1818.
Distress among discharged Seamen -- Finding the Scotch Regalia
-- Strathfieldsaye bought for the Duke of Wellington -- The
Kyrle Society -- Royal Marriages -- Annoying the Queen --
Riotous schoolboys -- The Regent mobbed -- Death of Queen
Charlotte.
This year did not open as one of national prosperity. There was one
subject that especially appealed to the country's benevolence. Of
course, when the long, long war was over, the Navy was reduced to a
peace footing, and thousands of men-of-war's men were paid off; and
those who were obtained with such difficulty, who, in spite of being
pressed, and forcibly taken from all that was dear to them, bullied
by their officers, flogged nearly to death for comparative trifles,
yet fought like lions, and laid the foundation of England's present
prosperity, were cast adrift to shift for themselves as best they
might. They were wanted no longer. Had trade been good, nothing more
would have been heard of it, they would have been absorbed into the
merchant navy, and the Government would have had all the credit of
retrenchment, and dutifully administering the funds of the Nation.
As it was, people could see for themselves, the streets teeming with
old sailors, unable to obtain employment, and walking about almost in
a state of nudity, and with empty stomachs. I am not exaggerating.
I go upon contemporary authority. But, I need scarcely say, that
Englishmen then, as they ever do now, as soon as the distress was
manifest to them, met together and tried to alleviate the sufferings
of their fellow countrymen. On the 5th of January, a meeting of
gentlemen was convened at the London Tavern, and Wm. Wilberforce,
Esq., M.P., was elected chairman, and by the 14th of January nearly
£7,000 had been collected, besides a quantity of clothing, and gifts
in kind. In a Newspaper of January 10th, we find the following: "We
can confidently inform our readers that the 'Society for the Aid
of Destitute Seamen,' are proceeding with much energy: Officers in
the Royal Navy are, with much patience, and unwearied assiduity,
examining the various objects as they present themselves. The greater
number are men-of-war's men. Near two hundred and fifty seamen
have been housed in a temporary lodging. Yesterday morning they
breakfasted on wholesome porridge. It was a pleasant sight, and,
already, these sons of distress have an improved appearance, which
is highly gratifying. Many have been enabled to remove part of the
filth which had accumulated about them, and their sense of gratitude
is continually expressed by the pleasure they evince in their greater
comforts. The _Abundance_ store-ship is now off the Tower, and the
utmost activity is engaged in victualling, and other preparations;
so that, when the other ships shall be up, which Government have
promptly granted (and they are daily expected), the Seamen may, it
is hoped, be all taken from the Streets, and on board, by the end
of next week. Thus, the humane purposes of the benefactors to these
deserving men are, with astonishing celerity, carrying into effect,
by those who have from morning till night, devoted their valuable
time, and their best energies to relieve distress, which had nearly
reached their highest pitch of endurance. The applications were so
numerous, yesterday, that the Committee, with much regret, have been
obliged to suspend granting temporary relief for a day or two, to
give time for investigation of the cases already before them." Thanks
to private Charity, this scandal was ended, and we hear no more of
distressed seamen.
This year's Chronicle is not so full of public interest as its
forerunners, and I am fain to be content with small things, such
as the finding of the Scottish Regalia--which had been lost since
the time of Queen Anne. It seems that some years before 1818 a
Commission had been issued to open the "Crown Room" at Holyrood, and
search for certain records. They found dust about six inches deep
lying evenly spread over everything, a sign that nothing had been
disturbed; and they searched in all the places, for which they had a
Commission to search, and did not find what they wanted. There was
one chest left unopened, and in January this year, a Commission was
appointed to open it, examine its contents, and report upon them.
Another account points to a different room, in which was only one
chest--but this is immaterial. No keys being forthcoming, the Chest
was forced on Wednesday, February 4th (some say 5th), and it was
found to contain the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State of Scotland,
completely answering to their description in the Instrument of
Deposition, March 26, 1707. With them was also found a silver rod of
office, of which the peculiar use was not then known. I believe they
are all now religiously preserved, and guarded, in Holyrood Palace.
In February the purchase of Strathfieldsaye was completed, being a
National gift to the Duke of Wellington.
In turning to one of my sources of information for the above, I find
the next paragraph to be: "A Society is about to be formed at _Ross_,
under the designation of the _Kyrlean, and Philanthropic_, the object
of which is to celebrate the birthday of Mr. John Kyrle (already
immortalized by Pope, as the 'Man of Ross'), and to raise a fund for
the improvement of the walks, and those public buildings which he
erected, and, in imitation of that amiable philanthropist, to relieve
honest merit in distress. The Members are to be elected by ballot,
but not confined to distance."
I do not know whether this Society was started, or whether it had a
long life, but I do know that there is now a very praiseworthy "Kyrle
Society," whose power of doing good might be largely increased, by
their possessing a larger income. Their object is to bring beauty
home to the people. The means employed are (1) The decoration of
working men's clubs, hospitals, &c., by mural paintings, pictures,
&c.; (2) By laying out, as gardens, or recreation grounds, any
available strips of waste land; (3) By a voluntary choir of singers,
who give oratorios and concerts to the poor, singing in hospitals,
workhouses, and carrying out a scheme for providing Choral Classes
for the people.[28]
[Footnote 28: Hon. Sec., Miss M. Lyall, 14, Nottingham
Place, W.]
