Architects and civil engineers -- Men of science --
Scientific societies -- Medical men -- Lawyers -- "Tracts for
the Times" -- Curates' pay -- Flogging in the army and navy --
Crime -- Transportation _versus_ hulks -- Stories of convicts 344
[Illustration: Decoration.]
WHEN WILLIAM IV. WAS KING.
CHAPTER I.
1830.
Illness of George IV.--His death--Sale of his clothes, etc.--The
new King--His character.
In the _Times_ of Friday, April 16, 1830, we have the following _Court
Circular_:--
"His Majesty, we regret to state, has experienced, during the
last few days, an attack of indisposition. The King took an
airing for some time on Monday. During the night his Majesty
became indisposed; Sir Henry Halford, who was in attendance at
the Palace that evening, and who, according to his usual
practice, slept there, left the Palace on Tuesday morning and
came to town, but thought it advisable to return to Windsor in
the evening. Sir Henry came to town on Wednesday morning, and
again returned to the Palace; when, finding that the King's
attack of illness had increased, Sir Henry sent for Sir Matthew
Tierney at an early hour yesterday morning. Sir Matthew
immediately left town: on his arrival at the Palace, the two
medical gentlemen held a consultation on the state of the King,
and, afterwards, issued the following bulletin, a few minutes
before one o'clock:--
_Windsor Castle, April 15._
_We regret to state that the King has had a bilious attack,
accompanied by an embarrassment in breathing. His Majesty,
although free from fever, is languid and weak._
(_Signed_) HENRY HALFORD.
MATTHEW JOHN TIERNEY.
"No alteration taking place in the state of the King, Sir Henry
Halford, shortly after the issuing of the Bulletin, left the
Castle in his carriage and four, for London. Sir Matthew Tierney
remained in attendance on his Majesty during the whole of
yesterday afternoon and evening, and it was arranged would sleep
at the Palace. His Majesty remaining much in the same state
during the afternoon, Sir Henry was not sent for, but would, it
was expected, remain in Town during last night."
This was the first intimation, to the nation, of the serious condition
of George the Fourth. He was paying the penalty for the irregularities
of his life, by suffering from a complication of diseases;
inflammation of the chest, gout in the stomach, dropsy, ossification
of the heart, bile, and asthma. Latterly, he had retired to Virginia
water, where he lived at the so-called "Cottage," solaced by the
society of Lady Conyngham, and existing chiefly on brandy and curaçoa.
His age (for he was in his sixty-eighth year) was against his
recovery, and at 3.13 a.m. on the 26th of June, 1830, he expired. He
was in bed when the stroke of death fell upon him. The page next him,
instantly proceeded to raise his Majesty, according to the motion
which he signified by his finger. The King was, at once, assisted into
a chair at his bedside, and a great alteration struck the page, as
overcasting the royal countenance; the King's eyes became fixed, his
lips quivered, and he appeared to be sinking into a fainting fit. The
physicians were instantly sent for, and the attendants at once
assisted the King with sal volatile, eau de cologne, and such
stimulants as were at hand on the table. At this moment his Majesty
attempted to raise his hand to his breast, faintly ejaculating, "O
God! I am dying;" and, after a pause of two or three seconds, he
uttered the following words, which were his last: "This is death!"
So passed away George the Magnificent--and the Marchioness of
Conyngham immediately began to pack up and hurry off, whither, no one
exactly knew. What she took with her was never known; but, later on,
she had to disgorge some very valuable jewels. Needless to say, there
was a grand funeral; and then came the sale of his wardrobe and
effects, of which Greville writes[1]:--
[Footnote 1: The "Greville Memoirs," edit. 1875, vol. ii. p. 23.]
"August 3, 1830.--I went, yesterday, to the sale of the late
King's wardrobe, which was numerous enough to fill Monmouth
Street, and sufficiently various and splendid for the wardrobe of
Drury Lane. He hardly ever gave anything away, except his linen,
which was distributed every year. These clothes are the
perquisites of his pages, and will fetch a pretty sum. There are
all the coats he has ever had for fifty years; three hundred
whips, canes without number, every sort of uniform, the costumes
of all the orders in Europe, splendid furs, pelisses,
hunting-coats and breeches, and, among other things, a dozen pair
of corduroy breeches he had made to hunt in, when Don Miguel was
here. His profusion in these articles was unbounded, because he
never paid for them, and his memory was so accurate, that one of
his pages told me he recollected every article of dress, no
matter how old, and that they were always liable to be called on
to produce some particular coat, or other article of apparel of
years gone by."
The _Times_ (August 18, 1830) says--
"The late King's wardrobe has been selling, for the last
fortnight, at the warehouse of Mr. Bailey, the King's Upholder,
in Mount Street, Grosvenor Square. The property was immense. It
was the perquisites of the Pages of the Back Stairs, six in
number; and we hear that the sale realized £15,000. The Earl of
Chesterfield gave 200 guineas for a sable pelisse, which has
since been valued at 600, and was a present from the Emperor
Alexander. The Marquis of Hertford was among the purchasers.
There were many pairs of boots and shoes, which were sold at
5_s._ per pair, one with the other, to a person in the trade.
There were numerous pairs of silk stockings. The cambric and silk
handkerchiefs produced a guinea each, although the pages said
they were not worth more than 7_s._ each. The cellar of snuff was
bought by Mr. Pontet, of Pall Mall, for £400."
This latter fact is scarcely correct. It was bought by Messrs.
Freybourg and Treyer, of the Haymarket, who set apart a special room
for its sale.
To finish up with the sale of the royal effects, we read in the
_Gentleman's Magazine_, of June 9, 1831, that--
"A portion of his late Majesty's costly and splendid wardrobe,
destined for public sale, including the magnificent coronation
robes and other costumes, was sold by auction, by Mr. Phillips,
at his rooms in New Bond Street. There were 120 lots disposed of,
out of which we subjoin the principal, in the order in which they
were put up--
"No. 13. An elegant yellow and silver sash of the Royal
Hanoverian Guelphic Order, £3 8_s._--17. A pair of fine kid
trousers, of ample dimensions, and lined with white satin, was
sold for 12_s._--35. The Coronation ruff, formed of superb
Mechlin lace, £2.--50. The costly Highland costume, worn by our
late Sovereign at Dalkeith Palace, the seat of his Grace the Duke
of Buccleugh, in the summer of 1822, was knocked down at
£40.--52.[2] The sumptuous crimson velvet Coronation mantle, with
silver star, embroidered with gold, in appropriate devices, and
which cost, originally, according to the statement of the
auctioneer, upwards of £500, was knocked down at 47 guineas.--53.
A crimson coat to suit with the above, £14.--55. A magnificent
gold body dress and trousers, 26 guineas.--67. An extraordinary
large white aigrette plume, brought from Paris by the Earl of
Fife, in April, 1815, and presented by his lordship to the King,
was sold for £15.--87. A richly embroidered silver tissue
Coronation waistcoat and trunk hose, £13.--95. The splendid
purple velvet Coronation mantle, sumptuously embroidered with
gold, of which it was said to contain 200 ounces. It was knocked
down at £55, although it was stated to have cost his late Majesty
£300.--96. An elegant and costly green velvet mantle, lined with
ermine of the finest quality; presented by the Emperor Alexander
to his late Majesty, which cost upwards of 1000 guineas, was
knocked down at £125."
[Footnote 2: Now on exhibition at Madame Tussaud's Waxworks show.]
These prices do not show that the people cared much to possess relics
of their late sovereign; indeed, he was speedily forgotten, and all
eyes were turned to the rising sun. The newspapers teemed with
anecdotes of him, from his childhood upwards (mostly very sorry
stuff), and, oblivious of his errors, inanity, and frivolity, the
people hailed William (why or wherefore?) as "The Patriot King." Until
the death of the Duke of York, he had excited no more public interest
than any of the other royal princes; but when that event took place,
he was looked upon as heir to the throne, had an increased grant from
Parliament, and lived a somewhat retired life at Bushey Park, with his
wife, Amelia Adelaide, eldest child of George, Duke of
Saxe-Coburg-Meiningen, whom he married on July 18, 1818.
