opportunity of issuing another declaration 
 of his sentiments and forebodings, strictly in connection 
 with the Reform Bill. 
 
 It is cjuite plain that the ministers were most eager 
 to keep the King in good humour, knowing what diffi- 
 culty they w^ould have to bring him to consent to 
 Keform measures ; and, indeed, it would seem that 
 their excessive deference and even obsequiousness is 
 explained by the fact that they felt themselves still 
 under the influence of the old Court system, when the 
 sovereign could make and unmake a ministry. The 
 introduction of the Eeform Bill was a surprise for them, 
 in the enormous amount of enthusiasm and public 
 support it was expected to receive.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 This question of financial Eeform brought forward the 
 question of the grant to Prince Leopold, in a very 
 inconvenient way. On the candidature of the Prince 
 for the throne of Belgium, it will be interesting to 
 know what the King's views on the subject were,, 
 particularly as his late brother had taken a hostile 
 tone to the Prince. When the revolution broke 
 out, he set out his opinions bluntly in a paper 
 furnished by Stockmar. "The endeavours to render 
 its effects less disastrous to the House of Oran^re 
 were defeated by the obstinacy of the King of the 
 Netherlands, and by his jealousy of the Prince of 
 Orange, his son, in whose favour there was every 
 prospect of a successful reaction ; nor was it until 
 every hope of a more desirable arrangement had been 
 destroyed, that His Majesty's Government countenanced 
 the views of Prince Leopold to the sovereignty of 
 Belgium, one of its objects in doing so being to counter- 
 act the designs of the King of the French, who sought 
 to place the crown of Belgium upon the head of one of 
 his own sons, and thereby to pave the way for its 
 annexation to France. 
 
 " To conquer these, various expedients were adopted.
 
 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 343 
 
 and without the concurrence of tlie Northern Powers. 
 Those to which they did not subscribe w^ere the blockade 
 of the Dutch ports and the attack upon Antwerp. His 
 Majesty admits that he readily sanctioned the first of 
 these expedients. But His Majesty from first to last 
 objected to the attack upon Antwerp by a large French 
 army, whose continued occupation of Belgium he appre- 
 hended, and the presence and the operation of which 
 might have produced those collisions on the Continent 
 wdiicli His Majesty was so desirous to avert." 
 
 The sasjacious Kins^ of the Belo;ians, who had at first 
 received much praise for his surrender of his annuity to 
 the English nation, was now assailed by Radical speakers 
 and writers, when there was a long delay in carrying out 
 the arrano-ement. But it was found that there was a 
 large debt of £83,000 to be cleared off. It is extra- 
 ordinary that so wise a man should have shown himself 
 sensitive to the clamours of a few. 
 
 " One of the thino;s which the Eno;lish best under- 
 
 O CD 
 
 stand," says King Leopold himself, in a letter of March 14, 
 1840 " is the art of calumniatino^. For inasmuch as a ' cha- 
 racter ' is in England considered as something positive 
 and tangible, every effort is made to destroy it ; for 
 instance, as there was not much to be said against me, 
 my avarice was the theme selected to damage me. Mis- 
 takes made by my First Comptroller of the Household, 
 Baron Hardenbroek, and a few imprudences, such as 
 the sale of fruit from my farms, were worked up into 
 charges against me with a persistency which, little by 
 little, did me the greatest injury." 
 
 Reports were repeatedly spread, to the effect that he 
 had taken large sums of money from England to Belgium ; 
 and as for some time no repayments were made to the 
 Exchequer, the opinion here and there gained ground 
 that the letter of the Prince to Lord Grey, promising
 
 344 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the appointment of trustees had been a mere blind, a 
 mere comedy. 
 
 Mr. Gronow was at the time engaged at Brussels, in 
 secret inquiries respecting a sum of £35,000 which it 
 was said had been sent to the King from London to 
 Belgium ; " he especially desired to find out whether this 
 sum had been expended in Brussels, or had been sent on 
 to Germany for the purchase of a property there. He 
 hoped to be able to use the results of his inquiries, in- 
 stituted at various bankers and financiers, for the purpose 
 of a telling parliamentary speech against King Leopold." 
 
 Sir S. Whalley, a former " mad doctor," actually 
 brouo'ht forward a motion that a committee should 
 inquire into the matter, while Cobbett and others 
 declared the pension should be revoked. As Lord 
 Palmerston wrote to Stockmar, in his liveliest strain : 
 " The case seems to me as clear as day, and without mean- 
 ing to question the omnipotence of Parliament, which it is 
 well known can do anything but turn men into women and 
 women into men, I must and shall assert that the House 
 of Commons have no right to inquire into the details of 
 those debts and eno-ao^ements of the Kins^ of the Belg^ians." 
 
 This renunciation was a handsome act on the part 
 of King Leopold ; but it must be confessed that, almost 
 before he had time to resign the annuity, there were 
 angry threatening notices and, in fact, it would have 
 been impossible for him to have retained it.'" 
 
 * The sagacious Prince divined this feeling at once, and when, on 
 the day of trial Lord Londonderry asked "was he to be allowed to 
 go on drawing it, he addressed a letter to Lord Grey announcing his 
 intention, and received many compliments. But the German party 
 expected the whole nation to be transported with gratitude, and 
 found fault with Lord Grey for his apologetic tone. " On all sides," 
 says Stockmar, " fine words and just. The Eadicals and Tories were 
 probably in their hearts not a little vexed," etc.
 
 WILLIa:\I IV. 345 
 
 It turned out exactly as Le had anticipated; and the 
 matter did not even go to a division. 
 
 Stocl-^mar had two interviews witli the King : one in 
 1830, the other in 1832. At the first he said : '"'That 
 as a neutral power we (the Belgians), in fact, did not 
 require any army at all, and that our policy should be 
 just as neutral as ourselves, and neither French nor 
 English. He laid especial stress on the phrase, 'I would 
 myself discourage Leopold from leaning towards the 
 Eno-lish side if he w^ere inclined to do so.' He said on 
 this subject much that was excellent, and which I could 
 not but highly praise, and this at once restored his good- 
 humour. He re]3eated several times that his ivhole heart 
 was set on the maintenance of peace, and that for this a 
 great deal depended on the Belgian affair. The ap- 
 pointment of French officers, he observed, was peculiarly 
 disagreeable to him. I replied to this by what I had 
 already said to Palmerston respecting English officers. 
 He said eagerly : ' This is a subject on which I must 
 talk with you on another occasion. Under no circum- 
 stances do I wish you to go, without once more coming 
 to me. Tell the King many things from me, and how 
 warmly I desire his happiness and success.' " 
 
 And again, when Leopold was firmly established : 
 *' I found the King well and very gracious. He pro- 
 nounced a panegyric on King Leopold, who had done 
 everything which an honourable and w^ise man could do, 
 and who w^as entirely in the right path. His Majesty's 
 principal wish was that King Leopold should keep along 
 this path, and should not allow himself to be led astray, 
 either by the King of Holland, or by his own impatience. 
 The really important thing was to maintain peace, and, 
 therefore, he entreated King Leopold not to allow himself 
 to be provoked by anything. If he were attacked (which
 
 346 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 His Majesty did not believe would happen), it was a 
 matter of course tliat lie would use every means in 
 his power to meet force by force ; but all he prayed 
 and hoped for, was that King Leopold would not be 
 the ao^ofressor. 
 
 "As for the King of Holland, iclio ivas comj^leteli/ in 
 the ivrong, he held him to be Qiiad, and believed that 
 Holland would find it impossible, for any length of 
 time, to remain upon her present war footing. He was 
 convinced that the Dutch would now begin to calculate 
 that the Avhole affair was costing too much, and would 
 after all be of no use. He advised prudence all the 
 more, because he was convinced that the Dutch were 
 only looking for a pretext to destroy Antwerp. 
 
 " Moreover, he had no later than yesterday received 
 the assurance of all the Powers that they intended to 
 ratify. He, therefore, once more asked for a little 
 patience, and desired at the same time to assure His 
 Majesty of his great friendship and goodwill."
 
 CHAPTER XXYIL 
 
 Almost as pressing a question as that of Reform, was a 
 reform of the extravao;ance and unchecked waste of 
 jDublic money in salaries, pensions, sinecures, and, above 
 all, in outlay connected with the Palace, which had 
 now gone on for two reigns. There were many alive 
 who enjoyed the provision of " a pension on the Irish 
 Establishment," given on the most frivolous grounds, 
 and the corrupt system of " ridership " on a place, that 
 is, of quartering a favourite on an office, so as to enjoy 
 a portion of the emoluments without the work, had not 
 yet been forgotten. A single instance of the lax control 
 over the public monies was shown by the fact that the 
 late King had been enabled to make free with the 
 Admiralty droits, amounting to more than a quarter 
 of a million, for the buildinc: and furnishino; of his 
 Palace. The vast and extravagant outlay on his build- 
 vol^ hobbies at Bricjhton and Carlton House, is too well 
 known to be dwelt on here. But more regular dis- 
 bursements show the wasteful scale upon which things 
 were managed. In the year preceding his death, the 
 homely household items of bread, meat, beer, fire, lights? 
 etc., cost close on £100,000 a year; "robes," nearly
 
 348 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 £7,000 ; horses and stables, £40,000 ; furnishing and 
 repairs, £326,000; of which sum, "charities" stood at 
 the comparatively modest total of £17,000 ; and 
 " expenses incurred on account of the visit of the 
 Queen of Wurtemberg," His Majesty's sister, reached 
 £17,000. The alterations of AVindsor Castle, it was 
 found, would in all cost £1,084,000; while those at 
 Buckingham Palace would reach to £100,000 ! 
 
 Lord Althorp, as a " financial reformer," as is well 
 known, disappointed the expectations of the more 
 advanced Eadicals, who were specially looking forward 
 to an attack on the Court — on the hio;h salaries of 
 officials dependent on the King and Queen, and, above 
 all, on the Pension List. His Majesty, as we have 
 seen, resented the new and free tone in which his 
 expenditure was discussed in the House of Commons, 
 and the Civil List "overhauled." Li February, 1831, 
 Lord Althorp had proposed a reform, or rather a re- 
 arrangement of the Civil List, by which all courtly 
 expenses, and those dependent on the Court — the 
 salaries of ambassadors, judges, were, by a sort of 
 fiction, assumed to be paid by the King, who received 
 the money for the purpose, an arrangement that existed 
 since the days of Queen Anne. By the new system, 
 these were detached, and the King was to receive an 
 amount sufficient for his personal expenses. 
 
