[135]Thackeray:The Four Georges.[136]This alliance interfered with another marriage. The Duke of Roxburgh had fallen in love with Princess Christina, Charlotte's elder sister, and would probably have married her, but this plan perforce fell through when George III selected Princess Charlotte for his consort, for it was one of the conditions of the contract that no member of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family should wed an English subject. Neither Princess Christina nor her suitor ever married.[137]James, eighth Earl of Abercorn (1712-1789), carried his independence to a disconcerting bluntness. When he presented himself at St. James's, the King thanked him for his courtesy to the Queen, and said he feared his visit must have given him a good deal of trouble. "A good deal indeed," replied the Earl.[138]Secret History of the Court of England.[139]Lady Anne Hamilton:Secret History.[140]The bridesmaids, dressed in white lustring with silver trimmings ornamented with pearls and diamonds, were chosen from the unmarried daughters of dukes and earls, and were ten in number: Lady Sarah Lennox, Lady Caroline Russell, Lady Anne Hamilton, Lady Elizabeth Kerr, Lady Harriet Bentinck, Lady Caroline Montague, Lady Elizabeth Keppel, Lady Louisa Greville, Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, and Lady Susan Fox Strangways.[141]Galt:George III, His Family and Court.[142]London Gazette, October 21, 1760.[143]Nicholls:Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century; and other works.It is generally believed that the Stuart Prince was present at the coronation either incognito as Mr. Brown among the spectators on the floor of the hall, or disguised in woman's attire in the gallery. Indeed, more than one person claims to have seen him, and Lord Marshal told David Hume how a friend of his, recognizing the Pretender, spoke to him: "Your Royal Highness is the last of all mortals I should have expected to see here." "It was curiosity that led me," replied the visitor, who had come from Flanders to see the coronation; "but I assure you that the person who is the object of all this pomp and magnificence is the man I envy the least."[144]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.[145]Ibid.[146]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.[147]"The hereditary revenues, being put under the same management as the other branches of the public patrimony, will produce more and be better collected than heretofore; and the public is a gainer of upwards of £100,000 per annum by this disinterested bounty of his Majesty."—Blackstone'sCommentaries.[148]The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.[149]George Sackville Germaine (1716-1785), son of the seventh Earl and first Duke of Dorset, was known from 1720 to 1770 as Lord George Sackville, and from then as Lord George Germaine, until 1782, when he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Sackville.[150]Walpole:Memoirs of George II.[151]Bubb Dodington:Diary.[152]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.[153]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.[154]John Russell, fourth Duke of Bedford (1710-1771).[155]Another verse, with a similar allusion, is given inThe New Foundling Hospital for Wit."Ne'er yet in vain did Heaven its omen send;Some dreadful ills unusual signs portend!When Pitt resign'd, a nation's tears will own,'Then fell the brightest jewel in the crown.'"[156]Besides the lampooners attached to each side there were various unscrupulous journalistic free-lances, whose object was only to make money, which they extorted by a method since imitated by certain editors of low-class society and financial papers. Thus a writer went with a column of panegyric and a column of condemnation of the character of Alderman Beckford, and attempted to levy blackmail for the destruction of the objectionable article. Only too often in such cases, both appreciation and attack were sold and duly appeared in antagonistic publications.[157]William Beckford (1709-1770), Lord Mayor of London 1762 and 1769.[158]Chatham Correspondence.[159]"My old friend was once a skilful courtier; but, since he himself has attained a kind of royalty, he seems more attentive to support his own majesty than to pay the necessary regard to that of his sovereign."—Lord Lyttelton.[160]"The day the King went to the House [of Lords] I was three quarters of an hour getting through Whitehall. There were subjects enough to set up half-a-dozen petty kings; the Pretender would be proud to reign over the footmen alone, and indeed, unless he acquires some of them, he will have no subjects left; all their masters flock to St. James's."—Horace Walpole.[161]Hardwicke Papers, Bedford Correspondence.[162]Sir Francis Dashwood, afterwards fifteenth Baron le Despencer (1708-1781).Dashwood was under no misapprehension as to his unsuitability for the post. "People will point at me in the streets and cry, 'There goes the worst Chancellor of the Exchequer that ever appeared,'" he said; and he wrote to Sir Andrew Mitchell on March 23, 1761: "The same strange fortune which made me Secretary-at-war five years and a half ago, has made me Chancellor of the Exchequer. It may, perhaps, at last make me Pope. I think I am equally fit to be the head of the Church as of the Exchequer."[163]George Montague Dunk, second Earl of Halifax (1716-1771).[164]"Miss Chudleigh's dress or rather undress was remarkable. She was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim. The maids of honour, not of maids the strictest, were so offended that they would not speak to her."—Mrs. Montague'sLetters.[165]"O Bute! If, instead of contempt, and of odium,You wish to obtain universal eulogium,From your breast to your gullet transfer the blue string,Our hearts are all yours at the very first swing."The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.[166]Letters of Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield.[167]William Robertson, historian (1721-1793).[168]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.[169]David Mallet (1705?-1765), the author of some poems and tragedies, was for some time assistant-secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales.[170]Arthur Murphy (1727-1805), the biographer of Garrick, and the editor of the works of Fielding and Johnson.[171]James Macpherson (1736-1796), the alleged translator of Ossianic poems.[172]"I have taken care to have it in my power to refute these malicious stories, from the most authentic information. Lord Bute told me that Mr. Wedderburn, afterwards Lord Loughborough, was the person who first mentioned this subject to him. Lord Loughborough told me that the pension was granted to Johnson solely as the reward of his literary merit, without any stipulation whatever, or even tacit understanding, that he should write for the Administration. His Lordship added that he was confident the political tracts which Johnson afterwards did write, as they were entirely consonant with his own opinions, would have been written by him though no pension had been granted to him."—Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.