His life, previous to his accession to the throne, is not within the
province of this book--it is sufficient to say that at no time was he
remarkable for his intellect, tractability, or social manners. Hear
what Greville,[3] an acute observer, even if he were somewhat of a
cynic, says about him at his accession--
[Footnote 3: "The Greville Memoirs," vol. ii. edit. 1875.]
"London, July 16.--I returned here on the 6th of this month, and
have waited these ten days to look about me, and see and hear
what is passing. The present King and his proceedings occupy all
attention, and nobody thinks any more of the late King, than if
he had been dead fifty years, unless it be to abuse him and rake
up all his vices and misdeeds. Never was elevation like that of
William IV. His life has, hitherto, passed in obscurity and
neglect, in miserable poverty, surrounded by a numerous progeny
of bastards, without consideration or friends, and he was
ridiculous from his grotesque ways and little meddling curiosity.
Nobody ever invited them into their house, or thought it
necessary to honour him with any mark of attention or respect;
and so he went on for about forty years, till Canning brought him
into notice by making him Lord High Admiral at the time of his
grand ministerial schism. In that post he distinguished himself
by making absurd speeches, by a morbid official activity, and by
a general wildness which was thought to indicate incipient
insanity, till shortly after Canning's death and the Duke's[4]
accession, it is well known, the latter dismissed him. He then
dropped back into obscurity, but had become, by this time,
somewhat more of a personage than he was before. His brief
administration of the Navy, the death of the Duke of York, which
made him heir to the throne, his increased wealth and regular
habits, had procured him more consideration, though not a great
deal. Such was his position when George IV. broke all at once,
and after three months of expectation, William finds himself
King."
[Footnote 4: Wellington.]
CHAPTER II.
1830.
Proclamation of William IV.--The Beer Act--The Queen and
gas--Burial of George IV.--The King and the Duke of
Cumberland--The King as a soldier--He meddles with the uniforms
of the army.
On Monday, June 28, 1830, the king came at an early hour to St.
James's Palace to witness the ceremony of his proclamation, which was
duly done at 10 a.m., with the usual pomp, the heralds giving forth
that, with the acquiescence of everybody--
"We do now hereby, with one voice and consent of tongue and
heart, proclaim that the High and Mighty Prince William, Duke of
Clarence, is now, by the death of the late Sovereign, of happy
memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord William
the Fourth, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain and
Ireland;" and so forth.
It was a gay sight, for people had not had time to get into mourning
costume, and the bright summer dresses of the ladies made it a
brilliant show.
He commenced his reign with a gracious act, which considerably added
to his popularity. Before the ceremony of proclamation he showed
himself at a window in St. James's Palace, before which some thousands
of people had assembled. According to the _Globe_--
"By some Jack-in-Office, the spectators were ordered to be
dispersed, which was speedily done by the Life Guards. On the
arrival of the heralds to proclaim the accession, the King
reappeared at his window, and, finding a vacant space below,
which, previously, was crowded, with some degree of surprise,
said, 'What has become of the people?' On being told they had
been removed, 'By whose order?' next inquired the King. He was so
dissatisfied with the answer as to command the gate of the
courtyard immediately to be re-opened, and the public to be
re-admitted, who soon re-assembled in great numbers, and cheered
their Sovereign most vociferously."
The change of rulers did not affect Parliament. The Lords adjourned
for a day, and the Commons did very little business until all the
members had taken the oath of allegiance to the new sovereign, who
kept on the old Ministry, with the Duke of Wellington at its head.
Very shortly afterwards, the question of a Regency (the Princess
Victoria being only twelve years old) cropped up; and after that, on
July 12th, was read a third time and passed in the House of Lords "An
Act to permit the general Sale of Beer and Cyder by Retail in England"
(1 Gul. IV. c. lxiv.), which the _Times_ describes as "a great victory
obtained for the poor over the unpitying avarice of the rich."
Beer always had been the standard drink of England, and, at this time,
no cheap substitute had been found for it. Tea was far too dear for
common folk, as was coffee, and cocoa or chocolate were only for the
well-to-do. This Act is virtually that under which beer-houses are now
licensed, which made a licence to sell beer _only_ easy to obtain. It
suited the times, and was very popular. A song, which is still sung,
but which dates from early Victorian times, makes a slight error as to
the intention of the Act, but it shows a grateful remembrance of the
same. It is called--
"I LIKES A DROP OF GOOD BEER."
"Come one and all, both great and small
With voices loud and clear,
And let us sing, bless Billy the King,
Who bated the tax upon beer.
_Chorus_:
"_For I likes a drop of good beer, I does,
I'se pertickler fond of my beer, I is;
And ---- his eyes whoever he tries
To rob a poor man of his beer._"
[Illustration: Opening the Beer Trade.]
The accompanying illustration, by an anonymous artist, shows the Duke
of Wellington providing the people with beer, in a popular manner. It
is entitled "Opening the Beer Trade; or, Going into a New Line of
Business."
The background is formed of two houses; one the sign of the King's
Head; the other, the Druggist's Arms. Outside the closed door of the
latter, which is "To let, enquire of the Brewers," stands Timothy
Mix'em, dealer in compounds, who, looking at the group, mournfully
remarks, "They'll soon shut up all the houses by opening the Trade."
The King's Head is kept by Arthur and Co., dealer in swipes, who
proclaims on his windows, "Genuine Beer, from Malt and Hops only," and
has a placard that the New Beer Act commences October 10, 1830. The
old Duke of Wellington says to the dustman and his wife, "Come, my
Britons, here's your real malt and hops;" whilst Peel, as pot-boy,
remarks, "No poisonous drugs here, my boys, it's all real stuff."
On July 23rd, Parliament was dissolved.
Ever since the accession of William IV. his slightest movements were
chronicled, even down to the smallest of small beer, such as[5]--
[Footnote 5: _Times_, July 12th.]
"The Duke of Wellington, when at Windsor, a few days ago,
directed that the gas might be cut off from the interior of the
castle, by the desire of the Queen, who, we understand,
entertained apprehensions lest an accident might be caused by
explosion. Her Majesty's wishes will, of course, be immediately
complied with, and directions have already been given to the Gas
Company for the purpose."
The movements of the Princess Victoria, who had now become a
personage, were also duly chronicled, and we are told how "The
presence of the Duchess (of Kent) and her interesting daughter will,
no doubt, attract numerous visitors to Malvern."
George IV., after lying in state, was buried on July 15th, with all
the pomp usually accompanying the burial of a King of England.
Greville tells us how his successor behaved on this occasion--
"At the late King's funeral he behaved with great indecency. That
ceremony was very well managed, and a fine sight, the military
part particularly, and the Guards were magnificent. The
attendance was not very numerous, and, when they had all got
together in St. George's Hall, a gayer company I never beheld;
with the exception of Mount Charles, who was deeply affected,
they were all as merry as grigs. The King was chief mourner, and,
to my astonishment, as he entered the chapel, directly behind the
body, in a situation in which he should have been apparently, if
not really, absorbed in the melancholy duty he was performing, he
darted up to Strathaven, who was ranged on one side below the
Dean's stall, shook him heartily by the hand, and then went on
nodding to the right and left. He had, previously, gone as chief
mourner to sit for an hour at the head of the body as it lay in
state, and he walked in procession, with his household, to the
apartment. I saw him pass from behind the screen. Lord Jersey had
been in the morning to Bushey to kiss hands on being made
Chamberlain, when he had received him very graciously, told him
it was the Duke, and not himself, who had made him, but that he
was delighted to have him. At Windsor, when he arrived, he gave
Jersey the white wand; or, rather, took one from him he had
provided for himself, and gave it him again with a little speech.
When he went to sit in state, Jersey preceded him, and he said,
when all was ready, 'Go on to the body, Jersey; you will get your
dress coat as soon as you can.'"
Personal gossip about the King, is not the scheme of this book; but,
as it formed the main topic of general conversation at the time, it
cannot be passed over. His brother, the greatly disliked Duke of
Cumberland, afterwards King of Hanover, had usurped the functions of
the other colonels of the guards, and had elected himself a permanent
Gold Stick, but the new monarch said his rank was too high for him to
perform such service, and relegated the office to its former footing,
that each colonel should share the office in turns.
