The _émigrés_--Duchesse de Noailles--The nuns--Camp at Brighton--The
Prince as a soldier--His debts--Interview with the King--Breaks with
Mrs. Fitzherbert--Her account--Satirical prints--Newspaper paragraphs.
About this time the _émigrés_ poured into Brighton, and happy were
those who could thus save their lives. Here is a contemporary account,
given in the _Sussex Weekly Advertiser_, September 3, 1792:
'Brighton once favoured the escape of a sovereign from his enraged
subjects. The former town is now become the refuge of the persecuted
_noblesse_ of a neighbouring state. The former returned to his country
and kingdom, untaught by affliction, and ungrateful to loyalty that
had bled in his service. And it is to be feared, that if the bayonets
of combined despotism restore the latter to their late rank and power,
petty tyranny will revive, and human nature, exhausted in the unequal
struggle for freedom, again lick the feet of her oppressors, in
debility and despair.
'On Wednesday last (_Aug. 29_) Madame (_Duchesse de_) Noailles arrived
at Brighton from France, and was received with the most polite and
cordial hospitality, by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and
Mrs. Fitzherbert. Her husband being a counter revolutionist, she
found it very unsafe to remain any longer in Paris, or any other part
of France, and sent her child and nurse before her, who took their
passages from Dieppe to Brighton, where they arrived about a week ago.
The lady, herself, had more difficulty in leaving her native land; but
we are far from vouching for the reality of all the sufferings which
are said to have attended her emigration. Travelling in breeches[68]
was no very great distress; but the coil of cable which is said to have
enclosed her for _fourteen hours_, smells not less of the _marvellous_,
than the _tar_. This, in the hands of a novelist, might be spun out to
something _monstrous pathetic_.
'It is also said that the Marchioness de Bouillé (? Beaulé), whose
safety in France might have been no less precarious than that of
the other fair fugitive, hired an open boat at Dieppe, in which she
committed herself to the mercy of the winds and waves; and, after a
very tempestuous passage, arrived safe, on Wednesday last, at Brighton.
'Some Frenchmen, seemingly of distinction, landed last Wednesday
morning, after a very rough passage, in an open boat, at Newhaven; and,
on Friday, went post from this town for the Capital.'
_September 10._--'On Wednesday and Thursday last, no less than _one
hundred and seventy_ French emigrants, mostly priests, were landed
from the packets, and an open boat at Brighton. More are daily
arriving; and, many of them being observed to labour under very
distressed circumstances, we hear a subscription has been opened for
their relief, at Mr. Crawford's library.
'On Friday and Saturday last, near three hundred unfortunate Frenchmen
of the above description were put on shore at Eastbourne, many of whom
were hospitably received by Lord George Cavendish, Lord Bayham, A.
Piggott, Esq^{re}, and many other of the Nobility and Gentry of that
place. They, afterwards, took different routes for the Metropolis.
Many, from the above place and Brighton, came to this town, and such
as could not get places on the stage coach, hired carts for their
conveyance. Five of them, seemingly of a superior order, who brought a
letter of recommendation to a gentleman of this town, have fixed their
abode there.
* * * * *
'Mrs. Fitzherbert, the Duchess de Noailles, and many other ladies of
distinction, were present at the Cricket match, and dined in a marquee
pitched on the ground, for that purpose. The Prince's band of music
attended, and played during the whole time the ladies were at dinner.
In the evening, Mrs. Fitzherbert, the Duchess, Lady Clermont, and Miss
Piggott, walked round the ground, seemingly the better to gratify the
spectators with a sight of the French lady.
'The Duchess de Noailles appears to be 21, or 22 years of age, is very
handsome, and her figure and deportment are remarkably interesting.'