 His Majesty was particularly wroth at a rather petty 
 attempt to cut down the salaries of his Grooms of the 
 Chamber, and other attendants, from £13,000 to £10,000 
 on this ground — " not only from the jealousy with which 
 he does view, and ought to view, attempts to invade 
 the prerogatives of the Crown, but by apprehensions 
 that the effect of those proceedings will be so to lower 
 the influence of the Crown, as to deprive the Govern-
 
 WILLIAM IV. 349 
 
 ment of the support wliicL it may recpire towards 
 carrying on tlie administration." 
 
 The ministers were very indignant at the attacks 
 on the Court, and both Lord Grey and Lord Althorp 
 declared warmly that they would stand by their sove- 
 reign. The Queen had greatly exceeded the expense of 
 her outfit, and the King, sooner than have the incident 
 commented on, announced that he would pay the 
 difference himself.* 
 
 This desire of j)leasing the King, whose opinions 
 about the pensions was decided, went so far that we 
 find Lord Grey writing to the Court of " the impression 
 made last night on the House of Commons by Lord 
 Althorp's stout and manly expression of his decided 
 opinion, that a reduction of the existing pensions would 
 be contrary to all policy and justice. I had felt so much 
 annoyed by what had previously passed on this subject, 
 that I had directed Lord Ho wick to make a declaration 
 to the same effect, as the best way of stating my feelings 
 upon it. I do hope, therefore, that we shall get through 
 this very unpleasant business, but I am not by any 
 means sure." 
 
 In return. Sir H. Taylor assures him, " that no one 
 could possibly express herself with greater good sense 
 and good humour than did the Queen, giving your lord- 
 ship the credit that is so justly due to you for your 
 feeling upon it, and ascribing the disappointment, not 
 to want of regard or consideration for herself, hut to the 
 ieinper of the times, ivhich, she justly observed, seemed to 
 have found its ivay into the minds of the representatives 
 of the i^eople!' This naive surprise, at the " temper of 
 the times," was presently to be much more intensified. 
 
 * The Queen's •' outfit," in the stable department alone, had Leon 
 £20,000.
 
 350 THE LIFE x\ND TIMES OF 
 
 Again tlie grateful Lord Grey gave way to a perfect 
 ejxinchement, declaring that : 
 
 " The King's letter to Lord Al thorp is irresistible 
 both in feeling and argument. My own feelings on this 
 subject are so strong, that if the House of Commons 
 decides upon reducing the pensions, I should be very 
 much inclined to retire from the Government, if I did 
 not think it might be injurious to His Majesty's interests. 
 To His Majesty I owe a debt of gratitude which I never 
 can repay ; and my first wish must be, at whatever 
 personal sacrifice short of that which would render my 
 services useless, to devote myself entirely to his service." 
 
 This, as I said before, was the last flickering of the 
 old deference to the sovereign. The tone was very soon 
 to be changed, as the Minister found himself backed by 
 a triumphant House of Commons.* 
 
 Indeed, everything at Court required reform. What 
 could be more scandalous than those Admiralty Droits 
 which the sovereio-n received, in rio;ht of his beino- Lord 
 High Admiral, whose duties were delegated to the Lords 
 of the Admiralty. These monies were supposed to be 
 paid over to the public purse in return for an allowance 
 of the Civil List ; but it seems nothing of the kind was 
 done, for we find George HL repeatedly paying the 
 debts of his sons out of " the Admiralty droits," while 
 
 * " With such claims upon us," Lord Grey "wrote to Lord Brougham, 
 " it hurts me to the greatest degree to find that Grant cannot be recon- 
 ciled to the proposal for an outfit for the Queen. His opposition to it 
 goes the length of inferring his resignation, if it should be persevered 
 in. I could not expose the King, and more particularly the Queen, 
 to all the disagreeable consequences of a breach in the Government on 
 such a question ; but I must repeat I feel very much hurt at the obstacle 
 which stands in the way of a grant, sanctioned by precedent, reason- 
 able in itself, and consistent with, as I think, or rather conducive to, 
 a well-understood economy."
 
 WILLIAM IV. 351 
 
 George IV. contrived to obtain a share for his palaces, 
 furnishings, etc. The principal sources whence the 
 droits are derived are : all sums arising from wreck and 
 goods of pirates ; all ships detained previously to a 
 declaration of war; all coming into port, either from 
 distress of weather, or ignorant of the commencement 
 of hostilities ; all taken before the issuing of proclama- 
 tion ; and those which are taken by non-commissioned 
 captors are sold, and the proceeds form droits of the 
 crown and admiralty. 
 
 An extraordinary looseness in the administration of 
 these large funds was tolerated. They were paid into 
 the Exchequer, but remained in the hands of certain 
 officials. No account was known or kept at the Treasury, 
 and the money could be drawn at the Bank under the 
 royal sign, which it was frequently. 
 
 In twenty-seven years, from 1793 to 1820, a sum 
 of over eight millions and a-half sterling had been 
 received. "Up to 1812, there had been taken from 
 the droits the sum of £760,000 for the payment of the 
 tradesmen's bills of the King's household. The sums 
 granted in aid of the Civil List, from 1793 to 1818, 
 amounted to £1,324,000. The sums paid during the 
 same period, to different branches of the royal family, 
 amounted to £266,331 175. 3d £58,000 was granted 
 to defray the expenses of additional buildings and 
 furniture at Brighton. £14,579 was taken for ad- 
 ditional expenses in the household, occasioned by the 
 visits of foreign princes, together with the expenses of 
 the royal visits to Ireland, Scotland, and Hanover, 
 amounting to £70,000. From the same inexhaustible 
 fund is the royal dole of £5000 to the xjoor of 
 SjntalJielcW 
 
 Even at the present moment we pay in hereditary pen-
 
 352 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 sioiis about £16,000. £5000 a year to the Nelson family, 
 £4000 a year to the Marlboroughs ; and for such splendid 
 services who shall say that such a reward is excessive ? 
 Is it not, indeed, hv less than what is allotted to the 
 tiny performances of generals of our own time ? The 
 heirs of William Penn receive £4000, those of the Duke 
 of Schomberg £984, and the heirs of Captain Garth 
 £12,000. Many of this description of pension have 
 been redeemed by large cash payments. " The pensions," 
 says Mr. Labouchere, "granted by Charles IT. to the 
 Duke of Richmond were redeemed early in the present 
 century by a payment of nearly half a million, and those 
 of the Duke of Grafton have been bought up at various 
 times for about £330,000, except one of £900 a year, 
 compensation for an office which was abolished in the 
 reign of Charles II. ! The Duke of St. Albans receives 
 £1200 a year as hereditary Grand Falconer, but this is 
 paid by the sovereign. Earl Cowper's predecessor in the 
 title received £113,000 as compensation for hereditary 
 pension received by him as heir to the Earl of Bath and 
 to the Lord d'Auverquerque ; and less than seven years 
 ago the Duke of Leeds was given £29,000 as commuta- 
 tion for his pension of £1080, as one of the heirs to the 
 Duke of Schomberg. The Earls of Kinnoul receive 
 £G76 per annum, but they sold this pension many years 
 age ; however, it will go on being paid till the title 
 becomes extinct." 
 
 A sensible reform was now instituted, by which 
 the charges for state purposes were separated from 
 the strictly private ones of the King.t The nett 
 
 * At this moment a right honourable gentleman receives a pension 
 for acting as " Keeper of the Tennis Court ! " 
 
 t The Fifth and last class is that of pensions, which is limited to- 
 £75,000. The mode in which the reduction has been effected under
 
 WILLIAM IV. 353 
 
 saving by this new arrangement was calculated at 
 about £95,000. But the important gain was in the 
 Pension List, of which a sum of £95,000 annually 
 was restored to the control of the public. This Pension 
 List was certainly a crying abuse, as will be seen from 
 the specimen laid before Parliament. The Pension List 
 at this time, statements of which had gradually ac- 
 cumulated, offered an extraordinary phenomenon, to be 
 matched only by the condition of such things in France 
 on the eve of the Revolution — where nearly every place 
 in the State was purchasable, as was also the reversion. 
 Even so late as 1829, when there was an attempted 
 shuffle of high legal posts, with a view " to bring in " 
 Scarlett and others, some little facts hinted at by Lord 
 EUenborough, a Cabinet Minister, shows the monstrous 
 extent to which the public purse was drawn upon for 
 political and party purposes.'" 
 
 this head, was by consolidating the three pension lists of England, 
 Ireland, and Scotland in one alphabetical list, and by providing that 
 pensions to the amount of £75,000 on the first part of the alpha- 
 betical list should be charged on the Civil List, and the remainder, to 
 the amount of £95,000, be charged on the Consolidated Fund. By 
 this arrangement the public receive the benefit of the pensions 
 which fall in from that part of them which are charged on the Con- 
 solidated Fund, while the King has the advantage of the vacancies 
 
 which occur in those payable from the Civil List. 
 
 £ 
 
 First Class. For their Majesties' Frivy Purse . .110,000 
 
 Second Class. Salaries of Ilis Majesty's Household . 130,300 
 
 Third Class. Expenses of His Majesty's Household 171,500 
 
 Fourth Class. Special and Secret Service . . . . 23,200 
 
 Fifth Class. Pensions • • • • 75,000 
 
 £510,000 
 
 s. 
 
 (7. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 * " The legal arrangements cannot proceed, because Best com- 
 municated with the Duke of Cumberland and refused a peerage as 
 the condition of resignation. Alexander would go if he could have 
 
 VOL. I. 2 A
 
 354 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Anotlier much-coveted office was that of a " six-clerk," 
 in Chancery ; a few survivors, pensioned off, were to be 
 seen some thirty or forty years ago. There were six of 
 these officers enjoying incomes of £1200 a year. They 
 had so little duty that the custom was to divide the 
 year into six portions of two months each, and the 
 attendance of one of them at a time was enough. 
 
 Statesmen were considered indifferent to their 
 families if they did not contrive, before their fall, to 
 obtain some of these useful sinecures. A good illus- 
 tration was the case of Lord Bathurst, one of the 
 Addington clique. 
 
 " Lord Bathurst's family," says the author of " The 
 Black Book," who, in this instance, had the Parliamentary 
 papers before him, " has mostly been in the receipt of 
 £10,000 or £12,000 a year, from fees, pensions, and 
 taxes. He still retains two valuable sinecures, his son 
 William Lennox one, and an office nearly a sinecure, 
 and his son Seymour Thomas another. On the eve of 
 the breaking up of the Wellington Ministry, his lord- 
 ship made strenuous efforts to obtain firmer hold ; first 
 he tried to superannuate his second son, who had been 
 a couple of years in the Victualling Office, as a retired 
 commissioner ; failing in that, he next, with the most 
 indecent precipitancy, and almost by absolute force, 
 thrust him into the office of Mr. Buller, as clerk of the 
 Privy Council." 
 
