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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
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 M E M 1 R S 
 
 OF 
 
 ANNA MARIA WILHELMINA PICKERING. 
 
 EDITED BY HER SON. 
 
 SPENCER PICKERING. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNALS 
 OP HER FATHER, 
 
 JOHN SPENCER STANHOPE, 
 
 DESCRIBING HIS TRAVELS ON THE CONTINENT. 
 
 AND 
 
 HIS IMPRISONMENT UNDER NAPOLEON. 
 
 VOT. I. 
 
 PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY. 
 
 1902.
 
 r ONDOX : 
 
 ETRE AKD BPOTTISWOODE, 
 
 Ilia Majesty's Printers, 
 
 rOWXS PARK ROAD, HACKNEY, X.E.
 
 PA 
 
 X 
 V.I 
 
 ?5^h 
 
 In the first bitter moments of a return to a widowed 
 home, my mother deVoted all that remained to her 
 of life to the good of her children. How steadfastly 
 and bravely she laboured for them, they only can 
 know. It was for her children, and for them alone, 
 that the following pages were written : written dur- 
 ing her last two years of feebleness and suffering ; 
 her frail body prostrate on a bed of sickness, and 
 her hand scarce able to hold the pen. But, strong 
 in her resolve, she struggled fearlessly and cheer- 
 fully, even to the end : true to herself and to her 
 own high sense of duty ; true as a woman rarely 
 is, and true as, perhaps, a woman alone can be. 
 Let thy children rise up and bless thee. 
 
 S. P. 
 
 A 2 
 
 829G99
 
 M E M O I R S 
 
 OF 
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 My grandfather, Walter Spencer Stanhope, 
 united the names, and inherited the estates, 
 of his paternal and maternal uncles, Mr. 
 Stanhope of Horsforth Hall, and Mr. Spencer 
 of Cannon Hall.* 
 
 Mr. Spencer kept a pack of hounds at Can- 
 non Hall, and hunted the country regularly. 
 
 * There is a fine portrait of Walter Spencer Stanhope 
 by lleynolds, in a group of members of the Society of 
 Dilettanti. The date of the picture is 1776, and the other 
 figures in it are Sir W. W. Wynne, Sir J. Taylor, Mr. 
 Payne Galway, Sir William Hamilton, Mr. llichard 
 Thompson, and Mr. Smith of Heath. They are sitting 
 and standing round a table, on which there is an ancient 
 vase, apparently under discussion. The picture is the i)ro- 
 perty of the Society, and is, at present, in their rooms at the 
 Grafton Gallery. It has been engraved. 
 
 For the following particulars as to his parents and chil- 
 dren, I am indebted chiefly to notes made by the Maria A. 
 Spencer Stanhope mentioned below. — S. P. 
 
 Walter Stanhope succeeded his brother Jolni to the 
 estate of Horsfortii : married, l^t, ^lary, daughter of
 
 6 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Besides being a good sportsman, he must 
 also have been a man of great taste, for 
 not only did he plant and lay out the 
 
 Patience Ward ; 2n(l, Anne, daughter of William Spencer 
 
 of Cannon Hall. Their sod, 
 
 Walter Spencer Stanhope, born 1749, married Mary 
 Winifred, daughter and heiress of Thomas Babbington 
 Pulleine, of Carleton Hall, Yorks, heiress to Dissington 
 and Roddam, Northumberland. He died April 10th, 
 1821. She died December 16th, 1850, aged 87. Their 
 children were — 
 
 1. Walter Spencer, born August 24th, 1784; 
 
 died December 26th, 1832. 
 
 2. Marianne, born May 23rd, 1786; died Septem- 
 
 ber 14th, 1862; married March lltb, 1828, 
 Eobert Hudson, of Tadworth Court, Epsom. 
 He died March 22nd, 1835, s.p. 
 
 3. John, born May 27th, 1787 ; died November 7th, 
 
 1873; married December 5th, 1822, Elizabeth 
 Wilhelmina, daughter of Thomas William 
 Coke, afterwards J^arl of Leicester. She died 
 October 30th, 1873. They had six children, 
 for whom see below (p. 232). 
 
 4. Anne Winifred, born September 7th, 1788; died 
 
 unmarried March 17th, 1860. 
 
 5. Catherine, born September 14th, 1789; died 
 
 November 20th, 1794. . 
 
 6. Eliza, born November 5th, 1790; died April 
 
 15th, 1801. 
 
 7. Edward, born October 30th, 1791 ; died August 
 
 4th, 1866. He took the name of CoUingwood, 
 and married September 9th, 1820, Arabella, 
 daughter of General John Calciaft, of Cholder- 
 ton, Hants. She died May 31st, 1840. They 
 liad one son and two daughters; Arabella, 
 Edward, and Cecil.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 7 
 
 grounds round the house, but all the books 
 in the library were collected by him, and 
 many of these are of considerable value. 
 
 8. William, born .January 4th, 1793 ; died N^ovcm- 
 
 ber 2(3th, 18G4. He took the name of Roddam, 
 and married, Ist, September 17th, 1835, Char- 
 lotte, daughter of Col. Henry Percy Pulleine, 
 of Crake Hall, Yorks, by whom he had a 
 daughter, Charlotte Pulleine, whose mother 
 died July 4th, 1837 ; and, 2nd, Jii\y 12th, 1849, 
 Selina Henrietta, daughter of John Cotes, of 
 Woodcote, Shropshire, by whom he had a 
 daughter, Mary Selina. Selina Henrietta died 
 January 24th, 1893. 
 
 9. Thomas Henky, born May 14th, 1794; died 
 
 April 3rd, 1808. 
 
 10. Charles, born October 14th, 1795; died Octo- 
 
 ber 29th, 1874; married July 8th, 1840, Frederica 
 Mary Goodenough, wlio died May 30th, 1875. 
 They had seven children, of whom Charles Wil- 
 liam and Frederic Walter alone survived them. 
 
 11. Isabella, born October 20th, 1797; died un- 
 
 married May 10th, 1857. 
 
 12. Philip, born January 25th, 1799; died February 
 
 215-1, 1880; married May 2nd, 1865, Mary 
 Katherine, widow of Edward R. Strickland, 
 daughter of — Harrison. She died July 25th, 
 1865. 
 
 13. Frances Mary, born January 27th, 1800; died 
 
 unmarried February 5tb, 1885. 
 
 14. Maria Alicia, born September 4th, 1802; died 
 
 unmarried December SOtli, 1884. 
 
 15. Hugh, born September 30th, 1804; died Decem- 
 
 ber 24th, 1871 ; married May Uth, 1848, Arny 
 Anne Pulleine, daughter of Col. Henry Percy 
 Pulleine. She died November 7th, 1854, s.p.
 
 8 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 There is a very good portrait of him at 
 Cannon Hall. 
 
 His establishment was original : it con- 
 tained — 
 
 Beet, the huntsman ; 
 
 Spur, the whipper-in ; 
 
 Peach, the gardener ; 
 
 Pickle, the housekeeper ; 
 
 Driver, the coachman ; 
 
 Fisher, the gamekeeper. 
 
 There is at Cannon Hall a portrait of one 
 of Mr. Spencer's hounds, a curious old pic- 
 ture illustrative of a still more curious storv, 
 which is thus recorded by the artist in the 
 corner of the canvas : — 
 
 " EOVER," 
 
 " A hound, the property of John Spen- 
 cer, Esq., in the year l7o3, being very 
 mangy and suspected of madness, he was 
 condemned to the gallows, when on the 
 15th day of August he was hanged for the 
 space of a quarter of an hour by Thomas 
 Beet, the huntsman. Being let down, and 
 some small symptoms of life appearing, 
 he was tucked up for the space of an- 
 other quarter of an hour, and then thrown
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 9 
 
 into a coal pit thirty yards deep, from 
 which he was extracted on the 13th day 
 of November by Thomas Beet, alive and 
 in perfect health. He was twelve weeks 
 and five days in the coal pit. — George 
 Fleming, j;mic/X 1759."* 
 
 There is another curious relic at Cannon 
 Hall, which was brought there about this 
 time— the bow of Little John. This was 
 taken out of Hathersage Church in Derby- 
 shire. Hathersage belonged to the Shuttle- 
 worths, one of whom married Miss Spencer. 
 Little John was buried in the church, and 
 his bow and armour Avere hung above his 
 tomb : when this was opened, a thigh bone 
 of enormous size was taken out of it. 
 
 The armour, which was chain armour, was 
 also at Cannon Hall; but, unfortunately, 
 when the family were absent, there were 
 some workmen doing repairs in the house, 
 and they carried off a few links at a time, 
 till, gradually, the whole of it disap- 
 peared. 
 
 * A prosaic posterity lias suggested that a donkey, wliich 
 the hound had previously killed, had also been thrown down 
 the pit : but, even with this for exphmation, the occiu'rence 
 is a very remarkable one. The field where the pit is, is 
 still known as "The Hound Field."— S. P.
 
 10 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 My grandfather's paternal uncle, "Lawyer" 
 Stanhope, settled at Horsforth. He was a 
 man of very remarkable ability, but he pre- 
 ferred the country and his hunting, to glory, 
 and more than once refused a Judgeship, 
 because he did not wish to live in London. 
 Nor, perhaps, would he have gained much 
 by accepting such promotion ; for, as it was, 
 he was well known from one end of the 
 county to the other, and SAvept the West 
 Riding of briefs. The county men all pre- 
 ferred taking their business to " t'ould law- 
 yer," rather than intrusting anyone else with 
 it : all family disputes were referred to him, 
 and people deposited their money with him 
 in preference to putting it into the bank. I 
 was struck by coming across his name in 
 some book I was reading lately, where he 
 was mentioned as being one of the cleverest 
 and most distinguished lawyers of his day. 
 There is a portrait of him at Cannon Hall, 
 in his full-bottomed wig and robes, repre- 
 senting a fine and intellectual face. He 
 died long before I was born. 
 
 My grandfather brought with him once 
 from Ireland a clerk called Hardv, who 
 settled at Horsforth, and was followed by
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 11 
 
 SO many of his relations that the place be- 
 came quite peopled with Hardys. 
 
 Hardy's son, who became my grandfather's 
 steward, used often to be asked to come 
 into the drawing-room at Cannon Hall, but 
 he would never do so ; he kept entirely 
 to the steward's room, and would never 
 even sit down in my grandmother's pre- 
 sence. 
 
 One day he said to my grandfather, " Mr. 
 Stanhope, I don't know what you think, but 
 it seems to me that, as I have been to Lon- 
 don on a deputation to Mr. Pitt, I ought to 
 have a carriage." " By all means. Hardy," 
 said my grandfather ; and the carriage was 
 got accordingly : but it was very seldom 
 used. 
 
 He proposed to my grandfather that he 
 should put money in the Low Moor Iron 
 Works. He said there was a large fortune 
 to be made in them, and that it would be a 
 very great mistake, and a great pity, if he 
 did not invest in them. But my grandfather 
 positively refused. Then Hardy went to my 
 grandmother, and urged her to exert her 
 influence to persuade her husband to do so. 
 She said, "No, Hardy, Mv. Stanhope has 
 twelve children ; I can say nothing in favour
 
 12 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of it." " Then," said Hardy, " Mr. Stanhope, 
 if you positively refuse to go into it your- 
 self, should you object to my doing so ? " 
 My grandfather answered, " Certainly not, 
 Hardy ; I am very glad you have the money 
 for the purpose." And that is how the for- 
 tune of the Hardys was made. 
 
 When Hardy had become a rich man, and 
 had a good house in London, if he wanted 
 a frank, he used to send round to Grosvenor 
 Square with, "Mr. Hardy's duty to Mr. Stan- 
 hope, and he would be much obliged if he 
 would give him a frank." 
 
 I well remember his son, who was an 
 attornev. Soon after I married he asked 
 us to dinner, and I made a point of our 
 going. He was so delighted, took me into 
 dinner, and told me many stories of the life 
 in former days at Horsforth. This was the 
 father of Gathorne Hardy, now the Earl 
 of Cranbrook, whose brother is Lord Med- 
 wav. 5 6^ 
 
 The day my father was born (May 27th, 
 1787) my grandfather was sitting in his 
 study in Grosvenor Square ; there was a 
 ring at the hall door ; he asked who it was, 
 and was told, " Mr. Pitt, the minister." He
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 13 
 
 went immediately into the library to receive 
 Pitt, with, no doubt, visions of a peerage, or 
 at least of some good appointment ; but, 
 instead of finding the great Mr. Pitt, the 
 minister of the crown, he found only a cer- 
 tain little Mr. Pitt, a minister of religion, 
 who had come to baptise the weakly in- 
 fant. 
 
 My grandfather was forty years in the 
 House of Commons. He was popular, and 
 very witty. Once at some election, going 
 with Lord Effingham from one town to 
 another in a post-chaise, they wrote a very 
 clever squib on all the well-known people 
 on the other side. I have heard it, but can 
 only remember the first verse : — 
 
 " Fitzwilliam, Fitzwilliam, 
 Your true friend I still am, 
 In advising you'd quit this dispute : 
 What Yorkshire man true 
 Can bear to see you 
 Leagued with Fox, North, Burke and Lord Bute ? " 
 
 My grandfather used to drive his four-in- 
 hand up and down the Yorkshire hills ; and 
 very rough and steep hills some of them 
 were in those days. He, of course, knew 
 many people, and kept regular open house 
 both at Cannon Hall and in Grosvenor
 
 14 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Square. My father, then a young man, used 
 to be sent out by his mother to bring some- 
 one back to dinner, and he said that he 
 used often to walk up and down the street, 
 not liking to go back without having " cap- 
 tured his man." 
 
 Once, when the bills were complained of 
 as being high, the chef said, " Does Mr. 
 Stanhope knoAv how many people dined in 
 his house last week ? — a hundred." 
 
 Lord Rosebery, and his brother, Frank 
 Primrose, used regularly to ring the bell 
 every Saturday, and say to the hall-porter, 
 " Does Mr. Stanhope dine at home to- 
 morrow?" The porter used, consequently, 
 to call them " Roast Beef and Plum Pud- 
 ding." 
 
 In a letter to one of his sisters, dated 
 1832, Hugh Spencer Stanhope (one of the 
 sons) says : — 
 
 " I dined with Baron Vaughan last 
 Sunday en famille, there being only Lady 
 St. John, Miss — — (I know not what to 
 call her, but she called Vaughan, 'Papa'), 
 another lady visitor, the Baron, and your 
 humble servant. I found it very pleasant. 
 Among other subjects, they were ardent
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. li 
 
 o 
 
 in praise of the grey horses, and evidently 
 
 thought the family at No. 8 the gayest 
 
 and most dissipated people in London. 
 
 They said they conceived that there must 
 
 be a party every night at Mrs. Stanhope's, 
 
 and whenever their coachman complained 
 
 that his horses were knocked up, they 
 
 held up to his wondering imagination the 
 
 greys next door. If they had been black, 
 
 I am sure they would exclaim with Lewis 
 
 [? Scott],* 'Whence those sable coursers 
 
 came, well might I guess, but dare not 
 
 tell.' Having taken you to so pretty a 
 
 place, I must leave you to get out of it 
 
 as well as you can. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 "Hugh S. S." 
 
 The same thing went on at Cannon Hall. 
 Nothing pleased my grandfather better than 
 to hear it called Roast Beef Hall. Mv 
 imcles said that whenever thev returned 
 there, after having been away, they always 
 
 * In the "Wild Huntsmun," or "The Chase," Scott 
 
 has — • 
 
 " Who was each stranger, left and right, 
 Well may I guess, but dare not tell," 
 also — 
 
 " What ghastly huntsman next arose, 
 Well may I guess, but dare not tell." — S. P.
 
 10 MEMOIRSOF 
 
 said, " I wonder whom we shall find there ? " 
 it being so very unlikely that there should 
 be no guests present. 
 
 Wilberforce was constantly at Cannon 
 Hall. He was a very agreeable person, 
 with the most cheerful, sunny temper. One 
 day he was singing in the joyousness of his 
 heart, when my father, who was then a little 
 boy, said, " Singing on Sunday, Mr. Wilber- 
 force ; I thought you were such a good 
 man ! " 
 
 My father told me that when he was a 
 young man, he used to keep a list of " wiv- 
 ables," and ran his pen through those who 
 would not do. One day he went with his 
 father to see Holkham, and while walking 
 in the park, they met Mr. Coke and his 
 daughter — my mother that was to be. When 
 they had j)assed, his father turned round to 
 him, and said, " There, John, there's the 
 wife for you, you could not do better." 
 This was curious, because he was then quite 
 a young man, and it was not till years after- 
 wards that he became acquainted with my 
 mother. 
 
 In those days at the drawing - room 
 and levee, the King and Queen always 
 walked about the room and spoke to
 
 A. M^ W. PICKERING. 17 
 
 those whom they knew. Once, at the levee, 
 George III. said to my grandfather, "I 
 suppose you are going back to Yorkshire, 
 Mr. Stanhope ? A very ugly county, York- 
 shire ! " 
 
 This was too much for a Yorkshireman to 
 stand. " Oh, Sir ! " said my grandfather, 
 " we always consider Yorkshire a very pic- 
 turesque county." 
 
 " What, what, Avhat ! " said the King, 
 "a coalpit a picturesque object ! What, 
 what, what ! Yorkshire coalpits picturesque ! 
 Yorkshire a picturesque county ! " 
 
 At the time when the question of the 
 Regent's debts was under discussion in Par- 
 liament, my grandfather made a very power- 
 ful and telling speech, strongly protesting 
 against the nation paying these debts. The 
 Regent was furious, and swore that " nothing 
 of the name of Spencer Stanhope should 
 ever darken his doors." Accordingly, when 
 his family went to Brighton, as they did 
 every winter, they enjoyed the distinction of 
 being the only family in the town who were 
 never asked to the Pavilion. 
 
 The following letter, which I have found, 
 was written by my grandfather to his uncle.
 
 18 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Mr. Spencer, and gives an interesting ac- 
 count of his having been present at the 
 marriage of Louis XVI. and Marie An- 
 toinette : — 
 
 " Paris, 
 
 "May 29th, 1770. 
 
 " Dear Uncle, 
 
 " I am much obliged to you for your 
 letter of y® 16th, y^ more so as it was 
 so early an answer to mine. I am just 
 going to sup with Sir Michael Fleming, 
 and from thence shall go at midnight 
 to a Masqued Ball which y® Imperial Am- 
 bassador gives on the occasion of y® mar- 
 riage ; but I hope to have time to finish 
 this letter first, and to give you some 
 account of what has been already. Early 
 on y^ morning of y^ 16th, I sett off to 
 Versailles, and got there time enough 
 to dress and get a good seat in y'' Chapel 
 in order to see y^ ceremony. About one, 
 y® Dauphin entered y® Chapel, with y® 
 Dauphiness in his hand on y^ right side: 
 y® King followed him, and, when they 
 were arrived at y® Altar, took her hand 
 and led her with great gracefulness to
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 19 
 
 y® other side of y*' Dauphin, and then 
 joined their hands, retiring afterwards 
 through two double rows of Bishops, all 
 on their knees, to his own chair, about 
 twelve yards off y° altar. Then began 
 y® ceremony, which was performed with 
 all y° pomp of Romish superstition, y® 
 Archbishop being arrayed in his mitre, 
 crozier, etc., etc. It was upon y"" whole 
 very striking, and often very absurd, ac- 
 cording to y® spirit of that religion. In 
 y® evening we assembled in y® great 
 gallery of y*^ palace, where y*^ King played 
 at cards in public : I forget at what 
 games. Then it was that when y^ Court 
 were sat down to play, a man might boast 
 of seeing a gayer spectacle than y° western 
 world had ever seen before, even in y® 
 time of y° Romans. I believe I told you 
 something in my last, as I remember, 
 about y® Dauphin's coat. It was most 
 astonishingly rich : y*" buttons all single 
 diamonds, y*" seams studded with dia- 
 monds, and all over embroidered with 
 spangles of different colours. It may be 
 fairly allowed him to boast of y® finery 
 of his coat for two reasons : first, I believe 
 there never was a finer, and besides, it is 
 
 B 2
 
 20 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 y^ only thing he has to boast of. He is a 
 tall, awkward, ungainly figure, very thin, , 
 and stoops not a little. He has a dark, 
 dead eye, and y® colour of his complexion 
 is like that of y^ peel of a decaying walnut. 
 Y^ Dauphiness is almost y® reverse of 
 her spouse. She is rather under y^ 
 middle size, fair, has lively blue eyes, 
 agreeable features, and a very tolerable 
 person. Some time or other it is pro- 
 bable she will have great influence in this 
 country. Not that I prophesy this from 
 any appearance of a remarkable fond- 
 ness in y® Bridegroom ; for at y® Chapel, 
 instead of showing any tender regards 
 or fond attention towards his wife, he 
 seemed to me to be only anxious of 
 saying his part true; and in y® gallery, 
 when he sat next to her, if ever he en- 
 deavoured to look at her tenderly, he put 
 me in mind of Cymon, who gasped, but 
 said nothing. 
 
 "I am quite at a loss how to give you 
 any tolerable idea of y^ magnificence of 
 y° dresses, which were more grand this 
 evening than ever after. Y*' men wore, 
 in general, gold or silver stuffs, with broad 
 different-coloured embroideries, most of
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 21 
 
 them down y® seams likewise. Y° women 
 were still finer, not reckoning their dia- 
 monds, and I dare say there were some 
 tenths of all y® diamonds in France here 
 in y^ gallery. I had y® King's hat in my 
 hand, with y® Pitt diamond in it, by way 
 of button ; it is full as big as a common 
 sized walnut. 
 
 " From thence we went to y® theatre, 
 where y® Royal Family supped in public. 
 It is much bigger than y° Opera House 
 in London, and, in y® grandeur of its 
 decorations, excells it twice as much as 
 that does y® little theatre. I have since 
 seen at Versailles a Bal Pare, Bal Masque, 
 and Opera, and a Play, all equally supurb 
 in their kind. Y® Play was y° Athalie 
 of Racine ; Mile. Clairon in y® character 
 of Athalie. I am rather inclined to prefer 
 Mrs. Pritchard to her, but, nevertheless, 
 y® Play was nobly supported in every 
 character. 
 
 " Y" Opera was Persee ; it gives room 
 for great display of scenery, but is 
 in itself a heavy performance. Those 
 who love to pun say y" only reason 
 for having that there was y*' conformity 
 of its name to the occasion, and remark
 
 22 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that it should be called y*' Opera de 
 la Perc6e. 
 
 " My paper fails me, else I should have 
 wrote you to death. 
 
 "Believe me, dear Sir, 
 "Your dutiful Nephew, 
 
 "Walter Stanhope." 
 
 The letter is directed to John Spencer, 
 Esq., Tom's Coffee House, Devereux Court, 
 Temple Bar, London, Angleterre. 
 
 The chief potentate in our part of the 
 West Riding at that time was Mrs. Beau- 
 mont, of Bretton, known by the people 
 throughout the country as Madame Beau- 
 mont. She was the illegitimate daughter 
 of Sir Edward Blacket, her mother being 
 the daughter of his gamekeeper. 
 
 My grandmother used to say that, when 
 she first married, she remembered this girl 
 always riding every market-day to Penis- 
 tone to sell butter and eggs. 
 
 She used to be allowed to run wild in 
 the kitchen, until Sir Edward had his at- 
 tention called to her. He took a fancy 
 to her, and, being lonely and dull, he 
 adopted her.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 23 
 
 She eventually married Colonel Beau- 
 mont. 
 
 But the Colonel drank, and had to be 
 placed in his butler's care, so there was 
 nothing to interfere with Madame Beau- 
 mont's rule. 
 
 She was a vulgar, purse-proud woman, very 
 ambitious and very ostentatious. She was 
 particularly jealous of Cannon Hall, and 
 used to drive over in her carriage-and-four 
 to find out who was staying there ; and, if 
 she thought it was worth while, she used 
 to leave nothing untried to decoy them away 
 to Bretton. 
 
 As there was no line of demarcation of 
 the properties between the lodge at Bretton 
 and that at Cannon Hall, she always gave 
 out to her guests that the land was all hers 
 up to the park at Cannon Hall. 
 
 When she had a party in the house, she 
 used to ring a bell and say, " Order round 
 some more carriages." 
 
 It was fabulous what she spent on 
 her conservatories and the building of her 
 stables. 
 
 One day she wrote to beg, as a very great 
 favour, that some grapes should be sent to 
 her from Cannon Hall. My uncle Charles,
 
 24 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 knowing that she would display them as her 
 own, wrote back, — 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Beaumont, 
 "Grapes is sour. 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 "Charles Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 She and my grandfather had a dispute 
 as to whom a particular tree belonged : 
 the next morning the tree was gone: Mrs. 
 Beaumont had had it cut down in the night. 
 
 Mr. G. W. Russell, who has lately pub- 
 lished his reminiscences, tells the following 
 story about her : — 
 
 " A by-election was impending in York- 
 shire, and Mr. Pitt, paying a social visit 
 to the famous Mrs. B., one of the Whig 
 Queens of the West Riding, said banter- 
 ingly, 'Well, the election is all right for 
 us. Ten thousand pounds, for the use 
 of our side, go down to Yorkshire by 
 a safe hand.' 
 
 " ' The Devil they do ! ' responded 
 Mrs. B. : and that night the bearer of 
 the precious burden was stopped by a 
 highwayman on the great North road.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 25 
 
 and the ten thousand guineas were used 
 to procure the return of the Whig can- 
 didate." 
 
 She was very anxious to get a peerage. 
 One day she thought to impress Pitt, who 
 was staying at Bretton, with her riches : 
 she had the most splendid service of plate 
 at dinner, and, waving her hand, she said, 
 " There, Mr. Pitt, that's all from the mines " 
 (the Beaumonts having considerable lead 
 mines in Northumberland). "Indeed," an- 
 swered Pitt, " if you had not told me, Mrs. 
 Beaumont, I should have thought it was 
 silvery 
 
 Mrs. Beaumont always went to Court, 
 and this was not considered etiquette by 
 Queen Charlotte. At the drawing-room, 
 the Queen would go up to my grandmother, 
 when Mrs. Beaumont was near at hand, and 
 say to her in a loud voice, " Mrs. Stanhope, 
 pray can you tell me who that woman is ? " 
 This was repeated more than once. 
 
 My mother said that, when she married, 
 a grand dinner w^as given in her honour at 
 Bretton. Wearied out with the ostentation 
 and length of it, she fell fast asleep before 
 it was over, and woke up hearing herself
 
 26 MEMOIllS OF 
 
 say, " What would I give to make a smash 
 of all these things ! " 
 
 My grandfather took a great interest in 
 the Yeomanry question, and for many years 
 commanded the local Yeomanry Cavalry, 
 and led the celebrated march of the Stain- 
 cross troop in 1805. 
 
 He was one of the first promoters of the 
 volunteer force, and attended a county 
 meeting, held at York, convened for that 
 purpose in 1802, and, as a newspaper of 
 the time says, "he delivered on that occa- 
 sion an eloquent speech in support of the 
 proposal to raise volunteers in all parts of 
 the country." An extract is given in the 
 paper in question, which I will transcribe 
 here ; — 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " Upon your summons to call us to- 
 gether on this day, to consider on the 
 conduct which it becomes this great coun- 
 try to hold in the present perilous crisis, 
 I had not the least doubt but you would 
 be attended by a very numerous and re- 
 spectable meeting. But one so unanimous, 
 so highly respectable as the present, has
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING, 27 
 
 as much exceeded my expectations as it 
 gives comfort and satisfaction to my heart. 
 When I signed my name to the requisi- 
 tion that was sent to you from Leeds, 
 I did it under the impression that the 
 feeUngs of the country were not suffi- 
 ciently awakened, that they were not 
 enough apprized of the danger, the im- 
 mediate, pressing, actual, and hourly 
 danger, of the invasion of this Island, 
 with such a force as was never before 
 drawn up against it. What has since 
 passed in the Houses of Parliament, in 
 the metropolis, and in almost every part 
 of the Kingdom, must have awakened 
 and aroused it, as with the shrill call of 
 the Trumpet, when it sounds, ' Every 
 man to arms ! ' 
 
 "It is, therefore, the more satisfactory 
 to see so large a meeting, because I am 
 sure that there is not a man that hears 
 me, who thinks that, in holding up hia 
 hand for the address which has been 
 so ably moved and seconded, he is hold- 
 ing up his hand for a common address 
 at the beginning of a common war; that 
 he will have nothing further to do than to 
 meet a room full of his neighbours at
 
 28 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dinner, to drink the King's health, and 
 the ' Wooden Walls of Old England,' with 
 three times three; to join in the chorus of 
 ' Rule, Britannia,' and to pay his taxes 
 with as little grumbling as may be. No, 
 Sir ; we, by this address, publicly and 
 solemnly, before God and our Country, 
 pledge our fortunes, persons, and lives 
 in defence of our Sovereign, and all the 
 blessings of our glorious Constitution. 
 There is not a man that hears me, I 
 am persuaded, who is not prompt and 
 eager to redeem that pledge. There is 
 not, there camiot be, a man here who 
 would leave undefended our good, our 
 tried, and brave old King, in the hour 
 of danger. No, Sir ; we need now no 
 warning voice, no stirring of eloquence, 
 no thoughts that heat, nor words that 
 burn, to raise a host of hardy men, 
 when the King, the Parliament, and the 
 Country are in distress. Call out to 
 Yorkshire, ' Come forth to battle ' ; our 
 answer will be, one and all, ' We are 
 ready ; shew us the enemy ! ' 
 
 "Sir, that enemy is not far off. A 
 very numerous, well-appointed, ably-com- 
 manded army, to whom is promised the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 29 
 
 plunder of England, are now hovering 
 round, and part of them in daily sight 
 of the promised land. They view it as 
 so many famished wolves, cruel as death, 
 and hungry as the grave, panting for an 
 opportunity at any risk to come into 
 our sheepfold. But, an if they should, 
 is it not our business to have such a 
 guard of faithful English mastiffs of the 
 old breed, as shall make them quickly 
 repent of their temerity ? 
 
 " The Chief Consul of France tells us 
 that we are but a nation of shopkeepers. 
 Let us, then, as shopkeepers, melt our 
 weights and our scales, and return him 
 the compliment with bullets. Sir, we 
 have a firm reliance on the exertions of 
 as gallant a fleet as ever sailed ; but that 
 fleet cannot perform impossibilities ; it 
 cannot be in all places at once ; it cannot 
 conquer the winds or subdue the storms. 
 Though our old tars can do much, they 
 cannot do everything ; and it would be 
 unfair and dastardly to be skulking be- 
 hind them. With the blessing of God, 
 and a good cause, we can do wonders ; 
 but if we depend upon our naval prowess 
 alone, we have much to fear. No, Sir ;
 
 30 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 England will never be perfectly safe until 
 she can defend herself by land as well 
 as by sea ; until she can defy the haughty 
 foe, even if there was ever a bridge be- 
 tween Calais and Dover, and that bridge 
 in the possession of the enemy ; until 
 she can say, in the words of a good 
 old English boxing match, ' a fair field 
 and no favour,' or, in the language of 
 Macduff in the play, ' Within our sword's 
 length set him ; if he escape, then Heaven 
 forgive him all his lies, his blasphemies, 
 and his murders.' " 
 
 The paper, from which I have copied 
 this extract, goes on to say : — 
 
 " Although the speech of Mr. Stanhope 
 was printed in the London papers, as 
 well as by the Yorkshire press, it was 
 thought worthy of more popular circu- 
 lation (for in those days newspapers were 
 a rather expensive luxury), and extracts 
 were printed on placards, and posted on 
 the walls, both in London and throughout 
 the country ; and from that meeting every 
 regiment of Volunteer Cavalry in York- 
 shire may be said to have taken its rise. 
 Shortly after that time, many corps of
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 31 
 
 Infantry were also enrolled, the number 
 of volunteers raised in Barnsley and the 
 neighbourhood being, in proportion to 
 the population, remarkable ; which was 
 attributable in a great measure to the 
 zeal with which Mr. Stanhope used his 
 influence." 
 
 My father told me that he was very much 
 amused with the excitement of the volun- 
 teers, when he was drilling them on behalf 
 of his father : they used to come to him, 
 and say, "Mr. Stanhope, do let us fix 
 bavonets." 
 
 One day the beacons were fired. This was 
 a sign that the French had landed. In a 
 marvellously short space of time, the whole 
 of the six hundred men comprising the 
 Staincross Volunteers, under the command 
 of my grandfather, had mustered, and 
 marched to the meeting place. 
 
 When they arrived they found it was a 
 false alarm. 
 
 To commemorate the event an urn was 
 presented to my grandfather, with an in- 
 scription upon it recording what had hap- 
 pened, and containing inside a list of the 
 names of the Staincross Volunteers.
 
 32 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 It is now in the drawing-room at Cannon 
 Hall.* 
 
 My uncle Charles sent the following letter 
 to the paper which recorded the event : — 
 
 " It was with the greatest pleasure that 
 I read in your paper of the 1st, the names 
 of those six hundred men, who, leaving 
 their homes, their wives and families, on 
 the morning of the 15th of August, 1805, 
 expecting to cross bayonets with the vic- 
 torious soldiers of France, returned again 
 to their homes, with no other injury than 
 being a little footsore, from a bloodless 
 march to Hemsworth. 
 
 * The inscription is as follows : — 
 
 "In the night of the 15th August, 1805, the beacon 
 at Woolley Edge was fired, and the order issued soon after 
 midnight for calling out the Staincross Volunteers. 
 
 " Dispersed and remote as they lay, covering the whole 
 "Wapentake, and dwelling in every town and village in 
 it, so promptly did they obey the call, that in about 14 hours 
 they were not only all assembled to their complement of 
 600 ei:cept only nine, who were absent from their homes, 
 but had actually marched upwards of twelve miles on an 
 average. To record this event and testify their regard 
 and attachment to their Commandant, the non-commissioned 
 Officers and Privates of the Staincross Corps of Volun- 
 teers present this vase 
 
 "To Walter Spencer Stanhope, Esq., 
 
 " Lt.-Col. Commandant of the 
 
 "Staincross Vol. Infantry. 1805."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 33 
 
 " I well remember the day, for I was 
 returning with my brothers for their holi- 
 days from Westminster School, when a 
 crowd closed round our postchaise on 
 changing horses, telling us, ' Thy feyther's 
 goin' to fight the French,' which we 
 found to be the case on nearing Cannon 
 Hall. It was an exceedingly hot day, 
 and the farmers and others regaled the 
 returning troops so hospitably, that, in 
 the evening, as waggon after waggon 
 poured into the stable-yard at Cannon 
 Hall, its freight of men were seen to 
 be not quite in marching order." 
 
 The folloAving was the song of the Volun- 
 teers : — 
 
 " Sound the trumpets, beat the drums, 
 Fill the mighty joram : 
 The Stiiincross Volunteers are come 
 To drive the French before 'em."
 
 34 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 My grandmother was Miss Pulleine,* and 
 was a great heiress. She had fifteen chil- 
 dren, three of whom died when they were 
 young. She had a very fine and powerful 
 mind, and was superior in every respect ; 
 wrote remarkably well, in a terse John- 
 sonian style, and read a great deal. She 
 was very agreeable and extremely fond of 
 society, to which she had always been accus- 
 tomed, and would willingly go out to a party 
 every night, though she always got up the 
 next morning at eight o'clock. Everything 
 in the house was done by her, and she 
 did not encourage her children to give her 
 any assistance in domestic matters. 
 
 She was remarkably dignified in her 
 manner, with, at the same time, the greatest 
 
 * The Pulleines had the right of burial in the vault 
 at Alnwick. I believe my grandmother's father, Thomas 
 Babbington Pulleine, was the last buried there. The Duke 
 of Northumberland then signified that this right must 
 cease.— A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 35 
 
 consideration for others. She was small, 
 and I have heard that she was very pretty 
 when she was young. 
 
 Besides her father's property, she in- 
 herited the estates of Dissington and Rod- 
 dam in Northumberland, which were to 
 revert to her second and third sons respec- 
 tively, on their attaining the age of twenty- 
 five. 
 
 Her second son, Edward, consequently 
 inherited the property of Dissington, about 
 ten miles from Newcastle, and took the 
 name of Collingwood. He was good-looking, 
 with dark curly hair, a cold grey eye, and 
 a somewhat stern expression ; he was sati- 
 rical, and concentrated in manner, but had 
 the unmistakable air of a gentleman and 
 a man of position. There was no humbug 
 about him, and he was very much respected 
 and looked up to in Northumberland. One 
 could not look at his spare, closely-knit 
 frame and iron-looking figure, without 
 thinking that nature had meant him for a 
 splendid soldier. In tlie Field of that date 
 he is mentioned with great admiration as 
 a fine specimen of a man, and they said 
 he had the reputation of being the best 
 
 c 2
 
 8G MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rider in two counties, Yorkshire and North- 
 umberland. 
 
 The third son, William, was in the Navy. 
 He was rather a character, very short and 
 sturdy-looking. He had not had much 
 education, having gone to sea when quite 
 young, but he was very shrewd and ob- 
 servant, and, as my mother often said, he 
 had great refinement of feeling. He was 
 very fond of making a long stay at Cannon 
 Hall, which he always called his " Rest and 
 be thankful," and he used to follow my 
 father about like a faithful dog, while my 
 father delighted in having what he called 
 the " Commodore " to go about with him. 
 The " Commodore's " every sentence began 
 with, " I say, J.," John being my father's 
 name. 
 
 He was on the ship commanded by Lord 
 Collingwood, who, as a relation,* took a 
 great interest in him, and treated him quite 
 
 * The relationship was somewhat remote, the connecting 
 link being Ralph Collingwood of the days of the civil wars. 
 Lord Collingwood was his great-great-grandson and heir ; 
 Miss PuUeine was the daughter of Thomas Babbington 
 Pulleine and Winifred Collingwood, the latter being the 
 great-great-granddaughter of the same Ralph, through his 
 second son. Winifred Collingwood inherited Dissington
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 37 
 
 like his own son ; indeed, they said, it was 
 Lord Collingwood's wish that he should 
 marry one of his two daughters. 
 
 He was at Algiers on the tlag-ship, which 
 suffered more than any other, being riddled 
 with shot, and the deck strewn with the 
 dead and dying. He was employed on that 
 occasion in burying the dead, and they said 
 that he went through it all with great cool- 
 ness and bravery. Though he, certainly, did 
 not look like a warrior, I have always heard 
 that in action he was as bold as a lion. 
 
 When he was twenty-five he took the 
 name, and inherited the estates of Roddam. 
 Eoddam was in a fine wild position, nearly 
 at the foot of the Cheviots, with a number 
 of hills rising in all directions around it. 
 The great beauty of the place, and its most 
 striking feature, was the Dene, — a very 
 deep, picturesque glen, about a mile in 
 length, watered by the Roddam burn, which 
 was a wild mountain stream, washing over 
 the rocks, the water as dark as porter, with 
 
 from her father, and Koddam from her mother, Mary 
 Roddam. The Pulleiiie property was Carletou (or Carlton, 
 or Charlton) Hall, llichiiiond, Yorkshire. Some letters wliicli 
 I have found to Miss PuUeine from her grandfather, Edward 
 CoUingwood, are dated from " Cherton " in 1777, which is 
 prohably, yet another way of >spelliug Carleton. — S. P.
 
 38 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 an abundance of white foam. The Dene 
 is filled with fine ash and sycamore trees. 
 There are many walks cut through it, and, 
 in one part, a path shelves down to the 
 burn round the face of an almost perpen- 
 dicular rock. 
 
 It was altogether a most lovely spot, and 
 I remember Lady Ravensworth saying to 
 me that she would rather have the Dene 
 at Roddam than anything else in North- 
 umberland. 
 
 Behind the Dene rises the wild moorland, 
 backed by the Cheviots. Grouse, black- 
 cock, and other game are in abundance on 
 the moor. 
 
 Roddam is built upon land granted by 
 King Athelstan. A mound on the south 
 of the house is still called " Athelstan's 
 Mount," and was an ancient burial place. 
 When it was opened, some years ago, a 
 number of large human bones and some 
 urns were discovered. 
 
 The family of Roddam was one of the 
 oldest in England, but the direct line came 
 to an end with the brave Robert Roddam, 
 Admiral of the White. He died in 1808, 
 and my grandmother succeeded to the 
 property.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 39 
 
 In olden days a large tract of land in 
 Northumberland belonged to the Pulleines 
 and Roddams, and the grant of Eoddam 
 is the oldest grant extant in England. 
 When Robert Stuart, Earl of Fife, made 
 an irruption into England, in the reign of 
 Richard the Second, an ancient charter was 
 brought to him, in which was written, — 
 
 " I, Konig Athelstan, 
 giffis heir to Paulain, 
 Odam, and Roddara 
 als gud, and als fair, 
 as evir tha myne ware, 
 and yair to witness Maid, 
 
 my WyfPe."* 
 
 On the pedigree of the Roddams the 
 grant is written in Saxon characters as 
 follows : — 
 
 " I, Konig Athelstan, give unto thee Roddam 
 From me and mine, unto thee and tliine, 
 Before my wyfE Maude, my daughter Maudlin, 
 And my eldest son Henry ; 
 And for a certain truth, 
 I bite this wax with my gang tooth : 
 As lang as muir bears moss, and knout grows hare, 
 A Roddam of Roddam for ever mare." 
 
 My uncle Roddam was, like most sailors, 
 a somewhat indifferent shot, and on one 
 
 * In the different copies of this which I have seen, the 
 spelling differs considerably. — S. P.
 
 40 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 12th of August his bad hick was more 
 conspicuous than usual, and, as he missed 
 bird after bird, he kept exclaiming, "It is 
 all that thundering big melon that there 
 was at dinner last night." From this it 
 came to be the custom on every 11th 
 of August to have at dessert the biggest 
 melon the garden would produce, to serve 
 as an excuse for all failures on the twelfth. 
 
 Grouse driving was first instituted on my 
 father's moors, holes on the hillside being 
 used to hide the sportsmen, while the 
 grouse were driven over them. My mother 
 told me that, when she first married, the 
 uncles used to go up to the moors (which 
 are tAvelve miles from Cannon Hall) the 
 night before, so as to be ready for an 
 early shot in the morning, and a cart used 
 to accompany them, laden with the best 
 china, linen, and every luxury. This she 
 soon put a stop to. The ladies used to 
 go up to the moors on the twelfth ; and 
 the order of the day was a high tea at 
 about five, and a very late dinner, as the 
 sportsmen did not get home till nine, and 
 then the grouse had to be cooked. 
 
 My uncle Roddam told me the following 
 story : — He was dining out in London, and
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 41 
 
 sat by a lady whom he did not know : their 
 conversation turned upon early resolutions, 
 and how very seldom they were kept, and 
 the lady said, "Well, when I was a girl, 
 I made three resolutions. First, I deter- 
 mined that I would never marry a soldier ; 
 secondly, that I would never marry an Irish- 
 man; and thirdly, that I would not be long 
 engaged. And all those three resolutions I 
 broke. Whom do you think I did marry? 
 The Duke of Wellington ! He was a soldier 
 and an Irishman, and I was engaged to 
 him for twelve years." 
 
 When the Duke of Wellington was Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley, and a very young man, 
 he fell in love with Ladv Katherine Pak- 
 enham, who was extremely handsome ; but 
 he had not the means to marry. He was 
 appointed to go out to India, and they 
 parted, but considered themselves engaged. 
 When the campaign was over, and he was 
 returning, Lady Katherine wrote to him to 
 release him from his promise ; she said that 
 years had passed and he would no longer 
 find her the pretty Kitty Pakenham he 
 had left. He considered himself bound in 
 honour, and stuck to his engagement, what- 
 ever he may have thought of the change
 
 42 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that had taken place in her. This was, per- 
 haps, unfortunate for both of them, as they 
 did not suit each other, and it was not a 
 happy marriage ; indeed, they Hved mostly 
 apart : but when she was ill and dying, the 
 Duke was very kind and attentive to her. 
 
 A young man once told me (though 
 I have no recollection who it was) that 
 he had been staying at Strathfieldsay with 
 the Duke, and had gone out hunting with 
 him. Having lost the hounds, the Duke 
 rode to the top of a hill to have a look 
 for them. He saw them in a wood in front, 
 where they had not yet found ; but, instead 
 of riding down to the wood, as any other 
 man would have done, he turned his horse 
 round, and made for a spot in exactly the 
 opposite direction. They had not been 
 there long, when, sure enough, the hunt 
 came up, with the hounds in full cry ; the 
 Duke had calculated exactly which way 
 they would come. It was the tactician true 
 to himself.* 
 
 * The editor, and not the author, must be blamed for 
 such diffusiveness as may appear in these pages. Not only 
 were they written without any idea of their ever being 
 printed, but what was written was never completed. About 
 one-third of the whole was left in the form of disjointed
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 43 
 
 I remember my first thought on seeing 
 the statue of the Duke of Wellington after 
 its erection at the top of Constitution Hill : 
 "That man (the sculptor) can never have 
 seen Wellington ! It is purely an imaginary 
 likeness ! " I had often seen him at balls, 
 and when riding ; but there was not a line 
 in that form, nor an expression in the whole 
 figure, which recalled to me for one moment 
 the Duke as I remembered him. Once 
 seen, you could never forget him ; there 
 was something about him so unlike other 
 people ; it was the Iron Duke, and no one 
 else. I felt quite annoyed that such a 
 likeness should be allowed to stand in the 
 capital of the country, to give a wrong 
 impression to foreigners and to future gene- 
 rations. That horrid thing at the top of 
 the Arch at Hyde Park Corner, though a 
 gross caricature, was far more like him, 
 and did actually recall him to one's mind. 
 
 Once when the Duke was riding in Hyde 
 Park, and the crowd was vociferously cheer- 
 
 notes, which were to have been fitted into their proper 
 places, or amplified so as to form a connected memoir. 
 This could only have been done satisfactorily by the writer; 
 nn editor, who has no personal knowledge of the incidents 
 described, can but imperfectly succeed in such a task. — S.P.
 
 44 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ing him, he grimly pointed to the iron 
 shutters at Apsley House, which had been 
 put up to protect his windows in the days 
 of his unpopularity. So much for the vox 
 populi ! 
 
 The last time that I saw the Duke was 
 at the Queen's ball, where he appeared as 
 her first subject, looking like a silver penny, 
 the very essence of spotless neatness ; with 
 his blue coat, red ribbon, and splendid 
 diamond orders, and his silver hair most 
 carefully brushed, he looked a perfect 
 picture. 
 
 Not very long afterwards he gave some 
 of these diamond orders to Lady Douro, 
 of whom he was very fond, and for whom 
 he was very sorry. She had, I tliink, one 
 of the finest and most classical faces I ever 
 saw. I remember her arresting my atten- 
 tion at one of the balls. She was dancing 
 with Prince Albert in the " uncrowded " 
 quadrille, looking more like a magnificent 
 Greek statue than a being of flesh and 
 blood ; but after you had seen and wor- 
 shipped her for some time, you became 
 aware that her expression was perfectly 
 unchangeable : it was a beautiful body, but 
 there was no soul.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 45 
 
 I remember being shown over AValmer 
 Castle, which was a very interesting place. 
 The old housekeeper took us into the 
 Duke's bedroom and show^ed us the narrow 
 camp bedstead on which he always slept, 
 and she opened the door of a sort of 
 w^ardrobe, flush with the wall, and there 
 was his washing apparatus, all of the sim- 
 plest description. She told us that, when 
 the house was full of visitors, he used to 
 say to her, "Make them as comfortable as 
 you can, and get anything for them that 
 they want; but leave me alone." 
 
 I have mentioned Lord Collingwood's 
 name in connection with my vmcle Roddam, 
 and I may make that an excuse, if excuse 
 be needed, for inserting the following in- 
 teresting letter which I have found. It 
 was written by Lord Collingwood to my 
 grandfather, four days after the battle of 
 Trafalgar. It is interesting in many re- 
 spects, not the least notable of which is that, 
 in spite of the warm and heartfelt tribute 
 which the writer pays to Nelson, he seems 
 to take to himself the entire credit of the 
 victory.
 
 46 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Eiiri/alus, off the Straits, 
 "October 25th, 1805. 
 
 "My Dear Sir, 
 
 "As I am sure that none rejoice more 
 at any good fortune that befalls me than 
 you do, so I lose no time to inform you 
 that I have had a most glorious battle 
 with the combined fleet, and have beat 
 them out of the sea, at least, for the 
 present. Though you will see it fully 
 detailed in my letters in the Gazette, I 
 must tell you myself that on the 21st 
 we met, each party seeming well disposed 
 to try their strength. They had 26, w^e 
 27 large ships. They received us hand- 
 somely, and I began the battle at the 
 head of my column exactly at noon. 
 Lord Nelson led the other, but the Sove- 
 reign, being an excellent sailer, I had 
 got a little before him. 
 
 "The combat was hot and long, but 
 soon after three, all that were in a state 
 to go off*, fled. 
 
 "My dear friend received his mortal 
 wound about the middle of the fight, and 
 sent an officer to tell me that he should 
 see me no more.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 47 
 
 A " His loss was the greatest grief to me. 
 There is nothing like him left for gal- 
 lantry and conduct in battle. It was not 
 a foolish passion for fighting, for he was 
 the most gentle of human creatures, and 
 often lamented the cruel necessity of it ; 
 but it was a principle of duty, which all 
 men owed their country in defence of 
 their laws and liberty. He valued life 
 only as it enabled him to do good, and 
 would not preserve it by any act he 
 thought unworthy. He wore four stars 
 upon his breast, and could not be pre- 
 vailed upon to put on a plain coat, scorn- 
 ing what he thought a shabby precaution; 
 but that, perhaps, cost him his life, for 
 his dress made him the general mark. 
 He is gone, and I shall lament him as 
 long as I remain. 
 
 "My ship suffered so much in the 
 action, and I had so much to do, that 
 I was under a necessity of shifting Flag 
 into an active ship, and brought Yille- 
 neuve, the Commander-in-chief of the 
 combined fleet, with me. We have taken 
 nineteen of his ships, and three other 
 Admirals, and the General commanding 
 the troops, with about twenty thousand
 
 48 MEMOIRS or 
 
 prisoners ; and yet I do not think I can 
 get a ship into port : they are so shat- 
 tered, and the weather has been so boi- 
 sterous, that I think they must all sink 
 or be driven on shore, which is lamentable. 
 But there is an end to the great combined 
 fleet. 
 
 "The fatigue which I have undergone 
 lately, both of body and mind, has worn 
 me out. Would that we had peace, that 
 I might get to my garden again, and all 
 the comforts of my own house. I hope, 
 my dear Sir, that you have quite re- 
 covered your health, and that I shall see 
 you next spring. 
 
 "I am ever, my dear Sir, 
 "Your faithful and affectionate servant, 
 
 " CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 "To W. S. stanhope, Esq." 
 
 The last paragraph of this letter is very 
 pathetic, now when we know that the writer 
 was never again to see his home, nor those 
 for whom he so eagerly yearned. 
 
 My father was at Cadiz in April 1810, 
 and had been expecting from day to day 
 the appearance of the ViUe de Paris, on 
 board of which was Lord CollingAvood and
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 49 
 
 my uncle Rodclani. At last the ship ap- 
 peared, and my father was just starting to 
 meet her on board Admiral Purvis' flag- 
 ship, Avhich was then in harbour, when the 
 signal came that Lord Collingwood was no 
 more. My father says in his journal : — 
 
 "Lord Collingwood has sacrificed his 
 life to his country, and to the full as 
 much as had done his friend and com- 
 mander, Lord Nelson. But Nelson's 
 death was glorious ; he fell in the hour 
 of victory amidst a nation's tears. Poor 
 Collingwood resigned his life to his coun- 
 try, because she required his services : 
 he yielded himself as a victim to a pain- 
 ful disease, solely occasioned by his in- 
 cessant and anxious attention to his 
 duties, when he knew from his physician 
 that his life might be spared if he were 
 allowed to return to the quiet of a do- 
 mestic life. Must not his mind have 
 sometimes recurred to his home ; to his 
 two daughters, now grown to the age of 
 womanhood, but wliom he remembered 
 only as little children : so long had he 
 been estranged from liis country ! Must 
 not he have felt how delightfully he could
 
 50 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 spend his old age in the society of his 
 family, at his own house of Charlton, 
 the ancient possession of his ancestors, 
 which had been left to him by my uncle, 
 and in the enjoyment of a large fortune, 
 which he had gained during his jjrofes- 
 sional career ! What a contrast did the 
 reverse of the picture show ! A linger- 
 ing disease ; a certain death. He re- 
 peatedly represented the state of his 
 health to the Admiralty, but in vain ; the 
 country demanded his services ; he gave 
 her his life, and without even the con- 
 solation of thinking that the sacrifice he 
 was making would be appreciated. 'If 
 Lord Mulgrave knew me,' said he, in one 
 of his letters to my father, 'he would 
 know that I did not complain without 
 cause ! '" 
 
 I have spoken of my uncles Edward and 
 William as being the second and third 
 sons, respectively ; and, according to the 
 same reckoning, my father would be called 
 the eldest son. He was not so in reality, 
 for my uncle Spencer was older than he. 
 As a child this uncle was a beautiful boy 
 of much promise, but when he was three
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 51 
 
 or four years old, or even younger, he 
 developed fits, which became so constant, 
 being, even, of daily occurrence, that, as 
 he grew older, they completely destroyed 
 his intellect, and reduced him to the state 
 of a harmless idiot.* He was, however, a 
 finely formed, and rather handsome man. 
 He lived at Cannon Hall, and the greatest 
 care was taken of him, being attended by 
 a couple, Joseph and Rebecca, who had a 
 cottage in the village. 
 
 He was very fond of music, and had a 
 barrel-organ in his room. He used to walk 
 about the pleasure-grounds with his two 
 attendants, and I was told that he used to 
 take great notice of me when I was quite 
 a little child, and liked to see me feeding 
 the robins in the wood, and I used to walk 
 home holding uncle Spencer's hand. 
 
 My mother, who would not allow anything 
 to interfere with what she considered her 
 duty, never omitted seeing him every day; 
 but this, when she first married, was a great 
 strain upon her nerves, and affected her 
 
 * I have heard it stated that my grandmother, being at 
 ^ Horsforth at the time of his birtii, ■was attended by the 
 ^vilhige blacksmith, and that an injury to the child's head 
 was the consequence. — A. M. W. F. 
 
 D 2
 
 52 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 health. She told me that she was firmly 
 impressed with the notion that all her 
 children would be idiots, and that, when 
 I was born, and was brought to be intro- 
 duced to her, she noticed that my head 
 was drawn into a point, and, in a state of 
 horror, she exclaimed, " Oh ! Dr. Branson, 
 she is an idiot ! " He quietly replied, " She 
 could not be an idiot with those eyes " ; and 
 that reassured her. 
 
 When my father married, his own father 
 had not long been dead, and they were 
 obliged to take out a commission in lunacy, 
 to enable him to administer the estate for 
 his brother. It was an uncomfortable state 
 of things, as the property was not really 
 my father's, but belonged to another, and 
 he had not even the right to cut down a 
 tree upon it. 
 
 I well remember Avhen we were children 
 in the schoolroom, our parents being at 
 Holkham, one cold winter's day near Christ- 
 mas, there was a great commotion and 
 running about the house ; the big bell in 
 the stables rang with a muffled sound, and 
 then the church bell began to toll, and we 
 were told that uncle Spencer had died in 
 a fit. I also remember seeing all the ser-
 
 A. M. W, PICKERING. 63 
 
 vants walking to church in their deep crape, 
 and the men with hatbands and scarves. 
 And so ended that innocent life I . 
 
 I will defer saying anything about my 
 father, till I have mentioned the rest of his 
 brothers and sisters. 
 
 My uncle Charles was in the Church. 
 He was ugly, but quick and clever, and 
 very amusing : all life, impulse, and excite- 
 ment ; and always turning up when least 
 expected. His appearance was a jubilee 
 to us in the schoolroom, for he was the 
 Lord of Misrule, and our favourite uncle. 
 
 He used to delight us by telling us stories 
 of his Westminster school-days. On his 
 first day there, when he made his appear- 
 ance in the big school-room full of boys, 
 he saw, at the end of the room, a large 
 armchair, in which sat, with his back turned 
 to the school. Dr. Vincent, the Dean of 
 Westminster, and head-master of the School. 
 He was dressed, as he appears in the prints 
 of him, in a voluminous black silk gown, 
 with a broad ribbon carrying some order 
 round his neck, and a full-bottomed wig. 
 My uncle promptly shot a paper spill into 
 the Doctor's wig, where it stuck, and re-
 
 54 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mained wobbling about all the rest of the 
 morning, to the delight of all the assembled 
 Westminsters. The next day he repeated 
 the operation with a spill, previously an- 
 ointed with cheese, and was soon rewarded 
 by hearing the Doctor exclaim in his nasal 
 voice, "I smell cheese." 
 
 I remember him describing to us a con- 
 trivance of his by which the illicit suppers, 
 which they used to have in their rooms, 
 were drawn up on to the top of the bed 
 on the approach of a master, to reappear 
 again as soon as the danger was past. 
 
 All Westminsters were allowed seats in 
 the House of Commons. One day, when 
 my grandfather was going to make a speech, 
 my uncle claimed his right to go into the 
 House to hear him. He was answered by 
 the janitor that he was not going to believe 
 such a story, and was told to pass on. " Do 
 you dare to doubt my word. Sir," said my 
 uncle, tearing open his jacket, and pointing 
 to the name " Spencer Stanhope " marked 
 inside. A member who was passing was 
 so struck with the spirit of the boy, that 
 he took him with him into the House, and 
 got him a very good place, from which he 
 could hear his father speak.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 55 
 
 My uncle Charles married Miss Frederica 
 Goodenough, whose mother was a grand- 
 daughter of Archbishop Markham. My 
 father used to tell me that when he was 
 a young man the witty sayings of Cecilia 
 Markham (Mrs. Goodenough) were in 
 everybody's mouth. 
 
 Mrs. Goodenough's sister, to whom she 
 was very devoted, married Lord Mansfield, 
 and her daughters, the Ladies Murray, in- 
 herited much of the family wit. They were 
 certainly very clever and accomplished, but 
 perhaps, as I heard a man once say, " they 
 were a little too fond of the scalping knife." 
 When in London, they lived at Langham 
 House, where now the Langham Hotel 
 stands. There was a very large garden 
 with fine trees in front of it, making a 
 cool and shady termination to Langham 
 Place : it was to save that house that Re- 
 gent Street was diverted, instead of being 
 carried in a perfectly straight line to Carl- 
 ton House, which would have made it a 
 more handsome street. In Langham House, 
 I remember, there were some splendid 
 mahogany doors with gilding. 
 
 As my grandmother's house was the next 
 largest house in Langham Place, and had,
 
 56 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 like Langham House, great gates and a 
 large garden to it, there was a constant 
 confusion betAveen the two. To make mat- 
 ters worse, James Stanhope, of Revesley 
 Abbey (or, as he used to call it, "My Fen 
 Hut in Lincolnshire "), lived, when in Lon- 
 don, at Langham House, with his grand- 
 mother. Lady Mansfield, his mother, who 
 was one of the Murrays, being dead : so, 
 as may be imagined, a number of incon- 
 gruous things belonging to Jemmy Stan- 
 hope were continually finding their way 
 into my grandmother's hands. I was danc- 
 ing with him one evening, I remember, and 
 told him that I had just been dining in 
 Langham Place, where, in the middle of 
 dinner, and just at the proper moment, 
 a splendid cheese, addressed to him, was 
 brought in, and that we had had serious 
 thoughts of making it pay toll. He said, 
 "Well, will you tell your grandmother that 
 she is quite welcome to make all and every- 
 thing of mine pay toll, provided she will 
 make my bills pay toll too." James Stan- 
 hope always treated us en cousines. He 
 had the most coal-black hair, and used to 
 make horrible grimaces. He was always 
 called in London, " Black Stanhope " ;
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 67 
 
 Scudamore Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield's 
 father, bemg "White Stanhope." 
 
 Lady Mansfield had, somehow or other, 
 acquired the right of living at Scone, the 
 ancient royal palace where the Kings of 
 Scotland used to be crowned. The Queen 
 went to stay there once, but was not at 
 all gracious. Lady Mansfield had done 
 everything in her power to honour her, 
 and was, naturally, much annoyed at the 
 result. For instance, some fine old sheets, 
 with the most beautiful lace, had been put 
 on the Queen's bed ; but they were taken 
 off", and the Queen's own sheets put on 
 instead. In the evening there was a large 
 party assembled in the gallery, but the 
 Queen remained all the time at one end 
 of it, and would not walk down it to receive 
 the greetings of those present. 
 
 To return to my uncle Charles. He had 
 a very good living at Weaverham, in Che- 
 shire, and also held the family living of 
 Cawthorne. He was quite devoted to the 
 Yorkshire people, amongst whom he had 
 been brought up ; and they were equally 
 fond of him. He was always comparing 
 their cleverness with the dulness of the 
 Cheshire louts. Once when catechising the
 
 58 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 children at Cawthorne, he read out, " ' Silver 
 and gold have I none, but such as I have, 
 give I unto thee.' What had he then?" 
 he asked. A little boy at the bottom of 
 the class looked most anxious to answer, 
 and when it came to his turn, he called 
 out, "Coppers, Sir." 
 
 Poor uncle Charles, if he could make a 
 mistake at prayers he always did so, and 
 when we were all present, and on the look- 
 out for his mistakes, he used to get so 
 nervous that he finally declared he must 
 give up reading the service before us. One 
 day, I remember, he wanted to buy a cer- 
 tain horse, and at the church-door he had 
 a long talk with the farmer who possessed 
 the coveted animal. When he got to the 
 tenth commandment, "nor his ox nor his 
 ass," he gave out in a loud voice, "nor 
 his horse nor his ass " ; then, thinking that 
 it did not sound altogether right, he cor- 
 rected himself, and, with a still stronger 
 emphasis, came out with, "Thou shalt not 
 covet thy neighbour's oss nor his ass." 
 
 He had not improved in after years, 
 for when he was christening my daughter 
 Evelyn, in the parish church at Cawthorne, 
 throughout the service he called her "Ae,"
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 59 
 
 and finally, turning to the proxies of the 
 two godmothers, he asked them, "Do you 
 in the name of this child promise to remem- 
 ber the devil and all his works?" After 
 a moment's hesitation, they unflinchingly 
 said, ''We do."* 
 
 Two or three weeks before his marriage 
 to Miss Goodenough, he was preaching at 
 Cawthorne, and wound up his sermon with, 
 "The truth is, we are not half good 
 enough." 
 
 Many of my uncle Charles' letters are 
 amusing, and are good specimens of epistles 
 of that date, before letter-writing had be- 
 come a lost art. The following may be 
 quoted as a sample : — 
 
 "Cannon Hall, 
 
 "December 11th, 1818. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 " Once more returned to the calm natal 
 bowers, from sojourning amongst the Hy- 
 perborean fogs of that vile Northumbrian 
 
 * I beard a somewhat similar mistake in a London 
 church, when a shy young clergyman gave out with great 
 unction, "Abhor that which is good, cleave to that which 
 is evil."_A. M, W. P.
 
 60 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 district about Newcastle, with a liuski- 
 ness that the genius of the burr has 
 stuck in my throat, as claiming me for 
 her own, but which the politer air of 
 a Yorkshire winter will speedily dispel, 
 I hasten to give you an account of my 
 trip. 
 
 " We started in a chaise of Mr. Fawkes, 
 drawn by pairs of post-horses that re- 
 lieved each other successively ; slept at 
 Northallerton, and arrived at Newcastle 
 about 6 o'clock the next evening. I im- 
 mediately went to pay the vicar a visit, 
 having previously disguised myself in a 
 nose and spectacles, something in this 
 form. [Here follows a clever sketch of 
 himself as he appeared in his disguise.] 
 I introduced myself as a cousin of Mr. 
 Webber's, having settled on that name 
 to ensure an admittance at so unseason- 
 able an hour. I informed him that I 
 was just come from Coldstream, having 
 a letter of introduction from Mr. Webber, 
 which, however, I had lost ; but that the 
 purport thereof was to introduce me as 
 an eccentric meenister who had conceived 
 the project of preaching in every kirk 
 in England ; that he would not have
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. Gl 
 
 taken the liberty of presenting me to his 
 friend, Mr. Smith, for that purpose, if he 
 could not assure him that I was a strictly 
 good man, and could perform the kirk 
 service most admirably, of which, if he 
 would permit me, I would give him a 
 specimen. The vicar, in preparing his 
 answer to this curious preface of mine, 
 looked so very ridiculous and quiddish 
 that I could not forbear bursting out a 
 laughing, and, to relieve his embarrass- 
 ment, I pulled off my nose and eyes, 
 appearing before him in propria p>erso7ia. 
 Conceive the vicar's surprise and con- 
 sternation at being made the dupe of a 
 masquerading youngster ; he verily took 
 up the poker against me. After growing 
 calm, he enjoyed the joke excessively ; 
 he could not help (he said) thinking to 
 himself all the time of my peroration, 
 'Zounds, what a nose the fellow has.' I 
 had difficulty in extricating myself from 
 the long, tedious parentheses and dis- 
 jointed clauses of the vicar's entertaining 
 conversation, to join the party I had left 
 at the Queen's Head, who were waiting 
 dinner for me. The vicar is the greatest 
 bore and bullv I ever saw. His maid
 
 62 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 brought in a note begging the loan of 
 the Tyiie Mercury. The vicar bade her 
 wait, and bring the paper, which he lifted 
 up to the candle, and pored over for at 
 least one half-hour ; and then turning to 
 the maid, who stood stiff as a poker (my 
 draught [another clever sketch] does not 
 represent the thing exactly, but you can 
 conceive him), he said, ' Of a truth, there 
 is matter of importance : say, I will send 
 the paper in the course of the evening. 
 You may go.' In the evening we went 
 to the ball, under the names of Captain 
 Fortescue, Colonel Montgomery, and Dr. 
 Syms, which appellative my companions, 
 modest in the assumption of their own, 
 chose to assign to me. Mr. Fawkes was 
 in great uneasiness about Hawksworth, 
 the news of whose fall had reached him 
 in a letter from F. Hawksworth, who 
 had exaggerated the account so heavily, 
 that he hardly knew whether he might 
 not hourly receive a letter to require his 
 attendance at his son's death bed. You 
 may conceive he was astonished to see 
 the patient enter boldly under the as- 
 sumed name of Colonel Montgomery. 
 The sensation we produced was great.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 63 
 
 The ball went off with great eclat ; very 
 few quadrilles, very severe service in 
 country dances under the inspiration of 
 Edinburgh Gov. The names of the com- 
 pany need not be mentioned ; you may 
 guess how many Greys, Bells, Lorraines, 
 Brandlings, ciwi pluribiis aliis, might, 
 without running into highways and hedges, 
 make up the number of 130. 
 
 "The next day I spent in Newcastle 
 with the vicar. I called upon Mr. Watley, 
 but did not find him at home ; and in 
 the evening, not having been able to find 
 any dresses, we were at our wit's end. 
 Fawkes and Wentworth were rigged out 
 with the habiliments of the Newcastle 
 fish-women ; they meant to represent 
 gipsies, but Mrs. Brandling observed they 
 were such scandalous-looking figures, she 
 wonders that the tenants dare admit 
 them. I managed to get an old man's 
 coat, and, with an old cocked hat and 
 woollen wig, and my nose and eyes, I 
 played the part of a sort of Nicol Jarvie. 
 There were some very good characters, 
 but it will exceed my limits to give you 
 an account of them. Wait till when we 
 meet.
 