This year, there was quite an epidemic of Royal Marriages. The
Princess Elizabeth was married to the Prince of Hesse Homburg, the
Duke of Clarence to the Princess of Saxe Meiningen, the Duke of
Cambridge to the Princess of Hesse, and the Duke of Kent to the
Princess Victoria of Saxe Cobourg, the mother of our present Queen,
and as "Sons and Daughters of England," they were all dutifully
provided for.
From Fetters Matrimonial to those of a baser, yet not more material
kind, is an easy transition, and it is pleasing, to record, as an
advance in humanity, and civilization, that in April of this year,
the disuse of fetters on the prisoners was commenced at Clerkenwell
prison, and immediately followed by Newgate.
In May, a woman was arrested for trying to annoy the Queen, and she
seems to have had a peculiar penchant for keys. "On the sentinels
being placed on duty on Tuesday night, in the Garden at the back of
the Queen's Palace, the key of the garden, belonging to the watch
house, could not be found, and it was ascertained she had stolen
it. She had been at Carlton House, York House, most of the Courts
of Justice, and, in all the places where she gained admittance, she
stole keys, or trifling articles. She had stolen, in the whole, 146
keys."
Schoolboys, now that grown-up men had ceased from rioting, took to
it. First of all the Winchester boys caught the disease, and on May
7th, on returning from a ramble on the hills, "they suddenly attacked
the porters, forced from them the keys of the College, and locked
out all the Masters. Having thus obtained full possession of the
building, they proceeded to take up, with pickaxes, &c., the large
stones with which the Court was paved, and soon conveyed upwards of a
cart-load of them to the top of the building, threatening any one who
approached the gates. In this barricaded state, they kept possession
all the night, deaf to the remonstrances of their friends, and
bidding defiance to their Masters. On the following morning, after
many admonitions were in vain given them to return to their duty, it
was found necessary to call out a party of Military, some Constables,
&c., who procured crowbars and other instruments to force the gates.
Upon observing these preparations, the young gentlemen opened the
gates, came out in a body, and many of them went to their respective
homes. Twelve ringleaders were expelled; and about forty of the
Gentlemen Commoners have been allowed to resign. There were only six
out of 230 who did not join in the revolt."
Again we read, "Nov. 14.--During the last week, the boys at Eton
College were in a state of rebellion, and offered the grossest
indignities to Dr. Keate, the head of the College. By his firm and
judicious conduct, however, aided by the other masters, peace was
restored on Saturday. Seven of the boys have been expelled."
The poor Prince Regent could not get popular. On the 7th of July
his carriage broke down in South Audley Street, on his way to, or
from, the Marquis of Hertford's. A mob instantly collected, as the
carriage was known to be the Prince's. The blinds were all drawn up
and he could not be seen, but they called him naughty names, and said
naughty things about him, begging him, not very politely, to show
himself. He endured this for some time, but, afterwards, emerged,
and, making his way through a Mews, he took shelter in General
Cradock's house, followed, and grossly insulted by the populace.
In October, this year, was issued the Noble Crown piece by Pistrucci,
which completed the series of the Silver Coinage. It is remarkable,
not only for its beauty, but for the fact that it was the only
Crown-piece coined during the long reign of George III. It had on
the reverse St. George and the Dragon, surrounded by the Garter, and
excited much controversy, because the Moneyer had introduced his name
on the Coin. It was classed with Cardinal Wolsey's famous "Ego et Rex
meus."
On 10th of November, Capt. Ross and Lieut. Parry returned from their
voyage of discovery in the Northern Seas, after a fruitless attempt
to pass through Behring's Straits. They brought home some live
Esquimaux dogs, sledges, &c., with specimens of mineralogy, botany,
&c., which were deposited in the British Museum for public inspection.
On 17th of November, at Kew Palace, died her Majesty Queen Charlotte;
she had been ailing ever since the previous year, when we have seen
her at Bath, latterly she got much worse, but she bore up well
against her fatal illness. She was buried, with great pomp, at
Windsor, 2nd of December.
The Queen's Income, latterly, was very good; by 52 Geo. III., it
was settled (independent of the King's establishment at Windsor) at
£58,000 a year, with an allowance of £10,000 a year for travelling
and other contingent expenses. She had other pickings besides, so
that we can scarcely understand her only having left behind her
personal property valued at £140,000, of which the greater part
consisted of jewels given her by Geo. III. and the Nawab of Arcot.
Those given by the King she left to the House of Hanover as an heir
loom.
The Nawab's jewels were to be sold, and the proceeds divided between
her four daughters, the Queen of Wurtemburg being excepted, as being
sufficiently well provided for. Her other jewels she desired should
be valued, and equally distributed between the said four daughters.
Her landed property she gave away, and directed that her books,
plate, house linen, china, pictures, drawings, prints, all articles
of ornamental furniture, and all other valuables and personals,
should be divided in equal shares among her four youngest daughters.
These are the principal heads of her will.
Of her death, the King, of course, knew nothing, and it was lucky for
him that it was so, for he dearly loved his wife, and the homeliness
of their natures eminently fitted them for each other.
The last bulletin for this year will as well describe his Majesty's
state for the whole twelve months, as if I transcribed every one.
"_Windsor Castle_, December 5. His Majesty's tranquility has been
undisturbed throughout the last month, and his Majesty's health has
been, good; but his disorder continues in the same state."