 This is rather coarsely put ; but the list of pensions 
 is startling. We find — Earl Bathurst, teller of His 
 Majesty's Exchequer, £2700 ; Clerk of the Crown in 
 Chancery, £1105 : Charlotte Bathurst, pension on Civil 
 List, 1823, £600; pension on Civil List, 1825, £200; 
 
 his peerage and a pension. Leach wiU not go unless he is to have a 
 peerage and a pension of £7000 a year — a thing impossible."
 
 WILLIAM lY. 355 
 
 pension on Civil List, 1829, £100 : Mary Batlinrst, 
 pension on Civil List, 1826, £250 : Hon. Cliarles 
 Batliurst, pension on Civil List, 1826, £350 ; late Com- 
 missioner of Bankrupts, £200 ; Receiver of Duchy 
 Court of Lancaster, £500 : Hon. W. Bathurst, deputy 
 teller, Exchequer, £1000 ; Clerk in Privy Council Office, 
 £2000 : and Hon. S. Bathurst, treasurer to Government, 
 Malta, £1560. 
 
 More extraordinary was the case of the Rev. 
 Thomas Thurlow, late patentee for execution of bank- 
 rupt laws, "receiving as emoluments from fees on 
 commissions, writs of supersedeas, and proceedings in 
 bankruptcy, for the year ending January 5, 1830, £8502 ; 
 also enjoying Clerkship of hanaper in Chancery, emolu- 
 ments from June 5, 1829, to January 5, 1830, of £1192." 
 
 These judicial sinecures were abolished under the 
 Bankruptcy Court Act, and an equivalent life annuity, 
 payable out of bankrupt effects, granted with reversion, 
 on the death of Mr. Thurlow, to Mr. ^Y. H. L Scott, son 
 of Lord Eldon. 
 
 [It should be said that Lord Eldon made a sort of 
 defence of this abuse ; but the fact remains that he gave 
 his son six places, three of which were reversions.] 
 
 The Duchess Dowager of Manchester received " as 
 compensation allowance for loss of the office of Col- 
 lector of Customs outwards, held by the Duke of 
 Manchester, £2928." 
 
 " Here is a curious case — a dowager Duchess, ninety 
 
 years of age at least — receiving compensation for loss 
 
 of office as Searcher of Customs ! AVhat services can 
 
 this lady have rendered ? Her husband was known 
 
 some fifty years ago as a court lord, and if the marriage 
 
 was improvident, why must the widow be quartered on 
 
 the public 1 " Such was the comment. 
 
 2 A 2
 
 356 THE LIFE AND TIMES OE 
 
 Lord Lichfield, as "Master of the Staghouncis/* 
 enjoyed £2606 a year. 
 
 Even a more questionable practice was the giving 
 a pension to some high official or minister, who had 
 consented to take some inferior place, and who 
 barcrained that he was to be thus indemnified. Thus 
 we find Mr. Goulburn, who had served as " Irish 
 Secretary," enjoying his pension of £2000 a year. 
 
 The pleasant and " salaried " diarist, Mr. Greville, 
 to whom all writers on this reign are so much indebted, 
 was not indiff'erently taken care of: C. C. F. Greville, 
 Clerk of the Council, £2000 ; appearing as Secretary 
 and Clerk of the Enrolments, Jamaica, £3000 ; as late 
 Naval Officer, Demerara, £500. 
 
 "The Duke of Wellington, at the period of his 
 resignation, in lieu of providing out of his own pocket 
 for A. F. Greville, as his private secretary — if he needed 
 provision — threw him on the Court Pension List, to be 
 provided for by the people. 
 
 "The next of the name, Charles Greville, married a 
 daughter of the Duke of Portland, who provided for 
 her amply, as above, in the Excise. The Duke also took 
 good care of her son, the above-named C. C. F. Greville." 
 
 The King's dauo-hters, the Ladies Fitz -Clarence, were 
 receiving among them £2500 a year. 
 
 The Law family were really provided for more 
 handsomely than the Bathursts : Lord Ellenborough, 
 Chief Clerk of Court of King's Bench, having £9625 ; a 
 brother, H. C. Law, captain in the army, was ciistos 
 hrevium in the King's Bench jointly with Lord Kenyon ; 
 C. E. Law, a brother, Common Sergeant of the City of 
 London ; John Law, a brother, in the army ; W. J. Law, 
 a cousin. Commissioner of Insolvent Debtors' Court ; 
 G. H. Law, uncle, Bishop of Bath and Wells ; J. T. Law,
 
 WILLIAM IV. 357 
 
 a cousin, Prebend of Liclifield ; Henry Law, a cousin, 
 Archdeacon of Wells ; Robert V. Law, a cousin, Pre- 
 bendary of Chester ; E. Law, a cousin, in the Church ; 
 Harkness, Barlow, Crofts, and Dynely, are relations, 
 and hold offices and preferments. 
 
 Lord Henley, who was brother-in-law to Sir Robert 
 Peel, was a Master in Chancery, at £4644 a year, an 
 office which he held after succeeding; to the Peerao;e. 
 
 One of the Grand Offices was a Tellership of the Ex- 
 chequer, merely receiving balances. The lucky siuecurist 
 had command of fees and balances ; it was calculated 
 that Lord Camden had received many hundred thousand 
 pounds. During the war, in one year with another, 
 it reached £27,000 Lord Camden resigned his emolu- 
 ment in 1817, and was publicly thanked by Parliament. 
 He retained, however, the regular salary of £2700. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington, while well deserving 
 honours, could not complain of the country, as he en- 
 joyed about £16,000 a year in places and pensions. His 
 brother had close on £13,000 in places and pensions. 
 
 The Duke of Grafton, besides his " hereditary 
 pension" of £7200, enjoyed the Post Office, and was, 
 moreover, " Sealer " in the King's Bench, the two offices 
 producing over £7000 a year. 
 
 Lord Cowper received an hereditary pension out of 
 Excise revenue of £1600. " Here we have a most singular 
 instance of the application of the revenue," says the 
 "Black Book." "The present noble lord holds it as 
 an inheritance, acquired by the marriage of his grand- 
 father with the heiress of a general greatly distinguished 
 in the wars of the Duke of Marlborough ; but whether 
 the pension w'as granted by King William for the 
 services of the father, or for a loan of money from the 
 son, is not known, no document being extant to estab-
 
 358 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM IV. 
 
 lish it ; but this pension lias been made part of tlie 
 family settlements of the noble Earl, who succeeded to 
 it at his brother's death, as he did to his estates ; he 
 may dispose of it at his pleasure." 
 
 Six of the Sheridan family received a pension of 
 £57 each. Some, like Mr. Marsden, had pensions 
 " during the lives of their daughters." Some noblemen 
 condescended to be " portsearchers and wharfingers." 
 
 A Dublin baronet had a pension of £700 a year, 
 which he explained " he inherited," it having been pur- 
 chased by his father forty-four years before. Barker's 
 pension was likewise sold on its first receipt for a 
 large capital sum. 
 
 Some of the reductions made were trivial, others of a 
 substantial kind. The First Lord of the Treasury had 
 £5000 again, as before. The Secretaries of State were 
 reduced from £6000 to £5000 ; President of the Board 
 was reduced from £5000 to £3500. It was stated 
 that Lord Durham, characteristically, had declined 
 to take any salary as Lord Privy Seal. The Auditors- 
 of the Civil List were abolished. The Master of the 
 Mint lost £1000 a year.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 On March the 2ncl the Eeform Bill was introduced 
 by Lord John Russell, and astonished everyone by 
 the large and sweeping character of its provisions. 
 So wholesale did these appear, that it was currently 
 believed that had the Opposition at once moved its 
 rejection on the first reading, the Bill would have been 
 summarily thrown out."^^ 
 
 Lord Brougham, recalling the scene, declares he 
 never could forget the amazement of the House, as the 
 long list of sacrificed privileges was read out. But there 
 arose " wild ironical laughter, mingled with expressions 
 of delight from the ex-Ministers, who seemed to think 
 themselves sure of recovering their places immediately." 
 One member cried to him : "They are mad !" Sir R. 
 Peel was said to have " turned black in the face ; " 
 a pardonable political exaggeration. 
 
 * Sydney Smith has long been credited with the excellent jest 
 about the sending of Lord John Russell to take the command of the 
 Channel fleet, and Lord John himself tells us how his mock pearl 
 came to be found. " In conversation with Mr. Abercroraby, I said, 
 more in a joke than in earnest, ' that if I were offered the command 
 of the Channel fleet and thought it my duty to accept, I should not 
 refuse it.' " The Rev. Sydney Smith added the other incident — the 
 urgent operation.
 
 360 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 Oddly connected with tliis turn was a new escapade 
 of the Chancellor, of whom the story went that, on 
 going to the levee, he had had his carriage driven 
 through the soldiers, and had actually forced the 
 guard I Charged with this solemnly in the House 
 of Lords, he vindicated himself with the uninten- 
 tional grotesque gravity that had become habitual : 
 " I can assure your lordships that no one thinks less of 
 the state and pomp of the office which I hold than I do. 
 When suddenly stopped by my horses' reins being seized, 
 I thought there must be some mistake, which was 
 strengthened by the remark of the officer, that it was 
 only the Speaker of the House of Commons who had 
 permission to pass, as I could not imagine that the 
 same privilege should not be extended to the Speaker 
 of the Upper House. The officer, however, having 
 satisfied me that there was no mistake, and that his 
 orders were peremptory, I said, ' Then I must turn 
 back.' But I suppose the footman had not communi- 
 cated to the coachman the order to turn back. I cer- 
 tainly was never more surprised in my life than when 
 I found that my coachman had taken me through, and 
 I was in St. James's Park before I could pull the check- 
 string." 
 
 Yet the King, while accepting his excuses, was 
 unconvinced, and gave it as his opinion, that the 
 Chancellor had ordered his coachman to go on. The 
 Chancellor of the popular Reform Bill to have his reins 
 seized, and to be turned back ! It seems very likely 
 that he resisted the insult, and that he forgot his order 
 as he forgot so many things in his life. It was odd that 
 in a few days he should again have driven through some 
 soldiers who ware relievinor cfuard in Downinoj Street. 
 
 When the details of the Reform Bill became settled
 
 WILLIAM IV. 361 
 
 in the public mind, tlie majority began to gain strength, 
 and it was felt and everywhere repeated that it must 
 pass. The proceedings on the Civil List furnished the 
 Kin Of with a text of warninor as to dano;ers, etc., and 
 this sort of forecasting he kept steadily up during the 
 progress of the Bill — an idle and profitless course, as he 
 had given an undertaking to support it ; and these 
 expostulations were not of the slightest use. 
 