[173]The records contain the following entries: October, 1760, to October, 1761, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £95,000. October, 1761, to October, 1762, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £72,000. This, however, is but a tithe of what was spent when Bute was in power, and the additional expenditure was distributed under different headings in the accounts of the various departments of state.[174]Letter to the Duke of Bedford, Sept. 19, 1769.[175]Walpole:Memoirs of George III.[176]Letter from a Gentleman in Town to his Friend in the Country, occasioned by a late resignation.[177]Adolphus:History of England.[178]"The coronation is over, 'tis even a more gorgeous sight than I imagined," Horace Walpole told the Hon. Henry Seymour Conway. "I saw the procession and the hall; but the return was in the dark. In the morning they had forgot the sword of state, the chairs for the King and Queen, and their canopies. They used the Lord Mayor's sword for the first, and made the last in the hall; so they did not set forth till noon; and then, by a childish compliment to the King, reserved the illumination of the hall till his entry, by which means they arrived like a funeral, nothing being discernible but the plumes of the Knights of the Bath, which seemed the hearse." Indeed, the whole was a comedy of errors, crowned by the historic apology of the Earl Marshal, Lord Effingham, in reply to the King's complaints: "It is true, sir, there has been some neglect, but I have taken care that the next coronation shall be regulated in the exactest manner possible."[179]Philip Stanhope, fifth Earl of Chesterfield (1755-1815).[180]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.[181]Genesis vi, 4.[182]Southy:Memoirs of George III.[183]Byron:The Vision of Judgment.The King in later years would sometimes visit the book-shop of Charles Knight at Windsor, and there was accustomed to sit on a high stool at the counter to glance at the latest publications. One day he saw there Bishop Watson's "Apology for the Bible," the title of which volume excited him. "What!—what!—what!—Apologize for the Bible!—what—what—what!" On another occasion he was startled to find among the latest acquisitions a copy of Paine's "Age of Reason." He sharply rebuked Knight, and quitted the shop, never again to enter it.[184]"Their Majesties not being accustomed to play at hazard, ordered a handsome gratuity to the Groom Porter: and orders were given that, for the future, there be no card playing amongst the servants."—Annual Register, Jan. 6, 1772.[185]William, second Baron Talbot, created Earl Talbot in 1762.[186]Lord Holland'sMemoirinThe Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.[187]Memoirs of George III.[188]The North Briton, No. 12.[189]Percy Anecdotes.[190]Georgiana.[191]Memoirs of A. M. W. Pickering.[192]Afterwards fifth Duke of Leeds.[193]Twiss:Life of Eldon.[194]Ibid.[195]"In the distribution of honours the King never forgot his own personal feelings, tho' he sometimes granted to political solicitation what was by no means agreeable to himself. The late Dr. Elliott had never been a favourite, and when Lord George Germaine requested his Majesty to confer a baronetcy on that physician, the King manifested much unwillingness, saying at length, 'But, if I do, he shall not be my physician!' 'No, sir, he shall be your Majesty's baronet and my physician.'"—Galt:George III, his Court and Family.[196]Percy Fitzgerald:The Family of George III.[197]Percy Anecdotes.[198]The humble manner and language that Lord Chatham always adopted in the closet formed a fertile source of ridicule to his contemporaries. Chase Price said, "that at thelevéehe used to bow so low, you could see the tip of his hooked nose between his legs."—Albemarle:Memoirs of Rockingham.[199]Peter Pindar: "Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's."[200]Conversations with Mr. Beckford.[201]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.[202]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.[203]Peter Pindar:Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.[204]Conversations with the late Mr. Beckford.[205]Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians.[206]An Heroic Epistle to an Unfortunate Monarch."Peregrine the Elder," the author of theHeroic Epistle, assures his readers that the question asked in the last line was asked by a Scotchman at the first performance of Home's "Douglas."[207]Thackeray:The Four Georges.George III created one order of Knighthood, that of St. Patrick in 1783, in the hope to conciliate the Irish, who, however, treated it with ridicule."George sends his stars and garters to our land,We send him ropes to hang his pensioned band,And, having made the crew disgorge their pelf,He then may, if he pleases, hang himself."[208]Georgiana.[209]Papendiek:Journals.[210]Ibid.[211]Peter Pindar:Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians.[212]Lord Carlisle:Reminiscences.[213]"I take this opportunity of enclosing to you a list of the servants that I find absolutely necessary to place about my third and fourth sons; now I put two preceptors to attend them. I have very carefully brought the expense as low as the nature of the thing would permit.£Preceptors{Mr. de BudéRev. Mr. Hooke350300Page of the Back Stairs{Mannorlay,Meller,}each, salary £80for mourning £20}200Housekeeper50For keeping three housemaids, each £2060Porter30Watchman25Writing Master100_____£1,115_____"The King to Lord North, August 22, 1772."Another example of what Lord Brougham called the King's "very minute economy" is given in the present writer'sThe First Gentleman of Europe, vol. I, p. 105.[214]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.[215]The "beautiful Miss Twysden" who married in 1770 George Bussy, fourth Earl of Jersey, and was subsequently a mistress of the Prince of Wales.[216]It was said that the Queen's economy was due partly to the fact that she came from a Court where money was scarce and expenditure consequently strictly regulated, and partly because she felt it her duty, as it was her pleasure, to give financial assistance to the members of her family. The King helped her in this matter; the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was given a pension on the Irish establishment, her brother Charles was appointed Governor of Zell, and Prince George was given a lucrative command in the Hanoverian army.The Queen's pin-money was settled by Parliament at £40,000 a year, and, in the event of her surviving her husband, she was to receive £100,000 a year and the use of Richmond Old Park and Somerset House.[217]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.[218]Mrs. Delany:Autobiography and Correspondence.[219]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.[220]Launcelot Brown (1715-1783), the reviver of the natural style of landscape-gardening, earned his nickname by the frequent use of the words, "This spot has great capabilities." He was very independent, and would never accept a commission unless it was likely to reflect credit on him. "My lord, there is nothing to be done here," he said to a sad possessor of dreary grounds, "unless you plant one-half of your estate and lay the other half under water." Brown was high in the confidence of the King, who sometimes employed him on confidential political errands; yet an amusing story is told that as soon as George heard of his death he went over to Richmond Gardens and, in a tone of great relief, said to the under-gardener, "Brown is dead.Now, Millicant, you and I can do what we please."