Nor was this the only friction between the brothers. The Duke of
Cumberland's horses had hitherto occupied the stables allotted to the
Queen, and when Lord Errol, her Master of the Horse, asked her where
she would have her horses stabled, she replied, she "did not know, but
he was to put them in their proper place." Accordingly, the King was
asked for an order to remove the duke's horses, which was given
through the Duke of Leeds, who went to the Duke of Cumberland, and
received for answer that "he would be d--d if they should go;" but on
its being represented to him that if he did not remove them, they
would be turned out, he sulkily gave way.
The King, who, as every one knows, had been brought up as a sailor,
now turned his attention to things military, and his first review is
thus described by Greville--
"July 20.--Yesterday was a very busy day with his Majesty, who
is going much too fast, and begins to alarm his Ministers and
astonish the world. In the morning he inspected the Coldstream
Guards, dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military
uniform, and with a great pair of gold spurs half way up his legs
like a game-cock, although he was not to ride, for, having chalk
stones in his hands, he can't hold the reins."
He next began to meddle with the uniforms, etc. in the army, doubtless
with a view to save the pockets of the officers, for army dress, under
George the Magnificent, had become very much gold belaced and
expensive; but of all the orders issued on August 2nd from the Horse
Guards, we will only take two.
[Illustration: Adieu, my Moustachios!]
"The moustachios of the Cavalry (excepting in the Life Guards,
the Horse Guards, and the Hussars) to be abolished, and the hair
of the non-commissioned officer and soldier throughout the
regular force to be cut close at the sides and back of the head,
instead of being worn in that bushy and unbecoming fashion
adopted by some regiments."
The illustration on the opposite page is taken from a contemporary
song called "Adieu, my Moustachios!" Words by T. Haynes Bayly; music
by J. Blewitt, and the first verse runs thus--
"Adieu, my moustachios! farewell to my tip!
Lost, lost is the pride of my chin and my lip!
When Laura last saw me she said that the world
Contain'd no moustachois so charmingly curl'd!
But razors are ruthless, my honours they nip,
Adieu, my moustachois! farewell to my tip!"
[Illustration: Raising the Wind by Royal Authority.]
Order No. 2 was as follows:--
"The four regiments of Hussars to be dressed exactly alike. Their
officers to have one dress only, and that of a less costly
pattern, which will forthwith be prepared."
Of course, this, like the former ukase, could not escape the satirist,
and we have the accompanying illustration by R. S. entitled, "RAISING
THE WIND BY ROYAL AUTHORITY. His Majesty intends diminishing the
extravagant expense of the Military Officer's dress. _See the
papers._"
Here we see the Jew old clothesmen chaffering against each other and
bargaining with Hussar Officers for their compulsorily left-off
finery.
CHAPTER III.
1830.
The King as "_bon bourgeois_"--Mobbed--Street song about him--A
sailor in Guildhall--Behaviour of the public at Windsor--Charles
X. in England--The "New Police"--A modest advertisement.
The King affected the _bon bourgeois_, which, after the regal
etiquette of the late King, rather astonished the lieges. The
_Magazine of Fashions_ for August, says--
"He comes unexpectedly and unattended, as they are trooping the
guard at St. James's, attired like a private gentleman, and nods
graciously to the people, passes jokes with the officers, and
tells the privates 'they shall rise by their own merits.'
"He comes to town on the dickey of his own chariot.
"He goes to Somerset House in a pair-horse carriage without a
lancer, dragoon, or policeman to attend him, because he says,
'his guards are his people;' and he stops purposely in the
streets that the people may say 'they have seen a King!'
"He employs a hairdresser in Water Lane, Fleet Street, to make
his coachman's white and curled wigs; because the poor fellow,
when he knew better days, lived at the West End, and was employed
by the then Duke of Clarence. We have seen these wigs being made.
"He has all the members of his family, as a family, about him,
and 'harmony and affection' is his favourite toast.
"He neither likes moustaches nor foreign servants; because the
one disguises an Englishman's face, and the other dupes an
Englishman's pocket.
"He observes an old sailor upon the lamp-post, near Somerset
House, who gets aloft 'to look out for his captain' (old blue
trouser's own words), and he sends him enough to rum it for a
week.
"He overhauls the documents of the Navy Pay Office, to ascertain
if any arrears of pay or prize-money are due to the seamen; and
he orders refreshments to the poor recruits, to encourage them to
become soldiers.
"He meets two _ladies_ (by character as well as title) in St.
James's, one of whom solicits the honour to kiss his hand.
'Madam,' says the gallant monarch, 'my glove for courtiers, but
_my cheek for ladies_; may I _be permitted to touch yours_?' Lady
M---- 'wore her _blushing_ honours thick about her.'
"He asks people to dinner in the style of a friend, rather than a
command, and does not require their presence if they have 'a
better engagement.'
"Above all things, he impresses upon those who pay their respects
to him officially, or visit him familiarly, that his friends are
the Queen's.
"He proceeds in person, and in a style becoming the splendour of
the Crown, to dissolve Parliament, appearing himself in the
costume of a thorough-paced sailor; thus practising in his own
person the precepts he command--thus giving countenance to his
fellow-tars appearing in his presence in the dress which they can
afford to procure, and in which they have conquered.
"His Majesty, we hear, paid great attention to Sir Robert Wilson
at the _levée_, and, after conversing with him familiarly for
some time, said, in conclusion, 'Meet me to-night at Sussex's,
and bring your daughters with you.'
"A female servant of Mr. Brown, of Northampton, being in town
with her mistress, was permitted to go to the review on Monday
last, and, having obtained liberty from one of the soldiers to
pass in front of the ranks, she approached the Royal carriage
without knowing it, and asked one of the Ladies of Honour, 'Which
is the Queen?' The Queen, hearing the inquiry, immediately
answered, 'I am the Queen!' 'Oh, do show me the King, then!' The
King, hearing the request, instantly turned round, and said with
a smile, 'I am the King!' evidently enjoying her amazement and
delight. The Queen permitted the woman to hold her hand, which
she had seized in the hurry of the moment, for several minutes."
Greville gives us a sketch of his _bourgeoisie_ and its consequences--
"All this was very well; no great harm in it; more affable, less
dignified than the late King; but, when this (a Privy Council)
was over, and he might very well have sat himself quietly down
and rested, he must needs put on his plainer clothes, and start
on a ramble about the streets, alone, too. In Pall Mall he met
Watson Taylor, and took his arm, and went up St. James's Street.
There he was followed by a mob, making an uproar, and when he got
near White's, a woman came up and kissed him. Belfast (who had
been sworn in Privy Councillor in the morning), who saw this from
White's, and Clinton, thought it time to interfere, and came out
to attend him. The mob increased, and, always holding Mr.
Taylor's arm, and flanked by Clinton and Belfast, who got shoved
and kicked about, to their inexpressible wrath, he got back to
the Palace, amid shouting and bawling and applause. When he got
home, he asked them to go in and take a quiet walk in the garden,
and said, 'Oh, never mind all this; when I have walked about a
few times they will get used to it, and take no notice.'
"They even sang songs about him in the streets, of which the
following is one:--
"THE KING AND THE SAILOR.
"In Portsmouth town, at the sign of the Ship,
A jolly Jack Tar sat drinking flip;
A messmate was there, who spun him a yarn
That we'd a new King, he'd soon give him to larn.
"Says sailor Ben to sailor Jim,
'He's a King and a sailor trim,
And 'bout him there's no palaver or fuss,
A cause, don't you know, he is one of us.'
"Says sailor Ben to his messmate Jim,
'He knows that I've sailed under him;
And when our ship's paid off at Chatham,
I'll go and have a good stare at 'em.'
"Now Ben Block he arriv'd at the park,
And soon the King and Queen did mark;
Says Ben, says he, 'I'll bet you a tanner,
He hails you in a King-like manner.'
[Illustration: Bourgeoisie.]
"'Ye ho!' says Ben, and he soon brought-to,
And his boatswain's whistle out he drew;
When the King turn'd round with pride and joy,
'Halloo!' says he 'what ship ahoy?'
"Now Ben, he answered with a grin,
'The _Royal Charlotte_ I've sailed in;
She was nam'd arter your royal mother,
Whose great and glorious son you are!'
The King the hand of Ben he shook,
And said, 'At that time I was a Mid;'
Then Ben lugged out his 'bacca box,
And said to the King, '_Come, take a quid_.'