 Sir Herbert Taylor, however, was growing a little 
 uneasy at these symptoms, and addressed a private letter 
 to Lord Grey to reassure him. "You may perhaps have 
 been struck," he wrote, " with His Majesty's persevering 
 jealousy of the proceedings of the Committees of the 
 House of Commons in matters res^ardino; the Crown. 
 It really is quite free from personal object or feeling ; 
 and his constant remark to me is, ' How will Lord Grey, 
 how will any other Minister, be able to carry on the 
 business of the country 1 ' " 
 
 During tlie course of the debate on the great Bill, a 
 combination brought about the defeat of ministers on 
 the question of the Timber Duties, on March 18th. 
 This caused the ministry grave misgivings as to the fate 
 of the greater Bill, and whether it might be safe to go 
 on with the present House. Lord Grey wrote, with 
 much anxiety, to the secretary that : " In the state at 
 which we are arrived, one material point to be considered 
 will be, the propriety of advising His Majesty to dissolve 
 Parliament ; and it is upon this point particularly that 
 I shall be much obliged to you to inform me, with as 
 little delay as possible, what you think is the state of 
 His Majesty's feelings." 
 
 He wrote also to the King, telling him the situation 
 was to be debated at a Cabinet ; but made no allusion 
 to the ticklish question of a dissolution. The secretary,
 
 362 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 however, thought the best way was to show him the first 
 letter ; and the King answered both on March 20th. 
 Unfortunately Lord Grey on the same day wrote again, 
 to announce the result of the Cabinet, which was — 
 to 2:0 on without a dissolution : so that the letters 
 crossed. But the result shows the awkwardness of the 
 double and rather underhand system of communica- 
 tion that was going on. After reminding Lord 
 Grey that he had been induced to waive his early 
 objections to bringing forward the measure at this 
 period, and having given his sanction to the introduction 
 of a Bill which had been submitted by Earl Grey to him, 
 in all its details, and with every explanation which he 
 could require, His Majesty had pledged himself to give 
 his Government his utmost and unqualified support 
 upon this occasion. 
 
 "The King w^ould, therefore, seriously lament anything 
 that could shake the stability of his present Government, 
 and eventually deprive him of the services of Earl Grey ; 
 and he earnestly hopes that his confidential servants will, 
 in their deliberations this day, devise some means to 
 avert a misfortune which His Majesty so anxiously 
 deprecates, without coming to the resolution of sub- 
 mitting for his decision an alternative to ivhich His 
 Majesty cannot agree, namely, a dissolution of Parlia- 
 ment. The state of the country is, in His Majesty's 
 firm opinion, a sufficient ground of objection." 
 
 Being thus apprised of the dissolution, the King was 
 enabled to take a high tone, and " put down his foot " 
 as being without responsibility, as will be seen from 
 all that followed. 
 
 But unfortunately the matter was not to end here. 
 It will be seen presently that one of the chief and most 
 wearisome obstacles with which Lord Grey had to struggle,
 
 WILLIAM IV. 363 
 
 was the camarilla about tlie King. He had sufficient 
 difficulty to keep the King straight in his course, but he 
 was often irritated by the successful workings of this 
 faction, who used the King's name for their own ends. 
 
 This question really involved a far more serious 
 matter from the attitude of the Queen, who had now 
 become unpopular to a degree that seems extraordinary. 
 It was assumed as a matter of course that, through all 
 the Eeform crisis, she had interfered when the King was 
 willing to give way. She it was, the Liberal leaders 
 were convinced, who was the soul of that Court faction 
 against which Lord Grey fought so sturdily. Her 
 interference was vehemently denied, and it has often 
 been stated, even of late years, that she has been much 
 calumniated in this respect. It must be admitted that 
 her influence was exerted to a very serious extent. She 
 seems to have been a most ardent partisan, and to have 
 done her best to counteract the efforts of the Liberal 
 ministers. This, as a picture of Court intrigue, and the 
 revelation of what was going on while Lord Grey was 
 desperately essaying to keep the King loyal to his 
 engagements, is worth considering in this place, and will 
 be found entertaining. 
 
 When Lord Grey had been later recalled to the King's 
 councils, the Queen seems to have laboured hard, even 
 then, to avert the passing of the Bill. In a private 
 letter which Lord Brougham, a friend of hers, saw, she 
 wrote : " / do not desjKtir yet." When the discussion 
 about dissolution arose, she again interposed. "We after- 
 wards found from Errol, the Queen's equerry, the cause 
 of this reluctance, and, indeed, this attempt to avoid the 
 dissolution. The Queen, who generally took the Tory 
 view of subjects, had been urgent with the King to 
 refuse at the last moment, and he had come to town
 
 364 THE LIFE A^^D TIMES OF 
 
 after promising that he would refuse, be the consequences 
 what they might." Thus Lord Brougham. 
 
 The mob showed their dislike of her in a marked 
 fashion, when the King and Queen and all the royal 
 family were at the Duke of Wellington's fete at Apsley 
 House. " The King," says Mr. Raikes, " looked infirm 
 and tired. The Queen was evidently out of spirits ; she 
 had attended a review in Hyde Park in the morning, 
 when the sovereign mob thought proper to greet her 
 with much incivility and rudeness. Truly enough might 
 the King remark that he feared he had got into bad 
 hands, when he sees that his own wife cannot escape 
 from insult before his face." 
 
 At Ascot races, too, there was another painful scene. 
 "As soon as His Majesty presented himself in the stand, 
 a ruffian threw a stone at him, which hit him on the 
 forehead, but, fortunately, did him no serious injury. The 
 scoundrel was taken up and sent to prison." It turned 
 out, however, that the fellow was half-witted. 
 
 But the incidents that followed the rather undio^nified 
 efforts of the ministers to remove the favourite chamber- 
 lain, Lord Howe — an event already alluded to, reveal an 
 extraordinary tissue of intrigue. On March 21st, we 
 find Lord Grey complaining bitterly of his behaviour. 
 
 " There is no practice, either fair or foul, of giving 
 effect to the opposition we have not to encounter. An 
 account has just been brought to me, that a report is 
 industriously circulated, of a letter having been written 
 to me by the King on Friday night, putting an absolute 
 veto on dissolution. Whether any private information 
 has been obtained of the fact, I know not ; but if it is 
 pure invention, as I believe, the inventor has certainly 
 shown some sagacity in divining the truth. 
 
 "Ill all this my only care is for the personal ease
 
 WILLIAM IV. 365 
 
 and comfort of the King, and my own course is plain 
 and clear. I must abide the event, whatever it may be. 
 There is no room left for compromise or retreat. It 
 would not do, at the end of a loHg political life, to 
 forfeit the character which I have obtained through 
 many sacrifices. 
 
 "P.S. — I have just learnt that Sir T. Trowbridge 
 told Capt. Elliott, that the fact of the King having 
 written to declare that he would not consent to a dis- 
 solution, had been communicated to him by one of the 
 
 Kino-'s household. Lord has also been offerinoj 
 
 larcrc bets that the King; has notified his refusal." 
 
 He also conveyed his feelings to His Majesty, and 
 tries to pass off his attempt to discover His Majesty's 
 view through the secretary. 
 
 "Downing Street, March 21, 1831. 
 
 *' Earl Grey begs leave humbly to acknowledge your 
 Majesty's two most gracious letters of yesterday, which 
 he tliought it his duty to communicate to the rest of 
 your Majesty's confidential servants, at a Cabinet held 
 last night. 
 
 "In what occurred at Brighton, when your Majesty 
 was pleased to notice the allusion made by Sir J. 
 Graham, in the House of Commons, to the possibility 
 of a dissolution of Parliament, though no direct and 
 positive objection was stated, Earl Grey could not fail 
 to perceive your Majesty's repugnance to such a 
 measure ; and it was this recollection which made him 
 anxious to learn from Sir H. Taylor what might still 
 be your Majesty's feelings with respect to it, after the 
 debate and division on Friday night in the House of 
 Commons. That event unavoidably compelled Earl 
 Grey to look to the possible necessity of making a
 
 366 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OE 
 
 proposition to your Majesty, wliicli he Iicad occasion to 
 fear your Majesty could not receive without pain, and 
 which nothing but the imperative sense of public duty 
 could make him think of after what had passed between 
 your Majesty and him on that subject. It will be their 
 most earnest wish to act in obedience to it to the utmost 
 of their power; but they humbly hope that your 
 Majesty's decision will not be considered by your 
 Majesty as taking from them the privilege, which is 
 essential to the discharge of their duty, of respect- 
 fully submitting to your Majesty such considerations as 
 upon a careful review of all the circumstances of the 
 time, may compel them, as faithful servants to your 
 Majesty, to recommend a course which nothing but the 
 most painful necessity could induce them to urge in 
 opposition to your Majesty's known opinions. This 
 necessity Earl Grey anxiously hopes may be avoided. 
 
 On the same day he wrote to Taylor on the necessity 
 of preparing the King's mind to yielding on this im- 
 portant point, and it will be seen that the Premier was 
 not to be trifled with. 
 
 "I never," he wrote, "experienced greater joain than 
 in the discussion which has taken place, and which I fear 
 may not end here, on the subject of dissolution. You 
 may be assured nothing, as I have stated to His Majesty, 
 but the most painful necessity can induce me to press it 
 further. 
 
 " I have ventured to suggest, in a manner which I 
 hope will not be considered as implying any distrust or 
 suspicion, the necessity of observing the most careful 
 secresy as to His Majesty's opinions on the subject of 
 dissolution." 
 
 Sir H. Taylor replied ; *' I should be wholly un-
 
 WILLIAM lY. 367 
 
 ^YO^thy of confidence if I were to disguise from you my 
 conviction that the King's objections to a dissolution at 
 this moment, and in the present state of the country, 
 will prove final and conclusive. They are indeed 
 grounded upon apprehensions of a convulsion in this 
 country, and chiefly in Ireland, which have taken such 
 a firm hold on his mind, that I am persuaded no 
 argument will be able to shake them." 
 
 With a Parliament so hostile it was natural that the 
 Ministers should complain that they were acting under 
 unfair conditions. And a letter from the rather plain- 
 spoken Lord Durham, written to his father-in-law, put 
 the thing so bluntly and truly that it was sent to Sir 
 Herbert, with a charge, however, that it was not to be 
 shown to the King. No wonder Lord Grey was anxious, 
 for that night there was to be a division on the Eeform 
 Bill, and, so evenly balanced were parties it was likely 
 enough to be lost. 
 
 On March 22nd the Bill was passed, but only by a 
 majority of one. 
 