[221]"His Majesty, desirous that better and more suitable accommodation should be made for the residence of the Queen, in case she should survive him, and being willing that the palace in which his Majesty now resides, called the Queen's House, may be settled for that purpose, recommends (to both Houses of Parliament) to take the same into consideration, and to make provision for settling the said palace upon her Majesty, and for appropriating Somerset House to such uses as shall be found most beneficial to the public."—The King's Message to Parliament, April 12, 1775.[222]Papendiek:Journals.[223]Ode written after the great Crashes and Falls at Somerset House.[224]An Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers.[225]"George III restored the battlements and the windows of a considerable part to their appropriate forms, built a new porch, and constructed a Gothic staircase of great beauty and magnificence. He dismantled the old painted St. George's Hall, and intended to substitute for it a Gothic hall worthy of the proudest periods of the Plantagenets and Tudor. But the progress of improvement flagged, and his lamented illness stopped it. Before this his Majesty had been very attentive to the beautiful restorations in St. George's Chapel; his last work at Windsor was the formation of the Royal Mausoleum, which ultimately received his mortal remains."—Huish:Public and Private Life of George III.[226]"It is comical to see Kitty Dashwood, the famous old beauty of the Oxfordshire Jacobites, living in the Palace as duenna to the Queen. She and Miss Broughton, Lord Lyttelton's ancient Delia, are revived again in a young court that never heard of them."—Walpole.[227]The principal members of the Queen's Household were: Chamberlain, Duke of Manchester; Vice-Chamberlain, Lord Cantalupe; Mistress of the Robes, Duchess of Ancaster; Ladies of the Bedchamber, Duchess of Hamilton, Countess of Effingham, Countess of Northumberland, Countess of Egremont, Viscountess Weymouth, Viscountess Bolingbroke; Treasurer, Andrew Stone; and Master of the Horse, Earl Harcourt.[228]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.[229]Ibid.[230]John Watkins.[231]"This Nymph a Mantua-maker was, I ween,And prized for cheapness by our saving Queen,Who (where's the mighty harm of loving money?)Brought her to this fair land of Milk and Honey;And placed her in a most important sphere,Inspectress General of the Royal Gear."The Lousiad.[232]Essay on Madame D'Arblay.[233]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.[234]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, December 17, 1786.[235]Jesse:Memoirs of George III.[236]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.[237]Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.[238]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.[239]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, June 28, 1786.[240]When in 1788 the Royal Family went to Cheltenham for the benefit of the King's health, this rule was temporarily abrogated, partly owing to the small space at the disposal of the Court. "The Queen will dine with her equerries, though at first coming into this country German etiquette prevented her from sitting at her table with much greater personages than either Dr. Digby or Mr. Gwynn."—Anthony Storer to the Earl of Auckland.[241]Thackeray:The Four Georges.[242]Journals.[243]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.[244]Even before this, the Queen had made a semi-public appearance, for, on the day of baptism, her bed "magnificently upholstered in crimson velvet," was removed to the great drawing-room. "Though she is not yet to see company in form," Walpole records, "yet it looks as if people should have been there, as all who presented themselves were admitted, which were very few, for it had not been notified—I suppose to prevent too great a crowd. All I have heard of, besides those in waiting, were the Duchess of Queensberry, Lady Dalkeith, Mrs. Grenville, and about four more ladies."[245]The Town.[246]Massey:History of England.
[135]Thackeray:The Four Georges.
[135]Thackeray:The Four Georges.
[136]This alliance interfered with another marriage. The Duke of Roxburgh had fallen in love with Princess Christina, Charlotte's elder sister, and would probably have married her, but this plan perforce fell through when George III selected Princess Charlotte for his consort, for it was one of the conditions of the contract that no member of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family should wed an English subject. Neither Princess Christina nor her suitor ever married.
[136]This alliance interfered with another marriage. The Duke of Roxburgh had fallen in love with Princess Christina, Charlotte's elder sister, and would probably have married her, but this plan perforce fell through when George III selected Princess Charlotte for his consort, for it was one of the conditions of the contract that no member of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family should wed an English subject. Neither Princess Christina nor her suitor ever married.
[137]James, eighth Earl of Abercorn (1712-1789), carried his independence to a disconcerting bluntness. When he presented himself at St. James's, the King thanked him for his courtesy to the Queen, and said he feared his visit must have given him a good deal of trouble. "A good deal indeed," replied the Earl.
[137]James, eighth Earl of Abercorn (1712-1789), carried his independence to a disconcerting bluntness. When he presented himself at St. James's, the King thanked him for his courtesy to the Queen, and said he feared his visit must have given him a good deal of trouble. "A good deal indeed," replied the Earl.
[138]Secret History of the Court of England.
[138]Secret History of the Court of England.
[139]Lady Anne Hamilton:Secret History.
[139]Lady Anne Hamilton:Secret History.
[140]The bridesmaids, dressed in white lustring with silver trimmings ornamented with pearls and diamonds, were chosen from the unmarried daughters of dukes and earls, and were ten in number: Lady Sarah Lennox, Lady Caroline Russell, Lady Anne Hamilton, Lady Elizabeth Kerr, Lady Harriet Bentinck, Lady Caroline Montague, Lady Elizabeth Keppel, Lady Louisa Greville, Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, and Lady Susan Fox Strangways.
[140]The bridesmaids, dressed in white lustring with silver trimmings ornamented with pearls and diamonds, were chosen from the unmarried daughters of dukes and earls, and were ten in number: Lady Sarah Lennox, Lady Caroline Russell, Lady Anne Hamilton, Lady Elizabeth Kerr, Lady Harriet Bentinck, Lady Caroline Montague, Lady Elizabeth Keppel, Lady Louisa Greville, Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, and Lady Susan Fox Strangways.
[141]Galt:George III, His Family and Court.