"'If you won't, the Queen may like a bit,
Mayhap, like one of the Indian squaws;'
So he scrap'd up to her, and offered his box,
'No, thank ye,' says she, '_I never chaws_.'
"The King, he gave promotion to Ben,
So he thought that he'd steer back again;
But the Queen, he thought he first would tell her,
'That her husband, the King, was a d--d good fellow'!"
_Par parenthèse_, here is a story of a sailor (_Times_, August 9th)--
"Guildhall. Before Alderman Ansley.--An old tar, the very _beau
ideal_ of a 'true British sailor,' who gave his name as _Will
Robinson_, his dark visage surmounted with a quantity of black
hair, twisted and matted like so many ropes' ends, was charged
with being drunk and assaulting the patrol of Aldgate Ward.
"Bunce, the complainant, stated that between three and four
o'clock the preceding evening, he found the tar stretched keel
uppermost upon the footway in Aldersgate Street, exposed, not
altogether decently, to the gaze of a crowd of idle boys. Bunce
roused him, and advised him to move on; but, instead of obeying,
Will ordered him to sheer off, or he'd pour a broadside into him;
and, suiting the action to the word, commenced pummelling
complainant most furiously. Bunce would have had no chance
against the heavy metal of Will Robinson, but Hawkins, the
marshal-man, came up, and with his aid the tar was secured in the
Compter. While they were on the way, the tar contrived to get his
pocket-knife open in his hand, but Hawkins perceived it and took
it from him.
"'You hear what the officer says?' observed the alderman,
addressing the prisoner.
"'Yes; but it is a d--d lie,' roared out Will Robinson, enforcing
his assertion by a loud thump of his clenched fist upon the bar.
"'He says you drew a knife upon him,' said the alderman.
"'Your honour knows I can't spin a long yarn like this here
chap,' replied the old tar, 'but I never hurted man, woman, or
child in my life, barring 'twas a frog-eater; but I was a lad
then, and it was in the cause of old England; and d--e, I don't
think I'd hurt him neither, after a glass of grog or two.'
"Alderman. 'How long have you been in England?'
"'Only two hours ashore, your honour,' replied Will. 'I'd just
come from China, and got taking a glass with one messmate and a
glass with another.'
"Alderman. 'The sure way to get drunk. You should have taken a
glass with but one messmate.'
"'Your honour is an excellent preacher, and it's all very true;
but if an old sailor, after a long voyage, when all hands are
piped ashore, refused to drink with every mate who asked him,
he'd be called a scaly fellow, and you know I should not like
that.'
"Bunce. 'I did not mind the assault, but I thought it was better
to put him in a place of safety for his own sake.'
"'D--e, you're an honest fellow, after all,' exclaimed the tar,
seizing the officer's hand and squeezing it till the tears
started into Bunce's eyes. 'Come, and we'll make it right over a
glass of grog, old boy.'
"Alderman. 'I doubt whether you have any money left.'
"Will felt in his pockets, and could not find a copper. 'All
gone! all gone!' exclaimed the tar, mournfully.
"'It's all right--I've got his money safe,' said Bunce, drawing
forth an ample handful of silver and gold.
"'Huzza! huzza! Old England for ever!' vociferated the delighted
tar, when he saw the money; and, seizing Bunce by the collar,
'Come along, come along, old boy; I'm as dry as a dolphin.'
"Bunce refused till he counted the money, shilling by shilling,
in the presence of the alderman; but, when he began to do so,
Will found the operation too slow for the current of his
feelings; and, catching up the officer by the waist, he carried
him off in triumph, exclaiming, 'Keep it, my boy, keep it; we'll
drink every penny of it; and maybe his honour there' (turning to
the alderman), 'would take a drop of summut.'
"The alderman could not contain his gravity, but he declined the
offer; and Will set off with the officer still firmly held in his
grip."
As a specimen of the manners of the age (and I cannot see that they
have greatly improved now), we may take the following extract from a
private letter, dated Windsor, August 15th:--
"You would perceive, from the newspapers, that the Grand Terrace
was thrown open to the public yesterday week. From the walk
immediately under the castle you may see portions of the
magnificent rooms--the splendid ceilings, window drapery, and
chandeliers. I was delighted with the sight, and again visited
the terrace on Sunday. The terrace was then crowded, and I am
sorry to add, English-like, some of the people, (of the lower
class, certainly) had behaved so ill, that the public were
excluded from that part adjoining the building. Some of the
creatures who abused the privilege thus extended to the public,
not only ascended the steps leading to the state apartments, but
actually climbed up into the windows to look into the rooms, thus
intruding their rudeness on the King. It is said that his Majesty
himself, from a window, saw a person writing his name on one of
the statues, and observed on the occasion, 'I shall be compelled
to do as my brother did, exclude the public from this part, if
such conduct is continued.' The grass was all trampled and
injured, the people would not confine themselves to the gravel
walks."
By the way, about this time, the King gave the Zoological Society the
whole of the collection of beasts and birds belonging to the late
King, amounting to 150.
England has frequently afforded shelter to unfortunate
princes--notably, in late times, to Louis XVIII., who resided at
Hartwell, in Buckinghamshire--and now another French King, Charles X.,
sought her protection, arriving at Portsmouth on August 17th, and
proceeding to Lulworth in Dorsetshire, where he was welcomed at the
castle, which was placed at his disposal by Joseph Weld, Esq., a
relative of the cardinal of that name. Here he remained some time,
afterwards residing at Holyrood Palace, and finally retired to
Austria, where he died.
On June 19, 1829, the King said "Le Roi le veult" to an Act of
Parliament (10 Geo. IV. c. 44) entitled "An Act for improving the
Police in and near the Metropolis"--the present Police Act--introduced
by Sir Robert Peel, from which fact the policemen were called
"Bobbies" and "Peelers." They commenced duty on September 29, 1829,
and were, at first, extremely unpopular, because of their strictness,
compared to the Bow Street runners, patrols, and night watchmen. The
parishes complained bitterly of the increased expense, but they forgot
how much better they were guarded. It was also alleged that there were
too few policemen distributed over certain districts, and too many in
others; but that was a defect in administration almost certain to
occur at first start, which experience afterwards rectified. Perhaps,
also, the best men were not chosen, as the force was not so popular as
now, when none but men of unblemished character are admitted, whilst
as to the present physique of the over fifteen thousand Metropolitan
Police, any general would be proud of such a division, which is
utterly unattainable in any army.
Here is a sketch of the uniform of the "New Police" as they were
called, copied from a satirical print of Sir Robert Peel, by the
celebrated H. B. (John Doyle, father of Richard Doyle, to whom _Punch_
owed so much). The hats were worn until a comparatively recent period,
and in summer-time they wore white trousers.
[Illustration: New Police.]
The following extract from the _Times_ of September 16th gives an
account of the police as they were at the expiration of twelve months
from their inauguration:--
"There are 16 divisions of the police, and each division
contains, on an average, 200 men, except the K division, which
contains 32; there are also, in each division, six inspectors and
one superintendent. The whole number of privates and sergeants
alone amounts to 3600, without reckoning the inspectors and
superintendents. The greater part of this large body of men were
necessarily taken from the lower classes of the people, and it
can readily be believed that the Commissioners were unable to
make strict inquiry into every individual case, and yet there
have been very few _bona fide_ cases of improper behaviour on the
part of the men. In each division there is a defaulter-book, in
which the names of the men considered unfit for duty are written
down and shown to the Commissioners, and they are immediately
discharged."
The subjoined advertisement, which is singular, from the modesty of
its diction, appeared in the _Times_ of September 15th, and, as in the
scheme of this book there is no special place set apart for such, it
may as well come in here in order of chronology.
"A youth who has completed his 18th year within 100 hours of his
writing this advertisement, wishing to make head against the _res
angusta domi_, hereby TENDERS his CAPACITIES to any honourable
patronage which the chapter of accidents may raise up in his
behoof. Born to better hopes, his bringing up has not been wholly
neglected, and he would fain apply some of the little items of
his unpretending culture towards honest advancement in a life
which even his short experience has proved to be not altogether
unchequered--the mind's eye irresistably glancing at an example
which recent events have revived and made too memorable to be
overlooked by such a votary to fortune as the advertiser; to wit,
the august example of King Philip the first,[6] who when, in
"the turns of chance below," even his star was dimmed, did not
disdain to extract independent maintenance from knowledge which,
in his early days, he had learnt as mere ornament. Far from
aiming, like the variously accomplished Duke of Orleans, at
geometry, or the sublimer sciences, the humble advertiser
ventures to hope that his tolerable, hourly improving fluency in
French, Italian, and modern Greek (the latter language now become
of increased English interest from the increase of English
colonization in the Mediterranean), would enable him to give
lessons, and materially conduce to perfect pupils in each of
these branches, at most moderate remuneration. That same
Mediterranean has been the sad cause of this advertisement.