 A young Member of Parliament, full of brilliancy 
 and promise, thus describes the scene, with an^animation 
 that makes one speculate whether his pen might not 
 have been more successful in recording what he saw 
 than in imparting an artificial vitality to a scene of the 
 past. "As the division proceeded, and they were counting 
 the numbers going out, it came to two hundred and 
 ninety-one — two hundred and ninety-two ; we were all 
 standing up and stretching forward, telling with the 
 tellers. At three hundred there was a short cry of joy — ■ 
 at three hundred and two another, suppressed however 
 in a moment ; for we did not yet know what the hostile 
 force might be. We knew, however, that we could not 
 be severely beaten. The doors were thrown open, and
 
 368 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OE 
 
 in tliev came. Each of them, as he entered, brouo-ht 
 some different report of their numbers. It must have 
 been impossible, as you may conceive, in the lobby, 
 crowded as they were, to form any exact estimate. 
 First we heard that they were three hundred and three ; 
 then that number rose to three hundred and ten ; then 
 went down to three hundred and seven. Alexander 
 Barry told me that he had counted, and that they were 
 three hundred and four. We were all breathless with 
 anxiety, wdien Charles Wood, who stood near the door, 
 jumped up on a bench and cried out : 'They are only 
 three hundred and one.' We set up a shout that you 
 might have heard to Charing Cross, waving our hats, 
 stamping against the floor, and clapping our hands. The 
 tellers scarcely got through the crowd, for the House 
 was thronged up to the table, and all the floor was fluc- 
 tuating with heads like the pit of a theatre. But you 
 might have heard a pin drop as Duncannon read the 
 numbers. Then again the shouts broke out, and many 
 of us shed tears. I could scarcely refrain. And the jaw 
 of Peel fell ; and the face of Twiss was as the face of a 
 damned soul ; and Herries looked like Judas taking his 
 necktie off for the last operation. We shook hands, and 
 clapped each other on the back, and went out laughing, 
 crying, and huzzaing into the lobby. And no sooner 
 were *he outer doors opened than another shout answered 
 that within the House. All the passages and the stairs 
 into the waiting-rooms were thronged by people who had 
 waited till four in the morning to know the issue. We 
 passed through a narrow lane between two thick masses^ 
 of them ; and all the way down they were shouting and 
 wavino- their hats, till we got into the open air. I called 
 a cabriolet, and the first thing the driver asked was : " Is
 
 WILLIAM IV. 369 
 
 the Bill carried ? ' ' Yes, by one.' ' Tliauk God for it, 
 sir.' And away I rode to Gray's Inn." 
 
 Mr. Eoebuck, referring to the first debate of the 
 Reform Bill, says : "I often heard Lord Brougham 
 relate a circumstance connected with this celebrated 
 motion, which vividly illustrates the ignorance of 
 the administration, even at the eleventh hour, as to 
 the real feelings of the people. The members of the 
 Cabinet, who were not in the House of Commons, 
 dined that day with the Lord Chancellor, whose secre- 
 tary, Mr. (now Sir) Denis Le Marchant, sat under the 
 gallery of the Commons, and sent half-hour bulletins to 
 the noble lord, describing the progress of the debate. 
 They ran thus : ' Lord John has been up ten minutes ; 
 House very full ; great interest and anxiety shown.' 
 Another came describing the extraordinary sensation 
 produced by the plan on both sides of the House. At 
 last came one saying : ' Lord John is near the end of his 
 speech — my next will tell you who follows him.' 'Now,' 
 said the noble host and narrator of the story, ' we had 
 often talked over and guessed at the probable course of 
 the Opposition, and I always said, were I in Peel's 
 place, I would not condescend to argue the point, but 
 would, as soon as John Russell sat down, get up and 
 declare that I would not debate so revolutionary, so 
 mad a proposal, and would insist on dividing upon it at 
 once. If he does that, I used to say, we are dead beat ; 
 but if he allows himself to be drawn into a discussion, 
 we shall succeed.' When Le Marchant's bulletin at 
 length came, which was to tell us the course adopted by 
 the Opposition, I held the note unopened in my hand, 
 xind lauG^hinix, said : * Now this decides our fate, there- 
 fore, let us take a glass of wine all round, in order 
 
 VOL. I. 2 b
 
 370 THE LITE AND TIMES OF 
 
 that we may with proper nerve read the fatal 
 missive.' Having done so, I opened the note, and 
 seeing the first line, which was : ' Peel has been up 
 twenty minutes/ I flourished the note round my head, 
 and shouted : ' Hurrah ! hurrah ! Victory ! victory t 
 Peel has been speaking twenty minutes ;' and so we 
 took another glass to congratulate ourselves upon our 
 good fortune ! ' Such is the anecdote, which proves,, 
 among other things, how uncertain as guides are such 
 anecdotes for history. The events, doubtless, occurred, 
 much as Lord Brougham is accustomed to relate them ; 
 but Sir Robert Peel did not speak on that night's 
 debate. Sir John Sebright seconded Lord John Russell's 
 motion, and Sir Robert Inglis was the next succeeding 
 speaker, in vehement, nay fierce reply to Lord John.""'' 
 
 On which Sir D. Le Marchant made this simple 
 comment: 
 
 "Lord Brougham was perfectly correct — the error 
 was mine. I had gone out of the House at the end of 
 Lord John's speech, to finish some notes of it, which 
 I was preparing for the Lord Chancellor, and on my 
 return I asked a stranger near the door whether Sir 
 Robert Peel was speaking. He probably misunderstood 
 me, and answered in the afiirmative, and I wrote to the 
 Lord Chancellor accordingly." 
 
 The King, on receipt of this momentous news^ 
 wrote to his minister : 
 
 THE KING TO EAEL GEEY. 
 
 "March 23, 1831. 
 
 "The King acknowledges the receipt of Earl Grey's 
 letter of this day, respecting the result of last night's 
 
 * Sir Denis Le Marchant, in his " Memoirs of Earl Spencer," 
 He furnishes many anecdotes which also curiously illustrate what has- 
 heen said in the text.
 
 WILLIAM lY. 371 
 
 debate, wliicli he has learned from Viscount Althorp 
 also. His Majesty would have been better pleased if the 
 majority in favour of the second reading of the Reform 
 Bill had been greater, but he sincerely rejoices it has 
 been carried, even by one. He considers it of great 
 importance that time should be gained for consideration r 
 and he hopes and trusts that, when the question is 
 resumed, the effect of that consideration will realise the 
 wishes of His Majesty and his Government." 
 
 There is here an ill-concealed pleasure ; for such a 
 victory, if it gained " time for consideration," that 
 consideration he did not mean should be favourable 
 to ministers. 
 
 It is singular to find the secretary, before letting 
 the King see this document, actually answering the 
 arguments it contained, thus betraying the radical fault 
 of the system, and the confusion into which it led both 
 sides. 
 
 " [secret and confidential.] 
 
 "March 22, 1831. 
 
 " My dear Lord, 
 
 "Your lordship's letter, enclosing Lord Durham's, 
 reached me shortly before I left St. James's, and I was 
 unable to read them quietly until I got home ; nor 
 would I sit down to reply to them until my family had 
 gone to bed. 
 
 " I feel very sensibly your confidence in making 
 this communication ; and I own that I regret that you 
 have restricted mc from imparting it to the King, as 
 there are many points wJiich I should have ivished him 
 to see and consider before the subject shall possibly be 
 brought before him in a more formal shape. 
 
 " I may add, and in fact repeat, that I have been in 
 
 2 B 2
 
 372 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the habit of submitting to the King, without reserve, 
 whatever reaches me, provided it shcdl not aj^jyear to me 
 calculated to opcixite to the injury or j^rejudice of the 
 jyerson icho addresses me, or to create impressions not 
 intended to be conveyed ; and no question has ever 
 arisen in the course of which I have felt more anxious 
 than on this. I have carefully read your lordship's letters 
 and that from Lord Durham, which I return, and I see 
 nothing in them which may not be freely submitted to 
 the Kinoj. 
 
 " I would close my letter here, if there were not in 
 those letters a few points upon which I may offer 
 remarks without indiscretion, and without committing 
 His Majesty, and departing from the strict line of duty 
 which a very delicate situation prescribes to me. 
 
 " The King has never, to the best of my knowledge, 
 entertained the oj)inion, nor I believe expressed such, 
 that his present Government caused the excitement 
 about Reform. He has admitted that it had been the 
 occasion of increasino^ agjitation." 
 
 In Lord Durham's letter, which was sent, the truth 
 was spoken in the boldest fashion. Some of the passages 
 would scarcely be used by a Birmingham Radical : 
 
 "[private and confidential.] "March 22, 1831, 
 
 " Tuesday Morning, 1 2 o'clock. 
 
 " My dear Lord Grey, 
 
 "The letters are gone on in circulation. [The 
 letters to and from the King on the question of a dis- 
 solution.] It is surprising that throughout all these 
 arguments against dissolution, grounded on the excited 
 state of public feeling, he never for an instant alludes to 
 what will be the effect of a rejection of the Bill, if
 
 WILLIAM IV. 373 
 
 unaccompanied by a dissolution. From tliis omission 
 one would imagine that he fancies the country would 
 quietly acquiesce in the rejection. 
 
 " The King has denied to his Ministers their legitimate 
 right to the additional strength which would accrue to 
 them from the dissolution of a Parliament elected under 
 the influence and direction of their predecessors, and 
 most undoubtedly not when the question which renders 
 it necessary is one on which the whole country unani- 
 mously supports the measure recommended to Parliament, 
 and refused by it. If, therefore, the King refuses his 
 consent to that constitutional measure, which would, to 
 the conviction of every sane man in the country, ensure 
 the success of the Bill, the country will say that he 
 never was in earnest, or thoroughly determined to carry 
 it. In fact, it w^ould be another mode of refusing the 
 royal assent." 
 
 It was singular that at so critical a moment Lord 
 Grey should have let himself be persuaded into urging 
 the grievances of that extraordinary man. Lord Durham, 
 his son-in-law — a politician who owed his influence and 
 advancement not so much to his talents as to a bad 
 temper, which, in opposition to all political canons, he 
 did not attempt to control. Only a w^eek before he had 
 squabbled with a lady (Lady Jersey), accusing her of 
 misrepresenting his wife to the Queen, and declaring he 
 would make Lady Durham demand an audience of Her 
 Majesty to contradict these calumnies. Mr. Greville had 
 from Lady Jersey a full account of the transaction, and 
 denied solemnly that she had said anything to the Queen. 
 At the drawiug-room where our present Gracious Majesty 
 made her first appearance at Court, Lady Jersey had 
 a scene with Lord Durham. " She got up and crossed
 
 374- THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 the room and to liim said : ' Lord Durliam, I hear that 
 you have said things about me which are not true, and 
 I desire that you will call upon me to-morrow with a 
 witness to hear my positive denial ; and I beg that you 
 will not repeat any such things about me.' She was in 
 a fury, and he, I suppose, in a still greater. He muttered 
 that he should never set foot in her house again, which 
 she did not hear, as, after delivering herself of her 
 speech, she flounced back again to her seat." 
 
