CHARING CROSS.--A few years ago Mr. Gladstone brought down upon himself
a perfect hailstorm of remonstrance, reproach and denial by a statement
in a public letter, to a candidate for Parliamentary honours in the
Liberal interest. This statement was to the effect that no one ever
now dreamed of objecting to the Revolution of 1688, and its results.
Previous to this, the great majority of English and Americans had
thought the cause of the Stuarts forever dead; and that a romantic
interest--chiefly historical--alone remained of the intense devotion
shown to that fated family in the unsuccessful risings of 1715 and
1745. But the great majority was undeceived upon the appearance of Mr.
Gladstone's letter, and learned with a degree of sympathetic amazement
that there existed in Great Britain two "Orders" or "Leagues," both
aiming at the return and recall of the heiress of the Stuarts, to the
throne of her ancestors. One of these, the "Order of the White Rose,"
was merely platonic and existed to gratify a passion for historical
romance on the part of its members. Its principal object was to hold
meetings on the anniversary of the death of Mary Queen of Scots, King
Charles I., and the battle of Culloden--the battle that proved the
death-blow to the cause of the gallant young "Pretender." I say its
object "was," advisedly; for the stupid action of the powers that be,
on a certain day in February last (1892), has changed its somewhat
lukewarm hero-worship to working zeal, and has brought it into closer
relations with the other association: the "Legitimist Jacobite League,"
This society makes no secret of the fact that it meditates treason.
Its avowed purpose is to restore the Stuarts; and on its books appear
the names of seven thousand people devoted to its cause. Most of these
rebels in embryo hail from the Highlands, where the old loyalty to
the Stuarts still exists, and where the last desperate stand was made
against the bloodhounds of the butcher-Duke of Cumberland.
This League always refers to Her Majesty as "The Lady Victoria" and
recognizes as Queen the heiress of the Stuarts--the wife of the oldest
son of the Prince Regent of Bavaria.
It would be interesting to digress here and wander in the fascinating
paths of the genealogy and descent of the Stuarts; but it would fill
columns. However, the Order of the White Rose and the Jacobite League
are satisfied with the descent of the Princess, and they are the ones
chiefly concerned. Lest my information be considered apocryphal, I may
say that all my statements have been verified by a member of the Order.
Lately the League has turned its attention to Parliamentary matters,
and although the members consider that the last legal Parliament was
held when King James II. was cheated out of his throne by his Dutch
son-in-law, they are not above agitating in a constitutional way, and
have secured several Legitimist candidates to stand at the general
election. So to sum up in a few words: Before last February there
existed in Great Britain two associations each looking upon the present
Royal Family as usurpers, and each devoted to the Stuart cause; one
theoretically, the other practically. Both these associations had
existed since the rising of 1745, but in a more or less chrysalis
condition until Mr. Gladstone's letter aroused them to declare
themselves, when they were amazed at the adherents that poured in from
all over the United Kingdom--principally from Scotland and Ireland,
many from England, but not one from Wales.
Some of these recruits were animated simply by a desire for something
new and were people who are never happy unless in pursuit of some
interesting fad; but the majority consisted of those whose ancestors
had fought either at Killiekrankie, at Culloden or at Preston Pans.
There is more or less mystery as to the attitude assumed by the
object of all these hopes. But she is believed to take up a position
of innocuous desuetude, so to speak. That is, if the royal lightning
should strike her, she would, like Barkis, "be willin';" but until the
Jacobite thunderstorm gathers, and the White Rose lightning illumines
the political sky, she bides her time. For Bavaria is at peace with
England. A glimpse at the incident of last February before referred to
and another which happened a short time before, may be instructive.
Everyone knows the statue of King Charles the First, which stands at
Charing Cross. The Order of the White Rose had decided to decorate
this statue of the King upon the anniversary of his martyrdom, and
about three o'clock in the morning a small band of zealous Jacobites,
with wreaths of white roses, gathered near the statue--as on Primrose
Day the Conservatives gather to cover the statue of the great Earl
with primroses--but to their annoyed surprise a surly policeman was
stationed there who told them gruffly to "move on"--that no decorations
would be allowed on or near the statue. Many were the murmurs and loud
the remonstrances, but both were unavailing, until one of the party
sarcastically inquired if they might leave the wreaths at the foot of
the statue of George III. hard by. No objection was made to this (mark
the distinction drawn!) but the Legitimist sympathizers preferred to
carry their wreaths away as souvenirs, and moved on with many muttered
observations on the "Hanoverian pack," hated of their fathers. Several
of the papers referred to this peculiar action of the authorities with
ridicule, and blamed the Home Secretary for giving an unnecessary
prominence to the lately resuscitated party. This was the first thing
which quickened the lukewarm zeal of the Order while it inflamed the
ardour of the League. The next blunder of the authorities was more
serious, and to this may be ascribed the Stuart revival. Of this
incident I was fortunate enough to be an eye witness. I had happened
to see a paragraph in an obscure little evening paper on the seventh
of February to the effect that as the next day was the anniversary of
the death of Mary Queen of Scots, the Order of the White Rose would
form a procession in Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath upon her tomb.
The Jacobite League was not mentioned, but, as events proved, many of
its members had learned of the purpose of the Order and had arranged to
be present. Mindful of the refusal to allow the Order to decorate King
Charles's statue, and yet hardly thinking that any opposition would be
offered to the attempt to honour the memory of the unfortunate Queen,
especially as on that day the Chapels Royal were opened to the public,
I arrived early at the Abbey and as soon as I entered could see that
something unusual was in the air. Small knots of people were whispering
in the nave, and excited vergers bustled about, dropping their h's
all over the Abbey. The daily afternoon service was to commence at
half-past three, so there was some anxiety to get the function over.