Nearly 1900 years after the prince of Latian poets wrote his
description of the storm which, all but, engulfed Æneas and his
followers--that description which, from Homer to Shakespeare,
from Shakespeare to the present hour, the universe of poetry has
never equalled--even in that very part of that very sea, a sudden
springing up of that wind, which, though the desire and delight
of northern regions, is proverbial for storms (_creber procellis
Africus_) not confined to illustrating the poet's text, in
abruptly shrouding a shipful of 'noble creatures' from the sight
of the clouds, from the face of heaven and the light of day, not
confined to a presentiment of instant death to all on shipboard,
but in rending reality, depriving every soul of clouds, of light
and life, by sinking the whole in fell ocean, without a single
survivor--the advertiser's dear father (an English functionary in
the Ionian Islands) being one of the sufferers--leaving his son a
burden, where he would be an alleviator, to the most affectionate
of mothers. A statement of other capabilities, penmanship,
arithmetic, etc., is forborne, because they may be implied.
Indeed, friends, too partial, no doubt, imagine that to any
mission, especially southward, the advertiser might be a not
ineligible appendage. At all events, he thus adventures his
speculation, trusting its result to 'the caterer for the
sparrow.'"
[Footnote 6: Louis Philippe.]
CHAPTER IV.
1830.
Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway--Death of Mr.
Huskisson--Agricultural lawlessness--Captain Swing--Executions
for riot--Riots throughout the country--Special
Commissions--Prayer to be used in churches and chapels.
About this time a melancholy but all-absorbing topic of conversation
was the death of Mr. Wm. Huskisson, one of the M.P.'s for Liverpool;
and the most succinct account I can find of this sad accident is in
the _Annual Register_. It happened on September 15th, at the opening
of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
"On Wednesday morning, as early as seven o'clock, the people of
Liverpool were seen flocking in crowds to the tunnel in order to
secure good places for a view of the procession. The whole line
of road, for the distance of seven or eight miles out of
Liverpool, was lined by dense crowds; and several stands, to
which the public had been admitted at half a crown a head, were
completely filled. Eight of the Company's locomotive engines were
brought down to the mouth of the tunnel at about half-past nine.
The Duke of Wellington arrived about ten o'clock, and was greeted
with enthusiasm by the immense crowd. The splendid state
carriage, which had been prepared for his Grace, was taken down
the tunnel; the military band played 'See the Conquering Hero
comes;' and, in a few minutes, the Duke was drawn from the
tunnel, amid the loud cheers of the spectators.
"The procession left Liverpool twenty minutes before eleven
o'clock, drawn by eight locomotive engines, in the following
order: Northumbrian, with the directors and numerous
distinguished visitors, including the Duke of Wellington;
Phoenix, green flag; North Star, yellow; Rocket,[7] light blue;
Dart, purple; Comet, deep red; Arrow, pink; Meteor, brown; with
visitors and proprietors. On issuing from the smaller tunnel at
Liverpool, the Northumbrian took the south, or right-hand line of
railway, and drew three carriages, the first containing the band,
the second the Duke of Wellington and a number of other persons,
of distinction, and the third the directors of the railway. The
other engines proceeded along the north line.... The total number
of persons conveyed was stated to be 772. The procession did not
proceed at a pace of more than fifteen or sixteen miles an hour.
[Footnote 7: This engine may now be seen in the Patent Museum,
South Kensington.]
"In the course of the journey, the Northumbrian accelerated or
retarded its speed occasionally, to give the Duke of Wellington
an opportunity of inspecting the most remarkable parts of the
work.
"Before starting from Liverpool, the company were particularly
requested not to leave the carriages, and the same caution was
repeated in the printed directions describing the order of the
procession. Notwithstanding this regulation, Mr. Huskisson, Mr.
William Holmes, M.P., and other gentlemen, alighted when the
Northumbrian stopped at Parkside. On the stoppage of the
Northumbrian at Parkside Bridge, Mr. Huskisson, as well as many
others, got out, and Mr. Holmes, for the purpose of bringing Mr.
Huskisson and the Duke together, and of producing a renewed good
feeling between them, led Mr. Huskisson round to that part of the
car where the Duke was stationed, who, perceiving the advance of
the right hon. gentleman, immediately held out his hand to him,
which was shaken in a very cordial manner. It was almost at this
moment that the Rocket was perceived to be on the advance, and a
general move took place to get out of its way, several persons
calling out, 'Get in! get in!'
"Some followed this advice, scrambling up as best they might in
the absence of the steps. Others made their way round to the end
of the car, and Mr. Huskisson appeared to be acting under the
idea of crossing the Rocket's railway before the engine came up;
from this, however, he was deterred by the steepness of the bank
beyond.
"Mr. Holmes, who was standing in the same situation as the right
hon. gentleman, took his resolution on the instant, and drew
himself up as closely as he could against the side of the ducal
car. The intervening space between the railways is exactly four
feet, but as the ducal car overhung it about two feet, and the
Rocket engine about six inches, there was only a clear space of
eighteen inches left--sufficient, however, to enable a person to
stand without injury or damage.
"Mr. Holmes, whilst thus affixing himself in this manner to the
ducal car, had time to perceive the irresolution of the right
hon. gentleman, and he called out to him, 'For God's sake, be
firm, Mr. Huskisson.' Mr. Huskisson grasped hold of the door of
the ducal carriage the moment before the Rocket passed; this
door, when open, projected so far over the neighbouring railway,
that it was struck by the Rocket; the consequence was, that it
swung rapidly round, overbalanced Mr. Huskisson, and caused him
to fall on the railway of the Rocket, when his right leg
instantly came in contact with the wheel of the engine, and was
crushed.
"The Earl of Wilton, Mr. Holmes, and Mr. Parkes, solicitor of
Birmingham, raised Mr. Huskisson from the ground. The only words
he uttered at the time were to this effect, 'I have met my death.
God forgive me.' The first thing that was done was to twist a
handkerchief (in the manner of a tourniquet) tightly round the
wounded parts of the limb, for the purpose of stopping the
effusion of blood; and, the Northumbrian being detached from the
carriages, it was sent forward, with the greatest possible speed,
to Eccles, with Mr. Huskisson, the Earl of Wilton, Mr.
Stephenson, and two medical gentlemen. A consultation was next
held by the party at Newton, as to the course best to be adopted
under these melancholy circumstances.
"The Duke of Wellington was very desirous that the procession
should be stopped and return to Liverpool. After some
consultation, however, this proposal was relinquished, and it was
finally agreed to proceed with the ceremony of opening the
railway, to prevent, in some degree, the alarm and disappointment
which must otherwise have been occasioned to the vast multitudes
who thronged this end of the railway. The carriages of the Duke
and the directors were consequently attached to those which
accompanied the Phoenix engine, and in this manner the whole
proceeded at a slow pace to Eccles, where a stoppage took place,
while the Duke and his friends made inquiry respecting the
condition of Mr. Huskisson. The Northumbrian, which had, by this
time, arrived from Manchester with Mr. Ransome and other
surgeons, was then re-attached to the Duke's carriage, etc., and
the whole proceeded in the order originally agreed upon, to
Manchester. The Northumbrian, with the Duke and directors,
arrived in front of the warehouses about a quarter before three,
but the other engines and carriages, did not arrive till some
time afterwards.
"Mr. Huskisson and the party who accompanied him, arrived at the
Vicarage of Eccles about half-past one o'clock. A couch was
carried to the railway, upon which he was placed, and in a
reclining position, he was removed into the drawing-room of the
Vicarage. A bed was immediately prepared for his accommodation;
but the pain which he endured was so severe, that he could not be
carried to it, and he remained upon the couch until the moment of
his death.