 More strange is it that Lord Grey should have let 
 himself be driven, or perhaps " bullied," by his son-in- 
 law, into making complaints to His Majesty of these 
 trivial grievances : 
 
 " I am sure you will acquit me of the most 
 distant idea of insinuating anything against the 
 good faith and sincerity of the King. For those 
 most essential qualities no man was ever more distin- 
 guished. We all acknowledge this. We all feel grateful 
 for it. We are all actuated by the truest sentiments of 
 duty and attachment ; and there is nothing we would 
 not do to avoid any opposition to His Majesty's opinions, 
 which that same sense of duty did not dictate, combined 
 with the obligation of maintaining our own character 
 and honour. By these sentiments nobody is more 
 sincerely actuated than Lord Durham. I anxiously hope 
 that neither I nor Lord Durham can sufler in His 
 Majesty's opinion, or be supposed to entertain a feeling 
 inconsistent with the sincere respect which we feel for 
 his character, and our affectionate attachment to his 
 person, from anythiug that may have been too in- 
 cautiously or too freely expressed in a correspondence 
 which was not intended to meet his eye. 
 
 " I have been induced to dwell more upon this,
 
 WILLIAM IV. 375 
 
 because I have remarked tliat His Majesty's manner to 
 Lord Durham has not been marked with the same kind- 
 ness that he has shown to his other servants. This may 
 have been accidental, but I know it has been felt by 
 Lord Durham ; and I had once thought of desiring him 
 to address directly to His Majesty, from himself, a state- 
 ment of his feelings and opinions on the question we 
 have been discussing, which few people could do so ably, 
 and which I hoped might bring about more confidential 
 communications between His Majesty and a most useful 
 and attached servant. What hurt us most was the 
 report so industriously propagated, that the King had 
 put a positive veto on a proposal to dissolve the Parlia- 
 ment. Several Members, representing popular consti- 
 tuencies, who had before declared their intention of 
 votino', changed on this assurance. Amono; other au- 
 thorities for it, that of Lord Mansfield is stated. It was 
 said that he had had an audience of the King, at which 
 he had represented the dangers of the present crisis ; 
 and that on his return he had publicly said, that, what- 
 ever might happen, he could confidently assert that no 
 dissolution would take place. This may be as false as 
 many other reports that have been circulated, but it 
 <iertainly had its efi'ect." 
 
 Lord Grey in reply attempted to support his theories, 
 winding up, however, with abundant compliments and 
 praise of His Majesty. 
 
 This rather pettish complaint, it will be seen, was still 
 pointed at the occult infiuence behind the throne — the 
 faction that was warping the King's mind. It was 
 thus another vice of this secretarian system that His 
 Majesty was shown letters in which complaint could be 
 made, as it were, addressed to him, of his own behaviour.
 
 376 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 We were not surprised accordingly at finding him vindi- 
 cating himself through the same channel. The Durham 
 letter had just been submitted to him. 
 
 " I think I may venture to say, and indeed I have 
 the Kiug's authority for saying, that your lordship has 
 mistaken the cause of His Majesty's manner towards 
 Lord Durham, and that the appearance has been purely 
 accidental. He observed, indeed, when I read that part 
 of your letter to him, that Lord Durham appears shy 
 and reserved, and that his manner did not encourage 
 free intercourse. He ordered me to assure your lordship 
 that he would be very glad to see Lord Durham when- 
 ever it might suit him, and that he should receive with 
 attention and interest the statement of his feelings and 
 opinions on the question under discussion. With regard 
 to the report propagated, that the King had put a 
 positive veto on a proposal to dissolve, your lordship 
 knows, from a comparison of dates, that it could not 
 come from Windsor ; nor had the King's feelings on the 
 subject been mentioned, or even whispered, until he 
 replied to the question put in your letter to me, received 
 on Sunday last, and which I submitted to him ; nor has 
 it been otherwise broached. Lord Mansfield had been 
 with the King on the preceding Tuesday. He wrote to 
 me from ' The Castle Inn ' at Windsor to request an 
 audience of His Majesty, to which he was admitted. I 
 did not see him, but His Majesty told me that he liad 
 been with him some time, and had stated fidly his view 
 of the general question of Reform, without endeavouring 
 to elicit His Majesty's sentiments, and without learning 
 what they might be. I asked the King on that day, 
 whether any mention had been made of a dissolution, 
 or any allusion to that contingency, and His Majesty 
 assured me that he had not committed himself upon it.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 377 
 
 No secret was made of Lord Mansfield's visit ; and if 
 His Majesty omitted to notice it to you, the omission 
 must have been accidental." 
 
 How worthy this son-in-law was of his amiable 
 father-in-law's advocacy, will be gathered from two 
 scenes which are recorded of a very painful character, 
 both taking place at Cabinet dinners. 
 
 "At one of these," Mr. Greville learned " that he made 
 a violent sortie on Lord Grey (it was at Al thorp's), said 
 he would be eternally disgraced if he suffered any altera- 
 tions to be made in this Bill, that he was a betrayer of 
 the cause, and, amongst other things, reproached him 
 with having kept him in town on account of this Bill in 
 the summer, ' and thereby having been the cause of the 
 death of his son.' Eichmond said in his life he never 
 witnessed so painful a scene, or one which excited such 
 disgust and indignation in every member of the Cabinet. 
 Lord Grey was ready to burst into tears, said he would 
 much rather w^ork in the coal-mines, than be subject to 
 such attacks, on which the other muttered, ' and you 
 might do worse,' or some such w^ords. After this 
 Durham got up and left the room. Lord Grey very 
 soon retired too, when the other Ministers discussed this 
 extraordinary scene, and considered w^hat steps they 
 ought to take. They thought at first that they should 
 require Durliara to make a public apology {i.e. before all 
 of them) to Lord Grey for his impertinence, which they 
 deemed due to them as he was tlieir head, and to 
 AltJiorp as having occurred in his house, but as they 
 thought it was quite certain that Durham would resign 
 the next morning, and that Lord Grey might be pained 
 at another scene, they forbore to extract this. How- 
 ever, Durham did not resign ; he absented himself for 
 some days from the Cabinet, at last returned as if
 
 378 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF WILLIAM lY. 
 
 notliing had liappened, and there he goes on as usual. 
 Lord Grey succumbs to him, and they say in spite of 
 his behaviour is very much attached to him, though so 
 incessantly worried that his health visibly suffers by his 
 presence." 
 
 This, however, showed the power which such dis- 
 agreeable and intractable men possess, which is based on 
 the awe or terror they inspire. Later he again broke 
 out. 
 
 " While Lord Grey was saying something he rudely 
 interrupted him, as his custom is. Lord Grey said, 
 ' But, my dear Lambton, only hear what I was going to 
 say,' when the other jumped up and said, ' Oh, if I am 
 not to be allowed to speak I may as well go away," rang 
 the bell, ordered his carriage, and marched off."
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A MONTH passed hy before the Eeform Bill came on 
 again for consideration ; but its prospects were now bad 
 indeed. 
 
 On April 19 a division on General Gascoigne's 
 motion, in which ministers were beaten, changed the 
 question from being merely speculative. Next day the 
 view of the Cabinet was forwarded to the King. 
 They call it their " painful duty," and " humbly recom- 
 mended a dissolution." The King, in a long exposition 
 of his motives, agreed to the proposal, on the ground 
 that a chanoje of ministers would be a OTcater evil. The 
 Cabinet seemed to be overwhelmed, and wrote in almost 
 abject terms their " feelings of gratitute for His Majesty's 
 kindness and admiration for his noble and generous 
 conduct," which it was impossible to describe. The 
 King seized this opportunity to send them a lengthy 
 exposition of his sentiments, accompanied with solemn 
 warnings. He recapitulated the " feelings with which he 
 approached the measure," and which "had been more 
 than once characterised by Earl Grey as perilous." 
 
 " As an individual," he went on, " consulting merely 
 his own feelings and prejudices, he would probably 
 have taken and maintained a different position. As a
 
 380 THE LIFE AND TIMES OP 
 
 sovereign, responsible to God and his country for the 
 welfare and happiness of millions, it was his duty to set 
 those feelings and prejudices aside. Still he cannot 
 help considering this perilous measure as an experiment 
 — as a fearful experiment. 
 
 " His Majesty has stated, in the concluding part of 
 his letter of the 21st inst., that advantages should be 
 taken of any preponderance which his Ministers may 
 obtain in the House of Commons, by the results of the 
 ensuing general election, to introduce modifications in 
 the Bill." 
 
 This idea of " modification " became a favourite topic 
 with him, on which he insisted ao;ain and as^ain, meaninsf, 
 of course, an enfeebling and alteration of the Bill. 
 
 " TliG times are aivfiil," he added in concluding, 
 " and they seem to His Majesty to call upon those who 
 love their country, and are attached to its constitution, 
 to lay aside party feeling and prejudice, and to devote 
 their talents and their energies to the preservation of 
 the blessings which the various ranks and classes of this 
 country have so long enjoyed. It is impossible not to 
 view with alarm the character of the attempts which 
 have for some time past been making to invade property 
 and to destroy the gradations and the links of society, 
 and the success which has attended those attempts in 
 their effects upon the lower orders, not a little aided by 
 the poisonous influence of a licentious and unobstructed 
 press. It is, therefore, the more difficult to know where 
 to find, and how to apply, the remedy. The sanguine 
 advocates for Pteform of Parliament, indeed, assure His 
 Majesty that this will prove the great panacea. God 
 grant it may ! and His Majesty will bless the day on 
 which he gave his assent to the measure." 
 
 But this important measure of the dissolution gave
 
 WILLIAM IV. 381 
 
 rise to an amusing and not undramatic episode, of wliicli 
 many accounts have been given. 
 
 Sir Denis Le Marchant tells us tliat the Tories had 
 hopes of success — founded, as might be expected, on the 
 help of the King. " For," he adds, " it was confidently 
 asserted in my hearing among the Tories in the House 
 that the King had pledged himself to the Duke of 
 Cumberland not to dissolve, and that Sir Charles 
 Wetherell had been authorised by the Duke to say so. 
 The Duke was under the gallery during the debate, and 
 in constant communication with members of his party. 
 The adjournment was carried by a majority of twelve, 
 and, as Lord Althorp afterwards stated, if it did not 
 actually cause, it justified the dissolution." 
 