[141]Galt:George III, His Family and Court.
[142]London Gazette, October 21, 1760.
[142]London Gazette, October 21, 1760.
[143]Nicholls:Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century; and other works.It is generally believed that the Stuart Prince was present at the coronation either incognito as Mr. Brown among the spectators on the floor of the hall, or disguised in woman's attire in the gallery. Indeed, more than one person claims to have seen him, and Lord Marshal told David Hume how a friend of his, recognizing the Pretender, spoke to him: "Your Royal Highness is the last of all mortals I should have expected to see here." "It was curiosity that led me," replied the visitor, who had come from Flanders to see the coronation; "but I assure you that the person who is the object of all this pomp and magnificence is the man I envy the least."
[143]Nicholls:Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century; and other works.
It is generally believed that the Stuart Prince was present at the coronation either incognito as Mr. Brown among the spectators on the floor of the hall, or disguised in woman's attire in the gallery. Indeed, more than one person claims to have seen him, and Lord Marshal told David Hume how a friend of his, recognizing the Pretender, spoke to him: "Your Royal Highness is the last of all mortals I should have expected to see here." "It was curiosity that led me," replied the visitor, who had come from Flanders to see the coronation; "but I assure you that the person who is the object of all this pomp and magnificence is the man I envy the least."
[144]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[144]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[145]Ibid.
[145]Ibid.
[146]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[146]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[147]"The hereditary revenues, being put under the same management as the other branches of the public patrimony, will produce more and be better collected than heretofore; and the public is a gainer of upwards of £100,000 per annum by this disinterested bounty of his Majesty."—Blackstone'sCommentaries.
[147]"The hereditary revenues, being put under the same management as the other branches of the public patrimony, will produce more and be better collected than heretofore; and the public is a gainer of upwards of £100,000 per annum by this disinterested bounty of his Majesty."—Blackstone'sCommentaries.
[148]The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.
[148]The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.
[149]George Sackville Germaine (1716-1785), son of the seventh Earl and first Duke of Dorset, was known from 1720 to 1770 as Lord George Sackville, and from then as Lord George Germaine, until 1782, when he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Sackville.
[149]George Sackville Germaine (1716-1785), son of the seventh Earl and first Duke of Dorset, was known from 1720 to 1770 as Lord George Sackville, and from then as Lord George Germaine, until 1782, when he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Sackville.
[150]Walpole:Memoirs of George II.
[150]Walpole:Memoirs of George II.
[151]Bubb Dodington:Diary.
[151]Bubb Dodington:Diary.
[152]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[152]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[153]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[153]Nicholls:Recollections and Reflections.
[154]John Russell, fourth Duke of Bedford (1710-1771).
[154]John Russell, fourth Duke of Bedford (1710-1771).
[155]Another verse, with a similar allusion, is given inThe New Foundling Hospital for Wit."Ne'er yet in vain did Heaven its omen send;Some dreadful ills unusual signs portend!When Pitt resign'd, a nation's tears will own,'Then fell the brightest jewel in the crown.'"
[155]Another verse, with a similar allusion, is given inThe New Foundling Hospital for Wit.
"Ne'er yet in vain did Heaven its omen send;Some dreadful ills unusual signs portend!When Pitt resign'd, a nation's tears will own,'Then fell the brightest jewel in the crown.'"
"Ne'er yet in vain did Heaven its omen send;Some dreadful ills unusual signs portend!When Pitt resign'd, a nation's tears will own,'Then fell the brightest jewel in the crown.'"
[156]Besides the lampooners attached to each side there were various unscrupulous journalistic free-lances, whose object was only to make money, which they extorted by a method since imitated by certain editors of low-class society and financial papers. Thus a writer went with a column of panegyric and a column of condemnation of the character of Alderman Beckford, and attempted to levy blackmail for the destruction of the objectionable article. Only too often in such cases, both appreciation and attack were sold and duly appeared in antagonistic publications.
[156]Besides the lampooners attached to each side there were various unscrupulous journalistic free-lances, whose object was only to make money, which they extorted by a method since imitated by certain editors of low-class society and financial papers. Thus a writer went with a column of panegyric and a column of condemnation of the character of Alderman Beckford, and attempted to levy blackmail for the destruction of the objectionable article. Only too often in such cases, both appreciation and attack were sold and duly appeared in antagonistic publications.
[157]William Beckford (1709-1770), Lord Mayor of London 1762 and 1769.
[157]William Beckford (1709-1770), Lord Mayor of London 1762 and 1769.
[158]Chatham Correspondence.
[158]Chatham Correspondence.
[159]"My old friend was once a skilful courtier; but, since he himself has attained a kind of royalty, he seems more attentive to support his own majesty than to pay the necessary regard to that of his sovereign."—Lord Lyttelton.
[159]"My old friend was once a skilful courtier; but, since he himself has attained a kind of royalty, he seems more attentive to support his own majesty than to pay the necessary regard to that of his sovereign."—Lord Lyttelton.
[160]"The day the King went to the House [of Lords] I was three quarters of an hour getting through Whitehall. There were subjects enough to set up half-a-dozen petty kings; the Pretender would be proud to reign over the footmen alone, and indeed, unless he acquires some of them, he will have no subjects left; all their masters flock to St. James's."—Horace Walpole.
[160]"The day the King went to the House [of Lords] I was three quarters of an hour getting through Whitehall. There were subjects enough to set up half-a-dozen petty kings; the Pretender would be proud to reign over the footmen alone, and indeed, unless he acquires some of them, he will have no subjects left; all their masters flock to St. James's."—Horace Walpole.
[161]Hardwicke Papers, Bedford Correspondence.
[161]Hardwicke Papers, Bedford Correspondence.
[162]Sir Francis Dashwood, afterwards fifteenth Baron le Despencer (1708-1781).Dashwood was under no misapprehension as to his unsuitability for the post. "People will point at me in the streets and cry, 'There goes the worst Chancellor of the Exchequer that ever appeared,'" he said; and he wrote to Sir Andrew Mitchell on March 23, 1761: "The same strange fortune which made me Secretary-at-war five years and a half ago, has made me Chancellor of the Exchequer. It may, perhaps, at last make me Pope. I think I am equally fit to be the head of the Church as of the Exchequer."