 04 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "That night we slept at Gosforth. 
 Next day I rode to Dissington, through 
 roads where my horse was frightened 
 with the shrieks of wild fowl, who had 
 mistaken the track for a lake ; through 
 the most frightful country in England. 
 It was so late when I got to Dissington, 
 that I could only stay half an hour, 
 and when I arrived at Gosforth I could 
 scarcely stand upright for the quantity 
 of mud that was attached to me, and, 
 as in O'Grady's story, if I had not put 
 out my tongue I should not have been 
 recognised for a human creature. 
 
 "The Northumbrians, but especially 
 Mrs. Brandling, were indignant at my 
 observations. On asking me what I 
 thought of Dissington, I said it was a 
 good house, and only wanted one thing, 
 which was frosted windows ; for the sight 
 of such a country was sure to throw one 
 into the hypochondriacs. Had not the 
 more learned assigned a different site, 
 I should, from the country, be tempted 
 to consider that district as the position 
 of ancient Babylon ; and it was no longer 
 a wonder to me why the entertainment 
 within doors was so good in Northumber-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. G5 
 
 land, * seeing as how that' there was so 
 little entertainment without. 
 
 "On Monday I left Gosforth with my 
 two companions. At Durham Ave were 
 detained by a broken axle-tree for eight 
 hours ; we travelled all night, and arrived 
 at Woolley by one o'clock. Yesterday 
 I was out a hunting ; we were running 
 almost without interruption from eleven 
 to half-past four. Our last run lasted 
 two hours without a check, and the coun- 
 try was so deep that every horse was 
 knocked up ; my horse was nearly taking 
 root in a wheat-field. I got off his back 
 just as he was staggering, and it was 
 three-quarters of an hour before I got 
 him out of the field. I shall leave in 
 about four days. In London I may be 
 detained a few days in preparing my 
 papers for the Archbishop, and shall then 
 join you at Marseilles. 
 
 "Your very affectionate son, 
 
 "C. Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 I remember my uncle Charles telling us 
 the following story : — 
 
 One day he was on the box-seat of the 
 Doncaster coach, sitting by the coachman :
 
 G6 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 they passed a field full of cattle, and my 
 uncle remarked to the coachman, "Well, 
 those cows belong to the lean kine ! " " Oh, 
 Sir," said the coachman, "but they are so 
 picturesque ! " '' Picturesque ! " said my 
 uncle ; " that is an odd word for you to 
 use. What do you know about the pic- 
 turesque ? " " Well, something. Sir," an- 
 swered the coachman; "I'm very fond of 
 it ; and I wish when you come to Doncaster 
 you would come and see me, and I would 
 show you some of my drawings." 
 
 Accordingly my uncle went, and paid a 
 visit to the coachman, when he was quite 
 struck with the cleverness of his drawing, 
 and he encouraged him to go on with it. 
 He subsequently obtained a commission for 
 him from my uncle Collingwood to paint 
 a chestnut horse, which was sent over to 
 Doncaster for that purpose. This was the 
 first order to paint anything that the coach- 
 man had received ; and not many years 
 after, that coachman's name was known all 
 over England as Herring, the celebrated 
 animal painter. 
 
 When he was at the height of his fame 
 my uncle Charles one day went to call upon 
 him. He was delighted to see him, referred
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 67 
 
 to their drive on the Doncaster coach, and 
 said, *'You were my first friend — the first 
 person who said a word of encouragement 
 to me." He made him a present of some 
 proof prints of his pictures of horses. 
 
 There was another protege of our family, 
 who, though his name may have passed 
 away, was none the less a remarkable man, 
 Thomas Witlam Atkinson. He was the son 
 of the head mason at Cannon Hall, and 
 his mother was housemaid there. At the 
 time of my grandfather's death, he made 
 a design for a tomb for him, which showed so 
 much talent that my uncle Charles sent for 
 him, and told him that he had his fortune 
 at his fingers' ends, but not as a mason. 
 He went to London, engaged himself to a 
 good architect, and rose rapidly in his new 
 profession. My uncle once asked him 
 where he got a precedent for some part of 
 the work in a church in Manchester, which 
 had particularly attracted his notice ; he 
 replied, " I am tired of taking precedents ; 
 this time I intend to give one," When the 
 great fire at Hamburg occurred, he went 
 thither, where he soon became extensively 
 employed, and obtained great distinction. 
 On the Emperor of Russia passing through 
 
 E 2
 
 08 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the city, he was so struck with his work 
 that he sent for the architect, and at once 
 engaged him to go to St. Petersburg. 
 He was employed for many years on Im- 
 perial works, both in St. Petersburg and 
 in other parts of the Russian empire, 
 including Siberia. He wrote two very in- 
 teresting books, illustrated by his own draw- 
 ings — " Oriental and Western Siberia : a 
 Narrative of Seven Years' Explorations and 
 Adventures in Siberia, Mongolia, the Kir- 
 ghis Steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of 
 Central Asia," (1858), and "Travels in the 
 Regions of the Upper and Lower Amoor, 
 and the Russian Acquisitions on the Con- 
 fines of India and China," (1860). These 
 works were read by everyone at the time, 
 and were considered most interesting. 
 
 When he came to England, he paid a visit 
 to Cannon Hall, and was taken over on one 
 of the public days to Wentworth House, 
 when he was considered quite a lion. He 
 attended the Harvest Festival in the school- 
 house at Cawthorn, where he was the chief 
 speaker, and recounted many of his ad- 
 ventures to the village people, who were 
 delighted, and justly proud of their dis- 
 tinguished fellow-villager.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 69 
 
 Another village celebrity, though one of 
 a later date, and less known to fame, was 
 Abel Hold. He was an untaught, but, cer- 
 tainly, a remarkable genius : he was too 
 fond of painting mere pot-boilers, or he 
 might have risen to eminence. His birds 
 and animals were excessively clever, and 
 he painted with the greatest facility and 
 rapidity. He sent some of his pictures to 
 London, and they were admitted into the 
 Academy. 
 
 A portrait painted by him is still at 
 Cannon Hall. It is of " Jonas." There 
 were two brothers who had worked there 
 as carpenters all their lives, Jonas and 
 James Beaumont. Jonas brewed the most 
 wonderful ale, which Avas renowned far and 
 near, and Archie Macdonald dubbed it 
 ''Jonas." Ever afterwards all the gentle- 
 men used solemnly to ask for a glass of 
 '* Jonas " whenever they wanted some beer 
 at luncheon. 
 
 Jonas was very ambitious of having his 
 portrait painted, and hung "amongst the 
 ancestors : " so he got Hold to paint it for 
 my father, and it was hung up on the prin- 
 cipal staircase, where it made a very good 
 appearance.
 
 70 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 My uncle Philip was one of the Royal 
 pages. He had been at the palace only a 
 few days when he suddenly met the King, 
 who stopped him and said, "Well, my 
 little man, and how are you getting on ? " 
 " Toll-loll, pretty bobbish," was the thought- 
 less answer. 
 
 He eventually became Colonel of the Life 
 Guards and General. He was a man of 
 many friends, and was very fond of society 
 and of visiting. Unfortunately, he never 
 saw active service, the Guards being 
 hardly ever ordered out of England, and he 
 was, therefore, of necessity, rather a carpet 
 knight. 
 
 One chance of being distinguished he 
 certainly missed ; it was at the end of the 
 Crimean War. The Guards were ordered 
 out to Sebastopol, and it was a question 
 who was to command them. My uncle then 
 told me that he had a conversation with 
 Lord Rokeby, who said to him, " It lies 
 between you and me which of us is to go : 
 it is your right, and you ought to go ; but 
 they will send me, because I am a lord." 
 
 This opinion was justified by the result ; 
 Lord Rokeby was sent out in command ; 
 but he arrived after all the fighting was
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 7l 
 
 over and Sebastopol had been taken ; he 
 had no opportunity of striking a blow, but 
 inarched into the town as a victor at the 
 head of the Guards. 
 
 When the troops returned to London, 
 and marched in triumph through the streets, 
 everybody was so amused at Lord Rokeby ; 
 he was in such a state of elation as he 
 headed the Guards up St. James's Street, 
 waving his sword over his head, as much 
 as to say, " See the conquering hero 
 comes ! " * 
 
 My uncle Hugh was the youngest son. 
 He was a barrister. He was very active, 
 a great runner, and a devoted fisherman. 
 
 There was a story of Lady WharnclifFe 
 coming to stay at Cannon Hall, and she 
 
 * In mental ability and learning my grandfather stood 
 head and shoulders above his brothers and sisters, Mrs. 
 Hudson, perhaps, alone excepted ; and, consequently, he 
 was never fully appreciated or understood by them. " John 
 always was a queer fellow," as one of them says in a 
 letter to his mother. My uncle Philip was no exception 
 to the general rule; but a kind-hearted and loveable man 
 he was, and a remarkable one in several respects. He 
 spent three quarters of the year visiting his friends in the 
 country, fitting in his visits one after the other, and the 
 remaining quarter was passed in town, where he dined 
 out regularly every week-day, and gave a family dinner
 
 72 MEMOIllS OF 
 
 deposed to having seen my uncle Hugh, 
 who was fishing the Avater in the park, 
 throw his line back and catch a cow. Off 
 went the cow, and my uncle after it, un- 
 reeling his line all the time, so as to avoid 
 breaking it. She said it was the most 
 ridiculous thing — the cow in a canter and 
 my uncle in hot pursuit all across the park. 
 Of course it was a great joke against him — 
 his fishing for cows ! 
 
 He was a very good actor, and arranged 
 our charades for us. He could disguise 
 his face wonderfully. 
 
 party every Sunday. Yet he never missed attending his 
 church every morning at eight o'clock. He shot regularly 
 until he was seventy-five. He was very fond of his rubber 
 of whist, and played with the strictest attention to pre- 
 scribed rules, nothing being allowed to interfere with the 
 sanctity of his game. His appreciation of music was of the 
 most limited character; yet I remember one occasion on 
 which, even in his case, music conquered whist. He was 
 engaged in his rubber one evening at Cannon Hall while 
 some of the party were amusing themselves at the piano 
 in the next room. It chanced that Handel's march in 
 Scipio was played, and, when it was finished, we were 
 surprised by hearing sounds of applause proceeding from 
 the whist party. On looking round, we saw that the game 
 had been suspended, and the General's cards thrown on the 
 table : it was the tune which he had heard when watching 
 the soldiers marching off for the Crimean War, the tune to 
 which so many of his friends had marched to their death. — 
 S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 73 
 
 My aunt Frances was very handsome 
 when she Avas young, and had a fine figure. 
 She caught the small-pox from the house- 
 keeper, who had been to see a daughter 
 who was ill with it, and they said that 
 my aunt was completely altered by the 
 effects of the illness. 
 
 Of my aunts, only one was ever mar- 
 ried — my aunt Marianne ; she married Mr. 
 Hudson. 
 
 She had great powers of writing, and 
 was extremely witty. She must have been 
 quite her father's daughter in this respect, 
 and, indeed, she did not harmonise with 
 either her mother or her sisters : one of 
 the latter, I remember, said to me one 
 day, " Oh ! did not we sing ' Oh ! be joyful I ' 
 when she married." She had lived much 
 abroad, and the life of the Continent suited 
 her much better than that in England. 
 
 She spoke French wonderfully. One day 
 she came to her mother dressed up as an 
 old Frenchwoman — Madame la Comtesse de 
 Chiffons— Avith a basket of lace to sell her. 
 My grandmother could not get rid of her, 
 and, consequently, bought much more lace 
 than she required, never recognising that 
 the vendor was her own daughter.
 
 74 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 My mother has often told me that we 
 could not, in these days, imagine the great 
 
 ^ sensation made by the novel of *' Almacks," 
 which was written by my aunt Hudson, nor 
 the anxiety displayed to make out who the 
 characters in it were, the guesses being 
 generally wrong. The picture which it pre- 
 sented of Almacks, though it may appear 
 exaggerated now, was, indeed, scarcely over- 
 drawn. The coterie which governed the 
 balls was so extremely exclusive that my 
 mother simply did not dare to let out 
 that she was able to go there every time, 
 on account of the storm of jealousy which 
 would have been raised against her. Her 
 entree was effected through her niece (by 
 marriage). Lady Lichfield, who was one of 
 the patronesses, and who, with one or two 
 others, decided the fate of those who used 
 almost to kneel to them in the hope of 
 getting tickets. So arbitrary were the pa- 
 tronesses, that, to show their power, they 
 actually refused a ticket to the Duke of 
 Wellington. 
 
 The authorship of the novel was kept 
 a profound secret, because it was written 
 
 ■^ against Mrs. Beaumont of Bretton — Lady 
 Birmingham in the novel — and it contrasted
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 75 
 
 Bretton with Cannon Hall. If it had oozed 
 out that it had been written by one of 
 our family, the Beaumonts would never 
 have forgiven us. The book was in every- 
 ones' hands, but the secret was well kept. 
 My mother told me how much she was 
 amused one day when old Sir Robert Adair, 
 the diplomatist (Lady Leicester's cousin), 
 could not put it down ; but, supposing, as 
 everyone did, that it had been written by 
 a man, he kept on exclaiming, "Vulgar fel- 
 low ! why does he use all these French ex- 
 pressions ? " my mother being conscious all 
 the time that the manuscript was lying in 
 the table-drawer behind her, it having been 
 sent to her for correction. 
 
 Mr. Hudson was cousin to Lord Auck- 
 land, and lived at Tad worth, near Epsom, 
 which reverted to Lord Auckland, who 
 eventually sold it to Lord Russell of Kill-* 
 owen. My aunt, however, after the death 
 of Mr. Hudson, retained it for her life, 
 and kept it up beautifully, my uncle Philip 
 acting as her agent. We used often to go 
 to stay there. 
 
 I remember a ridiculous thing happen- 
 ing. After I married, and while we were 
 living in Upper Grosvenor Street, my aunt
 
 76 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Hudson, who almost lived with us, and who 
 was always welcome, used to take up her 
 quarters at Begbie's Hotel, in Grosvenor 
 Street, so as to be near us. One day she 
 wrote word that she was coming up to 
 London, and would dine with us, and would 
 come to have tea with me at five o'clock. 
 Accordingly, on the stroke of five, there 
 was a knock at the hall door, and Mrs. 
 Hudson was announced. I flew to embrace 
 my aunt, and found myself in the arms, — 
 not of the right Mrs. Hudson, — but of Mrs. 
 Hudson, the " Railway Queen," whom I 
 scarcely knew. 
 
 After the death of my grandfather, 
 my grandmother and aunts went to 
 Versailles, where they remained for two 
 years. 
 
 On one occasion, when visiting Cannon 
 Hall at about this time, my father was very 
 much struck with some wonderfully fine 
 grapes there. He took a bunch with him 
 to Versailles, and challenged the French- 
 men to beat them. They took up the chal- 
 lenge, but were defeated : they could not 
 produce anything to be compared with the 
 grapes from Cannon Hall. He gave some
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 7T 
 
 of the vine to the Botanical Society, and 
 allowed it to become public, with the pro- 
 viso that it was to be called " The Cannon 
 Hall grape." It is a white Muscat of Alex- 
 andria, the fruit being almost as large as 
 plums. 
 
 I remember, when I was a child, there 
 was a very pretty little vine at Cannon Hall 
 which my father had brought with him from 
 Greece. It was the Zante grape, from which 
 our " currants " are made. These formed 
 beautiful little bunches, which made such 
 a pretty contrast to the Cannon Hall grapes, 
 at the other end of the table. They had 
 no pips. The gardener unfortunately let 
 the vine die. 
 
 The King of the Belgians sent his gar- 
 dener over to Cannon Hall to learn about 
 the cultivation of the Cannon Hall vine, 
 and built a house specially for it. Once 
 when the Queen and Prince Albert had 
 luncheon at Dalmeny, some Cannon Hall 
 grapes were sent there, and Prince Albert 
 remarked that they were much finer than 
 what were grown at Windsor, and that he 
 could not understand why grapes seemed 
 to do better at Cannon Hall than anywhere 
 else.
 
 78 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 My father had a very classical and highly 
 cultivated mind. He possessed great re- 
 finement of feeling, and a high appreciation 
 of art. He was a very good historian, and 
 was very fond of poetry, which he used to 
 read aloud most beautifully, his rendering 
 of Shakespeare being truly delightful.* He 
 
 * My grandfather was educated fit Westminster, and, 
 subsequently, at Oxford, as a geutleman-commoner of Christ 
 Church. Many of his letters when an undergraduate are 
 clever and interesting, but are scarcely worth reproducing 
 at the present day. Amongst his letters of that date I have 
 found the following : it is in his handwriting, though whether 
 it is his composition or not, I cannot say with certainty. — S. P. 
 
 INSCRIPTION FOR A CHIMNEY BOARD. 
 
 Here lie entomb'd 
 
 The ashes, earthly parts and remains 
 
 Of a bright and aspiring genius : 
 
 Who, in his youth, 
 
 Discovered some sparks 
 
 Of a brilliant and volatile nature ; 
 
 But was, in maturity. 
 
 Of a steady and grateful disposition 
 
 And diffuse benevolence. 
 
 Tho' naturally 
 
 Of a warm temper. 
 
 And easily stirr'd up. 
 
 Yet was he a shining example 
 
 Of fervent and unreserved benignity. 
 
 For, tho' he might have been 
 
 The most dangerous and dreadful
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 79 
 
 had the most remarkable facility for foreign 
 languages, and his French pronunciation 
 
 Of enemies, 
 
 He was the best 
 
 And kindest 
 
 Of friends. 
 
 Nor did he ever look cool, 
 
 Even upon his foes, 
 
 Tho' his fondest admirers 
 
 Too often turn'd their backs upon him. 
 
 O, undiscerning 
 
 And invidious times, 
 
 When such illustrious examples 
 
 Are thus wantonly made light of ! 
 
 Such resplendent virtues 
 
 Thus basely blown upon ! 
 
 Tho' rather the promoter 
 
 Of a cheerful glass in others, 
 
 And somewhat given to smoking, 
 
 Yet he was himself never seen 
 
 In liquor. 
 
 Which was his utmost abhorrence. 
 
 Raking, which ruins most constitutions, 
 
 Was far from spoiling his ; 
 
 Tho' it often threw him 
 
 Into inflammatory disorders. 
 
 His days, which were short, 
 
 Were ended by a gentle and gradual decay. 
 
 His substance wasted. 
 
 And his strength consumed, 
 
 A temporal period was put 
 
 To his final existence, 
 
 By his being seized with a cold 
 
 In one of the warm days 
 
 Of the fatal month of May. 
 
 His loss and his cheering influence 
 
 la often and feelingly regretted 
 
 By his friends, 
 
 Who erected this moument 
 
 In memory 
 
 Of his endearing virtues.
 
 80 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was excellent : he had learnt it from an old 
 emigre, a Marquis de Moligny. Once in 
 Paris at a fancy ball, where he had gone 
 as a French Marquis, he was taken for a 
 Frenchman by almost everyone in the room, 
 till, at last, an English lady, who was de- 
 termined to make out who he was, got hold 
 of his seals, and saw his coat of arms. 
 
 In the early part of the 19th century, 
 learned men became anxious for some more 
 perfect knowledge than they then possessed 
 of the famous battlefields of Greece. At 
 that time even a journey from Yorkshire 
 to London was considered an undertaking 
 of no small magnitude, but a journey to 
 Greece in the pursuit of scientific investi- 
 gation was a much more serious business : 
 with this object, however, my father left 
 England in the year 1810. 
 
 I may, however, give the outline of his 
 travels in his own words, as published in 
 the later editions of his " Platsea and 
 Olympia " : — 
 
 "In the month of January, 1810, I left 
 England in company with my friend, Mr. 
 Knox [afterwards Lord Ranfurly], with 
 the view of visiting those parts of the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 81 
 
 Peninsula which were then independent 
 of the French ; and of proceeding after- 
 wards by the way of Sicily to Greece. In 
 pursuance of this plan, after having staid 
 some time at Lisbon, we passed through 
 the south of Portugal to Cadiz, from which 
 place my fellow-traveller was obliged, on 
 account of the state of his health, to 
 return to England. I afterwards joined 
 Mr. Haygarth, the author of the poem on 
 Greece, who was then on his way to visit 
 that country. 
 
 " We proposed to embark at Gibraltar 
 for Sicily ; but when the packet arrived, 
 I was unfortunately so ill as to be unable 
 to proceed. Mr. Haygarth, however, took 
 his passage, and it was agreed between us 
 that we should meet again in Sicily. But, 
 as three weeks must elapse before the 
 arrival of another packet, I felt great re- 
 luctance to remain so long in that for- 
 tress, and accordingly embarked there for 
 Alicant, with the intention of afterwards 
 passing on to Valencia, and from thence, 
 by the Balearic Islands and Sardinia, to 
 Sicily. 
 
 " We had arrived off' the port of Alicant, 
 when a gale of wind obliged us to put 
 
 F
 
 82 MEMOIRS or 
 
 back into Carthagena. From Carthagena 
 I proceeded by land, through Murcia and 
 Alicant, to Valencia, where I remained 
 three weeks, and took this opportunity of 
 visiting Murviedro, the ancient Saguntum, 
 and other remarkable places in the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 "At the end of that time I became 
 anxious to rejoin my fellow-traveller, as I 
 was fearful of being too late to overtake 
 him ; and, on the recommendation of the 
 gentleman who, in Mr. Tupper's absence, 
 acted as consul, I embarked on board of 
 a Gibraltar privateer going to Majorca, 
 which the number of French privateers 
 then cruising off Valencia, rendered, in 
 his opinion, the safest course I could 
 adopt. 
 
 "After spending three days on board 
 of this miserable vessel, I was treacher- 
 ously carried into Barcelona, and de- 
 livered as a prisoner into the hands of 
 the French. I shall not occupy the time 
 of my readers with a relation of what be- * 
 fell me in that city, but content myself 
 with mentioning that, after having been 
 detained three months, two of which I 
 passed in prison, I was sent through
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 83 
 
 Catalonia to Perpignan, and from thence 
 to Yerdun. 
 
 "I was detained two years at that 
 D^pot, and then obtained, through the 
 interest of Mons. Le Chevalier, permission 
 to pass three months at Paris. 
 
 " It is impossible for me to mention the 
 name of this excellent and distinguished 
 man, without thus publicly expressing my 
 gratitude for the obligations I owe to 
 him, and without mentioning that, how- 
 ever precarious his own situation might 
 then have been, he never failed to exert 
 his influence in favour of an Englishman, 
 at a time when any connection with an 
 individual belonging to that country 
 was regarded as equivalent to a state 
 offence. 
 
 "During this residence in Paris, I was 
 fortunate enough to become acquainted 
 with many of the most distinguished mem- 
 bers of the Institute. 
 
 ''Nothing could be more agreeable to 
 my feelings than now to express publicly 
 my gratitude to those by whom I Avas then 
 countenanced and befriended, were it not 
 that to most readers it might ai)pear out 
 of place and uninteresting. 
 
 F 2
 
 84 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 '* I cannot, however, forbear mentioning 
 the names of M. Cassini, and M. Barbie 
 du Bocage, as it is to them I owe my 
 introduction to the Institute, and to the 
 high authority of their names I may prin- 
 cipally attribute the interest which that 
 body took in my behalf; and it was in 
 consequence of that interest I ventured 
 to present a Memoir to the first and third 
 Classes, requesting that they would exert 
 their influence with the Government to 
 obtain permission for me to continue my 
 travels on parole. 
 
 " My request was received in the kindest 
 and most liberal manner. An application 
 in my favour was immediately presented 
 to the Emperor Napoleon by both Classes, 
 and now that the political career of Na- 
 poleon is probably closed for ever, I am 
 bound in justice to him to acknowledge 
 the liberality with which he acted on this 
 occasion ; he granted even more than I 
 asked ; and, instead of simply permitting 
 me to continue my travels on parole, he 
 restored me unconditionally to liberty. 
 
 " As soon as I had procured a passport 
 I proceeded to Germany ; but the state 
 of the Continent compelled me to return
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 85 
 
 to England, and after remaining there for 
 a short time, I again proceeded, as ex- 
 peditiously as I could, through Germany 
 to Greece. 
 
 "Upon my return to Paris, I laid my 
 materials before the third Class of the 
 Institute, who appointed M, Barbie du 
 Bocage to draw out a Report upon them." 
 
 Although the results of my father's re- 
 searches in Greece were published, the ac- 
 count of his travels still remains j^er^/w in 
 five or six volumes of manuscript at Cannon 
 Hall. These volumes were written out at 
 his dictation, partly by my mother, and 
 partly by myself I well remember the in- 
 terest which they roused in me at the time, 
 and, having recently obtained an opportu- 
 nity of reperusing them, I found this interest 
 revived to such an extent, that I decided 
 to make copious extracts from them, and to 
 partially save them, if possible, from the fate 
 which is rapidly overtaking them, through 
 the fading of the ink as years roll on. 
 
 These extracts, however, I will not insert 
 just at present. They are confined to that 
 portion of his journal which deals with his 
 travels in Spain, and his imprisonment
 
 86 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 there, and in France. Interest has not yet 
 flagged in the occurrences of the Napoleonic 
 era ; and the adventures of one who suffered 
 under the then existing state of things, and 
 who came in contact with many of the actors 
 in the great drama, must naturally attract 
 our attention at the present day much more 
 than the account of mere travels in Greece, 
 which, though beset by numerous difficulties 
 at that time, have now been repeated so 
 often that they appear to be quite common- 
 place and lacking in special interest. 
 
 My father's published account * of his dis- 
 coveries in Greece was considered very 
 clear, and met with a considerable amount 
 of appreciation, both in England and abroad. 
 
 # 
 
 The publications were : — 
 
 "Topography illustrative of the Battle of Plataja." 
 London, 1817. 8° — Plates accompanying. Folio. 
 
 "Olympia; or Topography illustrative of the actual 
 state of the Plain of Olympia and the Ruins of the 
 City of Elis." Loudon, 1824. Folio. 
 
 This *' was written at the desire of the third 
 Class of the Institute of France, now [i.e. then] the 
 Academic des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres." 
 
 " Topography illustrative of the Battle of Plataea, the 
 Plain of Olympia, and the Ruins of the City of 
 Elis." London, 1835. 8° — Plates accompanying. 
 Folio. 
 
 " Platfea, Olympia, and Elis." London, 1865. Quarto. 
 — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 87 
 
 and secured for him his election as a cor- 
 responding member of the Institute of 
 France in 1815, and as a Fellow of the 
 Koyal Society of London in 1816. They 
 were illustrated by some beautiful drawings 
 by De Wint, made from the suggestive and 
 accurate, though quite unfinished, sketches 
 of Allason, an architect whom he had taken 
 out with him for the purpose. 
 
 The Saturday Review, referring to the last 
 issue of his work, says ; — 
 
 " The History of Mr. Stanhope's Travels 
 is curious in itself, and his researches be- 
 come more interesting through their con- 
 nection with those of the more famous 
 traveller Col. Leake. That illustrious 
 scholar, the father of all sound knowledge 
 of Greek geography, travelled before Mr. 
 Stanhope, but he did not publish his re- 
 searches till after him. Mr. Stanhope had 
 thus the opportunity of coming, on several 
 points, to the same conclusions as Col. 
 . Leake by an independent process. 
 
 " Mr. Stanhope's researches were incom- 
 parably less extensive than those of Col. 
 Leake, but Col. Leake was the enquirer, 
 who, in his own department, stands un-
 
 88 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rivalled, and Mr. Stanhope's researches, 
 without at all approaching so unattainable 
 a standard, were highly meritorious in 
 every way. 
 
 "The circumstances of Mr. Stanhope's 
 travels were very singular. They should 
 be noticed, .... as they record one 
 of the few good works of the elder Buona- 
 parte. . . . He was allowed to spend 
 three months in Paris, where he made the 
 acquaintance of many members of the 
 Institute. Through their interest, appli- 
 cation was made to be allowed to con- 
 tinue his travels on parole. He got more 
 than he asked, Buonaparte set him at li- 
 berty unconditionally. He went to Greece, 
 where he made his researches in the 
 course of 1814, after which he returned 
 to Paris, and laid them before the Insti- 
 tute. ... 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope's connection with the 
 French Institute was, as we have seen, of 
 the greatest gain to him personally, and 
 he naturally preserved a deep affection 
 both for the body and for its individual 
 members. But simply as an enquirer, we 
 doubt whether the academicians did him 
 any good. We believe he would have done
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 89 
 
 better if he had gone forth, like Col. 
 Leake, purely under the guidance of his 
 own wits. As it was, he went forth loaded 
 with the notions of various Frenchmen, to 
 whom, in his modesty, he looked up, but 
 who, we suspect, were really his inferiors 
 both in sense and scholarship. . . . 
 
 "The most recent editors and trans- 
 lators of Herodotus, of course, take Mr. 
 Stanhope's sense of the passage [respect- 
 ing the Oeroe] for granted. They quote 
 Col. Leake, but make no reference to Mr. 
 Stanhope, who certainly forestalled Col. 
 Leake in publication, though not in actual 
 discovery. Mr. Stanhope must be glad to 
 see the advance which both scholarship 
 and geography have made since his own 
 youth, and we have a pleasure of our own 
 in pointing out the claims of a veteran 
 student to an equal share in the merit of 
 a discovery, which, obvious as it seems 
 now, probably required then a consider- 
 able effort of independent thought. . . . 
 
 *'We are thankful to Mr. Stanhope for 
 a beautiful and useful book, which we 
 have the greatest pleasure in introducing 
 to our readers, because it strikes us that 
 his services as an inquirer into Greek
 
 90 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 topography have not been acknowledged 
 as they deserve. This may be partly 
 owing to the form of his works, in which 
 he certainly fails to do justice to himself 
 
 ** No candid reader will forget that Mr. 
 Stanhope travelled and wrote when there 
 were no good guides to be had. The 
 general accuracy of his views is guaran- 
 teed by their agreement with those of 
 Col. Leake, who, as we have seen, has, in 
 one case, made distinct use and acknow- 
 ledgment of them. 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope's interest in his subject 
 has not been quenched by age, and we 
 shall be glad if we can at all contribute 
 to procure for him in the evening of his 
 days the amount of appreciation which he 
 clearly deserves." 
 
 My father, during his travels, excavated a 
 lovely arch at Pola : this is impressed on 
 my mind because he had an oil painting 
 of it made by Abel Hold from AUa- 
 son's sketches, and he explained to me all 
 about it. 
 
 He would have done a great deal more 
 than he did in Greece, but, unfortunately, 
 he had a most severe attack of malarial
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 91 
 
 fever. His recovery, indeed, was very doubt- 
 ful. I do not remember the details of his 
 illness, but I remember his telling me that 
 they were in a Greek habitation where there 
 were a great many fowls, and the chickens 
 were hopping over his face all day, while he 
 had not the strength to get rid of them. 
 Mr. Cockerell, Allason, and his faithful ser- 
 vant Dimitri, were with him. At last he 
 began to improve, and got strong enough 
 to sit on a horse, with some support ; and 
 the change of air, and exercise, gradually 
 did him good, and enabled him to recoup 
 his strength. He eventually returned to 
 Paris, and then to Yorkshire ; but it was 
 years before he threw off the effects of the 
 fever which had been so nearly fatal to 
 him. 
 
 He brought with him several very valuable 
 pieces of sculpture : one by Phidias, which 
 he presented to the nation. It was valued 
 at two thousand pounds, and Sir Joseph 
 Banks sent his carriage-and-four to fetch 
 it and convey it to the British Museum. 
 He told my father that he wished to do 
 honour to Phidias. There was also a very 
 clever statue of a faun, a vase covered with 
 leaves, and the head of Socrates with his
 
 92 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mouth open ; also a plaque with the most 
 beautiful row of figures, like those of the 
 Elgin marbles, and three or four columnar 
 vases with figures upon them. All these 
 are now at Cannon Hall. 
 
 I copy the following from an old news- 
 paper : — * 
 
 "In 1820, Mr Stanhope qualified as a 
 magistrate, and continued to fulfil the 
 duties devolving upon him in that posi- 
 tion until advancing years rendered the 
 relinquishment of all public offices im- 
 perative. Mr. Stanhope exercised the 
 office of a magistrate during the stormiest 
 period through which the town and neigh- 
 bourhood of Barnsley has passed. 
 
 "Although the duty of reading the riot 
 act, often rendered necessary by the tu- 
 mults which distracted the district, never 
 devolved upon him personally, he was 
 brought into immediate contact with the 
 mobs, which not unfrequently paraded 
 the towns and villages of the neighbour- 
 hood, and by his presence of mind was at 
 
 * South Yorkshire Gazette, Nov. 15th, 1873.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 93 
 
 one time especially instrumental in quell- 
 ing a very serious disturbance. 
 
 "At the time of which we are now 
 treating, owing to the unsettled state of 
 the district, a force of military was con- 
 stantly kept in readiness to aid the civil 
 power, at the old barracks at Mount 
 Vernon. Mr. Stanhope had a great ob- 
 jection to calling in the military to the 
 assistance of the civil power, but when it 
 was necessary his hesitation was turned 
 into rapid decision. On one occasion, 
 during the prevalence of what are known 
 as the ' Plug Riots,' his coolness and de- 
 cision were remarkably exemplified. A 
 band of infuriated rioters, marching from 
 Huddersfield, suddenly presented them- 
 selves at Cannon Hall. Mr. Stanhope 
 went out and briefly asked them what 
 they wanted. The men replied that they 
 wanted something to eat and drink ; and 
 Mr. Stanhope immediately said, ' It shall 
 be supplied.' Whilst the mob of roughs 
 were engaged in partaking of the good 
 things provided, Mr. Stanhope sent a 
 messenger to Barnsley to apprise the au- 
 thorities of the approach of the mob, and 
 when the rioters arrived at the town, they
 
 94 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 found both the civil and military authori- 
 ties prepared to accord them a warm re- 
 ception. They, however, wisely separated. 
 Thus ended the * Plug Riots.' 
 
 " Mr. Stanhope, during the greater part 
 of his life, devoted himself principally to 
 the duties devolving upon him as a coun- 
 try gentleman. In politics he was strictly 
 conservative, but he never presented him- 
 self for election, although in the party 
 contests which took place, he always 
 exerted himself for the conservative can- 
 didate. The last time on which he exer- 
 cised a vote was at the election of his son, 
 Walter Spencer Stanhope, Esq., as one of 
 the members of the southern division of 
 the West Riding. 
 
 " As a landlord, Mr. Stanhope ever con- 
 sulted the interests of his tenantry, and 
 the publications he issued, entitled ' A 
 Catechism on Agriculture,' and ' A Cate- 
 chism on Cattle,' bore evidence to the de- 
 sire which animated him, for the improve- 
 ment of agriculture, and the success of 
 the farmer." 
 
 My father (in spite of what is said in the 
 newspaper which I have just quoted) did
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 95 
 
 once read the Riot Act at Barnsley, after 
 which he quietly rode home, followed by his 
 groom. All the way back he found the 
 rioters sitting and lying under the hedges, 
 and standing in groups on the road. The 
 groom suddenly dashed past my father, 
 and galloped off as hard as he could, leaving 
 his master quite alone with the rioters, who, 
 however, did not molest him. When he got 
 home he asked about the groom, and was 
 told that he had said, " His master was very 
 ready to throw his life away, but he did not 
 see that there was any necessity for him to 
 do so too." 
 
 In the " Sketches of Local Characters " * 
 they say : — 
 
 " Mr. Stanhope's taste for practical 
 farming, and for improvements in every 
 department of agriculture, was doubtless 
 fostered very materially by his annual 
 visit to his father-in-law at Holkham Hall, 
 at the celebrated sheep-shearings, when 
 the first agriculturists in the kingdom 
 used to assemble to see and hear of the 
 progress the Earl of Leicester had made 
 
 * Probably in the Barnsletj Times of 1873. —S. P.
 
 96 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 in improving the breed of sheep and 
 shorthorned cattle, and of the extent of 
 barren waste that had been converted 
 into fertile soil. There was, perhaps, no 
 man of his day that rendered such ser- 
 vice to agriculture as the late Earl of 
 Leicester, and his annual gatherings of 
 leading agriculturists tended in no small 
 degree to diffuse knowledge and provoke 
 emulation far and near." 
 
 To the reference made above to my fa- 
 ther's interest in agriculture, I may add that 
 he was very fond of trees, and of planting 
 them. He told me that, when he was a young 
 man, there was a certain plantation which 
 he was very anxious to save from the de- 
 structive attentions of the boys of the neigh- 
 bourhood, so he put up a large board with, 
 " Anyone trespassing in this plantation will 
 be spiflicated according to law." The result 
 was very satisfactory ; as the fear of spiflica- 
 tion, whatever it meant to them, deterred 
 intruders from passing through the planta- 
 tion, and the trees were unmolested.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 97 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 This chapter I propose to devote to some 
 letters that I have come across, written 
 by my father to his mother, which will, I 
 think, prove interesting. I have copied 
 them out, because the subject of them re- 
 fers to what is now quite a thing of the 
 past, and few people, perhaps, had such 
 an opportunity of being identified with it 
 as my father. 
 
 Travelling in the Highlands of Scotland 
 was certainly difficult then, if not often 
 actually dangerous. There were no good 
 roads leading from one point to another, 
 perhaps no conveyances to be had, and 
 the traveller often had to scale several 
 mountains before reaching his destination. 
 
 My father told me it was one of the most 
 interesting and exciting experiences of his 
 life, seeing Scotland in its natural and un- 
 civilized state. No novel of Sir Walter 
 Scott's could come up to the interest of 
 taking part in the living reality. He was
 
 98 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 under peculiarly good auspices, too, as his 
 great friend and chaperon, Mr., afterwards 
 Sir Archibald Macdonald, was a near rela- 
 tion of the Laird, Lord Macdonald, and it 
 was not given to everyone to go a regal 
 progress with the Lord of the Isles, all 
 through his own dominions. 
 
 He said that the Laird stopped wherever 
 he chose, sometimes in a great house, some- 
 times in a Highland shanty, but, wherever 
 he went, all the clansmen were bound to 
 receive him ; and they joined the chieftain's 
 "tail," as it was called, until he had a 
 large following of his clan, and all in the 
 Macdonald tartan. It was the most feudal 
 sight that could be imagined, now long 
 passed away for ever, and it was a wonder- 
 ful thing to have personally realised the 
 more than royal power exercised by the 
 Highland chieftains. 
 
 Edinburgh was then not only noted for 
 its clever and scientific society, but all the 
 fashionable people of Scotland assembled 
 there. London was much too far off for 
 them to think of going there, and they had 
 no connection with it. 
 
 It was, indeed, almost the same thing in 
 Yorkshire in those days ; the great county
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 99 
 
 families were, as James I. would have said, 
 " Ships in the river " ; very few ventured to 
 the sea of London : Doncaster and York 
 were their great gathering places, and Scar- 
 boro' was their favourite seaside resort. * 
 
 " Edinburgh, 
 
 "August 3rd, 1806. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 "Your long wished-for letter has at 
 last arrived, and was additionally welcome 
 in conveying one of William's [his brother, 
 Roddam]. 
 
 "Since I last wrote, a considerable 
 change has been operated in my ideas 
 respecting Scotch balls, and I am at this 
 moment upon my sofa, so thoroughly 
 knocked up, that I do not think I shall 
 go to the races. We have had two more ; 
 an excellent one, and a very dull one ; 
 the former was a subscription ball, with 
 
 * My grandfather also travelled in Ireland and Wales, 
 but his letters when on these tours were not so interesting 
 as those from Scotland. His mother seems to have been 
 the recipient of most of his correspondence, and ho often 
 wrote to her in French, apparently with the same facility as 
 he did in English. A considerable portion of the journal of 
 the travels in Spain and France was also written, in the first 
 instance, in French. — S. P. 
 
 G 2
 
 100 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a supper, for which I shall have to 
 * tug out.' 
 
 "I had the felicity of dancing with 
 some of the greatest belles and best 
 dancers of Edinburgh, the first and prin- 
 cipal of whom was Miss Lammont of 
 Lammont, the Laird of Lammont's daugh- 
 ter; she was very handsome, but, like 
 most Scotch girls, not at all interesting, 
 and excessively French. I danced, also, 
 with a Miss Brown ; there are one or two 
 of them ; they are very good dancers, 
 handsome, but neither of them left any 
 impression upon me. I experienced one 
 of the most horrible of human miseries : 
 I received a dead smite from Miss Gra- 
 ham of Kinross, who was a very elegant 
 girl, and who, not having been much in 
 Scotland, was a very great contrast to 
 the Scotch manner, and I did not leave 
 a pin unturned to get introduced to her : 
 but, alas ! when I did, not all her elo- 
 quence could prevail upon her mother to 
 stay, as, poor me ! she was going out 
 of town next morning. I had, also, the 
 supreme felicity of dancing with Lady 
 
 Flaminia , who assured me she did 
 
 not remember me, as she had not seen
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 101 
 
 me since I was a little boy. Yesterday 
 I took a snug dinner with Archy Mac- 
 donald, and had the happiness of seeing 
 the belle. I, notwithstanding all my skill 
 in physiognomy, have not found out what 
 she is like, but, in spite of Mary Anne's 
 [his sister, Mrs. Hudson] ideas of beauty, 
 am inclined to admire her. She certainly 
 is a very fine girl. After writing such 
 an account of her, I could not help going 
 to hear their music, and found there 
 the Laird of Lammont and Lord James 
 Murray, to whom I was introduced. 
 
 As Dudley Macdonald is waiting to go 
 with me to Sir John Sinclair's, where we 
 are to dine to-day, I must conclude 
 with assuring you that I am 
 
 "Your affectionate and dutiful son, 
 
 'M. S. Stanhope." 
 
 " Edinburgh, 
 
 "August 0th, 1806. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 " I wish I could enjoy the sight of the 
 astonishment which your countenance will 
 exhibit upon the receipt of this letter. 
 To come at once, then, to the point : I 
 am going to the Hebrides ; and what is
 
 102 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 more, I am going to canvass for the 
 county of Inverness-shire. Though you 
 may not envy me my scheme, I think 
 you will envy me my companion. I am 
 going with Archibald Macdonald. We 
 shall sett off as soon as he has fixed 
 Mrs. Macdonald in a house, where she 
 can be confined. We are to have a gig, 
 our two outriders, and a led horse ; and, 
 as I do not think that my horse is exactly 
 calculated for the Hebrides, I wish, if I 
 can, to sell him and buy a pony. So 
 much for the future. 
 
 " I know that you consider these races 
 as the summit of gaiety, but, what is 
 more, I know that you are considerably 
 mistaken in that notion ; for, I think, of 
 all the races I ever was at, they are the 
 stupidest ; the races themselves are hor- 
 rible, though the view is very pleasing. 
 The pleasure of the ordinary consists in 
 pushing the wine about. * * * * 
 
 "Having just returned from the race- 
 course, I take up my pen with a view 
 to finish my letter. I got away from 
 the ordinary about ten o'clock last night, 
 and sett off* for the ball with high ex- 
 pectations, but, alas ! how were these
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 103 
 
 expectations answered? Pray tell my 
 father that he may lay aside all fears of 
 my taking advantage of the easiness of 
 the Scotch laws with respect to matri- 
 monial engagements, for there was not a 
 girl in the room fit in the smallest degree 
 to be compared with the ^>e^i^6 Barlow ; 
 not one fit to breathe the same atmo- 
 sphere with a certain lovely Hibernian. 
 I do not intend to sacrifice to any Scot- 
 tish belle my place as footman to Miss 
 Cholmley. I did not think the dancing 
 so excellent ; but the worst was, that 
 you only dance one dance with your 
 partner, which makes it very disagreeable 
 for a foreigner (for so they term us) who 
 knows very few people. 
 
 " I never was so much amused as I was 
 last night after the ball ; the master of 
 the ordinary came and told us that Frank \ 
 Primrose [Lord Rosebery's brother], who 
 was most royally drunk, was offering to 
 play at hazard for ten thousand pounds. 
 We went to bring him home, and we 
 found seven of them over their wine 
 still ; we had dined at five, and it was 
 then two ! I never saw such a scene in 
 my life. Poor Sir John Scott was irre-
 
 104 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sistible ; he wanted to speak, and began 
 with a groan, by way of preamble, which 
 lasted at least ten minutes, and not a 
 single letter could he form in his mouth : 
 it was impossible to stand it : I shouted 
 so, that I prepared to run, in case he 
 sent a bottle at my head. We, at last, 
 after some difficulty, got Frank to bed. 
 
 "We are to have a subscription ball 
 to-night, but I fear it will be very bad ; 
 for without girls, and without a lady 
 manageress, what is to be done ? 
 
 " I look forward every day for a letter 
 from you, for I am very desirous of know- 
 ing what you have been about since I left 
 you. I think this a monstrous long letter, 
 
 so adieu. 
 
 "Believe me, 
 
 " Your very affectionate and dutiful son, 
 
 "J. Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 " Edinburgh, 
 
 "August 7th, 1806. 
 "My Dear Father, 
 
 " I wrote to my mother to inform her 
 of my safe arrival yesterday, but as it 
 was too late for the mail, I did not send 
 it. I arrived here early in the morning,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 105 
 
 tolerably tired, and breakfasted with the 
 Primroses, with whom I afterwards rode 
 to Barnbougle.* 
 
 "If he does build a Gothic house on 
 the spot pointed out by Davidson, the 
 architect, it will be an extremely fine 
 place. We returned late to dinner, and 
 found Milnes arrived with six pointers 
 and numerous et cceteras for shooting, 
 Lord Rosebery and all the family taking 
 the races on their road from London. 
 I do not think the races seem to promise 
 well. 
 
 " Lord Kinnaird and the Duke of Gor- 
 don left Edinburgh yesterday ; the dinners 
 are likely to be most dreadful nuisances. 
 Their drinking, which, I understand, is ex- 
 cessive, is varied by the ancient nuisance 
 
 * The old Castle belonging to Lord Rosebery, close to 
 the water's edge (the Firth of Fife). The view has been 
 compared with that of the Bay of Naples. It was to pre- 
 serve this view and situation that our Lord Rosebery (i.e., the 
 late Lord Rosebery) built Dalmeny close by. Excepting at 
 one corner, the sun is entirely excluded from the house, as 
 it is backed by a very steep bank, with trees growing upon 
 it. It is also built on piles, and cannot be very healthy. 
 I have often heard old Rosebery say that he would not wish 
 his worst enemy a worse fate than to build his own house. 
 When 1 was at Dalmeny, Barnbougle was a ruin. I believe 
 the present Lord Rosebery has built it up. — A. M. W. P.
 
 106 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of toasts, etc., and I think I shall have 
 recourse to the feint of a bloody nose. 
 
 "Milnes is as mad as usual, stark mad 
 after shooting; he does not care for the 
 races at all. Primrose is trying all heV 
 can to get me leave to shoot upon some 
 moors ; he has got leave for Milnes for 
 the same that he himself is going on. 
 
 "The horses arrived quite safe. Poor 
 Joe [the servant] does not at all admire 
 the whisky. Milnes and I have lodgings 
 in the same hotel, and one parlour be- 
 tween us. With the new town I am 
 delighted ; the old one I have not yet 
 much inspected. The language is quite 
 beyond my comprehension. I can only 
 understand some who talk like Lady 
 Perth. The plan of many of the women 
 of walking without shoes or stockings is 
 no inconsiderable annovance to me. 
 
 " As I cannot judge yet whether I shall 
 like the Scotch or not, I will reserve my 
 opinion of them to a future period. I 
 conclude this scrawl with assuring you, 
 " I sincerely remain 
 " Your very dutiful and affectionate son, 
 "J. Spencer Stanhope. 
 " If you cannot read it, blame the pen."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 107 
 
 " Edinburgh, 
 
 "August 12tb, 1806. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 "Your letter is just arrived, and gave 
 me great pleasure in conveying your ap- 
 probation of my scheme. Your message 
 I have delivered to Mrs. Macdonald, for 
 I am now Avriting in her rooms. 
 
 "You may expect some time in Sep- 
 tember a visit from a brace of Counts ; 
 two Prussian noblemen of high rank, who 
 have been travelling in this country by 
 permission from their King. One of 
 them is a Finance Minister. His cousin 
 Avas sent by most of the other Prussian 
 noblemen, just before the war broke out, 
 to remonstrate with their King upon his 
 conduct to the country. He found, how- 
 ever, upon his arrival in Berlin, that we 
 had begun to take their ships ; and he 
 considered it, therefore, useless to exe- 
 cute his commission, but wrote a private 
 letter to the King, to inform him of the 
 general opinion of the nation ; this my 
 friend considers as a most spirited action, 
 and prides himself upon it. I first met 
 them at Sir John Sinclair's, where I
 
 108 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 clined. He entrusted the care of lionising 
 them to Archy Macdonald. They are now 
 gone to the Highlands, where, I expect, 
 they will lose themselves. I have given 
 them a letter to my father, so I suppose 
 you will have the amusement of enter- 
 taining them, and laughing at Prussian 
 2)olitesse. 
 
 "The races are now entirely over, and 
 Edinburgh has begun to assume a more 
 melancholy appearance. Miss Lammont, 
 however, is still here, and she is, without 
 doubt, the reigning beauty. Even the 
 little Lordling is quite smitten, and la- 
 ments she will not patronize London. 
 You cannot imagine how different the 
 manners here are to those in your town. 
 Dudley and I walked all over Edinburgh 
 with her ; she even took me into a house 
 where she was going to call, and intro- 
 duced me ; I also made her a morning 
 visit with Primrose. She is extremely 
 handsome, but she talks — oh, how she 
 talks ! I would bet her against Miss 
 Banks. Archy thinks she would be rec- 
 koned a first-rate beauty in London. 
 
 "I was much amused with Lady Sin- 
 clair, who, when we were talking about
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 109 
 
 Miss Lammont, recommended to me, in 
 the most natural way, Miss Campbell. 
 By the by, I have almost been in love 
 with her ; but I cannot comprehend her, 
 she is either very proud or very stupid, 
 though I cannot think the latter, as her 
 eyes are very lively. I do not know, 
 however, whether I might not have been 
 dead-smitten, had not Lady Cawdor stayed 
 here yesterday on her way to Cawdor 
 Castle. I called immediately, and found 
 her alone ; she received me with a cordial 
 shake of the hands, looked as charming 
 as ever, and told me that she was very 
 glad indeed to have seen me. 
 
 " As for our future schemes : we shall 
 sett off to-morrow or next day ; shall go 
 first to Dupplin Castle, then to Blair, the 
 Duke of Athole's. We shall then go to 
 the coast and Staffa ; the Laird of Staffa 
 will send his boat for us, and he will 
 entrust us to the care of the Laird of 
 the Isles, Lord Macdonald, for he still 
 retains that title, though it was forfeited 
 in the rebellion, and given to the Prince 
 of Wales. If, however, he (the Prince) 
 was to make his appearance under that 
 title, the Highlanders would consider
 
 110 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 him as an usurper and kick him into 
 the sea. 
 
 "The direction to me, I enclose, and 
 finish this long scrawl by subscribing 
 myself, 
 
 "Yr. dutiful affectionate son, 
 
 "J. Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 " Blair Athole, 
 
 "August 20th, 1806. 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 "Here we are at the Duke of Athole's, 
 where we arrived yesterday to dinner. 
 The Dutchess I like very much ; the 
 Duke is very difficult to get on with, 
 as he is remarkably shy. 
 
 "To give you a short account of our 
 adventures : we left Edinburgh on Satur- 
 day in a chaise, having sent our horses 
 on. As soon as we had crossed the Firth 
 of Forth we met with a very consider- 
 able obstacle, that of finding no horses; 
 but we at last mustered a pair of long- 
 tailed cart-horses, and arrived at Kinross 
 at seven o'clock to dinner. 
 
 "At Kinross there is a beautiful lake, 
 with an island on which there are the 
 remains of a castle where Queen Mary
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. Ill 
 
 was confined, and from which she 
 effected her escape. After eating some 
 famous trout, we proceeded on our jour- 
 ney with a cart-horse and a mail-coacli- 
 horse which was quite knocked up. At 
 the Bridge of Earn we found our horses, 
 mounted them, and proceeded to Dupplin 
 Castle, where we arrived just after my lord 
 had retired to bed. There we stayed Sun- 
 day. On Monday we proceeded to Perth, 
 and from Perth we went to Dunkeld. 
 
 "At Dunkeld we were in the High- 
 lands; but, instead of towering, bleak 
 mountains, and nothing but heath all 
 round us, we found one of, I may say, 
 the most beautiful countries I ever saw. 
 
 " One of the Duke's houses is here 
 situated in a strath, or valley, watered 
 by the Tay, and the mountains, which 
 rise one above the other, are entirely 
 covered with wood, principally young 
 plantations : the effect is altogether 
 beautiful. 
 
 "I saw there the Fall of Ossian, a 
 most glorious waterfall, which it would 
 require several letters to describe. 
 
 " We left Dunkeld yesterday, and, 
 passing almost all the time through the
 
 112 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Duke's estate (and, amongst other things, 
 the famous Pass of Killicrankie), arrived 
 here at dinner. 
 
 " The Duke was in the forest with 
 Lord Westmorland deer-stalking, but 
 he came here this morning, with a 
 brace of stags, in expectation of find- 
 ing Mr. LifFord, a parliamentary overseer 
 of roads, etc. 
 
 "As I have given you a brief account 
 of what is past, I will now look to the 
 future." 
 
 " Armadale, 
 
 "August 31st, 180G. 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 "Here I am, thank God, alive, safe, 
 and sound, after a journey which those 
 who have never been in these parts 
 cannot in the least degree conceive. 
 Talk not to me of bad roads ! What 
 can you, what can anybody know of a 
 bad road, who has not seen the Corry 
 Arrach, who has not scaled the Raltian ! 
 
 " But I will endeavour to pursue my 
 narrative from the place where I left off. 
 I left you, I think, at Blair. We stayed
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 113 
 
 there longer than we intended, long 
 enough, however, to be perfectly at 
 home there, for, as we had rain all 
 the time, we were compelled to amuse 
 the ladies, who consisted of the Dutch- 
 ess and her young party. Lady Amelia 
 and Lady Elizabeth ; Augusta Murray, 
 sister to Sir Peter Murray of Auchter- 
 tyre, and an intimate friend of Lord 
 Melville's (she is a very nice girl, and 
 was a belle) ; Miss Knight, the Dutch- 
 ess's protegee, and part of her dowery ; 
 and Catherine Hay, her niece, a very 
 pretty girl, not yet out of her pupilage. 
 I made love very strenuously both to 
 Lady Elizabeth (who is pretty, but very 
 brusque), and to Miss Hay. The Dutch- 
 ess, I liked very much. I had a much 
 better introduction than any Mrs. Beau- 
 mont could have given, as she rather 
 ignores her, whereas Macdonald is her 
 chief councillor. I saw Lord Westmor- 
 land there. 
 
 " We at last sett off, and arrived, quite 
 wet througli, at Dalwhinnie, where we 
 found Lord" Blantvre shootiu": with a 
 party consisting of his brother, Charles 
 Stuart, his uncle, and Burton Fyle. We 
 
 H
 
 114 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dined with him, and proceeded next 
 morning on our way over the Corry 
 Arrach. It was three miles up to the 
 top, and six miles down on the other 
 side. The road was a zig-zag one, with 
 the surface covered with large, loose 
 stones, and every now and then it dege- 
 nerated into steps cut through a rock. 
 Over this we went, in the middle of a 
 dreadful rain, abetted by a most violent 
 wind, so that we w^ere dripping with rain, 
 and frozen by the sharpness of the wind. 
 We at last, however, arrived at Fort Au- 
 gustus, where we found Neville, Lord 
 Braybrooke's son, and Vansittart, who 
 were making a shooting tour under 
 Macdonald's direction, and who had left 
 Blair before us, that we might not be 
 inconvenienced at the inns for want of 
 room. We rested ourselves with them a 
 day, and paid a visit to the Governor, 
 Colonel Brodie, an enormous quiz. At 
 last we sett off again : but to describe our 
 difficulties would be impossible. The 
 road lay through the mountains, and 
 wound round them. The general style 
 of the country was a glen, with a river 
 running through the middle of it, the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 115 
 
 mountains rising almost perpendicularly 
 on each side and in front ; and every 
 moment a furious torrent, collecting all 
 the rivulets from the top of the hills, 
 swelled to an amazing size by the quan- 
 tity of rain that had fallen, precipitated 
 itself from rock to rock with foaming 
 rapidity, and added a degree of majestic 
 horror to the scene by its roaring sound. 
 Some of them, indeed, were so grand as 
 to make us for a moment forget the 
 pitiless rain and wind that poured its 
 utmost rage against us. You will natur- 
 ally be desirous to know what kind of 
 a road these barbarous regions pro- 
 duced. It was composed of rocks and 
 loose stones, cmd variegated with rivers 
 and hogs; the consequence was, that we 
 were obliged to trust to our own legs, 
 as the only safe way of proceeding, and 
 the only means of keeping us alive, from 
 the intenseness of the cold. 
 
 "We had left Fort Augustus in th§ 
 morning at eight, having received infor- 
 mation that an inn was to be found about 
 ten Scotch miles oft'. When we arrived 
 there, the inn was vanished. Imagine, if 
 jou can, our horror ! We were forced to 
 
 H 2
 
 116 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 proceed, and arrived at about five o'clock 
 at a most miserable hut called Strath- 
 chamy. It was too contemptible to pay 
 taxes, but there we met with a most 
 extraordinary character — a true High- 
 lander, a gentleman in his own ideas ; who 
 had four brothers, officers in the army; 
 called great men his intimate friends, 
 and affirmed that he did not keep an 
 inn, but only accommodated people who 
 were benighted ; in short, he amused us 
 amazingly. We slept without taking our 
 clothes off. 
 
 " The next day we experienced a worse 
 journey, and crossed the sea in a storm, 
 in a very small boat. Next morning, to 
 our great astonishment, we saw the sun 
 again; a fortnight had elapsed since we 
 had seen a fine day, and we had been 
 wet through every and all day since we 
 had left Blair. We came here by sea, 
 and here we are with the Lord of the 
 Isles. 
 
 " I received your letter, and Macdonald 
 desires numerous compliments. 
 
 " Your very dutiful son, 
 
 "J. S. Stanhopk"
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. Il7 
 
 " Scandon, Isle of Skye, 
 
 " September 14th, 1806. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 " Many thanks for your long letter 
 dated the twenty-first. In these distant 
 regions you may easily imagine it gave 
 me very considerable pleasure to hear 
 of and from you ; but, however remote 
 these regions may be, they do not abound 
 in barbarism, for this very spot in which 
 I am writing can boast of one of the 
 most charming and most elegant girls I 
 ever saw. Of course, I am most desper- 
 ately in love, and as there is a 2)arson 
 in the house, to foretell the consequences 
 would he as impossible as it ivould be 
 useless. 
 
 " But to resume the thread of my de- 
 spatches, the last of which, I fancy, dated 
 from Portree. We left (that is to say, 
 Archibald Macdonald and I, as we found 
 that business detained the Peer there) 
 in company with our present host, and 
 arrived at this place, where w^e spent last 
 Sunday. On Monday we proceeded to 
 join Lord Macdonald at Kingsborough,
 
 118 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sacred as the habitation of Flora Mac- 
 donald ; it is now, however, in the pos- 
 session of Major Campbell. We dined 
 and slept there, and the next day arriv- 
 ed at Mugset, belonging to Major Mac- 
 donald, a true old Highlander. From 
 there we went to dinner one day to 
 Ard, the north-west extremity of the 
 island, and thns we have now travelled 
 from the southernmost point to the most 
 northern, and all was Lord Macdonald's 
 property. We dined at the house, or 
 hut, of two old ladies, who produced a 
 bowl which the Prince, alias the Pre- 
 tender, broke, by suffering it to fall from 
 his hands, when anxious for more punch; 
 but, as it was broken exactly in half, it 
 had been easily joined together, and we 
 concluded the dinner by drinking some 
 punch out of it to the memory of the 
 Prince. 
 
 "After staying two days at Mugset, 
 we returned to Kingsborough, where we 
 again dined and slept, and returned here 
 after having crossed a very rough arm of 
 the sea. We were received here in style, 
 for, upon the moment of our host's meet- 
 ing us, two field pieces, which were drawn
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 119 
 
 out to the sea-shore, fired a grand salute. 
 This place, I fear, we leave to-morrow. 
 We travel to a great degree in the old 
 Highland manner : we are obliged to stop 
 at the houses of all the proprietors and 
 drink whisky, and every step we go we 
 make an addition to our party ; the con- 
 sequence of which is that every house we 
 arrive at we fill. 
 
 *' To-day, my friend, the parson, did 
 duty in the house ; he commenced 
 with giving out a psalm, and, after 
 the discourse, he, to my utter as- 
 tonishment, prayed for Lord Macdon- 
 ald, and afterwards for the younger 
 branches. * 
 
 "This is the best house we have been 
 in since we have arrived in Skye. Our 
 host is a Macdonald, colonel of one 
 regiment of the Volunteers, and has 
 been in the East Indies. People here 
 have very large families, and all their 
 
 * My father told me that one day in Skye, when he was 
 walking with one of Lord Macdonald's gillies, he questioned 
 him a little, wanting to find out exactly what allegiance they 
 owed to the Laird : the man turned round, and said, " I 
 would have your head off in live minutes, if I had the Laird's 
 orders for it."— A. M. W. P.
 
 120 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sons go, if they can get a writersliip, to 
 the East ; if not, into the army. 
 
 " I certainly was considerably asto- 
 nished at your Royal visitors, and shall 
 expect next to hear that you have been 
 entertaining the Prince himself. The 
 little Viscount and myself correspond, 
 and he states that the aggregate num- 
 ber of moor-fowl killed was three hun- 
 dred and sixty-eight brace. What are 
 become of my Prussian friends I know 
 not. I suspect they must have lost 
 themselves. Poor Lady Francis Hay is 
 dead. I saw her in Edinburgh, but 
 was not introduced to her. Why did 
 you not introduce Glyn to Lord Mil- 
 ton ? They would be lit society for one 
 another. 
 
 *' The best direction for your letters 
 will be Post Office, Inverness. 
 
 "When you have got as far as this 
 you probably will be beginning to yawn, 
 so I had better conclude with assuring you 
 that I constantly remain 
 
 " Your dutiful son, 
 
 " J. Spencer Stanhope."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 121 
 
 " Raasay, 
 
 " September 19th, 1806. 
 
 "My Dear Mother, 
 
 "If you open Johnson's "Tour," you 
 will find the Laird of Raasay described as 
 the very essence of hospitality. If you 
 look into Mrs. Murray's "Tour," you will 
 find the present Laird, son to the old one, 
 abused like a pickpocket for his want of 
 hospitality. You will almost wonder at 
 my courage at coming here after such an 
 account, but I assure you I have had 
 no cause to repent of it. Raasay is shy, 
 and, therefore, I can easily imagine Mrs. 
 Murray might mistake him ; but, so far 
 from being deficient in hospitality, he is 
 now detaining us, rather against our will, 
 on a fine day. 
 
 "The party here consists of Mrs. Mac- 
 leod, the Laird's wife, a young and very 
 pleasing woman ; Miss Ross, a fine girl, 
 but an absolute Fingalian ; she looks 
 down upon me, and, I think, promises 
 to hereafter be as fat as she is tall ; 
 two other nameless young ladies, two 
 ministers, our two selves, and Leandel
 
 122 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I am obliged to be upon my guard, 
 as Miss Ross is a great crony of my 
 Leandel Belle. 
 
 " Our adventures on our way here 
 were few. On Monday I tore myself 
 mvay, as one of the party expressively 
 termed it, from the Belle. We paid a 
 visit, en ^^ccssant, at Kingsborough, in our 
 way to Portree, where we were detained 
 two days by the weather. Yesterday, 
 however, we crossed the sea in an open 
 boat at this place, in the midst of the 
 equinoctial gales : and a rough sea, in- 
 deed, we had. To-morrow we join Lord 
 Macdonald at Scalpa. 
 
 "This is the first place like a house 
 that we have seen since we have been 
 in the Hebrides ; and there are some 
 large trees here. We danced reels all 
 last night, as we had the pianoforte, ac- 
 companied by Raasay with a fiddle. We 
 had recourse to dancing, in order to 
 interrupt a dispute concerning the Troad 
 and Herodotus, and other deep subjects, 
 in which Macdonald and I were opposed 
 to the two parsons. I found my parson 
 perfectly obstinate, and so silenced him 
 with a reel.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 123 
 
 " You will be rather desirous of having 
 some description of the Belle that gave 
 me such a wound at Leandel. I will at- 
 tempt it, therefore. She is about sixteen, 
 very tall and slim ; a beautiful figure ; 
 draws very well and understands French 
 and Italian. Her first appearance did not 
 strike me ; but when I accompanied her in 
 scrambles over the rocks, or in voyages 
 round the world on a globe in the evening, 
 I became so palpably smitten, that, since 
 I have left her, I have had all the Skye 
 wits bating me. I assure you, nothing 
 but my duty to my father could have 
 made me resist the opportunity that the 
 presence of the parson offered ; parti- 
 cularly, as she made the most elegant bow 
 I ever saw. If it was not, however, for 
 the presence of Leandel, I would try 
 whether a Miss Fingalia was not suit- 
 able. So much for Skye belles ; and so 
 much for my letter ; which now concludes 
 with assuring you that 
 
 " I truly remain 
 
 "Your very dutiful and affec- 
 tionate son, 
 
 " J. Spencer Stanhope."
 
 124 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Armadale, 
 
 "Sept. 24th, 1808. 
 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 "Here we are again at Lord Mac- 
 donald's, after all the difficulties and 
 adventures we experienced on our tour. 
 We w ere detained in Raasay longer than 
 we intended, by the equinoctial gales. 
 The Laird was extremely civil, and sent 
 for his piper, who is, after old Macrimon, 
 the best in the Islands ; and thus, like 
 old times, we devoured our meals to the 
 sound of the bagpipes. We at last ven- 
 tured from Eaasay on a very stormy day, 
 and arrived, after a four hours' row, safe, 
 but wet through, at Scalpa, to the great 
 astonishment of Lord Macdonald, who is 
 not a very bold navigator. The next day 
 we crossed the sea to Corrychatuchan, 
 and yesterday arrived here to dinner. 
 From here, I believe, we go to Inverness. 
 
 " There has been a most extraordinary 
 christening at Inverness, and the young 
 Laird of Glengarry was the hero of it. 
 He was carried upon a bed of Glengarry 
 heather through the streets preceded by 
 the piper ; on each side of him marched
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 125 
 
 men of the clan in their Highland dresses, 
 with their drawn dirks, and the Senach, 
 or bard, brought up the rear. There was 
 also a reel of chiefs, consisting of Glen- 
 garry, Lovat, the Chisholme and the 
 Laird of the Macintoshes. 
 
