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    Na/466, February 26, I85ff.T T HE LE A D...

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    Memoirs Of The Court Of George Iv, Memoi...

    go to Hanover . I liear the Irish are outrageously jealous of her , arid , though courting- her to the greatest degree , arc aloud in their indignation at Lord C- — ¦ -. This is just like them . " The Marquis ' s -diligent correspondent furnishes another anecdote of tins journey -worth quoting : — "The King in his journey home overtook Lord and Lady Harcourt ( now the bosom friends of Lady C ——) , stopped theni , got out of his carriage , and sat with them for a quarter of an hour in the public road , recounting all his perilous adventures at sea , and flattering reception in Ireland . Lady Harcourt told me liis jjious acknowledgment for his great escape of being shipwrecked was quite edifying , and the very — . . . ¦ ... ....

    -great change in his moral habits and religious feelings was quite astonishing , and a'l owing to Lady C—— •" How the King next went to Scotland—how the first Scotchman that came in the drizzling rain aboard the Royal Yacht to present hiiii with St . Andrew ' s Cross in silver , from the ladies , of " Auld Reekie , " was the illustrious , though , it must be confessed , - somewhat obsequious ^ author of " Waverley "—how the King invites -Sir Walter to a bumper of whiskey , which : having done , thp latterrequested' " permission to keep the glass , " placed it carefully in the tail of his coat—and how Sir Walter , going home , found the poet Crabbe the

    there , and in welcoming him forgot precious relic , till sitting down he crushed it to atoms , " without inflicting on himself a severe scratch , " is subsequently narrated by the noble editor , ' | as well as how the gouty King appeared in the Highland costume , and was disgusted at the presence of the fat and vulgar Lord Mayor in exactl y the same attire . There are some other traits of Sir Walter Scott , which are not very pleasing . . Amono- other interesting documents in the volumes Is the following letter from the Duke of WellintV-toii to the Puke of Buckingham , explaining his famous duel with the Earl of Winchelsea , for attributing to him . " insidious designs" in accedirig to the Catholic Relief Bill : — " THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO THE DUKE OP BUCKINGHAM . " London , April 21 st , IS 9 . "Mv Dear Duke , . "I am very much obliged to you for your letter pi the 6 th , which I received this morning . " Thetruth is that the . duel with Isord Wiriehelsea was as much part of it he Roman Catholic question , arid it was as necessary to undertake it , and carry it out to the extremity to which 1 did carry it , as it -was to do everything else which I did do to attain the object I had in view .

    "I was living here for sometime in an atmosphere of calumny . I could do nothing that was not misrepresented as having some bad purpose in view . If my physician called upon me , it was for treasonable purposes . If I said a word , whether in Parliament or elsewhere , it was misrepresented for the purpose of fixing upon me some gross delusion or falsehood . Even my conversations with the King were repeated , misrepresented and commented upon ; and nil for the purpose of shaking the credit which the Parliament were inclined to give to what I said . " The courts of justice were shut , an < l not to open till May . I knew that tl . id Bill must pass , or bo lost , before the 15 th of April . Winchelsea

    In this state of things Lord published his" furious letter . I immediately perceived the advantage it gave me , and i determined to act upon it in such a tone as would certainly put mo in the right . Not only I was successful in the execution of my project , but the proiout itsolf produced the effect which I looked for , and intended that it should produce . The atmosphere of calumny in which I hud been fur some time living cleared away . The system of calumny was discontinued . Men were ashamed of repenting what had been told to them ; and I have rouson to believe , moreover , that intentions not short of criminal were given up in consequence of remonstrances JVoin some of -the most prudent of the party , who cnnio toraivalil that

    ward in eonsequonee of the duel . 1 him the ovent itself shocked many good mom ; hut I am curtain that the public interests at the moment required that J should do what I did * . ?' Kvory'thing is now qulot , mid in hvlnni ! we Have full reason to lie Buttoned . ' Wo nuisl , however , lose no time in doing everything else that is possible to promote the prosperity of thut ' cowntiy . J 3 oliove mo , my dear Duke , " Jivcr yours wont sincerely , " WUM-ISUTUN . " Tho retell of tlio good King George was now rapidly drawing to u clone . JL ' oople talked hut lately of a now wiib for him , and even of a now mistress , in tho person of " Lady L—— 5 ' 'j" ' « w hdiilUi grew worno rind worse , and he spoilt inueu of his time in bed , and become-, with . hi" inovouwed rotundity and " tullowy Jhce , " ho much le * a