"On arriving at the Vicarage, the surgeon found Mr. Huskisson in
a state of extreme suffering, but remarkably composed, and
exhibiting extraordinary firmness of mind. The bones of the leg
were broken into small pieces, and a considerable wound was
visible on the skin and muscles. The thigh bone, above the middle
part, was also broken into several fragments, and the muscles
were laid bare high up the thigh, exposing the principal nerves
and blood-vessels. The professional gentlemen decided that it was
impossible to adventure upon the amputation of the limb. The
sufferings of the patient, during the few hours he survived, were
most acute. Every now and then groans of the deepest agony were
extorted from him by the intensity of the pain which he was
enduring; there were, however, no screams, no murmurings against
the dispensations of Providence; but every symptom of the most
manly courage, the most unshrinking fortitude, and the most
Christian resignation.
"In the course of the evening, when Mr. Blackburne, the Vicar, in
reading the Lord's Prayer to him, came to the clause, 'forgive us
our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us,' Mr.
Huskisson said, in a firm and distinct tone of voice, 'That I do,
most heartily; and I declare to God that I have not the slightest
feeling of ill-will to any human being.' The Sacrament was,
subsequently, administered to him and Mrs. Huskisson. He did not
make any allusion, or send any remembrance, to his political
friends. He showed a natural anxiety for the preservation of his
character as a Statesman. 'The country,' said he, 'has had the
best of me. I trust that it will do justice to my public
character. I regret not the few years which might have remained
to me, except for those dear ones,' added he, grasping Mrs.
Huskisson's hand, and looking with affectionate regret upon her
dejected countenance, 'whom I leave behind me.' He dictated a
codicil to his will, which was drawn up by Mr. Wainwright, his
secretary, and witnessed by the Earl of Wilton, and Lords
Granville and Colvill. On the day following his death, an inquest
was held on his body, the verdict of which was, 'Accidental
death.'"
He was buried at Liverpool on September 24th, receiving a magnificent
funeral, in the presence of about twenty thousand people.
Now began a reign of agricultural lawlessness, and first at Otmoor in
Oxfordshire, which arose from the draining and enclosing of some two
thousand acres, over which seven neighbouring townships had right of
common. The land was of little value, being very marshy, and a proper
Act of Parliament had been obtained for its reclamation, which was
partially effected, when the commoners rose, and set about destroying
fences, embankments, etc. Two regiments of yeomanry were sent to put
down the uprising, and, after the Riot Act was read, some sixty
prisoners were made. These were put into waggons and carts, and taken
to Oxford, there to be lodged in gaol. But St. Giles's fair happened
to be on at Oxford, and the country folk there assembled fell upon the
yeomanry and rescued the captives; only temporarily, however, for a
detachment of soldiers was afterwards sent down by Government, and
many of the rioters were apprehended.
This was only the outcome of an ignorant population, who fancied they
were being deprived of their ancient rights, whereas it was really
done for their benefit, and would hardly merit notice did it not show
the uneasiness of the agricultural mind at this period. Captain Swing
was abroad, and the red glow of rick-burning was spreading through the
land, notably, at that time, in Kent. The very next paragraph in the
_Times_ of September 8th, to the account of the Otmoor riots, is about
alarming incendiary fires at Orpington and its neighbourhood, in which
barns and outhouses, stacks of corn and hay, were destroyed. Nay, the
miscreants did not stop there. They attempted to terrorize by means of
anonymous letters, in which not only the burning of more property was
threatened, but the destruction of house, owner, and family.
Sometimes, but not often, the wretches were caught, and then little
mercy was shown them, as in a case in Somersetshire, where the High
Sheriff hanged three men convicted of this offence, on gallows erected
on the spot where the crime had been committed, the gallows bearing an
inscription in large letters, so that all might read: "For Firing
Stacks." Over fifteen thousand people witnessed this execution.
Several men were arrested as being Captain Swing, whose signature was
always attached to the threatening notices; but there is every reason
to believe that no such entity existed. Here is his fancy portrait,
drawn by Heath, entitled "Swing! taken from the life. Dedicated to
Messrs. Cobbett, Carlisle and Co."
[Illustration: Swing.]
To show somewhat of the terrorism of this name at that time, I quote
from the _Kentish Gazette_ of October 9th--
"Anonymous letters, signed 'Swing,' have been received by post,
by two individuals at Dover, threatening the destruction of their
premises by fire, which has caused great alarm in their families.
The dead walls, all through the town, and for some miles on the
road to Canterbury, all bear the same significant word 'Swing,'
written in chalk."
The newspapers of the day teem with notices of outrages, particularly
during the last three months of the year. A very good and terse
account of these agricultural riots is in the _Annual Register_, pp.
149, 150.
"The disturbances began in Kent. The rioters did not assume the
character of disorderly mobs, nor did they profess to seek any
political objects. They appeared, at first, as lurking
incendiaries, and wreaked their vengeance on property, the
destruction of which could only aggravate the causes of their
misery. Night after night, new conflagrations were lighted up by
bands of incendiaries; corn stacks, barns, farm buildings, live
stock, were consumed indiscriminately. Bolder bands attacked
mills, and demolished the machinery; and all threshing-machines,
in particular, were condemned. Threatening letters were
circulated, demanding the raising of wages, or the disuse of the
machinery; and the nightly exploits of the writers insured
attention to their demands. The first of the rioters who were
seized, and tried before the County Magistrates, were treated
with undue lenity. Commiseration for starving labourers was
commendable; but it could not be want which induced men to
destroy the materials of food. During October, November, and
December, but more particularly the two former months, it made
its way from Kent into the counties of Hants, Wilts, Bucks,
Sussex, and Surrey. Throughout the whole of that district of the
country, all protection for property seemed to be at an end.
Bands of rioters pillaged and destroyed during the day; and, as
soon as night fell, simultaneous conflagrations, starting up in
different quarters, spread over the country havoc and dismay. The
military force in the disturbed counties was increased, a
proclamation was issued offering a reward of £500 for the
conviction of any person engaged in the fire raisings; and a
Special Commission was ordered to proceed into the Shires where
the outrages were committed."
These Special Commissions were held in December, and many were the
sentences of death recorded against the worst of the rioters, although
but few were carried out. The first victims to the outraged majesty of
the law were three men, found guilty at the Maidstone Assizes, who
were hanged for arson on Penenden Heath. Nor was it only by the strong
arm of the law that order was attempted to be restored, the help of
the Almighty was also invoked in furtherance of that end. A supplement
to the _Gazette_ of the 24th of December, contained an Order in
Council, that the Archbishop of Canterbury do prepare forms of prayer
to Almighty God, on account of the troubled state of certain parts of
the United Kingdom; and another for reading the same in all the
Episcopal Churches and Chapels in England and Scotland. In consequence
of this Order, a form of prayer was issued, which the curious in those
things may read in the _Times_ of December 28th, to be used
immediately before the Litany, and when the Litany was not read,
before the prayer for all conditions of men, in all cathedrals,
collegiate and parochial churches and chapels in England and Ireland.
CHAPTER V.
1830.
Duke of Wellington mobbed and stoned--Owing to riots, the King
postponed his visit to the city--No Lord Mayor's show, nor
dinner--Riots in the city--Apsley House besieged--Ireland
proclaimed--Ferment in the country--Change of Ministry--Royal
succession--Scotch regalia--Curious story of a bank-note.
Rioting was not confined to the country. The cry of parliamentary
reform was exciting the great towns, and especially London. On
November 2nd, when the King went to open Parliament, the Duke of
Wellington was mobbed in the Park, and struck on the cheek with a
stone. The King and Queen were going to dine at Guildhall on Lord
Mayor's day, November 9th, and all was prepared for the banquet, but,
on the 7th, the Duke of Wellington received the following letter:--
"MY LORD DUKE,
"From the situation of Lord Mayor, to which I have been elected,
numberless communications have been made to me, both personally
and by letter, in reference to the 9th, and it is on that account
that I take the liberty of addressing your Grace.