 " Glengarry is a most extraordinary 
 character, and is at least a century be- 
 hind the rest of the Highlanders. He 
 has committed crimes ; has been ac- 
 quitted for murder in a duel, only by a 
 casting vote ; and is now labouring under 
 an action for an assault and battery. He 
 attacked a doctor, when marching with a 
 gang of his followers, and would have 
 killed him, had not some of the garrison 
 at Fort Augustus received intimation, and 
 come to the rescue. 
 
 "What a very extraordinary event 
 Fox's death is ! Those honours, for the 
 possession of which he had sacrificed his 
 consistency, and employed every manner 
 of means, whether justifiable or not, were, 
 when at last acquired, the cause of his 
 death ; and he that was, so very short a 
 time ago, giving the character of Mr. Pitt, 
 is now a subject for other people to 
 dwell upon.
 
 126 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "The races at Pontefract, from your 
 account, must have been very gay. 
 
 " I am afraid my poor Counts have lost 
 themselves, and what they will do in 
 that case I know not, as they have only 
 a leave of absence for a stated time. 
 
 " The Duke of Montrose has had an 
 opposition party with him, so I hope 
 they have arranged some proceedings for 
 the next session. 
 
 " They tell me here that I look much 
 better since I have been in Skye. Mac- 
 donald desires his best compliments, love 
 to all at home. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Your very dutiful and 
 
 affectionate son, 
 
 "J. Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 " Blair Drummond, 
 
 "[?] Sept. nth. 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 " As some time may elapse before I 
 shall have another opportunity of writing 
 to you, and as I can secure a frank, I 
 will send you a few lines to tell you 
 what we have done.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 127 
 
 " From Edinburgh we went to Camoch, 
 Stewart's house, on Friday last ; we re- 
 mained there till Monday, when we went 
 to Lord Dunmore's to dinner, slept there, 
 and then came on here to Drummond 
 House. Stewart's is a nice house ; an old 
 Scotch castle : it is well furnished, but 
 he is much too careful of his furniture. 
 At Lord Dunmore's we were very kindly 
 received. He is living now in his stew- 
 ard's house, but is building near it a 
 handsome Gothic house. It already 
 makes a splendid appearance, and will 
 be in good taste. We found Lord Dun- 
 more a very gentlemanlike, pleasant man. 
 We were very kindly received here, but 
 our hostess is in a very bad state of 
 health. 
 
 " To-day we are to have a party ; one 
 of the Scotch grandees is to be here. 
 To-morrow we shall proceed on our tour. 
 We think of going first to Crieff", and so 
 round by Loch Earnhead to Callander; 
 from thence to Loch Katrine, and then to 
 Loch Lomond ; then to Glasgow, Lanark, 
 the Falls of the Clyde, and to Edinburgh. 
 " This is a very nice place, the park is 
 uncommonly well timbered, but flat ; all
 
 128 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sameness is, however, removed by the 
 Highlands, which bound most of the 
 views. 
 
 "Nothing can be worse than the 
 weather we have had, and it does not 
 seem to bid fair to improve at Drum- 
 mond. 
 
 "I am in a stupid humour, so I will 
 conclude. Love to all. 
 
 "Your dutiful son, 
 
 J. O. to. 
 
 The following letter is only a fragment, 
 and from whose house it was written I do 
 not know ; it gives an account of a wonder- 
 ful echo. 
 
 " At last we arrived at the end of the 
 upper lake ; but not a sign of the boat : 
 in consequence of that, we got into a 
 small boat, which conveyed us to Ronan's 
 Island, where there is a beautiful cottage 
 cut entirely in the rock. The Island is 
 covered with arbutus and other trees. 
 At last our boat arrived and we enjoyed 
 our luncheon ; I think I may call it dinner, 
 we ate so much. We now tried the effect 
 of the bugle again, and of a cannon, which
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 129 
 
 we fired from the top of a rock, the effect 
 of which is inconceivable. You first hear 
 a cannonading all round you, the sound 
 then dies away in distant murmurs, and 
 then comes rolling on like thunder ; and 
 sometimes you hear the diflferent echoes 
 for five minutes. The upper lake is 
 wonderfully fine, though less extensive 
 than the lower : it is surrounded on all 
 sides by the largest mountains in Scot- 
 land. The calm of the water, and the 
 verdure of some islands, formed a delight- 
 ful contrast to the rocky sides of the 
 mountains. We tried our horn and can- 
 non at a great many diflferent places, but 
 the finest of the whole Avas at the musical 
 echo, where our trumpeter played the 
 French horn. All his notes were immedi- 
 ately repeated by an amazing number of 
 echoes, and each in a difterent tone. It 
 put me in mind of a musical school, where 
 the master plays a passage, and the 
 scholars all follow him, some slower, some 
 softer than the others. 
 
 " The passage which conducts from the 
 upper lake to the lower, forms a com- 
 pletely difterent scene, for it is narrow, 
 
 and the banks are covered with wood. 
 
 I
 
 13() MEMOIRS OF 
 
 There is a bridge, under which the current 
 rolls with an astonishing force. You have, 
 what they term, to shoot the bridge, that 
 is, to put your oars into the boat, and 
 commit yourselves to the helmsman, who 
 steers you into the current, and you are 
 carried down with a rapidity that beats 
 all the breath out of your body ; and, if 
 the pilot should make the least mistake, 
 there would be a grand finale. 
 
 " The next morning we were not a little 
 overjoyed to hear that the band of a 
 Highland regiment, stationed at Ross 
 Castle, were going with the officers an 
 excursion up the lake ; and we deter- 
 mined to fall in with them. We bent our 
 course across the lower lake to the pass- 
 age : here the scene was delightful. The 
 company all got out of their boats, and 
 remained on the bridge, until the boat- 
 men got into the water (there were five 
 boats), and towed the boats up the current 
 with all their might. The band mean- 
 while were playing amongst the trees. 
 Our boat was very near being lost ; it 
 slipped from the men who were holding 
 it, and must have been carried down, had 
 it not been stranded upon a rock.
 
 A. M. \V. riCKERING. 131 
 
 " We at last got off, and the scene was 
 beautiful — the band playing, the boats 
 pulling against one another, and a chaiin- 
 ing day to boot ; but the finest thing I 
 ever heard, and what I never shall forget, 
 was the effect of the band at the echo 
 under the Eagle's Nest. Conceive, if you 
 can, the pipes, French horns, and all the 
 softest instruments of a band playing the 
 sweetest slow music, with an echo that 
 returned you every note and every instru- 
 ment w ith a softness surpassing all mortal 
 sounds. I have frequently in my exten- 
 sive novel and romance reading met with 
 heavenly music, but never till then did 
 I hear it. You might place yourself so 
 as either to hear only the echo, and 
 not the original band, or so as to hear 
 both. We proceeded with them as fiir 
 as the musical echo, and then hurried 
 back, and shot the bridge, turned to the 
 right, and landed in Dinis Island, which 
 looks, on one side towards the passage, 
 with a beautiful view of the bridge, en- 
 livened by the rushing of tlie water down 
 it, and on the other, to tlie soft and calm 
 side of the Muscruj), or tlic middle lake. 
 
 Whilst they were boihng some ])otatoes 
 
 I 2
 
 132 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to give an Irish zest to our lunch, we 
 took a dip in the lake. 
 
 "After the men had finished their 
 dinner, we proceeded down Muscrup 
 lake, and landed at the peninsula." .... 
 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 " Never was a poor creature so terribly 
 starved as I was when I entered my room 
 five minutes ago, and was greeted with 
 the agreeable appearance of a letter from 
 you upon the table. 
 
 " This morning I started from Baron 
 Norton's house, about eleven miles from 
 here, whither I went on Saturday. The 
 grey, when he was brought to the door, 
 broke from the servant, and ran into the 
 road, where he lost his shoe. I conse- 
 quently sett off" on the pony, just as it was 
 beginning to snow. Before I had got far, 
 the most dreadful storm began, which 
 converted the snow into a kind of hail, 
 and raised a complete cloud in the sky, 
 so that it was hardly possible to see 
 before me. In short, about a mile from 
 Edinburgh, I was obliged to stop at a 
 turnpike, to put in a little new life. My hat 
 and my coat were an entire sheet of ice.
 
 A. M. ^y. PIC KE KING. 133 
 
 and my eyelashes were literally frozen up, 
 so that I could hardly see, and my hands 
 were in agony. My good landlady here 
 immediately offered me a basin of barley 
 broth, which, with your letter, has com- 
 pletely restored me. 
 
 " This last week has been a very plea- 
 sant one to me. I mentioned my first 
 party at the Dutchess of Gordon's, where 
 I met, and renewed my acquaintance 
 with Lord James Murray, and met Mrs. 
 Hay, the wife of Colonel Hay, who had 
 seen you at Bretton, and various other 
 people. The next day I called on Mrs. 
 Hay, and found her with two very plea- 
 sant, but not pretty, daughters. How- 
 ever I liked them so well, that I sat a full 
 hour there. The next morn I called 
 again at the Dutchess's. She asked me 
 to come again in the evening, when I 
 found all the apparatus of dancing, The 
 Dutchess, who you must know is given 
 over by her physician, takes it very 
 coolly, and sat up till the end. Miss 
 Fordyce introduced me at her desire to 
 Miss Wynne, the painim that the old 
 chevalier found out. She is Mrs. Free- 
 mantle's sister. We immediatelv com-
 
 134 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 meiiced a grand flirtation. She assured 
 me that she had known everything about 
 me, and all that I had done, since I had 
 been in Edinburgh, and ended by asking 
 me to go the next evening to her sister's, 
 Mrs. Robert Campbell, Madame Eugenie. 
 
 "Accordingly I went, and found the 
 chevalier, the Duke of Argyll, Lord John 
 Campbell, another man, and a Miss Kin- 
 lock. They made a table of cards, and 
 the Duke, Miss Wynne, and myself amused 
 ourselves as we could. We had a snug 
 sonpe, and I was asked to come again the 
 following evening, which I did, having 
 made a previous call, and found them at 
 home in the morning. 
 
 "That evening, which was Friday, I 
 found the Duke, his brother, Lady Char- 
 lotte, and no less a person than Monk 
 Lewis, who introduced himself to me, and 
 became the greatest friends with me ; also 
 a Miss Brown, who is something of a 
 cruiser, whom I made teach me German 
 backgammon. We had some delightful 
 singing by the two Miss Wynnes and 
 Lady Charlotte. So me voila niche in one 
 of the highest houses in Edinburgh. I 
 am only afraid they will not stay long,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 135 
 
 as they are going to be turned out of 
 their house. Mrs. Campbell received her 
 visitors all her length on the sofa. My 
 flirt is in figure a little like Lady Arabella 
 Townsend, and fancies herself the most 
 tonish girl in Edinburgh, and, at the 
 Dutchess' ball, waltzed with the Swedish 
 baron. He is very handsome, and is 
 going to town with his two friends. 
 
 " I, however, am become great friends 
 with two other Swedish barons. They 
 are very young, at least, I take it, not 
 above sixteen ; but they are specially well- 
 mannered, and very well-looking. One is 
 the son of General Armsfeld, and the 
 other of the late Governor of Pomerania ; 
 they have with them an xihhe, and are 
 attending the lectures here.* I met 
 them at a fencing-master's who lives at 
 the i)alace, and was extremely pleased 
 with tlicm, and, as they always talk 
 French, it does me good. They have, 
 also, been in Germany. 
 
 "On Saturday I sett off for Baron 
 Norton's, though, by so doing, I lost a 
 
 * They bocnme very iutiiuate witli iis, uiul stayed a good 
 deal at Caimou ] I all.— A. M.W.I'.
 
 136 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 party at the play to which Miss Wynne 
 had invited me. After a cold and dirty 
 ride I arrived at his house, but he was 
 out a coursing. He has a family of five 
 children. Mrs. Norton seems to be a very 
 good sort of woman, but does not under- 
 stand keeping house very well." .... 
 
 " Methven Castle, 
 
 "Dec. 27th, 1807. 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 "Here I am at the ancien Chateau de 
 Methven. The party consists of the host 
 and hostess, Mademoiselle Barbara, a 
 Miss Chrystom, who is also termed an 
 heiress, though she has only ten thousand 
 pounds, Knox, and myself. 
 
 " But to begin methodically, and re- 
 count you the adventures of the past 
 week. On Sunday I dined with Baron 
 Norton. On Monday I dined at Lady 
 Dalzell's, with whose son, an advocate, 
 I had previously made acquaintance. 
 
 Amongst others, I met there Lady , 
 
 Lord Buchan's sister, a most vulgar 
 woman. She had with her a most beau- 
 tiful protegee, with Avhom young Henry 
 Erskine seemed to be smitten. She was
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 137 
 
 not, however, at all to my goflt, I there 
 learned something that I had so much 
 suspected that I had never had courage 
 to enquire, for fear my suspicions should 
 be verified : it is that Miss Ogilvie is heir 
 to Lord Audley, which, I believe, is a 
 proscribed race ; thus, as Monk Lewis 
 said in a letter to Archy Macdonald, it 
 is one of the misfortunes of a gentleman 
 to be always falling in love with the very 
 person in the world he ought not. How- 
 ever, I am of so variable a disposition 
 that I have already got over it. 
 
 " On Tuesday we had a famous debate 
 at the Speculative upon the subject of 
 the condemnation of Charles I. I gave 
 them a longish speech, and afterwards 
 adjourned to a party at Dugald Stewart's, 
 where I managed my cards so well with 
 Lady Carnegie, that I have no doubt that 
 she will introduce me to Lord Cathcart. 
 
 '' On Wednesday morning Knox and I 
 started for Kinross. We found Richard 
 [his servant] bilious : on that account we 
 did not pursue our original plan for 
 riding, but left him to recover ; and 
 about seven o'clock we made our entrance 
 here. T had not been long in the house
 
 138 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 before they informed me that ' Skyana ' 
 was at Perth, and, since they began, they 
 have never ceased quizzing me, and more 
 particularly her. You know Miss Camp- 
 bell's excellence in the art of singing. 
 She drew up such a caricature of ' Sky- 
 ana,' that Knox could not rest till he had 
 seen her. Accordingly we rode to Perth 
 yesterday, and found her. Knox, who 
 went to laugh, remained to sigh : he was 
 quite smitten.* I think she is a little 
 fallen off, and has grown rather conceited. 
 For my part I have, I fancy, got the 
 character of an Oroondates in Perth, for 
 the minister's daughter, upon seeing me, 
 asked me if I was Mr. Stanhope that 
 Miss Macdonald talked so much about. 
 
 " You will want to know how I stand in 
 the good graces of Miss Campbell. I was 
 received with a most gracious shake of 
 the hand. For the first dav or two 
 
 * We used to see a good deal of Lord and Lady Ranfurly, 
 the Knox of those days. He was a very simple, Avarni- 
 hearted person. Lady Ranfurly was a daughter of the 
 Primate of Ireland. She had a very fine and most distin- 
 guished face, and was a very superior person. She was 
 always very anxious that Lord Eanfurly should see as much 
 as possible of my father, his great iriendof old times. They 
 had several daughtei's. — A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 139 
 
 neither Knox nor I could venture to en- 
 counter her, but since ' Skyana ' appeared 
 upon the carpet, we have had nothing but 
 quizzing, and that produces a little amus- 
 ing conversation, as you may suppose. 
 I take Miss Campbell to be very clever, 
 and I think she is certainly a very pretty 
 girl ; but then she wants a little polishing 
 in some points: she literally takes snufF: 
 but I know a way that I could cure her 
 of that, were I her lord and master — I 
 would smoke. I am not yet in love with 
 her, and cannot make up my mind to it, 
 though ten thousand a year, with a pretty 
 girl into the bargain, is certainly not 
 despicable. Pray tell my father that, if 
 he won't let me go to Sweden, I will go to 
 Perth : and so he may take his choice. 
 *' Believe me, with best love to all, 
 " Your most dutiful son, 
 
 " J. Spencer Stanhope." 
 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 "A circumstance has happened which 
 has induced me to skip my essay. Price, 
 who ought to have read last Tuesday, had 
 not finished his, and therefore he was 
 fined half a guinea, and I five shillings, as
 
 140 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I was next in the roll ; consequently, he 
 reads next Tuesday, and I am thrown 
 back a week. Now, as I by no means 
 liked the idea of mounting the rostrum, 
 and sticking up between the two candles, 
 I retired to bed. Adieu to Edinburgh 
 and all the balls. I sett out on Saturday 
 for Meltowen. There are some additional 
 reasons which enforce this determination. 
 Knox goes to-morrow, therefore our duett, 
 which generally took place every night, 
 must necessarily cease. The debates in 
 the Spec.,* too, begin to flag ; but the 
 most extraordinary of all is, that the 
 Oxford men, i.e., Price, Carew, Desart, 
 Ackland, Huet, Fazakerley, and Hartopp, 
 have actually determined upon so mad 
 a scheme as that of giving a ball. The 
 Dutchess, who is really come back, has 
 sett her face against it ; but it will be now 
 too late to stop it, as it is to take place 
 on Monday week. As I do not particu- 
 larly live with these men, they did not 
 condescend to communicate their inten- 
 tions to me. Now, as they take care to 
 publish their names to the world by 
 
 * The Speculative Debating Society.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 141 
 
 printing them round the invitation cards, 
 I cannot help thinking I should make 
 rather a melancholy figure at the ball ; 
 ergo, I start for Methven on Saturday, 
 and at the same time send off my horses 
 to Cannon Hall, where I intend to rest 
 myself for a day on my way South. 
 
 "But now for the events of the last 
 week. On Monday I dined with Mac- 
 donald, and afterwards went to the play. 
 On Tuesday Knox dined with me, and we 
 afterwards went to the Porters' evening 
 assembly — a grand mob, where Neckar 
 and I had such fun in quizzing the extra- 
 ordinary figures. There was a Chevalier 
 le Blanc, as I termed him, who Avas all in 
 black, except a white coat ; there was 
 a Signora Camisole, who was worse than 
 the Miss Porters ; and a Sir Timothy 
 Strathspey, at whom we laughed so much, 
 that he was afraid to dance any more. 
 
 " On Thursday I dined at Mr. Nathan's, 
 and afterwards went to Sir James Rid- 
 dell's ball, a very good one. On Friday 
 I dined with Mr. Spencer's friend, Mr. 
 Dundas. From thence I went to Corri's 
 Concert, which was to end in a ball — one 
 of the greatest mobs you can conceive,
 
 142 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 where one only goes to quiz, not to 
 dance, not unlike a Lord Mayor's ball. 
 When the concert was over, nobody would 
 stand up to dance. Lady Ashburton was 
 patroness, and I was asked to open the 
 ball with Miss Cunninghame. I never 
 made such an exhibition in my life. 
 ^ " Yesterday I rode over to Barnbougle : 
 the inhospitable doors at length opened 
 to receive me, and I found the old Peer 
 [Lord Rosebery] in his elegant dress, 
 with one stocking off, and a surgeon 
 examining one of his toes. Upon my 
 entrance he burst out Avith, ' Not see you. 
 Stanhope ! I should as soon think of re- 
 fusing to see Primrose. ' He then in- 
 formed me of the intended marriage,* 
 and seemed quite delighted at it. He 
 also seemed very much gratified at my 
 calling upon him. 
 
 " I afterwards dined with Macdonald, 
 and went to the play to see Mrs. 
 Siddons." .... 
 
 '* His son's marriage to Henrietta Bouverie, Lord 
 Radnor's daughter, I suppose. — A. M. W. P.
 
 M. W. PICKERING. 143 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 My maternal grandfather was Thomas Wil- 
 liam Coke. His father had inherited Holk- 
 ham from his uncle, the Earl of Leicester, 
 on the death of the only son of the latter, 
 Lord Coke, who had married the beautiful 
 Lady Mary Campbell, daughter and co-heir 
 of John Duke of Argyll and Greenwich. 
 She was quite estranged from Lord Coke, 
 and the marriage had been a very unhappy 
 one. She is often mentioned in Horace 
 Walpole's letters. In the tapestry in my 
 mother's bedroom at Holkham, there was 
 a full-length portrait of her.* 
 
 * Thomas Coke, created Earl of Leicester, 1744, died, 
 1750, had only one child — 
 
 Edward Coke, who died, s.p., 1753, in the lifetin\e of 
 his father, after n)arrying Lady Mary Camphcll, 
 daugliter of John, Duke of Argyll and Greenwich. 
 
 Lord Leicester was succeeded by the son of his sister 
 Anno, 
 Wenman Koiu:rts, who assumed the name of Coko. He 
 died 177G, leaving two sons and two daughters. Of 
 these — 
 
 (1.) Thomas William, married, first, Jane, daugliter 
 of James Duttoii ; she diiMl in 1800; and in
 
 144 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Lord Leicester had lived for seven years 
 in Rome, studying all the plans for the 
 building of Holkham, and whenever it was 
 subsequently suggested to my grandfather 
 that he should make any change or altera- 
 tion in anything, he, with his usual good 
 taste, always refused, saying, " I should 
 certainly not rashly venture to interfere 
 with what has been the result of years 
 of careful study in Italy." One of the 
 relics at Holkham connected with Lord 
 
 1822 he married Lady Anne Ameliu Keppel, daugh- 
 ter of the Earl of Albemarle. He was created Earl 
 of Leicester in 1837 ; died 1842. By his first wife 
 he had — 
 
 1. Jane Elizabeth, who married, first, in 1796, 
 
 Viscount Andover ; and, second, in 1806, 
 Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Digby. By him 
 she had two sons and one daughter, Jane 
 Elizabeth, who married, and was afterwards 
 divorced from. Lord Ellenborough. 
 
 2. Anne Margaret, who married in 1794 
 
 Thomas Anson, created Viscount Anson in 
 1806. Tliey had seven sons, of whom — 
 
 1. The eldest was created Earl of Lich- 
 
 field, and 
 
 2. The second married Isabella Weld, 
 
 daughter of Lord Forrester, 
 and six daughters, of whom — 
 
 1. Anna Margaret, married in 1819, 
 Archibald John, 4th Earl of llose- 
 bery.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 145 
 
 Leicester's life in Italy, is a very beauti- 
 ful headless statue. He sent it out of 
 Rome by night, and Avas imprisoned for 
 so doing. 
 
 Lord Leicester was Postmaster-general. 
 He established a post-office at Holkham, 
 and the coaches called there twice a day 
 for letters. 
 
 4. Frances Elizareth, married in 1835 
 
 the Hon. Cliarles Jjunes Murray, 
 and in 1853, Ambrose Isted. 
 
 5. Fkedeuica Sophia, married in 1838 
 
 Bouverie Primrose, 2nd son of Lord 
 Rosebery. 
 
 6. Elizabeth Jane, married in 1837 
 
 Lord Waterpark. 
 3. Elizabeth Wilhelmina, who married in 
 1822 John Spencer Stanhope. 
 By his second wife he had — 
 
 1. Thomas William, the present Earl of Lei- 
 
 cester, born 1822 ; married in 1843 Juliana 
 Whitbread, and in 1875 Georgiana Caven- 
 dish, daughter of Lord C'hesham. 
 
 2. Edward Keppel, born 1824. 
 
 3. Henry John, born 1827. 
 
 4. Wenman Clarence Walpole, born 1828. 
 
 5. Margaret Sophia, born 1832, married Sir 
 
 Archibald ]\Iacdonald. 
 (2.) Edward, of Longford, in Derby. 
 (3.) Margaret, married Sir H. Hunloke, 
 (4.) Elizabeth, married James Dutton, first Lord 
 Sherborne. 
 
 K
 
 146 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 In reading Mrs. Lybbe Powys' Diary 
 (175G),* I came upon an account of her 
 having gone over to Holkham at a time 
 when the building was not yet finished. 
 
 Sh^ says : — 
 
 "Mr. Jackson [with whom she was 
 staying] would make us go one morning 
 to see Lord Leicester's ; to this we con- 
 sented, tho' eighteen miles off. As we 
 had heard so much of this place, we could 
 not quit Norfolk, which we now talked 
 of in a few days, without going there ; 
 so last Friday we set out very early in 
 the morning, ordering dinner later than 
 usual. 
 
 "The name of the magnificent seat is 
 Holkham. Two miles before you come 
 to the house is a grand triumphal arch, 
 the rusticated ornaments of which are 
 very fine ; from this you have the new 
 plantations, which, when grown, will have 
 a noble effect on each side for two miles ; 
 in front a grand obelisk, a church, the 
 numerous buildings in the grounds, and 
 the whole terminated by the sea, tho' 
 
 * " Passages from tho Diary of Mrs. P. Lybbe Powys," 
 Loujjuiaus, 1899.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERIXG. 147 
 
 that is distant ; at the end of this avenue 
 are two lodges. And now, entering the 
 park, you have a view of a stone build- 
 ing, esteemed the most elegant of its 
 kind in England. 
 
 " It has already been thirty years be- 
 gun, and is not yet completed ; but when 
 that era arrives, it will be magnificent 
 indeed ! * It extends three hundred and 
 eighty feet in front ; the grand hall is 
 the height of the house, which is fifty 
 feet ; round it is a colonade of alabaster 
 pillars, which gives it a noble appearance. 
 
 "Fronting you is three steps along a 
 vast way into the hall, which they call 
 the Tribune. This rise had a pretty 
 effect. From this you come into a fine 
 saloon, hung with crimson velvet; the 
 Cornishes richly gilt, and many capital 
 pictures standing there to be put up.f 
 
 " On one side of the saloon is a smok- 
 ing-room, bedchamber, and inner apart- 
 
 * Lord Leicester diil not live to see it completed. Tiie 
 building was finished by his widow, who survived hini 
 sixteen yeiirs. (liurke.) — 8. 1*. 
 
 f Mis. Lyljbf Powys' diary has been reprinted by its 
 editor without any corrections, and the earlier portions of it 
 are very loosely written. — S. P. 
 
 K 2
 
 148 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ment, called the Duke of Cumberland's, 
 all to be hung and furnished as the 
 saloon ; on the other side are the 
 same rooms, called the Duke of Bed- 
 ford's, hung* and furnished with crimson 
 damask. 
 
 " A gallery, a hundred and twenty feet 
 long, is, of its kind, the most superbly 
 elegant I ever saw ; but the Avhole house 
 deserves that distinction. The gallery is 
 painted a dead white, with ornaments of 
 gilding : at each end is an octagon ; one 
 fitted up as a library, and the other with 
 busts, bronzes, and curiosities too numer- 
 ous to mention. 
 
 "This is the centre of the house, be- 
 sides are four wings ; one contains all the 
 offices in general, all answerable to the 
 rest. Such an amazing large and good 
 kitchen I never saw ; everything in it 
 nice and clever. But I've heard Mr. 
 Jackson talk of Lady Leicester's * great 
 notability ; they are there often, you 
 know, for a week together : she never 
 misses going round this wing every morn- 
 
 .* She was Lady Mary Tufton, daughtt^r and co-heir of 
 Thomas, sixth Earl of Thunet.— A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 149 
 
 ing, and one day he was walking by the 
 windows, and he saw her ladyship in her 
 kitchen at six o'clock (a.m.), thinking all 
 her guests safe in bed, I suppose. 
 
 " Her dairy is the neatest place you can 
 imagine, the whole marble. In Norfolk 
 they never skim their cream off, as in 
 other places, but let the milk run from 
 it. The things here, too, are all of mar- 
 ble, so that it all looks so delicate, and 
 the butter made into such pretty patts, 
 hardly larger than a sixpence. 
 
 " The second wing is called the Chapel 
 wing, tho' that is not yet built. 
 
 "The third is now finishing, with grand 
 sets of apartments for the company they 
 may have Avith them ; and in the fourth 
 wing is the eating-room, drawing-room, 
 library, bedchambers, and dressing-rooms, 
 constantly used by Lord and Lady Lei- 
 cester themselves ; and, in a closet here 
 of her ladyshii)'s, we saw the miniature 
 pictures of the family for a series of years 
 past, done by the best hands. In this 
 little cabinet, too, are a thousand curiosi- 
 ties of various kinds. Among the pic- 
 tures was their daughtcr-in law, the beau- 
 tiful Ladv Marv Coke, and their son,
 
 150 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Lord Coke, who they had lately lost, to 
 their inexpressible grief, being their only 
 child. He and his lady, I think, were 
 far from being happy. 
 
 " The situation of Holkham I don't say 
 much of; the grounds, indeed, are laid 
 out with taste, and everything done that 
 can be to strike the eye, but still it must 
 boast more of art than nature's charms, 
 and to me the reverse is so much more 
 pleasing ; but, indeed, I do not admire 
 Norfolk's country ; 'tis dreary, 'tis un- 
 pleasing ; in short, I wished a house like 
 Lord Leicester's in a spot more delightful, 
 more answerable to itself. 
 
 " We had a breakfast at Holkham in 
 the genteelest taste, with all kinds of 
 cakes and fruit placed undesired in an 
 aj^artment we were to go through, which, 
 as the family were from home, I thought 
 was very clever in the housekeeper ; for 
 one is so often asked by people whether 
 one cJmses chocolate, which forbidding 
 word puts (as intended) a negative on the 
 question. 
 
 "The roads not being very good, we 
 had made poor Mr. Jackson wait dinner 
 some hours ; but, as we expressed our-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 151 
 
 selves SO pleased with our morning's 
 excursion, he was happy." 
 
 When my grandfather was a very young 
 man he had a great wish to go to New- 
 market races. He went for permission to 
 his uncle, who said to him, *'Tom, my boy, 
 you had better keep away." But Tom was 
 not of that opinion. After some discussion, 
 Lord Leicester said, " Well, Tom, if you do 
 go, you must go in proper style " : and 
 he gave him a capital horse to ride, a 
 servant to ride with him, and made him 
 a present of a handsome sum of money. 
 Thus equipped, Tom sallied forth. After 
 some days had passed he reappeared at 
 Holkham, but not in the same style in 
 which he left it ; he came back alone, and 
 on foot. 
 
 Lord Leicester said to him: " Tom, where 
 is the horse ? " 
 
 *'It is gone, Sir." 
 
 "Tom, where is the servant?" 
 
 "He is gone, Sir." 
 
 " Tom, where is your money ? " 
 
 " All gone, Sir ; and 1 give you my solemn 
 word of honour I will never go to New- 
 market again."
 
 152 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "It was money well spent," he used to 
 say in after days, "I kept my word, and 
 I have never been near Newmarket since." 
 
 He found a noble use for his great wealth, 
 in spending it for the good of his native 
 county, of which he was truly the bene- 
 factor, for he made Norfolk the first agri- 
 cultural county in England. 
 
 My grandfather was very handsome as a 
 young man, and when he went for the 
 "Grand Tour" on the continent, he was 
 generally called le bel anglais by the 
 foreigners. 
 
 He escorted the Princess Louise Von 
 Stolberg to Rome. She was the wife of 
 the Pretender, Charles Edward, and she 
 had just been married in Paris by proxy. 
 She travelled in great state. The Pre- 
 tender had been created Count of Albany, 
 but he signed the marriage register as 
 Charles the Third, King of Great Britain, 
 France, and Ireland. The Princess was 
 the daughter of the late Prince Gustavus 
 Adolphus of Stolberg Gedern, who was a 
 Prince of the Empire, and a colonel of 
 Maria Theresa's, and who had died in the 
 Battle of Leuthen ; her mother was the 
 Countess of Hai-n. She was a bright, pretty
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 153 
 
 girl of nineteen, with laughing, dark eyes, 
 golden hair, and a brilliantly fair skin. 
 
 As an acknowledgment of the impression 
 which young Coke's good looks had made 
 on the countess, she insisted on making 
 him a present of his own portrait painted 
 in Rome. I have seen that portrait at 
 Longford, in Derbyshire. It is a lovely, 
 and very graceful, life-sized picture. My 
 grandfather is represented dressed in a 
 masquerading attire of white satin trimmed 
 with pink, and has a mask in his hand. 
 He has nothing on his head. In the back- 
 ground there appears a statue of Cleopatra, 
 with the asp on her arm. This is said to 
 be a likeness of Princess Stolberg. 
 
 After leaving Rome my grandfather went 
 to Naples. When he was there, a most 
 remarkable eruption of Vesuvius occurred, 
 one of the greatest eruptions there has 
 ever been. I remember seeing a small 
 oil painting of it at Holkham, with my 
 grandfather and his friend going up the 
 cone. 
 
 From Naples he went to Herculaneum, 
 where the first excavations and discoveries 
 were then being made. He was at Hercu- 
 laneum when the tomb of Nonius tlie senator
 
 154 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was opened, and in it was found the famous 
 red opal ring. Nonius had been banished 
 by Anthony because he would not give up 
 the possession of his ring ; as an old ac- 
 count said, ** He hugged himself in his 
 banishment, and would not part with his 
 ring." It is mentioned in Pliny as a per- 
 fectly unique stone, and the colours are 
 described. It was then valued at an im- 
 mense sum.* It is supposed that Anthony 
 wanted it for Cleopatra. My grandfather 
 bought it then and there, just as it had 
 been taken out of the tomb, and before 
 it had been seen by anyone. He never 
 would say what he gave for it, even under 
 those circumstances. 
 
 He had by nature very fine taste, and, 
 besides the opal, he bought at the opening 
 of Herculaneum a magnificent antique of 
 Minerva. It was very large and set trans- 
 parent, there being four layers of sardonyx. 
 Chantrey and Westmacott said it was the 
 finest antique they had ever seen. It was 
 afterwards protected by a gold back and 
 glass, as my mother used constantly to 
 wear it. 
 
 * Equivalent to £20,000 of our present money. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 155 
 
 The opal was given to her, with her 
 mother's other jewels, when she was too 
 young to know what to do with them. She 
 had it set in fine diamonds as a brooch, 
 and, unfortunately, the original setting of 
 the ring was lost by the jeweller.* 
 
 After my grandfather returned to Eng- 
 land, he became member for Norfolk, 
 and, subsequently, for many years was 
 "Father" of the House of Commons. He 
 represented his county in the House from 
 1774 to 1832. 
 
 Charles Fox, and Francis, Duke of Bed- 
 ford, were my grandfather's greatest friends, 
 and there were fine busts of both of them 
 on the chimney-piece in the saloon. Mrs. 
 Fox, as she called herself, was not permitted 
 to go to Holkham.f 
 
 * Until recently there wjis, also, another celebrated opal 
 ill the family, said to have belonged to the King of Candy 
 — S. P. 
 
 t I have found a sheet of paper on which were written 
 tiie following lines, sent by Fox 1o Mrs. Fox on his fiftieth 
 birthday.— S. P. 
 
 " Of years I have now half a century past, 
 
 And none of the fifty so blest as the last. 
 How it happens my tronbles thus daily should cease, 
 
 And my happiness thus with my 3'ear8 should increase. 
 The iuvor.se of nature's more general laws, 
 
 You alone can ex2>lain, who alone are the cause."
 
 156 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Once, when Fox was at Holkham, he got 
 very much laughed at for having grown so 
 fat, and for Aveighing so much. My grand- 
 father said he wondered which weighed the 
 most, Charles Fox, or his fat cook? The 
 idea was taken up at once, and all the 
 party, surrounding Fox, hustled him off to 
 the kitchen, and there, amidst great merri- 
 ment, Charles Fox and the fat chef were 
 weighed one against the other. 
 
 My grandfather was very fond of staying 
 at an inn, and he always ordered some- 
 thing, as he said, "for the good of the 
 house." One day he Avent to the Angel 
 Hotel at Doncaster, and there they gave 
 him, not a dinner, but a banquet. He 
 asked the meaning of this, and was told 
 that they exi)ected " the great cook of 
 Norfolk," and that they did not mean to 
 be outdone by him. 
 
 Over one of the chimney-pieces in the 
 saloon at Holkham there is a most beau- 
 tiful full-length likeness of my grandfather 
 by Gainsborough, the last portrait, I believe, 
 painted by that artist, Avho afterwards con- 
 fined himself to landscape. My grandfather 
 was quite young at the time, and the face, 
 which is very handsome, is painted in
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 157 
 
 Gainsborough's finest manner. He is repre- 
 sented standing under a tree, with his dog 
 at his feet ; he Avears long boots, a broad- 
 brimmed hat, and the short jacket of the 
 period.* Apart from its merit as a work 
 of art, this picture has an historical interest 
 as exhibiting the actual dress in which 
 he appeared before George III., when, as 
 Knight of the shire, he presented an address 
 from the county of Norfolk, praying that 
 monarch to recognise the independence of 
 the American colonies. 
 
 * There is anotlier portrait of him standing under a tree 
 ■with his dog at his feet, but the dress is different, and the 
 work is of a much later date than Gainsborough's. It is by 
 R. R. Eeiniigle, and is " Dedicated (by permission) to the 
 Holkham Grand Annual Sheep Shearing Meeting, and to 
 the Agriculturists of the United Kingdom." It is known 
 to me only through a print. A more imposing memorial of 
 the Sheep Shearing is the Leicester Monument, a column 
 120 feet high, erected in the park at Holkham, in com- 
 memoration of these meetings. The Shearing took place 
 occasionally at the Duke of Bedford's, at Woburn Abbey, 
 instead of at Holkham. At the Abbey there is a picture 
 representing the meeting there in about 1814, with portraits 
 of all the more important persons present at it. In the 
 background ai)pear the buildings of the Woburn Park Farm, 
 and iiito the foreground there has been inserted, with bold 
 artistic licence, both as to time and place, the Holkham 
 Monument. This monunu'nt was not completed till LSlS, 
 — S. P.
 
 158 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 In 177G, my grandfather gave the casting 
 vote for the independence of America.* 
 
 I shall now quote one or two anecdotes 
 which I have copied out from Lord Albe- 
 marle's book, "Fifty Years of My Life," 
 because books of that sort, after they have 
 been out a great number of years, become 
 quite obsolete, and this having been written, 
 not by a stranger, but by Lady Leicester's 
 own brother, the anecdotes in it are well 
 authenticated. 
 
 " The high price of wheat, and the low 
 price of wages in 1815, led many of the 
 working classes in the provincial towns, 
 to hold tumultuous meetings for the re- 
 peal of the corn laws. Mr. Coke, as a 
 true disciple of Fox, was no believer in 
 Adam Smith's doctrine respecting a free 
 trade in grain, and always voted, in com- 
 mon with other county members, for 
 ' protection to agriculture.' In the month 
 of March, 1815, he and my father attended 
 a cattle-show in the Norwich Castle 
 
 * I am unable to explain the meaning of tbis statement, 
 and can find nothing in Hansard to sujjport it. I have let 
 it stand, however. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 159 
 
 ditches. On the same day an anti-corn 
 law mob paraded the streets, preceded 
 by a man bearing a small loaf on a pole. 
 Mr. Coke was immediately recognised : 
 * Let us seize the villain,' cried some of 
 the weavers, 'and before night we will 
 have his heart on a gridiron.' At the 
 same moment they made a rush at their 
 intended victim. 
 
 *' In the crowd, a stalwart poacher, whom 
 my father had once befriended, formed 
 with his body a temporary barrier between 
 the mob and the object of their resent- 
 ment. Coke and my father took advan- 
 tage of the momentary respite, and amidst 
 a shower of stones scrambled over some 
 cattle-pens. A butcher, named Kett, see- 
 ing their danger, opened the door of his 
 pens, and having first twisted the tail of 
 a large bull, let him loose on the crowd. 
 The beast, maddened with pain, went 
 bellowing and galloping down the hill. 
 The mob dispersed in a trice, but quickly 
 reassembled in greater force. The Kiot 
 Act was read, and the military, a regi- 
 ment of Black Brunswickers, was called 
 out. One trooper was wounded by a 
 stone.
 
 160 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 *' In the meanwliile, the two fugitives 
 made their escape to the Angel, now the 
 Royal Hotel. It was whispered that Coke 
 would be found in the boot of the London 
 night-coach, now about to take its de- 
 parture. The gates were opened, and the 
 coach was searched, but no Coke was to 
 be found ; he and my father having es- 
 caped by the back way, were on their 
 road to Quiddenham,* where they arrived 
 safely the same evening." 
 
 My mother used to speak with horror of 
 the frightful riots there were at one time 
 in Norfolk, and she has often told me of 
 another incident very similar to the one 
 just quoted from Lord Albemarle, perhaps, 
 indeed, it is but a different version of the 
 same story. It was at the time when she 
 was grown up, and was mistress of Holk- 
 ham. She spoke of the savage violence 
 of the mob, how they swore that they would 
 have her father's life, and uttered the most 
 horrible threats : they would roast his liver ; 
 they would tear his heart out of his body ; 
 
 * Quiddenham was Lord Albemarle's place in Norfolk. — 
 A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 161 
 
 they would have his life-blood. The market 
 place at Norwich was thronged Avith a dense, 
 threatening mass, when my grandfather 
 called out, "Turn out my bull." It was his 
 ♦favourite animal. He took hold of it bv 
 the tail, and, bareheaded, I believe, faced 
 the mob, scattering them right and left, as 
 he went through the very thick of them, 
 the bull tossing its head and pawing the 
 ground. The anger of the crowd was 
 appeased, and he escaped amid their 
 cheers. 
 
 Lord Albemarle continues : — 
 
 *' Early in November I accompanied the 
 Duke of Sussex to Holkham. 
 
 " Por three successive months Mr. Coke 
 kept open house for his friends. Among 
 the annual guests were Prince Leopold 
 of Saxe-Coburg, afterwards King of the 
 Belgians, and the Duke of Gloucester. 
 These Princes desired to be considered 
 as private friends, and dispensed with 
 the attentions that etiquette usually 
 assigns to persons in their station of 
 life. 
 
 " The battues began on the first Wed- 
 nesday in Novembei', and continued twice 
 
 L
 
 162 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a week for the rest of the season. The 
 quantity of game killed in the three 
 months was probably not much more 
 than it is now the fashion to slaughter 
 in as many days : yet, the flint-and-steel 
 guns were always fully employed, and 
 everyone was satisfied with his day's 
 sport. 
 
 " The non-battue days were passed, 
 either in the turnip-fields among the par- 
 tridges, or in the salt-marshes in pursuit 
 of snipes and wild fowl. 
 
 " In a shooting establishment like Holk- 
 ham, gamekeepers are persons of import- 
 ance. Several of these were characters 
 in their way. There was old Joe Hibbert, 
 who had been a prize-fighter in his youth. 
 On one occasion Sir John Shelley, who 
 was celebrated for his neat sparring, 
 challenged Hibbert to a set-to with the 
 gloves, and some young men mischiev- 
 ously promised Joe a good tip if he 
 would administer a little punishment to 
 Sir John. Joe put on the gloves, but 
 soon drew them off again, and, turning 
 round upon his backers, exclaimed, 'Not 
 for twice the money would I strike a gen- 
 tleman.'
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 1G3 
 
 " One of Joe's colleagues, but of a dif- 
 ferent sort, was Polly Fisliburne, keeper 
 of the Church-lodge. She had large black 
 eyes, red cheeks and white teeth, her 
 hair was cropped like a man's, and she 
 wore a man's hat. The rest of her attire 
 was feminine. 8he was irreproachable 
 in character, and, indeed, somewhat of a 
 prude. Polly was the terror of poachers, 
 with whom she had frequent encounters, 
 and would give and take hard knocks, 
 but generally succeeded in capturing her 
 opponents, and making them answer for 
 their misdeeds at petty sessions. 
 
 " A Norfolk game-preserver once offered 
 Polly a shilling a piece for a hundred 
 pheasants' eggs. She nodded her head. 
 Soon after, she brought Mr. Coke a five- 
 pound note. 'There, Squire,' said she, 
 *is the price of one hundred of your 
 Guinea-fowl's eggs,' Of course the Squire 
 made Polly keep the five-pound note. 
 
 " One time that I was staying at Holk- 
 
 ham a bull killed a labouring man in the 
 
 salt - marshes. The savage brute was 
 
 standing over his victim, and a crowd 
 
 was assembled at the gate, when Polly 
 
 appeared at the opposite side. There 
 
 L 2
 
 164 MEMOIRS or 
 
 was a cry, ' Get out of the way ; or the 
 beast will kill you.' ' Not he,' was the 
 reply; 'he knows better.' She was right. 
 The moment he saw her, he backed astern 
 to the remotest corner of the enclosure. 
 It turned out that the animal had once 
 attempted to run at her, but she lodged 
 a charge of small shot in his muzzle. 
 
 " Two young gentlemen once paid a 
 visit to Holkham in the summer-time. 
 The dinner-hour Avas half-past three, but 
 the guests were not forthcoming. It was 
 eight in the evening before they put in 
 an appearance, and then looked uncom- 
 monly sheepish. At day-break they de- 
 camped without beat of drum. It trans- 
 pired that they had expressed a wish to 
 see the Church, and had applied to 
 Polly, the keeper of the Church-lodge. 
 On their way thither, one of them at- 
 tempted to rob the said keeper of a kiss. 
 Luckily for them they were guests at the 
 Hall, or she would have treated them as 
 she used to treat the poachers. She re- 
 sorted to a milder punishment. While 
 they were in the belfry, admiring the 
 surrounding scenery, Polly turned the 
 key on them."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 165 
 
 I knew Polly very well. She was the 
 daughter of Fishburne, the gamekeeper, 
 who lived at one of the lodges. She was 
 a regular character. She began by being 
 kitchen-maid at Holkham ; and, I remem- 
 ber hearing that all went well till she heard 
 a shot fired, when down went the saucepans, 
 and Polly jumped over the kitchen table, 
 and was off. 
 
 I do not think that Lord Albemarle did 
 her justice ; she was certainly weather- 
 beaten, but had unquestionably been a 
 pretty girl, and was by no means unre- 
 fined. When we were children, and were 
 staying at Holkham, Lady Leicester wished 
 her to have her meals in the kitchen with 
 the other servants ; but they objected ; so 
 she settled that Pollv should have all her 
 meals in the room where we had ours, 
 after we had done ; and, consequently, 
 we always met her every morning in the 
 passage, and had a little conversation with 
 her. 
 
 She told me once that Charles Greville 
 tried to ride her down, to make out what 
 she was, and, she added, " It was Avell for 
 him he was a friend of ^Ir. Coke's, or I 
 would have unhorsed him.'
 
 106 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 After some time she went to live in York- 
 shire, in the village by Cannon Hall. She 
 had a cottage at Norcroft, given her rent 
 free, with a stable for her beasts. She used 
 to go about with her short hair, and man's 
 hat, on a miserable little Rosinante of a 
 pony, flourishing a long whip, and driving 
 before her three wretched cows, all skin 
 and bone, which used to subsist on the 
 patches of grass by the roadside ; Polly's 
 employment being to drive them from one 
 patch to another and keep them free of cost. 
 
 Once when Leicester * was at Cannon 
 Hall, Polly came up to pay him a visit, 
 and I happened to overhear her say to 
 him, " Oh, my Lord, what a spree we had 
 over them wild-ducks ! " 
 
 She made Mrs. Clark of Noblethorpe pro- 
 mise to follow her funeral on horseback ; 
 and this Mrs. Clark did. 
 
 Lord Albemarle continues : — 
 
 " Early in June, I accompanied the 
 Duke of Sussex for a second time to 
 Holkham. The occasion was the famous 
 annual sheep-shearing. 
 
 * i.e. The present Lord Leicester.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 107 
 
 " Here were assembled men from all 
 parts of Europe to witness the practical 
 working of a system of husbandry, of 
 which Mr. Coke was considered to be 
 the founder. We sat down each day 
 upwards of five hundred to dinner in 
 the state apartments. There were plenty 
 of speeches, principally on the science 
 of agriculture. 
 
 "An exception to the rule was one 
 from Lord Erskine, who afforded much 
 amusement from the manner in which he 
 dealt with a subject of which he was so 
 profoundly ignorant. One of the theories 
 broached in the morning was, that crushed 
 oyster-shells would prove an excellent 
 manure. The opinion was erroneous, but 
 it was not then so considered. ' Gentle- 
 men,' said Erskine, ' Ave lawyers have been 
 accused of eating the oyster, and giving 
 the shell to our clients. The cliarge is 
 true, but our host has shown this morn- 
 ing that we only take a fair share of 
 the bivalve.' 
 
 " The dinner — an early one — was fol- 
 lowed by a supper for the guests who 
 remained in the house. Erskine, the soul 
 of the party, recited some humorous
 
 108 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 poetry of his own composition. The Duke 
 of Sussex, and some of us who were not 
 so gifted with an ear for music, sang 
 songs, sentimental, bacchanalian, or 
 comic, and, not the least amusing part 
 of the performances, the foreigners made 
 speeches in broken English. Altogether 
 we spent several pleasant evenings. 
 
 " The sheep-shearing lasted till the 
 sixth of June. 
 
 "In 1784, William Pitt the younger, 
 wishing to draw Coke of Holkham from 
 his allegiance to his rival Fox, sought 
 to bribe him with the Earldom of Lei- 
 cester, which had been previously in his 
 family. The offer was indignantly re- 
 fused. 
 
 " To spite Coke, the Premier bestowed 
 the title upon his near neighbour, George 
 Townshend. Before accepting Pitt's offer, 
 Mr. Townshend wrote to his father to ask 
 his approval, and received for answer : — 
 
 " ' Dear Son, 
 
 " ' I have no objection to your taking 
 any title but that of 
 
 '"Yr. affect. Father 
 
 " ' Townshend.'
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 1G9 
 
 " I had this anecdote from Mr. Coke 
 himself, who, in 1837, was raised to the 
 peerage by the title which was then 
 refused." 
 
 When my grandfather eventually had the 
 peerage conferred upon him, it was gen- 
 erally remarked, as a curious coincidence, 
 that the first creation of Queen Elizabeth 
 was the Earl of Leicester, and Sir Philip 
 Sydney was his nephew ; while the first 
 creation of Queen Victoria, was the Earl 
 of Leicester, and his nephew by marriage 
 was Lord de Lisle, the representative of 
 Sir Philip Sydney.* 
 
 * I have found a letter from my grandmother, announc- 
 ing the event to her mother, and enclosing the following 
 copy of Lord Melbourne's offer of the peerage to Mr. Coke. 
 It appears that considerable pressure had been necessary to 
 induce him to accept it, and it was offered in the most 
 flattering manner, his name being brought out singly, and 
 the offer being made on the very day of the dissolution. — 
 S. P. 
 
 " My dear Mr. Coke, 
 
 " I am much obliged to you for your letter upon 
 electioneering prospects in the County of Norfolk, but 
 I have now another matter to write to you upon, and 
 which I have some satisfaction in opening to you. It 
 is unnecessary for me to go into any details of the 
 circumstances which have hitherto prevented that which 
 has been eagerly desired by the Whigs, and expected
 
 170 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 My grandfather used to relate that the 
 noted Lady Mary Coke (who would have 
 been Lady Leicester if her husband had 
 lived) was furious when he first declined 
 the peerage. She asked him to drive with 
 her, and then questioned him as to whether 
 it was true what she had heard of his having 
 refused a peerage. He told her that it was, 
 and she then shook her fist in his face with 
 anger. She was at that time quite an old 
 woman. 
 
 When he subsequently accepted a peer- 
 age, it was, as he always said, only for the 
 sake of his children. A short time after 
 he had been ennobled, I remember my 
 mother going into the village (Cawthorne), 
 
 by the whole country, namely, your elevation to the 
 Peerage. I have now the pleasure of acquainthig you 
 that I have Her Majesty's commands to offer you an 
 Earldom, and to accompany the offer with every ex- 
 pression of Her Majesty's personal regard and esteem. 
 If this is agreeable to you, you have nothing to do but 
 to send me by return of post the titles which you are 
 desirous of taking; and I can. only add for myself that, 
 if you should accept this honour, it will be to me a 
 source of great pride and satisfaction that it should 
 have been conferred by my advice, and under my 
 administration. 
 
 " 1 beg to be remembered to Lady Anne. 
 
 " Believe me, etc., 
 
 " Melbourne."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. l7l 
 
 and meeting old Betty Holden, who with 
 her arms akimbo, exclaimed, "Well now, 
 I should like to know what's made you a 
 lady." 
 
 There had been no love lost between 
 George the Fourth and my grandfather, 
 who declared the King should never come 
 to Holkham by his invitation, and, in the 
 emphatic language of that day, used to 
 call him " a bloody-minded tyrant." 
 
 On one occasion, when discussing some 
 suggested course of action, George the 
 Fourth said to him, "If you do, Coke, byV 
 George, I'll knight you." My grandfather 
 said that, if he had ventured to attempt 
 such a thing, he would have knocked the 
 sword out of the King's hand. 
 
 Lord Albemarle proceeds : — 
 
 "In the summer of 1835, my sister, 
 Lady Anne Coke, summoned me to Holk- 
 ham, to help her to do the honours in 
 receiving the Princess Victoria and the 
 Duchess of Kent. Great were the pre- 
 parations on the occasion. Their Royal 
 Highnesses were expected at dinner, but 
 they were detained by the bankers (nav- 
 vies) of Lynn, who, in an excess of loyalty,
 
 172 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 insisted upon drawing the royal carriage 
 round the town. 
 
 " The Egyptian Hall at Holkham was 
 brilliantly lighted up and filled with per- 
 sons anxious for a sight of their future 
 Queen. At length a carriage-and-four, 
 escorted by a body of Yeomanry Cavalry, 
 drove up to the door. Three ladies 
 alighted. Mr. Coke, with a candle in 
 each hand, made them a profound bow. 
 When he resumed his erect position the 
 objects of his • homage had vanished. 
 They were the dressers. 
 
 " Soon after, their Koyal Highnesses 
 appeared in person. Both were most 
 affable. The youthful Princess in par- 
 ticular, showed by her demeanour that 
 evening the courtesy with which mil- 
 lions of her subjects have since become 
 familiar." 
 
 In the two manuscript-rooms there are 
 some very valuable manuscripts, and some 
 beautiful missals. Princess Victoria was 
 much interested in these, and, particularly 
 in a very beautiful missal, to which she 
 took a great fancy ; but she did not get 
 it presented to her, my grandfather re-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 173 
 
 marking, "I was not going to give it to 
 a child like that, who could not know its 
 value." 
 
 Roscoe used to spend weeks writing in 
 the manuscript-rooms ; and, I believe, the 
 greater part, if not the whole, of his " Leo 
 the Tenth " and " Lorenzo de Medici " were 
 written there. 
 
 The morning that they were going away, 
 the Duchess of Kent said that they had not 
 seen little Margaret Coke, to wish her good- 
 bye ; so she was sent for. This, of course, 
 put the nurse in a hurry and a fluster. 
 From what was Margaret's nursery, there 
 is a flight of stone stairs, and the nurse 
 let the child fall out of her arms down 
 these stairs. She said nothing about it at 
 the time ; no one had seen the accident, 
 and nothing was known about it : but some 
 time after, an abscess formed in the hip 
 joint, and then it was discovered that there 
 had been an injury, and all came out. It 
 was very sad, for it turned a very pretty, 
 and most beautifully-formed child, into a 
 perfect invalid. One abscess formed after 
 another, and all her childhood was spent 
 prone on a couch ; she used to be drawn 
 about on it out of doors, lying on her face.
 
 174 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 When she improved a little, she used to 
 go about sometimes on crutches, but she 
 was lame for life, and, after she grew up, 
 she used to wear one boot with a sole six 
 or seven inches tliicker than the other.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. . 175 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 My grandfather, Thomas William Coke, 
 married, in the first instance, Jane Button, 
 daughter of James Lennox Dutton, and 
 sister of Lord Sherborne. She had a very- 
 fine face, and a most beautiful figure. Her 
 three daughters, Jane, Anne, and Elizabeth, 
 afterwards became, respectively. Viscountess 
 Andover, Viscountess Anson, and Lady 
 Elizabeth Spencer Stanhope (my mother). 
 Both my aunts were married some years 
 before my mother was born. 
 
 Lady Andover had a beautiful face, and 
 was so like her mother that she sat to 
 Nollekens for the bust of Mrs. Coke which 
 is in Titteshall Church. She had not, how- 
 ever, her mother's beautiful figure ; yet, she 
 must have been graceful, as she was said 
 at Court to have danced the best mimiet 
 de la cour. \\\ after years it w^as put to 
 the vote at a dinner, who was the hand- 
 somest woman in London : " Without a 
 doubt, Lady Andover," said the Regent.
 
 176 . MEMOIRS OF 
 
 She was a person of great ability, and 
 had a most powerful mind. She was, 
 however, very silent and placid, though, 
 whenever she spoke, it was to say 
 something to the point, and worth re- 
 membering. She had, also, the family 
 genius for art, and, in the drawing-room 
 at Holkham, there was a very remarkable 
 picture, painted by her when she was only 
 fifteen years old, of Belisarius begging, 
 in which there were about five life-sized 
 figures. 
 
 Lord Andover, Lord Suffolk's eldest son, 
 proposed to her ; but the Suffblks were 
 very poor, and it was a question whether 
 my grandfather would consent to the mar- 
 riage. Much nettled, Lady Suffolk said, 
 "And pray, Mr. Coke, do you count for 
 nothing the blood of the Howards ? " 
 " Madam," he answered, " I count my blood 
 quite as good as that of the Howards." 
 However, the marriage took place, and was 
 a most happy one. Lord Andover being 
 perfectly devoted to her. 
 
 One of their favourite occupations was 
 for her to sit copying some picture in the 
 house, generally a Poussin, while he read 
 Shakespeare aloud to her.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. l77 
 
 She had always been noted for having 
 the most remarkable dreams, and one 
 morning she awoke feeling nervous and 
 uncomfortable, having dreamt that Lord 
 Andover had gone out shooting when there 
 was a battue, and had been shot. This 
 made such an impression on her mind, that 
 she entreated him not to shoot that day, 
 but to stay with her; which he at once 
 consented to do, and they resumed their 
 painting and reading. But the day came 
 out so fine, and the Avinter sun shone so 
 brightly, that my aunt, feeling she had been 
 selfish, at last begged him not to lose the 
 day for her sake, but to go out and join 
 the others ; so he went. After he had 
 gone, she became so restless and uneasy 
 that she started to walk across the park to 
 the covert where they were shootin":. As 
 she crossed the park, she observed one of 
 the grooms galloping hard toAvards the 
 house on her own favourite horse, Baronet. 
 Strange to say, no presentiment of evil 
 seems at that moment to have struck 
 her, and she only remarked, "How very 
 angry Lord Andover would be, if he could 
 see that man riding my horse in such a 
 way." 
 
 ft' 
 
 M
 
 178 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 He was riding to the house with the 
 news that Lord Andover had been shot 
 dead by one of the keepers. 
 
 A great many years afterwards my father 
 found a half-finished picture with a large 
 hole in it, put away in one of the rooms 
 at Holkham ; it was the identical picture 
 which my aunt had been painting when Lord 
 Andover was shot. As the Poussin, of which 
 it was a copy, was still in the house, my 
 father asked my mother to finish it for him. 
 This she agreed to do, and, having begun 
 it, she got interested in the painting; but 
 was much discouraged by the hole in the 
 canvas. My mother, consequently, went to 
 ask Darby, the artist, who was staying at 
 Holkham, what could be done. He took 
 his palette-knife, and, covering it with 
 paint, daubed it thickly over the hole, and, 
 when it dried, my mother was able to paint 
 over it. The picture is now in the dining- 
 room at Cannon Hall. 
 
 Another remarkable dream of. Lady An- 
 dover's, as told me by my mother, was as 
 follows : — 
 
 She said to her, " Eliza, I dreamt last 
 night that I saw a funeral standing at the 
 hall-door. I did not know whose funeral
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 179 
 
 it was, but it appeared to me to be that of 
 some one of importance, for there were 
 many of the tenants, and a crowd round it. 
 The family were all dressed in crape mourn- 
 ing, but they were not in mourning for the 
 person who was dead. After a time the 
 funeral appeared to move away, but I 
 noticed that it did not take the road to 
 Titteshall Church [where the family vault 
 was], but passed through the Obelisk Wood 
 on to the road ; and there there was a 
 great throng of people, and they seemed 
 to escort it to the Triumphal Arch, three 
 miles along the road, where another crowd 
 joined them : then they seemed to divide ; 
 some went on, and some returned home." 
 Some time after this. Lady Albemarle 
 died at Holkham, most unexpectedly in 
 her confinement. The funeral stood at the 
 hall-door waiting for the body to be taken 
 to Quiddenham. It was escorted by my 
 grandfather and all his tenantry, and, to 
 avoid creating a right-of-way through tlie 
 park, they turned out of it at the Obelisk 
 Wood. The Holkham tenants escorted it 
 as far as the Triumphal Arch, three miles 
 on, and there they consigned it to the 
 
 Quiddenham tenants, who were waiting to 
 
 M 2
 
 180 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 escort the body on to Quiddenham, and the 
 Holkham tenantry returned home. My 
 mother was in bed with a bad cold at the 
 time, and my aunt Andover was sitting at 
 the bedroom Avindow, watching to see the 
 funeral procession cross the Obelisk Wood, 
 when suddenly she exclaimed, " Now, Eliza, 
 what do you say to my dream ? and look at 
 my dress ! " ; she was in crape mourning, 
 but not for Lady Albemarle ; they were all 
 in mourning for the Princess Charlotte. 
 
 Lord Jersey, when a young man, was 
 desperately in loA^e with my aunt Andover. 
 He was very handsome and very charming. 
 My mother said that when she was a child, 
 he used to take her on his knee to kiss her 
 on the spot where he had seen my aunt 
 kiss her a few moments before, and she 
 used to prattle to him about " My sister 
 Handover." The want of money proved a 
 serious obstacle, and, while loving her, he 
 married the girl she was chaperoning, the 
 heiress of Child's bank. 
 
 When I was going out in London Lady 
 Jersey was the undisputed queen and ruler 
 of fashion, before whose worldly sway all 
 things gave way. She was frightfully ex- 
 travagant ; but to the modistes her name
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 181 
 
 was more important than the payment of 
 her bills. She told my mother, when she 
 was staying at Holkham, that life Avas not 
 worth living after thirty ; nevertheless, at 
 eighty she found it not to be despised. 
 
 Another time, when she was quite young, 
 and was at Holkham, she was told to pull 
 her bonnet off to show her beautiful hair ; 
 she did so, and displayed a bald head — she 
 had been shaved to make her hair grow 
 thick. But in spite of what would have 
 been a disfigurement to most people, she 
 looked as lovely as ever. 
 
 Lord Jersey, when I knew him, was a 
 handsome, high-bred, pleasing old man. 
 He had always rather the look of a person 
 who, to a certain degree, lived his life apart, 
 and dreamt of a more congenial life than 
 the worldly vortex in which Lady Jersey 
 lived. 
 
 Another person who was very much in 
 love with my aunt was Sir George Anson, 
 Lord Anson's brother. She always said 
 that her fate had been decided by the fall 
 of an extinguisher. He was lighting her 
 candle for her outside of the drawing-room 
 door, and the fateful words were about to 
 be spoken, when- she let her extinguisher
 
 182 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 fall : the noise it made on the marble floor 
 brought some one to see Avhat was the 
 matter ; the opportunity was lost, and the 
 next morning he sailed from England. 
 When I knew him he was Governor of 
 Chelsea Hospital, and we used to call upon 
 him there. There was nothing but a most 
 dreary look-out from the hospital then, over 
 the damp Battersea fields. 
 
 Lady Andover eventually married the 
 hero of the day, after the battle of St. 
 Vincent, Admiral Sir Henry Digby. Though 
 a very distinguished sailor, he was so much 
 her inferior in general ability, that I think 
 she must have rued her choice. 
 
 They had three children, two sons and a 
 daughter. Her eldest son, Edward St. 
 Vincent, was the favourite " Cousin Digby " 
 of our childhood. He was the very type 
 of a handsome young officer. Lord Albe- 
 marle, when speaking of him in his book, 
 says that, in his stable dress, he was as 
 fine a figure of a man as he ever saw. 
 What always struck me about him was the 
 peculiar gentlemanlike and natural grace 
 of his appearance, which seemed to make 
 other men look less well by the side of him. 
 He was devoted to children, and used to
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 183 
 
 delight in playing with us when he was at 
 Cannon Hall, going about with my brothers 
 Walter and Roddy, one on each shoulder ; 
 but his special favourite was my sister 
 Alice, because of the likeness he saw in 
 her to his mother. He used to say, when 
 she, in a fit of laziness, used to plump her- 
 self down on the floor, "Is not that la Madre 
 over again." He always said she would 
 have made such a beautiful boy, and used 
 to call her " Ally Boy," a name which was 
 adopted by all the uncles, and by which 
 she was habitually called for some time. 
 Edward Digby became Lord Digby, and 
 married Lady Theresa Fox Strangways, 
 Lord Ilchester's daughter ; a charming 
 person, and a great favourite in the family. 
 
 Tlie other son, Kenelm, was rector of 
 Titteshall ; he was the most warm-hearted 
 person in the world, but decidedly ugly. 
 
 I should have preferred leaving Lady 
 Andover's daughter unnoticed, but she is 
 too notorious a person to be passed over 
 quite in silence. She was the cleverest of 
 the family, and very lovely ; her mother 
 worshipped her beauty, and thought more 
 of her than she did of her two excellent 
 brothers. When she was born, Lady An-
 
 184 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dover's first question was, "What is the 
 colour of her eyes ? for eyes do not 
 change." 
 
 My father distrusted her, and used to 
 say, when she was growing up, *' Jane is not 
 true; she is deceiving her mother." She 
 married Lord Ellenborough, who, though 
 much older than herself, exercised a bad 
 influence on her character. The marriage 
 was dissolved, and she went abroad with 
 Prince Schwartzenberg. Afterwards she 
 married a German Baron ; and then, after 
 sundry adventures, she married an Arab 
 Sheik, and lived entirely in the East. 
 
 She was Avell known to Mrs., afterwards 
 Lady Burton, who writes as follows, in con- 
 tradiction of an ill-natured paragraph which 
 had appeared in some paper just after my 
 cousin's death : — 
 
 " I lived for two years at Damascus 
 while my husband, Captain Burton, was 
 consul there, and in daily intercourse 
 with the subject of this paragraph. Know- 
 ing that after her death all sorts of un- 
 truths would appear in the papers very 
 painful to her family (as, indeed, she was 
 not spared whilst living), she wished me
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 185 
 
 to write her biography, and gave me 
 an hour a day until it was accomplished. 
 She did not spare herself, dictating the 
 bad with the same frankness as the 
 good. 
 
 "I was pledged not to publish this until 
 after her death, and that of certain near 
 relatives ; but I am in a position to state 
 that there is a grain of truth to a ton of 
 falsehood in the paragraph from Beyrout, 
 and inasmuch as Beyrout is only 72 miles 
 from Damascus, the writer must know 
 that as well as I do. It must have come 
 from a very common source, when such 
 English as this is used, ' Between Beyrout 
 and Damascus she got pleased with the 
 camel-driver.' It suggests a discharged 
 lady's-maid. 
 
 "I left Damascus just a year and a 
 half ago, in the middle of the night, and 
 she was the last friend to see me out of 
 the city. As she wrung my hand, these 
 were her last words, ' Do not forget your 
 promise, if I die, and we never meet 
 again.' I replied * Inshallah, I shall soon 
 return.' She rode a thoroughbred Arab 
 mare, and, so far as I could see anything 
 in the moonlight, her large, sorrowful,
 
 186 MEMOIRS or 
 
 blue eyes, glistening with tears, haunted 
 me. 
 