    eliarniribald and licentious publications , which , instead of w riting in the interest of the King , or the <* renvilles furnished the people with squibs and lanvpoons upon the objects of popular dislike . Independent Whigs , and Oobbettite publications , " now Circulating most" extensively , " appear , in Mr . Fremantle ' eyes , " dangerous , much beyond anything ' . I can describe . I have , " lie writes , " aii opportunity of seeing them , and can speak , therefore , from knowledge ; and the Government taking no « teps ( knowing , perhaps , they cannot depend on a jury ) to prosecute . " Though , by the way , we read pretty often of " ¦ informations , " and the incarceration of unfortunate editors ; but of course not of ten

    enough for Mr . Fremantle . It is somewhat inconsistent -with the contempt lor the press , exhibited by the Marquis ' s correspondents , to find theni occasionally inquiring whether he had " procured any clue which may enable us to patronise a newspaper ; " but the editor of these volumes acknowledges that there were exceptions—Theodore Hook , for instance , who , the Duke tells us , "in the columns of the John Bull , made the respectable portion of the Que ' enites heartily ashamed of their cause . " Even the King ' s retirement was invaded by this pest , and his Majesty ' s temper ruffled , as appears by the following letter , which will serve as a specimen of royal , grammar : — ~ "THE KING TO LORD ELDON . "Brighton , Jan . 9 , 1821 f < MY DEAR LOKiB ,: "As the Courts of Law will now open within a few days , I am desirous to know the decision that has been taken by the Attorney- ^ General , u pon the mode in which all the vendors of treason , and libellers , such as Benbbw , & c . & c , are to be prosecuted . This is a measure so vitally indispensable to my feelings , as well as to the country , that I must insist that no further loss of time shoiudbe suffered to elapse before

    proceedings be instituted . It is clear beyond dispute , from the improvement of the public mind , and the loyalty which the country is now everywhere displaying , if properly cultivated and turned to the best ' -advantage' by Ministers , that the Government will thereby be enabled to repair , to the : country and to me , those evils of the magnitude of which there can be but one opinion . This I Write to you in your double capacity as a friend and a Minister ; and I wish , under the same feelings to Lord Sidmouth , that you vo . ii . ld communicate my opinions and

    determination to him . "Always , my dear Lord , " Very sincerely yours , "_ G . II . " The position of the Marquis of Buckingham and his friends at this time appears to have been peculiar , though not difficult to understand . They were neither of the Liverpool Government , nor of the Opposition . One of their number peevishly , but not inaptly , describes their position towards the niinistiy , as 'that of " hackney coaches bound to remain on tho stand , whatever the weather may be , till they shall make up their winds to call us . " A deep horror of Lord Grey's party of Reformers kept them from opposing the Government heartily ;—

    " The manner ( says Lord Grenvillc ) in which the Opposition have of late years , most unfortunately for themselves and for the country , been drawn on to mix themselves up with projects of reform , and with tho countenance and defence of reformers , of tho wildest description , seems to mo , I regret to say , to throw the balance at this time wholly on tho side of tbeir opponents . " Mr . Thomas Oirenville nervously suggests that the Government may *? court popularity among jtlio

    lower ranks by nieasuros , under the specious name ofrefonn , whielnnight irrecoverably ruin the constitution of the country before they could be displaced ;" and Mr . Fremantlo becomes occasionally " lowspirited" nbout the aspect of nfliiirs , declaring that " ottQ'Ciinnot calculate on anything else but subversion of nil government and authority , if this is to go on ; and how it is to end no one can foresee . " Mr . Frumuntle , however , finds consolation in the power for mischief of tho Grenvillo coterie . " All

    tfoiir members ( ho writes tho Marquis ) were present yesterday , and if we had voted against tho Government , only see how wo would have diminished their numbers . " Poor Lord Liverpool found it impossible to keep head against Whigs and Kadioalf ) without tho Growvilles . Mo throw them a Gnrfcoi , then n Dukc . dom , then places and eiuLmssios ; and so hel ped to stave off ruin till ho died . . Amid the . dryer details of political manoeuvres "wehavo occasional glimpses of the King , which aro curious , For all the troubles of the beginning ol Jus reign he appears to have had but ouo euro—