"Although the feelings of the respectable citizens of London are
decidedly loyal, yet it cannot but be known that there are, both
in London, as well as the country, a set of desperate and
abandoned characters who are anxious to avail themselves of any
circumstance to create tumult and confusion. While all of any
respectability in the city are vieing with each other to testify
their loyalty on the occasion; from what I learn, it is the
intention of some of the desperate characters above mentioned, to
take the opportunity of making an attack on your Grace's person,
on your approach to the Hall. Every exertion on my part shall be
used to make the best possible arrangements in the City; and, at
the same time, I feel that, should any violent attack be made in
one quarter, any civil force alone might not be sufficiently
effectual; and I should not be doing my duty, after what I have
heard, did I not take the liberty of suggesting to your Grace the
propriety of coming strongly and sufficiently guarded.
"I probably may be considered as giving you needless trouble, but
the respect which I, as well as every person who really wishes
the welfare of the country, must have for your Grace, and the
gratitude we owe you, has induced me to adopt this course.
"I have, etc.
"(Signed) JOHN KEY,
"Lord Mayor Elect."
Other communications to a similar effect were made to the Ministers;
and in the evening of the 7th the following letter was received by the
Lord Mayor, from Sir Robert Peel:--
"MY LORD,
"I am commanded by the King to inform your Lordship, that his
Majesty's confidential servants have felt it to be their duty to
advise the King to postpone the visit which their Majesties
intended to pay the City of London on Tuesday next. From
information which has been recently received, there is reason to
apprehend that, notwithstanding the devoted loyalty and affection
borne to his Majesty by the citizens of London, advantage would
be taken of an occasion which must necessarily assemble a vast
number of persons by night, to create tumult and confusion, and
thereby to endanger the properties and the lives of his subjects.
It would be a source of deep and lasting concern to their
Majesties were any calamity to occur on the occasion of their
visit to the City of London, and their Majesties have therefore
resolved, though not without the greatest reluctance and regret,
to forego, for the present, the satisfaction which that visit
would have afforded to their Majesties.
"I have the honour to be, my Lord,
"Your obedient servant,
"ROBERT PEEL."
A deputation from the committee appointed to superintend the
entertainment waited upon his Majesty's ministers three times on
Tuesday; and the Duke of Wellington plainly told them that there was
but one of two courses to be adopted--the postponement of the visit,
or the alternative of bringing a large body of military into the City.
The effect of Sir Robert Peel's letter upon the minds of the citizens
was beyond description. Men hastened to purchase arms, and to secure
the fastenings of their houses, as if there was going to be an armed
rebellion. On the 8th, consols fell three per cent. in about an hour
and a half, whilst the streets were choked with busy crowds, listening
to and spreading all sorts of alarming rumours. The prevailing one was
that it was intended to allow the procession to return to the
Guildhall unmolested, but that, in the evening, the passage of Temple
Bar and the bridges should have been barricaded, the gas-pipes cut
off, and, under the cloud of darkness, an indiscriminate plunder of
the City take place.
The new Lord Mayor proclaimed that neither the usual procession, nor
the banquet would take place, and, accordingly, there were neither
this year. And well it was that it was so, for there would assuredly
have been a riot; as it was, it was bad enough, as we see from the
following account taken from the _Annual Register_:--
"Both on Monday and on Tuesday (8th and 9th November) the streets
of the Metropolis were unusually crowded, and a considerable
degree of excitement prevailed. On Monday night a meeting was
held at the Rotunda, in Blackfriars Road, at which Mr. Hunt
presided as Chairman. It did not terminate till half-past eleven
o'clock, when Hunt retired. The instant he left the meeting, an
individual exposed a tri-coloured flag, with 'Reform' painted
upon it; and a cry of 'Now for the West End,' was instantly
raised. This seemed to act as a signal, evidently preconcerted,
as the individuals composing the meeting, one and all, assented,
and sallied forth in a body, the individual unfurling the
tri-coloured flag.
"They then proceeded over the bridge, in numbers amounting to
about a thousand, shouting as they passed along, 'Reform!' 'Down
with the Police!' 'No Peel!' 'No Wellington!' In their route they
were joined by others, and in this manner they proceeded through
Fleet Street and the Strand. The Adelphi theatre was closing, and
the audience about to leave, when, the shouts of the mob being
heard, the doors were instantly closed, and the audience were
kept in the house till they had passed. As they proceeded, they
were joined by a considerable number of notoriously bad
characters, who were very loud in their exclamations against the
police.
"The mob first proceeded into Downing Street, where they formed
themselves into a line immediately in the front of the residence
of Earl Bathurst. A gentleman in the house, hearing the tumult,
presented himself at the balcony, armed with a brace of pistols,
and, addressing the mob, warned them against committing any
illegal act, declaring that he would fire upon the first man that
attempted to enter the house. Yells and groans followed this
declaration, and a cry of 'Go it, go it!' was raised by the mob.
At this moment, another gentleman came out on the balcony, and
took the pistols out of his hands, upon which the mob gave loud
cheers.
"A strong body of the new police arrived from Scotland Yard, and
formed themselves into a line at the end of King Street to
prevent the mob from going to the House of Commons, where they
intended to proceed. A general fight now ensued, in which the new
police were assisted by several respectable-looking men, who used
every endeavour to put the mob to the rout. In the skirmish many
received broken heads, and the flag was captured. Inspector
Lincoln of the E division arrived with a body of seventy men, and
an equal number of the B division also came up, when the mob,
seeing the reinforcement, took to flight in all directions, and
the most perfect quietude succeeded. Three of the most desperate
of the rioters were arrested, and carried to the watch house in
the Almonry, Westminster. A reinforcement of the Royal Horse
Guards, blue, were mounted in the yard of the Horse Guards, and
remained there during the night, and extra policemen, in bodies,
paraded the streets.
"At an early hour in the morning of Tuesday, the new police were
called out in considerable numbers, and, by five o'clock in the
evening, a double row flanked the edges of either pavements, on
the Westminster side of Temple Bar, for a considerable distance.
This precaution was not taken without occasion, for, before this
period, a dense mob had collected within Temple Bar, in order to
see the preparations there made for an illumination. It was, at
last, found necessary, at a late hour in the afternoon, to employ
workmen in removing the temporary gas-pipes by which the lighting
up was intended to have been effected, lest any of the mob should
clamber the Bar, and communicate light to the various gas
orifices.
"As soon as the workmen arrived for this purpose, a body of
vagabonds ran through the avenues into Westminster, and
endeavoured to excite alarm by cries of 'Fire! Fire!' A large
body of the police were drawn up, about six o'clock, in the open
space leading to Waterloo Bridge, and similar precautions were
taken in other parts of Westminster.
"About half-past five, the refuse of the mob, which at an early
hour had assembled in the City, proceeded along the Strand, in a
body of between three and four hundred, consisting principally
of boys of the lowest description, vociferating 'No Peel--down
with the raw lobsters!' and other expressions of a similar
tendency. On arriving at Catherine Street, they rushed up it,
headed by a youth about sixteen, who cheered on the throng with
'This way, my lads--we'll give it them.' A temporary halt was
made at the corner of York Street; the mob then proceeded down
York Street, through Maiden Lane, Chandos Street, Hemming's Row,
to the rear of the Menagerie, at Charing Cross; the whole of them
yelling, shouting, groaning, and breaking windows in their
progress. A strong body of the E division now rushed upon them,
and dealt out severe blows with their staves on the heads and
arms of the mob. The captain of the gang was the first to
retreat; and the rioters were completely dispersed. At seven
o'clock the end of Fleet Street, by Temple Bar, was nearly
impassable, and the mob, who extended beyond the pathways, so as
to leave barely room for a coach to pass, demanded from each
passenger or coachman, as a passport, that he should pull off his
hat and shout 'Huzzah!'
"The City side of Temple Bar was in a very tumultuous state.
Stones were repeatedly thrown thence upon the police stationed on
the Westminster side. Attempts were also made to close the gates,
and several rushes upon the police were made from within. Mr.
Brown, the Marshal, insisted upon having the control of the gate,
as belonging to the City, and caused it to be instantly opened,
which produced loud cheering among the mob, and the cry of 'The
City police for ever!' They soon, however, lost their popularity,
by opposing the passage of the mob through the gate; and Mr.