 "I cannot meddle with the past with- 
 out infringing on the biography confided 
 to me, but I can say a few words con- 
 cerning her life, dating from her arrival 
 in the East about sixteen years ago, as 
 told me by herself, and by those now 
 living there ; and I can add my testimony 
 as to what I saw, which, I believe, will 
 interest everyone in England, from the 
 highest downwards, and be a gratifica- 
 tion to those more nearly concerned. 
 
 "About sixteen years ago tired of 
 Europe, Lady Ellenborough conceived 
 the idea of visiting the East, and of 
 imitating Lady Hester Stanhope and 
 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. (There 
 is also a French Lady, Madame de la 
 Tour d'Auvergne, who has built herself 
 a temple on the top of Mount Olivet, 
 and lives there still.) Lady Ellenborough 
 arrived at Beyrout and went to Damas- 
 cus, where she arranged to go to Bagdad 
 across the desert. A Bedouin escort for 
 this journey Avas necessary, and, as the 
 Mezrab tribe occupied the ground, the 
 duty of commanding the escort devolved
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 187 
 
 upon Shaykh Miywal, a younger brother 
 of Shaykh Mohammad, chief of this tribe, 
 which is a branch of the great Anazeh 
 tribe. On the journey the young Shaykh 
 fell in love with this beautiful woman, 
 who possessed all the qualities that could 
 fire the Arab imagination. Even two 
 years ago she was more attractive than 
 half the young girls of our time. It 
 ended by his proposing to divorce his 
 Moslem wives, and to marry her, to pass 
 half the year in Damascus (which was 
 to him like what London or Paris would 
 be to us) for her pleasure, and half in 
 the desert, to lead his native life. The 
 romantic picture of becoming a queen 
 of the desert, and of the wild Bedouin 
 tribes, exactly suited her wild fancies, 
 and was at once accepted, and she was 
 married in spite of all opposition made 
 by her friends and the British Consulate. 
 She was married according to Mahome- 
 dan law, changed her name to that of 
 the Honorable Mrs. Digby el Mezrab, 
 and was horrified when she found that 
 she had lost her nationality by her 
 marriage, and had become a Turkish 
 subject. For fifteen years she lived, as
 
 188 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 she died, the faithful and affectionate 
 wife of the Shaykh, to whom she was 
 devotedly attached. 
 
 " Half the year was spent in a very 
 pretty house she built at Damascus, just 
 without the gates of the city, and the 
 other six months were passed, according 
 to his nature, in the desert in the Bedouin 
 tents of his tribe. In spite of this hard 
 life, necessitated by accommodating her- 
 self to his habits (for they were never 
 apart), she never lost anything of the 
 English lady, nor the softness of a 
 woman. She was gr ancle dame au bout 
 des doigts in sentiment, voice, manners, 
 and speech. She never said or did any- 
 thing you could wish otherwise. She 
 kept all his respect, and was the mother 
 and queen of his tribe. 
 
 *' In Damascus we were only nineteen 
 Europeans, but we all flocked around her 
 with affection and friendship ; the natives 
 the same. As to strangers, she only 
 received those who brought a letter of 
 introduction from a friend or relative, 
 but this did not hinder every ill-condi- 
 tioned passer-by from boasting of his 
 intimacy with the house of Mezrab, and
 
 A. M. W, PICKERING. 189 
 
 recounting the untruths which he in- 
 vented 2^oiir se /aire valoir, or to sell 
 his book or newspaper at a better 
 profit. 
 
 " She understood friendship in its best 
 and fullest sense, and, for those who 
 enjoyed her confidence, it was a treat to 
 pass the hours with her. She spoke 
 French, Italian, German, Slav, Spanish, 
 Arabian, Turkish, and Greek, as she 
 spoke her native tongue. She had all 
 the tastes of a country life, and occupied 
 herself alternately with painting,* sculp- 
 ture, music, or with her garden, flowers, 
 or poultry, or with her thoroughbred 
 Arab mares, or carrying out some im- 
 provement. She was thoroughly a con- 
 noisseur in each of her amusements or 
 occupations. To the last she was fresh 
 and young, beautiful, refined, brave and 
 delicate. Bon sang ne pent mentir. Her 
 heart au fond was noble ; she was chari- 
 table to the poor ; she regularly attended 
 the Protestant church, and often twice 
 on Sundays. She fulfilled all the duties 
 
 * Her sketches, which I have seen, were wonderfully 
 beautiful.— A. M. W. P.
 
 190 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of a good Christian lady, and an English- 
 woman. She is dead. All those who 
 knew her in her latter days will weep 
 for her. She had but one fault (and 
 who knows if it was hers), Avashed out by 
 fifteen years of goodness and repentance. 
 Let us hide it, and shame those who 
 seek to drag up the adventures of her 
 wild youth to tarnish so good a memory. 
 Reqiiiescat in pace" 
 
 Times, March 27th, 1890. 
 
 My other aunt. Lady Anson, was a great 
 contrast to Lady Andover. She was thin, 
 almost to emaciation, very excitable and 
 energetic, never quiet, constantly getting 
 into quarrels, but ready to do anything, 
 or to take any trouble for others, whoever 
 they might be ; the consequence of which 
 was that she was very much beloved. 
 
 She was engaged to be married to Mr., 
 afterwards Lord Anson, when she was only 
 fifteen. She was so small and slight, and 
 looked so childish, that at a dinner given 
 in the Statue Gallery just before her mar- 
 riage. Dean Anson remarked to those sit- 
 ting near him, " You will see, she will jump 
 up and run round the table, if I offer her
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 191 
 
 a guinea for doing so ; " and so she did, 
 and was delighted at winning the money. 
 
 Another day she was found crying, be- 
 cause she had just had her hair iurned 
 up for the first time ; Mr. Anson was com- 
 ing, and she Avas afraid he would not like 
 her as well as with it hanging down. 
 
 She had four children before she was 
 twenty. She Avas so very young when she 
 began to go out in London, that Mr. Anson 
 provided for her being safely chaperoned, 
 and insisted on her sitting, when at balls, with 
 the dowagers in the card-room whilst the 
 dancing was going on. This was probably 
 the worse evil of the two, for it gave her 
 a love of gambling, and she used to sit 
 up very late playing at cards. 
 
 She was extremely religious, half-saint, 
 half-sinner. Wenny Coke used to sum up 
 his opinion in, "I don't like Lady Anson, 
 she is so interf taring." 
 
 I copy out from Mrs. Lybbe Powys's 
 reminiscences an account of her going to 
 see Shuckburgh, Lord Anson's place : — 
 
 "Monday 28th, 1800.— We all set out 
 early in the morn to see Shuckburgh, 
 Mr. Anson's. We went through Blyth-
 
 192 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 berry and Coiilton, the latter a village 
 rather remarkable for many of its cot- 
 tages being built in a marl pit, with 
 woods over it, the roots of the trees 
 growing and hanging lazily over their 
 little gardens, which are decked with all 
 manner of flowers, and kept with the 
 greatest neatness. 
 
 "Shuckburgh is a remarkably good 
 house, finely furnished, and lately en- 
 larged. There are numbers of remark- 
 able statues, busts, etc. Mrs. Anson, 
 who was Miss Coke, daughter of Mr. 
 Coke of Holkham in Norfolk, and mar- 
 ried a Mr. Anson in 1794, is, I think, 
 one of the most capital painters, and ex- 
 cels in every kind of drawing. Every 
 room is ornamented with some of her 
 performances. Three of their children, 
 full length portraits, at the upper end 
 of a large room, is, I think, equal to any 
 artist ; also, several copies from Titian, 
 and other famous masters." 
 
 My mother said that Lord Anson had the 
 most angelic temper of anyone whom she 
 ever met, in spite of his being a martyr to 
 the gout. When they were in London, she
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 193 
 
 used to drive out with him, to inspect the 
 ground which was being laid out as the 
 Eegent's park, the carriage being heaped 
 up with all the plans for it. 
 
 One of the sons, Charles[?]* Anson, went 
 abroad with his great friend, Mr. Fox 
 Strangways, who was afterwards Lord II- 
 chester, and when they were in Turkey they 
 incautiously went into a mosque with their 
 boots on. They were found out and im- 
 prisoned. While in the prison, Charles An- 
 son became ill, and Mr. Strangways, who 
 was nursing him, suddenly, to his horror, 
 discovered the fatal plague-spot on his 
 friend. He, however, continued his care of 
 him in the most devoted manner, and poor 
 Charles Anson died there in his arms. I 
 knew Mr. Strangways, and there was always 
 a feeling of gratitude to him in the family 
 for the unselfish devotion he had shown. 
 
 George Anson, another of the sons, was 
 a noted person. He was reckoned the 
 handsomest man of his day, and had the 
 most perfect manners. He married Isabella 
 Forrester, the great beauty, Lord Forrester's 
 daughter. They used to stay very frequently 
 
 * According to Debrett, Charles was killed by the 
 
 N 
 
 bursting of u gun on boitrd the Bacchante. — S. P
 
 194 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 at Holkham. As is well known, in after years 
 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in 
 India, just before the breaking out of the 
 mutiny. He was taken ill with cholera, 
 and died after a few hours' illness. 
 
 His wife's death was a very sad one. 
 She was staying at Ecton, Mr. Isted's 
 house, with her daughters, and intended 
 to go with them to Lord Howe's ball in 
 the evening : having rheumatism in her 
 hands, she sent for a laudanum embroca- 
 tion, which, by mistake, she took just be- 
 fore dinner, instead of her usual medicine. 
 Everything that could be done to save her 
 was done, but all in vain ; and she died 
 on the drawing-room floor : a most agoniz- 
 ing sight for those about her.* 
 
 My aunt Anson's family was a large one, 
 and there was a great difference between 
 
 * I remember Mrs. Isted describing to me the scene, in 
 the very room in which it occurred. She said that Mrs. 
 Anson came in while they were all sitting there, having left 
 her dressing-room en deshabille, with her lovely hair hanging 
 down her back, and told them just what had happened, 
 but quite calmly and collectedly, and looking more placid 
 and beautiful than ever. Such remedies as they knew of 
 were applied, and doctors were sent for : and, during the 
 fearful interval before their arrival, they walked her 
 frantically up and down the room, till she fell down on the 
 floor in fatal lethargy.— S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 195 
 
 the ages of her elder and younger children ; 
 indeed, her younger daughters were very 
 nearly of an age with her grand-daughters, 
 Lady Rosebery's children. 
 
 Her eldest daughter, Anne, was just six 
 months younger than her own aunt, my 
 mother, and they were brought up together 
 as if they had been sisters. They were 
 presented at Court on the same day, and 
 my mother used to tell me how they all 
 got into their sedan chairs in the hall, my 
 aunt Anson going first in her chair, fol- 
 lowed by her two young ladies in theirs: 
 it was the day of large hoops, and very 
 high feathers ; and the tops of the sedan 
 chairs were opened, so that the plumes 
 should not be injured or crushed. 
 
 Anne Anson was a fine handsome girl, tall, \ 
 and with a good figure ; she would dance her 
 shoes out at a ball, and Avent through life, as 
 she had begun it, thoroughly enjoying every- 
 thing, without a grain of real worldliness in 
 her composition ; all health, imperturbable 
 good temper and kind-heartedness, with no 
 gifts of intellect to disturb the even tenor of 
 lier existence. My father said that he used, 
 at the theatre or opera, to watch her face, 
 
 in contrast with my mother's, which was 
 
 N 2
 
 196 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 SO full of intellectual enjoyment, and say 
 to himself, " quelle bonne jxite ! " She mar- 
 ried Lord Rosebery after he had been 
 divorced from his first wife. 
 
 Freddy Anson, one of her sisters, who was 
 very warm-hearted and pleasing, married 
 Bouverie Primrose, Lord Rosebery's second 
 son : so father and son were married to 
 two sisters. Bouverie had been in love 
 with some beautiful girl, whose name I for- 
 get, and when the match was broken off, 
 he was in great despair : but Freddy under- 
 took to be his consoling angel, with the 
 result that might have been expected. 
 After they were married, they lived in 
 Edinburgh, and were as happy as possible. 
 
 One of the younger daughters was Fanny, 
 who married Charles Murray, Lord Mans- 
 field's brother. There was already another 
 connection between us and the Murrays, 
 through the wife of my uncle Charles 
 
 (p. 65). 
 
 Charles Murray was a very charming and 
 interesting person, but, owing to some un- 
 fortunate malformation of the spine, he 
 became a perfect invalid, and was unable 
 to walk. Fanny nursed him with the most 
 devoted affection, till his death.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 197 
 
 After this, she married Mr. Isted, of Ec- 
 ton in Northamptonshire. He had been a 
 former lover of hers, but their marriage 
 had been prevented, as the family objected 
 on account of his being deaf and dumb. 
 He was a very loveable and interesting 
 person ; a thorough gentleman, and respec- 
 ted by all who knew him. He Avas remark- 
 ably active, a fine rider, and a regular 
 follower of the Pychley hounds. He had 
 great powers of observation, and a keen 
 sense of humour ; his little sketches and 
 caricatures of incidents in the hunting field, 
 or elsewhere, being most amusing, though 
 he had never been taught to draw. When 
 a young man he danced extremely well, 
 being guided merely by watching the mo- 
 tions of the musicians. 
 
 I always thought he was a remarkable 
 instance of what my father used to call 
 "compensation;" how things are made 
 even in this world ; if one thing is taken 
 away, another is given. His life, with all 
 its privations, was one of the happiest that 
 could be imagined. Never having experi- 
 enced the blessings of speech and hearing, 
 he had no sense of his deprivations ; and 
 his infirmities had kept him from the know-
 
 198 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ledge of half the evils, the quarrels and 
 annoyances of this life : not a jar had ever 
 disturbed the even tenor of his existence, 
 and all had been quiet, happy enjoyment 
 of things around him. Every living thing 
 was a joy to him : playing with his dogs, 
 feeding his ducks, looking at his trees and 
 his garden ; all and everything was inno- 
 cent, unmixed, undisturbed happiness. He 
 studied the lives and habits of the crea- 
 tures out of doors, and, in the house, an 
 untiring amusement was backgammon, of 
 which he would play game after game 
 without ever wearying. 
 
 Eliza Anson, the youngest daughter, mar- 
 ried Lord Waterpark, who was a favourite 
 L ord-in- Waiting of the Queen's. After 
 his death, the post of Lady-in- Waiting was 
 given to Lady Waterpark. 
 
 Lord Waterpark used to tell us many 
 stories of the court : "Says I to the Queen," 
 and " says she to me." He said that the 
 Queen could not bear silence at dinner, 
 but liked everybody around her to talk 
 as much as possible, while she would listen 
 to what was being said. In the daytime 
 when the Queen was coming, a man always 
 came first, calling out, " Sharp ! Sharp ! " ;
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 199 
 
 on which all the Maids of honour, Lords-in- 
 Waiting, etc., scuffled into their places, so 
 as to be ready for her arrival. 
 
 No one was allowed to wear the same 
 dress twice, without some change being 
 made in it. I remember one of the Maids 
 of honour, Miss Kerr, Lady Robert Kerr's 
 daughter, telling me that the knowledge 
 of the way to make natural flowers last, so 
 that they could be worn as a trimming, 
 proved a saving of forty pounds a year to 
 her. She said that all the time of the 
 Maids of honour was taken up in planning 
 alterations in their dress. 
 
 The Duchess of Sutherland gave a splen- 
 did ball to the Queen, and they said that 
 Stafford house looked perfectly beautiful. 
 Whilst the Duchess herself was gorgeous 
 in diamonds and a most magnificent dress, 
 to do honour to her guest, the Queen went 
 in a simple muslin embroidered in colours, 
 and on shaking hands with the Duchess, 
 she said, " I come from my house to your 
 palace'' The Queen's dress on this occa- 
 sion naturally formed the subject of con- 
 siderable comment.
 
 200 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 My grandfather's heir-presumptive was, at 
 this time, his nephew, William Coke. He 
 was a very noted character, and, no doubt, 
 the chronicles of that day abound in stories 
 about him. He w^as the veriest dare-devil 
 that ever existed ; looking upon danger as 
 his native element, and not knowing what 
 the word fear meant. It was the wish of 
 his heart to have gone into the army, and 
 he was a man to have led a forlorn hope ; 
 but, on account of his position with regard 
 to Holkham, he was not allowed to do so 
 — only to be disappointed at last in his 
 prospects of succession to his uncle. 
 
 There was something fine and generous 
 about him, but, when his temper was roused, 
 there was no knowing what he might not 
 do. One day when he was riding, a man 
 on the road would not get out of his way 
 as quickly as he wished, so he rode at 
 him, and would have thought nothing of
 
 A. M. TV. PICKERING. 201 
 
 riding over him. My father said that he 
 was never so nervous as he was once, when 
 William Coke was on the moors at Cannon 
 Hall. Battery-shooting was the sort of 
 thing he had never seen, and when a 
 number of grouse came flying towards 
 them, and he could not touch a feather, 
 he became very much put out. One of 
 the keepers in spite of warning, would 
 keep popping his head out of his hole 
 just as the grouse were coming, and my 
 father fully expected that William Coke 
 would level his gun at the man and shoot 
 him. 
 
 He was at Eton, where, amongst other 
 feats, he swam the Thames with a hare in 
 his mouth. Afterwards he went as a pri- 
 vate pupil to Dr. Parr, commonly known 
 as Old Parr, who was quite a character in 
 his way. One morning Dr. Parr went out 
 to look at the flowers in his garden, when, 
 behold I the flowers were gone, and in their 
 place appeared in the beds the heads of 
 all his pupils : William Coke had amused 
 himself by digging deep holes and planting 
 the boys in them. 
 
 He was a man of iron. One morning 
 he had a bad fall from his horse, cut his
 
 202 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 head open, and had to send for the doctor 
 to sew it up ; but he came in to breakfast as 
 if nothing had happened. My mother said 
 to him, " But, William, you surely have a 
 headache ? " He answered, " Oh ! not a 
 bit, I am all right." 
 ^. His great amusement was riding with 
 old Lord Rosebery, and encouraging the 
 horses to go a little ; and when he saw 
 f Lord Rosebery streaked red and white 
 with fear, he used to turn round to any- 
 one else who was with them, and say, "Is 
 the little fool afraid ? " 
 
 One day, unluckily, he hit my grand- 
 father when out shooting, and a very ill- 
 natured story was got up in the county 
 that it was no random shot of William 
 Coke's. My mother said she could recall 
 the look of ineffable scorn on his hand- 
 some face when he heard of it, and the 
 increased kindness of my grandfather's 
 manner towards him. 
 
 My mother said nothing could be more 
 striking than the contrast when William 
 Coke and George Anson came into the 
 room together, both being noted for their 
 beauty : George Anson, with his dark high- 
 bred look, and William Coke, tall and
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 203 
 
 slight, with a small, and remarkably well- 
 shaped head, covered with chestnut cm*ls, 
 a very fair, fine complexion, an aquiline 
 nose, and the eye of a hawk. With all 
 his faults there was a fine, generous, noble 
 nature about him. 
 
 As was inevitable, a report got about 
 that he was to marry my mother. She did 
 not wish that anything should interfere 
 with the perfect ease of their intercourse, 
 and, knowing with whom she had to do, 
 she went straight to him, and said, "Wil- 
 liam, there is a report going about that 
 you and I are going to be married ; I wish 
 you would contradict it should you hear 
 it." This was met as she intended, and 
 they were better friends than ever. 
 
 He was a splendid but reckless rider, 
 and when he appeared at the meets, 
 mounted on his well-known horse, "Ad- 
 vance," with '' Slie hicks'' chalked on his 
 back, everyone gave him a wide berth. 
 Lady Listowel, who was very proud of her 
 riding, told my father that she was deter- 
 mined to ride Advance. She did so, but 
 came home with her habit torn, and told 
 him privately that she was very glad when 
 it was over.
 
 204 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 William Coke always said that nothing 
 made him so nervous as to see a woman 
 ride, for it was all balance of seat. In 
 after years, when he was at Cannon Hall, 
 he often rode with me for the pleasure of 
 watching the paces of a beautiful little 
 thoroughbred, named Fairy, which I had, 
 and which, he declared, was more like a 
 gazelle than any thing he had ever seen. 
 He used to tell me that if I rode it in 
 Hyde Park, I should be the envy of all 
 the young ladies in London. When we 
 went abroad, Fairy was turned out, and, to 
 my great sorrow, was found dead in the 
 field, having been suffocated when drinking 
 in a pond full of clay. 
 
 I may insert here a very sad and tragic 
 family history, which I was told by my 
 mother. 
 
 There was a double marriage in the 
 family : Lord Sherborne married Miss 
 Coke (my grandfather's sister), and his 
 youngest sister, Jane Button, married my 
 grandfather. Fanny Button was a daugh- 
 ter of Lord Sherborne. She went over 
 from Sherborne to Bath, to see her den- 
 tist, and stayed with a friend there, who
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 205 
 
 pressed her to go to a ball which was be- 
 ing held. At first she refused, because 
 she had not brought her turban with her, 
 but the friend lent her this necessary 
 article of attire, and she went. There she 
 met Prince Bariatinski, a very handsome 
 and charming young Russian. They danced 
 together, and from that evening they be- 
 came very much attached to each other. 
 
 A marriage between them was, however, 
 strenuously opposed by the Button family, 
 because she had money, and they did not 
 want it to go out of the country into Rus- 
 sia. But they would not relinquish each 
 other for any consideration, and, after 
 waiting two years, they were at last mar- 
 ried (1806), and went off to Russia. My 
 mother gave me a most vivid description 
 of the dreadful hardships which they had 
 to encounter while flying in an open sledge, 
 in the depth of winter, before Napoleon's 
 victorious army. The dangers of their 
 hasty flight, the want of food, the bitter 
 cold, and the state of terror they were in 
 all the time, proved too much for the poor 
 young wife : they reached a Russian hut 
 and took shelter, and there, to the utter 
 despair of her unfortunate husband, his
 
 206 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 wife died, after having given birth to a 
 little girl. 
 
 He returned to England with this child, 
 Elizabeth, and her mother's body was 
 brought over from Russia for burial at 
 Sherborne. The money was settled on the 
 child, and the Prince himself placed her 
 with his wife's family in England. He then 
 returned to Russia, and eventually married 
 a Russian woman. But Fanny Button was 
 the one love of his life, and he never for- 
 got her, or really cared for anyone else. 
 His Russian wife was aware of this, and, 
 naturally, felt jealous, revenging herself by 
 never allowing him to come over to England 
 to see his child. 
 
 The child grew up at Sherborne, and was 
 somewhat unpopular with her cousins on 
 account of her peculiar temper. Shortly 
 after she came out, she developed unmis- 
 takable signs of softening of the brain, 
 evidently due to the circumstances of her 
 birth, and afterwards she went quite out 
 of her mind. I saw a diary of a clergy- 
 man, mentioning several instances of her 
 wayward and strange disposition whilst she 
 was staying with him as a child ; but, 
 curiously enough, her behaviour was all put
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 207 
 
 down at the time to temper, not one of her 
 relations suspecting the real cause — that 
 the poor girl was not right in her mind. 
 This diary Avas lent to me by Julia Dutton, 
 the late Lord Sherborne's daughter. 
 
 Meanwhile, her father having died, the 
 stepmother became smitten with remorse 
 for the part she had acted towards Eliza- 
 beth Bariatinski, and she eventually came 
 to England with her two sons to ascertain 
 how the girl was being treated, and, if 
 possible, to gain possession of her. This 
 was, naturally enough, misconstrued into a 
 desire on her part to get control of the 
 girl's money, and thereupon ensued the 
 famous Bariatinski trial ; a very unpleasant 
 thing for the Dutton family. They declined 
 to give up the custody of the child, as 
 they had undertaken the care of it by its 
 father's express wish, and it was proved 
 that it was his own arrangement that she 
 should live in England with her mother's 
 family. After a long trial they finally won 
 the case. 
 
 Elizabeth Bariatinski lived to the age 
 of sixty-eight, and died at Sherborne. 
 Amongst those who were present at her 
 funeral, was an old carpenter in the village,
 
 208 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 who had attended that of her mother sixty- 
 eight years before. 
 
 Anne Button, who used often to stay at 
 Cannon Hall, was a first cousin of Eliza- 
 beth Bariatinski, being a daughter of the 
 second Lord Sherborne. She was very 
 original, and inherited all her father's wit, 
 though, perhaps, in her, it was hardly tem- 
 pered by that amiability which characterised 
 it in his case. One day when we were 
 sitting with her in Hyde Park, she suddenly 
 said, " I am going to be married. It is 
 quite time ; I am nine-and-twenty, and have 
 come to my full strength : but I did not 
 know that I had been marked down by a 
 little man in the navy, cruising on the high 
 seas." This was Captain Plunkett, who 
 afterwards became Lord Dunsany. 
 
 Jane's eldest sister was Lady Ducie, who 
 was the favourite child of her father and 
 mother. See was unalterably good-tem- 
 pered, always bright and handsome, and 
 had a lovely figure. I remember her stay- 
 ing for some time at Cannon Hall with 
 her son. Lord Moreton, then a boy at 
 Eton. We used often to have very small 
 fried rabbits at dinner, and my father 
 always declared that it was a shame to kill
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 209 
 
 such little innocents ; but, all the same, he 
 invariably ate them, and enjoyed them. 
 Instigated by Lady Ducie, we arranged one 
 day to play him a trick : there were a 
 quantity of squirrels about, and two of 
 them had been killed by the dogs, so we 
 sent them down to the kitchen, and had 
 them cooked for his dinner, instead of the 
 rabbits. However, he was too sharp for 
 us, and did not fall into the trap. 
 
 Mrs. Coke, my grandmother, died at 
 Bath when my mother was only four years 
 old, so from that age my mother became 
 the sole charge and care of her father. 
 She used to tell us that she was not 
 allowed any luxuries when in the school- 
 room : she never had a fire to get up by, 
 and, on the coldest days in winter, she 
 used, as was then customary, to wear a 
 low dress with short sleeves. 
 
 When she was eighteen she passed 
 straight out of the schoolroom to take her 
 place as mistress of the house ; no flight 
 charge, requiring, as it did, a great deal 
 of judgment and determination to hold 
 her proper position with older people, and 
 
 to openly object to whatever she knew 
 
 u
 
 210 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 would displease her father. This position, 
 however, she successfully filled, and was 
 universally respected and looked up to. 
 Of course, just at first, she went through 
 some of the rather amusing agonies of 
 inexperience. For instance, when making 
 tea for twenty people the first morning, 
 she put in two spoonfuls of tea, as she 
 had always seen her governess put that 
 quantity in. Great was her distress, also, 
 when some gentleman asked her for the 
 trail of the woodcock, the existence of such 
 a thing being, till that minute, quite un- 
 known to her. 
 
 My mother told me that for several 
 years she was very much in love with Lord 
 Bury, Lord Albemarle's eldest son, and 
 that he returned her feeling for him : but 
 my grandfather would not give his consent, 
 and always said to her, " He is not worthy 
 of you." At last, finding that the attach- 
 ment was maintained, and having nothing 
 but his own prejudices to oppose to it, he 
 yielded, and gave his consent against his 
 better judgment. No sooner had he done 
 so, than my mother found that Lord Bury 
 had suddenly turned right round, and was 
 flirting with another girl. This decided
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 211 
 
 matters, and all thoughts of the marriage 
 were given up ; providentially for my mother, 
 for in subsequent years, after suffering 
 from the most extraordinary hallucinations, 
 Lord Bury went out of his mind, and finally 
 died in a lunatic asylum. 
 
 When we were living in Harley Street we 
 used to see a good deal of Lord and Lady 
 Bury : he was very agreeable and amusing. 
 A good many years afterwards, when my 
 mother and sisters were staying at Quidden- 
 ham, Lady Albemarle took my mother over 
 the house, and showed her all the rooms, 
 and then she turned round and said to her, 
 *' All this was to have been yours ! " 
 
 My grandfather's second marriage with 
 Lady Anne Keppel must, naturally, have 
 been a very great trial to my mother, 
 though she was always fond of Lady Anne. 
 She was the daughter of his great friend, 
 Lord Albemarle, and was only about eighteen 
 at the time of the marriage ; very fair and 
 very pretty. Of course all sorts of stories 
 got about as to the reasons for such a mar- 
 riage, but the only really reliable account is 
 the following, which my mother gave me : — 
 
 Lady Anne was a most fascinating child, 
 
 but a very determined one. My grand- 
 
 o 2
 
 212 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 father was amused by her; she was continu- 
 ally at Holkham with her father, and he was 
 very fond of her ; but just as he would have 
 been of a favourite child or grandchild : 
 and so it would have remained, if great 
 pressure had not been put on him. My 
 mother seeing that there was something 
 going on, which she did not understand, 
 went straight to her, and said, " Anne, what 
 does this mean ? Is it my father, or is it 
 William Coke ? " " Oh ! " was the answer, 
 "it's dear Mr. Coke. I would marry Wil- 
 liam to live always with dear Mr. Coke ! " 
 She was quite infatuated, and used to steal 
 his gloves, or anything he had touched ; 
 kiss the chairs he had sat upon, and so on. 
 At last there was a wedding in the family, 
 which threatened to put an end to Lady 
 Anne Keppel's visits to Holkham. Lord 
 Albemarle, who had lost his wife, as I 
 have mentioned, was going to marry a cou- 
 sin of my grandfather's, Charlotte Hunloke, 
 Sir Henry Hunloke's daughter.* 
 
 * My mother once gave me a parure of spiked coral, 
 which had belonged to Charlotte Hunloke, and told me that 
 Lord Albemarle, having heard that the sea-water improved 
 the colour of the coral, used to walk down every morning 
 to dip the necklace in the sea. — A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 213 
 
 The marriage took place by private 
 license in Berkeley Square. After the wed- 
 ding and breakfast, and when the guests 
 were departing, Lady Anne looked out of 
 the window, and saw my grandfather's 
 chariot waiting to take him back to Holk- 
 ham, and (as she told my mother) she said 
 to herself, " If once he gets into that car- 
 riage, I have lost him for ever I " and then 
 and there she got the marriage settled. By 
 her own showing, she must have recognised 
 how very slight was her hold upon him, 
 and my mother said that, as far as he was 
 concerned, she was sure that he had no 
 intention whatever at the time beyond that 
 of returning to Holkham, and, had he been 
 allowed to do so, things would just have 
 fallen back into their old groove, and the 
 marriage would never have taken place. 
 
 Lady Anne was inconsequent, but alto- 
 gether most fascinating, and, when she set 
 her mind upon a thing, her determination 
 was something extraordinary. 
 
 My mother went on a visit to Dalmeny, 
 and there she met my father, and became 
 much interested in the accounts of his 
 travels. Sir John Maxwell was staying
 
 214 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 there too, and my father, plainly seeing 
 that he had intentions in the same direc- 
 tion, settled that there was no time to lose : 
 he must either cut him out, or be cut out 
 himself. So he went back to Roddam and 
 wrote his proposal. 
 
 My mother had just written to a friend 
 of hers, " There has been a Mr. Spencer 
 Stanhope here, who, I think, would have 
 suited me, but he is gone, and I hear he 
 is not a marrying man." The next morning 
 at breakfast arrived the letter. My mother 
 opened it, and exclaimed, *' There, Lord 
 Rosebery ! that is your doing ! " " Good 
 God ! Miss Coke, what have I done ? " He 
 was pouring out the coffee, and, in his ner- 
 vousness, down went the coffee-pot, and the 
 coffee was spilt all over the table. Of 
 course, Lord Rosebery was able to give her 
 all i^enseigtiments about my father. After 
 listening to the satisfactory account which 
 was presented to her, she said, "Well, there 
 is one comfort, Mr. Stanhope has no bro- 
 thers or sisters." " No brothers or sisters ! " 
 exclaimed Lord Rosebery, " he has dozens 
 of both ! " 
 
 I copy some letters from my father to his 
 mother on this important event in his life.
 
 a. m. w. pickering. 215 
 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 "I will just take a shot at you to let 
 you know how things are going on, and 
 what our plans are. 
 
 " On Tuesday I went to Dalmeny, where 
 I had a very cordial reception from La 
 Demoiselle. Maxwell and his sister were 
 there, and Lord Lynedoch. Miss Maxwell 
 is an extraordinary girl, not handsome, 
 but very blue, without knowing that it is 
 singular to be so. I quite sank in her 
 opinion when I told her that I had not 
 read any of Chalmers' works. 
 
 " Lord Lynedoch went home at night, 
 and Maxwell in the morning. I was 
 originally invited only to dinner, but after- 
 wards had a bed offered, and my invita- 
 
 « 
 
 tion prolonged till after breakfast : it was 
 afterwards extended to the next day, as, I 
 think, they began to suspect : and, when 
 I left them, they pressed me to stay. 
 But I was engaged to the Andersons, 
 and I thought the Commodore [his 
 brother Roddam] would have started 
 for home. 
 
 " Now, from details, it appeared to me 
 to go on well. We rode always together.
 
 216 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 walked alone : and the rest of the party 
 seemed inclined to be favourable. If I 
 am right in this idea, I shall probably be 
 asked again on our return from the trip 
 we are now meditating. 
 
 *' Now, as to the lady herself. She is 
 not so handsome as I thought : begin- 
 ning to look a little older. She is 
 very quiet, perfectly ladylike, has evi- 
 dently a great deal of taste, and very 
 well inclined to laugh at the Whiggery, 
 farming, and shooting of her native 
 county. 
 
 "We had a very amusing scene. The 
 King was to pass through the park, and 
 we had various discussions as to the pro- 
 bability of his calling: the peer [Lord 
 Rosebery] thought that he would not : yet, 
 in his heart he flattered himself that he 
 would. The whole house was put into a 
 complete state of smartness ; the windows 
 cleaned, the chairs uncovered ; indeed, 
 two days were entirely occupied in the 
 arrangements ; Lady Anson and Miss 
 Coke, meanwhile, quietly quizzing the 
 Whig spirit, and their bearing towards 
 royalty. The hour came. Imagine us all 
 at our stations in patient expectation of
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 2l7 
 
 the arrival of the Monarch. It rained 
 cats and dogs. The ladies were dressed 
 for a public breakfast at Lord Hope- 
 toun's, the others were dawdling in the 
 garden. The King at length appeared. 
 His Lordship took his station at the top 
 of the steps, her Ladyship at the door : 
 the King passed on, and there they all 
 remained.* 
 
 *' The party followed to Hopetoun's 
 house, and I drove off here, where I 
 found the Commodore almost on the 
 point of starting for Roddam. I took 
 him instead to the Andersons, where 
 we spent three very pleasant days. We 
 are going to Loch Katrine and Loch 
 Lomond, which will probably be the 
 extent of our tour. 
 
 " Your dutiful son, 
 
 J. fe. b. 
 
 * Lord Rosebery was at that time very anxious about 
 getting his English peerage. This was the reason of his 
 great anuoyunce at the King's merely driving through the 
 park, without showing him any civility. George IV., on the 
 occasion of this visit, held a most beautiful drawing-room at 
 Holy rood Palace, at which ray mother was present. He 
 was surrounded by a body of archers in the old dress. — 
 A. M. W. P. 
 
 I
 
 218 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "Roddam, Oct. 22 [1822]. 
 "My dear Mother, 
 
 " You will have been a little surprised 
 at my letting so long a time elapse with- 
 out writing to you, but I wished to be 
 able to give you an account of the state of 
 my affairs before I did so ; and, at length, 
 I am able to state that negotiations are 
 at least entamed. I could not muster 
 courage enough to speak whilst at Dal- 
 meny, but, during my journey here, I had 
 full time to think over the matter, and I 
 considered that, as delay is dangerous, 
 it was better at once to venture, than 
 to run the chance of the future, which 
 could at best be but uncertain. This 
 morning I received her answer, which 
 may be either considered as my accept- 
 ance, which I take it to be, or a refined 
 piece of diplomacy, as it hooks me, and 
 leaves her at liberty. To speak fairly, our 
 acquaintance Avas too recent for her to be 
 able to accept me without a little ceremony, 
 so she proposes me to return to Dalmeny, 
 that we might become better acquainted. 
 
 " I will give you extracts from her note. 
 I had better copy it. ' I feel too sensibly
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 210 
 
 the honourable and excellent letter I re- 
 ceived from you this morning, not to 
 answer it with the sincerity it deserves. 
 Whilst I give you the assurance that I 
 am free from any other preference, and 
 that I am capable of appreciating your 
 mind and character, as I have every rea- 
 son to believe them to be, I am certain 
 that you will pardon my adverting to the 
 very recent period of our acquaintance, 
 and expressing a wish that we may mutu- 
 ally become better known to each other. 
 This I cannot help considering to be due 
 to you, no less than to myself, and it 
 will, also, allow time to communicate with 
 my father on a subject so deeply interest- 
 ing to him. I feel assured that you will 
 acquit me of anything like evasion, or 
 of the slightest intention of trifling with 
 feelings so warmly and candidly ex- 
 pressed.' 
 
 " This was accompanied by a very kind 
 letter from the i)eer, wishing me joy of 
 having fixed my affections on one so de- 
 serving of the warmest attachment, leav- 
 ing to me to judge whether I should prefer 
 visiting him immediately, or waiting for 
 Mr. Coke's answer, which I thought meant
 
 220 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to hint the latter (whicli I have deter- 
 mined to do, as much the least embarrass- 
 ing), stating that he had mentioned about 
 Spencer, and making delicate enquiries as 
 to fortune, etc. I have written to both: 
 and here I wait for Mr. Coke's answer. 
 So there is some chance of my being 
 caught at last. 
 
 " To give you Miss Coke's character : 
 she is very quiet, almost shy ; has a great 
 deal of taste, excellent judgment, and 
 seems far above all worldly humbug, and 
 is a person to make a capital wife. All 
 my difficulty will be, if it succeeds, to 
 know how to live without flirting and wife- 
 hunting. 
 
 "Addio. Best love to all. 
 
 " Your dutiful son, 
 
 " J. S. S. 
 
 " Dalmeny. 
 '*My dear Mother, 
 
 "It is after dinner, so you know what 
 sort of a letter you must expect from me 
 now, could you but suppose that I am 
 at least half- seas over at such a debut. 
 Mais ce n'est pas cela.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING, 221 
 
 " Here I am again at Dalmeny, and, I 
 trust, as happy as I can be. I do not 
 know where to begin in my description. 
 PhiUp will have told you that I was on 
 the point of starting from Roddam. I 
 got into the coach, and arrived at Edin- 
 burgh. I intended to have been here for 
 breakfast, but I found myself unwell dur- 
 ing the night, so I did not start till after 
 breakfast. You may conceive how nervous 
 I was. Lady Anson was quite correct, and 
 nothing could be kinder than her recep- 
 tion of me. Miss Coke was not able to 
 see me at first. She had been quite ill 
 during the week. We soon understood 
 one another, and I can safely say that I 
 do not think that it Avas possible for me to 
 find a person so well calculated to suit my 
 most romantic ideas of female perfection. 
 " Mr. Coke's letter to her was more like 
 that of a lover, than a ftither ; and I am 
 happy to say that he seemed to be quite 
 delighted. 
 
 "Lord Rosebery lent me a horse, and so 
 we took a ride together. I found her 
 writing to Lady Bromley, and she was 
 much amused at the .... She ex- 
 pects you to write first. AVrite as you
 
 222 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 feel, she is quite a frank-hearted person. 
 The plan, as far as it is fixed, is for us to 
 go to Holkham together. They move 
 from here on the 23rd, and intend to take 
 the old spot [Cannon Hall] on their way. 
 
 " I am scheming a trip into Italy as far 
 as Florence. I think it would be better 
 to have a break of that sort, before we 
 settle regularly down as Darby and Joan. 
 We could afterwards return through Swit- 
 zerland.* 
 
 * • • • • 
 
 " Your affectionate son, 
 
 " My dear Mother, 
 
 " As our plans are a little more formed 
 than they were when I last Avrote, I will 
 fire another letter at you, to tell you what 
 they are. Lady Anson would not hear of 
 a trip to Cannon Hall, which, I believe, 
 she did not think correct ; however, we 
 have carried the point so far, that she has 
 
 * This well-devised plan of my father's was thrown over 
 by the disapprobation of Blaikie, the house-steward at 
 Holkham — a very important person, who looked ujjon my 
 mother almost as his own child. — A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 223 
 
 agreed to make a morning visit of it ; so 
 we intend to get as much of the day as 
 possible there, and I do hope that it may 
 prove a fine one. 
 
 "I am anxious to go abroad, as it would 
 make a break in one's life, and divide the 
 batchelor state from that of the married 
 man ; and, in that case, it would be better 
 not to go to Cannon Hall after the cere- 
 mony, but to move towards London, and 
 stay a little time with you, (if you will 
 have us), so that she may become fully 
 acquainted with you all, and then cross 
 the Channel. 
 
 " The more I see of her, the more am I 
 satisfied that she is exactly the person to 
 suit me. She cannot bear going out, 
 likes the country, hates London (you will 
 add, this won't suit me), and yet has all 
 the advantage to be acquired by living in 
 the first society ; naturally very shy, and 
 fond of family and connection. 8he has a 
 high spirit, cannot forgive anybody Avho 
 was concerned in her father's marriage, 
 though she likes Lady Anne, who was a 
 chaperonee of hers. 
 
 " She had an engagement to be mar- 
 ried by the Bishoj) of Norwich, but she
 
 224 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 has insisted on that not being the case, as 
 he married her father ; so she wishes the 
 ceremony to be performed by the late 
 Lord Anson's brother, who christened 
 her: this must, of course, be private. You 
 can conceive notliing Hke her adoration of 
 her father. 
 
 " Hugh [his brother] is coming here 
 to-day, he knows nothing about it ; how 
 he will be surprised ! Lord Leven is here ; 
 the Beresfords came yesterday. . . . 
 
 " I start Tuesday morning, they follow 
 the Tuesday after. This arrangement 
 will prevent my having any difficulties at 
 Cannon Hall. 
 
 '* Addio, 
 
 " Your dutiful son, 
 
 "J. o. o. 
 
 The expedition to Cannon Hall was a 
 great success. My father met his visitors 
 on horseback at the lodge gate, and took 
 them everywhere, and showed them every- 
 thing. They had a very good luncheon, 
 cooked by old Pipat and his w ife, one of the 
 remarkable courses of which consisted of 
 four different kinds of birds sent up in one 
 dish.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 225 
 
 To crown all, the gamekeeper expressed 
 his approbation of the marriage, saying that 
 " It was a very good pheasant connection." 
 
 The wedding took place a few days l)efore 
 Christmas, in the church in the park at 
 Holkham. 
 
 A large old elm which overshadowed the 
 church at Cawthorne was struck by light- 
 ning the very day my father and mother 
 married, and now looks like the " Spirits- 
 blasted tree ; " but the evil omen belied 
 itself most effectually ; their lives were 
 blessed by steadfast love and devotion to 
 each other ; and in fulness of years they 
 were carried to the grave within a few^ days 
 of each other. 
 
 I cannot resist quoting an anecdote about 
 my grandfather, as told in Mr. G. Russell's 
 " Reminiscences." Speaking of the strong 
 political enmities which existed in those 
 days, he says : — " The vigour, heartiness and 
 sincerity of this political hatred puts to 
 shame the more tepid convictions of these 
 degenerate days. The first Earl of Leices- 
 ter, better known as ' Coke of Norfolk,' told 
 my father that, when he was a child, his 
 grandfather took him on his knee, and said. 
 
 * Now remember, Tom, as long as you live, 
 
 p
 
 226 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 never trust a tory ; ' and, he used to say, ' I 
 never have, and, by God, I never will' " 
 
 I have no doubt that Mr. Russell's story 
 was strictly true, but I think he might be 
 amused with the sequel, for my grandfather 
 (the " Tom " in question) eventually placed 
 more trust in one tory than he did in any 
 whig, saying, by way of apology, " There is 
 only one good tory, and that is Stanhope." 
 
 My father has often remarked to me on 
 the curious character of his position at 
 Holkham ; he was the only tory amongst all 
 the greatest whigs in the country, including 
 ministers and prime ministers ; yet they 
 were all on terms of the most intimate 
 friendship with him ; never making the 
 slightest difference whether he was there or 
 not ; discussing all their plans and their 
 secrets openly with each other, not only be- 
 fore him, but to him. He was the son-in-law 
 of the house, whatever his politics might 
 be : the one unobjectionable tory.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 227 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 I WAS born at Doncaster ; but my parents 
 had not gone there for the sake of the 
 ivinning horse, but to secure the first favor- 
 ite in the medical profession, the famous 
 Dr. Branson. They took two houses close 
 together ; my father living in one, and my 
 mother and Lady Anson in the other. 
 
 In a letter to his mother, my father tells 
 her that, when Dr. Branson left the house, 
 old Lord Fitzwilliam came out to ask him 
 how Mrs. Stanhope was, and if it was a boy 
 or a girl. In this letter my father says 
 that there was expected to be a very full 
 gathering at the races, and that he believed 
 one great attraction would be the appear- 
 ance of his daughter; adding that, as my 
 mother had set her mind on my appearing 
 at the races in a very smart hood, certain 
 infantry finery, consisting of the said hood 
 and a very handsome satin cloak, had 
 arrived from London. 
 
 p 2
 
 228 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I think very few people can say that tliey 
 saw the St. Leger run when they were 
 three weeks old ! 
 
 From what I have been told, the north- 
 ern race-meeting was, in those days, very 
 different from any other race in the king- 
 dom. It was unique, and one of the most 
 striking sights in England. All the county 
 families went there in state, and the dis- 
 play of beautiful animals, and of fine 
 carriages with four or six horses, was won- 
 derful to behold ; very different from what 
 it is at the present day. 
 
 My mother's carriage was, of course, 
 surrounded, and I was an attraction in this, 
 my brilliant introduction into fashionable 
 life. To complete the success of the day. 
 Lord Lichfield's famous horse, Waterwitch, 
 won the St. Leger, and he commemorated 
 his triumph by giving his mother. Lady 
 Anson, a most splendid Indian shawl, which 
 was called the Waterwitch shawl. 
 
 In the letter to my grandmother to which 
 I have referred, my father mentioned that 
 my uncle Charles had dined with them, 
 and that, as my mother wished me to be 
 baptised, they had settled that he should 
 do so after dinner : that I had been named
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 229 
 
 Anna Maria, because it was a great Stan- 
 hope name, my father remarking that they 
 had regretted my aunt Hudson had not been 
 called Anna Maria, instead of Mary Anne. 
 My second name was Eliza, after my 
 mother. "So we determined upon Anna 
 Maria Eliza, by which names the little lady 
 was baptised." 
 
 A curious thing happened when I was 
 going to be married ; there was some un- 
 certainty about my second name, not one 
 of the family, my father and mother in- 
 cluded, feeling sure as to what it was. My 
 future husband said they must excuse his 
 businesslike habits, and that he should like 
 them to write to the Vicar of Doncaster, 
 and ask for a copy of the register of my 
 birth. His request was the means of saving 
 the parish register ; for, when the mes- 
 senger arrived, Doncaster Church was in 
 flames, and, till that moment, no one had 
 thought of the register; but, on receiving 
 the letter, they immediately went to rescue 
 it, which was etfected only with great diffi- 
 culty. The church was burnt to the ground. 
 In the register my name was entered as 
 Anna Maria Wilhelmina. 
 
 My own impression is that there was-
 
 230 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 some mistake, possibly due to my mother's 
 name being Wilhelmina, her name and 
 mine having got mixed ; but, anyhow, I 
 have used the name ever since ; and I 
 should think it was an unique instance of 
 a husband giving a fresh name to his 
 wife.* 
 
 When the time came for leaving Don- 
 caster they drove to Cannon Hall, having 
 horses sent on to meet them half way. 
 When my mother reached Cawthorne she 
 heard the bells ringing, and innocently 
 enquired the reason; she was answered, 
 "For the little heiress." 
 
 * I have found the following letters : — 
 *' My dear Pickering, 
 
 " I forward Dr. Sharpe's letter, which has surprised 
 me very much, for I had no idea that her name was nut 
 Eliza. I do not suppose that Charles entered it wrong ; 
 but, however the case may be, she is now Anna Maria 
 Wilhelmina ; very pretty names. 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 " J. Spencer Stanhope." 
 March 2nd, 1853. 
 
 " Doncaster Parish Register. 
 
 1824 1 Anna Maria Wilhelmina, daughter of Spencer 
 
 Aug. 26. J and Elizabeth Stanhope, Esq., of Doncaster, 
 
 was baptised by Spencer Stanhope, Minister. 
 
 " The above extract was made by me this first day 
 
 of March, 1853. 
 
 " Jno. Shakpe, Vicar."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 231 
 
 My first visit to Holkham was when I 
 was in long clothes. Lady Anne used to 
 tell me of the procession of the baby 
 along the half-lighted passages downstairs, 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " You will have heard of the total destruction of my 
 beautiful church by fire, which was raging awfully when 
 I received your letter. Happily, through the fearless 
 exertions of one of my parishioners, the registers have 
 been preserved, and I now send you the required extract. 
 '* Dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours very faithfully, 
 
 " John Sharpe." 
 
 The letter from my grandfather to liis mother, referred to 
 above, must, I think, be accepted as conclusive evidence 
 that my mother was really christened Eliza, whatever the 
 entry in the register may have been ; for that letter was 
 written within an hour or two after the ceremony. I have 
 little doubt but that my uncle Charles was accountable for 
 the mistake, by entering one of his sister-in-law's names 
 (Wilhelmina) instead of the other (Eliza). The peculiar 
 wording of the entry, and the laxity it displays respecting 
 christian names, would justify such an assumption, even if 
 my uncle had not been (as has been mentioned) notorious 
 for his blunders. At the time, too, he was just recovering 
 from an illness, of which insomnia was one of the symp- 
 toms, and he had left his bedroom for the first time only 
 the day before the christening. 
 
 There is another curious error in the entry, which seems 
 to have escaped everyone's notice, both at the time and .sub- 
 sequently, namely, that the date given is August 26th ; 
 two days before my mother was born ! 
 
 Her newly discovered name was that by whicli she was 
 called by my father and his family. — S. P.
 
 232 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 headed by my father with a lighted candle, 
 in a fidget lest the nurse should drop me ; 
 and she used to add, " You were more pre- 
 cious then than you have ever been since." 
 
 My sister Eliza's birth was the next 
 event in the family, and, subsequently, 
 when I was between three and four, my 
 brother was born, on a most suitable day 
 too, St. Thomas' Day, the Cannon Hall 
 rent-day. All the tenants were at dinner 
 at Cawthorne when the news of his birth 
 arrived, and the bells Avere duly rung, and 
 his health was drunk with cheers.* 
 
 * Jolin and Lady Elizabeth Willielmina Spencer Stan- 
 hope had six children : — 
 
 1. Anna Maria Wilhelmina, born August 28th, 1824; 
 
 died December 23rd, 1901 ; married March 29th, 
 1853, Pereival Andree Pickering, Q.C., who died 
 August 7th, 1876. She had two sons and two 
 daughters, all now living. 
 
 2. Eliza Anne, born April 20th, 1826; died Septem- 
 
 ber 8th, 1859; married June 22nd, 1858, Richard 
 St. John Tyrwhitt, of Oxford, by whom she left one 
 son. 
 
 3. Walter Thomas William, born December 21st, 
 
 1827; married January 17th, 1856, Elizabeth Julia, 
 daughter of Sir John Jacob Buxton. She died 
 September 30th, 1880, having had eleven children, 
 of whom two died in infancy and eight are now 
 living. 
 
 4. John Roddam, born .January 20th, 1829 ; married 
 
 January 10th, 1859, Elizabeth Dawson, widow of
 
 A. M. W. PICKEKING. 233 
 
 The joy was short-lived, however, for an 
 event happened at Cannon Hall which gave 
 my father the greatest anxiety. A mad 
 dog jumped into the kennels, and bit all the 
 dogs there, and many animals in the yard, 
 before it was discovered what had hap- 
 pened. The kennel-dogs had, when they 
 were turned loose, bitten all the animals 
 about the place ; and cows, calves, pigs, 
 sheep, and horses, all went mad. It was 
 first discovered by the extraordinary con- 
 duct of some calves at which my uncle 
 Philip was looking. My father said he 
 never should forget that time, with his 
 anxiety that my mother should hear no- 
 thing about it, his fear for us, and above 
 all his alarm about the men who had to 
 feed the animals, in case they should have 
 any scratches or cracks in their hands. 
 He sent them all off to Leeds, that their 
 hands might be examined as to the state 
 of the skin. Then he became alarmed be- 
 
 George Frederick Dawson, aud daughter of J. King, 
 by whom he had one ilaughter, Avho died young. 
 
 5. Anne Alicia, born February 2iid, 1830; died un- 
 
 married May 2()th, 1902. 
 
 6. Louisa Elizabeth, born September 20th, 1831 ; died 
 
 unmarried March 13th, 18G7.
 
 234 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 cause we had been drinking the milk of 
 the cows that went mad, thougli he after- 
 wards heard from the Leeds Infirmary that 
 there was no danger on that account. 
 These troubles went on for a long time, 
 and he was constantly being told of fresh 
 cases that had broken out. I remember 
 that once I was walking with the nurses 
 on the north side of the park, in the little 
 wood near the lodge, when, on the other 
 side of the hedge, and close to where we 
 were, we saw a dog lying, apparently un- 
 conscious, but foaming at the mouth, and 
 making a dreadful moaning noise. We 
 turned back immediately to walk home, 
 and had to go a long way round by the 
 other side of the park so as not to pass 
 by the dog. Happily we arrived in safety, 
 and a keeper was immediately sent down 
 to shoot it. 
 
 My mother said that one day when I 
 came in from my walk, she heard an alter- 
 cation on the stairs, and a small, but very 
 consequential voice saying, *' Miss Stan goes 
 up the front stairs ; Betsey goes up the 
 back stairs." She speedily sent Miss Stan 
 up the back stairs, and desired Betsey to 
 go up the front. '
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 235 
 
 My earliest recollection of things in this 
 life is connected with Qiiarles, where my 
 parents took me when I was three years 
 old. It was a house belonging to my 
 grandfather, about four miles from Holk- 
 ham. They went there, I suppose, with 
 the idea of being more independent than 
 they would have been at Holkham itself; 
 but my mother did not care for it, saying 
 it was like being just outside the gates of 
 paradise. I distinctly remember feeding 
 some tame doves there every morning at 
 breakfast ; I used to go into the garden to 
 call them, and they used to come flying 
 into the dining-room through the French 
 windows. Another circumstance at Quarles 
 was rather calculated to make an impres- 
 sion on me, both mind and body. Some 
 visitors had come to luncheon, and I settled 
 that it was the proper thing that I should 
 be asked down to see them: but no message 
 for me came to the nursery ; and, much 
 affronted, I determined that something 
 must be done to remind my mother of my 
 existence. After planning various things, 
 a very clever idea struck me ; I had 
 observed that, when the dining-room door 
 was open, there was a great space at the
 
 236 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 hinges, and through this I inserted my 
 hand, feeling sure that my mother would 
 recognise it as mine, and, that, if thus re- 
 minded of my existence, she would be sure 
 to send for me. Alas! a footman partly 
 shut the door, and the yell that followed 
 reminded my mother of my existence in a 
 manner which I had not contemplated, 
 bringing all the company out to see me, 
 instead of bringing me in to see them. 
 Luckily no great damage was done, though 
 the consequences might easily have been 
 very serious. 
 
 My first distinct recollection of my grand- 
 father is not connected with Quarles, but 
 with the library at Cannon Hall. One 
 day, when in that room, he said to me, 
 "Come here, little ooman," and drawing 
 himself up to his full height, "Now look 
 at me ; do you think you would know me 
 again ? If you saw me in the street would 
 you say, 'That is grandpapa.'" I said, I 
 should; and from that day to this his 
 figure has remained prominent in my mind 
 amongst those whom I have known and 
 loved. 
 
 Another time we all went down to wish 
 him goodbye Avhen he was going away.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 237 
 
 He said to my brother Roddy, "Well, my 
 little man, and what have you come here 
 for?" "Money, grandpapa." 
 
 One time, when the Cokes were staying 
 at Cannon Hall, they all drove up to the 
 moors, and, as they were coming back, 
 Lady Anne suggested that they should 
 walk on, leaving the carriage to follow. It 
 was very long in coming, and they had got 
 a considerable way, when a heavy thunder- 
 storm came on, and it began to rain 
 heavily. There was a barn with the door 
 open, close to the roadside, and into this 
 she ran, the others following. A man was 
 there, who looked very sulky at the in- 
 vasion, and asked what they wanted. Lady 
 Anne said, "We want shelter till the car- 
 riage comes up." " It's not much of a 
 carriage ye'll see, I'm thinking," growled 
 the man. But she told him they had come 
 from Cannon Hall, and werC t^^ing to drive 
 back. The man said, "Well, if you come 
 from there, I reckon you may be the ser- 
 vants." " No," said Lady Anne, " We are 
 not the servants; I am Mr. Stanhope's 
 mother." The man burst out laughing 
 (and very* excusably, too, seeing that she 
 was nearly twenty years younger than my
 
 238 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 father) ; *' Na, na ; Mr. Stanhope's mother 
 indeed, ye'll no gammon me like that." 
 At that moment the carriage drove up, 
 and, to the astonishment of their friend, 
 they all got in, and, wishing him good- 
 bye, drove off. It was called Lady Anne's 
 barn ever after. 
 
 I remember, when I was a very little girl, 
 standing in the park to see Lord Milton 
 go by. He was going to Cannon Hall to 
 pay a formal visit to my grandfather. He 
 was alone in a chariot with six horses, and 
 had four outriders, two in front and two 
 behind. I quite well remember my reflec- 
 tion upon it, "All that grandeur for one 
 little pale-faced man, who must be very 
 dull all by himself!" 
 
 My mother told me that once when my 
 grandfather and Lady Anne were at Cannon 
 Hall, Lord Fitzwilliam stayed there for 
 one night only, and that he brought with 
 him eight horses, and seven servants ; he 
 had four horses for his carriage, two for 
 the outriders, and one each for the valet 
 and groom. There were two postillions, 
 two outriders, a groom, a valet, and his 
 private secretary. My grandfather was very 
 much astonished, and said to my mother.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 239 
 
 "Well, my dear Eliza, if this is Yorkshire 
 hospitality, all I can say is that I hope 
 Stanhope's fortune is equal to it." It 
 struck him all the more, because in Norfolk 
 it was not the custom for any horses to be 
 taken in at the stables ; they were all sent 
 to the inn. 
 
 Another thing which made a great im- 
 pression on my grandfather was the want 
 of economy in the Yorkshire farming. He 
 said that he had walked up to Banks,* 
 and had looked all round on as rich a grass 
 country as he ever saw, and yet there were 
 only two sheep eating it. 
 
 One day the hounds met at Cawthorne,t 
 and lost in DefFer AYood. We had walked 
 towards the summer-house, hoping to see 
 something of the hunt, my brother Walter 
 being carried by one of the nurses. We 
 stopped at the gate of the nearest field, and 
 were standing in the path by the wall, when, 
 suddenly, the fox scrambled over the Avail, 
 jumped down on to the path where we were 
 standing, and got into the pond close by. 
 
 * A house belonging to my grandfather, about a mile and 
 a half from Cannon Hall. — S. P. 
 
 f The village near Cannon Hall, and about a mile distant 
 from it. — S. V.
 
 240 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 swimming to the middle of it, where there 
 was an upright stone drain-pipe ; into this 
 he got, and was completely hidden. Pre- 
 sently all the hunt came through the gate, 
 looking for Reynard, and, seeing us stand- 
 ing there, they asked the maids if they had 
 seen him. The maids were only too ready 
 to say " Yes," and to betray his hiding-place. 
 Huntsmen, dogs and all, got into the water 
 and surrounded the drain : but the poor fox 
 was curled up tight, and the dogs were too 
 large to get him out. So they had to send 
 to Cawthorne for some small dogs, which 
 got into tlie drain and killed him. He was 
 then pulled out, and the brush was cut off 
 and given to Walter, who was duly blooded, 
 and went home in triumph, carrying the 
 trophy of his first hunt, and of having been 
 in at the death. His picture was painted 
 waving the brush over his head.* 
 
 We went to stay for some time at Chel- 
 tenham, where my grandmother and aunts 
 were ; and my brother Walter, I remember, 
 had the scarlet fever there, though we did 
 
 * The other figures in the picture are my mother, stand- 
 ing in what was a favourite attitude of hers (as she told me), 
 with her arms folded on the back of a sofa, and her sister 
 Eliza.— S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 241 
 
 not move out of the house on that account. 
 When the time came for us to post back to 
 Yorkshire, all England was in a state of 
 commotion, with dangerous riots and mobs, 
 aroused by the reform bill. Travelling was 
 not very safe, and people were generally 
 afraid of moving about. We, however, got 
 safely to Bromsgrove, where we slept. 
 
 The next morning the landlady came to 
 my mother, and said that there were ru- 
 mours of large mobs being about the 
 country ; that carriages had been stopped, 
 and people not allowed to go on; that it 
 really was not safe travelling with young 
 children ; that she ought, at any rate, to 
 send out and buy some yellow ribbons for 
 the horses and servants. My mother was 
 sure that my father would not consent to 
 go with false colours if he knew it, and so 
 the only way was not to let him know that 
 we had got them. Accordingly, our French 
 bonne was sent out to buy yellow ribbons, 
 with orders to put them in her i)ocket, and 
 dress us u}) with them as soon as we had 
 started. This was easily done, because my 
 father and mother travelled in the rumble 
 of the chariot, leaving the inside of the car- 
 riage to us. 
 
 Q
 
 242 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 We had gone about two miles from Broms- 
 grove, when there appeared a very large 
 mob armed with pikes and staves, and 
 waving flags and banners. They divided 
 and made way for us, but looked sulky, as 
 if they were used to being taken in by false 
 colours. When we got into the midst of the 
 mob, Walter, thinking it very dull, began 
 waving a streamer of yellow ribbon which 
 hung down from the carriage, and cheering 
 at the top of his voice. No better fun! 
 off Avent our hats : we w aved them over our 
 heads, and cheered as loudly as we could. 
 There could be no mistake, thought the 
 mob, we were of the right sort ! So they 
 began to cheer us: they cheered, and we 
 cheered ; and our delight was complete, 
 when the band struck up a whig tune. We 
 were taking my father triumphantly through 
 the whig mob! He told us, however, that 
 our false colours must be taken down as 
 soon as we crossed the boundary into 
 Yorkshire, which we should do at Bawtry. 
 
 I remember the state of excitement 
 everyone was in at Sheffield, when we got 
 there, to hear the news from London. 
 The yard of the Tontine Inn, where we 
 were to sleep, was crowded with people
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 243 
 
 awaiting the arrival of the last mail from 
 the South. 
 
 We spent every winter at Holkham when 
 w^e were children, but I was then so young, 
 that I only remember one or two trivial 
 things which seem to flash across my me- 
 mory. I recollect that we were located in 
 one of the towers, with our French bonne, 
 Mme. Baton, alias Baty, one of the most 
 excellent, thoroughly trustworthy persons 
 who ever existed, but a great dragon : out- 
 side our room there was a very wide passage, 
 which we made our playground, and there 
 was one specially attractive place in it, a 
 sort of black hole, Avhich served as a prison 
 for the boys. When they were naughty, 
 they were dragged up to the tower by their 
 tutor, Mr. Paine, and locked up in this dark 
 closet till they repented. It was very excit- 
 ing to us to hear the cries of " I will be 
 good, do let me out, Mr. Paine," accom- 
 panied by vigorous thumps, and sometimes 
 varied by " If you don't open the door this 
 minute, I will kick it down." We used to 
 have our meals in a room downstairs with 
 our young uncles : my grand Hither would 
 
 generally come in to see us while we were 
 
 Q 2
 
 244 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 at our dinner, and used to sit down and eat 
 a roast potato with butter and rock-salt. 
 We always went down to dessert, and then 
 used all to play games in the drawing-room 
 with Lady Anne. 
 
 Field was the head nurse : a very clever 
 woman. She had her rooms on one side of 
 the passage, Baty had hers on the other; 
 they were the rival powers, and we the bone 
 of contention. 
 
 I well recollect the battue days, which 
 came twice a week, and what a pretty sight 
 there was on the south lawn, when they 
 were all assembling for the start. I used 
 regularly to be lifted on to my grandfather's 
 horse, and he used to ride up and down 
 with me till they were all ready to set off. 
 I remember his telling me on one of these 
 occasions how he had once killed a fox in 
 what is now the centre of Belgrave Square. 
 
 In later years I heard another story, 
 equally illustrative of the condition of Lon- 
 don in those days. I was sitting at dinner 
 by old Sir Hamilton Seymour, who was for 
 many years our ambassador at Vienna, and 
 he told me that when he was quite a young 
 man he went out in his father's carriage to 
 dine somewhere in London, and the carriage
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 245 
 
 was attacked by highwaymen in what is 
 now the lower end of Grosvenor Place, and 
 they were rescued only with some difficulty. 
 I could hardly believe that I was actually 
 talking to a person who had himself been 
 attacked by highwaymen in what was now 
 one of the croAvded thoroughfares of Lon- 
 don. It seemed to link one in an extra- 
 ordinary way with the past ! 
 
 But to return to Holkham. One evening 
 there was to be a servants' ball in the audit- 
 room, and we were to go to it. The band 
 arrived from Wells, headed by Mr. Tysack, 
 the Wells hairdresser, who was a most fas- 
 cinating man to the maids, with dark cork- 
 screw ringlets. He came up to the toAver in 
 the evening to cut our hair before the ball. 
 My brother, Walter, was well pinned up in a 
 white wrapper undergoing the operation, 
 with Baty holding a candle for Mr. Tysack 
 to see, when suddenly the beautiful ringlets 
 frizzled up — she had set Mr. Tysack's hair 
 on fire 1 Down went the candle, and Baty, 
 horrified at what she had done, made a dash 
 at Mr. Tysack's head to put out the burning 
 curls, when, oh ! horror of horrors 1 the 
 whole thing came off" in her hands, leaving 
 him with a bald pate ! We, of course, in-
 
 240 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 curred Baty's high displeasure by enjoying 
 the catastrophe to the last degree. I do 
 not recollect whether he sent off to Wells 
 for a fresh set of curls for the ball, but 
 think this was most probable, as he would 
 never have dared to appear without his 
 ringlets. 
 
 We knew Sir Charles Clarke, the eminent 
 physician, as he was a great friend of my 
 grandfather's. One year Lady Anne was 
 very ill with an attack of fever, and the 
 local doctor said she was dying ; she was 
 almost pulseless, and in the last stage of 
 weakness. My grandfather said, " If any- 
 one can save her, it is Clarke ; " and he had 
 four horses put to his chariot, and gave 
 orders that they were to go as fast as they 
 could, and bring Clarke back in it. The 
 moment Clarke saw her, he said that she 
 must be bled. The other doctor was horri- 
 fied, and refused to take the responsibility 
 of such an act ; but Sir Charles persisted, 
 saying, "She must be bled till she faints, 
 and I will do it on my own responsibility. 
 I shall hold the watch and feel her pulse, 
 and I shall tell you when to stop." The 
 doctor, as he took out his lancet, said, 
 " Lady Anne, I am putting a pistol to your
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 247 
 
 head." As the blood flowed, her pulse rose, 
 and she was saved. She had been dying, 
 not from weakness, but from the fever. 
 