    she could , and it was entirely owing necessary interference of the Government on one or two points , and the offence given by Lady Castlereagh in not inviting her , that her present animosity to the Government proceeded , and the consequent difficulties with the King . " A slight revival of the King ' s popularity took place after the excitement of the Queen ' s trial had subsided ; and his visit to Dublin in 1821 appears to have been considered a hit , notwithstanding that rebellion followed very hard upon , the royal departure . There are some tunusiug notes of the visit among tlie letters . In Sir William Kingston ' s memoirs is a letter from tho King , describing tho storm in crossing the Channel , in which tho royal yacht had nearly foundered ; but his Majesty must have forgotten some of the particulars of the

    voyage , which Mr . Fremantlo thus supplies : — "I don't know whether you have heard any of the details from Ireland , but the conduct of the Irish is boyond all conception of loyalty and adulation , and I fear will serve to strengthen those lbelhigs of solfn will and personal authority which aro at all times uppermost in The Mind . The passage to Dublin was occupied in eating goose-pie and drinking whiskoy , in which his Majesty partook most abundantly , singing many joyous songs , and being in a state , on his arrival , to double in sight cvon tho numbers of his gracious subjects nssomblod on tho pier to rocejvo him . Tho flust was , that they were n tho last stage of intoaimlion . However , they got him to tho Park . Lady C has been almost constantly at the Thumlx . Park , but has not appeared much ' in public . " Later , Mr . Frcmnntlu a ' ddn : — < lI novor in my life hoard of anything equal to tho K . J 1 — » H iniUtuaffon and conduct towards Lady C—— . fciho lived oxolufiivoly with him during the whole thno ho was in Ireland , at thoPhwnix Park . "When ho wont to Blano , isho received him dressed out as for a drawing room . Ho saluted her , and they then rotirod alono to hor apartments . A yacht ia left to bring hor ovor , and she and tho whole family

    " The more I hear and see of the matter , the more convinced I am that the whole thing hangs on a thread ; that if the King dared turn them out he would ; that is , he would submit to the influence of Lady C . in so ; doing ; but I don't knoW that if it were not but for this influence he would be sq disposed . . That . the Cabinet ' knowing this are cautious not to give him any good ground , and not to exasperate him at the present moment . You cannot imagine the state of irritation in which the Duke was this

    morning , and I think not a little of it arose from the result of an - interview which Lord Anglesea had with the King yesterday , for he said to me , among other things—• You have no idea the mischief that is done to us by person who have an opportunity of seeing and conversing with the King . Lord Anglesea saw him yesterdajv and this has interfered already in our proposed military reductions / Afterwards he said—' There are not less than five Eagets named for situations at the coronation . ' I give you all

    to the tliis to show the tone and temper , - . "I told huii , when" he was talking over the state of the House of Commons , that I thought if he could in the arrangement secure the most efficient of the present members of Government , together with 3 'our squadron Cannino- and Peel , such a Government might defy not only the Opposition , but all the folly , or lndiscretion , or passion of the King ; to which he said , It is the only Government that ought to be formed . ' Nothing could exceed his indignation and abuse of Lady C- — . He said the situation in which she was now placed was one she had been seeking for twenty years ; that her whole object was patronage and patronage alone : that she mingled in everything

    evening and lie has had his usual Camaby Haggerston , Forester and two or three of this description . His language is only about the coronation and Lady C—— , very little of the state of the country . " At the coronation—to which the Queen was refused admission , on the ground of improprieties of conduct—Lady Gonyngham was accommodated with a " private box . " The corres-v pondents of the Marquis are loud in complaint of her foUy and rapacity . " Mr . Fremantle , writing upon ministerial prospects , thus speaks of the lady ' s influence over her royal lover : —

    dinners of Sir retii-ement in" The Cottage , " and his favorite Lady Conyngham—sometimes in bed all day with the gout , sometimes angling in the lake , not half so anxious about " the nation" and the Constitution as Mr . Thoinas Freniantlc , or Mr ! Ci-oker , who saw the counti-y rapidly " going to the devil . " When the Kino- drove about , -dragoons were posted on the road ' s to warn . the . people away . Mr . Fremantle laments that , when in town , his Majesty " never shows himself , " and adds " he has never been'out of Carlton House . Lady Conyngham goes to him of an

    Na/466, February 26, I85ff.T T He Le A D...

    Na / 466 , February 26 , I 85 ff . T T HE LE A D E B . 167 ^^^ ' *^ . - . ' - . ¦ ^^ . ^ . ^^^^^ . ^ . ^^^^^^^^^^^ . — — . ' * * — . — —^ - ^^^^^ . 1 ''^ ¦! - ¦^¦ JJ *^ . ¦ " ^¦ ' ^¦^ M— . ^^ W ^^^^^^^^—

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 26, 1859, page 11, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26021859/page/11/