[162]Sir Francis Dashwood, afterwards fifteenth Baron le Despencer (1708-1781).
Dashwood was under no misapprehension as to his unsuitability for the post. "People will point at me in the streets and cry, 'There goes the worst Chancellor of the Exchequer that ever appeared,'" he said; and he wrote to Sir Andrew Mitchell on March 23, 1761: "The same strange fortune which made me Secretary-at-war five years and a half ago, has made me Chancellor of the Exchequer. It may, perhaps, at last make me Pope. I think I am equally fit to be the head of the Church as of the Exchequer."
[163]George Montague Dunk, second Earl of Halifax (1716-1771).
[163]George Montague Dunk, second Earl of Halifax (1716-1771).
[164]"Miss Chudleigh's dress or rather undress was remarkable. She was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim. The maids of honour, not of maids the strictest, were so offended that they would not speak to her."—Mrs. Montague'sLetters.
[164]"Miss Chudleigh's dress or rather undress was remarkable. She was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim. The maids of honour, not of maids the strictest, were so offended that they would not speak to her."—Mrs. Montague'sLetters.
[165]"O Bute! If, instead of contempt, and of odium,You wish to obtain universal eulogium,From your breast to your gullet transfer the blue string,Our hearts are all yours at the very first swing."The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.
[165]
"O Bute! If, instead of contempt, and of odium,You wish to obtain universal eulogium,From your breast to your gullet transfer the blue string,Our hearts are all yours at the very first swing."
"O Bute! If, instead of contempt, and of odium,You wish to obtain universal eulogium,From your breast to your gullet transfer the blue string,Our hearts are all yours at the very first swing."
The New Foundling Hospital for Wit.
[166]Letters of Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield.
[166]Letters of Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield.
[167]William Robertson, historian (1721-1793).
[167]William Robertson, historian (1721-1793).
[168]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.
[168]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.
[169]David Mallet (1705?-1765), the author of some poems and tragedies, was for some time assistant-secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales.
[169]David Mallet (1705?-1765), the author of some poems and tragedies, was for some time assistant-secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales.
[170]Arthur Murphy (1727-1805), the biographer of Garrick, and the editor of the works of Fielding and Johnson.
[170]Arthur Murphy (1727-1805), the biographer of Garrick, and the editor of the works of Fielding and Johnson.
[171]James Macpherson (1736-1796), the alleged translator of Ossianic poems.
[171]James Macpherson (1736-1796), the alleged translator of Ossianic poems.
[172]"I have taken care to have it in my power to refute these malicious stories, from the most authentic information. Lord Bute told me that Mr. Wedderburn, afterwards Lord Loughborough, was the person who first mentioned this subject to him. Lord Loughborough told me that the pension was granted to Johnson solely as the reward of his literary merit, without any stipulation whatever, or even tacit understanding, that he should write for the Administration. His Lordship added that he was confident the political tracts which Johnson afterwards did write, as they were entirely consonant with his own opinions, would have been written by him though no pension had been granted to him."—Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[172]"I have taken care to have it in my power to refute these malicious stories, from the most authentic information. Lord Bute told me that Mr. Wedderburn, afterwards Lord Loughborough, was the person who first mentioned this subject to him. Lord Loughborough told me that the pension was granted to Johnson solely as the reward of his literary merit, without any stipulation whatever, or even tacit understanding, that he should write for the Administration. His Lordship added that he was confident the political tracts which Johnson afterwards did write, as they were entirely consonant with his own opinions, would have been written by him though no pension had been granted to him."—Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[173]The records contain the following entries: October, 1760, to October, 1761, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £95,000. October, 1761, to October, 1762, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £72,000. This, however, is but a tithe of what was spent when Bute was in power, and the additional expenditure was distributed under different headings in the accounts of the various departments of state.
[173]The records contain the following entries: October, 1760, to October, 1761, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £95,000. October, 1761, to October, 1762, to John, Earl of Bute, for his Majesty's Privy Purse, £48,000; for Secret Service during the same period, £72,000. This, however, is but a tithe of what was spent when Bute was in power, and the additional expenditure was distributed under different headings in the accounts of the various departments of state.
[174]Letter to the Duke of Bedford, Sept. 19, 1769.
[174]Letter to the Duke of Bedford, Sept. 19, 1769.
[175]Walpole:Memoirs of George III.
[175]Walpole:Memoirs of George III.
[176]Letter from a Gentleman in Town to his Friend in the Country, occasioned by a late resignation.
[176]Letter from a Gentleman in Town to his Friend in the Country, occasioned by a late resignation.
[177]Adolphus:History of England.
[177]Adolphus:History of England.
[178]"The coronation is over, 'tis even a more gorgeous sight than I imagined," Horace Walpole told the Hon. Henry Seymour Conway. "I saw the procession and the hall; but the return was in the dark. In the morning they had forgot the sword of state, the chairs for the King and Queen, and their canopies. They used the Lord Mayor's sword for the first, and made the last in the hall; so they did not set forth till noon; and then, by a childish compliment to the King, reserved the illumination of the hall till his entry, by which means they arrived like a funeral, nothing being discernible but the plumes of the Knights of the Bath, which seemed the hearse." Indeed, the whole was a comedy of errors, crowned by the historic apology of the Earl Marshal, Lord Effingham, in reply to the King's complaints: "It is true, sir, there has been some neglect, but I have taken care that the next coronation shall be regulated in the exactest manner possible."