_September 17, 1792._--'Upwards of five hundred unfortunate emigrants
were, last week, landed on our coast, who have had the fury of the
elements to contend with, after escaping that of their barbarous
countrymen. The Brighton packets, heavily laden with them, were driven
by the winds far eastward of their usual track; and, with difficulty,
made Hastings, Pevensey, and Eastbourne. At the former place, on
Wednesday morning, _seventy six_, all ecclesiastics, came on shore;
among whom were the _Bishop of Avranches_, the _Dean of Rouen_, and
several other dignitaries. The Bishop, with great difficulty, escaped
from _Avranches_ with the assistance of one of his Grand Vicars, who,
with one of his domestics, accompanied him to _Rouen_, where they were,
for some days, concealed. The populace, however, having discovered
them, they were, again, obliged to fly. They travelled thence, on foot,
in disguise, to _Dieppe_, at which place they arrived in the night, and
took refuge, for a few hours, at a hotel. Thence, at the time appointed
for the departure of the packet, they ran to the sea side, and, as it
was, providentially for them, high water, they were enabled to put off,
and instantly get out of the reach of the rabble, who, in less than one
minute afterwards, pursued them to the shore, and, with savage fury,
declared that it was their intention to have murdered them on the spot.
'The Bishop and his Grand Vicar were hospitably received at Hastings
by the Rev. Mr. Whitear, who entertained them till Saturday, when they
left that place for London. It is the duty of every Magistrate and
Gentleman to prevent the lower classes in this country from imposing
upon these poor fugitives. We are sorry to learn that, at Hastings,
the _exactions_ of the boatmen, on Wednesday last, were shameful in the
extreme. They refused to bring any of the Frenchmen on shore for less
than four _shillings_ a man; and some even raised their fare to _five
shillings_.--Among _English_ mariners, we thought that such _unjust_
and _unfeeling_ wretches were not to be found.'
A notice of the nuns who took refuge here must close this episode:
_October 29, 1792._--'The Nuns, whose arrival at Brighthelmstone was
mentioned in our last paper, were driven from a convent at _Lisle_.
At the time of their debarkation they had only about thirty pounds in
specie remaining, all the valuables of their convent having been seized
on by the _regenerate_ French. The Prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert paid
them a very long visit at the New Ship Inn; after which, his Royal
Highness set on foot a subscription for their relief, which, in a short
time, amounted to upwards of one hundred pounds.
'The above ladies, on the evening of their arrival, celebrated High
Mass, with great solemnity, in an apartment at their inn.
''Twas remarkable that no two of the above nuns could be prevailed on
to sleep in one bed.'
_October 1, 1792._--'The Prince, we hear, has it in contemplation, to
take down, and entirely rebuild, on a much larger scale, his Marine
Pavilion at Brighthelmstone;' but he did not do it just then, as he was
woefully hard up.
[Illustration: A VOLUPTUARY UNDER THE HORRORS OF DIGESTION.]
Of course, during the year the Prince did not escape the pencil of the
satirist, and there was a print published on May 23, to understand
which it must be premised that formerly, at the opening of Courts of
Assize and Quarter Sessions in England, a proclamation against vice
and immorality was always read. This print is called 'VICES OVERLOOKED
IN THE NEW PROCLAMATION,' in which are depicted the King and Queen as
AVARICE, the Prince as DRUNKENNESS, the Duke of York as GAMBLING, and
the Duke of Clarence and Mrs. Jordan as DEBAUCHERY.
Another, published July 2, is 'A Voluptuary under the Horrors of
Digestion.'
This is an excellent likeness of the Prince, who, with unbuttoned
waistcoat, lolls in an armchair, picking his teeth with a fork. On the
ground are dice, a Newmarket List, Debts of Honour unpaid, and Faro
partnership Account, Self, Archer,[69] Hobart and Co.
In February, 1793, war was declared between France and England, and
volunteers were enrolled for the defence of their country. Camps
were formed at different parts of the coast, and there was one at
Brighton in August of that year. Needless to say that the Prince's
regiment was quartered there, and he himself showed in great force.
A contemporary[70] gives us an account of this camp, written by a
volunteer:
'_Brighton Camp, August 22._--On the Monday, whatever mistakes (if
commanders can make any) had prolonged the order of march from
Waterdown, they were removed, and the line reached Chailey in good
time. With equal glee and regularity, they set off, the next morning,
for Brighton: about four miles before they arrived on their ground,
their regiments were formed in battalions, in which order they
moved, keeping good wheeling distance. The irregularity of the Downs
frequently gave an opportunity of seeing every regiment with a _coup
d'œil_. Numbers of people came out to meet us. The town, with the sea
and the music, and the universal animation around, somewhat dissipated
the fatigue of a long march. Conspicuous among the spectators, was
the Prince of Wales, in the honourable garb of his regiment, looking
both the Soldier and the Prince. We marched by his Royal Highness by
divisions, officers saluting, and then wheeled round the town to our
new ground, which appeared a little Paradise, in comparison.