 Clarke amused us when we were children, 
 by telling us that he was once attending a 
 lady who was very nervous ; she was at 
 breakfast at the time, and held a bit of 
 toast in one hand, and the fee in the other. 
 He watched eagerly for what he thought 
 w^ould happen, and, sure enough, he got the 
 toast. He held it up, put it in his mouth, 
 and ran out of the room saying, *' Mind you 
 don't swallow the guinea." 
 
 We used often to drive down to the sea at 
 Holkham, which was a great novelty and a 
 subject of interest to us. The coast there 
 is a fine desolate one, with nothing to in- 
 terfere with the full sweep of the breakers 
 as they roll in with a thundering sound. 
 The sands are, for the most part, hard and 
 fine, but there are many quicksands in them, 
 and boards were to be seen in all directions 
 with " Dangerous " on them. Collecting 
 shells was a great delight to us in those 
 days. 
 
 I recollect our going from Cannon Hall 
 to Mrs. Beckett's, at Barnslev, to see the
 
 24:8 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria pass 
 through the town on their way to Wentworth 
 House, where they were to pay a visit. The 
 body of Yeomanry, which were to have met 
 them, went, by some mistake, the wrong way, 
 and missed them, so they had no escort at 
 all, and the Duchess of Kent was rather 
 uneasy, as she did not know the meaning of 
 it.* My father and mother were asked to 
 Wentworth House to meet the Princess, and 
 they described her as a most simple, un- 
 affected, and pleasing girl. In the evening 
 she sang, while the Duchess of Kent accom- 
 panied her, and, through some oversight, 
 everybody remained seated, the Princess 
 being the only person who was standing. 
 My father said this made him feel so uncom- 
 fortable, that he would have got up, but, 
 being a guest, he did not like to appear to 
 set the example to others in such a matter. 
 
 Some years after, when we were staying 
 at Wentworth House, I was walking in the 
 pleasure-ground with Lady Dorothy Fitz- 
 Avilliam, when she said, "This is where the 
 Princess slipj^ed." I asked her what she 
 
 * William IV. did not approve of these "progresses" of 
 tlie Duchess of Kent, nor of her taking the Princess to 
 visit at various country houses. — A. jNI. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 249 
 
 meant, and she told me that, when Princess 
 Victoria was there, she was showing her 
 about the pleasure-ground, and they met 
 the old gardener, who said to the Princess, 
 *' Your Royal Highness maun be varie care- 
 ful, for its varie slape." The Princess turned 
 round and said, *' What does slape mean ? " 
 Just at that moment she slipped in the 
 mud, and nearly came down, on which Lady 
 Dorothy quietly said, " Now, ma'am, you 
 know what slape means." 
 
 Soon after their visit. Lord Milton, who 
 was the great favourite and hope of the 
 county, was taken ill with typhus fever, and, 
 to the great sorrow and regret of everyone, 
 he died. It was not generally known, but 
 Princess Victoria had an attack of the 
 same fever after her return to Kensington 
 Palace.
 
 250 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 When we got older, and a schoolroom was 
 established, we used to remain at Cannon 
 Hall all through the winter ; but my father's 
 health was never strong, and he could not 
 stand the climate there at that time of year, 
 so he and my mother regularly spent the 
 six winter months at Holkham, which place 
 always agreed with him particularly. No- 
 thing could be happier than our summers, 
 when our parents were at home, or more 
 dreary than the winters, when they were 
 away. My heart used to sink within me 
 when they drove off, and we were left. 
 
 We had two governesses. The English 
 one had been governess to Tom Hughes' 
 sister ; the other, a German, was the daugh- 
 ter of the musician Kiesewetter. The only 
 advantage we found in having two, was that, 
 if there was warfare with one, the other was 
 especially kind to us. 
 
 My mother told me in latter years that 
 we used all to be so much admired when
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 251 
 
 young, that she was spoken of as, "Mrs. 
 Stanhope with the beautiful children." Of 
 course the knowledge of this was carefully 
 kept from us. Lady Anne Coke used to 
 say to her, " You do not make half enough 
 of those beautiful little girls, you are not 
 worthy of them." Her answer always was, 
 " I am afraicV She thought of Lady Ellen- 
 borough. I well remember my extreme 
 astonishment one day when we were at 
 Cheltenham : I got separated from the 
 others, and became lost in the Old Well 
 walk, when a gentleman came up, bringing 
 with him a lady, and I heard him say to 
 her, " I want you to see her, I think she is 
 the loveliest little girl I ever saw." I was 
 very excited, and thought I should like to 
 see her too. I looked eagerly all round in 
 every direction for the little girl ; but there 
 was no one near, and they Avere looking 
 at me. 
 
 My father, in speaking of us, used to say, 
 " They are all as wild as hawks, but there is 
 not one of them that would tell an untruth, 
 or do a mean thing." * 
 
 * Perhnps I may be excused for inserting the following 
 letter, which I have found. — S. P.
 
 252 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 My mother kept a shop for us about once 
 a month, where we bought cheap things for 
 presents to the villagers, or for ourselves. 
 Our money was made by the pennies we 
 received every Saturday evening, when our 
 characters for the week were read aloud. 
 
 Many old customs still lingered at that 
 time in the village of Cawthorne. The 
 
 " Wortley, 9th Jan^. 
 "Dear Lady Elizabeth, 
 
 " I must write you a few lines to tell you how de- 
 lighted I and the children have been with Walter's and 
 Anna Maria's visit to us. It was very, very kind of you 
 to let them come. He is a dear, good boy, and I found 
 him perfectly tractable and gentlemanlike ; as to her, 
 were I to say all I think of her, you, but no one else, 
 would accuse me of exaggeration : her heart, her mind, 
 her whole vianiere d'etre, are singularly delightful. You 
 have indeed reason to be grateful to God for giving you 
 such a daughter, and, yes, eldest child too ! How salutary 
 must the effect be upon the others ! . . . 
 *' Believe me, 
 
 " Ever yr. affte, 
 
 " G. Stuart Wortley." 
 From many old letters of my grandmother's which I have 
 found, I feel sure that even she, in her heart of hearts, 
 would not have considered a still warmer eulogium as an 
 exaggeration. 
 
 I may add the following extract from a letter of my 
 grandmother's of about the same date as the above, written, 
 probably, to her mother-in-law. — S. P. 
 
 " Anna Maria set off last Thursday, according to 
 appointment, with Mark, in the gig to Peunistone, where
 
 A. M. W. PICKERINa. 253 
 
 curfew was rung every evening at eight 
 o'clock. On the first of May the school- 
 children came up with hoops to beg for 
 artificial flowers ; these my mother's maid 
 used to sew on to the hoops, which, with 
 ribbons and other decorations, were used in 
 decking out a tall May-pole planted in the 
 village. At Christmas all sorts of old cere- 
 
 &be was met by Lady Georgiana [Stuart Wortley], who 
 brought her back, quite enchanted with her, on Saturday. 
 She told me that she had ne\er seen anything more per- 
 fect than her manner to Mr. Forster, to whom she was to 
 act as Anibassfuh'ess in bringing him here. I must give 
 you a specimen of the conversation for your amusement : — 
 
 ^^ Lady G. JTortley: 'Mr. Forster, I have brought 
 Anna Maria on an embassy to you from Lady E. Stan- 
 hope.' 
 
 " Mr. F. (drawing himself up) : ' Oh ! I am prepared 
 to receive it.' 
 
 ".4. M. : ' Not an embassy, a petition : so I must make 
 myself humble.' 
 
 " Mr. F. : ' So that's all ! There is a shilling for you.' 
 
 "^. M. : ' Mamma desires me to entreat you to come 
 to us. She has kept a very comfortable room for you.' 
 
 " Mr. F. : ' Pretty talking ! When I get there, I shall 
 find that Lady Elizabeth has put me into a place oidy fit 
 for a coal hole, looking into the chicken-yard, with the 
 dog-kennel beyond it.' 
 
 "yi. M. : ' Oh, no ! It is a very nice room, just oppo- 
 site the schoolroom, so that we may all take care of you.' 
 
 " Mr. F. : ' Just opposite the schoolroom ! a charming 
 noise I shall have ! ' 
 
 " A. M. : ' We will take o^are not to touch the piano- 
 forte when you aii- in your room.'
 
 254 MEMOIRS OF, 
 
 monies still prevailed : the carpenter used 
 to bring in the yule-log on Christmas eve 
 into the library : no other servant had the 
 right to bring it in. On New Year's eve, 
 toast and ale went round for the servants : 
 musicians and morris-dancers, and the 
 ''horse's head," appeared, while the choir 
 sang under the windows, whatever the w^ea- 
 ther might be. Another night the singers 
 used to come into the hall, and sing to us 
 there. There were always some very fine 
 
 " Mr. F. : ' If I dou't hear him, I shall be sure to hear 
 
 1/OU.' 
 
 " ^. M. : * Your room has two doors, and the school- 
 room one : they shall always be shut.' 
 
 '' Mr. F. : 'A nice banging I shall have ! ' 
 
 '' A. M. : ' Mamma says you shall do what you like, 
 and go where you like.' 
 
 " Mr. F. : * Very likely, indeed, that Lady Elizabeth 
 would bear me hobbling about the house ! The first thing 
 she would do, would be to take my stick from me.' 
 
 " A. M. : * If you will but come, you shall not be 
 obliged to write yourself a lawyer's letter as an excuse to 
 get away again.' 
 
 " Mr. F. : 'I should find some other means of getting 
 away.' 
 
 '* So tliey went on, till Mr. Wortley, and even Lord 
 and Lady Wharnclitfe, were in fits of laughter. 
 
 " She has made quite a conquest of Lord WharnclifFe, 
 who volunteered shaking hands, and saying how glad he 
 was to see her : indeed, she has quite domesticated herself 
 there, and is as much al home as if she had lived there 
 all her life."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 255 
 
 voices amongst them, and they practised a 
 good deal amongst themselves ; indeed, this 
 part of England was noted for producing 
 good singers. 
 
 My father took the greatest pains with 
 our education. He had a highly classical 
 mind, and used to read a great deal of 
 history and poetry with us, and especially 
 with me, as I was the eldest. When he was 
 away, he used to write letters on history to 
 me, and these I had to answer. I have in 
 after years realised the true value of his 
 instruction, and have found that what I 
 learnt from him has remained, and has left 
 its stamp on my mind, long after the wisdom 
 and learning of the schoolroom had passed 
 away.* 
 
 On most (lavs in the summer we used to 
 ride with my father. He had made quite a 
 study of the art of riding, in riding-schools 
 
 * Whatever pains her father spent on her education, she 
 well repaid on that of her own children. She never con- 
 sidered that any trouble or money spent on such an oliject 
 was wasted. I have now soine dozen note-books containin<5 
 a history of Enjiland which she wrote for us, ])ecause she 
 thought she could convey the facts to us better in her own 
 words than in those of others. The facts, perhaps, have 
 vanished from our minds, but the spirit of the teaching and 
 of the teacher remains ; and her labour has not been in vain. 
 S P
 
 256 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 both in England and abroad, and he used 
 to say most people rode without knowing 
 anything of the government of a horse ; 
 that it should be entirely from the wrist, 
 and that a turn of the little finger should 
 govern the bit of a horse. He told me that 
 sometimes when he was riding in Paris, 
 everybody would scatter out of the way in 
 alarm of his horse, though he was only 
 amusing himself by making it dance 1 
 
 When we did not go out riding with my 
 father, we used to do gardening with my 
 mother. She sat near us with her book, 
 directing our youthful efforts at digging, 
 weeding and watering. We had each a 
 flower-garden and a kitchen-garden. 
 
 Every day during our tea-time my father 
 used to read aloud to us, either the plays of 
 Shakespeare, or Roman history : and this 
 was one of our great pleasures, for he read 
 most beautifully.* Inspired by what had 
 been read to us, we used to act plays on the 
 stump of a tree in the park, and ride tour- 
 naments on our ponies. 
 
 * My mother, certainly, inherited to no mean extent the 
 rare art of reading aloud, though she could not, as she 
 always declared, imitate different brogues as well as her 
 father did.— S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 257 
 
 A prime favourite of our childhood was 
 Mitchell (Mitty), my mother's maid, who 
 had been with her before she married. Her 
 chief pleasure was in spoiling us : her next, in 
 spoiling the whole village. She was always 
 begging for some one ; and it was as good as 
 a play to hear my mother scolding her, re- 
 monstrating, and declaring her determina- 
 tion not to give, while Mitchell, holding her 
 own, and not minding a bit, waited quietly, 
 sure of getting her own way at the last. 
 
 Her great delight was in making the most 
 remarkably clever rag-dolls for us, dressed 
 like soldiers or sailors. 
 
 One day, my mother found her at the 
 poor people's closet, drinking up all the 
 remains of the bottles of medicine, because, 
 as she said, it was a great pity such good 
 medicine should be wasted. Another day 
 my mother found her with her mouth full of 
 something, chewing away at it ; the some- 
 thing was some of her finest lace, which was 
 undergoing a process, which, Mitchell said, 
 was the safest one for getting tlie dirt out. 
 She was, however, wonderfully clever with 
 laces and furs. 
 
 Poor Mitchell ! she eventually ended by 
 going out of her mind from softening of the 
 
 R
 
 258 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 brain, and had to have a home provided for 
 her in a farmhouse. 
 
 We used to take great interest in the 
 village, and my brother Roddy was a great 
 favourite there. He could talk Yorkshire 
 very well, which delighted the villagers, and 
 any choice stories of the natives were always 
 retailed to us. One day he remarked to 
 the keeper on the number of rabbits in the 
 park : " Eh ! Mester Roddy, there's sadly, 
 prattily, a fund o' rabbits in t' park." An- 
 other day he asked where something was, 
 and was told, " It's 'oop a t'op o' t'ous." 
 There was an old woman whom we used to 
 go to see, she had shaking fits, and told 
 Roddy, *' T' doctor says it's from t' liver ; but 
 a knows better ; it's a hole in t' gizzard." 
 
 One day the same woman said to me, " I 
 should like to go to heaven, and I mean to 
 go there, if I live and keep my senses." 
 Another woman said she hoped her son 
 would still be lame, and have his crutches 
 in heaven, so that she might hear him com- 
 ing, for "how could she go homfer, homfer 
 through all the courts of heaven looking for 
 him ? " 
 
 There was an old couple in the village 
 whom I used often to go to see, and one
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 259 
 
 day, when I found them sitting, one on each 
 side of the fire, the old man said to me, 
 " Well, t' misses and me, we've been married 
 nigh on fifty year, and we've never had one 
 quarrel." The old woman looked at me, 
 with a twinkle in her eye, and said, ** It war 
 varie conscientious, but varie dool." 
 
 As we got older we used to half live in 
 the boat on the water in the park. We 
 discovered an island, where my father, in 
 former days, had made an arbour and some 
 walks : this we appropriated, and we got an 
 old man, Amos Gill, who was the living image 
 of Count Ugolino, to come with us to cut the 
 brambles, and clear the paths. When we 
 took him back, he exclaimed, on getting out 
 of the boat, " I am thwiTiful to be on English 
 shores again ; I hope I shall never leave 
 England more : " and we had to give up 
 taking him, as the perilous voyages over a 
 few yards of water were too much of a trial 
 for him. 
 
 One day we were walking by the Dean 
 Hill tan-yard : the tan pits were all in a 
 dark barn, and at the entrance to this we 
 saw a man standing, laughing, and holding 
 up a dripping bonnet by the strings. Pre- 
 sently there emerged such a figure ! my 
 
 R 2
 
 260 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sister Eliza, with her hair wet, and stream- 
 ing down her back ; her muslin frock cling- 
 ing round her, with tan pouring from every 
 fold : and in this draggled and drowned 
 condition she had to walk home. She had 
 gone, against orders, into the barn, and, in 
 the dark, had fallen into one of the tan pits. 
 The catastrophe was concealed from my 
 mother, though she was puzzled to know 
 why the tan-yard was smelling so strong 
 that day. 
 
 Once Walter came in to dinner in the 
 schoolroom looking very white : Roddy had 
 been teasing the dog in the stable-yard, till, 
 thoroughly enraged, the animal broke his 
 chain, rushed at him, got him down, and bit 
 his arm : the next minute he would have 
 been at his throat, but, providentially, 
 Walter was at hand, and saw what had hap- 
 pened ; he was very strong, and gave the 
 dog such a tremendous kick, that it slunk 
 back into its kennel. Walter then took 
 Roddy up in his arms, carried him into the 
 saddle-room, and sucked the wound. 
 
 One very hot season there were an enor- 
 mous number of wasps about, and my bro- 
 thers took to smoking them with sulphur, 
 and then digging them out. One day they
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 2G1 
 
 brought in a very fine hornet's nest in a 
 handkerchief, with the hornets in a state of 
 torpor. They thought they would kill them 
 by putting them into the oven, and preserve 
 the nest as a specimen. After giving them 
 time, as they thought, to be well roasted, 
 they opened the oven door, when a great 
 buzz was heard, and out flew all the hornets, 
 resuscitated by the heat, and swarmed all 
 over the kitchen. How they were finally 
 got rid of, I do not remember. 
 
 One day, at Cannon Hall, there was a 
 large party, which included old Mr. Bo wen 
 Cooke. He was sitting at one end of the 
 table, and, in due course, stood up to say 
 grace ; when the expectant ears of the 
 company were greeted by my brother 
 Roddy's voice from the other end of the 
 room, with, 
 
 " Six children sliding on the ice, 
 All on a summer's day : 
 It 80 fell oixt that they all fell in, 
 The rest they ran away." 
 
 Another day, when my aunt Anson and 
 her daughters. Sir William and Lady Cooke, 
 and others, were at Cannon Hall, they let 
 off* the water from the upper reach in the 
 park, with a view to getting the fish, and
 
 262 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 then cleaning it out. We all went down to 
 see it drawn, and my uncle Charles, who was 
 there, persuaded Sir William Cooke to walk 
 over the top of the cascade, as being much 
 the shortest and easiest way of getting to 
 the other side. Sir William Cooke had 
 Koddy in his arms, and the stones at the 
 top of the cascade were narrow and slip- 
 pery ; down went Sir William Cooke, slosh 
 into the mud and water in the upper reach, 
 letting Roddy fall from his arms, who went 
 down the then dry cascade, bounding from 
 one stone to another. They thought he 
 would have been dreadfully hurt, but he 
 sat down on the last stone quite uncon- 
 cerned, washing his hands. 
 
 This anecdote recalls to my memory some 
 verses which my uncle Charles wrote about 
 us, and gave to me : — 
 
 Dear Anna Maria, 
 
 Who can but desire 
 
 To hear that you're healthy and happy and good. 
 
 And lively Eliza, 
 
 I hope she grows wiser 
 
 And taller to-day, than she yesterday stood. 
 
 That carpenter Walter, 
 
 Is ne'er a defaulter 
 
 At pleasing Miss Dawson* and learning his book, 
 
 * The governess.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 2G3 
 
 That brave little Roddy, 
 
 Takes care of his body, 
 
 That fell from the arms of that good William Cooke. 
 
 That fat, fair Miss Alice, 
 
 A soul without malice, 
 
 Is loved and is loving where'er she is known. 
 
 And Baby Louisa, 
 
 Let all strive to please her. 
 
 Or surely our hearts are as hard as a stone. 
 
 When she grew up, my sister Loui, in 
 spite of bad health, was active in doing all 
 the good she could for others. She was 
 deeply religious, and devoted herself to 
 brightening the lives of the villagers, by 
 whom she was deservedly beloved. One 
 event, which gave her infinite pleasure, was 
 their joining together to present her with a 
 very handsome silver cup, and an address 
 commemorating their gratitude to, and af- 
 fection for her. 
 
 She had a remarkable love for animals, 
 and the most extraordinary control over 
 them, never seeming to have the slight- 
 est feeling of fear wherever an animal was 
 concerned ; indeed, one of her great desires 
 was to have a tame lion.* She had a little 
 
 * The mention of a tame lion recalls to my mind au 
 anecdote which my father told me of Sir llobert Spencer. 
 In his ship he had a pet tiger, which he had got as a cub, 
 and which was perfectly tame. One day he was sitting in
 
 264 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 cart made to take her provisions to the poor 
 in the village : it was quite low, and painted 
 bright blue, with brilliant red wheels, and 
 ** Louisa Elizabeth Spencer Stanhope " in- 
 scribed on the back of it. To this she used 
 to harness either a fox or a ram ! Lord 
 Stanhope, when he was staying at Cannon 
 Hall, delighted in going with her to the vil- 
 lage, and they took a regular Noah's Ark 
 with them. The procession consisted of the 
 fox and the ram, one or other of them draw- 
 ing the cart ; Lord Stanhope's little German 
 dog, Lowe ; a Chinese sheep, with flap-ears, 
 called Pekin ; and two large German geese. 
 Lord Stanhope afterwards made Loui a 
 present of the geese, and they used to roam 
 about the park, which was soon full of " the 
 Stanhopes," as we used to call them. 
 
 Often when my sister Loui had ordered 
 
 an arm-chair in his cabin, with his hand hanging over the 
 arm, when the tiger, who was lying beside him, began affec- 
 tionately hcking it. Sir Robert felt the licking growing 
 harder and iiarder, and he knew that in a few minutes the 
 beast would draw blood. He had the presence of mind not 
 to draw his liand away, nor to move ; but, with the other 
 hand, he rang the bell, and told the servant, who answered it, 
 to bring him a loaded pistol instantly. The man did so ; 
 and Sir Robert, taking it with one hand, whilst the beast 
 was still licking the other, blew out its brains. — A. M.W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 2G5 
 
 the fox to be harnessed to the cart, the 
 grooms would come and say that they 
 could not find it anywhere : then she would 
 go to the trees near the avenue, and call, 
 " Charlie, Charlie ; " and out would come 
 Charlie from his hiding-place, and follow her 
 into the stable-yard, where he was harnessed 
 to his cart — the ''Daisy cart," as it was 
 called. 
 
 Daisy, the ram, had lost his mother in 
 early youth, and my sister had brought him 
 up by hand. He grew into a very handsome 
 ram, with a long thick tail and twisted 
 horns. He was perfectly devoted to my 
 sister, but was a most dangerous animal for 
 other people, and everyone was afraid of 
 coming near him. He pitched one young 
 man into a tank of water in the stable-yard, 
 and another day he attacked a man on 
 horse-back, who was riding in the park. 
 
 Once, when there was a frost, and my sister 
 was being pushed in a chair on the ice in 
 the park, Daisy caught sight of her, and 
 rushed on to the ice after her; down he 
 came, of course, but picked himself up 
 again, and frantically tried to get to her, 
 slithering and tumbling about in a most 
 ridiculous manner.
 
 266 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 But his devotion to my sister could not 
 expiate his sins against other people ; and, 
 after having knocked down an old woman, 
 and nearly killed the gardener's children, 
 his death-warrant was signed, and he had 
 to pay the penalty of his misdeeds. 
 
 Another animal celebrity at Cannon Hall 
 was a beautiful silver pheasant, with a very 
 long tail : it used to walk about in the 
 pleasure-grounds, and, though peaceably 
 disposed to everyone else, it had taken a 
 most unaccountable dislike to my father, 
 and would attack him whenever it saw 
 him. My father used to have to put up 
 his umbrella to defend himself, when the 
 bird would then fly on to the top of it, and 
 my father had to walk home with the phea- 
 sant perched above him, forming a most 
 ludicrous picture. 
 
 We had some beautiful Grecian dogs like 
 large greyhounds, which always followed the 
 carriage. They had been bred from some 
 dogs which my father had brought with him 
 from Greece. Their names were Sparta 
 and Corinth (vulgarized by the servants into 
 Currant) ; the former black, and the latter 
 a bright red-brown. There was also a very 
 extraordinary dog from Van Diemen's Land.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 207 
 
 It was perfectly happy and contented till it 
 caught sight of a child, when it immediately 
 began howling in the most unearthly man- 
 ner, and behaved as if it were going out 
 of its senses. It had eventually to be sent 
 away on account of this peculiarity. 
 
 My father, also, used to keep some wild 
 boars of a small breed, and one day the 
 Exciseman was found sitting? on the top of 
 a wall, with a bull on one side, and the wild 
 boars on the other. 
 
 When I was about ten years old I became 
 very lame : no cause could be assigned for 
 this, nor could it be ascertained what was 
 the matter. My parents consulted Brodie, 
 who, without seeing me, suggested I should 
 not move from the sofa. This was carried 
 out till I almost lost the power of walking, 
 and my parents got thoroughly frightened 
 about me. Several clever surgeons came 
 over to see me, but could not discover what 
 was wrong ; and I had to go through experi- 
 ments of hot bran-baths, leeches, blisters, 
 etc., etc., but got no better. At last I was 
 taken to Hay, the celebrated surgeon at 
 Leeds, who ordered me irons up to the knee ; 
 my father remonstrated, but without avail ;
 
 208 MEMOIES OF 
 
 they were ordered, and arrived at Cannon 
 Hall. My father said that he might pay for 
 them, but that I should never put them on, 
 and he settled I should be taken to London 
 to see Brodie. 
 
 Just before we were to start, Miss Beckett 
 came over from Barnsley. She was a very 
 managing, strong-minded woman, and quite 
 a character. She said, "Lady Elizabeth, 
 before you take that child to London, will 
 you bring her over to my mother's house, 
 and let me appoint old Whateman, the bone- 
 setter, to see her ; he comes to Barnsley 
 every market day. " My mother consented, 
 and we drove over to Mrs. Beckett's* on the 
 appointed day. There we found old Whate- 
 man established. He was a fine, picturesque, 
 benevolent old man, with his head tied up 
 in a red cotton handkerchief. He first 
 heard all that had been done, looked at 
 my foot, made me walk, and then said to me, 
 " My dear, the great men have done all they 
 could to make you lame for life, but happily 
 they have not succeeded. Now I will cure 
 you; but I must doctor the boot first." 
 
 * She was au aunt, I believe, of the present Lord Grim- 
 thorpe. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING, 269 
 
 He begged an old white kid glove from Miss 
 Beckett, and taking that and my boot, he 
 went into the town. He soon came back, 
 bringing the boot, which had in the inside a 
 small pad of white kid, and outside, just in 
 the hollow of the foot, a wedge of strong 
 leather. He put the boot on me, and then 
 told me to walk, which, to my surprise, I 
 found I could do perfectly, without lameness 
 or pain. He said that until the foot was 
 quite well I must never walk a step without 
 wearing that boot ; though, with it, I might 
 walk as much as I liked ; and he ordered me 
 to have a douche of cold water every morn- 
 ing and evening, and to have a masseur from 
 Leeds to stay in the house, and rub my foot 
 six or seven times a day. This was carried 
 out, and in three weeks I was perfectly well, 
 and never had any trouble with my foot 
 afterwards. He explained to me that some 
 slight thing, such as a chilblain, had caused 
 me to tread unequally, and in doing so I 
 had overstrained the guiders of the foot, 
 which had become like overstretched clastic, 
 and every time I walked they gave way, and 
 would become worse, unless they were pro- 
 perly supported by my boots ; and that, 
 instead of havinj? had thin^fs to strengthen
 
 270 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 them, and to enable them to recover their 
 tone, the treatment which I had been under- 
 going had served only to weaken them. 
 Thus, from wrong treatment, a simple thing 
 might have become a very serious one. 
 
 I am glad to give this my testimony to the 
 very last of a remarkable race of men — the 
 Yorkshire bone-setters. 
 
 I ought to give some description of the 
 Becketts of Barnsley. Mrs. Beckett had a 
 good house and garden, just at the entrance 
 of Barnsley.* She had one son, and three 
 daughters, the eldest of whom, Eleanor, the 
 grenadier of the family, was a thorough 
 
 * This Mrs. Beckett, so far as I can ascertain, must have 
 been the wife of one of the sons of Sir John Beckett of 
 Leeds, who was born in 1743, was created a baronet in 1813, 
 and was grandson of Gervase Beckett of Barnsley. Sir John 
 had three daughters and eight sons ; of the latter, three 
 successively inherited the baronetcy. 
 
 His 1st son. Sir John, married Anne Lowther, daughter 
 
 of the Earl of Lonsdale. 
 His 3rd son. Sir Thomas, married his cousin, Caroline, 
 
 daughter of .Joseph Beckett of Barnsley. 
 His 5th son, William, was a banker at Leeds, and married 
 a daughter of H. Meynell Ingram, of Temple 
 N'ewsham. 
 His 6th son, Sir Edmund, married a daughter of W. Be- 
 verley, great-niece of Lady Den i son ; their eldest son. 
 Sir Edmund, was created Lord Grimthorpe. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 27l 
 
 character. Very tall, thin, and masculine- 
 looking ; with spectacles, and a strong York- 
 shire accent. She knew everyone's business, 
 and what everyone ought to do, which she 
 was always trying to make them do : but she 
 was kind, and helpful in any difficulty. In 
 Barnsley it was said that Miss Beckett 
 governed England : i.e. she governed Barns- 
 ley, Barnsley governed the West Riding, the 
 West Riding governed Yorkshire, and York- 
 shire governed England. Augusta Beckett, 
 the second daughter, was as tall as her 
 sister, but not so clever, and was inclined to 
 be sentimental ; while Marianne, the third, 
 was a kind and amiable person, who suffered 
 from bad health. 
 
 The son, Staniforth Beckett (Stan-iforth), 
 was a quiet, inoffensive man, who took care 
 of his money : indeed, money seemed to 
 stick to everything of the name of Beckett. 
 Beckett-Denison, Lord Grimthorpe's father, 
 took the name of Denison for a fortune, 
 which (the name, not the fortune) he 
 dropped on succeeding to the baronetcy. 
 
 The Becketts had a pet protege, a pretty 
 little Pole, Count Wierskinski ; he was quite 
 young, and found it very convenient to be 
 always welcomed at their table. One very
 
 272 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 hot morning, as I was riding, I passed 
 Wierskinski sitting under a tree, cooling 
 himself; he rose, and made me a profound 
 salute. The next day, to my great amuse- 
 ment, my governess received a letter from 
 him, apologising for having bowed to " La 
 vezzosa Signorina Stanhope " without having 
 his cravat on ! 
 
 Augusta Beckett fell a victim to the little 
 blind god, and actually committed the folly 
 of marrying Wierskinski. She was giganti- 
 cally tall, as I have mentioned, and old 
 enough to be his mother. They reminded 
 one of a caricature in the Bab Ballads. I 
 never heard what w^as the after-life of this 
 ill-matched pair. 
 
 Lady Anne Beckett, the cynosure of the 
 Becketts' eyes, lived in the large house at 
 the end of Stratford Place, and used to give 
 grand parties there. She was Lord Lons- 
 dale's daughter. 
 
 Mr. William Beckett of Leeds married 
 Miss Meynell Ingram, when she was no 
 longer young. She owned Temple Newsham, 
 a fine place in the neighbourhood of Leeds. 
 I remember Mr. Granville Vernon telling us 
 that he had been asked to dine with them 
 in London, " I went to my old friend. Bill
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 273 
 
 Beckett," he said, " expecting a good plain 
 dinner, and a few old Yorkshire friends ; 
 instead of which I found, to my surprise, a 
 very fine gentleman as my host, with a num- 
 ber of fine London people as guests, and a 
 dinner of the most recherche character, with 
 the finest of wines." 
 
 Mr. Granville Yernon was a son of Arch- 
 bishop Harcourt. He had married Mrs. 
 Danby Harcourt,* a rich widow, who had a 
 beautiful place, of which he had the enjoy- 
 ment as long as her life lasted. She was a 
 most quiet, unpretending person, and was 
 always in very bad health. We used some- 
 times to go and see her, and I remember 
 her showing us a wonderfully beautiful re- 
 presentation of the crucifixion in ivory, the 
 work of Benvenuto Cellini. 
 
 • As second wife : his first wife had been a Miss Eyre. 
 According to Burke, Edward Vernon, the Archbishop of 
 York, assumed the name of Harcourt on succeeding to liis 
 mother's estates. He married Anne Granville, daughter of 
 the Marquis of Stafford. 
 
 Their eldest son, (George Granville Vernon or Vernon- 
 Hiircourt, married, firstly, a daughter of Lord Lucan, an<l 
 seconillj, the Countess Dowager of Waldegrave. Their 
 third son was William Harcourt, canon of York, whose 
 second son is Sir William George Granville Vernon- Har- 
 court. Granville Leveson was the Archbishop's ninth and 
 youngest sou. — S. P. 
 
 S
 
 274 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Mr. Granville Vernon was a tall, distin- 
 guished-looking man, but he was decidedly 
 unpopvdar. * 
 
 His father was the last Archbishop who 
 really looked like the head of the Church, 
 with his handsome face, framed in a full- 
 bottomed wig, which conferred such an 
 appearance of wisdom and dignity on the 
 wearer. Before the see was divided, he 
 used to come every year to Cannon Hall. 
 
 There was a little bridge in the pleasure 
 ground at Bishopthorpe from which, it was 
 said, a very good view of York races could 
 be obtained, and there the Archbishop and 
 his secretary, well hidden by the foliage, 
 used to enjoy their private peep. 
 
 * I have omitted a story illustrative of his unpopularity ; 
 it is familiar to a later generation, but is told of his nephew, 
 Sir Vy^illiam V. Harcourt.— S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 275 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 My sister Eliza and I used to go to London 
 every spring, for masters. This was a plea- 
 sant change for us, and we saw many sights 
 and things of interest which we should 
 otherwise have missed. We used to live a 
 great deal in Langham Place with our grand- 
 mother and aunts, and we often went to 
 tea with our cousins, Lady Anne and Lady 
 Louisa Primrose ; also with the William 
 Ansons, who had the same French mistress 
 as we had. We were very fond of this 
 mistress, and she used to get up little enter- 
 tainments with her friends, at which we 
 often acted charades. 
 
 The Zoological Gardens were a delight to 
 us : and, in those days, the Colosseum was 
 a great resource ; every year there were 
 beautiful dioramas with dissolving views 
 there, and exhibitions of all kinds. I well 
 
 remember the (Swiss Cottage near a lake, 
 
 s 2
 
 276 MEMOIRS or 
 
 and the African glen, with its stuffed ani- 
 mals, and natives at their various occupa- 
 tions : there was, also, an eagle perched on 
 a rock, and many other things of interest.* 
 
 One sight, which I remember well, was 
 very pretty, and, as it never can be seen 
 again now, I will describe it. Lord Lich- 
 field was Postmaster-general, and we went 
 to tea with our cousins, his children, to 
 watch from the balcony of his house the 
 mail-coaches going round St. James's 
 Square. This they did on the Queen's 
 birthday. There was an immense number 
 of coaches, all freshly painted, and looking 
 very bright : the horses spick and span, and 
 some of them very fine animals : the coach- 
 men and guards had all new scarlet coats, 
 and new hats : and the reins, also, were new. 
 They all drove, one after the other, round 
 St. James's Square, blowing their horns, 
 and, as they passed Lord Lichfield's house, 
 which was in the corner of the Square, the 
 coachman and guard of each coach took off* 
 their hats. 
 
 * I have added as an appendix to this chapter a diary, 
 ■which I found, written by my mother when eleven and a 
 half years old, describing one of these journeys to town, 
 and some of her doings when in London. — S. F.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 277 
 
 Once when we were in town, I was walk- 
 ing in Bond Street with my brother Walter, 
 who was then a boy at Eton. Suddenly he 
 dragged me across the street, between all 
 the carriages, and rushed into a shop, taking 
 me with him : then he as suddenly walked 
 out again, re-crossed the street, and walked 
 down it in a most dignified manner, taking 
 off his hat to a gentleman whom we passed. 
 I thought he had gone crazy, and asked him 
 what he was doing : his answer was, " I was 
 making you shirk Dr. Hawtrey : I forgot I 
 was not at Eton, and in another moment I 
 should have had you under the counter ! " 
 I can boast of having played battledore 
 with Professor Whewell, as well as having 
 " shirked " Dr. Hawtrey. 
 
 We used to see a good deal of the Milnes 
 of Fryston. Mrs. Milnes used to sing to us 
 in the schoolroom after she was dressed for 
 dinner. I think I can see her now, in a 
 very short and narrow gown of either yellow 
 or ruby brocade, made just like a sack, 
 quite straight down, with a small flounce at 
 the bottom, showing some coloured shoes, 
 and a turban with white feathers on her 
 head. She was like the French caricatures
 
 278 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 after the Peace : '' Les Anglais pour rire ! '' 
 She used to sing " Froggy would a wooing 
 go," to a most appreciative audience. She 
 was a very good-natured woman. 
 
 Her husband, Richard Pemberton Mihies, 
 was tall and strikingly handsome, but had a 
 very satirical expression. He was a more 
 able man than his son (Richard Monckton 
 Milnes), and made a speech, from which the 
 highest expectations were formed as to his 
 future political career. 
 
 He himself made a bet that before a cer- 
 tain age he would be a member of the Go- 
 vernment, and true enough, before that age 
 he actually was offered the Chancellorship 
 of the Exchequer. He refused it, and, to 
 the surprise of every one, never took any 
 further part in politics. He was offered a 
 peerage, but refused that also, to the intense 
 amazement of his son. 
 
 Once when he was staying at Cannon Hall 
 he expressed a wish to see my aunts, who then 
 lived at Banks. My father walked up with 
 him, and, when they got into the garden, 
 they found my aunt Frances pruning her 
 roses. Mr. Milnes opened his arms wide, 
 and exclaiming " My dear girl, I am so glad 
 to see you," gave her a hearty kiss ! My
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 279 
 
 father looked scandalised, and my aunt 
 blushed the colour of a poppy. I ought, 
 perhaps, to finish the story by observing 
 that Mr. Milnes and my aunt are now both 
 dead. 
 
 Monckton (Dickey) Milnes (afterwards 
 Lord Houghton), as a public character has 
 been so often described, that any further 
 description of him seems almost superfluous. 
 His face beamed with kind-heartedness, im- 
 perturbable good-temper, and thorough 
 enjoyment of life, He never showed the 
 slightest approach to ill-nature. His father 
 enjoyed having a sly hit at him, but let him 
 do as he liked, and ask whom he pleased 
 to Fryston. 
 
 Those who have never heard Monckton 
 Milnes laugh, have lost an experience in life ! 
 It w^as an irrepressible burst of joyous merri- 
 ment, such as could only have proceeded 
 from a mind perfectly at ease, and quite 
 free from any mean or unworthy thought. 
 He was a man a j^etits talents: he had a 
 very pleasant voice, and used to sing most 
 agreeably the songs he had written, "The 
 Old Arm Chair," and others. In London 
 he took to going into people's houses in 
 the evening, uninvited, which was not quite
 
 280 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 appreciated, and procured him the sobri- 
 quets of " The cool of the evening," and 
 "London assurance." 
 
 One day when we were staying at Fryston, 
 my mother went up to sit in her own room. 
 It was a cold day, and she heard a great 
 poking up of her fire : on entering, she 
 found, to her amusement, Dickey Milnes, 
 hard at work, making her up a good fire. 
 
 Once when the Roseberys were at Cannon 
 Hall, Monckton Milnes was staying there, 
 and he challenged us to guess a riddle 
 which he had made up. I may give it here, 
 because anything composed by him pos- 
 sesses a certain value : — 
 
 '• My first is very near a tree ; 
 My second my lieart has done for thee ; 
 Guess on, and never mind the trouble, 
 It will requite thee more than double. 
 Trebled." 
 
 After we had come out, we often went to 
 Fryston. I thought it a most agreeable 
 house at which to visit, for there was always 
 a succession of clever people there, and you 
 never knew whom next to expect. One 
 morning at breakfast, I remember, Monck- 
 ton Milnes suddenly announced that Thiers 
 was coming that evening : but some business 
 interfered to prevent his doing so.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 281 
 
 In those days childish games were all the 
 fashion in the evening, but childish games 
 played by such men as Mr. Cheny, Mr. 
 Spedding, and Sir Stirling Maxwell were 
 regular encounters of wit, realjeiix d esprit. 
 I remember we sent Monckton Milnes out 
 of the room, and chose a character, which 
 he was to guess and personate. We settled 
 on Dick Turpin, which completely puzzled 
 him, and he had to give in. 
 
 After his mother's death, his only sister, 
 Lady Galway, did the honours at Fryston. 
 She was very good-tempered, like her bro- 
 ther, but had monopolised all the family 
 beauty. She had been brought up in Italy, 
 and sang like an Italian. Lord Galway was 
 a very handsome man, and looked just like 
 a brigand. 
 
 Richard Milnes, the father, once took me 
 into his study, saying that he had something 
 he wished to show me. It was a very fine 
 portrait of Lord Coke, the Lord Chief 
 Justice. Portraits of him were very scarce, 
 and he valued it very much. He said to me, 
 " Now, I want to know if you don't agree 
 with me that your mother is very like this 
 picture ; I think there is a regular family 
 likeness. Look at his mouth, and then look
 
 282 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 at hers ! She has a regular Chief Justice 
 mouth ; see how it goes down at the sides 1 " 
 There were only six generations between 
 them ! 
 
 One day when Eichard Milnes and his son 
 were staying at Cannon Hall, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bland of Kippax* were there, and Mr. Bland 
 and Mr. Milnes set off to ride to the moors 
 together. As they went along, Mr. Bland 
 began boasting how free his part of York- 
 shire was from coal-pits, saying that the 
 worst of the Cannon Hall country was that 
 the pits smelt so strong, you could simply 
 not get away from the smell. All the way 
 he talked of nothing else, "No doubt you 
 smell them still, in fact, they are getting 
 stronger and stronger ! " All at once Mr. 
 Milnes exclaimed, " Bland, you are the coal- 
 pit ; it is you who smell ; you are smoking, 
 you are on fire I " It was quite true : Mr. 
 Bland had been smoking a cigar, and had 
 put it, while still alight, into his pocket, 
 where it had smouldered on, till it finally 
 burst into a flame. It did not take long for 
 Mr. Milnes to get the coat off, but it tc^ok a 
 
 * Kippax is near Harrogate. Mrs. Bland was Lord 
 Stourton'a daughter.— A. M. W. P.
 
 A. M. TV. PICKERING. 283 
 
 long time for him to give up chaffing Mr. 
 Bland. When they got back to Cannon 
 Hall, he went in triumph into the library, 
 displaying the burnt coat, and telling such a 
 good story against Mr. Blaiid, that Mr. Bland 
 declared he would pay Mr. Milnes' expenses 
 if he would go abroad. 
 
 Monckton Milnes stood for Penistone at an 
 election. This was after the Pope had issued 
 a bull, which had made a great sensation in 
 the political world. Alluding to the subject 
 on the hustings, Monckton Milnes, instead 
 of saying this bull of the Pope's, said " This 
 Pope of the bull's," which made people 
 laugh. When it was repeated a second time, 
 they laughed still more ; and when, for a 
 third time, he came out emphatically with 
 "This Pope of the bull's," there was a 
 general roar, which woke Milnes up to the 
 consciousness of what he had been saying ; 
 and, no doubt, he joined in the laugh as 
 heartily as anybody. 
 
 There was a house with some land near 
 
 Penistone, which had belonged to the Milnes 
 
 for a great number of years, and constituted 
 
 their connection with Penistone. On the 
 
 hustings Monckton Milnes alluded to this, 
 
 ^nd said that he was no stranger to them, 
 a
 
 284 MEMOIRS or 
 
 as his family had lived amongst them for 
 four hundred years. At the dinner, a farmer 
 got up, and gave the health of Mr. Milnes, 
 as a gentleman who had lived amongst them 
 for four hundred years ; whether this was 
 the result of the good cheer or not, I do 
 not know, anyhow, Monckton Milnes, who 
 was staying at Cannon Hall, was much chaf- 
 fed, and was called nothing but " Old Milnes" 
 for some time after. 
 
 I remember rather an absurd thing hap- 
 pening in London, shortly after I came out. 
 There was a large dinner party at our house 
 in Harley Street, and some of the people 
 were very late in coming. While we were 
 waiting for them, it grew very dark, and I 
 started wool-gathering. Forgetting where I 
 was, or by whom I was sitting, I suddenly 
 asked Monckton Milnes, (who was unmar- 
 ried), if his son was getting on well at Eton. 
 He gave me an excellent and circumstantial 
 report of that imaginary person, and then 
 burst into such a peal of laughter as per- 
 fectly electrified the bored and hungry guests. 
 
 Our time of greatest excitement in those 
 days was at a general election. We were 
 red-hot tories. My mother kept well with
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 285 
 
 all parties : if, by chance, she found herself 
 under the Orange colours, she was Mr. Coke's 
 daughter ; if under the " Banner of Blue," 
 she was Mr. Stanhope's wife. Both sides 
 received her well. On one occasion, which 
 I well remember, both the tory candidates 
 were staying at Cannon Hall : Mr. Wortley, 
 afterwards Lord Wharncliffe, and Beckett 
 Denison, Lord Grimthorpe's father. To my 
 delight they asked me to go with them in 
 their carriage. All the country-side by 
 Penistone was tory, and we had a regular 
 ovation. A very pretty sight it was: we 
 were in Mr. Wortley's barouche, the postil- 
 lions in blue, and the horses decorated with 
 blue ribbons ; on the hill below Penistone 
 a band was waiting, which struck up as soon 
 as we appeared, and a body of mounted 
 volunteers with blue ribbons were there, 
 too, to escort us : blue flags were flying in 
 every direction, and flowers were showered 
 into the carriage : there was music and 
 cheering, and all the country people were 
 out to receive us. 
 
 The following day at Barnsley told a dif- 
 ferent tale, however. There, all were radi- 
 cals. Beckett Denison made a very gushing 
 speech to melt the hearts of the town : he
 
 286 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was their fellow-townsman ; he had been 
 born and bred in Barnsley ; he had begun 
 life as a grocer's boy. But Barnsley was 
 obdurate ; radical to its heart's core, and did 
 not respond to the gush. Whilst he was 
 haranguing them from the hustings in the 
 market-place, some farmer asked him a 
 question, and, instead of answering him, 
 Beckett Denison, with very bad taste, made 
 a long nose at him. This was too good to 
 be lost by Yorkshire electors, and next day 
 every place was placarded with silhouettes 
 of Beckett Denison's nose, with a very 
 stalwart fist applied to the end of it. 
 
 My father used to say that he never saw 
 the Becketts without thinking of — 
 
 *' And you, good yeomen, 
 Whose limbs were made in Enj^land." 
 
 On one nomination day we were very 
 anxious to go to Wakefield, but were told 
 that we must not do so, as there was a general 
 report that the Dewsbury men intended to 
 get up a great riot. The election proceeded 
 most quietly for a time, and all seemed to 
 promise well for the tory candidates : when, 
 suddenly, in the middle of the speeches, 
 distant music was heard. It was the Dews- 
 bury men marching into Wakefield. All
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 287 
 
 became confusion, people getting away as 
 fast as they could ; for the Dewsbury men 
 had given out that they meant to pull down 
 the hustings. 
 
 Old Mrs. Gaskell, who was very tete-montee, 
 came up to my mother, saying, "Lady 
 Elizabeth, come with me ; an English mob is 
 always generous ; let us go to the front of 
 the hustings ; they will respect ladies." My 
 mother said, "Thank you, I know rather 
 more about English mobs than you do, and 
 I have no intention of trusting myself to 
 their generosity, I advise you to get away 
 whilst you can." 
 
 Meanwhile the mob had assembled in front 
 of the court-house, where the magistrates 
 and principal people had taken refuge. My 
 father, who was never wanting in moral 
 courage, volunteered to go out and speak 
 to them : but no sooner had he got out of 
 the court-house, and raised his voice to 
 speak, than he was nearly knocked down by 
 a violent blow on the side of his head ; he 
 would have fallen had he not been steadied 
 by a blow on the other side. Several people 
 were seriously hurt, amongst them James 
 Wortley. My father fortunately had on a 
 high hat, which was new, and it saved his
 
 288 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 head, but it was beaten to pieces. For the 
 next two hours they had a terrible time in 
 the court-house : it was regularly besieged 
 by the mob ; every window was smashed, and 
 brickbats, paving stones, and any heavy 
 things they could lay their hands upon, were 
 hurled into the rooms. There was one lady 
 shut up with them, and my father said that 
 he never saw anything like her cool, quiet 
 courage : she dodged the brickbats, which 
 were flying in all directions about the room, 
 and at last she got under a sofa and lay flat 
 on the floor. 
 
 Meanwhile my mother was locked up in 
 the prison, in the jailor's cellar. She did 
 not know what had become of my father, 
 and, all the time she was there, people were 
 coming to the windows, bleeding and hurt, 
 and begging to be taken in. At last, after 
 a long time of tension, came the welcome 
 news that the soldiers had arrived. The 
 Riot Act was read, and the troops dispersed 
 the mob. 
 
 It was a most serious riot, and was long 
 known as " The Battle of Wakefield." 
 
 I may here mention a person who was 
 very well known in his generation, and was
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 289 
 
 a friend of my husband's from Eton days. 
 Sir Francis Doyle. He was afterwards ap- 
 pointed Professor of Poetry at Oxford. He 
 was most amusing, and his wit and fun were 
 quite spontaneous; though some of his jokes 
 might, possibly, have done service before, 
 they were none the less racy. He always 
 had a look on his face as if he was intensely 
 amused at his own thoughts, and was, with- 
 out exception, the most absent-minded man 
 I ever met : as Sir William Cooke used to say 
 of him, " Doyle ! a man one could not trust 
 to put on his own stockings." 
 
 He married Miss Sydney Wynne, Mrs. 
 Milnes Gask ell's sister. Not long afterwards 
 they went to stay with another sister of 
 hers, Mrs. Lindsay, and there they told 
 him that an aunt, whom he had never 
 seen, was expected, and impressed upon 
 him the necessity of being civil to her, 
 as she was rich, and there were expectations 
 from her. 
 
 The day she was to arrive, Lady Doyle 
 had, unfortunately, so bad a headache that 
 she could not appear, and was obliged to lie 
 down and keep quiet. In the afternoon a 
 carriage was heard driving up to the door : 
 it was the aunt arriving. She retired at 
 
 T
 
 290 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 once to her room, and did not appear till 
 she was dressed for dinner. Her dress, 
 which was very handsome, looked, perhaps, 
 more peculiar then than it would have done 
 in these days, now that old fashions are 
 being revived. It consisted of a beautiful 
 old brocade, with elbow-sleeves, and fine old 
 lace ruffles. She wore black mittens and 
 high-heeled shoes, and carried a gold-headed 
 cane and large fan. Her white hair was 
 turned back from her brow, and her face, 
 which still showed some signs of good looks, 
 was very wrinkled ; but she had lost her 
 front teeth, and her voice was rather 
 quavering. 
 
 Sir Francis Doyle was formally introduced 
 to her as her new nephew. She raised her- 
 self on tiptoe, and gave him a kiss, express- 
 ing great regrets at not seeing Lady Doyle. 
 Sir Francis offered her his arm, and took 
 her in to dinner, during which he exerted 
 himself to the utmost to be agreeable to her, 
 touching on every topic that occurred to 
 him. Dinner was nearly over, when he felt 
 a sudden sharp tap on the arm from the 
 aunt's fan, and a familiar voice exclaimed 
 *' Frank, don't you know me ? " The imagi- 
 nary old aunt was Lady Doyle disguised.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 291 
 
 Addendum. 
 
 [While editing these memoirs, I chanced 
 on a little journal, written by my mother 
 when only eleven and a half years old, which 
 well deserves insertion here. It is a remark- 
 able production for a child of that age, but 
 presents an attraction greater than that of 
 literary merit, in the strong resemblance 
 which it bears, both as regards its style and 
 the character of mind displayed by it, to 
 her writings of sixty-five years later. Those 
 who knew and loved her, and, perhaps, 
 even the casual reader of these pages, 
 will recognise, as easily in this infantile 
 production as in her later writings, the 
 depth of happy and intellectual enjoy- 
 ment of the whole world around her, 
 which characterised the writer throughout 
 her life. 
 
 I have left uncorrected such few errors as 
 there were in this journal. The original 
 had, evidently, not been revised in any way 
 since it was first written. — S. P.] 
 
 T 2
 
 292 memoirs of 
 
 "Anna Maria Spencer Stanhope, 
 " Cannon Hall, June 3. 
 
 " My journal, beginning with an account of 
 our journey from Cannon Hall to Lon- 
 don in the year 1836, a distance of 182 
 miles, with our own horses in six days. 
 
 " We left Cannon Hall Monday the 14th of 
 March. It was a fine day but rather show- 
 ery, and there was a great deal of wind. 
 The first place we came to was Barnsley, 
 (a small town about 5 miles from Cannon 
 Hall). It is a very pretty drive from thence 
 to Barnsley, being a very hilly country. The 
 wind was very high, and the clouds seemed 
 to threaten us with a storm ; but, as we 
 went on, it became much finer, and the rain 
 went off". We passed by Sir Francis Wood's, 
 near the village of Hickleton. The road 
 w^as not so pretty from Barnsley to Doncas- 
 ter, where we arrived, after a pleasant drive, 
 at about two o'clock, and had an excellent 
 dinner ; after which we left the Angel Inn 
 for Barnby Moor. The whole of the country 
 from Doncaster to Barnby Moor is very 
 bleak and dreary, and appears like a culti- 
 vated common. We passed through the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 293 
 
 small, but clean town of Bawtry, which is 
 not far from Mathisey (?). It was late when 
 we got to Barnby Moor, and, after a com- 
 fortable tea, we went to bed. 
 
 "The next morning we set off at seven 
 o'clock, and were soon on our way to Scar- 
 thing Moor. We passed through the small 
 town of Retford, and a little after we met 
 some gypsies — a man and a woman, and 
 some children, with a cart full of things, 
 and a little thin, miserable-looking donkey, 
 with a bed on its back, upon which were 
 riding, quite merrily, three funny little ban- 
 tams. Scarthing Moor is a very nice quiet 
 Inn, for it is not in a town, but quite away 
 from any other house. We had a pleasant 
 breakfast, but, unfortunately, when it was 
 time for us to set off, it began to rain a little, 
 and we had a very wet journey to Newark, 
 so much so, that we quite despaired of get- 
 ting to Grantham that night ; but, contrary 
 to expectations, it cleared up after we got 
 there, though it had certainly been a most 
 dreadful morning. 
 
 "On entering the town we saw Newark 
 castle, which is a very beautiful building, 
 and, though now nothing remains but the 
 old ruined walls to bear witness of its ancient
 
 294 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 splendour and magnificence, yet these give 
 sufficient testimony of what it once was. I 
 must not forget to mention that Newark was 
 one of the few places which, after the battle 
 of Naseby, held out for Charles 1st, and was 
 besieged by the Scotch army. That unfor- 
 tunate Monarch, seeing that all was lost, 
 and dreading to fall into the hands of the 
 Parliament, formed the resolution of giving 
 himself up to the Scotch, who, contrary to 
 his expectations, delivered their unhappy 
 sovereign into the hands of his inveterate 
 enemies, the Parliamentarians, for the sum 
 of 400,000 pounds. We had not a very good 
 sight of these fine old ruins on account of 
 the rain, which, however, soon stopped ; 
 and, after having dined at the Clinton Arms, 
 we were able to proceed to Grantham in 
 Lincolnshire. 
 
 " After having had fine weather most part 
 of the time, all of a sudden the sky clouded 
 over, and, before we had time to prepare for 
 the storm, it began to hail with such vio- 
 lence that the horses would scarcely face it, 
 and we did not know what to do. I do not 
 think I was ever in such a storm ; the wind 
 blew very hard, and the hail came pattering 
 in our faces ; altogether it was very disagree-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 295 
 
 able ; but it scarcely lasted five minutes. 
 As we approached to Grantham the road 
 appeared as if it were cut out of a rock, 
 the bank was so very high on both sides. 
 Grantham is a very nice large town, and the 
 Iim is quite splendid. We had fine large 
 rooms, beautifully furnished, and very com- 
 fortable beds. 
 
 " On the following morning we set off ; it 
 was a fine day and we were not long in get- 
 ting to Witham Common, which is about ten 
 miles from Grantham. It is a delightfully 
 clean place, and we all agreed in liking it 
 exceedingly, particularly Miss Dawson, who 
 found the bill very cheap. We had now 
 eleven miles to go before we got to Stamford, 
 where we were to dine. As we were coming 
 along we saw a very singular-looking dwarf. 
 We soon arrived at Stamford (a town in 
 Kutland) and had a very disagreeable din- 
 ner, (for the mutton chops were very tough 
 and burnt), and the house was not at all 
 pleasant. 
 
 "We had a verv deliditful drive from Stam- 
 ford to Wansford, as the weather was ex- 
 ceedingly fine, and we had only six miles to 
 go. The Inn at Wansford is much nicer 
 than the one at Stamford, and is very quiet.
 
 296 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 We had a very comfortable tea in a nice 
 little room, after which we went to bed. 
 The next morning it rained a little. We 
 had but six miles to go before breakfast : 
 the rain went off, but the wind was very high. 
 We stopped at a small town ; but the Inn, 
 though not very large, is better than the one 
 at Stamford. We had a pretty good break- 
 fast, and afterwards learnt that the name of 
 the town was Stilton, from whence Stilton 
 cheese comes. 
 
 " We next went to Buckton in Huntingdon- 
 shire ; we went to the Angel Inn just oppo- 
 site to Buckton Castle. The mutton chops 
 were rather better than usual. 
 
 " The next place was Eaton, which is a very 
 nice place in Bedfordshire, and there is a very 
 good Inn. Eaton is only a village, though 
 it is such a clean delightful place, and the 
 country is rather pretty. We had very nice 
 rooms, and the next morning, when we got 
 up, we were glad to see it was a fine day. 
 We left Eaton in good time, and were not 
 long in getting to Biggleswade, where we 
 breakfasted : it is about fourteen miles from 
 Eaton. 
 
 " We had an exceedingly pleasant drive to 
 Stevenage, as the weather was very fine, and
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 297 
 
 the country quite beautiful, for there were 
 no pollard willows, which, in my opinion, 
 spoil so much the beauty of a landscape. We 
 got out and walked about a mile and a half 
 up a long hill : the horses were very much 
 tired, and Mark, also, got down and led 
 them up the hill. It refreshed us very much 
 to have a little walk, for we were beginning 
 to get quite tired of sitting cramped up in 
 the carriage. We were now no longer in 
 Bedfordshire, but in Hertfordshire ; as we 
 advanced we found the soil very chalky, and 
 on both sides of the road were hills, which, 
 Miss Dawson said, reminded her very much 
 of the White Horse hills in Berkshire. We 
 now got to Stevenage, where we had a very 
 good dinner, and afterwards went on to 
 Welwyn, where we slept. It is a very noisy 
 place, and we had the worst beds on the 
 road. We set off early the next morning, 
 as we had fourteen miles to go before 
 breakfast. We were so very impatient to 
 get to London after so long a journey, that 
 the time appeared very long before we got 
 to Barnet. We passed through Hatfield on 
 our way thither, and saw the Marquis of 
 Salisbury's house. There is a very large 
 park, but the house is quite in ruins.
 
 298 MEMOIRS or 
 
 for it was, unfortunately, burnt down last 
 year.* 
 
 " I shall never forget how we enjoyed our 
 drive to Barnet, the country was beautiful, 
 the day fine ; in fact, all nature looked green 
 and delightful. The prospect of soon reach- 
 ing London, and of seeing Papa and Mamma, 
 and everybody else, after having been shut 
 up so long at Cannon Hall . . , ., under 
 such circumstances, this morning's drive was 
 truly enjoyable. Barnet is a considerable 
 town in Middlesex, it was here the battle of 
 Barnet was fought between Edward 4th and 
 the Earl of Warwick. We breakfasted here. 
 
 " How shall I express how great was our 
 joy when, after an apparently long drive of 
 twelve miles, we at length came in sight of 
 London. Though a clear day, the houses 
 were scarcely to be distinguished from the 
 . . . ., and Eliza exclaimed that it looked 
 like a swarm of bees. We at length entered 
 the City, and how shall I describe what we 
 
 * Hatfield House was burnt down in November 1835, 
 not 1836, as has recently been stated. In the fire, Lady 
 Salisbury was burnt to death. She was then eighty-six 
 years old. It was this Lady Salisbury who had been so 
 noted as a huntswoman ; she followed the hounds, and was 
 mistress of them, until she gave up that post in her seventy- 
 ninth year. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 299 
 
 felt, when we at length got to Langham 
 Place, where we found Papa and Mamma 
 ready to receive us. I cannot say how very 
 happy we were to see them, Grandmamma 
 and Aunts, after having been so long away 
 from them. We dined at Langham Place, 
 and, after we had stayed a little while there, 
 Pinfold came to fetch us. Aunties walked 
 part of the way home with us and Miss Daw- 
 son. We liked our new house in Baker 
 Street very much, and our first night in 
 London was very happy and comfortable ; 
 and we slept very soundly till morning. 
 
 " Having now finished a little account of 
 the journey, I shall proceed without delay 
 to give a short description of what happened 
 whilst we were in London. 
 
 "Part 2. 
 
 "March 20th, 1836. 
 
 "The first day we were in London was 
 Sunday. After we had breakfasted, we got 
 ready, and went Avith Papa and Mamma to 
 Langham Place. We had a very pleasant 
 walk and enjoyed ourselves very much, for 
 all around us was novelty ; and, indeed, how
 
 300 MEMOIRS or 
 
 could we but enjoy a walk with dear Papa 
 and Mamma. We found the walk a great 
 deal too short ; but, when we arrived, we 
 found Grandmamma and Aunts just going 
 to church : Papa and Mamma went with 
 them, and we went in to Aunt Isabella. 
 We first read prayers with her, and after- 
 wards amused ourselves as well as we 
 could. When they came from church, we 
 had a very good dinner, which we began to 
 feel the want of, and after dinner we went 
 to All Souls, Langham Place, which is a very 
 nice church. After church we went home ; 
 Mamma and Aunt Frances and Aunt Maria 
 went part of the way with us. 
 
 "We called at Sir William Anson's, and 
 saw the Miss Ansons. Miss Anson, the 
 eldest, is eighteen; Anne, the second, is 
 about thirteen, and is a very amiable girl ; 
 I liked her very much indeed ; Louisa, the 
 youngest, is just four days older than Eliza, 
 and made an excellent companion for her. 
 Mamma left us, and went alone home to 
 Baker Street, and had tea with Miss Daw- 
 son, who had been by herself all day. I 
 quite forgot to mention that after church in 
 the afternoon, when we were standing on 
 the balcony with Aunt Anne, we saw all the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 301 
 
 Royal Princes galloping by, and amongst 
 them the young Prince of Portugal, son of 
 the Prince of Orange, who went over about 
 a fortnight after, and married the Princess 
 Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal. They 
 were returning from a party the Duchess of 
 Kent had given the night before, and to 
 which Mamma had been. 
 
 " The next day, Monday, after breakfast we 
 went to Mr. Lewis's with Miss Dawson, and 
 we left Mamma at Lady William Anson's on 
 the road, and, as we came back, we went in 
 and saw Madelle. Beau, a French mistress, 
 who gave the little Ansons lessons. Mamma 
 liked her very much, and arranged for her 
 to come on Wednesday, and give us a lesson. 
 In the afternoon Mamma had settled for us 
 to go again with her to Mr. Lewis's. We 
 stayed there some time, and saw Mr. Lewis 
 and his three little boys ; we stayed there 
 some time, and brought home some beautiful 
 sketches of his, and his three little boys' 
 drawing books. Mamma seemed very much 
 pleased with what she saw of him. We next 
 came to Madelle. Beau's, 17 Manchester 
 Street. We went to Cavendish House and 
 some other places before we went home. It 
 rained very hard all the afternoon.
 
 302 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " The next morning, Wednesday, Mr. Lewis 
 came at nine o'clock to give me a perspec- 
 tive lesson (but in future I always went to 
 his house), after which Madelle. Beau, also, 
 came for two hours. Before I go on, I must 
 mention that Mrs. Potter was our music 
 mistress, and M. Luquit (a Frenchman) was 
 our dancing master. Mr. Lewis, whom I 
 have before mentioned, gave me lessons in 
 perspective, and Madelle. Beau came four 
 times a week to give us a two hours' lesson. 
 
 " To return to my subject : in the afternoon, 
 when we went out with Miss Dawson, we 
 called at 30 Portman Square to see Mrs. 
 Chandos Leigh, a great friend of Mamma's, 
 and to beg her to lend us the key of the 
 Square, which her mother very kindly did ; 
 she also gave us two tickets of admission to 
 the Zoological Gardens and the Museum. 
 We walked about in the Square, after which 
 we returned the key. When we came in, 
 and had got off our things, Lady Rosebery 
 and cousin Fanny Murray came to see us. 
 Lady Rosebery invited us to go and see her 
 some day, in fact, she was in hopes Mamma 
 would take us with her when she went to 
 dine with her the next day. Mamma thought 
 it would be too late, particularly as I had a
 
 A M. W. PICKERING. 303 
 
 cold, but promised we should go another 
 time. Mamma kept her word, for that same 
 day we were soon either to go to Grand- 
 mamma's or to Lady Rosebery's : we could 
 not settle which we should like best, but 
 Papa told us he had broken off the engage- 
 ment with Grandmamma, as she wished us 
 to go to Lady Rosebery's to see the court 
 dresses. Mamma took Mr. Lewis's book 
 with her that evening. 
 
 ''Thursday we got up in high spirits; 
 Madelle. Beau was to come in the morning, 
 and afterwards we were to have gone at 
 about ten o'clock to Langham Place to see 
 the Guards pass ; but, unfortunately, when 
 it was time for us to go, it began to rain 
 very hard, so that we could not walk there 
 with Papa. It soon became fine again, but 
 we did not go, as the streets were too wet. 
 We therefore set off with Mamma at a little 
 past one to go to Lady Rosebery's ; but, 
 unluckily, we were caught in a hailstorm, 
 which, though it came with great violence, 
 was soon over, and we got safely to Lady W. 
 Anson's, where there were a good many 
 people assembled. We saw Lady and Miss 
 Anson dressed for Court, in white satin and 
 pearls ; we also saw Mr. Anson before he
 
 304 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 went. We then went on to Lady Rosebery's, 
 and were fortunate to see her before she 
 went. Her dress was much handsomer than 
 Lady Anson's, for it was composed of a 
 very handsome blue satin and diamonds. 
 We saw Lord Rosebery and Lord Dalmeny. 
 We were very happy all day. Lady Harriet 
 was there, with her children, James and 
 Charlotte, such dear little things ; we played 
 with them. After dinner we amused our- 
 selves with looking at the carriages coming 
 from Court ; we were lucky enough to see 
 the riding by. This amusement was put a 
 stop to by little James Dunlop leaning his 
 head too hard against the window, by which 
 means he broke a whole pane of glass, and 
 we were obliged to quit the window. The 
 little Dunlops did not stay very long after 
 dinner, but in the evening the Miss Cambells 
 (the Lady Primrose's cousins) came. 
 
 " On Saturday, at about ten o'clock at night, 
 a dreadful fire broke out in Bond Street, 
 and, for want of water to fill the engines, a 
 great many houses were burnt, and many 
 tradespeople ruined. 
 