[178]"The coronation is over, 'tis even a more gorgeous sight than I imagined," Horace Walpole told the Hon. Henry Seymour Conway. "I saw the procession and the hall; but the return was in the dark. In the morning they had forgot the sword of state, the chairs for the King and Queen, and their canopies. They used the Lord Mayor's sword for the first, and made the last in the hall; so they did not set forth till noon; and then, by a childish compliment to the King, reserved the illumination of the hall till his entry, by which means they arrived like a funeral, nothing being discernible but the plumes of the Knights of the Bath, which seemed the hearse." Indeed, the whole was a comedy of errors, crowned by the historic apology of the Earl Marshal, Lord Effingham, in reply to the King's complaints: "It is true, sir, there has been some neglect, but I have taken care that the next coronation shall be regulated in the exactest manner possible."
[179]Philip Stanhope, fifth Earl of Chesterfield (1755-1815).
[179]Philip Stanhope, fifth Earl of Chesterfield (1755-1815).
[180]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.
[180]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.
[181]Genesis vi, 4.
[181]Genesis vi, 4.
[182]Southy:Memoirs of George III.
[182]Southy:Memoirs of George III.
[183]Byron:The Vision of Judgment.The King in later years would sometimes visit the book-shop of Charles Knight at Windsor, and there was accustomed to sit on a high stool at the counter to glance at the latest publications. One day he saw there Bishop Watson's "Apology for the Bible," the title of which volume excited him. "What!—what!—what!—Apologize for the Bible!—what—what—what!" On another occasion he was startled to find among the latest acquisitions a copy of Paine's "Age of Reason." He sharply rebuked Knight, and quitted the shop, never again to enter it.
[183]Byron:The Vision of Judgment.
The King in later years would sometimes visit the book-shop of Charles Knight at Windsor, and there was accustomed to sit on a high stool at the counter to glance at the latest publications. One day he saw there Bishop Watson's "Apology for the Bible," the title of which volume excited him. "What!—what!—what!—Apologize for the Bible!—what—what—what!" On another occasion he was startled to find among the latest acquisitions a copy of Paine's "Age of Reason." He sharply rebuked Knight, and quitted the shop, never again to enter it.
[184]"Their Majesties not being accustomed to play at hazard, ordered a handsome gratuity to the Groom Porter: and orders were given that, for the future, there be no card playing amongst the servants."—Annual Register, Jan. 6, 1772.
[184]"Their Majesties not being accustomed to play at hazard, ordered a handsome gratuity to the Groom Porter: and orders were given that, for the future, there be no card playing amongst the servants."—Annual Register, Jan. 6, 1772.
[185]William, second Baron Talbot, created Earl Talbot in 1762.
[185]William, second Baron Talbot, created Earl Talbot in 1762.
[186]Lord Holland'sMemoirinThe Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.
[186]Lord Holland'sMemoirinThe Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.
[187]Memoirs of George III.
[187]Memoirs of George III.
[188]The North Briton, No. 12.
[188]The North Briton, No. 12.
[189]Percy Anecdotes.
[189]Percy Anecdotes.
[190]Georgiana.
[190]Georgiana.
[191]Memoirs of A. M. W. Pickering.
[191]Memoirs of A. M. W. Pickering.
[192]Afterwards fifth Duke of Leeds.
[192]Afterwards fifth Duke of Leeds.
[193]Twiss:Life of Eldon.
[193]Twiss:Life of Eldon.
[194]Ibid.
[194]Ibid.
[195]"In the distribution of honours the King never forgot his own personal feelings, tho' he sometimes granted to political solicitation what was by no means agreeable to himself. The late Dr. Elliott had never been a favourite, and when Lord George Germaine requested his Majesty to confer a baronetcy on that physician, the King manifested much unwillingness, saying at length, 'But, if I do, he shall not be my physician!' 'No, sir, he shall be your Majesty's baronet and my physician.'"—Galt:George III, his Court and Family.
[195]"In the distribution of honours the King never forgot his own personal feelings, tho' he sometimes granted to political solicitation what was by no means agreeable to himself. The late Dr. Elliott had never been a favourite, and when Lord George Germaine requested his Majesty to confer a baronetcy on that physician, the King manifested much unwillingness, saying at length, 'But, if I do, he shall not be my physician!' 'No, sir, he shall be your Majesty's baronet and my physician.'"—Galt:George III, his Court and Family.
[196]Percy Fitzgerald:The Family of George III.
[196]Percy Fitzgerald:The Family of George III.
[197]Percy Anecdotes.
[197]Percy Anecdotes.
[198]The humble manner and language that Lord Chatham always adopted in the closet formed a fertile source of ridicule to his contemporaries. Chase Price said, "that at thelevéehe used to bow so low, you could see the tip of his hooked nose between his legs."—Albemarle:Memoirs of Rockingham.
[198]The humble manner and language that Lord Chatham always adopted in the closet formed a fertile source of ridicule to his contemporaries. Chase Price said, "that at thelevéehe used to bow so low, you could see the tip of his hooked nose between his legs."—Albemarle:Memoirs of Rockingham.
[199]Peter Pindar: "Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's."
[199]Peter Pindar: "Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's."
[200]Conversations with Mr. Beckford.
[200]Conversations with Mr. Beckford.
[201]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[201]Boswell:Life of Samuel Johnson.
[202]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.
[202]Wraxall:Historical Memoirs of My Own Times.
[203]Peter Pindar:Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[203]Peter Pindar:Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[204]Conversations with the late Mr. Beckford.
[204]Conversations with the late Mr. Beckford.
[205]Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians.
[205]Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians.
[206]An Heroic Epistle to an Unfortunate Monarch."Peregrine the Elder," the author of theHeroic Epistle, assures his readers that the question asked in the last line was asked by a Scotchman at the first performance of Home's "Douglas."
[206]An Heroic Epistle to an Unfortunate Monarch.
"Peregrine the Elder," the author of theHeroic Epistle, assures his readers that the question asked in the last line was asked by a Scotchman at the first performance of Home's "Douglas."
[207]Thackeray:The Four Georges.George III created one order of Knighthood, that of St. Patrick in 1783, in the hope to conciliate the Irish, who, however, treated it with ridicule."George sends his stars and garters to our land,We send him ropes to hang his pensioned band,And, having made the crew disgorge their pelf,He then may, if he pleases, hang himself."