'The water at our former stations had too much chalybeate in it to be
pleasant. On Chailey common it was good; and, on our arrival here, we
had the luxury of finding it could not be better. This necessary part
of the comforts of life, with the delightful ground we are encamped
upon, a full advantage of the sea breeze, and the lively scene
continually passing and repassing in our front, make us hope we shall
have more opportunities of frequenting the Steine Parade than we had of
visiting Tunbridge Wells. Besides, the Commander in Chief wonderfully
gave us an overslaugh from Wednesday until Monday; on which day we were
out six hours and a half; five of the hours dragged on with the usual
having nothing to do. We then began to form columns and lines. This
intention was by way of drilling in the new system. General Dundas, the
modeller of it, gave his personal assistance; and I could not help
remarking how gracefully and expeditiously he moved his sun burnt hand,
explanatory of his formation of the divisions into battalion. I dare
say, when we have brought his theory to practical perfection, we shall
never be a hair's breadth out. Old officers, who have been accustomed
to fight after the old school, find great fault with many parts of this
celebrated system.'
This camp consisted of about 10,000 men, regulars, militia, and
volunteers, and was situated at Hove, where it continued till October
28. Two new batteries were built, one on the west cliff, which mounted
eight twenty-four pounders, and the other on the east cliff, where were
four guns of the same weight.
The _Annual Register_, August 21, gives the following: 'Last Sunday,
the Rev. Dr. Knox (a gentleman well known in the literary world as the
author of several essays) preached at Brighton church. He took his
text from St. Luke; "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
and good will towards men!" In enlarging on this subject, he spoke in
very strong terms of the calamities of war, and said that the tinsel
of military parade was but a poor compensation for the innumerable
miseries that were the too sure attendants upon a state of warfare;
that the voice of religion was but little heard amidst the roar of
cannon, the shouts of conquerors, and the splendour of victory. In
another part of his discourse, he said that religion and philosophy
seemed to have but little weight in the councils of the rulers of the
world.
'Several military officers in the church, officiously took upon
themselves to think that the sermon was an attack upon the constitution
of the country, and that it contained improper reflections upon the
profession to which they belonged.
'Last night, Dr. Knox and his family being in one of the boxes at the
theatre, there were, also, several officers in the house. At the end of
the play, a note was handed by the boxkeeper, to Dr. Knox, stating that
it was the desire of several gentlemen then present, that he should
withdraw. The note being without a signature, Dr. Knox took no notice
of it. Several officers then stood up, and insisted on his leaving the
house immediately.
'A scene of much confusion, nearly bordering on personal violence,
ensued. Dr. Knox attempted to speak, but was, absolutely, forcibly
hindered from proceeding; and himself, Mrs. Knox, and two or three of
their little children, were compelled to leave the house, to avoid
_military_ coercion.'
Florizel, commanding his regiment, and playing at soldiers, was in his
element, as the following extracts from the _St. James's Chronicle_
show:
_August 13-15._--'Monday, being the anniversary of the Prince of Wales'
birth, the same was celebrated at Brighton; the morning was ushered in
by the ringing of bells; and, at one o'clock, the guns of the salute
battery were fired. Several of the nobility, who went down to pay their
compliments to the Prince, visited his Royal Highness in the Pavilion,
who gave a very superb entertainment to the officers of his regiment,
etc., in his Marquee. In the evening there was a grand ball in the
Castle, which was numerously attended.'
_September 5-7._--'In the high winds of Wednesday night, the Prince of
Wales's Marquee, in the Camp at Brighton, was blown down; his Royal
Highness, however, suffered nothing; for, except on the nights when he
is Colonel of the Camp, his residence is in the Pavilion. Many of the
officers and men had their tents blown down on the same night.'