 " Sunday passed as usual. Tuesday morn- 
 ing Mamma and Miss Dawson went to church 
 (for it was Passion week), and we went for
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 306 
 
 the first time with Papa to Hyde Park. We 
 
 had a very pleasant walk, and went almost 
 
 to the Duke of Wellington's house, for the 
 
 day Avas very fine. After dinner we went 
 
 w ith Mamma and Miss Dawson to the Bazaar 
 
 in Baker Street, where we saw a beautiful 
 
 exhibition of wax figures, which were made 
 
 by Madame Tussaud (a Fi*ench woman). 
 
 We were quite delighted, for they were so 
 
 naturally executed that we found it difficult 
 
 to distinguish the wax figures from real. It 
 
 seemed as if a stroke of magic had brought us 
 
 into the immediate presence of the greatest 
 
 men and most powerful potentates of Europe, 
 
 who have long- been sleeping in their silent 
 
 graves. Amongst others Ave saAv Sir Robert 
 
 Peel, O'Connel, Shakespeare, Dryden, and 
 
 many other distinguished and celebrated 
 
 men, besides the principal characters of the 
 
 day ; but I am afraid it would take too long 
 
 a time to name them all ; I must, therefore, 
 
 content myself with mentioning a few. 
 
 Amongst the Kings, there was, also, a figure 
 
 of George the 3rd and his Queen ; and, at 
 
 the bottom of the room, George the 4th Avas 
 
 seated on a throne, Avith Queen Caroline 
 
 beside him. The Princess Charlotte and 
 
 Prince Leopold of Saxe Cobourg Avere also 
 
 u
 
 306 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 there ; Louis Phillipe of France, Louis 
 the IGth and his family, and several other 
 French kings. On the other side of the 
 room there was Sir Walter Scott, Lord 
 Byron, and, among others, Pitt and Fox, and 
 Fame crowning both with laurels. But the 
 most conspicuous part was two groups in the 
 centre of the room, one containing the chief 
 persons in the late war, such as Napoleon, 
 the Emperor of Austria, the King of Prussia, 
 the Duke of Wellington, and Lord Nelson, 
 etc., etc. The other represented the coro- 
 nation of the present King and Queen. 
 Mamma said it was the image of the King. 
 The Bishop of Norwich was crowning him, 
 and behind were the emblems of Britania, 
 Caledonia and Hibernia ; the whole had a 
 beautiful effect, and was worth seeing. 
 There was also an excellent representation 
 of Fieschi and the infernal machine. 
 
 " That evening Madelle. Beau and the little 
 Ansons came to drink tea with us at about 
 five o'clock, and we spent a very merry 
 evening together. 
 
 " Wednesday was very wet. We went to 
 Mr. Lewis's. It became finer towards the 
 evening, and we walked part of the way 
 home.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 307 
 
 " The next day was Mamma's birthday, and 
 we gave her a little candlestick, which we 
 had commissioned Miss Dawson to get us 
 the evening before. Mamma was very much 
 pleased with it. In the afternoon we went 
 to the Bazaar in Baker Street. 
 
 " The next day was Good Friday ; we w ent 
 to Langham Place, and Miss Dawson went 
 to her sister's. It was a very fine morning, 
 but the rain began about one o'clock, and it 
 actually poured the whole afternoon ; not- 
 withstanding which, Miss Dawson came home 
 that night, and got quite Avet, which made 
 Mamma very vexed ; and afterwards she 
 always stayed till Monday night, and, if ever 
 it rained, she did not come home till Tues- 
 day morning. 
 
 " Two days after was Easter Sunday; in the 
 morning it was fine, but a little before din- 
 ner a most violent hailstorm came on, and 
 in a few minutes the tops of the carriages 
 were covered with hail, and the coach was 
 sent to fetch Grandmamma and Aunts from 
 church. After dinner it was again fine, but 
 too wet to go to church. 
 
 " Monday, Madelle. Beau came to give us a 
 lesson ; she stayed to dinner, as Miss Daw- 
 son was out, and that same evening, after 
 
 u 2
 
 308 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 M. Luquit's lesson, she was so kind as to 
 call, on purpose to take us to drink tea at 
 Lady W. Anson's ; but, unfortunately, just 
 as we AVere going* to set off. Lady Lichfield 
 called [with] her children, and Lord and 
 Lady Harriet Anson, which made us a 
 quarter of an hour later. (We stopped in 
 Manchester Street for Madelle. Desportes, a 
 friend of Madelle. Beau, who lived with her.) 
 We amused ourselves very much. The fol- 
 lowing morning Miss Dawson came home ; 
 in the afternoon we went with Aunt Hudson 
 to Mr. Dumerque's ; she staid there, and Ave 
 came back Avith Tanner ; Ave stopped at a 
 linen draper's in Bond Street, Avho said he 
 remembered Mamma Avhen she aa^s less than 
 five years old. Some time after we returned 
 to Langham Place, Ave heard of Lady Anne's 
 illness. 
 
 "Thursday we walked Avith Papa in Regent's 
 Park. On Friday Ave Avent Avith Mamma to 
 Langham Place, and afterwards Ave Avent 
 again Avith Aunt Hudson and Miss DaAvson 
 to Mr. Dumerque's, who pulled out one of 
 my teeth and tAvo of Eliza's. We immedi- 
 ately went home, and the carriage took Aunt 
 Hudson back. Mamma had promised us to 
 have Punch that evening, but it Avas too late,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 309 
 
 therefore we had it set up the next morning*. 
 It amused Eliza very much. 
 
 "Sunday morning we set off early, and in 
 the afternoon went to church, and afterwards 
 walked in Park Square with Aunties and the 
 little Palmers, some children who lived in 
 Lani^ham Place, Avith whom we had made 
 acquaintance. 
 
 " On Monday, before Madelle. Beau came, 
 we went out with Papa ; and in the evening 
 we saw a very nice house in Edward's Street. 
 
 " Tuesday, Mamma went with Miss Dawson 
 and fixed upon No. 26 Edward's Street as 
 our future house ; and Thursday Avas the 
 day of our removal. In the afternoon we 
 went in the carriage to Langham Place ; there 
 we met Lady Rosebery and Lady Anne and 
 Louisa Primrose ; we went with them and 
 Aunties to the Diorama, where we first 
 saw the interior of the church of Santa 
 Croches at the break of day, and the village 
 of Alagna, in Switzerland, during a snow- 
 and thunderstorm. It was very natural and 
 beautiful, for the smoke was seen rising out 
 of the cottage chimneys, and the village was 
 surrounded on all sides by high mountains, 
 whilst the cottages were reflected upon the 
 lake ; but the wind began gradually to rise,
 
 310 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and a dreadful storm came on ; the thunder 
 rolled, the snow fell in flakes, and the village 
 was quite hidden in a thick fog or mist ; it 
 gradually cleared up, and the church spire 
 and the whole village appeared ; the moun- 
 tains, and everything below, was quite 
 covered with snow. It was very beautiful in 
 its way. When we got into the carriage, 
 Mamma settled to go to the Colisseum. 
 Unfortunately the other carriage was gone ; 
 however, we went alone : Aunt Hudson was 
 with us. We first went through the saloon 
 of Arts, and, as we were deliberating where 
 to go, we were met by a very smart, dandy- 
 looking man who accosted us with ' This 
 way, ladies, if you please,' and led us into a 
 very small room with seats all round it. 
 When we and two other ladies were seated, 
 and the door shut, we were addressed with 
 ' Sixpence, if you please, ladies.' We were 
 quite ignorant of what we were going to 
 see, but gave the sixpence, and a minute 
 after, to our surprise, we felt the room turn- 
 ing round, which was not at all pleasant, 
 and we were not reconciled to our fate by 
 the man's assuring us that it was a very 
 quick way of getting to the top of St. Paul's, 
 and spared us eighty-eight stone steps, and
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 311 
 
 we had only to ring a little bell if we wished 
 to come down the same way. I thought the 
 Panorama of London a surprising work of 
 art, and was very much delighted with it, 
 particularly when I learnt that my friend, 
 Mr. Lewis, had had a hand in painting it. 
 It took us some time to look about us, and 
 we were very much amused, particularly as 
 there was a very nice man who was kind, 
 and explained everything to us. 
 
 *' And here, I suppose, I must for the pre- 
 sent conclude, as the limits of my paper will 
 allow me to go no further ; but at some 
 future time I may perhaps continue a little 
 account of what happened that day, and, 
 indeed, what we did the remainder of the 
 time we were in London."
 
 312 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 My father had long been in very bad health, 
 and had been ordered bv the doctors to the 
 South of France : but he did not like leav- 
 ing his mother, to whom he was very much 
 attached, for what was then so long a 
 journey ; so he decided to try Boulogne 
 for a month, being attracted there by the 
 fact that the consul, Mr., afterwards. Sir 
 William Hamilton was an old friend of his. 
 They had been fellow prisoners at Verdun, 
 and he was a regular warm-hearted old 
 Scotchman. His wife was French, a Verdun 
 lady ; a remarkably clever and agreeable 
 woman. 
 
 It was in the spring of 1839 when we 
 started, toute la boutique: carriages, horses, 
 coachmen, governess, nurse, lady's maid, 
 butler, cook, and all the under servants, 
 even to two Yorkshire housemaids. We 
 stopped a night or two in London, and 
 then posted on to Dover, where, I think.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 313 
 
 we stayed a clay before embarking, as the 
 sea was very rough. The gangway had 
 been drawn in, and the paddle-wheels had 
 begun to revolve, when a voice was heard 
 from the shore, " Stop the boat, stop the 
 boat." The boat was put back, and we saw, 
 descending the steps, Lord Brougham, fol- 
 lowed by Lord Opulston. 
 
 Lord Brougham told us that he was on 
 his way to take possession of a house which 
 he had just bought, on the banks of the 
 Mediterranean ; that it was the most abso- 
 lutely solitary place that could be imagined, 
 there not being another house Avithin reach, 
 only a few cottages belonging to a village 
 called " Cannes : " that he was looking for- 
 ward to not seeing an English face, or 
 hearing an English voice, till he got back. 
 He said he meant to be naturalised as a 
 Frenchman. He then told us that he had 
 had a very good breakfast, and had taken a 
 berth, meaning to go to sleep, and wake at 
 Boulogne ; that he thought this the most 
 satisfactory Avay of crossing the Channel. 
 
 So he disappeared. Lord Opulston had 
 had no breakfast at all, and was going to 
 try the system of starvation as an antidote 
 for sea-sickness ; which, by the way, proved
 
 314 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 singularly ineffective. My father got into 
 our carriage on deck, and said it answered 
 perfectly, as it quite broke the motion, and 
 was like going over a rough road. 
 
 We had a most fearful crossing, and, when 
 we got close to Boulogne, it was found to be 
 unsafe to attempt crossing the bar, which 
 was then a very dangerous one : so we had 
 to go on to Calais. It was as good as a 
 play, when the boat stopped, to see Lord 
 Brougham come on deck rubbing his eyes, 
 saying, " Lady Elizabeth, can you tell me, 
 am I awake or asleep ? Am I dreaming ? I 
 embarked for Boulogne ; and, surely, this 
 is Calais port and pier ! What does it 
 mean?" He always specially enjoyed fun 
 with my mother ; she seemed to excite him 
 to display his wit. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott says of him in his journal, 
 " Brougham is certainly one of the most 
 remarkable men I ever met : to say nothing 
 of what he is in the world, his almost 
 childish gaiety and animal spirits, his hu- 
 mour, mixed with sarcasm, but not ill- 
 natured, his wonderful information, and the 
 facility with which he handles every subject 
 from the most grave and severe to the 
 most trifling, displaying a mind full of varied
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 315 
 
 and extensive information, and a memory 
 which has suffered nothing to escape it — I 
 never saw any man whose conversation im- 
 pressed me with such an idea of his supe- 
 riority over all others. As Rogers said the 
 morning of his departure, 'This morning 
 Solon, Lycurgus, Demosthenes, Archimedes, 
 Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Chesterfield, and 
 a great many more, went away in one post- 
 chaise.' " 
 
 We saw this mnltum in parvo climb up 
 into the diligence, and start for his solitary 
 French home. If he could have had a vision 
 of it in after years, as the centre of a large 
 town, the most^ fashionable resort of the 
 English, I think he would not have gone on 
 so happily to take possession of it. 
 
 We had to post from Calais to Boulogne. 
 I remember we were much amused at the 
 mixture of finery and dilapidation in our 
 outfit, so unlike anything English. Four 
 horses were harnessed to each carriage, but 
 they were rough, shaggy, and uncombed ; 
 their manes and tails were plaited, and each 
 had a fox's brush on its head : they had 
 large, untidy - looking collars, with bells 
 hung all round. The harness was of rope, 
 and kept constantly coming undone. The
 
 316 MEMOIRS or 
 
 postillions had enormous jack-boots, lined 
 with white fur, and blue jackets trimmed 
 with gold lace ; not to mention immensely 
 long whips, which they cracked as they went 
 along. 
 
 We went to the Hotel d'Angleterre at 
 Boulogne, and stayed there a week, whilst 
 a house was being found. We eventually 
 took a large and very good house in the 
 Upper Town, Par vis Notre Dame, just oppo- 
 site to where the Cathedral was being built. 
 This part was not then, as it is now, over- 
 shadowed and darkened by the Cathedral, 
 as little more than the foundations of this 
 were built, and we had in front of us an 
 open airy space, where we found an interest 
 in watching the progress of the building. 
 
 Just before we got to Boulogne a very 
 interesting discovery had been made : a 
 large crypt had been found, immediately 
 under the foundations of the Cathedral : 
 nothing was known about it, but it was be- 
 lieved to be very ancient : it was left open 
 for people to see, as the discovery of it had 
 caused great excitement. 
 
 When all was settled, we moved into our 
 house. I went up into my bedroom, and 
 opened the window. At the same moment
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 3l7 
 
 I saw all the workmen leave their work, 
 runnmg and calling out, " Au feu ! Au 
 fell!'' Looking round, I found my room 
 quite full of smoke. All our luggage was 
 in the court, so the first thing to do was to 
 lock the 2)orte-cocliere, and keep the peoi)Ie 
 out. The Yorkshire housemaids had been 
 sent in the day before we came, and, not 
 understanding French grates, had lighted 
 an immense Yorkshire fire on the hearth, 
 and set fire to the house. The fire had 
 been smouldering all night, and might 
 have continued to do so still, but for my 
 opening the window, when it burst into a 
 blaze. It was a very serious fire, and a good 
 deal of damage was done, which took some 
 time repairing. I think we returned to the 
 hotel for several days, before we could get 
 into the house. 
 
 The Consul introduced my father and 
 mother into all the best English and French 
 society of the place. The latter was very 
 exclusive, for, as a rule, the French did not 
 mix with the English at all. The Boulogne 
 of that day was a very lively, amusing place. 
 It was essentially French ; but there were a 
 great number of very good English families 
 established there for months at a time.
 
 318 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 chiefly for the education of the children ; as 
 masters were very good, and much cheaper 
 than in England. Of course, there were 
 also many mauvais sitjets there, as it was 
 specially advantageous for them ; but the 
 line was so strongly drawn, that no one of 
 that sort attempted to make acquaintance 
 with the respectable inhabitants. 
 
 We had many young friends, and amongst 
 them were some who afterwards filled a 
 marked position in society : Lady Londes- 
 borough. Lady Wolverton, Mrs. Evelyn 
 Shirley, and others. Lord Dundonald had 
 a house with a very large garden at Capi- 
 cure, and Sir James Lyon, who had been 
 Governor in the West Indies, had the Cha- 
 teau de Maquetra, a little way out of Bou- 
 logne. Lady Lyon, who tried to be a very 
 fine lady, was the daughter of Coxe, the 
 historian. We used often to go to tea at 
 Maquetra, and many a merry game of hide- 
 and-seek we had in the large garden there. 
 It is now a convent. 
 
 My father had been particularly ordered 
 to the South of France, as the doctors 
 thought his lungs were aflfected, and he 
 proposed, therefore, staying only for a 
 month at Boulogne, by way of experiment :
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 319 
 
 the climate, however, though a northern one, 
 had such a marvellous effect upon his health, 
 that, instead of staying one month, we re- 
 mained there a whole year; and, in the end, 
 he lost his cough, and entirely and perma- 
 nently regained his health. 
 
 We had a whole host of different masters, 
 which we enjoyed. Amongst them were, of 
 course, some characters. M. Noel, the 
 master for French grammar and composi- 
 tion, lived out of Boulogne, and had four 
 miles to walk in every morning : the conse- 
 quence was that, by the time he arrived, he 
 was very sleepy. We were quite prepared 
 for this. He used to begin to rub his eyes, 
 and say, '' J\ii mal aux yeux.'' We kept 
 very quiet : in a few minutes it was safe ; 
 and out from under the table used to come 
 our needlework and games, to return to 
 their hiding place, whenever he began again 
 to rub his eyes and repeat, " J'ai mal mix 
 yeiix'' Of course, French grammar did not 
 prosper, and M. Noel had to be changed. 
 
 Then there was the greatest contempt 
 between M. Leon, the fat dancing-master, 
 and M. Cordier, the master for fencing and 
 deportment. If they met, it was a perfect 
 farce. Thev looked at each other with
 
 320 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 supreme scorn, and used to remark to us, 
 "Cest le maitre de danse ? ", the other saying, 
 " C'est le mattre d'escrimef 
 
 M. Cordier was a great favourite of ours : 
 he was decors ; one of Napoleon's old Legion 
 dlionneur. He was, of course, devoted to 
 the memory of the Emperor, and when the 
 " Colonne," which was then being built at 
 Boulogne, was finished, he was appointed its 
 custodian. M. L6on used to produce a 
 bright red silk handkerchief, soaked in bad 
 Eau de Cologne, wave it on the top of his 
 fiddle-stick, and say, " Allons, Mesdemoiselles 
 et Messieurs, rangez-vous sous le drapeau de 
 Terpsichore ! " 
 
 My father's great amusement was walking 
 down every day to see the boat come in ; 
 and if anyone was on board whom he knew, 
 he used to bring him up to the Haute Ville. 
 In this way we saw many clever and agree- 
 able people. My parents used, also, some- 
 times to give dinners, and often dined at the 
 Hamiltons'. One day, I remember, they 
 were asked to meet Joseph Hume. He was 
 very conceited, and very proud of his French, 
 which was atrocious. He settled that, as 
 Mrs. Hamilton was French, the proper thing 
 was to talk French, which he accordingly
 
 A, M. W. PICKERING. 321 
 
 did, to their immense amusement. I only 
 wish I could fully recollect the conversation 
 as it was told to us the next morning. 
 Mrs. Hamilton offered him something good 
 at dinner, '' Non, Madame, non; je suis tres- 
 gothique (goutteux) : Mon pere Halt gotliique, 
 ma mere etait gotliique, et tous lews enfants 
 sont gothiques. Moi, fal avale quatre 
 medecins en loi jour, mat's lis ne niont ^jas 
 fait de hien. — Quand je sids en Angleterre je 
 vais voir tons les galeres " {galleries). " Mais, 
 monsieur,'' said Mrs. Hamilton, not taking it 
 in, " quelle horreur ! aimer roir les galeres ! " 
 " Oh ! j'aime heaucoup les galeres ; je vais 
 voir tous les galeres quand je suis a Londres'' 
 There was much of the same description. 
 They were all ill with laughing, and the 
 more they laughed, the more Mr. Hume 
 laughed, never suspecting the cause. 
 
 My father was asked to decide about a 
 road that was to be made outside of the 
 town : he was to settle on the best line for 
 it, and to give orders to the workmen. This 
 amused him very much, and gave him a 
 pleasant out-door occupation. 
 
 One day Prince Louis Napoleon landed 
 by the boat, with his tame eagle, to conquer 
 France ; or rather, expecting to find every-
 
 322 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 thing at his feet, as its legitimate sovereign. 
 Veni, vidi, vici. Instead of which he found 
 himself a prisoner in the Castle of Ham. 
 The French people laughed at this foolish 
 attempt very much : they looked upon it as 
 a most silly end to his career, and were very 
 full of his obstinacy. They said " JVous 
 croyons avoir a /aire avec un tine, mats nous 
 avons a faire avec un mulety 
 
 While we were there, there arrived from 
 Egypt the finest mummy that had ever been 
 sent to Europe, and it was put into the 
 museum. The features were intact ; the hair, 
 teeth, etc. quite perfect. 
 
 Amongst the other events of that year, 
 there was a most wonderful tropical storm. 
 As, I believe, nothing like it had been known 
 in Europe, it is worth recording. It was in 
 July. The weather had been generally very 
 hot, but one day it was so stifling, that we felt 
 we had to gasp for breath. After sundown a 
 thunderstorm came on : but there was not a 
 drop of rain, and it got hotter and hotter, 
 till the air was like a furnace. The storm 
 lessened, but still no rain fell. Soon after 
 sunset a most remarkable sight was to be 
 seen, and the ramparts were thronged with 
 people who went to look at it : there w ere
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 323 
 
 six distinct storms going on at once, the 
 
 clouds opening and presenting vivid fiery 
 
 pictures. Besides this, there was a thing 
 
 just like a Catherine wheel revolving in the 
 
 sky, and, every now and then, something that 
 
 looked like a flaming sword appeared. 
 
 Everyone said they thought this was the 
 
 electricity spending itself, and that the 
 
 storm would pass over. The heat, however, 
 
 continued insufferable, and still no rain ; 
 
 nothing to cool the over-heated atmosphere ; 
 
 and all was perfectly still. 
 
 Suddenly, without the slightest warning, a 
 
 violent rushing sound was heard, and a 
 
 sweeping wind took everytliing before it. 
 
 With the wind, which blcAV windows and 
 
 doors open, there fell large lumps of hail, 
 
 the size of a pigeon's e<^g, each containing 
 
 a hard kernel of ice in the middle. Every 
 
 window in Boulogne, wliich had not shutters, 
 
 was immediately smashed ; and the sound 
 
 of breaking glass, mingled with the wild 
 
 roar of the storm, was indescribable. Sir 
 
 James Lyon said that tlie suchlen rushing 
 
 wind was exactly like the coming on of a 
 
 hurricane in the West Indies, but that he 
 
 had never seen anything like it in Europe. 
 
 Then the wind suddenlv went down, and the 
 
 X 2
 
 324 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 full fury of the storm burst upon us : it was 
 as if the six storms had united in one ; there 
 were, apparently, no distinct flashes and 
 claps, but we seemed to be enveloped in an 
 atmosphere of fire, and the lightning ap- 
 peared to be very low down, as if it ran 
 along the ground, while there was a constant 
 rattle of thunder. The heat was perfectly 
 stifling, and we did not know what was to 
 come next, or how long the present state of 
 things would last. There was still not a 
 drop of rain. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning we were 
 all assembled together in one of the bed- 
 rooms, when suddenly the room was lighted 
 up by a blue flame, and, simultaneously, there 
 was the most terrific explosion, ending in a 
 sound as if something were being riven into 
 the ground : the house shook to its very foun- 
 dations. My father exclaimed " The Cathe- 
 dral has saved us!" : but it was not so : the 
 thunder-bolt fell, not on the Cathedral, but in 
 the court yard of the Castle on the ramparts, 
 where all the gunpowder was kept. Had 
 the Castle itself been struck, and the gun- 
 powder ignited, it is probable that half the 
 Haute Ville would have blown up. The 
 next day the gunpowder was all removed,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 326 
 
 and orders were issued that in future none 
 was to be kept in the town. There was a 
 lull for a few minutes, and then it was as 
 if the windows of heaven had been opened 
 at last, and down came the rain in perfect 
 sheets of water. I have never seen nor 
 heard anything like it ; one could have 
 fancied that the ground actually hissed. 
 The air soon became distinctly cooler. We 
 felt we were saved, when we heard that 
 merciful rain ; but the curious thing was, 
 that most of the harm done was done by 
 it, and not by the lightning. 
 
 Only one life was lost, a young girl in 
 the country, who was overtaken by the flood 
 and drowned ; but the whole country was 
 laid under water, trees were rooted up, and 
 the Seine became a roaring torrent. Dreary 
 was the sight from the ramparts the next 
 morning ! The whole place strewn with 
 broken branches, the land like a lake, and 
 the town, as if it had been bombarded, was 
 boarded up in all directions, for there were 
 not enough glaziers to mend the broken 
 windows. 
 
 A meeting was called to decide whether 
 the sluices of the Seine should be opened 
 to drain the country ; but it was much
 
 326 MEMOIRS or 
 
 feared, if this were done, tliat tlie result 
 might be that the port of Boulogne would 
 be destroyed. A young engineer proposed 
 some other means of letting off the water, 
 which proved successful. 
 
 In the early spring there took place the 
 marriage of the Queen with Prince Albert 
 of 8axe-Coburg-Gotha, her cousin. The 
 consulate was illuminated and decorated 
 with flags, and a ball was given by the Hamil- 
 tons, to which my father and mother went. 
 We repaired to the ramparts to see the 
 illuminations, which were very fine. 
 
 Our home at Boulogne was broken up 
 soon after. My sister Eliza, and the younger 
 members of the familv, returned to Cannon 
 Hall, with the nurses and governess, whilst 
 my parents, my brothers and I, started for a 
 tour. 
 
 We w ent in our own open landau w ith four 
 horses ; my parents and I inside, the boys 
 on the box, and Mitchell and the courier in 
 the rumble behind. We first went through 
 Belgium, stopping to see whatever interested 
 us. The weather was delightful : it w as early 
 spring, and everything was bursting into 
 green, and looking most lovely. We halted
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 327 
 
 to see Waterloo, and went over the plain. 
 Brnssels we were much interested in, but we 
 did not stay there long, as my parents 
 thought that, if the King heard of their 
 being there, he would ask them to dinner, 
 which would be a bore to them while en 
 voyage, and would, perhaps, detain them 
 longer than they wished. So we moved on 
 to Chaudfontaine, in the pretty valley of the 
 Vesdre. 
 
 From Aix-la-Chapelle, where we were 
 much interested in seeing the Cathedral and 
 the tomb of Charlemagne, we proceeded to 
 Namur, whence we drove over to the Chateau 
 de Brumagne, occupying a most lovely posi- 
 tion on the Meuse. Here Captain Chaplin 
 had several young Englishmen under his 
 care, studying fortifications : amongst them 
 was Edward Collingwood, our cousin, who 
 had broken his leg; and the object of our 
 visit was to see him, so that we might report 
 to his father how he was getting on. We 
 found him on the sofa, and convalescent. 
 My mother walked with Mrs. Chaplin in the 
 garden, and the boys and I, with the two (or 
 three) Miss Chaplins, went a delightful ram- 
 ble over the rocks on the bank of the stream, 
 commanding a most lovely view down the
 
 328 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 river. At the top of the hill we found a 
 party of the pupils, Avho assisted us in run- 
 ning down the steep bank. We then went 
 in to dinner : I sat by the Duke of Beaufort, 
 or, as he then was. Lord Worcester, a gentle- 
 manlike youth, with very good manners. 
 About sunset of a most lovely evening, we 
 started to drive back to Namur. The purple 
 and golden light of the sky reflected from 
 the hills and rocks was quite beautiful, and 
 we had a thoroughly enjoyable drive. 
 
 The next day we embarked at Namur, on 
 the Meuse steamer. We were fortunate in 
 making acquaintance with a most gentleman- 
 like and intelligent Belgian, who gave us the 
 history of every castle we passed. When 
 we came opposite to Brumagne, we found 
 the whole of the pupils assembled in an 
 arbour in the garden to see us go by, and 
 there was a general waving of hats and 
 handkerchiefs as we passed. 
 
 At Cologne we got onto one of the Rhine 
 steamers. It was a lovely moonlight night, 
 and we made acquaintance with some very 
 pleasant people. We were bound only as 
 far as Bonn, where my father intended to 
 look up a friend of former days, who lived 
 there, Baron Borselager. On our arrival we
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 329 
 
 found the faithful Baron waiting for us at 
 the landing stage. He seemed very pleased 
 at renewing acquaintance with his friend of 
 auld lang syne, and walked with us to the 
 hotel, where he had engaged rooms for us, 
 just overlooking the Rhine, with a view of 
 the Seven Mountains. 
 
 Baron Borselager was the richest and most 
 influential man in Rhenish Prussia. He and 
 my father had been great friends in their 
 youth in Paris. He had married Countess 
 Belderbusch, a countess in her OAvn right ; 
 she was now dead, and he was a widower 
 with one little girl of about thirteen, to 
 whom he was devoted, and who had been 
 most carefully brought up. She had the 
 prettiest manners, but had never been al- 
 lowed to associate with any other children : 
 so our advent was quite an event in her 
 existence. 
 
 The Baron devoted himself to us. He 
 was the most simple-minded, amiable of 
 human beings, with a very German face, and 
 a light Caxton wig. It was very interesting 
 seeing, as we thus did, German aristocratic 
 life in all its quaintness and simplicity. 
 Every morning he used to send his servant 
 to the hotel to propose some expedition for
 
 330 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the day, either walking or driving : he used 
 to delight in going long walks, and in drag- 
 ging my mother up all the mountains, " Cest 
 tres-hon pour la saute." Then we always 
 landed at some restaurant, where we had 
 coffee and played under the trees. The 
 little Baroness was always accompanied by 
 her two governesses and her little greyhound 
 " Jolie." 
 
 The Baron's sister, Frau von Romberg, 
 had two daughters ; one was married to 
 Baron Fiirstenberg, the other to Count Met- 
 ternich. Baron Fiirstenberg had £30,000 
 a year, and a chateau on the Rhine. One 
 day the Baron drove us over to this chateau, 
 to spend the day there. It was a very in- 
 teresting experience of German country life. 
 Nothing could exceed the kindness of M. and 
 Mme. Fiirstenberg ; they drove us out in two 
 carriages, one drawn by four magnificent 
 Mecklenburg horses, the other by five most 
 beautiful Russian greys. They took us to 
 see one of his studs, consisting of thirty- 
 five splendid horses of different nation- 
 alities. I was much amused to see each 
 horse with its name and pedigree over its 
 stall. We were shown everything about 
 the place.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 331 
 
 Another day the Baron took us in his 
 carriage to Cologne, twenty miles off, where 
 he showed us the Cathedral, and some 
 Roman Catholic relics, priceless to the true 
 believer. One, I remember, was one of the 
 stone jars in which the water was turned 
 into wine at the marriage of Cana in Galilee. 
 
 Another expedition which I remember, 
 was to the top of the Drachenfels, all of us 
 being mounted on donkeys. Then we went 
 by the steamer to the island of Nonnenwerth, 
 where we were shown over the Convent, and 
 rambled about the island, listening to the 
 nightingales, and gathering handfuls of lilies 
 of the valley, of which the woods were full. 
 We then dined at Konigswinter, and re- 
 turned by the boat. We used sometimes to 
 take a very long walk, and come back by 
 the boat. 
 
 We often dined at the Baron's ; his dinner 
 was at tAVO, and was a very long affair, as 
 there were a number of dishes, which had 
 to be partaken of in turns. Then came a 
 sumptuous dessert, and when that was over, 
 and before we moved from the table, cards 
 were produced, and some round games 
 played. I used to be amused at Anton, the 
 Baron's head servant, who, when he walked
 
 332 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 round the table handing any dish, used to 
 stop to look at our hands, and advise us 
 what cards to play ; the Baron often ad- 
 dressing him as "My dear Anton." He was 
 like part of the family, having spent his 
 whole life in the Baron's service. The ser- 
 vants in a German establishment generally 
 remain with their master through life, un- 
 less they become guilty of some very gross 
 delinquency. About four o'clock we used 
 to go down into the garden to drink coffee 
 and myertrunk (?), which was served in a 
 large bowl : this was a sort of aromatic 
 lemonade, with pieces of orange floating 
 in it. 
 
 In a letter written by my father to his 
 mother, while we were staying with the 
 Baron (May 31st), he says, 
 
 "One of the prophecies for 1840 has 
 come true : At the precise time that was 
 expected, the poor King of Prussia died. 
 He was strongly impressed with the feel- 
 ing that 1840 — or, rather, that the years 
 with 40 in them — were fatal to his House, 
 and, more particularly, that he was not to 
 survive tJiis day : for upon this day there 
 was to have been a great commemoration
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 333 
 
 in honour of Frederick the Great. Every- 
 thing was arranged here for a grand cere- 
 mony : the students were to have marched 
 past our part of the town in procession : 
 the miUtary were to have had a sermon 
 preached in a field : and, in short, there 
 were to have been various ceremonies. 
 Yesterday an order arrived to suspend 
 them all, in consequence of the state of 
 the King's health, which, as this ceremony 
 takes place only once in a century, was 
 considered as tantamount to an announce- 
 ment of his death ; and this has been 
 confirmed this morning. What changes 
 may take place in consequence, I know 
 not : plenty of Sovereigns are collected 
 in Germany." 
 
 My mother adds to the same letter — 
 
 "John is gone to see the Prussian 
 troops swear allegiance to their new 
 Sovereign. The steamboats look quite 
 dismal, with their black eagle flags bound 
 with a broad black border ; but I never 
 saw the death of a Sovereign taken as 
 coolly as it is here : indeed, the affiiir with 
 the Archbishop of Cologne had made him 
 very unpopular with the CathoHcs, and
 
 334 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the Baron prides himself on not having 
 received the Crown Prince in his last visit 
 here, as he had alwavs before made a 
 point of doing.* All the foreign poten- 
 tates and Emperors, even Napoleon and 
 Josephine, used to sleep at his house. 
 And a curious specimen it is, with its 
 magnificent saloon hung with the most 
 heaatiful Parisian embossed white and 
 rose-colored satin damask, but wanting 
 paint in every part, and with a hole 
 through the ceiling of one of the principal 
 rooms. The Baron is like his house, a 
 mixture of the most extraordinary sim- 
 plicity, with the perfect manners of the 
 grand monde and of the usages of society, 
 when he chuses to put them on. He is 
 the most amiable, attaching being I ever 
 met with." 
 
 I heard the Baron say one day that he 
 had the highest possible opinion of Franz 
 Joseph, the Emperor of Austria. He was 
 quite young, but he thought him clever, 
 and a very superior man ; and he said that, 
 if he lived, he would make his mark amongst 
 the Sovereigns of Europe. He said that 
 
 * The Archbishop of Cologne was related to the Baron.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 3;}5 
 
 when the Emperor was staying with him, he 
 (the Emperor) told him the thing he most 
 regretted was that he had not been educated 
 at Eton. My father asked the Baron, what 
 sort of a man Prince Albert was : he laughed, 
 and said, " He is a regular Saxe Coburg : 
 you will find out he has been managing you 
 without your knowing it. He used very 
 often to dine here, when he was at the Uni- 
 versity, and from the way he used to talk of 
 the Queen, and of England, I felt sure that 
 marriage would take place. When he was 
 a student here, he regularly attended all the 
 lectures, conformed to every rule of the 
 College, and obeyed every order of the pro- 
 fessors. They told me that they considered 
 him the best and most obedient piii)il they 
 had, and thought that they governed him 
 entirely, till they found out that it was 
 themselves who were governed, and that he 
 did exactly as he liked, and got his own way 
 completely." 
 
 The little Prince of Prussia was at Bonn 
 at this time, and we used to see him riding 
 about every day on a very pretty little pony, 
 with a groom behind him. 
 
 Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, 
 also, Avas there as a student at the University,
 
 336 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and had rooms in a house looking into our 
 garden. He is the present King of Den- 
 mark, father of Queen Alexandra. 
 
 And now a new interest sprang up : the 
 Baron introduced us to the family of Pro- 
 fessor Bischoff, the eminent Professor of 
 Chemistry. They had large rooms in the 
 Palace of Popplesdorf, attached to the 
 University, and a little garden-house in 
 the long avenue of Popplesdorf. His family 
 consisted of Madame Bischoff, five children, 
 (the two elder sons being by a former mar- 
 riage), and Mile. Ziegler, her sister. Madame 
 Bischoff was a very devoted mother, and 
 altogether a very charming person. My 
 parents had been looking out for a safe 
 place, where they could leave my brothers, 
 when we went on to Switzerland ; but hitherto 
 without success. One day Madame Bischoff 
 said, " Why not leave them with me ? I 
 would take the same care of them as I do 
 of my own children, and we have plenty of 
 room." This plan presented many advan- 
 tages : the only question was, whether Pro- 
 fessor Bischoff would give his consent. 
 There was nothing mercenary about the 
 Professor, and his only objection was, that 
 English boys were used to so manv luxuries
 
 A. M. TV. PICKERING. 337 
 
 that he was afraid they would not be com- 
 fortable with him. This objection was easily 
 disposed of, and the thing was settled. They 
 soon found themselves located in large airy 
 rooms in the Palace, with young companions 
 as associates, to talk German with all day 
 long; and Professor BischofF, finding that 
 Walter Avas fond of science, arranged that 
 he should attend his Chemical Lectures at 
 the University. 
 
 Our table d'hote at the hotel was very 
 popular amongst some of the Professors, 
 who often dined there, and it was very in- 
 teresting to listen to their clever conversa- 
 tion. Sometimes, also, we had parties of the 
 students : one day there was a large party 
 of Prussian students, the aristocrats of 
 the University, who took a fancy to Roddy, 
 and insisted on drinking his health as " The 
 little Englishman," my father having to make 
 a sort of acknowledgment for him. The 
 students (sad to relate) had to leave off 
 coming, because the landlord would not 
 give them three months' credit. There was 
 one curious individual wlio generally dined 
 there, Avhom my father called Peter Schle- 
 mihl. He was six feet high, and wore an 
 
 Y
 
 338 MEMOIllS OF 
 
 oilskin hat on his head : he had a most sin- 
 gular countenance, like that of Charles XII., 
 sometimes very stern, at others very pleasing, 
 but somewhat cold. He was a Danish Count, 
 a son or nephew of the minister Moltke : he 
 was a little mad, spoke English and most 
 European languages very well, and was very 
 amusing. 
 
 One night we saw a most exciting scene — 
 a torchlight procession of the whole Univer- 
 sity in honour of Professor Arndt, the old 
 poet and writer of most of the German 
 national songs. They passed our windows. 
 It was a very dark night, and each student 
 carried a lighted torch, while, with the whole 
 power of their glorious voices, they sang in 
 chorus the songs of Arndt ; " No ! they shall 
 not have it, the Rhine, the free, the German 
 Rhine ! " ; and another, " What is the Ger- 
 man's Fatherland ? " one of the conditions 
 being, ''There where every Frenchman's 
 held a foe." It was very inspiriting. They 
 marched on to Arndt's house, sang in chorus 
 under his windows, and each student threw 
 down his torch, till there was quite a bonfire ; 
 Arndt, meauAvhile, bowing his acknowledg- 
 ment from the balconv.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 330 
 
 Another day, I remember, we went to see 
 a marriage. Orange-flowers are not worn in 
 Germany ; it in all the myrtle wreath. 
 
 And so the haj)py days sped by, and we 
 had to start on our travels. 
 
 Y 2
 
 340 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 We took the steamer, and had two most 
 deHghtful days on the Rhine. We slept at 
 Coblentz, saw Ehrenbreitstein's "shattered 
 wall," which looked far finer then than it does 
 now : then left the Rhine at May ence ; saw 
 Mannheim, Heidelberg, the Necker, Wies- 
 baden, Baden-Baden, Frankfort, and Carls- 
 ruhe, exploring them as we proceeded. It 
 was very interesting : the country was not 
 overrun with English people as it is now, 
 and we did not hurry, but saw everything on 
 our road, working our way leisurely to 
 Switzerland. 
 
 I copy a letter which I have found, written 
 by my father to his mother, as what was 
 written at the time will give a more correct 
 account of our doings than I could give 
 from memory. 
 
 *' Thank God, our journey hitherto has 
 been most fortunate, though directed 
 more bv chance than bv anvtliino: else.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 341 
 
 " We entered Switzerland at Scliaff- 
 hausen, and much disappointed we were 
 with the celebrated falls. We stayed there 
 for a day, and then proceeded to Zurich, 
 and were much pleased with the richness 
 and beauty of the country round the lake. 
 We did not, however, explore it as much 
 as we ought to have done, as Anna Maria 
 was not quite well, and Eliza was afraid 
 of venturing on the steamboat : but the 
 weather afterwards turned out so fine, 
 that we got into a little boat with a man 
 and a boy, and proceeded most gallantly, 
 till a storm began to gather, and we 
 found it wiser to turn back : but before 
 we got far, a violent thunderstorm burst 
 upon us. The ladies behaved very well. 
 We were obliged to make for the shore, 
 and got into a public house, where the 
 landlord produced sli})pers, and our stock- 
 ings and shoes were dried : after which 
 we returned to Zurich, and determined to 
 be satisfied with what we had seen of the 
 lake. We had a beautiful view of the 
 sunset. We went from there to Lucerne; 
 and were much delighted with the scenery, 
 which is wildly beautiful. Unfortunately 
 we missed the steamboat bv a minute,
 
 342 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and, therefore, were again obliged to have 
 recourse to a boat. We saw that end of 
 the lake, but were forced to give up the 
 attempt of seeing more, and dined at a 
 comfortable little inn, beautifully situated 
 at Gusau, and got back, after having com- 
 pletely knocked up our rowers. Frances 
 will cry out, ' How stupid,' when she finds 
 nothing about the Riglii : but to speak 
 the truth, though she may think it to our 
 shame, we did not even attempt the 
 ascent, to Anna Maria's great sorrow. 
 Eliza is not at all disposed for ascents, nor 
 am I any more so : I like much better 
 looking at a mountain, than fancying my- 
 self delighted with the view from the top 
 of one, when I am shivering with cold : 
 besides, I neither feel myself equal to a 
 ride or a walk of several hours, and am 
 very much afraid of the change from heat 
 — violent heat — to cold. However, in this 
 case w^e were most fortunate : two Ger- 
 mans, whom we had met at the table d'hote, 
 passed us en route on their way up, and 
 overtook us at Lucerne : thev met with tor- 
 rents of rain, and had to stay the greater 
 part of the day on the mountain. An Eng- 
 lishman and his young wife were not a little
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 843 
 
 impatient, and, to the great astonishment 
 of the natives, set off under a pouring rain, 
 and the people at the inn could talk of 
 nothing but ' Cette j^ciuvre Anglaise ; cetait 
 bien siiigulier.' 
 
 '* We next had a very pleasant drive to 
 Thun, stopping at a most curious Swiss 
 village for the night. All the houses were 
 of wood, but so very large and handsome, 
 that they looked as if they had been sud- 
 denly produced by an enchanter's w^and : 
 the country the whole way was beautiful, 
 and we Avere very much pleased with 
 Thun. We found the inn nearly full, and 
 there were two ambassadors there, accord- 
 to Bruno's [the courier] information. We 
 walked to a sort of summer-house on the 
 top of the hill, from Avhich we had a 
 beautiful view of the sunset. The moun- 
 tains, indeed, looked finer than they do 
 upon a nearer inspection. We came on 
 here (Intcrlachen), and, leaving some of 
 our things behind, proceeded without halt- 
 ing to Grindelwald. We Avere overtaken 
 by a storm, but still had time enough to pro- 
 ceed (though in fear and trembling, for the 
 storm was hanging on our rear), to tlie 
 further of the two glaciers, with which we
 
 344 MEMOIRS or 
 
 were much delighted, though a little dis- 
 appointed. It was curious to go on to the 
 ice, streaming with perspiration, and to 
 go into a cave in the glacier, Avhere the 
 effect of the light was extremely beautiful. 
 However, I did nothing but pop in and out, 
 for I trembled at the thoughts of the cold." 
 
 My mother adds a line to this letter, and 
 says : 
 
 "You would have smiled to see me car- 
 ried down the precipices to the glacier, 
 which I thought so disagreeable, that I 
 soon abandoned my chaise-d-jwrteurs to 
 Anna Maria, and scrambled down on my 
 feet. The ice cavern of azure blue was 
 quite warm, so completely was the air ex- 
 cluded, and was the most beautiful thing 
 I ever saw. I did not pass a very com- 
 fortable night at L'Aigle Noir at Grindel- 
 wald, as we were at the foot of the Wetter- 
 horn and its glaciers, and heard, alternately, 
 the thunder roar, and the avalanches fall- 
 ing, with almost incessant lightning, and 
 a wind, which would have unroofed the 
 houses, without the heavy stones, with 
 which they are all protected. However, 
 it was well worth a little nervousness to
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 345 
 
 pass a night in such scenery, and no evil 
 happened to us, except having my face 
 unmercifully stung by the mountain flies. 
 In crossing the Albis, I lost John and 
 Anna Maria, who were walking, and had 
 to make their way over cornfields, at the 
 edge of precipices, etc. However, as it 
 was in the middle of the day, with a bright 
 sun, I did not feel much alarm. Yester- 
 day we met a large char-a-banc, Avith a 
 quantity of tourists, who cheered us as we 
 passed." 
 
 One day my mother felt something hard 
 under her bed, and, on looking the next 
 morning, she found she had been sleeping 
 on the rock : the chalet was built on the 
 mountain side, and a great piece of rock 
 had been built into the room. 
 
 When we were in this part of Switzerland 
 we visited a most remarkable cave, the 
 Grotte de Balme. Instead, however, of 
 trusting to my own memory, I will quote my 
 father's journal, written by him at the time, 
 prefacing his description of our visit to the 
 Grotto by an account which he gives of Sir 
 Hudson Lowe, who, as will be seen, had an 
 unpleasant connection therewith. Just after
 
 346 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 my father's escape from France in 1813, he 
 joined Lord Cathcart's mission, which Avas 
 then at Strasburg. An armistice had been 
 signed, and Lord Cathcart's head quarters 
 were at Reichenbach : the rest of the party 
 were established in different villages near. 
 My father says : 
 
 " Our life here was monotonous enough. 
 We rode about, lounged about, and dined 
 every day with Lord Cathcart, who now 
 kept a inaison montee. In a cottage nearly 
 opposite to that in which I lived was 
 Colonel Hudson Lowe, who had come to 
 the head quarters upon some mission to 
 Lord Cathcart, and was waiting till the 
 business was transacted to return. 
 
 " We arranged that, if he got his conge 
 in sufficient time, we should travel to- 
 gether, but, as day after day passed with- 
 out his business drawing to a termination, 
 and as I began to feel more and more 
 anxious to be at home again, I resolved 
 not to delay my journey any longer on his 
 account. 
 
 " Colonel Lowe Avas a man of very sin- 
 gular manners, which were cold to the 
 very greatest degree, almost repellant. I
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 347 
 
 had, indeed, always siii)posed him to be 
 a Cerman, so little did his appearance 
 resemble that of an Englishman. It was 
 a common amusement amongst the young 
 attaches of the English staff, when they 
 had nothing better to do, to call upon 
 Colonel Lowe, on purpose to quiz him : 
 but they were apt to receive back more 
 than they gave. I understood that upon 
 one occasion, for it was after I had left 
 Reichenbach, Lord Cathcart mortally of- 
 fended him, by placing him and several 
 others at the side table, on the occasion 
 of a large dinner-party that he gave. 
 Colonel Lowe at once marched out of the 
 room, and it was with some difficult v that 
 Lord Cathcart succeeded in soothing his 
 irritated feelings. He took rather a fancy 
 to me, principally, I believe, because I was 
 going to travel in Greece, and he felt for 
 that country a warmth of attachment, of 
 which the coldness of his manner led me 
 to suppose he was scarcely capable. 
 He devoted much of his time to study, 
 and seemed particularly attached to that 
 of Geography. 
 
 " From these traits in the character of 
 the (.\)loiiel, there will be no difficulty in
 
 348 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 discovering Sir Hudson Lowe of St. Helena 
 fame. 
 
 " I was subsequently told by Sir James 
 Campbell, under whom he had long served, 
 indeed, whose aide-de-camp he had, I 
 believe, been, that these peculiarities were 
 artificial ; that he used to dress himself 
 with them, if I may use the expression, as 
 a fine Parisian lady dresses and forms her 
 face into the shape which she thinks most 
 becomes it: he certainly did not, like her, 
 pare himself with smiles. As his name is 
 historical, I speak of him without hesita- 
 tion ; but, whilst describing his peculiari- 
 ties, it is but fair that I should justify his 
 character : for, if Sir Robert Spencer's 
 account is to be believed, and of that no 
 man can entertain a doubt, never was 
 man's character more undeservedly tra- 
 duced. ' I should be the last man in the 
 world to vindicate Sir Hudson Lowe's 
 character, unless I knew he deserved it,' 
 observed Captain Spencer : and, certainly, 
 so staunch a Whig, tlie brother of the then 
 Whig minister. Lord Althorp, was the last 
 man I should have expected to have heard 
 taking up the defence of a man so uni- 
 versally disliked by his party. Sir Robert
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 349 
 
 told me that he had himself been at 
 St. Helena, and that, from what he had 
 collected, was fully satisfied that every- 
 thing had been done on Sir Hudson Lowe's 
 part to make Napoleon's residence at 
 St. Helena as comfortable as circumstances 
 would allow ; but that there was evidently 
 a preconcerted plan, on the part of the 
 Emperor and his suite, to get up every 
 sort of grievance, in order to create a 
 sensation in Europe, and prevent the 
 interest felt in his favor from dying away.* 
 He said that Sir Hudson Lowe had kept a 
 detailed journal of everything that had 
 occurred ; that he (Captain Spencer) had 
 access to it, and that he should detain me 
 all night if he were to relate to me half 
 the anecdotes that it contained. He said 
 that at one time the principal grievance 
 was, the little progress that was made in 
 building the house at Longwood ; Napo- 
 leon complaining tliat every obstacle was 
 
 * It is to be regretted tliat opinions such as these, as to 
 the character of Sir IIikLsou Lowe, formed by men of seuse 
 and discrimination, who knew him well, and who had no 
 personal or political ends to serve by perverting the tiiitli, 
 were not known to Lord Rosebery, before he drew that 
 biassed and flippant picture of him, which he has presented 
 to us in his " Xa[)oh'on : the Last riiase." — S. P.
 
 350 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 thrown in the way of its completion. 
 After this, the work proceeded with still 
 greater rapidity. But this did not suit 
 the Emperor ; he was afraid of losing so 
 convenient a grievance : so he, all of a 
 sudden, took to shooting at a mark to 
 amuse himself. The balls flew about the 
 workmen's ears, who made a remonstrance 
 on the subject to the Adjutant. The latter 
 went to the Governor for orders, who told 
 them to leave off their work, as soon as 
 Buonaparte began shooting. This was 
 just what the Emperor w^anted : he com- 
 , plained that the workmen neglected to 
 ])roceed Avith the buildings at Longwood, 
 in consequence of orders that they had 
 received from Sir Hudson Lowe. The 
 Governor replied that he could not allow 
 the work to proceed at the risk of the 
 men's lives, but that if General Buonaparte 
 would leave off shooting, the work should 
 be forwarded with the greatest despatch. 
 The Emperor flew^ in a rage, gave up his 
 shooting, declaring that he was not allowed 
 to take the amusements and exercise ne- 
 cessary for his health. 
 
 " A general cry of indignation was raised 
 throughout Eiu-ope against Sir Hudson
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 351 
 
 Lowe for his savage cruelty in breaking to 
 pieces a plaister bust of young- Napoleon, 
 wliicli had been sent to his father to shed 
 a ray of comfort over the melancholy 
 hours of his captivity. The fact was, that 
 it contained a letter. It had been calcu- 
 lated that it was the safest vehicle that 
 could possibly be adopted, and that even 
 the hardest heart could not help entering 
 into his feelings as a father. But, either 
 Sir Hudson Lowe knew his captive too 
 well, or had received some private infor- 
 mation as to what it contained, and had 
 the bust broken in pieces ; when he dis- 
 covered the letter. Mme. Bertrand upon 
 hearing it from him, burst out laughing, 
 and said, ' Vous nous avez deconvert.' 
 
 " Sir Robert Spencer gave me, as a 
 proof of Sir Hudson Lowe's anxiety to 
 contribute to Buonaparte's comfort, the 
 following anecdote : — Napoleon, having 
 been much pleased with a pony-carriage 
 that he had seen, sent to the Governor to 
 desire that he might have a similar one 
 brought out from Phigland by the first 
 shi}). Sir Hudson Lowe innncdiatcly 
 mounted his horse, and rode to tlie liouse 
 of the Major, to whom tlie i)ony-carriage
 
 352 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 belonged ; not finding liim at liome lie 
 desired to speak to his wife, and told her 
 that he particularly wished to have the 
 pony-carriage, that he would give her 
 husband any price that he chose to put 
 upon it. The Major of course acceded to 
 the Governor's wish, and the pony-carriage 
 was immediately sent to Napoleon. An- 
 other time the Emperor took a fancy to a 
 particular sort of fish, and expressed a 
 wish to have it as often as it could be 
 procured : Sir Hudson immediately sent 
 to the market to lay an embargo upon all 
 fish of that sort for Napoleon's table. 
 
 " These are all of Sir Robert Spencer's 
 anecdotes that I can now call to mind, but 
 I will add another that I heard in Swit- 
 zerland two years ago. Whilst my daughter, 
 Anna Maria, was exploring the Grotte de 
 Balme, not feeling sufficient curiosity to 
 accompany her, I amused myself with 
 conversing with the woman at the cottage, 
 to whom was entrusted the charge of the 
 Grotto. She was complaining of various 
 misfortunes that had befallen her, and 
 instanced the following as the most dis- 
 tressing, one that had occurred two or 
 three years before. I must first mention.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 353 
 
 that the Countess Bertrand had some time 
 previously visited the Grotto, and feeling, 
 I suppose, that inclination, so common to 
 travellers, of leaving behind them some 
 traces of their visit, and, perhaps, not ill- 
 disposed to associate her name with that 
 of one whose memory was so dear to her, 
 she took out her pencil, and wrote on the 
 wall : 
 
 " Honneur a Napoleon, 
 
 " La France te revere. 
 
 " La Comtesse Bertrand, t'ayant suivie 
 partout." 
 
 •* One day, as the custodian was sitting 
 in her cottage, a carriage with four horses 
 drove up to the door : a gentleman got 
 out, and desired her to conduct him to 
 the Grotte de Balme. She did so, and, 
 having left him there for a short time, 
 upon her return, she found that he had 
 occupied himself in effacing this inscrip- 
 tion of Mme. Bertrand's. She rated him 
 soundly, telling him that it was not the 
 action of a gentleman. During this con- 
 versation, three young travellers entered 
 the Grotto, one, who had been there the
 
 354 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 preceding year, haTing told her daughter 
 at the cottage that he knew the way, and 
 could serve as guide to his companions. 
 Upon looking round the Grotto, he turned 
 to the woman, saying, "Madame, I do not 
 see the inscription I saw here last year 
 written by Mme. Bertrand : where is it ? " 
 '* Monsieur vient de VeffacerJ' she an- 
 swered. Their eyes were immediately 
 turned upon the stranger, and a mutual 
 recognition instantly took place. The 
 stranger was Sir Hudson Lowe ; the young 
 travellers, Louis Napoleon, young Count 
 Las Cases, and the third, the son of a dis- 
 tinguished Parisian lawyer. At what a 
 place, and in what a moment did they 
 meet ! 
 
 "The young men rushed with fury upon 
 their oppressor, who was now in their 
 power. A violent altercation ensued, but, 
 as it was carried on in English, the guide 
 c6uld not understand what passed, but 
 she heard Sir Hudson declare in French 
 that "he was not as bad as they supposed, 
 as he only obeyed the orders of his Go- 
 vernment." They bade him prepare for 
 instant death, and dragged him to the 
 borders of the lake, which forms one of
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 355 
 
 the greatest curiosities of the Grotto. In 
 vain were his supplications and prayers : 
 three times she saw his head hanging over 
 the water, into which he was about to be 
 precipitated. She threw herself on her 
 knees before them, and made use of every 
 argument in her power to induce them 
 to spare his life, dwelling upon the posi- 
 tion in which she would be placed, when 
 found with the body of a rich English- 
 man, whom she had conducted to the 
 cave, whilst they, who had committed the 
 deed, would have totally disappeared. 
 At length she succeeded in mitigating 
 their fury : they consented to spare Sir 
 Hudson's life on one condition — that he 
 should meet Louis Napoleon on the fol- 
 lowing day. She saw him shake hands 
 with Sir Hudson, whilst he used these 
 words : " Demain, sur la Flegere.'' But 
 Sir Hudson had had enough of it, and 
 had no inclination to put his life again 
 into the hands of such rash and exas- 
 perated opponents. As soon as he got 
 back to the cottage, he put himself into 
 his carriage, and set off to Geneva as 
 fast as he could go. The affair became 
 
 public ; a commission was ordered by the 
 
 z 2
 
 356 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Piedmontese Government to enquire into 
 the circumstances of the case, and the 
 Grotto and cottage were shut up, I think, 
 for two months ; after which the woman 
 was allowed to pursue her usual voca- 
 tion. 
 
 "I have given the story as near as I can 
 in the woman's words, but I can hardly 
 bring myself to believe that three young 
 men, so distinguished in birth and situa- 
 tion, could have really contemplated the 
 commission of such a murder, or could 
 have for a moment entertained the idea of 
 satisfying their hatred of an individual 
 by an act of such cowardly vengeance. 
 I am more willing to suppose that their 
 only object was to derive some satisfac- 
 tion from the terror into which they put 
 poor Sir Hudson." 
 
 There was to be a tir national. We met 
 the procession going to it, and a very inter- 
 esting one it was, with all the banners of 
 the different Cantons flying, and all the 
 men of each Canton in their respective 
 national dress. 
 
 We went to Geneva, and stayed there a 
 little time, going frequently down the lake
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 357 
 
 in a steamboat. Our old friends, Sir John 
 and Lady Katharine Boileau, had a villa 
 near Geneva, and we used to go expeditions 
 with them and with Lady Vernon. Lord 
 Vernon had gone to the tir national. I 
 remember one day, when we had been din- 
 ing at the Boileaus, we had a perfect race to 
 get back to Geneva before the evening gun 
 was fired, when the gates of the town were 
 shut. 
 
 On our way back we slept at Basle, with 
 the swift-flowing Rhine under our windows. 
 The next morning we got up early, and went 
 on board. There we found a very pleasant 
 little societe, including a French Count and 
 Countess de Gasparin, with whom we had 
 made acquaintance in Switzerland (1 think 
 on the Lake of Geneva), a clever and 
 amusing doctor, named Conquest, and an 
 invalid sister of the Bishop of Ripon. 
 
 So dense a fog came on, that it was impos- 
 sible to see an inch before us, and the 
 stream was so strong, that it would not 
 have been safe for a large boat like ours to 
 proceed : so the anchor was dropped, and 
 there we had to lie motionless in the fog. 
 Dr. Conquest had extended his tour to the
 
 358 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 very last day, and had made engagements 
 to see six patients on his arrival in London; 
 so nothing could have been more inconve- 
 nient for him than to be delayed in this 
 way, and it was excusable that he should 
 lose his temper in consequence : he stalked 
 about the deck at last in a perfect fury, 
 exclaiming, " C'est ime chose inouie, je ne le 
 souffrirai ^ms : vous payerez pour ceqi ! J'in- 
 tenterai un procesf' ''Bon, monsieur, vous 
 avez raison ; intentez le proces ! mats il faut 
 rintefiter au hrouillarcl : nous n'avons rie7i d, 
 y faire ! " We lost half a day before the 
 sun came out, and we were able to proceed ; 
 and it is to be hoped that Dr. Conquest's six 
 patients were none the worse for having to 
 get on Avithout him. 
 
 At Konigswinter a very handsome young 
 Prussian officer, whom we knew slightly, 
 came on board. He went up to my mother, 
 and, with a graceful bow, took her hand, 
 raised it to his lips, and kissed it. Such 
 were the manners of tliat day. He was very 
 tall, and his svelte figure was set off to 
 great advantage by the becoming Prussian 
 uniform. Another foreign greeting, of a 
 somewhat different character, awaited us 
 when Ave Avalked into our hotel at Bonn :
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 359 
 
 our former little waiter suddenly caught 
 sight of my father, and, giving a scream of 
 delight, seized him by both hands, and shook 
 them nearly off. 
 
 We found there a message from the Baron, 
 asking us to dine with him, and meet my 
 two brothers and Mile. Ziegler. We went 
 to Popplesdorf the next day, and found 
 both the boys well and happy, and very 
 much improved in their manners, albeit a 
 little Germanised. My brother Roddy, I 
 remember, showed his collection of butter- 
 flies to my father, and pointed one out to 
 him as " an immensely seldom butterfly." 
 My other brother, Walter, had gone in for 
 beetles. 
 
 After staying a few days at Bonn, we 
 travelled back to England, crossing from 
 Ostend ; and, after sleeping one night in 
 London, we went on to Cannon Hall. 
 
 Travelling in Switzerland was very differ- 
 ent then from what it is now. There were 
 no railways or funiculars, no omnibuses 
 or great caravansaries, one exactly like 
 another, filled with nothing but English 
 and Americans. In those days you saw 
 the country through which you passed in
 
 360 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 its every-day, natural state, the people 
 living their own lives in repose, still un- 
 spoilt by a constantly moving herd of 
 travellers. Everything around was new to 
 one, full of its own identity, and not ground 
 down to one general level. The Swiss were 
 then a most honest, simple people, very 
 religious, and very fond of their country. 
 The spirit of Tell and of Hofer was not 
 yet extinct. The chalets were very clean 
 and comfortable, and the life in them 
 afforded endless variety : sometimes we 
 would be sleeping in one on the top of a 
 mountain, the next night in one in the val- 
 ley : the table d'hote was literally what it 
 professed to be : the master of the house 
 presided, gave you the best he had, and 
 told you all the news of the country round. 
 Sometimes his wife or children were there, 
 and often, when we drove off, flowers and 
 fruit were put into the carriage. Our com- 
 ing was a great excitement, and they parted 
 from us with regret. What made a great 
 difference was that, instead of the remark- 
 ably ugly, ungainly and ill-dressed figures, 
 which you now see working in the fields, 
 then every creature, man, woman or child, 
 wore the picturesque Swiss dress. You
 
 A. M. W. PICKEllING. 361 
 
 could tell \yhenever you got into a new 
 Canton, by a complete change in the dress: 
 and all day long one heard the jodeling 
 answered from every hill and valley. 
 
 One day they dressed me up in one of 
 their fete-dresses, which are heirlooms : it 
 was a most beautiful costume : the front of 
 it and the sleeves being white, with a black 
 velvet bodice over it, covered with silver 
 chains and ornaments, and gold and silver 
 coins. I went in to my father as a Swiss 
 girl, carryini^ something for him. 
 
 When we went any mountain climb, we 
 had a char-a-banc, a light wooden car with 
 planks put across for seats ; sometimes a 
 whole procession of char-a-bancs started 
 together, and, with the tinkling of the bells 
 on the horses' heads, it was very gay ; there 
 were also chaises-a-porteurs, for use in places 
 where a horse could not go. 
 
 I have also travelled through the Tyrol 
 and the Pyrenees, when they were free 
 from the taint of foreign travellers, and 
 were still unspoilt. My brother Walter and 
 I went all through the Tyrol en voiturier, 
 stopping at the peasants' houses, dining un- 
 der the trees, and living a life of the most 
 delightful independence, and of constant
 
 362 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 change. We engaged our coachman and 
 horses for the whole time, and never went 
 more than three stages a day ; so we 
 had time for walking, sketching, botanising, 
 and doing just as we liked. With the ex- 
 ception of three Englishmen, whom we kept 
 meeting, we seemed to be the only English 
 travellers in the country, according to the 
 books at the inns. 
 
 So unsophisticated were the people, that 
 they had never even heard of tea : we took 
 our own, and they asked if it was medicine. 
 When we tried to explain to them how we 
 made it, and what we wanted to make it 
 with, the results were most amusing : off 
 they went, full of zeal to supply our require- 
 ments, and in one place they brought us 
 two soup-plates full of tepid water, with 
 which to make it. Another day a maid 
 came in, very delighted, with a flowerpot, 
 which, she thought, was just the thing. It 
 was so hopeless, that, at last, my brother 
 took the tea down to the kitchen, and made 
 it himself by the fire, all the peasants com- 
 ing round to see the operation. 
 
 We fared very well in other respects, with 
 trout, just out of the lakes, and the best of 
 cream, milk and butter, and good meat.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 363 
 
 t 
 
 In the Pyrenees, where I went after I 
 was married, one was even more out of the 
 world than in the Tyrol. In those days 
 the borderland mountains were shared by 
 French and Spaniards, and not an English 
 face was to be seen. The peasants spoke 
 nothing but Basque, of which my husband 
 and I could not understand a word. The 
 men were dressed in coarse white blankets, 
 thrown over their shoulders, and very wide 
 sombreros. We rode on mules, which were 
 most gaily decorated, and furnished with 
 Spanish saddles. Such French tourists as 
 there were, always travelled in close car- 
 riages. Mr. Scott, the consul at Bordeaux, 
 warned us we should not find such a thing 
 as an open carriage anywhere, and advised 
 us to buy one for our use : this we did, and 
 sold it afterwards, when we were leaving. 
 We went many expeditions into the moun- 
 tains, and were amused with the way in 
 which the French did their exploring. They 
 always went in large parties, got up in what 
 they considered proper style ; the men 
 dressed for effect, with bright sashes round 
 their waists, and other sashes on their wide- 
 awakes ; their mules very smartly orna- 
 mented with trappings and bells : while the
 
 364 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ladies rode on Spanish saddles, covered 
 with red cloth. Their riding parties looked 
 very gay, if not very business-like. 
 
 One day, I remember being in the passage 
 of the hotel, when a chaise-a-porteurs was 
 put down by four Spaniards, who had 
 brought it over the mountains : inside was 
 a large white figure, completely swathed in 
 linen ; nothing to be seen, even of the face 
 or eyes. This huge figure got out of the 
 chaise, and the men began unrolling fold 
 after fold. I looked on, full of curiosity; 
 when, suddenly, out skipped a smart-look- 
 ing French girl, dressed in a riding-habit. 
 This was the orthodox way of conveying her 
 over the mountains from St. Sebastian in 
 Spain. 
 
 At the small town of Bigorre, where we 
 arrived in doubt as to whether we should 
 obtain any eatable fare, we were agreeably 
 surprised by having a most recherche and 
 excellent dinner set before us. On enquiry 
 we learnt that the brother of our hostess, 
 who had cooked our dinner, was the famous 
 Francatelli, who had been chef de cuisine 
 to Louis Philippe for fifteen years. 
 