[207]Thackeray:The Four Georges.
George III created one order of Knighthood, that of St. Patrick in 1783, in the hope to conciliate the Irish, who, however, treated it with ridicule.
"George sends his stars and garters to our land,We send him ropes to hang his pensioned band,And, having made the crew disgorge their pelf,He then may, if he pleases, hang himself."
"George sends his stars and garters to our land,We send him ropes to hang his pensioned band,And, having made the crew disgorge their pelf,He then may, if he pleases, hang himself."
[208]Georgiana.
[208]Georgiana.
[209]Papendiek:Journals.
[209]Papendiek:Journals.
[210]Ibid.
[210]Ibid.
[211]Peter Pindar:Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians.
[211]Peter Pindar:Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians.
[212]Lord Carlisle:Reminiscences.
[212]Lord Carlisle:Reminiscences.
[213]"I take this opportunity of enclosing to you a list of the servants that I find absolutely necessary to place about my third and fourth sons; now I put two preceptors to attend them. I have very carefully brought the expense as low as the nature of the thing would permit.£Preceptors{Mr. de BudéRev. Mr. Hooke350300Page of the Back Stairs{Mannorlay,Meller,}each, salary £80for mourning £20}200Housekeeper50For keeping three housemaids, each £2060Porter30Watchman25Writing Master100_____£1,115_____"The King to Lord North, August 22, 1772."Another example of what Lord Brougham called the King's "very minute economy" is given in the present writer'sThe First Gentleman of Europe, vol. I, p. 105.
[213]"I take this opportunity of enclosing to you a list of the servants that I find absolutely necessary to place about my third and fourth sons; now I put two preceptors to attend them. I have very carefully brought the expense as low as the nature of the thing would permit.
"The King to Lord North, August 22, 1772."
Another example of what Lord Brougham called the King's "very minute economy" is given in the present writer'sThe First Gentleman of Europe, vol. I, p. 105.
[214]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[214]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[215]The "beautiful Miss Twysden" who married in 1770 George Bussy, fourth Earl of Jersey, and was subsequently a mistress of the Prince of Wales.
[215]The "beautiful Miss Twysden" who married in 1770 George Bussy, fourth Earl of Jersey, and was subsequently a mistress of the Prince of Wales.
[216]It was said that the Queen's economy was due partly to the fact that she came from a Court where money was scarce and expenditure consequently strictly regulated, and partly because she felt it her duty, as it was her pleasure, to give financial assistance to the members of her family. The King helped her in this matter; the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was given a pension on the Irish establishment, her brother Charles was appointed Governor of Zell, and Prince George was given a lucrative command in the Hanoverian army.The Queen's pin-money was settled by Parliament at £40,000 a year, and, in the event of her surviving her husband, she was to receive £100,000 a year and the use of Richmond Old Park and Somerset House.
[216]It was said that the Queen's economy was due partly to the fact that she came from a Court where money was scarce and expenditure consequently strictly regulated, and partly because she felt it her duty, as it was her pleasure, to give financial assistance to the members of her family. The King helped her in this matter; the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was given a pension on the Irish establishment, her brother Charles was appointed Governor of Zell, and Prince George was given a lucrative command in the Hanoverian army.
The Queen's pin-money was settled by Parliament at £40,000 a year, and, in the event of her surviving her husband, she was to receive £100,000 a year and the use of Richmond Old Park and Somerset House.
[217]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[217]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[218]Mrs. Delany:Autobiography and Correspondence.
[218]Mrs. Delany:Autobiography and Correspondence.
[219]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[219]Ode upon Ode; or, A Peep at St. James's.
[220]Launcelot Brown (1715-1783), the reviver of the natural style of landscape-gardening, earned his nickname by the frequent use of the words, "This spot has great capabilities." He was very independent, and would never accept a commission unless it was likely to reflect credit on him. "My lord, there is nothing to be done here," he said to a sad possessor of dreary grounds, "unless you plant one-half of your estate and lay the other half under water." Brown was high in the confidence of the King, who sometimes employed him on confidential political errands; yet an amusing story is told that as soon as George heard of his death he went over to Richmond Gardens and, in a tone of great relief, said to the under-gardener, "Brown is dead.Now, Millicant, you and I can do what we please."
[220]Launcelot Brown (1715-1783), the reviver of the natural style of landscape-gardening, earned his nickname by the frequent use of the words, "This spot has great capabilities." He was very independent, and would never accept a commission unless it was likely to reflect credit on him. "My lord, there is nothing to be done here," he said to a sad possessor of dreary grounds, "unless you plant one-half of your estate and lay the other half under water." Brown was high in the confidence of the King, who sometimes employed him on confidential political errands; yet an amusing story is told that as soon as George heard of his death he went over to Richmond Gardens and, in a tone of great relief, said to the under-gardener, "Brown is dead.Now, Millicant, you and I can do what we please."
[221]"His Majesty, desirous that better and more suitable accommodation should be made for the residence of the Queen, in case she should survive him, and being willing that the palace in which his Majesty now resides, called the Queen's House, may be settled for that purpose, recommends (to both Houses of Parliament) to take the same into consideration, and to make provision for settling the said palace upon her Majesty, and for appropriating Somerset House to such uses as shall be found most beneficial to the public."—The King's Message to Parliament, April 12, 1775.
[221]"His Majesty, desirous that better and more suitable accommodation should be made for the residence of the Queen, in case she should survive him, and being willing that the palace in which his Majesty now resides, called the Queen's House, may be settled for that purpose, recommends (to both Houses of Parliament) to take the same into consideration, and to make provision for settling the said palace upon her Majesty, and for appropriating Somerset House to such uses as shall be found most beneficial to the public."—The King's Message to Parliament, April 12, 1775.
[222]Papendiek:Journals.
[222]Papendiek:Journals.
[223]Ode written after the great Crashes and Falls at Somerset House.
[223]Ode written after the great Crashes and Falls at Somerset House.
[224]An Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers.
[224]An Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers.