This marquee was a very splendid and spacious affair, with a kitchen
and all sorts of conveniences attached. Indeed, Florizel was ever
attentive to his own comfort, _vide_ the following account of his new
travelling-carriage:
_August 22-24._--'The Prince of Wales has just built a long carriage
for travelling--it is so constructed, that, in a few moments, it forms
a neat chamber, with a handsome bed, and every other convenience for
passing the night in it, on the road, or in a camp.'
It is all very nice to have travelling-carriages and marquees, and
whatever one's soul desires, but if the income is a fixed one, albeit
over £70,000 a year, there must be a limit to expenditure. Poor
Florizel was deeply in debt, and one of his best friends, the Earl of
Malmesbury, tells us about it:[71]
'Landed at Dover on Saturday, June 2nd, 1792.... Saw Prince of Wales
early the 4th--he was very well pleased with what I had done at Berlin,
thanked me for it, etc.--Stated his affairs to me as more distressed
than ever--Several executions had been in his house--Lord Rawdon had
saved him from one--that his debts amounted to £370,000. He said he
was trying, through the Chancellor, to prevail on the King to apply to
Parliament to increase his income.
'On the Wednesday following, I was with him by appointment. He repeated
the same again; said that if the King would raise his revenue to
£100,000 a year, he would appropriate £35,000 of it to pay the interest
of his debts, and establish a Sinking fund. That, if this could not be
done, he must break up his establishment, reduce his income to £10,000
a year, and _go abroad_. He _made a merit_ of having given up the turf,
and blamed the Duke of York for remaining on it. He said (which I
well knew before), that his racing stable cost him upwards of £30,000
yearly. He was very anxious, and, as is usual on these occasions,
nervous and agitated. He said (on my asking him the question), that he
did not stand so well with the King, as he did some months ago, but
that he was better than ever with the Queen--that _she_ had advised him
to press the King, through the Chancellor, to propose to Mr. Pitt to
bring an increase of the Prince's income before Parliament, and that,
if this was done, she would use her influence to promote it.
'I strongly recommended his pressing the Queen. He suggested the idea
of going to Mr. Pitt _directly_ through the Chancellor, etc. I doubted
both the consent of the Chancellor to such a step, at the moment he
was going out, and his influence and weight if he did consent to it.
I took the liberty of disapproving his going abroad, on any terms,
and, particularly, under the circumstances he mentioned; said, that
if he should, unfortunately, be reduced to the necessity of lowering
his income to the degree he had mentioned, it would be much better
to live in England, than _out_ of it. That the showing, in England,
that he _could_ reduce his expences, and live economically, would do
him credit, prove him in earnest, and if he kept up to such a plan,
would, in the event, be much more likely to induce the public to take
his situation into consideration, than any attempts through Ministry,
Opposition, or even the Queen herself.
'I saw the Prince again on the 7th June, at Carlton House, as before.
He repeated the same things, and added, that, if he could not obtain
some assurance from the King that he would apply to Parliament in
the next Session of Parliament, before this ended, that he should be
ruined, and _must go abroad_--I, again, combated this idea; but he
appeared to have a wish and some whim about going abroad, I could not
discover.--He talked coldly and unaffectionately about the Duke and
Duchess of York, and very slightingly of the Duke of Clarence.
'Colonel St. Leger called on me on the 8th June. He said the Prince
was more attached to Mrs. Fitzherbert than ever; that he had been
living with Mrs. Crouch[72]; that she (Mrs. Fitzherbert) piqued him by
treating this with ridicule, and coquetted on her side. This hurt his
vanity, and brought him back; and he is, now, more under her influence
than ever.'
And yet he could sacrifice her, in order to get his debts paid, and
himself have a larger income to squander. There was but one way out of
his mess: that he must commit bigamy, and deliberately repudiate his
wife.
On August 24, 1794, the King wrote thus to Pitt from Weymouth:
'Agreeable to what I mentioned to Mr. Pitt before I came here, I have
this morning seen the Prince of Wales, who has acquainted me with
his having broken off all connection with Mrs. Fitzherbert, and his
desire of entering into a more creditable line of life, by marrying;
expressing, at the same time, that his wish is that my niece, the
Princess of Brunswick, may be the person. Undoubtedly she is the
person who, naturally, must be most agreeable to me. I expressed my
approbation of the idea, provided his plan was to lead a life that
would make him appear respectable, and, consequently, render the
Princess happy. He assured me that he perfectly coincided with me in
opinion. I then said that till Parliament assembled, no arrangement
could be taken, except my sounding my sister, that no idea of any
other marriage may be encouraged.
'G. R.'
At this time Lady Jersey, a lady of mature age, had great influence
over the Prince, and this probably made his rupture with Mrs.
Fitzherbert the easier. The caricaturist (this time J. Cruikshank), who
always seems to have been as well posted up in any Court scandal as one
of our Society papers, has a picture, August 26, 1794, 'MY GRANDMOTHER,
alias the JERSEY JIG, alias the RIVAL WIDOWS.' Old Lady Jersey, who is
taking snuff, sits on the knee of the Prince, who says:
'I've kissed & I've prattled with fifty Grand Dames,
And changed them as oft, do you see;
But of all the Grand Mammys that dance on the Steine,
The Widow of Jersey give me.'
Mrs. Fitzherbert, one hand clasping her forehead, and in the other
holding a bond for £6,000 per annum, cries distractedly: 'Was it for
this Paltry Consideration I sacrificed my--my--my--? for this only I
submitted to--to--? Oh! shame for ever on my ruin'd Greatness!!!'
It came very suddenly. Both Mrs. Fitzherbert and the Prince were to
dine with the Duke of Clarence; the lady was there, but Florizel was
not; instead, a letter from him was handed to his wife repudiating her.
Lord Stourton had the story from her own lips. Let him tell it:
'Her first separation from the Prince was preceded by no quarrel, or
even coolness, and came upon her quite unexpectedly. She received,
when sitting down to dinner at the table of William the Fourth, then
Duke of Clarence, the first intimation of the loss of her ascendancy
over the affections of the Prince; having, only the preceding day,
received a note from his Royal Highness, written in his usual strain
of friendship, and speaking of their appointed engagement to dine at
the house of the Duke of Clarence. The Prince's letter was written from
Brighton, where he had met Lady Jersey. From that time she never saw
the Prince, and this interruption of their intimacy was followed by
his marriage with Queen Caroline; brought about, as Mrs. Fitzherbert
conceived, under the twofold influence of the pressure of his debts
on the mind of the Prince, and a wish on the part of Lady Jersey to
enlarge the Royal Establishment, in which she was to have an important
situation.
'Upon her speaking to me of this union (confiding in her own desire
that I should disguise from her nothing that I might conceive to be
of doubtful character as affecting her conduct to the Prince), I told
her I had been informed that some proposals had been made to her
immediately preceding the marriage of the Prince, of which her uncle,
Mr. Errington, had been the channel, offering some terms upon which his
Royal Highness was disposed to give up the match. She told me there
was no truth whatever in the report; that a day or two preceding the
marriage, he had been seen passing rapidly on horseback before her
house at Marble Hill, but that his motive for doing so, was unknown to
her; and that, afterwards, when they were reconciled, she cautiously
abstained from alluding to such topics; as the greatest interruptions
to their happiness, at that period, were his bitter and passionate
regrets and self accusations for his conduct, which she always met by
saying--"We must look to the present and the future, and not think of
the past."
'I ventured, also, to mention another report, that George the Third,
the day before the marriage, had offered to take upon himself the
responsibility of breaking off the match with the Princess of
Brunswick, should the Prince desire it. Of this, too, she told me, she
knew nothing; but added, that it was not improbable, for the King was
a good and religious man. She owned, that she was deeply distressed
and depressed in spirits at this formal abandonment, with all its
consequences, as it affected her reputation in the eyes of the world.
[Illustration: THE RAGE.]
'One of her great friends and advisers, Lady Claremont, supported her
on this trying occasion, and counselled her to rise above her own
feelings, and to open her house to the town of London. She adopted the
advice, much as it cost her to do so; and all the fashionable world,
including all the Royal Dukes, attended her parties. Upon this, as upon
all other occasions, she was principally supported by the Duke of York,
with whom, through life, she was always united in the most friendly
and confidential relations. Indeed, she frequently assured me, that
there was not one of the Royal family who had not acted with kindness
to her. She particularly instanced the Queen; and, as for George the
Third, from the time she set foot in England, till he ceased to reign,
had he been her own father, he could not have acted towards her with
greater tenderness and affection. She had made it her constant rule
to have no secrets of which the Royal Family were not informed by
frequent messages, of which, the Duke of York was, generally, the organ
of communication, and, to that rule, she attributed, at all periods,
much of her own contentment and ease in extricating herself from
embarrassments which would, otherwise, have been insurmountable.'
Compare this paragraph with the ideas of the pictorial satirist on her
abandonment. Take, for instance, 'The Rage,' published November 21,
1794. Here we see Mrs. Fitzherbert, having thrown off her Princess of
Wales's coronet, with clenched fists and dishevelled hair, sparring at
the new Princess of Wales.
Another, which is of the same date, and is called 'Penance for past
Folly,' shows Mrs. Fitzherbert weeping, and on her knees, before a
Roman Catholic priest, who holds a birch rod in his hand.
The newspapers had an early inkling of the state of affairs between
Mrs. Fitzherbert and the Prince, and the following cuttings from the
_Times_ of 1794 do not redound much to the paper's credit, or knowledge:
_July 21._--'A CERTAIN LADY has not been so improvident as the
beauteous harlot in the days of EDWARD. She has, wisely, laid up ample
provision for a rainy day; and, therefore, her approach, unlike to that
of SHORE, is still as likely as ever to make "a little holiday!"'
_July 23._--'We have, hitherto, forborne to mention the report in
circulation for many days past, of the FINAL SEPARATION between a
GENTLEMAN of the most DISTINGUISHED RANK, and a LADY who resides in
_Pall Mall_, until we had an opportunity to ascertain the FACT beyond
all doubt.
'We are now enabled to state from the most undoubted authority, that
a final separation between the parties in question has ACTUALLY TAKEN
PLACE; that the agreements formerly entered into, have been given up
by mutual consent; that a new contract has been signed, by which the
lady is _secured_ in the possession of £4,000 per annum, for her life,
besides retaining her house in Pall Mall, plate, jewels, etc.
'Mrs. FITZHERBERT has no intention of retiring into Switzerland, as has
been reported. She is looking out for a house at, or near, Margate,
where she means to reside for six months, in the society of the Duchess
of CUMBERLAND, Lady E. LUTTRELL, Mrs. CONCANNON,[73] and others of her
old acquaintance.'
_August 5._--'Mrs. FITZHERBERT, we learn, wished to have a title and
£4,000 annuity settled on her, but this was peremptorily refused.'
_August 7._--'Much has been said respecting the jointure settled on
Mrs. FITZHERBERT, in consequence of a late separation; but the precise
fact has never been hitherto stated.--The truth is this:--When the
incumbrances of a certain GREAT PERSONAGE were put in a state of
settlement, two, or three years since, £3,000 a year was allotted out
of his revenues, for Mrs. FITZHERBERT, which has been punctually paid
by Mr. COUTTS, the banker. This sum has been lately settled on the lady
for life; which, with her own private fortune of £1,800 annually, will
make her present income £4,800 a year. Unincumbered as she now is, the
lady will, probably, be a happier woman than she has ever been.'
[Illustration: Decorative motif]
FOOTNOTES:
[68] She was disguised in male attire.
[69] Lady Archer and Mrs. Hobart, both notorious keepers of high-class
faro-tables.
[70] _Gentleman's Magazine_, vol. lxiii., part ii., p. 785.
[71] 'Diaries and Correspondence of James Harris, first Earl of
Malmesbury;' London, 1844, vol. ii., p. 450, etc.
[72] Anna Maria Crouch, actress and famous singer; born 1763, died
1805. Separated from her husband in 1791.
[73] All notorious gamblers and keepers of faro-tables.
[Illustration: Decorative panel]