The Marquis de Ruvigny--a name familiar to all versed in the history
of the Stuart cause--and Mr. Clifford Mellish were waiting at the
door for the arrival of the wreaths, when the appearance of a score
of stalwart police-constables created some surprise. The majority of
the strangers present (there were about six hundred) had evidently
come for the ceremony of placing the wreaths on Queen Mary's tomb and
were waiting silently and reverently until everything should be ready.
Fortunately, as we all thought, the day was one when the royal tombs
were open to visitors; but soon an ominous murmur arose that the gates
leading to the chapels where the royal tombs were had been closed.
The Marquis de Ruvigny indignantly refused to believe that such a
_bétise_ was possible on the part of the Dean; but a surging of the
now increasing, crowd towards the chapels showed that the gates were
secured.
Then in no measured terms the disgust and anger of the Jacobites broke
forth: "Intolerable Stupidity!" "Afraid of the consequences!" "Absurd!"
"Idiotic!" were some of the expressions used. But one braw Scotchman
summed up the situation in a few words: "The government has turned a
romantic pilgrimage into real treason, and has raised us to the dignity
of a political party." The leaders now got together near the gates and
talked earnestly while waiting for the wreaths to come. I was curious
as to the effect of the closing of the gates on the British public in
general, and wandered through the Abbey, catching expressions here
and there. "It's a perfect shame," exclaimed a rosy-cheeked vicar
evidently just up from the country. "It makes me sympathize with the
Jacobites--the idea of depriving Englishmen of their right of free
assembly." And a stout old gentleman near him, who was evidently
something in the city, turned with the plaint: "My ancestors lent King
George the First money, and I have always been a staunch Hanoverian;
but by Jove this is too much. Do you suppose if these people wished
to decorate the tomb of George III. or of Dutch William they would be
stopped?" And many more spoke to the same effect.
The impression made on the general public present was evidently bad.
But the sight of a well-known figure pacing up the nave suggested
Archdeacon Farrar, and it was indeed he. Soon the leaders of the
abortive procession spied him and entered into eager expostulation,
but all to no purpose. Dean Bradley was in Algiers, and the
Canon-in-residence for the time being (Canon Ainger) had decided to
close the Chapels Royal. He could not interfere. But then the large
wreath appeared, a beautiful affair of white roses and camellias, and
it was hastily decided to affix it to the gates leading to the royal
tombs. Then a short, stout man with sandy hair and beard pressed
forward, eager to take it.
"My grandfather, Robbie Anderson, led the way for Prince Charlie at
the Battle of Preston Pans and I'll be proud to lead ye now," he said.
A scarcely suppressed cheer broke forth as the wreath was placed on
the gates, in which those of us who claimed a touch of the old Scotch
Cavalier blood joined. A card was attached, and by general request the
descendant of Robbie Anderson read it aloud. I afterwards copied it:
"In memory of Mary, Queen of Great Britain, France and Scotland.
Presented by the Legitimist (Jacobite) League. February 8th, 1892."
Then as the inspectors from Scotland Yard drew nearer, a red-faced
verger bustled through the crowd up to the gates and pointing to the
wreath exclaimed, "Take that thing down!" This gave rise to murmurs of
remonstrance and indignation and the Marquis de Ruvigny spoke for all:
"I decline," said the Marquis, "to touch that wreath. Take it down
yourself." But this the verger had no orders to do, and retreated in
discomfiture. Then it was proposed to hold a meeting in Deans' Yard to
protest, but Mr. Stuart Mellor very sensibly observed that it would
do no good to be arrested for brawling, and that public opinion would
know what to think. And as most of the Jacobites present were Catholics
this exclamation of one of them was to the point and caused a quick
clearance:
"I say, if we don't look sharp, we shall be in a Protestant place of
wash-up at time of service." And so the crowd faded gradually away,
and what but for the tact of the leaders might have turned into a
"demonstration" in the Abbey, was safely over. But the moral effect of
the gathering and the severe measures used by the authorities has not
yet died away, and many Englishmen who cared little for the Stuarts
have joined the Order or the League as protest against this act of the
government. The Dean, I believe, refers the matter to the Bishop of
London, and he mentions the Ecclesiastical Commissioners more or less
vaguely. It is difficult, therefore, to fit the blame. But there is
no doubt that this incident has given renewed force to the Jacobite
cause. Their Parliamentary candidates are busy, and the coming general
election will afford a practical test of their strength with the common
people. There is no doubt that in Ireland they could secure many seats
if they tried, for the Irishmen of the south still remember the Battle
of the Boyne.
Sensible people all around regret the blunder of the government, and
as usual H. R. H., the Prince of Wales, voiced the universal sentiment
when he declared the suppression of the pilgrimage a shame.
"Why," said he, "I would have gone with them myself, and would have
worn a white rose, too, if they had asked me."
And no doubt if the Canon-in-residence, or the Dean of Westminster,
or the Bishop of London, or the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, or
whoever was responsible, had acted in this sensible, unprejudiced way,
the incident would have closed and people would have smiled at the
archæological enthusiasm of the Jacobites, instead of thinking them
hardly used, and, ergo, sympathizing with them.
[Illustration]
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes: