Memoir of, and anecdotes about, George Hanger.
The Hon. George Hanger (afterwards the fourth and last Lord Coleraine)
was at one time an especial friend of the Prince. He was educated
at Eton and Göttingen, and was for some little time an officer in
the first regiment of foot guards, which regiment he soon left in
disgust at someone being promoted over his head. He then received
an appointment from the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel as Captain in the
Hessian Jäger Corps, then serving in America, and he was with this
corps throughout the war. He, afterwards (in 1782), was made a Major
in Tarleton's Light Dragoons, which was disbanded the following year,
and he retired on half-pay. It was then that he joined the Prince's
set, and received the appointment of equerry at a salary of £300 per
annum, and this, combined with raising recruits for the East India
Company, enabled him for a time to vie with the jovial crew with which
he associated. But evil days fell upon him, and he dwelt in the
King's Bench Prison from June 2, 1798, to April, 1799, and in 1800
set up for a time as a coal-merchant, and was nicknamed the Knight of
the Black Diamond. He appears in many of Gillray's caricatures, but
the most savage pictorial satire on him (by Cruickshank) was issued
with the _Scourge_ for November 2, 1812, where he is represented as
a tall, full-faced man, wearing a long drab-coloured coat with a
cape, and a star upon his right breast. Each of his arms encircles a
gin-drinking old woman, and at his feet, one of which is cloven like
a satyr's, sprawls a young woman who applies a bottle to her lips. A
dandy, standing near, inspects the scene through his quizzing glass,
and observes: 'Hang her! She's quite drunk.' A label issuing from the
mouth of the principal person makes him observe: 'As for me, my name is
sufficient; I am known by the title of the Paragon of Debauchery, and I
only claim to be the [Prince]s _Confidential Friend_.' The letterpress
description of the caricature contains the following illustrative
paragraph:
[Illustration: GEORGEY IN THE COAL-HOLE.]
'A tall, strapping-looking person, shabbily, but buckishly attired,
with a peculiar cast of countenance, now stepped forward, and cried
out, "My _name_ is sufficient. Whoever has heard of ---- must know that
I am without a rival in the annals of debauchery. I claim no higher
honour than to be my _Prince's friend_."'
On the death of his brother, on December 11, 1814, he succeeded to the
title of Lord Coleraine, but he never assumed the title, and disliked
being addressed by it. On his death, unmarried, on March 31, 1824, at
the age of seventy-three, the barony of Coleraine became extinct.
Huish tells several stories about Hanger.[27] 'It is well known that
the above-mentioned person was the particular companion of his late
Majesty, when Prince of Wales, and many of the youthful improprieties
which he committed were ascribed, by the King, to the company which he
kept; and, particularly, to the society of Sheridan and Major Hanger.
On a particular occasion, when the latter was raising recruits, the
King, hearing that the Prince was taken from place to place, by him
and others in high life, collecting mobs, and throwing money to them
in large quantities, for the sake of creating the fun of seeing a
scramble, and other worse purposes, he, with much feeling, exclaimed,
"D--n Sherry, and I must hang--hang--Hanger, for they will break my
heart, and ruin the hopes of my country."'
The following will be read as a rich treat to the lovers of fun and
mischief: it shows the extraordinary gaiety of the Prince of Wales's
disposition, and the familiar manner in which he lived with his
companions:
It was at the celebration of her Majesty's birthday, 1782, that Major
Hanger made his first appearance at Court; and it may be said to have
been a début which proved a source of infinite amusement to all who
were present, and to no one more so than the Prince of Wales, who
was no stranger to the singularity of his character, and the general
eccentricity of his actions. Being a Major in the Hessian service,
he wore his uniform at the ball, which was a short blue coat with
gold frogs, with a belt, unusually broad, across his shoulders, from
which his sword depended. This dress, being a little particular, when
compared with the full-trimmed suits of velvet and satin about him,
though, as professional, strictly conformable to the etiquette of the
Court, attracted the notice of his Majesty and his attendants; and
the buzz, 'Who is he?' 'Whence does he come?' etc., etc., was heard
in all parts of the room. Thus he became the focus of attraction,
and especially when the contrast presented itself of his selecting
the beautiful Miss Gunning as his partner. He led her out to dance
a minuet, but when, on the first crossing of his lovely partner, he
put on his hat, which was of the largest Kevenhüller kind, ornamented
with two large black and white feathers, the figure which he cut was
so truly ridiculous and preposterous, that even the gravity of his
Majesty could not be restrained: the grave faces of the Ministers
relaxed into a smile, and the Prince of Wales was actually thrown
into a convulsive fit of laughter. There was such an irresistible
provocation to risibility in the _tout ensemble_ of his appearance and
style of movement, that his fair partner was reluctantly obliged to
lose sight of good manners, and could scarcely finish the minuet; but
Hanger himself joined in the laugh which was raised at his expense,
and thereby extricated his partner from her embarrassment. This is,
perhaps, the first time that the _pas grave_ of a minuet has been
considered as a mighty good jest, but there are moments when even the
most serious circumstances serve only to produce a comic effect.
The Major now stood up to dance a country dance, but here his
motions were so completely antic, and so much resembling those of a
mountebank, that he totally discomfited his partner, put the whole set
into confusion, and excited a degree of laughter throughout the room
such as had never before been witnessed in a royal drawing-room.
On the following day the subject of the Major's ludicrous début at
Court became the topic of conversation at the convivial board at
Carlton House, when the Prince proposed that a letter should be
written to the Major, thanking him in the name of the company which
had assembled in the drawing-room, for the pleasure and gratification
which he had afforded them. The joke was considered a good one. Writing
materials were ordered, and the Prince himself indited the following
letter, which was copied by Sheridan, with whose handwriting the Major
was unacquainted:
'ST. JAMES'S STREET,
'_Sunday morning_.
'The Company who attended the Ball on Friday last, at S^t James's,
present their compliments to Major Hanger, and return their unfeigned
thanks for the variety with which he enlivened the insipidity
of that evening's entertainment. The _gentlemen_ want words to
describe their admiration of the truly grotesque and humourous
figure which he exhibited: and the _ladies_ beg leave to express
their acknowledgements for the lively and animated emotions that his
stately, erect, and perpendicular form could not fail to excite in
their delicate and susceptible bosoms. His gesticulations and martial
deportment were truly admirable, and have raised an impression that
will not be soon effaced at S^t James's.'
This letter produced a highly humorous scene, which often excited a
laugh when the Prince related it to his guests, as one of the most
humorous which had occurred to him during his life.
On the day subsequent to the receipt of this letter, the Prince
purposely invited George Hanger to dine at Carlton House, and it formed
part of the plot of his Royal Highness, that Sheridan should not be
invited. After dinner the conversation turned, designedly, upon the
leading circumstances of the late ball; and, on the Prince ironically
complimenting the Major on the serious effect which his appearance must
have had on the hearts of the ladies, he, in a very indignant manner,
drew from his pocket the letter which he had received, declaring
that it was a complete affront upon him, and that the sole motive of
the writer was to insult him, and turn him into ridicule. The Prince
requested permission to read the letter, and, having perused it, he
fully coincided in the opinion of the Major, that no other motive could
have actuated the writer than to offer him the greatest affront.
The Major's anger rose. 'Blitz und Hölle!' he exclaimed; 'if I could
discover the writer he should give me immediate satisfaction.'
'I admire your spirit,' said the Prince; 'how insulting to talk of your
grotesque figure.'
'And then to turn your stately, erect and perpendicular form into
ridicule,' said Mr. Fox.
'And to talk of your gesticulations,' said Captain Morris.
'Sapperment!' exclaimed the Major, 'but the writer shall be
discovered.'
'Have you not the slightest knowledge of the handwriting?' asked the
Prince; 'the characters are, I think, somewhat familiar to me. Allow me
to peruse the letter again.' The letter was handed to the Prince. 'I am
certain that I am not mistaken,' he said; 'this is the handwriting of
that mischievous fellow, Sheridan.'
'Sheridan!' exclaimed the Major. 'Impossible--it cannot be!'
'Hand the letter to Fox,' said the Prince; 'he knows Sheridan's
handwriting well.'
'This is undoubtedly the handwriting of Sheridan,' said Fox, looking at
the letter.
'Then he shall give me immediate satisfaction,' said the Major, rising
from the table; and, addressing himself to Captain Morris, requested
him to be the bearer of his message to Mr. Sheridan. Having written
the note, in which a full and public apology was demanded, or a place
of meeting appointed, Captain Morris was despatched with it; and in
the meantime he (the Major) would retire to his lodgings to await
the answer from Mr. Sheridan. The Prince now pretended to interfere,
expressing his readiness to be a mediator between the parties, but
at the same time he contrived, every now and then, to increase the
flame of the Major's resentment by some artful insinuations as to the
grossness of the affront, and complimenting him on the spirited manner
in which he had behaved on the occasion. The Major was determined not
to be appeased, and he left the room, muttering, 'D--n the impudent
fellow! grotesque figure! perpendicular form! gesticulations!'
The Major had no sooner retired than the whole party burst into a loud
laugh. The Prince had brought him to the very point he wished, and
in about an hour Captain Morris arrived with Sheridan, who entered
immediately into the spirit of the adventure. It was then agreed
that Sheridan should accept the challenge, appointing the following
morning at daybreak in Battersea Fields, and that Mr. Fox should be the
bearer of Mr. Sheridan's answer to the offended Major, Mr. Sheridan
undertaking, on his part, to provide the necessary surgical assistance.
On the following morning the parties were punctually on the spot; the
Major, accompanied by Captain Morris, Mr. Sheridan by Mr. Fox, the
Prince of Wales, disguised as a surgeon, being seated in the carriage
which conveyed the latter gentlemen. The customary preliminaries being
arranged, the parties took their stations. The signal to fire was
given; no effect took place. The seconds loaded the pistols a second
time; the parties fired again; still no effect was produced.
'D--n the fellow!' said the Major to his second, 'I can't hit him.'
'The third fire generally takes effect,' said Captain Morris, who with
the utmost difficulty could keep his risible faculties in order, whilst
the Prince, in the carriage, was almost convulsed with laughter at the
grotesque motions of the Major.
The signal to fire was given the third time. The effect was decisive;
Mr. Sheridan fell, as if dead, on his back.
'Killed, by G--d!' said Captain Morris. 'Let us fly instantly;' and,
without giving the Major time to collect himself, he hurried him to
the carriage, which immediately drove away towards town. The Prince
descended from the carriage, almost faint with laughter, and joined
Sheridan and Fox, the former of whom, as soon as the Major's carriage
was out of sight, had risen from his prostrate position, unscathed as
when he entered the field, for, to complete the farce, it had been
previously arranged that no balls should be put into the pistols, and
that Sheridan was to fall on the third fire. The Prince, with his two
associates, immediately drove off to town, and a message was sent to
Major Hanger, desiring his immediate attendance at Carlton House. The
Major obeyed the summons, and he entered the apartment of the Prince
with a most dolorous countenance.
'Bad business this,' said the Prince--'a very bad business, Hanger; but
I have the satisfaction to tell you that Sheridan is not materially
hurt, and if you will dine with me this day, I will invite a gentleman
who will give you an exact account of the state in which your late
antagonist lies. Remain here till dinner-time, and all may yet be well.'
The Prince, from goodness of heart, and not wishing that the Major
should have the painful impression on his mind that he had been
the instrument of the death of a fellow-creature and one of the
most convivial of their companions, had imparted to the Major the
consolatory information that his antagonist was not seriously injured,
and the Major looked forward to the hour of dinner with some anxiety,
when he was to receive further information on the subject. The hour
came. The party was assembled in the drawing-room.
'Now, Hanger,' said the Prince, 'I'll introduce a gentleman to you who
shall give you all the information you can wish.'
The door opened, and Sheridan entered. The Major started back in wonder.
'How--how--how is this?' he stammered. 'I thought I had killed you.'
'Not quite, my good fellow,' said Sheridan, offering the Major his
hand. 'I am not yet quite good enough to go to the world above; and,
as to that below, I am not yet fully qualified for it, therefore I
considered it better to defer my departure from this to a future
period; and, now, I doubt not, that his Royal Highness will give you an
explicit explanation of the whole business--but I died well, did I not,
Hanger?'
The Prince now declared that the whole plot was concocted by himself,
and hoped that when the Major next fought such a duel, he might be in
a coach to view it. Conviviality reigned throughout the evening; the
song and glass went round; the Prince singing the parody on 'There's a
difference between a beggar and a queen,' which was composed by Captain
Morris, and which is to be found in the twenty-fourth edition of 'Songs
Political and Convivial,' by that first of lyric poets.
One more anecdote of the Prince and George Hanger, from the same
source,[28] and I have done with him.
'That the immense losses which the Prince of Wales sustained at
the gaming table were not, always, the consequence of a run of ill
luck, may be easily conjectured. Scheme after scheme was devised by
which a heavy drain was to be made upon his finances; and he became,
eventually, the dupe of a set of titled sharpers, who fattened on his
credulity, and who, by acts of the most deliberate villainy, reduced
him to a state of comparative pauperism. As a proof of the inventive
spirit of these associates of the Prince, we have only to mention the
celebrated wager between the turkeys and the geese, which emanated
from the prolific head of George Hanger, and on the issue of which the
Prince found himself minus several thousand pounds.
'During one of the convivial parties at Carlton House, George Hanger
designedly introduced the subject of the travelling qualifications of
the turkey and the goose, and he pronounced it as his opinion (although
directly contrary to his real one), that the turkey would outstrip the
goose. The Prince, who placed great reliance on the judgment of George
Hanger on subjects of that nature, backed Hanger's opinion; and, as
it may be supposed, there were some of the party who were willing to
espouse the part of the goose: the dispute ended in the Prince making
a match of twenty turkeys against twenty geese for a distance of ten
miles, the competitors to start at four o'clock in the afternoon. The
race was to be run for £500; and, as George Hanger and the turkey party
hesitated not to lay two to one in favour of their bird, the Prince did
the same to a considerable amount, not in the least suspecting that the
whole was a deep laid plan to extract a sum of money from his pockets,
for his chance of winning, from the natural propensity of the turkey,
was wholly out of the question.
'The Prince took great interest in this extraordinary wager, and
deputed George Hanger to select twenty of the most wholesome and high
feathered birds which could be procured; and, on the day appointed,
the Prince and his party of turkeys and Mr. Berkeley and his party
of geese, set off to decide the match. For the first three hours
everything seemed to indicate that the turkeys would be the winners,
as they were, then, two miles in advance of the geese; but, as night
came on, the turkeys began to stretch out their necks towards the
branches of the trees which lined the sides of the road. In vain
the Prince attempted to urge them on with his pole, to which a bit
of red cloth was attached: in vain George Hanger dislodged one from
its roosting-place, before he saw three or four others comfortably
perching among the branches--in vain was barley strewn upon the road;
no art, no stratagem, no compulsion, could prevent them taking to their
roosting-place! whilst, in the meantime, the geese came waddling on,
and in a short time passed the turkey party, who were all busy in the
trees, dislodging their obstinate birds; but, as to further progress,
it was found impossible, and the geese were declared the winners.
'Trifling as this circumstance may appear, it will have the tendency of
exposing the characters of the intimates of the Prince of Wales, and
the singular expedients to which they had recourse to restore their
shattered fortunes at the expense of his character and fortune.'
On the death of Lord Coleraine, a contemporary[29] thus sums up his
character: 'He was, formerly, admitted amongst the convivial companions
of his present Majesty; but, as the Prince advanced in life, the
eccentric manners of the Colonel became somewhat too free and coarse
for the Royal taste, and the broad vivacity of the facetious Humourist
gave way to associates of a more refined description. But, though
the Colonel was free in his manners, he never was inclined to give
intentional offence, and the peculiarity of those manners precluded all
idea of resentment, and laughter, rather than anger, was the result of
his most extravagant sallies.
'He was capable of serious exertions of friendship, not by pecuniary
sacrifices, for, of such, his situation hardly ever admitted, but by
persevering zeal when he was likely to effect a beneficial purpose.
He was well acquainted with military duty, and was never wanting in
courage, or the spirit of enterprise. He is generally acknowledged
to have been a very handsome man in early life, but his person
was disguised by the singularity of his dress. Though disposed to
participate in all the dissipations of higher life, he yet contrived
to devote much of his time to reading, and was generally well provided
with topics for the usual conversations of the table, even in the
most convivial circles. He was so marked a character that he might be
considered as one of the prominent features of his time, and he was
courted as well for the peculiarity, as for the harmless tendency of
his humour.'
[Illustration: Decorative motif]
FOOTNOTES:
[27] Vol. i., p. 97, etc.
[28] Huish, vol. i., 164.
[29] _Gentleman's Magazine_, 1824, part i., 457, 458.
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