 I was much amused at the sister of our 
 guide, who was our housemaid. She was
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 366 
 
 a most hopelessly vulgar-looking girl, fat, 
 awkward, and blowzy, with a red face, and 
 fat red arms. These she put akimbo, and 
 said, " Oui, nous sommes pauvres, mats nous 
 sommes nobles: c'est une famille de trois- 
 cents WIS." The sangre azul of Spain I
 
 366 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 One day — I think we had been up to the 
 moors — we were very tired, and had gone 
 to bed early. We were all awakened out of 
 our first sleep, by an extraordinary noise 
 and bustling in the house : a Sheffield fly 
 had driven up, and out of it had got Pro- 
 fessor Bischoff", Madame BischoflP, his son, 
 Karl Bischoff, Mile. Ziegler (Madame Bis- 
 choff 's sister), and my brothers, Walter and 
 Roddy, having posted all the way from 
 Sheffield. They had stayed four days in 
 London, but this had been kept secret, as 
 their arrival at Cannon Hall was to be 
 a surprise for " the dear father and 
 mother : " and a surprise it certainly was ! 
 Roddy had represented in vain to the Bis- 
 choffs, that, if they arrived unannounced, 
 they might find the house full. The boys also 
 told us that they had, in spite of their remon- 
 strances, gone to the city to take up their 
 quarters, because they thought " the City "
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 367 
 
 must be the most fashionable part of London. 
 They made their appearance in London 
 in some extraordinary PoHsh garments, 
 called Katzavickas : Madame Bischoff's was 
 a long pelisse, reaching to her feet, with a 
 cape and sleeves ; it was of the most lovely 
 rose-colored stuff, trimmed with Chinchilla : 
 Mile. Ziegler's was of the same make, only 
 of very rich, dark blue, watered silk, trimmed 
 with dark Russian sable. Roddy and Walter 
 remonstrated Avith them, and told them they 
 could not possibly go out dressed like that, 
 or they would have a mob after them. They 
 were very angry at this, and said that they 
 had worn them in Berlin, and in Vienna ; 
 and why could they not wear them in Lon- 
 don ? So, after my brothers and Karl had 
 started on a most delightful expedition with 
 the Professor, sight-seeing in the town, the 
 ladies sallied forth in their Polish dresses, to 
 captivate the world. But they soon returned, 
 furiously indignant, with a large mob at 
 their heels. It must be remembered tliat, 
 in those days, anything novel in the way of 
 dress was a much greater wonder than it 
 would be now. 
 
 The Professor and Karl stayed at Cannon 
 Hall a short time, and then left to go to
 
 368 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Scotland, where the Professor was to ex- 
 amine some mines. During their absence 
 the ladies remained with us. One morning, 
 after breakfast, they appeared, arrayed in 
 the Katzavickas, and said they were going 
 for a walk ; but they would not tell us where 
 they were going. Luncheon came ; but they 
 did not appear : the afternoon wore away ; 
 but there were no signs of them : dinner 
 came ; and still they did not return. It was 
 getting dark, and we were becoming seri- 
 ously alarmed, having settled that they must 
 have been lostl After dinner mv father 
 sent men in different directions with lanterns 
 to look for them, though, indeed, that was 
 not of much use, as we did not know in 
 which direction they had gone. At last, late 
 in the evening, in they walked, looking very 
 white : they had walked off to Wakefield, 
 quite ignorant of the way, on a pilgrimage 
 to see the "Vicar of Wakefield." Fortu- 
 nately, Dr. Sharpe, the then vicar, was at 
 home, and was quite equal to the occasion, 
 for he promptly produced some cowslip 
 wine : he knew that all through Germany 
 the idea of English literature is, Shakespeare, 
 and the " Vicar of Wakefield." I do not 
 know whether our visitors were ever quite
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 369 
 
 clear as to whether thev had reallv seen 
 Dr. Primrose, or not ; but, doubtless, they 
 would give out in Germany that they had 
 done so ! They dined at Wakefield, and 
 then set oif to walk the ten miles back to 
 Cannon Hall. They had walked twenty 
 miles altogether before they got home. 
 
 The Professor could not stay very long 
 in England, and, when he returned to Ger- 
 nianv, Madame Bischoff and Karl went with 
 him. Mile. Ziegler remained at Cannon 
 Hall till we left, as she wanted to learn 
 English ; she gave us German lessons in 
 return. 
 
 While she was there, the Bishop of Ripon 
 came for a short visit. In the evening, my 
 sister Loui came into the room: "Make a 
 cradle (meaning a courtesy) for the Bishop, 
 my dear," said Mile. Ziegler ; while Loui's 
 puzzled look, and a twinkle in the Bishop's 
 eye, deliglited us. Then Mile. Ziegler, with 
 her head and her long curls on one side, 
 looking very sentimental, said to the Bishop, 
 " It is very disagreeable walking in the woods 
 here ; they are so full of liivers, you cannot 
 get away from them." The Bishop looked 
 as if he were exercising no small amount 
 of self-control to prevent laughing. She 
 
 A A
 
 370 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 had been getting up some sentences for the 
 benefit of the prelate, and had asked us 
 what the English for Brombeeren (brambles) 
 was : we had told her " sweethearts : " but 
 she had looked this up in the dictionary, 
 and had settled that its synonym, lovers, 
 sounded much more refined, and so had 
 employed it for the edification of his lord- 
 ship. 
 
 Longley, then Bishop of Ripon, afterwards 
 Bishop of Durham, and Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, was our friend of many years. He 
 confirmed and married me. My father used 
 to say that he was "Butter in a lordly dish." 
 He, certainly, never forgot for a moment 
 that he was a Bishop ; but, even if there 
 was a slight amount of acting, the result 
 was altogether so perfect, that you could not 
 wish anything different. He was very hand- 
 some, with a fine head, a refined and holy 
 expression, a very well-modulated voice, and 
 the most courtly and perfect manners. 
 
 Mrs. Longley was certainly not one's ideal 
 of a wife for him, but she was, at any rate, 
 a very good foil. Without being refined, 
 she was the most thoroughly natural person 
 I ever knew, with true Irish warmth of heart, 
 and always saying just what came into her
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 37l 
 
 mind. She was Miss Parnell, Lord Congle- 
 ton's daughter. She told me that the first 
 time she had any tender thoughts for the 
 Bishop, was when she was staying at Harrow, 
 and saw Dr. Longley, then Master of Har- 
 row, clear a five-barred gate in pursuit of 
 some of the boys. She turned to her cousin, 
 and said, " After all. Dr. Longley is not so 
 old." "Who ever thought him old?" was 
 the answer. 
 
 He was a wonderfully active man, and a 
 very good rider. When he was at Harrow, 
 there was a regular rebellion and barring 
 out. The Doctor was on the upper floor, 
 and, when he came out of his room, he 
 found the stairs all boarded up, and the 
 young rebels standing on the landing below. 
 He immediately sat down on the planks, and 
 slid into the midst of the boys, who received 
 him with a cheer. 
 
 One day I was walking in Hyde Park with 
 my father, and Ave were talking of the 
 Bishop, when, suddenly, we were startled by 
 his riding up to where we were. My father 
 exclaimed, " Parlez du soleil, voiis voyez ses 
 rayons^ "There is another version," said 
 the Bishop, meaning, ''Parlez du diablc, vous 
 voyez ses comes.'' 
 
 A A 2
 
 372 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The incumbent of Silkstone, Mr. Millett, 
 was a first cousin of the Bishop, and the 
 Longleys used to stay there generally on 
 every alternate visit to our part of York- 
 shire. This did not suit Mrs. Longley, who 
 did not like losing her visit to Cannon Hall, 
 of which she was particularly fond. On one 
 occasion they were at Silkstone, and we 
 were asked to dine there : in the middle of 
 dinner the Bishop said, " Now, Mr. Stanhope, 
 I Avill give you a hundred guesses : what 
 have I been doing ? " " You've been cutting 
 down my trees," said my father immediately. 
 " How could you possibly guess that ? " said 
 the Bishop, very much astonished. "Why," 
 said my father, " I knew there was a fall of 
 timber in the wood close by, and I knew 
 your active habits : I concluded you would 
 Avant some exercise after the Consecration, 
 and cutting down the trees was just what 
 would suit you." The Bishop then told us 
 that he had gone into Silkstone Fall for a 
 stroll, where he found a man cutting down 
 trees, and had asked him if he could give 
 him an axe ; Avhich he did ; and the Bishop 
 set to work with him. The man told him 
 that he had been at the Consecration in the 
 morning, and had seen the Bishop : he told
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 373 
 
 him all about the ceremony, and what 
 he thought of the Bishop, without find- 
 ing out that he was talking to the Bishop 
 himself. 
 
 We knew the Archbishop of York very 
 well, and used often to visit at Bishop- 
 thorpe. Archbishop Musgrave was a big, 
 rough, burly man, with a large head, and 
 something approaching a bottle-nose. He 
 had risen from the ranks, and, it was said, 
 had worked at the tailor's bench. He was 
 very hard-headed, and clever ; very natural, 
 and quite above any ecclesiastical parade. 
 My father delighted in him. There Avas a 
 double bond of union between us and the 
 Musgraves. Mrs. Musgrave, the Arch- 
 bishop's wife, was a sister of Lord Waterpark, 
 (who had married my cousin, Eliza Anson), 
 whilst Miss Musgrave, the Archbishop's 
 niece, was our governess at Cannon Hall ; 
 and a very common-place little person she 
 was. 
 
 Mrs. Musgrave, or, as she was almost uni- 
 versally called, "The Empress Catherine," 
 was a very tiny, but a very pretty little 
 thing ; always dressed " a quatre epinfjles " in 
 the loveliest brocades ; and, in the evenings, 
 wearing a long train. She had a gardener
 
 374 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 who had lived with the Duchess of Suther- 
 land, and every night he placed on the table 
 a most lovely bouquet for her, such as he 
 had been in the habit of making for the 
 Duchess. 
 
 It was most amusing to see the rough, un- 
 polished Archbishop with his little wife : he 
 seemed to be completely lost to everything 
 else in his admiration of her, in his interest 
 in her beautiful dresses, and in everything 
 belonging to her. He was entirely without 
 a thought of self, but was really a very 
 determined man, when left to act for himself. 
 It was said in the diocese that everything he 
 did right, was his own doing ; and that 
 everything he did wrong, was the doing of 
 the Empress Catherine. 
 
 Once when we were staying there, and the 
 York races were coming on, the Archbishop 
 suggested to my father that he might like 
 to go to them, but, as it would not quite do 
 for the mitre to be seen on the course, he 
 could not lend his own carriage for that 
 purpose ; but if we would go in our carriage, 
 and use our harness, he would send his 
 horses, and his servants in plain clothes. 
 Thus it was arranged. I do not remember 
 anything about the events of the day, but
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 375 
 
 I know that we enjoyed ourselves, without 
 creating any episcopal scandal. 
 
 The Archbishop used to be very amusing 
 in his confidences to my sister Eliza and 
 myself. He said that when they Avent to 
 stay anywhere for a consecration, etc., IMrs. 
 Musgrave's gowns had to be so carefully 
 packed, and took up so much room, that his 
 lawn sleeves came very badly off; and that, 
 as they often arrived only at the last mo- 
 ment, he had to go into church, looking all 
 tumbled and untidy. Then, he said, if it 
 was at a village where the consecration 
 was to take place, the pulpits would be of 
 deal, and often only half-finished, with a 
 great nail sticking up here and there, on 
 which tlie unfortunate lawn sleeves were 
 sure to catch, with a tragic result ; when, on 
 his return, instead of getting comfort from 
 Mrs. Musgrave, he Avould be received by 
 her and her maid, one as bad as the other, 
 Avith a regular scolding ; the unlucky rem- 
 nants of the sleeves being held up to view, 
 Avith the oft-repeated information that they 
 cost four guineas. So he had made a 
 bargain that, Avhen it was a simple village 
 consecration, he should have sleeves made
 
 376 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of muslin, and reserve the lawn for the 
 more fashionable affairs. 
 
 The Archbishop told me that once, when 
 he was going to stay somewhere, he found 
 that his servant had put him up a pair of 
 slippers all in holes, which he had told him 
 to throw away. Not long after, a very smart 
 pair of slippers made their appearance, 
 worked by the young ladies of the house, 
 who, he supposed, had treasured the others 
 as a holy 7'elic ! 
 
 The Archbishop's brother, Archdeacon 
 Musgrave, was a man of a very different 
 stamp. He was terribly afraid of risking 
 his dignity, and had none of that natural 
 ease of manner and good-nature, which, with 
 the Archbishop, was so noticeable, and 
 which became all the more prominent, when 
 he had attained an assured position. The 
 Archdeacon Avas, how ever, unlike his brother, 
 a very good-looking man : he had very hand- 
 some legs, of which he was particularly 
 proud, and always encased them in the 
 finest silk transparencies that could be pro- 
 cured. 
 
 The Archbishop used to say, " My brother 
 is a much greater man than I am : you must
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 377 
 
 never forget that he is an Archdeacon. He 
 is a great dandy, and, when he conies here 
 for a few days, he brings more higgage 
 than I shonld take, if I were going to 
 France." 
 
 There was one great inconvenience at 
 Bishopthorpe : the steamers were continu- 
 ally going up and down the Ouse, and all 
 the rooms, when the windoAvs were open, 
 became filled with a dense, dirty smoke. 
 The Archbishop, consequently, petitioned 
 that the smoke should be turned off while the 
 boats passed his Palace. The first day that 
 this was done, the officers quartered in York 
 went by in the boats, and, as they passed 
 the Palace, the funnels were lowered, the 
 bands played on the decks, and the officers 
 all saluted. It was rather a pretty sight. 
 We stood at the open window, and the 
 " Empress Catherine " bowed her acknow- 
 ledgments. 
 
 Longley, then Bishop of Ripon, and 3Irs. 
 Longley came to stay there for a few days 
 during one of our visits, and we were amused 
 at the ecclesiastical stir which their coming 
 made ; one special alteration being that we 
 had prayers in the evening, which we had 
 not had before. Mrs. Longley, I remember,
 
 378 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 had a black lace cap on with some red 
 poppies in it, and, while looking enviously 
 at Mrs. Musgrave's beautiful dress, she said 
 to me, " My dear, it is such a pity that the 
 Bishop will not allow me to wear artificial 
 flowers ; these came from the fields : that is 
 where I have to go, when I want to look like 
 other people." 
 
 The mention of these ecclesiastical digni- 
 taries recalls to my mind Mr. Sandford, the 
 brother of the Bishop of Gibraltar. He 
 came to Cannon Hall in his capacity of 
 school-inspector. In the morning, when he 
 wanted to start for the schools, he could 
 not find his hat anywhere, and, after a 
 regular search, it was found in the bushes, 
 wet through with the heavy dcAV : hoAV it 
 got there I do not know, but he could not 
 wear it, and so he started without a hat. 
 He went to the upper part of the park ; but 
 there he lost himself in a dense fog, and 
 got completely wet through, wandering about 
 in the long grass. At last he caught sight 
 of the school ; but he was so soaked, that he 
 had to take off* his coat to have it dried, 
 and had to borrow a pair of the girls' stock- 
 ings and shoes, before he was able to enter 
 on his office.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 379 
 
 Her Majesty's Inspectors consider them- 
 selves very important people, and very often 
 behave as such. In his address to the 
 school, Mr. Sandford asked the boys, "What 
 am I ? " "A man ; " answered one of them. 
 "Yes, I know I am a man, but what sort of 
 a man ? " " Varie oogly," was the reply. 
 
 His brother the Bishop once said to the 
 children, " I wish if there is anything you 
 do not quite understand, or that puzzles 
 you, you would just tell me, and ask me to 
 explain it." After a pause one of them said, 
 •' Please, my lord, how was it that the angels 
 wanted stairs to go up and down to Jacob, 
 when they had wings?" The Bishop was 
 fairly nonplussed, and did not know what to 
 answer : he got out of the difficulty by 
 saying, " Think a little, and if any reason 
 occurs to you, let me hear it." "Please, 
 my lord," piped a shrill voice from the 
 back of the room, "perhaps they were 
 a-moultering ! " 
 
 Archdeacon Watkins, once when he was 
 inspecting them, was very grand and 
 patronising, and addressed the boys with, 
 " Now, my dear boys, living as you do in the 
 country, I think you ought to know some- 
 thing of the nature around you," (feeling
 
 380 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sure that they knew nothing of it,) "you 
 ought to study the trees, their forms, and 
 the differences of their foliage ; you shoukl 
 know their names. Now, can you tell me 
 the names of any trees ? " 
 
 "Apple-trees, pear-trees, cherry-trees, 
 walnut-trees, gooseberry- trees," etc., etc., 
 was the too-ready answer. 
 
 " Well, yes, yes ; but can you tell me the 
 names of any birds ? " 
 
 " Cock-robins, Spinks, Dickey-dunachs, 
 Tomtits," and a number of others, whose 
 local names the Archdeacon had never heard 
 before. 
 
 Flowers were then attempted, but with 
 the same result, there being a chorus of 
 voices shouting out, "DafFydowndillies, Sweet 
 Williams, Marygolds, Perry winkles," and a 
 host of others ; till the inspector thought it 
 hardly safe to give the reins to Yorkshire 
 boys. 
 
 The clergyman once asked the children 
 what was the difference in our Saviour, when 
 he descended from Heaven, and when he 
 ascended into it again. One of the boys 
 answered : " He war a boy when he came 
 down, and he war a man when he went 
 oop."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 381 
 
 I was told that, when my husband was 
 quite a little child, he was sitting one very 
 windy day by the window, when the dust 
 was flying in eddies, and was heard to sigh 
 deeply, and say, "Oh ! poor Adam and Eve! " 
 His mother asked him what he meant, Avhen 
 he said, " Don't you know ; it was said to 
 Adam and Eve, 'Dust thou art, and unto 
 dust shalt thou return,' and just look how 
 they are blowing about ! " 
 
 One of my children said to me, " I know 
 that God made heaven and earth, but where 
 was He when He made it ? "
 
 382 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 As I was now just seventeen, it was decided 
 that I was to come ont, and to spend the 
 winter at Holkham with my parents : it was 
 also arranged that the rest of the family, 
 with the servants, were to be settled there 
 at the " Inn," a large house just within the 
 park gates. This was a delightful arrange- 
 ment for me, for it enabled me to spend the 
 day with my brothers and sisters, and to 
 take long walks and drives with them, as w^e 
 had a carriage at our disposal. 
 
 My mother, from the time of her marriage, 
 had spent half of every year at Holkham, 
 and, having been ahvays very much respected 
 and looked up to, still retained much of her 
 former position there ; so her time was very 
 much taken up in looking after the guests, 
 and she very wisely considered me to be far 
 too young to be turned independently into 
 a house of that sort. Of course, had I 
 spent the whole day at Holkham, I should, 
 probably, have much more to record now ; 
 as it was, my time was spent in the following
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 383 
 
 manner : — I breakfasted in the schoolroom 
 at eight o'clock with Margaret Coke and 
 her governess, Margaret being on her invalid 
 couch : I then went to my father's room, 
 and read with him. Afterwards, I walked 
 to the Inn, either with him, or with our 
 footman, and spent the rest of the day 
 there, till my grandfather and my aunt 
 Anson called for me at the end of their 
 drive, and brought me back. My father 
 would generally be out shooting, for, on the 
 days when there Avas no battue, he used to 
 go out independently, wherever he pleased, 
 having a keeper who had been told off to 
 attend to him specially. 
 
 Had I not spent that winter at Holkham, 
 I never should have realized the enthusiastic 
 way in which my grandfather was worshipped 
 by those around him : and well did he, whose 
 whole life had always been spent for others, 
 deserve the love bestowed upon him. 
 
 My mother used to tell me that in former 
 years, when he was vmhampercd, and his 
 purse-strings not drawn for him by others,* 
 
 N * I.e. before his second marriage. lu a letter to me on 
 this subject my mother says : 
 
 " The following occurrence will illustrate my reasons 
 for holding this opinion. My grandfather and Lady
 
 384 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his noble liberality and romantic generosity 
 knew no bounds : she nsed to sav that he 
 would have shared his last crust with any 
 friend who Avanted it. 
 
 From my earliest childhood I was devoted 
 to him, and he considered me as his special 
 favourite. This now became much more 
 marked, and I believe that my being there 
 added a peculiar element of happiness to 
 this, the last year of his life. I remember 
 Edward Coke saying to me one day, " Anna 
 Maria, I really and truly believe that my 
 father cares more for his granddaughter 
 than he does for all of us put together : 
 you are certainly more to him individually 
 than any one of us is," 
 
 Leicester were stayiug with us in Harley Street the year 
 that I came out. There was a dinner-party one day, and the 
 ladies had gone up to dress, leaving my grandfather lying 
 on the sofa in the library. I was with him ; and he sud- 
 denly pulled out his purse, looked round vei'y uncomfort- 
 ably, and took out a ten-pound note, which he gave me, 
 saying, ' Don't tell Lady Leicester.' He looked as if he 
 had done more than he ought to do, and cautioned me a 
 second time to say nothing about it. But I told my mother 
 the next day, and she seemed very much annoyed, saying, 
 ' In former days ha would not have been satisfied with a 
 hundred pounds for his favoux-ite grandchild on her first 
 coming out.' There was something wrong somewhere." 
 —8. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 385 
 
 I can better understand it now, perhaps, 
 than I could then. Lady Leicester was 
 quite taken up with things in which he took 
 no interest : as for his sons, he Avas cer- 
 tainly fond of them collectively, and I have 
 heard him speak with pride and admiration 
 of Edward — and no wonder, for he was six 
 foot \\v^\\, with a fine figure, and so splen- 
 didly handsome that he was considered the 
 handsomest man of his time, and Avas always 
 very steady and good ; a son for any father 
 to be proud of: Wenny, the youngest, he 
 spoilt, and used to call "Little Benjamin 
 our Ruler." But a young family, consisting 
 of a number of boys, whom he saw only 
 during their holidays, and of an invalid girl, 
 poor MaTgaret, whom he seldom saw at all, 
 represented an idea in his life which could 
 not possibly pretend to vie with the recollec- 
 tion of her (my mother), who had been the 
 object of his care and love from her earliest* 
 childhood, and the friend and companion of 
 the prime of his life. 
 
 * My mother was only four years old when her own 
 mother died : both her sisters were then married women, 
 and so my gnindfather's affection was naturally centred 
 upon her. -A. M. W. P. 
 
 B B
 
 '6H0 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 That recollection I forcibly recalled to 
 him, and in a way that nothing else could. 
 He used often to say to me, " It's your 
 mother over again. My darling, you are so 
 like your mother, that, when I have you, I 
 feel as if I had got her back." Often, also, 
 would he say, especially when something 
 had displeased him, " You are a dear, good 
 little soul ; I wish all the world were more 
 like you," or, " I wish others would take 
 pattern by you." He never missed an op- 
 portunity of shewing me his strong affection : 
 every day was I made aware of it by his 
 every action : while, for my part, I worship- 
 ped him. 
 
 One day^ — it was the audit-day — all the 
 tenants were dining in the audit-room, and 
 the gentlemen of the house-party were 
 dining with them. My grandfather had not 
 been down to any of these dinners now for 
 a long time, but this evening he announced 
 his intention of going with his grand- 
 daughter to see his tenants, for he always 
 treated me as if I were the daughter of the 
 house. Nothing could have delighted me 
 more ; and the tenants were very excited at 
 the thoughts of his coming. But, alas, at
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 387 
 
 the last moment he was prevented, as they 
 said it would be too much for him : thoujrh 
 I think that it would have given him peculiar 
 pleasure to have gone. I went down to a 
 little room next to the audit-room, and 
 there I heard the tumult when his health 
 was drunk : benches and chairs were knocked 
 about ; cheers were given which threatened 
 to bring down the roof-tree, and then, all in 
 chorus, they sang the spirited song of " The 
 Old English Gentleman,"— 
 
 " Like a good old English gentleman, 
 One of the olden time." 
 
 As may easily be imagined, the various 
 relationships in my mother's family were of 
 a very perplexing character, her elder sisters 
 being some 30 years older than she, and her 
 half-brothers and half-sisters, some 30 years 
 younger.* I remember that one day at 
 Holkham, Lord Huntingtower, who had just 
 
 * Mr. Coke was 68 years old when his son and heir was 
 born. On his entering the House of Commons on the next 
 occasion after that event, he was received with hearty cheers 
 of congratulation. There was an interval of 52 yrars be- 
 tween the births of the eldest and youngest of his children. 
 The present Lord Leicester has followed the example of his 
 father very closely : he has been married twice, and lias two 
 separate families; his youngest child was born to him when 
 
 3 n 2
 
 388 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 arrived, was sitting by me, and said, " I 
 suppose you are a relation, and can tell me 
 all about these people : I wish you would, 
 for I do not know any of them." *' Oh ! yes," 
 I said, " with pleasure ; I can tell you who 
 they all are. That is my mother ; and that 
 is her brother, sitting next to her, (pointing 
 to Edward Coke, who looked like her son) ; 
 that (pointing to Wenny, then a little boy) 
 is uncle to the old gentleman sitting near 
 them (Lord Rosebery) ; that is Lady Rose- 
 bery, and she is niece to my mother (being 
 just the same age as she was) ; and that is 
 my father, sitting next to his mother-in-law 
 (who Avas much younger than he was) : " and 
 so I rattled on through the whole party, 
 which sounded far more extraordinary than 
 any description here can give the slightest 
 notion of I burst out laughing, and said, 
 " Now I have told you who all the people 
 are, and how they are related to each other ; 
 
 he was 72 years old; ami there was an interval of nearly 
 50 years between the birth of his eldest and youngest child. 
 There is an interval of no less than 103 jears between the 
 birth of this youngest child and of that of her aunt, Lady 
 Andover. Lady Anson's family was, also, a large one, and 
 gave rise to further complications, owing to one of her 
 daughters having married Lord Rosebery, while another had 
 married his son. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 389 
 
 and, I think, you will consider us as a very 
 peculiar family." 
 
 The Duke of Sussex generally spent the 
 greater part of each winter at Holkham, 
 usually staying there about two months. 
 He sent word on this occasion that he should 
 arrive on Sunday, during the afternoon ser- 
 vice. On Sundays, the services were always 
 alternated ; one week, the morning service 
 was held at the church, and the next, it was 
 held at the chapel in the house, the cha])lain 
 officiating, and all the village people attend- 
 ing. The afternoon services were similarly 
 alternated. This Sunday afternoon, the 
 service was at the church, and the carriage 
 came round, as visual, to take us to it. As 
 we were going along, my aunt Anson began 
 fidgeting, because no one was left to receive 
 the Duke of Sussex on his arrival : but my 
 grandfather said, " If the Duke of Sussex 
 chooses to come at this hour, he has no 
 right to complain of my not being there to 
 receive him." When we got back we found 
 the Duke, with his wife, the Duchess of In- 
 verness, in the saloon. 
 
 The Duke was, like Saul a head and 
 shoulders taller than the people. He wore
 
 390 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a magnificent diamond order, and a black 
 velvet skull-cap. The little Duchess was 
 good-temper and good-nature itself. She 
 was very small and common-looking, and 
 appeared very ridiculous by the side of her 
 magnificent husband. When she was dressed 
 out in the evening, in stiff, shining, silver 
 and gold brocades, she looked just like a 
 little queen on a twelfth cake. 
 
 The Duke had twice defied the law, by 
 morganatic marriages : he had been married 
 first (1793) to Lady Augusta Murray, Lord 
 Dunmore's daughter : she always called her- 
 self Duchess of Sussex, but the marriage 
 was not acknowledged by any of the royal 
 family, being shortly afterwards declared 
 null and void, and was dissolved in 1794. 
 She had two children, a son and a daughter. 
 When the son went to court, it was doubtful 
 how, and by what name, he would be re- 
 ceived. George IV. came forward, shook 
 hands with him, and said, " How do you do. 
 Sir Augustus d'Este?" D'Este being, of 
 course, their family name. 
 
 The second Duchess was Lady Cecilia 
 Underwood. She was the daughter of Lord 
 Arran, an Irish peer, who had married his 
 children's governess. She first married Sir
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 391 
 
 George Buggins, a city knight ; and, after 
 his death, travelled about with the Duke of 
 Sussex, under her maiden name of Lady 
 Cecilia Underwood. Many people were still 
 inclined to look coldly upon her, but at 
 Holkham they knew that she had really 
 been married to the Duke, (though only 
 after she had lived with him), as the marriage 
 ceremony was performed by a friend of my 
 grandfather, Archdeacon Glover. It seems 
 strange that, whilst Lady Augusta Murray, 
 who had in every way a better right, was 
 never acknowledged by the royal family as 
 the Duke's wife, Ladv Cecilia Underwood, 
 w^as not only acknowledged, but Avas created 
 a Duchess with one of the Duke's royal 
 titles of Inverness. She was devoted to the 
 Duke, and injured her eyes by constantly 
 reading to him in an atmosphere of tobacco- 
 smoke. 
 
 A few days after they came to Holkham, 
 there was a dance for the tenants in the 
 Statue-Gallery. We were dancing the Tri- 
 umph, or some country dance, and the 
 Duchess of Inverness was dancing with Sir 
 Archibald Macdonald, who was equery to 
 the Duke. Unfortunately her foot slipped 
 on the parquet floor, and she fell ; but being
 
 392 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 very lij^ht, Archie never noticed what had 
 happened, and went on capering all down 
 the room, dragging the poor little Duchess 
 along the floor. The Duke did not see the 
 occurrence, as he was in the saloon, playing 
 whist ; and she came up to me, and showed 
 me her arm, which was frightfully bruised 
 and hurt, saying, " My dear, do not mention 
 a word about it to anyone, for if anybody 
 knows and talks about it, it is sure to get 
 round to the Duke, and he would be very 
 angry with Archie." So the Duchess and 
 I kept our own counsels, and it went no 
 further. 
 
 The Duke always breakfasted at ten 
 o'clock, and my mother presided at that 
 breakfast : Lady Leicester breakfasted with 
 my grandfather at nine. 
 
 The Duke seemed to me to be very agree- 
 able, though he was fond of an argument. 
 One day I heard him say, that, for eighteen 
 years of his life, he had kept a journal, and 
 that, as he had put everything down as it 
 occurred, there were many very curious 
 and interesting things in it. It was full of 
 anecdotes about people, many of whom 
 were still alive, and he thought of the mis- 
 chief that it might make, if, in the event of
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 393 
 
 his death, it were to be piibHshed unrevised; 
 so to avoid this, he burnt it himself, and 
 from that day never wrote any more diaries. 
 
 He was a great student of theology : but 
 he said, "My knowledge of the Bible is 
 nothing to my ftither's : you should have 
 seen his Bible ; it was marked all through." 
 He said that the only sermons he ever read 
 were Arnold's sermons for the Rugby boys ; 
 he thought them most excellent, and had 
 read them so often, that he knew them 
 almost by heart. 
 
 He pretended to wish there should be no 
 ceremony observed towards him, but, in 
 reality no one was quicker than he to notice 
 the slightest breach of etiquette in those 
 about him. He always said we ought to sit 
 down when he was there, but I noticed 
 that he did not like our doing so, unless he 
 had specially told us to. I have seen him 
 look very disgusted when Mrs. Anson, pre- 
 suming on being a beauty, reached out her 
 hand to him without getting up. One day 
 I remember, he amused himself by sitting 
 down, and deliberately yawning, for the fun 
 of making us all yawn ; for, of course, yawn- 
 ing in the very face of royalty was highly 
 incorrect.
 
 394 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 One night, at dinner, the Duke seemed 
 very mnch amused at something : presently 
 he called out to my mother, who was sitting 
 opposite to him, " It's very becoming, ma'am : 
 we can all see that it is quite new, and what 
 it cost ! " She had a new head-dress on, 
 and the card, with the price on it, was stick- 
 ing up in front. A somewhat similar thing 
 happened a winter or two before, when the 
 Duke of Sussex was there : my father had 
 a new coat sent down from London ; it was 
 of blue cloth, with brass buttons, and the 
 buttons were all carefully done up in silver 
 paper. My father put it on just as it arrived, 
 and went down to dinner : he was received 
 with a shout of laughter, Lady Leicester 
 exclaiming, " Impossible not to like a man 
 who comes to dinner with his buttons all in 
 silver paper ! " 
 
 The Duke of Sussex declared that he in- 
 tended to leave his body to a hospital for 
 dissection ; and a very good caricature of 
 him had been drawn as " A Royal Subject." 
 It had just arrived, and my father was look- 
 ing at it, when the Duke came into the 
 room: he tried to smuggle it out of the 
 way, but it would not do : the Duke had 
 seen there was something not meant for
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 395 
 
 him, so, of course, he asked to see it, and 
 my father was obliged to hand it to him. 
 He looked at it for some moments, and 
 then gave it back, saying, "Much better, I 
 think, than being buried in the dreary 
 vaults at Windsor, amongst those iriscals, my 
 ancestors." 
 
 One day the news arrived at Holkham of 
 the birth of the Prince of Wales. The Duke 
 was very anxious that he should be called 
 ** George " : he said that he was very much 
 afraid they would call him " Albert " ; but 
 that it was not an English name, and as 
 such, was not a fit name for a King of Eng- 
 land. At dinner, that day, I sat by Archie 
 Macdonald, who, filling his glass, and, stand- 
 ing up, said, *' Sir, here's to the health of the 
 Prince of Wales." We all filled our glasses, 
 and drank it too. But the Duke was very 
 angry : he said, " Archie, you know very well 
 that that's not the proper way to drink the 
 Prince of Wales's health. You know it 
 ought to be drunk standing." " But I did 
 stand, Sir," said Archie, " I drank it stand- 
 ing." The Duke paid no attention, but 
 went on, "You know quite well, that it is 
 not the right way to drink the health of the 
 Queen's son. sitting : it is better not to do a
 
 396 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 thing at all, than to do it disrespectfully." 
 Archie turned to me and said, " That is not 
 meant for me, it is meant for all of you. He 
 knows well enough that I stood, and he will 
 put it all right with me as soon as we are 
 alone." 
 
 Sir Archibald Macdonald was wonderfully 
 musical, and used to play the violoncello 
 most beautifully. He was Lady Leicester's 
 nephew. His mother. Lady Sophia Mac- 
 donald, was a Keppel ; his father, Sir James 
 Macdonald, died of the cholera, and he was 
 left without father or mother, or any near 
 relations. He was a ward of the Duke of 
 Sutherland's, his grandmother being the late 
 Duke of Sutherland's daughter. Both his 
 grandmother and great-grandmother were 
 daughters of Dukes of Sutherland. His 
 grandfather. Sir Archibald Macdonald, was 
 in a high position at the bar, and bought 
 Woolmer Lodge, near Liphook. 
 
 Old Sir Archibald was a great friend of 
 my father's in his young days. He said one 
 day to Sydney Smith, " I shall come some 
 Sunday, to hear you preach in St. Paul's." 
 " If you do, I shall name you from the pul- 
 pit," was the reply. Undeterred by this 
 threat, Sir Archibald went to St. Paul's.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 397 
 
 After Sydney Smith had entered the pulpit, 
 he looked hard at him, and was then seized 
 with a wonderful fit of sneezing ; " Ar -chie, 
 Ar -chie, Ar -chie : " after which he pro- 
 ceeded to deliver a very excellent sermon. 
 
 One afternoon when I was at some party 
 with my mother, I noticed her sitting on the 
 sofa beside an old gentleman, with whom 
 she was deep in conversation. Presently 
 they got up, and went in opposite directions : 
 a few minutes later, the lady of the house 
 came up to her laughing, and said, " That 
 old gentleman has been to me in ecstasies, 
 telling me that he had seen the face of an 
 angel, but that he did not know her name." 
 It turned out to be Sydney Smith. 
 
 But, to return to Holkham. The Duke 
 used to retire early, and Archie used to 
 make a great show of being a very devoted 
 equery : he danced off with two lighted 
 candles, and walked backwards, carrying 
 them before the Duke : this was in the hope 
 that he might have the excuse of bringing 
 them back, and so get back himself to the 
 drawing-room ; but, more often than not, he 
 got caught, the Duke telling him to come to 
 his room, where they used to sit up smoking 
 and gossiping till a late hour.
 
 398 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 At dinner, my grandfather and Lady Lei- 
 cester, with the Duke and Duchess, always 
 occupied the centre of the table. When 
 dinner was over Lady Leicester left the room 
 with the Duchess, and most of the ladies 
 followed shortly afterwards. But there was 
 a little ceremony to be performed every 
 night, before I was allowed to leave the 
 room : from whatever part of the long table 
 I had been sitting at, I had to go round to 
 where the Duke and my grandfather were 
 standing together ; I then courtesied to the 
 Duke, who shook hands with me, and he, 
 looking round for my grandfather, who 
 could not see very well, used to put my hand 
 into his, saying, " Coke, here is your grand- 
 daughter." My grandfather then took both 
 my hands, kissed me most affectionately, 
 and said, "God bless you, my darling." 
 This took place every night, and I was never 
 allowed to leave the room till the ceremony 
 had been performed. 
 
 When Lady de Lisle died,* the family went 
 into mourning, as she was my grandfather's 
 niece ; but, for me, the mourning was, neces- 
 
 * The de Lisles lived at Penshurst. Lord de Lisle was 
 the representative of Sir Philip Sidney, as I have mentioned 
 elsewhere. — K M. W. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 399 
 
 sarily, a very slight one. I wore a white 
 muslin, with a black or white sash, jet orna- 
 ments, and black mittens, instead of white 
 kid gloves. Mittens were then often worn, 
 particularly in mourning, and, owing to the 
 slightness of my mourning, they formed 
 rather an important item in my dress. I 
 went as usual that evening, and courtesied 
 to the Duke, but he did not take my hand, 
 or say anything to me, though my grand- 
 father kissed me as usual. The next night 
 the same thing happened : I could not ima- 
 gine what I had done to displease him, so 
 that he would no longer take any notice of 
 me. The following day at dinner he said, 
 loudly enough for every one to hear, " I 
 can't bear those new-fangled things that 
 some ladies are taking to wearing on their 
 hands, like stockings with the toes cut off." 
 I sat convicted ; and some one said to me, 
 " Well, he may call himself blind, but I 
 think he certainly can see through a stone 
 wall," for I was sitting quite at the other 
 end of the long table. The next evening, I 
 took care to put on white kid gloves : 1 was 
 then most graciously received, and had the 
 usual shake of his hand, which was never 
 again omitted.
 
 400 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 One day, wlien it was wet, a large party of 
 us, piloted by Lord Albemarle, started to 
 go all over the house. This was rather a 
 favourite amusement, when there were any 
 people there, who wished to see the pictures 
 and the rooms. There are two state rooms, 
 the north and the south ; in the north room 
 is a beautiful plaque of Augustus Csesar over 
 the mantlepiece, which, it was always re- 
 marked, bore an extraordinary likeness to 
 Napoleon. This room was the Duke's bed- 
 room, and there, to our amusement, we 
 found the ducal stockings, warming at the 
 fire : holding up one of them, Lord Albe- 
 marle exclaimed, " This is the biggest stock- 
 ing in the British dominions." The Duke 
 was in a little sitting-room close by, and 
 probably overheard this ; at any rate, he 
 called us in, and we found him enveloped in 
 smoke, with the little Duchess reading aloud 
 to him. 
 
 The Duke had a black servant, dressed in 
 an Eastern dress with a turban, who always 
 guarded his room when he was in it, and, 
 I think, slept on a mat outside, during the 
 night. There was a very good story, though 
 I am afraid I do not remember it fully, of a 
 lady's maid, who had lost herself in the
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 401 
 
 house, and, after wandering about the pas- 
 sages in despair, and trying several rooms, 
 at last got to the Duke's room, and had her 
 hand on the handle ; when, up sprung the 
 faithful blackie, and sent her flying down 
 the passage, screaming out that the devil 
 had jumped out of the floor, and was going 
 to seize her. 
 
 A French lady's maid, I remember, was 
 found by some gentlemen one day, seated 
 on an old cannon, which there was in the 
 guard-room, crying bitterly, having lost her 
 way, and having given up all hope of ever 
 finding it again. 
 
 The cellars at Holkham were considered 
 
 well worth seeing, and it was said that there 
 
 were as many bricks underground as there 
 
 were above. We, of course, went down to 
 
 them. Suddenlv. from behind one of the 
 
 pillars, appeared a figure, candle in hand, 
 
 which made one think of Daniel Lambert. 
 
 I thought that he must be a friend of the 
 
 butler's, and was much surprised when I 
 
 saw my mother greet him affectionately. 
 
 It was Mr. Hamond of Westacrc. ]Mrs. Ha- 
 
 mond had come with him, and I was much 
 
 interested in seeing her, for she was the 
 
 daughter of Lord Byron's boyish love, Miss 
 
 c c
 
 402 MEMOIRS or 
 
 Chaworth, the heiress of Annesley (Mrs. 
 Musters). She was the " favorite child," on 
 whom the well-known verses were written, 
 when Byron saw her, 
 
 " When late I saw thy favorite cliild, 
 I thought my jealous heart would break : 
 But when th' unconscious infant smiled, 
 I kissed it for its mother's sake. 
 1 kissed it, and repressed my sighs. 
 Its father in its face to see; 
 But then it had its mother's eyes, 
 And they were all to love and me." 
 
 I remember Colonel and Mrs. Wildman, 
 with her sister, staying at Cannon Hall. He 
 was a great friend of Lord Byron's, and had 
 bought Newstead Abbey from him. He 
 took the greatest pains to keep it up in the 
 state it was in when Lord Byron owned it. 
 My Uncle Philip was a very great friend of 
 Colonel Wildman's, and often stayed at New- 
 stead : there was a picture there of a man 
 in armour, which they declared was wonder- 
 fully like my uncle, and one day they dressed 
 him up in a suit of armour, and sent him to 
 walk along the road to Nottingham, much 
 to the consternation of the natives. 
 
 My mother and sisters went to stay at 
 Newstead once, where they occupied some 
 of the large state bedrooms opening into
 
 A. M. W. PICKEIIING. 403 
 
 each other. My mother and my sister Alice 
 were sitting up readinf^ rather late, when 
 they were very much astonished at hearing 
 the'sound of a garden-roller, dragged l)ack- 
 wards and forwards under the windows. 
 She was just going to call my sister Loui's 
 attention to it, when Loui came into the 
 room in a great state of excitement, hav- 
 ing just been reading Washington Irving's 
 account of Newstead, in which he relates 
 that, at twelve o'clock at night, there was 
 sometimes heard the distinct sound of a 
 garden-roller being dragged backwards and 
 forwards in the garden. 
 
 There was, also, another ghost connected 
 with the house, in the shape of a lady in 
 white, who occasionally made her appear- 
 ance : but they did not see anything of her. 
 
 Colonel Wildman, when he was at Cannon 
 Hall, had a servant who was the son of Lord 
 Byron's page, and at the same time we had 
 a footman who had lived with Walter Scott : 
 so we had high poetical connections down- 
 stairs. Sad to relate, the footman seemed 
 to have imbibed a greater taste for mountain 
 dew than for poetry ; and my father once 
 found him lying all his length on the stairs, 
 
 with the coffee-trav as a })illow. 
 
 c c 2
 
 404 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 There was a great deal of high life below 
 stairs at Holkham. My mother's maid asked 
 her one day to tell her what courtesy meant ? 
 She said that Lady Anson's maid walked 
 before Lady Andover's, but they were both 
 Viscountesses, and Lady Andover was the 
 elder sister : yet, when she asked the reason, 
 she was told that one went by courtesy : she 
 did not understand it, and wanted my 
 mother to explain it to her. My aunt, Lady 
 Andover, told me she once overheard her 
 footman say to another, "Exchange cards, 
 Mitchell." The servants were always called 
 by their master's names. One day, when I 
 was sitting in our carriage at the door, the 
 footman having been sent into the house for 
 something, I heard the following scrap of 
 conversation between him and another ser- 
 vant, " Well, Stanhope, if you see Rosebery, 
 just ask him if he has cleaned Keppel's 
 boots."
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 405 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 It was the custom at Holkham to dine in 
 the south dining-room till a certain date, 
 when the party for the winter began, and 
 then to move into the north dining-room. 
 Up to that time, any one who came, was 
 received as a family friend, and not as a 
 visitor, and, whoever they might be, no al- 
 terations in the menage were made on their 
 account, my grandfather remarking, " What 
 is good enough for me, is good enough for 
 my friends." 
 
 There was a large party at Holkham all 
 that winter, and a constant coming and 
 going of guests. The Duke and Duchess 
 of Bedford were there for some time. They 
 were both charming, and she had been very 
 beautiful. She was Lady Anna Maria Stan- 
 hope. She never could quite make out how 
 it was that I had not been her godchild, and 
 persisted that there must have been some 
 mistake ; she would say to me, " My dear, I
 
 406 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 think it was a great omission on the part of 
 your father and mother ; you ouglit to have 
 been my godchild, when you had the same 
 name." The Duke told us that the Duchess 
 had had a terrible accident : she had run 
 the risk of being burnt to death, and he 
 thought that her life had been saved mainly 
 by her own patience, and the extreme sweet- 
 ness of her temper. 
 
 What the Duchess delighted in, was hav- 
 ing tea every day at five o'clock in her own 
 room with my mother, when they used to 
 talk of all things past and present. In those 
 days this was looked upon as a very strange 
 proceeding : tea had not become installed 
 amongst the meals of the day. However, it 
 was no new institution with the Duchess of 
 Bedford, for I have seen an old book of my 
 mother's, which she had when she was Miss 
 Coke, in which there was a delightful carica- 
 ture of one of these teas, with likenesses of 
 those who used to frequent them. Lord 
 Albemarle was the secretary, in a poke 
 bonnet and a large shawl ; Sir Robert Adair, 
 the diplomatist, was there, and he, and all 
 the other gentlemen likewise, wore bonnets 
 and shawls : Lord Albemarle had just been 
 promulgating his code of laws, which were
 
 A, M. W. PICKERING. 407 
 
 written on the next sheet in the book ; but 
 all I remember of them, was, that each 
 member was restricted to six cups of tea. 
 Under the table, seated on high stools, were 
 some black velvety cats, supposed to be 
 spitting at each other, labelled with their 
 names, Malice, Envy, Ill-nature, etc. ; any- 
 thing to illustrate the harmony of the tea- 
 table. The Duchess always had her teas 
 when in Belgrave Square, to which we had a 
 general invitation ; and she always seemed 
 delighted to see us. 
 
 Amongst the other guests whom I remem- 
 ber at Holkham that winter, were Lord 
 Gosford and Lord Spencer. The latter was 
 a great* agriculturist, and, also, a biblio- 
 maniac, his own library at Althorp being 
 one of the most noted in England. His 
 wife. Lady Althorp, had not lived to become 
 Lady Spencer. She was a most charming 
 woman, and he never got over her death : 
 he always wore mourning for her, and Avould 
 not allow anything in her room to be 
 touched ; the book which she had been 
 reading, and the work she had been doing, 
 all remained just as she had left them. 
 
 Mrs. Henry Baring, Lady Suffield's mother, 
 was, also, at Holkham for some time : slie
 
 408 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was a very clever, agreeable person, and 
 had a fine voice, and great musical abi- 
 lity : she used to sing us some beautiful 
 old English songs, now long forgotten. She 
 had a wonderful necklace of black pearls, 
 which had been taken from the hilt of 
 Murat's sword. 
 
 While mentioning some of the many guests 
 at Holkham, I must not omit the Hostes. 
 They were a Norfolk family, a gallant, high- 
 spirited race, many members of which had 
 distinguished themselves in the Navy. Jane 
 Hoste, my mother's early and life-long 
 friend, was a singularly fine character ; a 
 friend worth having ; as she was possessed 
 of unusual elevation of mind, and was very 
 clever and amusing. She married Mr. Bur- 
 roughes, M.P. for the county, and brought 
 him ten thousand a year, and two estates in 
 Norfolk, Burlingham and Hoveton. 
 
 Young Sir William Hoste was one day 
 dining with us in Harley Street, just after 
 he had come back from Paris, where the 
 Commune was reigning supreme ; and he 
 told us that he was standing somewhere in a 
 crowd in the Paris streets, when, suddenly 
 and unexpectedly, Rachel appeared, carry- 
 ing the Tricolor flag, and singing the Mar-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 409 
 
 seillaise. She went round the crowd, and 
 then suddenly wound the flag round her, 
 and, screaming, more than singing, '' Allons, 
 enfans de la Patrie,'' led the way, wliile the 
 excited mob followed, shouting, yelling, and 
 singing. He said he never saw so thrilling 
 a scene ; that he felt perfectly carried away 
 by it ; that he followed in the crowd, and so 
 completely lost his self-control, that he 
 believed he would have joined in any deed 
 of blood. Thus were the passions of the 
 multitude worked upon, till they were in 
 a state of ungovernable frenzy. 
 
 Sir Edwin Landseer was often at Holk- 
 ham. He was just like a Skye terrier, with 
 little twinkling eyes, and rough, untidy- 
 looking hair, hanging down on each side of 
 his face. He was very amusing, but not a 
 man for whom one could feel much respect. 
 I remember one day finding Lady Georgiana 
 Hill, Lady Leicester's sister, making the 
 most extraordinary faces : Landseer had 
 told her that she had a fine " snorting " 
 nostril, and she was, in consequence, prac- 
 tising snorting. 
 
 I remember Landseer telling me, when I 
 was sitting next to him one day at dinner in 
 London, that a short time before he was in
 
 410 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his study, somewhat overcome by the heat 
 and the closeness of the weather, when, 
 between sleeping and waking, he heard a 
 voice say, "There is a lion at the door." 
 He was returning to the land of Nod, when 
 he heard the same voice say, "It is quite 
 true, it is at the hall-door, in a cab. What 
 am I to do ? " He roused himself, and went 
 out to see what it meant ; and there he found 
 a cab with a lion in it, but, fortunately, a 
 dead one. The driver told him that it had 
 just died at the Zoological Gardens, in a 
 very emaciated state, after an exhausting 
 illness ; and the authorities had sent it off 
 immediately to Sir Edwin. Landseer got it 
 into his studio, and immediately set to work 
 on it. He told me that he worked steadily 
 at it for thirty-six hours. I forget under 
 what title his picture was exhibited, but it 
 was one of the most striking ones at the 
 Royal Academy — the dead monarch, lying 
 alone on the wild, bleak mountain top. 
 
 Sir Francis Chantrey was a valued friend 
 of ours, both at Holkham and at Cannon 
 Hall. He was so true, so simple and 
 straightforward, so genial and warm-hearted, 
 that no one could help respecting and liking 
 him. He stayed twice at Holkham that
 
 A. M. W. PICKEIIING. 411 
 
 winter. The first time, he was in very 
 good spirits, and I remember him telling 
 us the story of how he got his first start 
 in life. 
 
 His mother had a small farm near Shef- 
 field, where he spent his boyhood. One day 
 she was going to give a dinner-party ; she 
 had been very busy all the morning, cooking 
 the dinner herself, but came to her son in a 
 distressed state of mind, as she had made 
 such a beautiful pie, but found that it looked 
 so plain, and was quite spoilt for want of 
 some ornament on the top. He said that 
 he would see what he could do ; and, ac- 
 cordingly, set to work, and modelled in 
 paste a sow with a litter of little pigs, by 
 way of ornament. The dinner came, and 
 the pie was much appreciated, both inside 
 and out. Amongst the guests, there was a 
 gentleman who was a man of education, and 
 he was so struck with the evident genius 
 displayed in the modelling of the i)igs, that 
 he took the boy up, and gave him the advan- 
 tage of a suitable education. That was the 
 beginning of his success in life. 
 
 I have often heard Chantrey say that " he 
 could follow the plough as well as any man 
 in England."
 
 412 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 One day, when we were in London, we 
 went to see him at his studio in Eccleston 
 Square. He was in his working dress, busy 
 on a colossal horse, Avhich was intended for 
 a Square in one of the principal towns in 
 India. I remember him stooping down, and 
 picking up a piece of clay, which he gave to 
 my brother Eoddy, saying, "There, my dear 
 boy, that's what I began life with." 
 
 My father told me that, some years before, 
 when Chantrey was at Holkham, working at 
 his bust of my grandfather (one of the best 
 of his works), he came to him, and asked 
 him to have a look at it, and to suggest 
 anything which he thought might be an 
 improvement. My father ventured to ask 
 whether he thought a little light through 
 one of the curls, might not be an advantage ; 
 and he said, he felt quite nervous when, 
 without answering, Chantrey took up his 
 chisel, and drove it straight through the 
 marble. Luckily, it was a decided improve- 
 ment. 
 
 One winter, a few years before, when 
 Chantrey was at Holkham, my father was 
 walking round the lake, and met him com- 
 ing up to him with a face of glee : he had 
 just killed two woodcocks at one shot. He
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 413 
 
 carved a bas-relief of them in marble, which 
 he gave to my grandfather. My father 
 wrote the following verses (the first of many 
 scores of verses which have been wrftten on 
 the same subject), which were placed on the 
 marble pedestal on which the woodcocks 
 rested in the library : — 
 
 " Two woodcocks fall to his one shot, 
 The joyous Chnntrey smiled to see, 
 And pitying gave them immortality." 
 
 My father was so pleased with the word 
 "joyous:" he said, "that is just what did 
 describe him : * the joyous Chantrey.' " 
 
 Chantrey's special pleasure was taking 
 children to the play for the first time. He 
 took a box for us to see Macready in 
 Richard III., and he himself accompanied 
 us and our parents. We were very well up 
 in Shakespeare, and, never shall I forget 
 how I hung upon every word ! To me it 
 was not acting ; it was all reality : the people 
 were as real as if I had known them all my 
 life. No second time did I ever feel quite 
 that same illusion : I can recall my feelings 
 now ; and if Chantrey wished to give me 
 pleasure, he certainly succeeded ; for the 
 recollection of what I felt that one, unique 
 evening, has lasted me through my life.
 
 414 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Chanti-ey had tea for us in a room adjoin- 
 ing our box, and he was most deli<^htful and 
 amusing. 
 
 Child as I was, I remember that I did not 
 like the way Macready ranted out, " So 
 much for Buckingham ; " it seemed to me to 
 have no meaning. Also, I did not like the 
 way he mouthed, and yelled up and down 
 the stage, "A horse, my kingdom for a 
 horse." I thought it very unroyal, and not 
 like a brave man ! I asked my father about 
 it, and he told me he thought it very bad, 
 and that Macready certainly did rant. He 
 told me that hehad seen Kean as Richard III., 
 and that he never ranted the words "A 
 horse," but brouglrt them out as if it were 
 a most natural exclamation ; also, that, in 
 the other passage, he used to place the 
 fingers (two fingers) of his right hand in the 
 palm of his left, and in a whisper, but a 
 whisper that could be heard throughout the 
 house, say, " So much for Buck-/?i^-ham ! " 
 He said the house was breathless to hear it. 
 He always put a special emphasis on the 
 syllable "ing" in Buckingham, and at the 
 same time jerked his hand back in a manner 
 which expressed the most sovereign con- 
 tempt. It was a point made by the genius
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 416 
 
 of Kean, which was missed, or rather marred, 
 by Macready. Still, Macready was con- 
 sidered the best actor of that day. 
 
 I remember the pleasure I experienced 
 some years afterwards in seeing Perlet act 
 in Molifere's " L'Avare ; " but even that did 
 not approach the enchantment of my first 
 play. 
 
 Chantrey used to give most delightful, 
 well-selected breakfasts in Eccleston Square, 
 to which my father and mother were con- 
 stantly invited. One day my mother said 
 to Lady Chantrey, " How delightful it must 
 be for you to have all these clever people 
 constantly coming ! " " To tell you the 
 truth," was the answer, " I find it a mon- 
 strous bore." 
 
 In spite of Lady Chantrey 's opinion, her 
 breakfasts and dinners were very amusing. 
 Amongst the many people whom I have met 
 there, I may call to mind Sir Roderick and 
 Lady Murchison. They were both very con- 
 ceited, and he always seemed much more 
 taken up Avith his fashionable acquaintances, 
 than with the Silurian deposits ; though, no 
 doubt, iDhe7i one got him on to his own sub- 
 ject, he was very interesting. He showed 
 us a magnificent malachite vase, taller than
 
 416 MEM0IR80F 
 
 himself, which had been given him by the 
 Emperor of Russia : but he evidently valued 
 it more on account of the exalted position 
 of the donor, than for its own sake, or as a 
 mark of appreciation of his own abilities. 
 
 Sir Sidney and Lady Smith, we used also 
 to meet : they were the great attraction in 
 London that year, having just come back 
 from the war in India. 
 
 Then there were Lord and Lady Lovelace : 
 she was Byron's daughter, and looked like 
 a poet ; though they said she used to boast 
 that she had never read any of her father's 
 writings. 
 
 The mention of Byron's name recalls to 
 my mind Mrs. Somerville, and, also, Lock- 
 hart, with what Scott calls his "hidalgo air." 
 He was very tall and dark, with a cold 
 Spanish expression on his handsome face. 
 His daughter was a pretty, fair, English- 
 looking girl : she always appeared on her 
 father's arm, and they formed a very striking 
 contrast to each other. One day after 
 dinner, my mother said to me, " You are to 
 be envied, having had such a long conver- 
 sation with Lockhart." "Not at all," I 
 answered, " he would talk of nothing but 
 French polish ; I suppose he thought my
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 417 
 
 intellect to be just up to that, and to nothing 
 beyond." 
 
 I was much surprised at reading Sir Walter 
 Scott's opinion of Mrs. Somerville. He was 
 disappointed in her Avlien he met her, as she 
 did not tally with his preconceived notion 
 of what she ought to be ; and he accuses 
 her of frivolity, flirting her fan, tripping 
 about on her toes, opening and shutting her 
 work-box, and, in short, of behaving like all 
 the rest of the Avorld. It appeared to me 
 that such censure was quite undeserved, 
 and that the real beauty of her character 
 lay in her unpretending simplicity. She 
 was a true woman, and, in spite of her 
 genius, she never pretended to be anything 
 else ; her pleasures and daily occupations 
 were those of her sex ; and her religion, 
 like everything connected with her, was 
 bright, happy, and, above all, natural. She 
 was devoted to her daughters, and enjoyed 
 staying with them in Italy, and studying 
 works of art. She was very fond of needle- 
 work, and used to do some beautiful things 
 in it. Someone was asked, who was the 
 cleverest woman he had ever met ? He 
 promptly answered, " No doubt about it, 
 Mrs. Somerville ; " but, correcting himself.
 
 4-18 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 he added, " at least I am not quite sure : 
 a Mrs. Grieg, whom I once met, was, I 
 think, her equal : but those two were by 
 far the cleverest women I have come across." 
 This said as much for Mrs. Somerville's 
 ability, as for the acumen of her admirer, 
 for she was Mrs. Grieg before she became 
 Mrs. Somerville, having first married a Rus- 
 sian, Waronzoff" Grieg. 
 
 Another celebrity, whom we used to meet 
 at the Chantrey's, was Babbage, with his 
 squash, frog-like head, his immovable fea- 
 tures, and his yellow parchment complexion. 
 I thought that I had never seen such a 
 typical fossil before, and imagined that his 
 thoughts must be inextricably entangled in 
 his calculating machine. After a time, how- 
 ever, I noticed that he was only a semi- 
 fossil : that there was an expression on his 
 face, which did not altogether belong to the 
 calculating machine. At last he came up 
 to me, and said, " I want to give a party : 
 but, before sending out the invitations, I 
 wish to ask you if you Avill promise me 
 that you will come to it. If you won't 
 give me that promise, I shall not give the 
 party." The promise was not given, nor 
 the party either.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 419 
 
 But to return to Chantrey. He and Lady 
 Chantrey were first cousins ; they married 
 because they were the only relations each 
 had in the world. She was totally inferior 
 in mind to him ; but, though quaint and 
 original, she was one of the most generous, 
 liberal-minded and unselfish of people ; 
 every one liked her. 
 
 It is, perhaps, not generally known, but 
 Chantrey painted very well, in a Rembrandt- 
 like style, with fine effects of light ; a sort 
 of chiaroscuro. I have seen several of his 
 heads : the drawing was beautiful, and the 
 colouring very fine. 
 
 He left Holkham Avhile I was there, but, 
 later on, returned to it again. He was then 
 very ill, and suffering from ossification of 
 the brain. I never saw anything so sad. 
 His once fine, clever, joyous countenance 
 had become dull and heavy, almost idiotic- 
 looking ; while his eyes were quite lustre- 
 less. He was impressed Avith the idea that 
 he was overwhelmed with debt ; that he had 
 not a penny, and would die in gaol. No 
 argument could rouse him from this state 
 of miserable depression : it was so sad ; 
 especially when one knew that one stroke 
 of his chisel would save him from such a 
 
 D D 2
 
 420 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 fate as that. My father used to devote 
 himself to him, and used to take him round 
 the lake, and for walks, making me come 
 too, to help in trying to cheer him. He 
 left Holkham, and it was arranged that he 
 was to return again on a certain day. When 
 that day came, we expected him to dinner ; 
 but he did not arrive ; and the next morn- 
 ing a letter informed us that his troubled 
 spirit was at rest. He died on the morning 
 of the very day he was to have been at 
 Holkham. 
 
 His studio was thrown open to the public: 
 it was brilliantly lighted, and full of his 
 works, finished and unfinished ; and there, 
 on a loAv bier, surrounded by the creations 
 of his genius, lay the dead body of Chantrey. 
 They said that it was a most affecting sight. 
 
 His works were subsequently sent to Ox- 
 ford, he having bequeathed them to the 
 Museum there : but Lady Chantrey made an 
 exception in the case of a study of a bust 
 of my grandfather, and had it sent to my 
 mother, at her earnest request. 
 
 Poor Lady C* found that keeping a house, 
 
 * I imagine that this anecdote refers to Lady Chantrey, 
 but it is entered only as a rough note. — S. P.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 421 
 
 and having servants to look after it, was a 
 great trouble ; so she settled that she would 
 give it up, and live quietly at an hotel. She 
 took rooms at an hotel at Brighton, and 
 found herself very comfortable there for a 
 time. One morning, as she was standing 
 by the fire, she suddenly felt a stab in the 
 back, and, looking up into the glass in front 
 of her, saw the maid of the hotel standing 
 over her with a knife in her hand. She 
 rang the bell violently ; luckily, assistance 
 came at once, and the woman was taken 
 into custody. Lady C. was much shaken, 
 and was ill for a long time afterwards. I 
 asked her what could have made the woman 
 do such a thing : " Oh ! my dear," she an- 
 swered, " I think she was very fond of me, 
 and thought that the kindest thing slie 
 could do for me, was to send me to Heaven 
 at once." But Lady C. did not appreciate 
 this sort of kindness, and gave up the ex- 
 periment of living at hotels.
 
 422 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Spring was now coming on : the Obelisk 
 Wood was full of the sweetest smelling 
 violets, and the park, and the walk round 
 the lake, were yellow with daffodils. But 
 we were to leave : a house in Harley Street 
 had been bought, and Avas to be furnished ; 
 for I was to come out ; after which my 
 grandfather and Lady Leicester were to pay 
 us a visit. So we left Holkham, greatly to 
 my regret, while all the rest of our party 
 remained on at the Inn. 
 
 We went first to pay a visit of a few days 
 to Lord Braybrooke, at Audley End. It 
 was a fine place, Avith a hall extending the 
 whole height of the house. The park was 
 very pretty, with some fine trees in it, and 
 in the pleasure ground there was a large 
 aviary, quite full of the most beautiful gold 
 and silver pheasants. 
 
 Lord and Lady Braybrooke were people 
 who stuck to their own friends, and did not 
 care for the friends of the world. Never a
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 423 
 
 year passed, that we were not asked to their 
 house. 
 
 After a very pleasant visit, Ave went on to 
 London, where Ave found nothing but bare 
 boards in the house : but the furnishing Avent 
 on much more rapidly for our being there. 
 Then my grandfather, Lady Leicester, and 
 little Margaret, came and stayed some time 
 Avith us ; and, after they had left, the party 
 from the Holkham Inn joined us. 
 
 I went to Court Avith my mother and 
 Lady Leicester, and Ave gave many large 
 dinner-parties, asking all the friends Avho 
 Avished to meet my grandfather. 
 
 A ball Avas to be given in Harley Street 
 for my coming out. My mother Avent for a 
 drive, and left me to send the invitations to 
 the young gentlemen : Avhen she came in, 
 she found me in a dreadful state ; I had 
 just discovered that, instead of sending out 
 the invitation cards, I had sent her visiting 
 cards, Avitli my name upon them, but no 
 "dancing." There was nothing to be done. 
 The result Avas, the intended guests all came 
 and called, to return the visit. They made 
 great fun about it, and wanted to knoAV 
 Avhat they Avere expected to do, sayiug that 
 they had all put tlie cards up in their
 
 424 MEMOIRS or 
 
 glasses. The joke went all round London, 
 and, I think, it helped to start the ball 
 merrily. 
 
 The momentous day arrived, and, amongst 
 the first comers, was my aunt Andover (in 
 a pair of black cotton gloves), escorted by 
 her husband, Sir Henry Digby. Then who 
 should walk in, but old Lord Jersey, quite 
 by himself; and, a few minutes after, ap- 
 peared Sir George Anson. It was most 
 amusing to see my aunt Andover, looking 
 very handsome, very placid, and very pleased, 
 seated between the two lovers of her younger 
 days, while her husband stood unconcern- 
 edly in the background. 
 
 Presently the door opened, and in a loud 
 voice Avas announced, Mr. Malkin. A little 
 man with black hair and spectacles marched 
 up to my mother, and, making her a bow, 
 said, " Pray, ma'am, is this Dr. Fiddlerun's 
 house ? " " No, sir, it is not Dr. Fiddlerun's 
 house," said my mother, drawing herself up 
 with great dignity. The Malkin turned on 
 his heels, and disappeared, leaving us all in 
 perfect convulsions of laughing. The next 
 moment Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar 
 came up to my mother, and said, "I must 
 apologise to you. Lady Elizabeth, for having
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 425 
 
 come under a feigned name, and not in my 
 own person. You see, they loill shout out 
 Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Avhich is 
 very disagreeable ; so I came w ith my friend, 
 Mr. Lloyd, and sneaked in as his brother." 
 Prince Edward was a great favourite in his 
 regiment, and, I was told, if there was a 
 dinner or festive gathering at which he was 
 present, the officers used to begin by calling 
 him *' Your Serene Highness," but soon got 
 to " Prince Edward," and before long ended 
 with "Saxe-Weimar." He was the nephew 
 and heir of the Queen Dowager. 
 
 When the ball was at its height, about 
 three o'clock in the morning, a deputation 
 of ladies came up to my mother, represent- 
 ing to her that the polka had never yet 
 been danced in London, but that there were 
 six ladies in the room who knew how to dance 
 it, and that everybody Avas so anxious to see 
 it : would she object to its being danced 
 for the first time at her ball ? She gave her 
 consent most readily, and I never saw any- 
 thing like the excitement the dance caused. 
 Lady Jersey, the Duchess of Bedford,* and 
 
 * I remember that the Duchess of Bedford wore a neck- 
 lace of mugnificeat uncut diamonds, quite priceless, but very 
 ugly, as they looked like large pieces of glass. — A. M. W. P.
 
 42G MEMOIRS OF 
 
 all the fine ladies, whose names I have now 
 forgotten, climbed up, and stood on the 
 benches, so that they might see better. 
 The six ladies Avho danced were, curiously 
 enough, all in deep mourning ; as some one 
 observed to me, it was like the dance of the 
 chimney-SAveeps. It is almost impossible at 
 the present time to give an idea of the 
 extraordinary furore caused by the polka 
 in London. In these days, if a new dance 
 is started, in three or four evenings the 
 whole room will be gigging it, tant mal que 
 Men ! no one thinking of the dance, but all 
 dancing something they call by its name. 
 But it was very different then. Quadrilles 
 were the chief dances ; there were very few 
 waltzes, and many people did not waltz at 
 all. Those who knew the polka, and they 
 were very few, were the only people who 
 dared to dance it, while the other people 
 looked on, and did not attempt to learn it : 
 gentlemen would only dance it with the 
 partners whom they knew, and with whom 
 they had practised it. Everyone who 
 danced the polka at our ball, became, from 
 that moment, marked people of fashion, 
 and remained so : they could do what others 
 could not !
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 427 
 
 Our polka was the beginning of Lady 
 PoUington's career — "pretty Poll," as she 
 was called in London. She was Lady 
 Rachel Walpole, and, just out of the school- 
 room, she had recently married Lord 
 Pollington, Lord Mexborough's son. She 
 danced beautifully, and, at one part in the 
 polka, she used to call out, "Spear," and 
 dance on tiptoes. Then there was Lady 
 Georgina Lygon, who became Lady Raglan ; 
 also Miss Cavendish, and the two Miss 
 Macleods of Macleod. 
 