[225]"George III restored the battlements and the windows of a considerable part to their appropriate forms, built a new porch, and constructed a Gothic staircase of great beauty and magnificence. He dismantled the old painted St. George's Hall, and intended to substitute for it a Gothic hall worthy of the proudest periods of the Plantagenets and Tudor. But the progress of improvement flagged, and his lamented illness stopped it. Before this his Majesty had been very attentive to the beautiful restorations in St. George's Chapel; his last work at Windsor was the formation of the Royal Mausoleum, which ultimately received his mortal remains."—Huish:Public and Private Life of George III.
[225]"George III restored the battlements and the windows of a considerable part to their appropriate forms, built a new porch, and constructed a Gothic staircase of great beauty and magnificence. He dismantled the old painted St. George's Hall, and intended to substitute for it a Gothic hall worthy of the proudest periods of the Plantagenets and Tudor. But the progress of improvement flagged, and his lamented illness stopped it. Before this his Majesty had been very attentive to the beautiful restorations in St. George's Chapel; his last work at Windsor was the formation of the Royal Mausoleum, which ultimately received his mortal remains."—Huish:Public and Private Life of George III.
[226]"It is comical to see Kitty Dashwood, the famous old beauty of the Oxfordshire Jacobites, living in the Palace as duenna to the Queen. She and Miss Broughton, Lord Lyttelton's ancient Delia, are revived again in a young court that never heard of them."—Walpole.
[226]"It is comical to see Kitty Dashwood, the famous old beauty of the Oxfordshire Jacobites, living in the Palace as duenna to the Queen. She and Miss Broughton, Lord Lyttelton's ancient Delia, are revived again in a young court that never heard of them."—Walpole.
[227]The principal members of the Queen's Household were: Chamberlain, Duke of Manchester; Vice-Chamberlain, Lord Cantalupe; Mistress of the Robes, Duchess of Ancaster; Ladies of the Bedchamber, Duchess of Hamilton, Countess of Effingham, Countess of Northumberland, Countess of Egremont, Viscountess Weymouth, Viscountess Bolingbroke; Treasurer, Andrew Stone; and Master of the Horse, Earl Harcourt.
[227]The principal members of the Queen's Household were: Chamberlain, Duke of Manchester; Vice-Chamberlain, Lord Cantalupe; Mistress of the Robes, Duchess of Ancaster; Ladies of the Bedchamber, Duchess of Hamilton, Countess of Effingham, Countess of Northumberland, Countess of Egremont, Viscountess Weymouth, Viscountess Bolingbroke; Treasurer, Andrew Stone; and Master of the Horse, Earl Harcourt.
[228]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[228]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[229]Ibid.
[229]Ibid.
[230]John Watkins.
[230]John Watkins.
[231]"This Nymph a Mantua-maker was, I ween,And prized for cheapness by our saving Queen,Who (where's the mighty harm of loving money?)Brought her to this fair land of Milk and Honey;And placed her in a most important sphere,Inspectress General of the Royal Gear."The Lousiad.
[231]
"This Nymph a Mantua-maker was, I ween,And prized for cheapness by our saving Queen,Who (where's the mighty harm of loving money?)Brought her to this fair land of Milk and Honey;And placed her in a most important sphere,Inspectress General of the Royal Gear."The Lousiad.
"This Nymph a Mantua-maker was, I ween,And prized for cheapness by our saving Queen,Who (where's the mighty harm of loving money?)Brought her to this fair land of Milk and Honey;And placed her in a most important sphere,Inspectress General of the Royal Gear."The Lousiad.
[232]Essay on Madame D'Arblay.
[232]Essay on Madame D'Arblay.
[233]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[233]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[234]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, December 17, 1786.
[234]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, December 17, 1786.
[235]Jesse:Memoirs of George III.
[235]Jesse:Memoirs of George III.
[236]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.
[236]Huish:Public and Private Life of George the Third.
[237]Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.
[237]Life and Letters of Lady Sarah Lennox.
[238]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[238]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[239]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, June 28, 1786.
[239]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, June 28, 1786.
[240]When in 1788 the Royal Family went to Cheltenham for the benefit of the King's health, this rule was temporarily abrogated, partly owing to the small space at the disposal of the Court. "The Queen will dine with her equerries, though at first coming into this country German etiquette prevented her from sitting at her table with much greater personages than either Dr. Digby or Mr. Gwynn."—Anthony Storer to the Earl of Auckland.
[240]When in 1788 the Royal Family went to Cheltenham for the benefit of the King's health, this rule was temporarily abrogated, partly owing to the small space at the disposal of the Court. "The Queen will dine with her equerries, though at first coming into this country German etiquette prevented her from sitting at her table with much greater personages than either Dr. Digby or Mr. Gwynn."—Anthony Storer to the Earl of Auckland.
[241]Thackeray:The Four Georges.
[241]Thackeray:The Four Georges.
[242]Journals.
[242]Journals.
[243]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[243]Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.
[244]Even before this, the Queen had made a semi-public appearance, for, on the day of baptism, her bed "magnificently upholstered in crimson velvet," was removed to the great drawing-room. "Though she is not yet to see company in form," Walpole records, "yet it looks as if people should have been there, as all who presented themselves were admitted, which were very few, for it had not been notified—I suppose to prevent too great a crowd. All I have heard of, besides those in waiting, were the Duchess of Queensberry, Lady Dalkeith, Mrs. Grenville, and about four more ladies."
[244]Even before this, the Queen had made a semi-public appearance, for, on the day of baptism, her bed "magnificently upholstered in crimson velvet," was removed to the great drawing-room. "Though she is not yet to see company in form," Walpole records, "yet it looks as if people should have been there, as all who presented themselves were admitted, which were very few, for it had not been notified—I suppose to prevent too great a crowd. All I have heard of, besides those in waiting, were the Duchess of Queensberry, Lady Dalkeith, Mrs. Grenville, and about four more ladies."
[245]The Town.
[245]The Town.
[246]Massey:History of England.
[246]Massey:History of England.