 In delivering this great coiij) it was felt that not a 
 day should be lost, so as to give enemies no time to 
 organise resistance. Ministers were dining at Lord 
 Durham's house, in Cleveland Row. Events which were 
 taking place in the House had determined them to pro- 
 pose the dissolution.* 
 
 The present Lord Grey recalls what took place : 
 
 " While the debate was in progress, and when it 
 became evident with what object it was protracted, Lord 
 
 * "The chief difficulty,"says LordBroughamin his "Autobiography," 
 "was the King's great reluctance. Indeed ho at first refused, and 
 reminded us of the reserve under whicli he had given his approval of 
 the Bill. After much discussion, both in conversation and by corre- 
 spondence, in -which I of course took part, addressing a very full and 
 anxious letter to him, as well as having an audience, it ended in our 
 determining all to resign unless the request was granted. We had a 
 Ca])inet on the subject, and all signed a minute to that effect. For- 
 tunately the King had made up his mind to refuse no longer, before 
 our minute could reach him, and he could refer to something that had 
 passed with me as showing tliis, which it did when fairly considered, 
 though it had not so appeared to us."
 
 382 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 Althorp, wlio was to have met my father and several of 
 liis colleagues at dinner at Lord Durham's, sent Mr. 
 Wood (Lord Halifax) and myself, who were also to dine 
 there, to tell my father from him what was going on, 
 that the money votes could not be obtained, and that in 
 his opinion the dissolution ought to take place at once. 
 In consequence of this message, and after some commu- 
 nication with those Members of the Cabinet who were 
 present, my father wrote to the King from Cleveland 
 Row, proposing that the intended dissolution should 
 take place immediately. The King ajDproved, saying, 
 as will be observed in his answer, that after seeing my 
 father at half-past eleven he would hold a Council at 
 twelve the next day. The object of this meeting of the 
 Council was of course to make the formal orders required 
 for the dissolution. Mr. William Bathurst (now Lord 
 Bathurst) the then Clerk of the Council, informs me in a 
 letter that I have received from him, that, on the morning 
 of the 22nd, he received orders to issue summonses 
 immediately for a Council to be held for the dissolution 
 of Parliament, and that he was directed to bring with 
 him the usual papers which are required when Parlia- 
 ment is to be prorogued or dissolved by commission. In 
 the meantime, and almost at the last moment, it was 
 found necessary to make a further change in the mode 
 of proceeding. By the law and usage of Parliament, 
 the House of Lords is entitled to dispose of any business 
 actually in progress before it admits the Commissioners 
 of the Crown ; and it was ascertained that the Opposition 
 Peers intended to avail themselves of this rule, so as to 
 carry Lord Wharncliffe's proposed Address. 
 
 " It is quite true that their doing so would no more 
 have deprived the Crown of its constitutional power to 
 dissolve Parliament, than the addresses of the same
 
 WILLIAM IV. 383 
 
 character whicli were carried in tlie House of Commons, 
 after the Coalition Ministry had been dismissed, and 
 succeeded by that of Mr. Pitt in 1784. It was, however, 
 thought desirable to prevent the House of Lords from 
 coming to such a vote, lest it should have a bad effect 
 on public opinion. 
 
 " This could only be done by the King's going down 
 to prorogue Parliament in person, the appearance of the 
 King in the House of Lords putting a stop to all pro- 
 ceedings. This course was accordingly proposed to the 
 King by my father, at the audience which the King had 
 previously fixed for half-past eleven on the morning of 
 the 22nd, and at which Lord Brougham was present. 
 
 " The King at once agreed to what was proposed to 
 him — indeed, my father told me at the time, and he 
 more than once afterwards mentioned the same fact in 
 the presence of myself and others, that notwithstanding 
 his strong objection to a dissolution in the first instance, 
 the King, w^hen the measure had been decided upon, 
 resented the attempt to impede it by an Address of the 
 House of Lords, as an invasion of his prerogative." 
 
 In connection with this attitude of the King's, there 
 are other curious and contradictory incidents reported. 
 AYe have seen how precarious was the influence of 
 ministers, and what a nice matter it was to "manage" His 
 Majesty, who, to use a pleasant image of Mr. Bright's, had 
 to be humoured like a shy horse, first being shown the 
 object, made to smell at it, etc., and is gradually induced 
 to lay aside his terror. But there is one part of the 
 adventure which is worth while dwelling on, as it 
 illustrates the Dumas-like imagination of the versatile 
 being who embellished any episode where he was con- 
 cerned with the most dramatic details. Numbers of 
 these could be instanced, notably the scene where he stood
 
 384 THE LIFE AXD TIMES OF 
 
 with the Princess Charlotte after her elopement from 
 her mother, and pointed to the ground which was to 
 be crowded next day with mobs. 
 
 Let us see what Lord Campbell says in reference to 
 the Kin2;'s behaviour on this momentous occasion. 
 After telling us that on April 21st a Cabinet was held, 
 and a resolution unanimously passed to advise the 
 King immediately to dissolve the Parliament, " at the 
 risinof of the Cabinet this resolution was communicated 
 by Lord Grey and the Lord Chancellor to His Majesty, 
 who very readily assented to it ; and the usual orders 
 were given in the usual manner for the ceremony of 
 a prorogation to take place next day. Yet, to shake all 
 faith even in contemj^orary history, within twenty years 
 from the event a j^uhlication appeared, professing to he 
 a 'History of the Whig Administration; hy John 
 Arthur Boehuch, Esq., M.P. for Sheffield: This 
 gentleman was a particularly intimate private friend of 
 Lord Brougham, and professed that he obtained from 
 Lord BrouGfham authentic information of all the secret 
 proceedings of the Government while Lord Brougham 
 remained in office. The author gives a totally different 
 account of the interview between the King and his two 
 Ministers ; yet, ivith such claims to authenticity, it is 
 utterly fabulous. 
 
 "Mr. Ptoebuck's narration being every way so closely 
 connected with the subject of this memoir, I copy it 
 in extenso, and it will at all events amuse the reader, 
 although I fear that it violates probability too much to 
 be considered artistically good. He thus describes it 
 in the margin : ' Fabulous statement upon Lord 
 Brougham's authority of his having assumed the 
 functions of royalty.' 
 
 " On the morning of the 22nd, Lord Grey and the
 
 WILLIAM IV. 385 
 
 Lord Chancellor waited on the King in order to request 
 that he would instantly and on that day dissolve the 
 House. The bolder mind of the Lord Chancellor took 
 the lead, and Lord Grey anxiously solicited him to 
 manage the King on the occasion. So soon as they 
 were admitted, the Chancellor, with some care and 
 •circumlocution, propounded to the King the object of 
 the interview they had sought. The startled monarch 
 no sooner understood the drift of the Chancellor's some- 
 what paraphrastic statement, than he exclaimed in 
 wonder and anger against the very idea of such a 
 proceeding. ' How is it possible, my lords, that I can 
 after this fashion repay the kindness of Parliament to 
 the Queen and myself ? They have granted me a most 
 liberal Civil List, and to the Queen a splendid annuity 
 in case she survives me.' The Chancellor confessed that 
 they had, as regarded His Majesty, been a liberal and 
 wise Parliament, but said that, nevertheless, their 
 further existence was incompatible with the peace and 
 safety of the kingdom. Both he and Lord Grey then 
 strenuously insisted upon the absolute necessity of their 
 rec[uest, and gave His Majesty to understand that this 
 iidvice was by his Ministers unanimously resolved on, 
 and that they felt themselves unable to conduct the 
 affairs of the country in the present condition of the Par- 
 liament. ' But, my lords, nothing is prepared ; the great 
 officers of State are not summoned.' ' Pardon me, sir,' said 
 the Chancellor, bowing with profound apparent humility, 
 ' we have taken the great liberty of giving them to 
 understand that your Majesty commanded their attend- 
 ance at the proper hour.' 'But, my lords, the crown 
 and the robes, and other things needed, are not prepared.' 
 'Again I most humbly entreat your Majesty's pardon for 
 my boldness,' said the Chancellor, ' they arc all prepared.' 
 
 VOL. I. 2
 
 386 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 The Chancellor, therefore, with some real hesitation, 
 began as before : ' Pardon me, sir ; we know how bold 
 the step is, that, presuming on your goodness and your 
 anxious desire for the safety of your kingdom and 
 happiness of your people, we have presumed to take — 
 I have given orders, and the troops are ready.' The 
 Kinof started in serious ano-er, flamed red in the face, 
 and burst forth with : ' What, my lords, have you dared 
 to act thus ? Such a thing was never heard of. You, 
 my Lord Chancellor, ought to know that such an act 
 is treason, high treason, my lord.' After some further 
 expostulations by both his Ministers, the King cooled 
 down and consented. Having consented, he became 
 anxious that everything should be done in the j^roper 
 manner, and gave minute directions respecting the 
 ceremonial. The speech to be spoken by him at the 
 prorogation was ready prepared, and in the Chancellor's 
 pocket. To this he agreed ; desired that everybody 
 might punctually attend, and dismissed his Ministers for 
 the moment with something between a menace and a 
 joke upon the audacity of their proceeding." 
 
 Now to turn to what Lord Brougham tells us in 
 his "Autobiography." ^ 
 
 " It was accordingly resolved that very early next 
 morning we should have a Cabinet before the Speech 
 Council, which was to take place at half-past eleven, 
 and finally resolve on the mode and manner of pro- 
 ceeding. We met accordingly, and almost all agreed to 
 go on, though one or two, appalled by the many increas- 
 ing difficulties, asked if it was too late to reconsider the 
 whole matter. Here I appealed to the Duke of Rich- 
 mond, and asked him if he had ever seen a council of 
 war held on the field just before going into action. He 
 said, 'By God! never; neither I nor anyone else.'
 
 WILLIAM IV. 387 
 
 ' Then,' said I, ' let us go in to the King.' Grey and I 
 went in, and stated our clear opinion that it would be 
 necessary for him to go in person, though we were most 
 unwillino' to o-ive him that trouble. I took care to make 
 him understand the threatened proceedings of the Lords, 
 and the effect the proposed motion for an address was 
 intended to have on His Majesty's proroguing Parliament. 
 He fired up at this — hating dissolution, perhaps, as much 
 as ever, but hating far more the interference with, or 
 attempt to delay, the exercise of the prerogative ; and 
 so he at once agreed to go, only saying that all must be 
 done in the usual manner."'"' 
 
 Now all the stirring dialogue of the latter part of the 
 scene, with, of course, the dramatic companies " business " 
 allotted to himself by the Chancellor, must be a pure 
 fable, and is disposed of by Sir D. Le Marchant and 
 General Grey's accounts ; and it is clear that the 
 account given to Mr. Roebuck was coloured up in an 
 extraordinary fashion. 
 