 The history of the Macleods was remark- 
 able : they were great friends of my grand- 
 mother and aunts, who had known Mrs. 
 Macleod in her youth. Their brother was 
 the Laird of Macleod, and lived at Dunvegan 
 Castle, in the Island of Skye. They and 
 the Macdonalds were hereditary enemies. 
 We often met them at tea in Langham 
 Place, and used to think them very hand- 
 some, particularly Roma. They hardly Avent 
 out at all, having no invitations, and know- 
 ing very few people. They lived in a little 
 lodging, and were so poor that they could 
 hardly manage their dresses for the evening. 
 
 Mrs. Macleod had been a very pretty, 
 merry, English girl, when my father first
 
 428 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 knew her. She married ; and was trans- 
 ported at once, as the Laird's wife, to the 
 wild soUtude of Dunvegan Castle. She 
 threw herself forthwith into the life before 
 her, and brought her children up as true 
 Highlanders. She told us that the thing 
 which distressed her sorely, was that, when 
 she was going to give her first dinner-party, 
 and the neighbouring Lairds were expected, 
 some one said to her, " Now you must be 
 careful not to call them bv their names, 
 but by the names of their places : you must 
 not, for instance, think of saying "Mr. 
 Campbell ! " " But how can I say ' Saddle, 
 will you have some mutton ' ? or, ' Muck, will 
 you have some haggis ' ? " 
 
 Some people thought Mary Macleod the 
 handsomest of the two daughters, but I 
 always admired Roma, so called, because she 
 was born in Rome. She was tall ; and her 
 beautiful, perfectly colourless face, seemed 
 to have but little of this world in it : 
 she looked like a beautiful spirit : her 
 eyes were full of soul, and had a far-off 
 expression in them, which was unspeak- 
 ably touching. She used to make me think 
 of Flora Mclvor working at the shroud 
 of Fergus !
 
 A. M. W, PICKERING. 429 
 
 A story was told that she was engaged to 
 some very charming person, and that one 
 day, without knowing of his death, she met 
 his funeral ! This was, most probably, a 
 pure invention. It was, however, an extra- 
 ordinary thing, that from that one ball of ours, 
 the Macleods, who previously knew no one, 
 and went nowhere, suddenly became the 
 fashion and the rage in London : no party 
 was perfect without them, and their like- 
 nesses were in all the Books of Beauty, and 
 in every print-shop in London. They went 
 to the Queen's fancy ball ; Roma, as the 
 White Lady of Avenel, and Mary, as Mary, 
 Queen of Scots. At parties, they used often 
 to stand up with their mother, and, without 
 any accompaniment, sing the popular songs 
 of Scotland, some of which were very amus- 
 ing. When they sang, ''My heart's in the 
 Hielands, my heart is not here," they looked 
 as if they felt it, heart and soul. 
 
 How they managed to afford to go out so 
 much, I do not know : but it was all day, 
 and every day; morning, noon, and evening, 
 that they were at some entertainment : it was 
 as if they dared not relax for a minute : a 
 strong person could hardly have stood it, 
 and one could not look at Koma without
 
 430 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 feeling that her mother was killing her. I 
 used to think how very much handsomer she 
 looked, when, in the days of her retirement, 
 she used to go to tea in Langham Place, 
 than now, when she looked more ghastly 
 and haggard from day to day, and utterly 
 worn out ! At last her health gave way, and 
 it was the next year, I think, that we heard 
 she was dying of consumption. She was 
 attended by Dr. Ferguson, and, over the 
 death-bed of Roma, he and Mary Macleod 
 became engaged. The medical profession 
 did not rank then as it does now, and he 
 was old enough to be her father : a widower 
 with four children. Poor Mrs. Macleod used 
 to exclaim, " And Mary, who was the proud- 
 est of my children ! " 
 
 The morning after our ball, my sisters, 
 Ally and Loui, who slept in an attic at the 
 top of the house, declared that they were 
 both aAvakened by a very beautiful lady, 
 covered with diamonds, coming into the 
 room with a candle in her hand ; that she 
 looked all round the room, and then walked 
 out again. We told them they must have 
 been dreaming; but it was not so. The 
 "beautiful lady" was a tres-grande dame,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 431 
 
 Madame de Flahault, who had been for 
 many years the Ambassador's wife at St. 
 Petersburg, and was Baroness Keith in her 
 own right. The house in Harley Street had 
 belonged to her father, Lord Keith, and she 
 was quite determined to see her old bed- 
 room again ; so she had gone upstairs, and 
 had managed to do so. Her daughter, who 
 was a very pretty person, married Lord 
 Lansdowne. 
 
 One day we dined with Lord Stanhope. 
 He was quite a character, and looked like a 
 barber's block, with large features, just as if 
 they had been cut out in wood : a brown 
 scratch-wig, a snuff-coloured coat, and a very 
 long, peculiarly-cut waistcoat, completed a 
 peculiar exterior. He was very fond of 
 everything German, and w^as the kindest- 
 hearted and most benevolent of human 
 beings. Lord Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield, 
 and Lord Harrington were the elder branches 
 of the Stanhopes, my grandfather being a 
 younger branch. Lord Stanhope and my 
 father mutuallv deli":hted in each other, and 
 he used always to call my father " 3Io}i clier 
 cousin.'' xVfter Lady Stanhope's death, there 
 was nothing which used to please him so 
 much as coming, with his little dog, Lowe,
 
 432 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 for a long stay at Cannon Hall. Lady Stan- 
 hope, who was Lord Carrington's daughter, 
 was an excellent woman, but very out-spoken. 
 Their only child was the great beauty, Lady 
 Wilhelmina Stanhope, afterwards Lady Dal- 
 meney, and mother of the present Lord 
 Rosebery. On Lord Dalmeny's death, she 
 married the future Duke of Cleveland. She 
 was one of the Queen's bridesmaids. She had 
 a wonderful talent for art, and used to draw 
 outline illustrations for ballads and works of 
 fiction. One evening, I remember, she took 
 me up to her room after dinner, and showed 
 me a quantity of clever, and very interesting 
 etchings done by the Queen. 
 
 The Queen was very fond of her, and saw 
 a great deal of her in the early part of her 
 reign, often going out riding with her. One 
 day the Queen was particularly anxious for 
 a ride, and sent for Lady Wilhelmina to 
 come with her : but Lady Wilhelmina could 
 not have her horse, and was obliged to refuse. 
 On which the Queen said to Lady Stanhope, 
 "Poor thing, won't she be very disappointed?" 
 "Its good, ma'am, for young people to be 
 disappointed," was Lady Stanhope's uncour- 
 tier-like answer. Whether the Queen took 
 the sentiment home or not, I do not know !
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 433 
 
 I was told a story about the Queen, but 
 by whom I do not remember ; I think it was 
 by one of the officials, who saw her get out 
 of the carriage on her return from her first 
 opening of Parliament. He was struck with 
 the extremely quiet dignity of her manner, 
 while crossing the rooms in the Palace at 
 St. James's ; and, as she passed through a 
 door, which led up a staircase to her own 
 apartments, a wish came across him to know 
 whether this stately dignity would be main- 
 tained, after she had passed out of sight of 
 others : he managed to satisfy his curiosity, 
 and, at the foot of the staircase, saw her roll 
 her train round her arm, then take up her 
 dress all round, and, like a girl, as she was, 
 run up, two steps at a time, calling loudly to 
 her dogs. 
 
 Another story I was told, which I thought 
 very remarkable. I forget who my infor- 
 mant was, but I remember that he had had 
 it straight from Lord Melbourne himself. 
 When the latter was Prime Minister, in the 
 early days of the Queen's reign, he was sur- 
 prised one night after dinner, while crossing 
 the courtyard at Buckingham Palace, to see 
 a female figure going out of the gate : some- 
 
 £ £
 
 434 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 thing, too, struck him as familiar about her ; 
 so he followed her, and found that his sur- 
 mises were correct : it was one of the 
 Queen's attendants ; either a Lady-in-waiting, 
 or a Maid-of-honour, I forget which. He 
 asked her what she was doing. " I am 
 leaving the Palace," was the answer, "and I 
 shall never enter the gates again." "What 
 do you mean?" asked Lord Melbourne. 
 " I mean that I am not going to stay any- 
 where, to be insulted by anyone." "Who has 
 insulted you ? " " The Queen : she is in a 
 passion ; she has insulted me ; and I am not 
 going to stay : I am going to leave the Palace 
 this very evening, and shall never return." 
 " You are going to do no such thing," said 
 Lord Melbourne, "there is not going to be 
 a revolution in the country for you. You 
 must tell me exactly and truthfully what has 
 happened." She did so : he listened atten- 
 tively, and then said, "Go back to your 
 room, take oft' your bonnet, do not say 
 a Avord to anybody, and wait till I come." 
 She did as he desired her. Lord Melbourne 
 then went to the Queen's room, and told 
 her what had passed, and what had been 
 said to him, concluding, "Now, ma'am,
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 435 
 
 there is only one tliin<^ to be done, you must 
 apologise. If you will consent to do this, 
 I will bring her here, and the whole thing 
 will be })ut right in a few minutes." The 
 Queen, who never opposed the mentor of 
 her youth, consented. Lord Melbourne took 
 the attendant to the Queen's room, the 
 Queen apologised, and the whole thing was 
 soon put straight. 
 
 I remember Stanley, the Bishop of Nor- 
 wich, saying to us, that, when he was first 
 presented to the Queen, he was determined 
 to look her through, and to decide for him- 
 self what stuft' she was made of; "and," he 
 added, *'she stood my gaze, and gave me 
 back a firm and unliinching look." One 
 must have known the Bishop, rightly to 
 judge what his gaze could be ! He hpd the 
 most piercing eyes I ever saw : his face was 
 thin, his hair snow Avhite, and he had the 
 most extraordinary, black, penthouse eye- 
 brows. The wish of his heart had been to 
 be a sailor, and, when he was made Bishop 
 of Norwich, the first thing he did, on arriv- 
 ing in his diocese, was to climb to the very 
 top of Norwich Cathedral. From this he 
 got, and always retained, the name of Jim 
 
 Crow ; and, sometimes when he a])})eared in 
 
 1-: 10 2
 
 436 MEMOIRS or 
 
 public, there were heard the irreverent 
 strains of a now almost forgotten song, 
 
 " Turn about, twist about, and do just so ; 
 Turn about, twist about, jump Jim Crow." 
 
 These stories about the Queen remind me 
 of an anecdote which Mr. Bertie Wynne told 
 me. He was in Eegent Street at eight 
 o'clock one morning, when a French woman 
 came up to him, and asked if he could speak 
 French. She was in great distress, and 
 wanted to get to some part of London, but 
 did not know where it was, or how to get 
 there, and could not speak a word of 
 English. Mr. Wynne told her to go to a 
 corner close by, where the omnibuses stood ; 
 to look out for one with the name of her 
 destination on it, to get in, and give the. 
 conductor the fare when she arrived there. 
 He waited, curious to see the result of his 
 instructions. He saw her in an animated 
 conversation with an old gentleman, who 
 took her to the right omnibus, helped her in, 
 and told the conductor where to put her 
 down : the old gentleman then raised his 
 hat, and walked away. Mr. Wynne went up 
 to the omnibus where the woman was sitting, 
 and asked her, " Connaissez-vous ce mon- 
 sieur?" '' Ce hon veillard? non, je 7ie le
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 437 
 
 connais 2Msy Mr. Wynne said, " Ce hon 
 veillard, c'est Fonde de la reine. Tl est fits de 
 notrefeu roi, George trois.'' It was the late 
 Duke of Cambridge. 
 
 We went to most of the best balls and 
 parties in London. I remember one most 
 lovely ball given by Lady Charlotte Guest in 
 Spring Gardens. There was a large tent 
 with refreshments, and from it a passage 
 and steps, all lighted with lamps, led into 
 the gardens, which were also brilliantly 
 lighted ; and beyond them were seen St. 
 James' and the Green Parks, from across 
 which we could hear the bugles, and the 
 music at the Horse Guards. I remember 
 standing in the tent, close to old Lord 
 Huntly, Lady Charlotte's father, who was 
 nearly ninety, when a champagne cork flew 
 up to the top of the tent, and came down 
 with a rebound, hitting him on the nose so 
 violently, that he was almost stunned for the 
 moment by the blow and by surprise. 
 
 One night we went to a party at Lansdowne 
 House, where the gallery was beautifully 
 decorated. I recollect seeing there a little 
 boy, or what looked like one, with long red 
 hair, and dressed in a kilt. "Who is that T'
 
 438 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I asked ; my father replied, " The Duke of 
 Argyll." "What, that! That, MacCallum- 
 more 1 That, the great Argyll ! " 
 
 On another occasion we went to a beautiful 
 ball given by the present Lord Salisbuiy's 
 father. He Avas an old friend of mv mother's, 
 and a most charming-mannered person. I 
 remember there was an enormous glass 
 dome over the whole ball-room. The house 
 was pulled doAvn by the present Lord Salis- 
 bury, and a new one built on its site in 
 Arlington Street. 
 
 I have already mentioned Mr. Bland of 
 Kippax : at the time of which I am now 
 speaking he was dead, and his son, Tom, was 
 in possession. We had told Lady Rosebery, 
 who was not quite indifferent to mundane 
 advantages, that Kippax had been built 
 with a view to the front of the house being 
 as long as that of Wentworth House, and 
 that, to effect this, the stables and offices 
 had been joined to the main building. I 
 was sitting by Lady Rosebery at Lord Salis- 
 bury's ball, when Tom Bland came up, and 
 had a long talk with me. Lady Rosebery 
 did not take any notice of him at the time, 
 but, as he moved away, it suddenly struck 
 her who he was, and she seized mv arm sav-
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 439 
 
 ing, *' Dear, dear ; but that was the man 
 with a front as long as Wentworth House ! " 
 
 I remember there was another ball that 
 made a great sensation. Sir Benjamin and 
 Lady Hall (he was afterwards created Lord 
 Llanover) had a large acquaintance, but not 
 a large house ; so they engaged the Han- 
 over Square Rooms for their ball, and, 
 instead of the usual standing-up supper, 
 they had a number of little round tables. 
 You engaged a table of whatever size you 
 wanted, and invited any friends you chose 
 to join you. It was the first time that such 
 a thing had ever been done, and the scheme 
 proved very popular. 
 
 My mother and I used in those days 
 almost to live at the Roseberys'. My cousin. 
 Lady Louisa Primrose, was my great, I may 
 say, my only real friend. We had many 
 interests in common, and she was certainly 
 far too clever for her entourage. She had 
 a most glorious contralto voice, and used 
 to sing the songs of Charles Edward, as I 
 have never heard them sung since. I fancy 
 I can hear her voice now ! 
 
 " We'el may we trust him to bear himself dauutlessly, 
 Scothiud cat! witness fra' heroes he springs, 
 Noble his bearing, untainted his gallantry, 
 Worthy the son of a hundred Kings."
 
 440 MEMOIRS or 
 
 Another song referred to Charles Edward, 
 when, in disguise, he crossed over from 
 Kingsborough with Flora Macdonald : 
 
 " There's ane bonny maiden, 
 There are twa bonny maiden, 
 Crossed over the Minch, 
 And crossed over the Main ! " 
 
 One day we were to dine in Piccadilly (at 
 the Roseberys'), and when we got there, 
 luckily rather early, the servant told us that 
 Lord and Lady Rosebery had just received 
 a command to dine with the Queen at Buck- 
 ingham Palace, and had gone there. They 
 left word that they would be very much 
 obliged, if my father and mother would do 
 the honours for them ; and the consequence 
 was, that we had a remarkably merry dinner, 
 -^ which was not altogether a usual occurrence 
 in that house. 
 
 I forget whether it was during that year, 
 or at some other time, that all London was in 
 a state of commotion, as a phantom coach had 
 made its appearance. It was a very hand- 
 some vehicle, drawn by four white horses ; 
 but old fashioned, of the time of George the 
 third : the coachman and two footmen were 
 in the dress of that period, with cocked 
 hats, powdered hair, and bag wigs. It used
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 441 
 
 to drive slowly into the Park at Hyde Park 
 Corner, and then down one of the drives. 
 It created a great sensation, and was quite 
 the talk of the day ; numbers of people 
 going into the Park on the chance of see- 
 ing it. I saw it myself once. The mystery 
 was at last solved, and it was discovered 
 that it was done by some medical students 
 at St. George's Hospital, by means of various 
 mirrors and lights. 
 
 One evening, I remember, we were very 
 much horrified at hearing them calling out 
 in the streets, " Murder of Mr. Henry Drum- 
 mond." We knew him very well, and, only 
 a few evenings before, had had a conversa- 
 tion with him at some party at which we 
 were. A more amiable and inoffensive per- 
 son never existed. He was mistaken for 
 Sir Robert Peel, and was shot, instead of 
 him, in the streets. 
 
 One day, when we were dining out in 
 London, we met the Stanleys, and were 
 ushered into the room at the same time as 
 they were. After dinner Miss Stanley came 
 up to me, and said, " Oh I Miss Stanhope, 
 I have had such fun, I have been personating 
 you all dinner-time." I am afraid I was not 
 much flattered, as she was a good many
 
 442 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 years older than I was, and peculiarly ugly 
 — the Dean in petticoats ; only, with the ad- 
 dition of a red nose ! She went on : "I 
 have been sitting by Mr. Cholmondeley, who 
 began talking to me about Holkham : I saw 
 the mistake at once, and was determined to 
 lead him on. This was easv, as we had 
 been at Holkham last winter : and I went 
 on talkino: as if I were a relation of the family, 
 till he asked me some leading question, 
 which anv relation must have known how to 
 answer. Then he was quite non-plussed, for 
 he found that I knew nothing about it. 
 He looked very much surprised, and tried 
 Yorkshire as the next topic : with the same 
 result. I had just been staying with my 
 brother, who has the living of Doncaster, so 
 I knew all about the country : but, when 
 mention was made of Cannon Hall, I knew 
 7tot]iing. Having hopelessly mystified him, 
 I began to talk of my brother, and said, ' I 
 believe you are a great friend of my bro- 
 ther's ? ' His answer was, ' I dare say I am ; 
 but who is your brother ? ' Then the expia- 
 tion followed." 
 
 This Mr. Cholmondeley was a regular 
 hUe noire to me : I did not know him per- 
 sonally, but was continually coming into
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 443 
 
 contact with him, and always under some 
 unlucky circumstance. My next adventure 
 connected with him was at a ball, where he 
 was my vis-a-vis in the quadrille. The room 
 was lighted by uprights Avith oil lamps, fixed 
 on the walls ; and I noticed that the upright 
 opposite me was loose, and that every time 
 Mr. Cholmondeley banged against it, he 
 made it still looser. At last, down it came ; 
 and five oil lamps, with all the burning oii 
 and the broken glass, crashed on to the fioor 
 at my feet. My dress was spoilt ; but I was 
 only too thankful that no greater damage 
 was done, and that they had not come down 
 on my head. 
 
 Another adventure in which Mr. Cholmon- 
 deley figured, was during one of our sub- 
 sequent visits to Tatton. We were asked 
 every year regularly for the Knutsford Ball. 
 Tatton is a very fine ]3lace, and belonged to 
 Mr. Egerton, now Lord Egerton of Tatton. 
 The house is large, and there is an immense, 
 but very flat park, with a fine mere, as they 
 call it in Cheshire. The park is full of cattle, 
 the land being let for grazing, which renders 
 it by no means very safe for walking. 
 
 The ball at Knutsford, a little town about 
 a mile oft* was a very good one. When it
 
 444 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was over, and the carriages were being called, 
 Mr. Cholmondeley suddenly appeared, and, 
 calling to the coachman of a carriage, which 
 was just driving off, to stop, he opened the 
 door, and handed me up the steps. I had 
 almost got in, when I saAV, to my horror, 
 that it was full of nothing but men. Mr. 
 Cholmondeley had heard our carriage being 
 called, and thought that I was being left 
 behind. 
 
 The following day we all went in a very 
 large party to Knutsford, to see the salt- 
 mines. Mr. and Mrs. Egerton had had it all 
 lighted up for us : and a very beautiful and 
 interesting sight it was. We went down in 
 a bucket, lowered by machinery, four of us 
 at a time, with a miner to steer it, and ward 
 off the empty one, as it passed us. Then we 
 were each given a lighted torch, and were 
 led all over the workings. The mine w^as 
 very large, and the roof very high, and it all 
 sparkled and glittered, like so many dia- 
 monds. We walked about with our torches, 
 and saw everything ; amusing ourselves just 
 as we liked. At last Lord Howe suggested 
 that it was time to go, and asked me to get 
 into the bucket, which was standing on the 
 ground. I did so. At that very moment
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 445 
 
 Mr. Cholmondeley gave a loud shout to call 
 some of the party to come, and the man at the 
 top of the shaft hearing this, thought that it 
 was a signal for him to start the machinery, 
 and the bucket began to rise. Lord Howe 
 was in a great state, and tried to get in, but 
 could not manage it ; then the miner endea- 
 voured to climb in, but I was already too 
 high up, and he could not reach it. He 
 called out to me that now I must go up 
 alone, but, whatever I did, I must keep tight 
 hold of the chain, and not let go of it for a 
 moment : that the bucket would swing a 
 great deal, being so light, and that I must 
 try, if possible, to prevent the empty bucket 
 from knocking against mine. As I was 
 nerving myself for my perilous upward 
 journey, all the party got together at the 
 bottom of the shaft, and, with one voice, they 
 called out " Stop I " so loudly, that the man 
 above heard it, and stopped winding. Thus 
 I was saved from an experience which might 
 have been a very unpleasant one. 
 
 We used to be asked regularly every year, 
 when we were in London, to the Queen's 
 Ball, which was probably very different then 
 from what it is now. We always started
 
 446 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 directly after dinner, so as to be in good 
 time. Those who arrived before the Queen 
 all stood in the corridor waiting for her : 
 and punctually at half past nine she ap- 
 peared on Prince Albert's arm, while we all 
 courtesied as she passed. If we were not 
 there before the Queen's arrival, a little 
 more ceremony was observed in introducing 
 us. The Queen enjoyed herself very much, 
 and took part in the dancing, but danced 
 quadrilles only. It Avas most amusing to see 
 her dance. The fashion of walking, instead 
 of dancing, was then coming in, and people 
 went gliding and slipping about, never think- 
 ing of doing the proper steps : not so the 
 Queen : her idea of dancing was to conscien- 
 tiously do all the steps she had been taught 
 as a girl, Pas de Basque,. Pas de Bourree, 
 Chassee croisee, etc. 8he wore her gown 
 very short, showing her ankles and sandalled 
 shoes. 
 
 When the Queen had danced in one room, 
 the Court all moved down the gallery to- 
 wards the other ball-room, the band playing 
 " God save the Queen," and all the people 
 standing on either side, so that she and 
 Prince Albert might pass sloAvly between 
 them, bowing right and left all the way.
 
 A. M. W. PICKEllING. 447 
 
 Sometimes the Highland fling and sword 
 dance were danced before the Queen, by the 
 Highlanders, dressed in their kilts, and 
 accompanied with loud shouts. 
 
 The supper was very handsome, with a 
 grand display of gold plate. 
 
 A very little thing seemed to amuse the 
 Queen. I remember once she stood up to 
 dance a quadrille, and Julien, the great 
 band-master of those days, struck up a waltz 
 instead : as soon as he was aware of his 
 mistake, he raised his baton, all set in dia- 
 monds, to stop the music, and in doing so 
 he struck the chandelier : the White wand 
 advanced on the other side, and, in a zealous 
 frenzy, threw up his stick, and followed suit 
 by striking the chandelier under which he 
 stood ; the two chandeliers tinkling together 
 in chorus. This pleased the Queen, and she 
 laughed considerably. 
 
 Punctually at two o'clock the Queen and 
 Prince Albert used to leave the rooms, and 
 the ball was over, everybody going down 
 into the hall to wait for their carriages. 
 
 Private balls were then very different 
 from what they are in these days. Origin- 
 ally, nothing was danced but country dances : 
 after the peace, quadrilles were introduced
 
 448 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 from France, but for some time it was only 
 a few people who knew how to dance them. 
 When my father arrived in London after his 
 travels, being a beautiful dancer, and a pupil 
 of Coulon's, he established a dancing-class 
 in Grosvenor Square, to which numbers of 
 young ladies came, he acting as maitre de 
 dance, and teaching them. These little 
 meetings were very popular. 
 
 Soon, to the quadrilles, there was added 
 an occasional waltz ; but many people could 
 not waltz, or did not approve of it. I was 
 never allowed to waltz, and was confined to 
 quadrilles. After each dance, the partner 
 brought his young lady back to her mother, 
 and made his bow : there was no such thing 
 as sitting out, and one never danced twice 
 with the same person at any ball. 
 
 A feature of those days, which now no 
 longer exists, was the number of beautiful 
 private concerts which used to be given ; and 
 the number of excellent singers who used 
 to appear at them. Grisi, Persiani, Albani, 
 Mario, Lablache, Rubini, Tamburini, and 
 young Lablache : these were all stars of the 
 first magnitude. 
 
 Those who have not heard Lablache are 
 not likely to hear, or see, anything like him.
 
 A. M. W. PICKERING. 449 
 
 His height, his great size, his large head, 
 Avith a crop of white hair sticking straight 
 upright ; his deep, magnificent voice, and 
 the h)()k of inimitable fun and good-nature 
 in his face, rendered him unique. They all 
 went to "Papa" Lablache, as they called 
 him, to help them in any difficulty, or to 
 settle their quarrels. 
 
 One evening, I remember, Lablache and 
 Albani were singing the laughing song ; 
 always a trying performance. First Albani, 
 and then Lablache, nearly gave way, and 
 then tliey both broke down together, and 
 laughed in good earnest : the other singers 
 soon joined in, and then everyone in the 
 room began laughing, while those in the ad- 
 joining room, hurrying in to find out what had 
 happened, were seized with the infection, 
 till the whole assembly was in a convulsion 
 of laughing ; and all, ap})arently, about 
 nothing at all. 
 
 End of Vol. L 
 
 F F
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND 11. 
 
 Adair, Sir llobort, I., 40G. 
 Adelaide, Queen, II., 52. 
 Albani, I., 448. 
 Albemarle .- 
 
 Lady, I., 170. 
 
 Augustus, 5th Eiul of, I., 158; 161 ; 166; 171 ; 400; 
 406. 
 
 William, 4th Earl of, I., 212. 
 Alberg, Due d', II., 322. 
 
 Albert, Prince, I., 77; 326 ; 335 ; IL, 31 ; 35 ; 45. 
 Algarve, Bishop of, II., 118. 
 Allason, Mr., II., 439. 
 Almacks, I., 74. 
 Althorp, Lady, I., 407. 
 Angharard, II., 63. 
 Angouleme, Duehesse d', IL, 78. 
 Audover, Lady, 1., 175 ; 424 ; IL, 25 ; 47. 
 Anson : 
 
 Anne (Lady Rosebery), I., 105 ; 302 ; 438 ; IL, 87. 
 
 Eliza (Lady Waterpark), I., 198; 373. 
 
 Charles, I., 193. 
 
 Funny (Mrs. IMurray, Mrs. Isted), L, 194; 196; 302. 
 
 Freddy (Mrs. Eouveric Primrose), I., 196. 
 
 George and Mrs., I., 193 ; 202 ; 293. 
 
 George Edward, IL, 32. 
 
 Lady, L, 190 ; IL, 25. 
 
 Lady Harriet, I., 308 
 
 Lord, L, 190; 192; 303. 
 
 Sir George, L, 181 ; 124. 
 
 Sir William and Lady, I., 275 ; 300. 
 
 F r 2
 
 452 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Arden, Lord, II., 375. 
 Argyll : 
 
 John, 2nd Uuke of, and of Greenwich, I., 143. 
 
 George Douglas, 8th Duke of, I., 437 
 
 George William, 6th Duke of, I., 134. 
 A.rmsfeld, Baron, I,, 135. 
 Arndt, Prof., I., 33S. 
 Artois, Conite d', II., 321. 
 Athole, Duke and Duchess of, I., 110 ; 113. 
 Austria : 
 
 Emperor Francis I. of, II., 386 ; 404. 
 Emperor Francis Joseph of, I., 334. 
 
 Babbage, Charles, I., 418. 
 
 Baker, Miss, II., 438. 
 
 Baird, Sir David, II., 123. 
 
 Balfour, Janie, (Mrs. EUice), II., 8. 
 
 Balme, Grotte de, I., 345. 
 
 Banks Hall, I., 239. 
 
 Banks, Sir Joseph, I,, 91. 
 
 Barbie du Bocage, M., I., 84 ; II., 328. 
 
 Barcelona, II., 171. 
 
 Baring, Mrs. Henry, I., 407. 
 
 Bariatinski : 
 
 Ehzabeth, I., 206. 
 Prince, I., 205. 
 
 Barnbougle, I., 105 ; II., 87. 
 
 Barrett, Mr., II., 431. 
 
 Bastille, The, II., 80. 
 
 Baty, I., 243 ; II., 245. 
 
 Baure, M. de, II., 329. 
 
 Bautzen, battle of, II., 394. 
 
 Beau, Mile., L, 301. 
 
 Beauchene, Baron de, II., 260. 
 
 Beauharnais : 
 
 Eugene, II., 397. 
 Josephine, II., 83 ; 347.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 453 
 
 Beaumout, Mrs., of Bretton, I., 22 ; 74. 
 Beaupre, Mine, II., 79. 
 Beckett : 
 
 Augusta, I., 270. 
 
 Eleanor, I., 268 ; 270. 
 
 family of, I,, 270. 
 
 Mrs., I., 247 ; 270. 
 
 Sir Edmund, (Lord Griinthorpe), I., 270. 
 Beckett Denison, (Sir Edmund Beckett), I., 271 ; 285. 
 Bedford : 
 
 Anna Maria, Duchess of, I., 405 ; 425. 
 
 Francis, 5th Duke of, I., 155. 
 
 Francis, 7th Duke of, I., 405. 
 
 John, 4th Duke oi, I., 148. 
 Belderbusch : 
 
 Count, II., 320 ; 322 ; 320 ; 357. 
 
 Countess, I., 328. 
 Belgians, King of the, I., 16 1 ; 327 ; II., oS. 
 Belgium, I., 326. 
 
 Belhaven, Lord and Lady, II., 94. 
 Bernadotte, Gen., II., 427. 
 Bertrand, Mme., I., 351 ; 353. 
 BischofF, Prof, and Mme., I., 32(5 ; 366. 
 Blair, Col. Hunter, II., 283. 
 Blaney, Lord, II.. 156 ; 259. 
 Bland, Mr., of Kippax, I., 282 ; 138. 
 Blacquiere, Mr. de, II., (52. 
 Blucher, II., 402. 
 Boileau, Sir John, I., 357. 
 Bonaparte : 
 
 see N^apoleon. 
 
 Jo.seph, II,, 145. 
 Bonn, L, 328. 
 
 Borselager, Baron, I., 328 ; 359 ; II., 351; 367 ; 372. 
 Boulogne, I., 312 ; 316; II., 440. 
 Bourienne, INI., II., 3'17. 
 Boyle, Lord, II., 259. 
 Branson, Dr., L, 227.
 
 4o4 IXDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Brajbrooke, Lord and Lady, I., 422; II., 31. 
 Brougham, Lord, I., 31.:5. 
 Brown : 
 
 Mrs., II., 55. 
 
 Dr., IL, .56. 
 Brunei, II., 39. 
 Buckland : 
 
 " Caliban," II., 22. 
 
 Dean and Mrs., II., 21. 
 
 Frank, IL, 19. 
 Buggins, Sir George, L, 390. 
 Biirgon, Sally, IL, 27. 
 Burroughes, Mr., IL, 51. 
 Burton, Lady, I., 184. 
 Bury, Lord, L, 210. 
 Byron, Lord, I., 401 ; 416. 
 
 Cadiz, II., 121. 
 
 Calonne, Marquis de, IL, 317 ; 321. 
 Cambaceres, M. de, IL, 352. 
 Cambridge, Duke of, I., 437. 
 Campbell : 
 
 Col., IL, 395 ; 406 ; 412 ; 417 ; 422. 
 
 Miss, L, 109 ; 139. 
 
 Sir James, L, 348. 
 Cannes, L, 313. 
 Cannon Hall ; 
 
 L, 5 ; 15 ; 224 ; IL, 90. 
 
 animals at, L, 263. 
 
 grape, L, 76. 
 
 mad dogs at, L, 233. 
 Carnavali, M., IL, 178 ; 198 ; 201. 
 Carson, Mme., IL, 29. 
 Cartaret, Lady, IL, 38. 
 Carthagena, IL, 157. 
 Cassamajor, Mr., IL, 112. 
 Cassini, M., L, 84 ; IL, 328.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 4^55 
 
 Castiinos, Don, II., 151. 
 Castlereagl), Lord, II., 423. 
 Cathcai't : 
 
 Frederick, IL, 381. 
 
 George, II., 422 ; 424. 
 
 Lord,!., 137; 34G ; II., 375 ; 392; 395; 421. 
 Caulaincourt, Comte de, II., 332 ; 347. 
 Cawdor, Lady, I., 109. 
 Cawthorne, L, 57 ; 225 ; 239 ; 252. 
 Cavendish, Miss, I., 427. 
 Chantrey : 
 
 Lady, L, 415; 420. 
 
 Sir Francis, I., 410; 419. 
 Chaplin, Capt., I., 327. 
 Charles, Capt., II., 425; 429; 434; 437. 
 Charlotte : 
 
 Princess, II., 37. 
 
 Queen, I., 25. 
 Charteris, Frank, II., 2G. 
 Chartist riots, II., 5)G. 
 Chaworth, Miss, I., 402. 
 Cheltenham, I., 240; 251. 
 Chesterfield, I., 431. 
 Chevalier, The, I., 133. 
 Cholmondeley, Mr., I., 442. 
 Church, Mr., II., 350. 
 Clarke ; 
 
 Mrs., I., 16G; IL, 71. 
 
 Sir Charles, I., 246. 
 Cleveland : 
 
 Caroline, Duchess of, II., 91. 
 
 Wilhelmina, Duchess of, I., 432; IL, 8G ; 91. 
 Clifford, Lady de, IL, 37. 
 Cochrane, Admiral Sir Thomas, II. , 94. 
 Coghill, Sir .John, IL, 313 ; 350. 
 Coke : 
 
 Chief .Justice, Lord, L, 2H1. 
 
 Edward, L, 3S4 ; IL, 34.
 
 456 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Coke — cont. 
 
 Elizabeth, (Lady E. Spencer Stanhope, q. v.) I,, 195 ; 
 203; 200; 2i;i; 216; 220; 223. 
 
 family of, I., 143. 
 
 Lady Anne, (Lady Leicester), I., 211 ; 223 ; 237; 246; 
 383 ; 423 ; II., 4 : 7 ; 9. 
 
 Lady Margaret, (Lady M. Macdonald), L, 173; 385; 
 II., 10. 
 
 Lady Mary, I., 143 ; 149 ; 170. 
 
 Lord, L, 143. 
 
 Mrs., L, 209. 
 
 Thomas William, (Lord Leicester), I., 16; 95; 1-13; 
 151; 175; 211; 225; 236; 239; 243; 283; 398; 
 405 ; II., 1 ; 9. 
 
 Wenman, I., 385. 
 
 William, I., 200 ; II., Q?!. 
 Collingwood : 
 
 Edward, (E. Spencer Stanhope), I., 35; II., 439. 
 
 Edward, (Junior), I., 327. 
 
 Lord, L, 36; 45; IL, 131. 
 Colosseum, The London, I., 275 ; 310. 
 Conde, Prince de, II. , 244. 
 Conquest, Dr., I., 357. 
 Constantine : 
 
 Capt., IL, IG2 ; 329. 
 
 Grand Duke, IL, 417. 
 Conti, Prince de, IL, 72; 221. 
 Cooke : 
 
 Mr. Bowen, L, 261. 
 
 Sir William, L, 261 ; 289. 
 Corday, Charlotte, IL, 83. 
 Cordier, M., L, 319. 
 Cossacks, The, IL, 377; 398 ; 401. 
 Cosway, Mr., IL, 135. 
 Cotton, Sir Charles, IL, 145. 
 Coulon, M., IL, 291. 
 Courcelles, Col., IL, 259. 
 Cranbrook, Lord, I., 12.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 457 
 
 Creevey, Mr., II., 8. 
 Cumberland, Duke of, II., 425. 
 Curtius, M., II., 72; 75; 81. 
 
 Dalmeny, I., 105; II., 85. 
 
 Lady, (Duchess of Cleveland), I., 132; II., 8G ; 91. 
 
 Lord, I., 304 ; 432 ; II., 87; 91. 
 Dalrymple, Sir Hew, II., 95. 
 Dam, Count, II., 329. 
 Dauphin, The, II., 78. 
 Dawson, Miss, I., 262 ; 295. 
 Deles<ert, M., II., 350. 
 De Lisle, Lord and Lady, I., 169; 398. 
 Denison, E. Beckett, I., 271 ; 285. 
 Denmark, King of, I., 336. 
 De Pintas, Gen., IL, 113. 
 D'Este, Sir George, I., 390. 
 Devaux, Gen., II., 214. 
 Digby : 
 
 Edward and Lady Theresa, II., 30. 
 
 Edward, (Lord Digby), I., 182. 
 
 Jane, (Lady EUeuborougli), I., 183. 
 
 Kenelm, I., 182. 
 
 Sir Henry, I., 183. 
 Diorama, The, I., 309. 
 
 D'lvernois, Sir Francis, II., 375 ; 379 ; 383 ; 391 ; 405. 
 Dissington, I., 35 ; 64 ; II., 5. 
 Dohna, Count, II., 404 ; 411. 
 Doncaster Church, I., 229. 
 
 races, I., 228. 
 Douro, Lady, I., 44. 
 Doyle : 
 
 Sir Charles, II., 299. 
 
 Sir Francis and Lady, I., 288. 
 Dresden, retreat of the allies from, II., 377. 
 Drummond, Henry, I., 441. 
 Duchenois, Mile., II., 295. 
 Ducie, Lady, I., 208.
 
 458 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Duff, Mr., II.,130. 
 Duncan, Lord, II., 305. 
 Dundonakl, I., 318. 
 Dunlop : 
 
 James, I., 304. 
 
 Liidy Harriet, I., 304 ; II., 8G. 
 Dunmore, Lord, I., 127. 
 Dunsany, Lord, I., 208. 
 Dutton : 
 
 Anne, (Lady Dunsany), I., 208. 
 
 Fanny, (Princess Bariatinski), I., 204. 
 
 Jane,' (Mrs. Coke), I., 175; 204; 209. 
 
 Edinburgh, society in, I., 98 ; 102 ; 106. 
 
 Egerton of Tatton, Mr., (Lord Egerton), I., 443 ; II., 25. 
 
 Ehrenstein, Miss, II., 62. 
 
 Eldon, Lord, II., 37. 
 
 Elizabeth, Mme., II., 76. 
 
 Ellenborough, Lady, I., 184. 
 
 Ellice : 
 
 " Bear," II., 7. 
 
 " Calf," II., 8. 
 Elphinstone, Lord, II., ^6. 
 Erskine, Lord, I., 167. 
 Eugene, Prince, II., 333. 
 
 Talk, Johannes, II., 14. 
 Fane, Capt., II., 284. 
 Fanshawe, Capt. and Mr., II., 381. 
 Fawkes, Mrs., of Farnley, II., 42. 
 Ferguson : 
 
 Col., of Kaith, II., 92. 
 
 Dr., I., 430. 
 Fieschi, II., 44. 
 Field, L, 244. 
 Fife, Sir John, II., 5.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 459 
 
 Finch Hatton, (Lord Winchilsea), II,, 19. 
 Findlater, Lord, II., 433. 
 Fishburne, Polly, I., 1G3. 
 Fitzwilliam : 
 
 Lady Clmrlotti', II., o7. 
 
 Lady Dorothy, I., 12 18 ; II., 59. 
 
 Lady Margaret, (Mrs. Yeoman), II., 58. 
 
 Lord, (Charles William, 5th Earl), I., 238 ; II., 59 ; 
 245. 
 
 Lord, (William, 4th Earl), I., 13 ; 238. 
 Flahault, Mine, de, L, 431. 
 Fleury, II., 304. 
 
 Forrester, Miss, (Mrs, George Anson), I., 193. 
 Forster, Mrs., I., 253. 
 Fouche, II., 340 ; 347. 
 Fox, Charles, L, 125; 155. 
 Francatelli, I., 364. 
 Franchesi, Gen., II., 177. 
 
 Francis, Emperor of Austria, II,, 38G ; 404; 419. 
 Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria, I., 334. 
 Franconi, II., 308. 
 Franklin : 
 
 Dr., II., 73. 
 
 Mr., II., 350. 
 Frere, Mr., II,, 125; 131. 
 Fiirstenberg, Baron, I., 330. 
 
 Gaisford, Capt., II., 23. 
 Gal way, Lady, I,, 281. 
 Gaskell, Mis., I., 287; 289. 
 Gasparin, Comte de, I., 357. 
 Geoffroi, II., 303. 
 George III., I., 17. 
 George IV., I., 171; 21G; .390. 
 Gill, Amos, L, 259. 
 Glengarry, Laird of, I., 124. 
 Gloucester, Duke of, I., IGl.
 
 460 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Glover, Archdeacon, I., 391. 
 Goetlie, II., 15. 
 Golds mid I : 
 
 Ernest, II., 71. 
 
 Mme., II., 71. 
 Goodeaoughs, Tlie, I., 55. 
 Gordon, Duchess of, I., 133. 
 Gosford, Lord, I., 407. 
 Gonillot, M., II., 363. 
 Graham : 
 
 Gen., II., 144. 
 
 of Kinross, Mi^^s, I., 100. 
 Greece, Travels of J. S. Stanhope in, I., 80 ; 85 ; II., 430. 
 Gresholtz, Mme. and Marie, II., 72. 
 Grey, Lady Hannah, II., 7. 
 Grieg, Mrs., L, 418. 
 Grimthorpe, Lord, I., 270. 
 Grisi, I., 448 ; II., 43. 
 Grouse-driving, I., 39. 
 Guest, Lady Charlotte, I., 447. 
 Guilieminot, Gen., II., 220; 225. 
 Guillet, M., II., 291. 
 
 Hall, Sir Benjamin (Lord Llanover), I., 439. 
 Hamilton, Mr. (Sir William), I., 312 ; 320 ; IL, 253. 
 Hamond of Westacre, Mr., I., 401. 
 Hanau, II., 389. 
 Harcourt : 
 
 Mrs. Danby, I., 273. 
 
 Archbishop Vernon, I., 273. 
 
 Sir W. Vernon, I., 273. 
 Hardy, Mr., I., 10. 
 Harrington, Lord, I., 431. 
 Hatfield House, I., 297. 
 Hathersage, I., 9. 
 Hawkesworth, II,, 438.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AXD II. 4G1 
 
 Hawtt-ey, Dr., I., 277. 
 
 Hay, Mrs., I., 133. 
 
 Haygarth, Mr., I., 81 ; XL, 153 ; 155; IGl. 
 
 Herring, I., 66. 
 
 Hibbert, Joe, I., 162. 
 
 HicklatoD, II., 439. 
 
 Hicks, Mr., II., 163. 
 
 Highwaymen in London, I., 244. 
 
 Hill, Lady Georgiana, I., 409. 
 
 Hohenlohe Palace, II., 390. 
 
 Hold, Abel, I., 69. 
 
 Holkham, L, 143; 231 ; 243; 247; 250; 382 ; 440. 
 
 Holland, Qtieen of, II., 351. 
 
 Horsfortb, I., 5 ; 10. 
 
 Hoste : 
 
 Miss, L, 408. 
 
 Sir William, I., 408. 
 Houghton, Lord, I., 279. 
 *' Hound, The," I., 8. 
 Howe, Lord, I., 444. 
 Hoyland, II., 12. 
 Hudson, Mrs., I., 73 ; 308. 
 Hulin, Gen., IL, 312. 
 Hume, Jo.seph, I., 320. 
 Huntingtower, Lord, I., 387. 
 Huntly, Lord, I., 437. 
 
 Ilche-ster, Lord, I., 183; 193. 
 Inverness, Duchess of, I., 389. 
 Isted, Mr. and Mrs., I., 194 ; 196. 
 
 " Jacko," II., 22. 
 Jackson, Mr., II., 406 ; 425. 
 Jersey, Lord and Lady, I., 180 ; 424. 
 Jonas (Beaumont), I., 69.
 
 462 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Jorge, Comte de, II., 80. 
 Joseph II. of Germany, II., 81. 
 Josephine, Empress, II., 83 ; 347. 
 Julien, I., 447. 
 
 Kalkreut, Marshal, II., 394. 
 
 Kean, Charles, I., 414. 
 
 Keith, Baroness, I., 431. 
 
 Kemble, II., 296; 301. 
 
 Kent, Duchess of, I., 171 ; 248 ; 301. 
 
 Keppel : 
 
 Lady Anne, see Lady A. Coke. 
 
 Lady Maria, II., 10. 
 Kerr, Miss, I., 199. 
 Knox, Mr. (Lord Ranfurly), I., 80; 138; II., 105; 135; 
 
 152. 
 Kutusow, Marshal, II., 395. 
 
 Lablache, I., 448. 
 
 Laborde, Gren., II., 313. 
 
 La Chalais, II., 288. 
 
 Lacombe, St. Michel, Gen., II., 228. 
 
 La Payette, II., 73 ; 75. 
 
 Lafitte, II., 297. 
 
 Lahorie, Gen., II., 310. 
 
 Lamballe, Priucesse de, II., 78 ; 83. 
 
 Lammont, Miss, I., 100 ; 108. 
 
 Landseer, Sir Edwin, I., 409. 
 
 Landsman, Col., II., 141. 
 
 L'Anglez, M., II., 329. 
 
 Langham Place, I., 55 ; 299. 
 
 Las Cases, Comte de, I., 354. 
 
 Laure, Mme., II., 29. 
 
 Laurence, Dr. and Mrs., II., 5G. 
 
 Leake, Col., I., 87.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND IT. 4()3 
 
 Le Chevalier, M., I., 83 ; II., 284 ; 343 ; 357. 
 Le Fevre, M., II., 284. 
 Leicester : 
 
 Anne, Lady, see Coke. 
 
 creation of Earldom of, I., KID. 
 
 Julia, Lady, II., 20. 
 
 monument, I., 157. 
 
 Thomas, Earl of, I., 143. 
 
 Thomas William : 
 
 1st Earl of, see Coke. 
 
 2nd Earl of, I., 1 G6 ; 387 ; II., 4 ; 2G ; 32. 
 Leif^h, Mrs. Chandos, I., 302. 
 Le Mercier, M., II., 323. 
 Leon, M., L, 319. 
 
 Leopold of Saxe Cobur^, Prince, I., 161; II., 37. 
 Lewis, Mr., I., 301. 
 Lewis, " Monk," I., 134; 137. 
 Lichfield : 
 
 Lady, I., 74 ; 308. 
 
 Lord, I., 22S ; 27G. 
 Light, Capt., II., 153; 155. 
 Lind, Jenny, II., 6S, 
 Lindsay, Mrs., I., 289. 
 Lisbon, II., 107. 
 Listowel, Lady, I., 203. 
 Little John, I., 9. 
 Llanover, Lord, I., 439. 
 Lockhai't, John, I., 410. 
 Londesborough, Lady, I., 318. 
 Londonderry, Lord, II., 31. 
 Longley, Archbishop and Mrs., I., 3G9 ; 377. 
 Louis XVI., II., 77. 
 Louvre, The, II., 30H. 
 Lovelace, Lady, I., 416. 
 Lowe, Sir HmLson, L, 346 ; 422. 
 Lucca, Prince of, II., 35. 
 Luxmore, Dean and the Misses, II., G8. 
 Lybbe Powys, Mrs, (quoted), I., 14G; 191.
 
 464 INDEX TO VOLS. T. AXD II. 
 
 Lygon, Lady G., I., 427. 
 
 Lyon, Sir James and Lady, I., 318; 323. 
 
 Ljttelton, Lady, II., 56. 
 
 Macdonidd : 
 
 Gen., IL, 145. 
 
 Lady Margaret, see Coke. 
 
 Lord, I., 98; 109; 117; 124. 
 
 Marshal (Due de Tarente), II., 173; 217; 231 ; 211 
 
 Sir Archibald : 
 
 1st Bart., I., 98 ; 102 ; 396. 
 8rd Bart., I., 391 ; 395 ; II., 11. 
 MacdufF, Lord, II., 144. 
 Maclean, Capt., II., 1 14. 
 Macleods of Macleod, The, I., 427. 
 Macon, II., 246. 
 Macready, I., 413. 
 Malkin, Mr., I., 424. 
 Mallet, Gen., II., 310. 
 Mansfield, Lady, I., 57. 
 Marat, II., 83. 
 Marie Antoinette, I., 18. 
 Mars, Mile., II., 304. 
 Massena, Marshal, II., 176. 
 Matagorda, Bombardment of, II., 141. 
 Mattieu, Gen., II., 175; 190. 
 Maxwell, Sir John, I., 213 ; 215. 
 " Medora," II., 4. 
 Melbourne, Lord, I., 169; 433. 
 Melet, Madame de, II., 137; 145. 
 Mendoza, Don Fernandez di, II,, 118. 
 Mesopotamia, Bishop of, II., 16. 
 Metternich, Count, I., 330 ; 419. 
 Miehelot, II., 308. 
 Mildmay, Sir Henry, II., 87. 
 Millet, Mr., I., 373.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 4G5 
 
 Milnes : 
 
 Mr. and Mrs., I., 106 ; 277. 
 
 Monckton (Lord Houghton), I., 278. 
 Milton, Lord, I., 238 ; 249. 
 Mirabean, Comte de, II., 73 ; 75. 
 Mitchell, I., 257 ; 326 ; II., 98. 
 Moligny, Marquis de, I., 80; II., 31G. 
 Moltke, I., 338. 
 Montgomery, Mr., II., 1G3. 
 Montijos, Marquesa di, II., 137. 
 Moore, Sir John, II., 122. 
 Moreau, Gen., II., 220. 
 Moreton, II., 229. 
 Morla, Don., IL, 126. 
 " Moscow," II., 410 ; 425 ; 437. 
 Mostyn, II., 66. 
 
 Mr. Lloyd, II., 65. 
 
 Lord, IL, 65. 
 
 The Misses, II., 65. 
 Murchison, Sir R., I., 415. 
 Murray, Charles, I., 196. 
 
 Lady Augusta, I., 390. 
 
 Mrs. (Mrs. Isted, see Anson), I., .302. 
 
 The Ladies, L, 55 ; IL, 93. 
 Musgrave : 
 
 Archbishop and Mrs., I., 373. 
 
 Archdeacon, I., 376. 
 
 Miss, L, 373. 
 
 Napoleon, I., 84 ; 334; 349; 400; IL, 126; 176; 256; 
 
 274; 300; 328; 330; 346; 352; 354; 397; 418. 
 
 Louis, I., 321; 354; IL, 35. 
 Neave : 
 
 Sheffield, IL, 47. 
 
 Sir Digby, IL, 47. 
 
 Sir Richard, IL, 47. 
 Necker, IL, 37. 
 D G G
 
 4:06 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Nelson, Lord, I., 40 ; II., 133. 
 
 Xewaik, I., 293. 
 
 NeAVStead Abbey, I., 402. 
 
 Ney, Marshal, II., 224. 
 
 Nicolas, Gen., II., ISG; 202; 217. 
 
 Niebuhr, B. G., II.,4li3; 423. 
 
 Noel, M., I., 319. 
 
 Norton, Lord, I., 132; 135. 
 
 Norwich, Bishop of, I., 43o. 
 
 O'Donnell, Gen., II., 223. 
 Olifmpia, by J. S. Stanhope, I., 86. 
 Opals, I., 154. 
 Opnlston, Lord, I., 313, 
 Ordonneran, Gen., II., 214. 
 
 Paine, Mr., I., 243. 
 
 Pakenham, Lady Katherine (Duchess of Wellington), I., 41. 
 
 Palais Royal, II., 295. 
 
 Paris, II., 290 
 
 Police, II., 306 ; 333 ; 340 ; 358. 
 
 Restaurants, II., 293. 
 
 Theatres, II., 295. 
 Parr, Dr., I., 201. 
 Pavia, Don, II., 109. 
 Pearce, Mr., II., 153. 
 Peel, Sir Robert, I., 441. 
 Pengwern, II., 66. 
 Penistone, I., 283 ; 285. 
 Perceval, Mr., (Lord Arden), IL, 375; 377; 381; 383; 
 
 385; 393; 406; 422. 
 Perlet, I., 415. 
 Petre, Miss, II., 51. 
 Philips, Mr., II., 362 ; 366.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 4()7 
 
 Plckorinir : 
 
 Anna Miiria W., (see Spencer Sttinhope). 
 
 Percival Amlree, I., 229; 303 ; 381. 
 Piedad, Donna Maria di, II., 109. 
 Pitt, L, 24; 108. 
 
 Platxa, Olympian and Elis^ by J. S. Stanhope, I., SO. 
 Polliugton, Lady, I., 427. 
 Poissardes, The", II., 70. 
 Portugal, Prince of, I., 301. 
 
 Pretender, The, (Charles Edward), I., 118; 152. 
 Priinrosf : 
 
 Bonverie, I., 190 ; II., 87. 
 
 Frank, I., 14 ; 103. 
 
 Lady Anne, (Lady A. Tnfnell), I., 27.3 ; 309 ; II., ^o ; 
 97. 
 
 Lady Harriet, II., 80. 
 
 Lady Louisa, I., 275 ; 309 ; 439 ; II., 85 ; 88. 
 russia : 
 
 Crown Prince of, I., 335. 
 
 Frederick William III. of, L, 332 ; II., 320; 105; 407. 
 
 Princes of, II., 37S. 
 Prussian Soldiers, II., 402. 
 
 Pulleine, Miss, (Mis. W. Spencer Stanhope), I., 0; 31. 
 Purvis, Admiral and Capt., II., 131. 
 
 Quarles, I., 235. 
 
 Quiberon expedition, II., 310. 
 
 Raasay, Laird of, I., 121. 
 
 Rachel, I., 408. 
 
 Kaglan, Lady, I., 427. 
 
 Raith, II., 92. 
 
 Kamsden, Col., II., 152. 
 
 Ranfurly, Lord, (Knox), I., 80 ; 138; II., 105; 130; 152. 
 
 Regent,' The Prince, I., 17; II., 324. 
 
 Regent's Street, I,, 55.
 
 468 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Khuddlan Abbey, II., 64. 
 
 llhyl, II., 63. 
 
 Eipon, Bishop of, I., 369 ; 377. 
 
 Riots, I., 92 ; 158; 241 ; 286 ; II., 96. 
 
 Robespierre, II., 81. 
 
 Roehefoucault, Comte de la, II., 367. 
 
 Rochester, Bishop of, II., 13. 
 
 Roconi, Mile., II,, 295. 
 
 Roddam, I., 37. 
 
 William (W.Spencer Stauhope), I., 36; IL, 99; 132; 
 134; 140. 
 Rokeby, Lord, I,, 70. 
 Romberg, Frau von. I., 330. 
 Rome, King of, IL, 314. 
 Roscoe, William, I., 173. 
 Rosebery : 
 
 Anne, Lady (see Anson), L, 195 ; 302 ; 438; IL, 87. 
 
 Archibald John, 4th Earl of, I., 14; 105; 142; 202; 
 214; 216; 388; 440; IL, 86. 
 
 Archibald Philip, 5th Earl of, L, 105; 349; 432; 
 IL, 86. 
 
 Henrietta, Lady, IL, 86. 
 
 Neil, 3rd Earl of, L, 105 ; 142. 
 Rousseau, J. J., IL, 73. 
 Rovigo, Due de, IL, 311 ; 340. 
 Royal, Princess, IL, 55. 
 Roy ale, Madame, IL, 78. 
 Russia, Emperor of, IL, 309 ; 397. 
 Russian campaign, Napoleon 'r^, IL, 273 ; 277 ; 330. 
 Russell, G. W. (quoted), L, 24; 225. 
 
 Sainctelette, M., IL, 253. 
 St. Morys, Comte de, IL, 316; 319. 
 St. Phar, Abbe, IL, 324. 
 Salisbury : 
 
 Lord, L, 438. 
 
 Mary, Lady, L, 298.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I, AND II. 409 
 
 Sandford : 
 
 Bishop, I,. 379. 
 
 Mr., I., .378. 
 Savary (Due de Eovigo), II., 311 ; 340. 
 Saxe-Coburg, Prince Leopold of, I., 161 ; II., 37'. 
 Saxe- Weimar, Prince Edward of, I., 424. 
 Saxony, King of, II., 386. 
 
 Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Clnistian of, I., 335. 
 Scott : 
 
 Col., II., 355. 
 
 Sir Walter (quoted), I., 314 ; 416. 
 Seymour, Sir Hamilton, I., 244. 
 Sharpe, Dr., I., 268. 
 Sheep-shearing at Holkham, I., 157. 
 Shelley : 
 
 Sir .Tohn, I., 162. 
 
 Sir John and Lady, II., 35. 
 Sherborne, Lord, I., 175 ; 204. 
 Shirley, Mr. E., I., 318. 
 Shuckburgh (Shugborough), I., 191. 
 Silkstone, I., 372. 
 Smith : 
 
 Sir Sidney, I., 416. 
 
 Sydney, I., 396. 
 Somerville, Mrs., I., 416. 
 Speculative Debating .Society, I., 137; 139. 
 Spencer : 
 
 John, I., 5. 
 
 Lonl, I., 407. 
 
 Sir Robert, I., 263 ; 348. 
 Stackpole, Capt., II., 136. 
 Stanhope : 
 
 Arthur, II., 435. 
 
 Charles, IL, 261. 
 
 Henry, II., 261. 
 
 James, IL, 151. 
 
 James, (" Black " Stanhopej, I., 56. 
 
 Lady, I., 432.
 
 470 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Stanhope — cont. 
 
 Lady Anna Maria, (Duchess of Bedford), I., 405; 425. 
 
 Lady Wdhelmina, (Duche.-s of Cleveland), I., 432; II., 
 86; 91. 
 
 Lord, I., 264; 4.31. 
 
 Scudamore, I., 57. 
 
 Walter, I., 5; 10. 
 Stanhope, (Spencer St:inho[)e) : 
 
 Alice, I,, 183. 
 
 .Anna Maria, (Mrs Pickering), I., 204; her birtli, 227 ; 
 early recollections, 234 ; nursery diiys, 230 ; school- 
 room life, 250 ; 267 ; visits to London, 275 ; recol- 
 lections of guests at Cannon Hall, 277 ; elections, 
 284; early journal, 291; at Boulogne, 312; in 
 Belgium and Germany, 326; in Switzerland, 340; 
 in the Tyrol, 361 ; in the Pyrenees, 363; winter 
 at ITolkham, 382 ; coming out, 422 ; Welsh recol- 
 lections, II., 63 ; visits in Scotland, 85. 
 
 Charles, I., 23 ; 32 ; 53 ; 230. 
 
 Edward, (Ed. Collingwood), L, 35 ; II., 439. 
 
 Eliza, (Mrs. Tyrwhitt), L, 232; 240; 242; 260; 277. 
 
 family of, L, 5 ; 32. 
 
 Frances, I., 73. 
 
 Hugh, I., 71. 
 
 John, (of Horsforth), I., 5; 10. 
 
 John, his birth, I., 12: 16; 71; 78; epitome of his 
 travels, 80; his publications, 86 ; 94; letters from 
 Scotland, 97 ; his marriage, 213 : 255 ; 266 ; 287 ; 
 312; 318; quoted, 340; 346: 372; 383; 304; 
 448 ; II., 9 ; 38 ; extracts from his journals, 105 ; 
 voyage to Spain, 106; at Lisbon, 107; at Cndi/., 
 121 ; from Cadiz to Valencia and Barcelona, 154; 
 imprisonment, 186; release from prison, 212; 
 Barcelona to France, 226 ; through France to 
 Verdun, 242 ; at Verdun, 253 ; goes to Paris, 
 286; his liberation, 329; 355 ; flight from Paris, 
 367 ; escapes from France at Stra.sbourg, 369 ; to 
 Vienna, 374 ; returns to Dresden, and joins the
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 47l 
 
 Stanhope (Spencer Stanhope) — cont. 
 
 army of the AlHes, 375 ; to Breslau, 387 ; to 
 Keichenbach and StreUn, 107 ; journey to Sweden, 
 425 ; voyage to England, 435 ; subsequent travels 
 in Greece, 439. 
 
 Lady Elizabeth, I., 195; 203; 209; 213; 21C; 220; 
 223; 251; 281; 287 ; 314 ; 344 ; 382 ; 394 ; 397 ; 
 402; 424; XL, 16; 57; 99. 
 
 Louisa, I., 203. 
 
 Marianne, (Mrs. Hudson), I,, 73. 
 
 Mary Winifred, (Mrs. Walter S. Stanhope), I., 0; 31. 
 
 Philip, L, 70 ; 402 ; II., 92 ; 90. 
 
 Roddam, I., 237 ; 258 ; 260 ; 337 ; 359. 
 
 Spencer, I., 50. 
 
 Walter, I., 5 ; 10. 
 
 Walter T. W., L, 232 ; 240 ; 242 ; 260 ; 277 ; 337 ; 
 359; 361 ; 3()6; IL, 19. 
 
 William (Wni.lloddam), I., 36; IL,99; 132; 134; 140. 
 Staincross Volunteers, I., 31. 
 Stanley : 
 
 Bishop, I., 435. 
 
 Dean, I., 442. 
 
 Miss, L, 441. 
 Steinheld, Baron, II., 427. 
 Stf^ng, Baroness von, II., 62. 
 Stobbart, II., 359 ; 366; 372. 
 Stolberg, Princess Louise von, I., 152. 
 Strachey, Capt., II., 257 ; 269. 
 Strangways : 
 
 Fox, Lady Theresa, (Lady Digby), I., 183. 
 
 Fox, (Lord llchester), I., 193. 
 Stuart : 
 
 Mr., (Sir Charles), II., 106; 112. 
 
 (Sir Charles), IL, 385; 421; 424. 
 Suffolk, Lady, I., 176. 
 Sussex : 
 
 Duchess of, I., 390. 
 
 Duke of, I., 161 ; 166 ; 168 ; 389 ; 397.
 
 472 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Sutherland, Duke and Duchess of. I., 199 ; 396. 
 
 Sweden, XL, 431. 
 
 Sweden, Ex-King of, II., 386. 
 
 Switzerland, I., 340 ; 359. 
 
 Tadworth Court, I., 75. 
 
 Talleyrand, II., 285 ; 32G ; 345. 
 
 Talma, II., 296 ; 300 ; 305. 
 
 Tarente, Due de, II., 173 ; 217 ; 231 ; 241. 
 
 Tatton, I., 443. 
 
 Taylor, Mr., II., 153. 
 
 Theatre Franfais, II., 295. 
 
 Thomas, Capt., II., 136. 
 
 Thompson, Lady Charlotte, II., 57. 
 
 Thornton, Mr., II., 426. 
 
 Thynne, Lady John, (Lady Cartaret), II., 38. 
 
 Tisdale, Mr., II., 93. 
 
 Tolly, Marshal Barklay de, II., 403. 
 
 Townend, Lord, I., 168. 
 
 Trafalgar, battle of, I., 45. 
 
 Trench, Mr., II., 425. 
 
 Tufnell, Mr., II., 85 ; 97. 
 
 Tussaud, Mme., I., 305 ; II., 72. 
 
 Tysack, Mr., I., 245. 
 
 Underwood, Lady Cecilia, I., 390. 
 
 Valencia, II., 161. 
 
 Vane, Lord Harry, (Duke of Cleveland), II., 91. 
 
 Verdun, IL, 161. 
 
 Vernon : 
 
 Archbishop, I., 273. 
 
 Granville, I., 272. 
 
 Mr. (?), IL, 109.
 
 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 473 
 
 Yiotoria : 
 
 Piiucess, L, 171 r 248. 
 
 Queen, I., 57 ; 198 ; 326; 432 ; 4i6; II., 28 ; 35 ; 42 ; 
 45; 54. 
 Vincent, Dr., I., 33 ; II., 327. 
 Yolney, Comte de, II., 327. 
 Voltaire, II., 73. 
 Volunteer force, I., 2G. 
 Vyse, Col., II., 40(5 ; 412. 
 
 Wakefield : 
 
 " Battle " of, I., 286. 
 
 Vicar of, I., 3G8. 
 Walcheren expedition, II., 341. 
 Wales, I., 263. 
 
 Prince of, (Albert Edward), I., 395. 
 Walker, Mr., of Seisset, II., 98. 
 Walpole, Lady Rachel (Lady Pollington), I., 427. 
 Waterpark, Lord and Lady, I., 198 ; 373. 
 Watkins, Archdeacon, I., 379. 
 Wellesley, Mr., II., 131; 137; 119; 151; 177. 
 Wellington, Duke of, I., 41 ; II., 96; 175. 
 Wernyss, Lord, II., 26. 
 Wentworth House, I., 248 ; II., 56 ; 62. 
 Werry, Mr., II., 422. 
 AVestminster School, I., 53. 
 Wharncliffe, Lord, I., 2S5. 
 Whewell, Prof., I., 277. 
 Whitbread, Mrs. and INIiss, II., 26. 
 Wierskinski, Count, I., 271. 
 Wilberforce, William, I., 16. 
 Wildman, Col., I., 402. 
 Willas, Mr., II., 57. 
 
 Williams, Sir John and Lady S.irali, II., 67. 
 Wilton, Sir Robert, II., 395; 421 ; 421. 
 Winchilsea, Lord, II., 19. 
 Wirion, Gen., II., 260. 
 
 H H
 
 474 INDEX TO VOLS. I. AND II. 
 
 Wishaw, II., 94. 
 Wittgenstein, Marshal, II., 439. 
 Wodehouse, Mrs., II., 90. 
 Wolff : 
 
 Dr. Joseph, II., 13. 
 
 Lady Georgiana, II., 15. 
 
 Sir Henry Drunimond, II., 15. 
 Wolverton, Lady, I., 318. 
 Wood, Sir Charles, II., 439. 
 Worcester, Lord, I., 32(S. 
 Wortley, Lady G. Stuart, I., 252. 
 Wyndliam, II., 396. 
 Wynne : 
 
 Bertie, I., 434. 
 
 Miss, I., 133. 
 
 Miss Sydney, I,, 289. 
 
 Yeoman, Lady Margaret, II., 58. 
 Yeomanry, I., 24. 
 York, Gen., II., 338. 
 Yorkshire Schoolboys, I,, 379. 
 
 Zieglcr, Mile., I., 326 ; 359 ; 366.
 
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