 Lord Campbell in his lively style describes the scene 
 in the House of Lords when it was known that the King 
 
 * It seems extraordinary that there should be any controversy about 
 so clear a matter, but when Mr. Molesworth published his " History of 
 the Eeform Bill," Lord Grey disputed its correctness in this matter, 
 maintaining that the King had agreed to the prorogation in his answer 
 to the Cabinet Ministers on the 20th. There was no need therefore 
 for all this pressure. Lord Brougham, however, reasserted his state- 
 ment to Lord Grey himself, and conceived tliat the King had changed 
 his mind before the 22nd. Lord Grey further urged that the King's 
 having called a Council in morning dress at twelve and not a Cabinet, 
 clearly implies his consent, as a Council is called upon only to indorse 
 what has been previously agreed upon. Another solution might be 
 that the King was opposed to the moment of such a dissolution, 
 thinking it too abrupt, hence the arguments addressed to him. But, 
 in truth, as we liavo seen, the King was vacillating enough to have 
 again changed his mind, even after solemn agreement.
 
 388 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 was on liis way clown. The most angry passions seem 
 to have been loosed. 
 
 " It was reported," says Lord Campbell, " that there 
 being some delay in the arrival of the royal carriage 
 with the eight cream-coloured horses to carry him to 
 Westminster, he exclaimed : ' Never mind ; I am ready 
 to go in a hackney-coach.' This, though much less im- 
 probable, I daresay is not more true than that the 
 Chancellor, before the King had been consulted about 
 a prorogation, had ordered the great officers of State, 
 the crown, the royal robes, and the military, to be in 
 readiness for the ceremonial at a given hour. But, after 
 diligent inquiry, I can take upon myself to say, that all 
 who had an opportunity of knowing or ascertaining the 
 fact, with the exception of Lord Brougham's pro^e^/e, 
 concur in testifying that His Majesty, instead of being 
 constrained upon this occasion, most joyously adopted 
 the advice which was tendered to him. 
 
 " But, as soon as Brougham was gone. Lord Mansfield, 
 according to the privilege of the Peers, moved that the 
 Earl of Shaftesbury should take the chair as Speaker ; 
 which was done immediately. Lord Wharncliffe then 
 rose, to move an address to the King, praying that he 
 would not dissolve the present Parliament. He was 
 interrupted by ministerialists, and at least five Peers 
 were on their legs at one time trying to gain a hearing, 
 and lookinsc as if resolved to come to blows. At last 
 Lord Wharncliffe was permitted to make his motion, 
 and there seemed great danger that it might be carried 
 by acclamation, when Lord Shaftesbury was dislodged 
 from the Woolsack by the appearance of the Lord 
 Chancellor in a state of great distraction, and screaming 
 out in the most passionate tone of voice : 
 
 " ' I never yet heard that the Crown ought not to
 
 WILLIAM IV. 389 
 
 dissolve Parliament whenever it thouglit fit, particularly 
 at a moment when the House of Commons had resorted 
 to the extreme step of refusing the supplies.' 
 
 " There were loud cries of 'Hear, hear ! The King, 
 the King ! ' and (according to Hansard) ' altogether 
 immense confusion.' 
 
 "The Lord Chancellor thought he had effectually 
 prevented any further attempt at discussion, and again 
 withdrew. But no sooner was he gone than Lord 
 Shaftesbury was again placed on the Woolsack, and Lord 
 Mansfield was declaiming furiously against the disso- 
 lution and against the Reform Bill, when cries were 
 heard of 'The King, the King! God save the King !^ 
 At that instant the large doors were thrown open on the 
 right of the throne, and His Majesty, accompanied by 
 the Chancellor and other great officers, entered the 
 House with a firm though rather hasty step, and having 
 seated himself on the throne, looked round to the 
 quarter from which the disturbance had come with 
 evident sio-ns of an^er. The Commons were then sum- 
 moned, and when they had arrived His Majesty began : 
 ' My Lords and Gentlemen, I have come to meet you 
 for the purpose of proroguing the Parliament, with a 
 view to its immediate dissolution ' — pronouncing the 
 word with deep emphasis and evident exultation. We 
 do not follow the fashion of the French, who on these 
 occasions holloa out, 'Vive le IloU' or 'Vive VEm- 
 pei-eur ! (as it may be) while His French ]\Lajesty is 
 still sitting on his tlirone ; but when our Sailor King 
 was returning to his palace he was saluted with loud 
 cries of ' Well done, old boy ! sawed them right ! Three 
 cheers for the King and Reform ! Hip, hip, hurrah ! ' 
 And he seemed much delighted with the applause which 
 he received."
 
 390 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 The Chancellor's own account of his share in the 
 scene adds several dramatic touches : 
 
 " Having to go home in order to dress, the gold 
 gown being required, I got to the House soon after 
 two o'clock, the hour to which we had adjourned ; 
 and, after prayers, I left the Woolsack, in order 
 that I might be in readiness to receive His Majesty. 
 Lord Shaftesbury, on the motion of Lord Mansfield, 
 then took the Woolsack, and WharnclifFe rose to move 
 the address of which he had Mven notice. Then beojan 
 a scene which, as it was represented to me, was never 
 exceeded in violence and uproar by any bear-garden 
 exhibition. The Duke of Richmond, interrupting 
 Wharncliife, moved that the Lords take their seats in 
 their proper places ; for, said he, I see a junior baron 
 (Lyndhurst) sitting on the Dukes' bench. Lyndhurst, 
 starting up, exclaimed that Richmond's conduct was 
 most disorderly, and shook hisjist at him. This brought 
 up Londonderry, who did not speak, but screamed that 
 the noljle Duke, in his attempt to stop Wharncliife, had 
 resorted to a wretched shift."" Wharncliffe then began 
 by reading the words of his motion. I was here told by 
 Durham what was going on, and that unless the King 
 came soon the Lords would vote the address, because 
 Wharncliffe meant to make no speech ; so I rushed 
 back into the House, and began by exclaiming against 
 the unheard-of doctrine that the Crown ous^ht not to 
 dissolve at a moment when the House of Commons had 
 refused the supplies. This was loudly denied, but I 
 
 * Mr. Greville also adds some lively sketches. Lord Londonderry- 
 was in such a fury that he rose, roared, gesticulated, held up his fist, 
 and four or five lords held him down by the tail of his coat to prevent 
 his flying at somebody. Lord Lyndhurst was equally furious, and 
 some sharp words passed which were not distinctly heard.
 
 WILLIAM IV. 391 
 
 persisted that the vote I referred to had in fact that 
 effect. I went on purposely speaking until wg heard 
 the guns. Then came great interruptions and cries of 
 order, which continued until a messenger summoned 
 me, when I said I had the King's commands to attend 
 him in the Painted Chamber. Shaftesbury again took 
 the Woolsack, and they continued debating until the 
 procession entered. When the door was thrown open, 
 the Kinof asked me ' What noise that was ? ' and I 
 answered, 'If it please your Majesty, it is the Lords 
 debating.' He asked if we should stop, but was told 
 that all would be silent the moment he entered. The 
 Commons were summoned in the usual way ; and, 
 having received the Speech, he read it with a clear and 
 firm voice. I doubt if any part of it was listened to 
 beyond the first sentence, prefixed to the draft, and 
 which I alone had any hand in writing : ' I am come 
 to meet you for the purpose of proroguing this Parlia- 
 ment, with a view to its immediate dissolution.' He * 
 dwelt upon ' immediate.' While w^e were waiting for the 
 rest of the Commons, beside the Speaker and the few 
 who accompanied him, the King ask 3d me many 
 questions, as to who such and such peers were, and 
 what were the names of the commoners who stood 
 behind the bar, I remember Cobbett was one, whom 
 he had never seen before." 
 
 Such a scene of agitation w^as naturally acceptable 
 to the King, who was, of course, the centre figure. 
 " The King," says Mr. Greville, " ought not properly to 
 have worn the crown, never having been crowned ; but 
 when he was in the robiusj-room, he said to Lord 
 Plastings : * Lord Hastings, I wear the crown ; where is 
 it ? ' It was brought to him, and when Lord Hastings 
 was going to put it on his head, he said : 'Nobody shall
 
 392 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 
 
 put the crown on my head but myself.' He put it on, 
 and then turned to Lord Grey and said : ' Now, my lord, 
 the coronation is over.' George Villiers said that in his 
 life he never saw such a scene, and as he looked at the 
 King upon the throne with the crown loose upon his 
 head, and the tall, grim figure of Lord Grey close beside 
 him, with the sword of State in his hand, it was as if 
 the King had got his executioner by his side." Lord 
 Lyndhurst told Mr. Greville that he never saw the 
 King so excited before, and in his robes he looked very 
 grand. 
 
 What had taken place in the House of Commons 
 was not less violent and exciting. The late Lord Belj)er 
 thus recalls the riotous scene : " I was present during 
 the whole of this scene, which I distinctly remember. 
 After Sir Eichard Vyvyan had been heard at great 
 length against the Government, Sir Francis Burdett 
 and Sir Eobert Peel both rose at the same time, and 
 * the Speaker called on Sir Robert Peel. This was 
 thought most unfair by our side of the House, as it 
 deprived them of any hearing whatever. Lord Althorp 
 immediately rose amidst great clamour, interposing 
 before Sir Robert Peel, and as soon as he succeeded in 
 obtaining a hearing, he said that he believed he was in 
 •order in now movino; ' That Sir Francis Burdett be now 
 heard.' The Speaker replied that Lord Althorp tvas in 
 order, and put the question, but immediately after 
 called upon Sir Robert Peel to speak to it, allowing him 
 to make a general speech against the Government, 
 which was no doubt a most irregular proceeding. But 
 it is quite certain that in moving for Sir Francis Burdett 
 being heard, Lord Althorp was never ' in possession of 
 the House.' " 
 
 Sir Denis Le Marchant, to whom this account
 
 WILLIAM IV. 393 
 
 was supplied, adds of Sir Eobert Peel's speech, that 
 "Amidst the cheers and groans it was difficult to 
 catch his words, but I was told that he said the time 
 was approaching when no man of honour could serve the 
 Crown. He was angry enough to say anything, and it 
 was quite as well for him that the arrival of the Usher 
 of the Black Kod interrupted his speech by summoning 
 the House to the Lords to receive his sentence. Lord 
 Althorp beaded the triumphant Liberals." 
 
 " The floor," says Lord Brougham, " was covered 
 with members ; half the House had left their seats, and 
 the Opposition seemed perfectly frantic. W. Banks 
 looked as if his face would burst with blood. Peel 
 stormed. The Speaker was equally furious. Sir Henry 
 Hardinge crossed the House, and said : ' The next time 
 you hear those guns, they will be shotted and take off 
 some of your heads.' A strange scene indeed." 
 
 So ends the first act of the Keform Bill. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
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