Brown received a severe wound upon the head, in attempting to
disarm the rioters. The other City officers were also roughly
handled. The mob forced their way, but returned soon afterwards,
and went quietly through the City. The police were afterwards
withdrawn to a passage leading out of Picket Place into Newcastle
Court; and conflicts took place between them and the mob, in
which many on both sides received serious injuries. The mob, who
appeared afraid to venture outside the gates of Temple Bar,
amused themselves with throwing stones and large pieces of wood
among the police in Picket Place; they obtained these missiles
from the New Law Institution in Chancery Lane, the scaffold of
which was broken down and carried off, amidst loud cheers.
"In the course of the evening, another mob, of between four and
five hundred persons, proceeded along Piccadilly, and, in a smart
trot, made their way to Apsley House, the residence of the Duke
of Wellington; hallooing, and bestowing the usual expression of
disapprobation on the Duke, Mr. Peel, and the police. On their
reaching the end of Piccadilly, they were met with a strong force
of the D division of police, who succeeded in dispersing them in
different directions, without any serious accident to either
party. At eleven o'clock, Piccadilly and the whole of the West
End, from the bottom of the Haymarket upwards, was in an
undisturbed state; but the police, in number between four and
five hundred, were drawn up in Spring Gardens, ready to act,
should necessity require them to do so. Frequent communications
took place from the different station-houses to the head-quarters
at Scotland Yard, and the men employed as messengers upon this
occasion were attired in plain clothes, the better to facilitate
their progress, and prevent them from being attacked.
"Several parties of ill-disposed persons, many of whom were boys,
paraded the streets in Bethnal Green, Spitalfields, and
Whitechapel, for the purpose of creating a riot, but were
disappointed. One party, more formidable than the rest, passed by
Worship Street Office into Church Street, Spitalfields, where
they demolished the gas lamp and some windows at the police
station there, and, afterwards, those of a Mr. Chapple, a
fruiterer; thence they took a circuit round Bethnal Green, and
returned into the City without committing further mischief. The
magistrates were the whole evening in attendance at the different
offices. As early as six o'clock, the shops in St. Paul's
Churchyard, Ludgate Hill, and Fleet Street, were completely
closed, in consequence of the number of men assembled. The City
police in motion in the course of the day amounted to from five
hundred to six hundred men, including the firemen, ticket
porters, and tackle porters."
The whole country was in a state of ferment. In Ireland, the feeling
for repeal of the Union was so strong, that the Duke of
Northumberland, as Lord Lieutenant, issued a proclamation putting in
force the Act (10 George IV. c. 1) entitled, "An Act for the
Suppression of dangerous Associations or Assemblies in Ireland." And
the _Leeds Intelligencer_ (quoted in the _Times_ of October 23rd)
says--
"We observe that fears are expressed in some of the Metropolitan
papers, that disturbances are on the point of breaking out in the
North. It was reported in the City, on Monday afternoon, the
_Standard_ tells us, 'that a reinforcement of troops had been
demanded for Cumberland, in consequence of symptoms of
dissatisfaction having appeared among the colliers. Two
regiments, they state, are to start from Portsmouth. Artillery,
also, it is said, has been ordered from Woolwich, on Friday, for
the North. The state of the collieries and manufacturing
districts in that part of England is alarming.' Our information
does not at all bear out this alarming statement. Except some
Radical demonstrations at Carlisle, such as threats, political
nocturnal trainings, and a supposed secret preparation of
pikes--young trees having been cut down in various places--we
hear of nothing which should cause a sudden movement of troops.
Certain, however, it is, that an augmentation of force is taking
place in the North. The detachment of artillery stationed in
Leeds for about a year past, marched for Newcastle on Monday
morning."
Space prevents my giving any more about the riotous state of the
country during this year, exception only being made to the following
excerpt from the "Greville Memoirs":--
"December 1.--The last two or three days have produced no
remarkable outrages, and, though the state of the country is
still dreadful, it is rather better on the whole, than it was;
but London is like the capital of a country desolated by cruel
war, or foreign invasion, and we are always looking for reports
of battles, burnings, and other disorders. Wherever there has
been anything like fighting, the mob has always been beaten, and
has shown the greatest cowardice. They do not, however, seem to
have been actuated by a very ferocious spirit; and, considering
the disorders of the times, it is remarkable that they have not
been more violent and rapacious. Lord Craven, who is just of age,
with three or four more young Lords, his friends, defeated and
dispersed them in Hampshire. They broke into the Duke of
Beaufort's house at Heythrop, but he and his sons got them out
without mischief, and, afterwards, took some of them. On Monday,
as the field which had been out with the King's hounds were
returning to town, they were summoned to assist in quelling a
riot at Woburn, which they did; the gentlemen charged and broke
the people, and took some of them; and, fortunately, some troops
came up to secure the prisoners. The alarm, however, still
continues, and a feverish anxiety about the future universally
prevails, for no man can foresee what course events will take,
nor how his own individual circumstances may be affected by
them."
The Houses of Parliament were dissolved on July 23rd, and re-assembled
on October 26th. On November 15th, the Ministry were defeated over the
Civil List by a majority of twenty-nine, and on the next day the Duke
of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel resigned, and were succeeded by a
Ministry, at the head of which was Earl Grey. On the 15th, the Lord
Chancellor (Lord Lyndhurst) moved the appointment of a Regency in case
of the death of the King before the Princess Victoria arrived at the
age of eighteen. He said that the Bill which he was about to propose,
provided that, in the event of a posthumous child, her Majesty the
Queen should be guardian and regent during the minority; and that her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent should be guardian and regent
during the minority of the Princess Victoria; subject to be superseded
in the regency, in the case of the birth of a posthumous child. An
amendment was afterwards introduced, to the effect that the Princess
Victoria should not marry, while a minor, without the consent of the
King; or, in the event of his death, without the consent of both
Houses of Parliament; and that, if the Duchess of Kent, while regent,
married a foreigner, she should lose the regency. This Bill became law
on December 23rd, and is know as 1 Gul. IV. c. 2.
In December, the King sent to Scotland, for the purpose of being
deposited with the regalia, in the Crown-room of Edinburgh Castle, a
beautiful massive gold collar of the Garter, with rose diamond and
enamelled George, left to the King (George IV.) by Cardinal York, the
last of the royal line of Stuarts; and an ancient rose diamond badge
of St. Andrew, and a sapphire ring, set round with brilliants, being
Charles the First's coronation ring. The former of these jewels (which
weighs about three pounds), was presented to James VI. by his queen,
and was worn by that monarch.
I wind up the year with a very curious story of a bank-note. The
_Carlisle Patriot_ quoted in the _Times_ of December 29, says--
"We mentioned in our last that a £5 Bank of England note had been
received by a mercantile house in Liverpool, on the back of which
were written the following words: 'If this note gets into the
hand of John Dean, of Long Hills, near Carlisle, his brother
Andrew is a prisoner in Algiers.' The paragraph was read by a
person in Carlisle, who knew Andrew Dean, and is acquainted with
his brother, John Dean's, family, who are residing at Longtown.
John Dean's son was in Carlisle on Thursday last, and heard of
the paragraph from the person above alluded to; he called at this
office, in company with a friend, and, from what he related of
his uncle, there is every reason to believe that he is the Andrew
Dean, whose imprisonment in a distant country has, by this
singular means, been made known to his friends in England. Andrew
Dean, it appears, was formerly in the British navy, which he left
some time ago, and settled in business in Algiers. Communications
will be made to the Liverpool house, and also to Sir James Graham
(First Lord of the Admiralty), to ask his assistance in the
interesting inquiry."
I can trace no more about it; but it was pointed out that the
Ironmongers' Company has a fund of enormous amount, purposely reserved
for the liberation of captives in Barbary.
[Illustration: Bonnets.]
Here are some bonnets and fashions worn in 1830. Two walking dresses,
one evening, and one ball dress.
[Illustration: Dresses.]
CHAPTER VI.
1831.
Incendiary fires--Captain Swing--The result of Cobbett's
lectures--Special Commission--Prosecution of Carlile--Election
expenses--List of Close boroughs--Collapse of Reform Bill--The
King stoned--_Debût_ of Princess Victoria--The _Times_ and the
House of Lords--Bribery at elections--Action for libel--"The King
_v._ Cobbett"--Prince Leopold made King of the Belgians.
"The Red Cock" still crowed, and incendiary fires were still the order
of the day, in spite of the commissions to examine the numerous
prisoners in several counties. Captain Swing was rampant, and his
letters, if not always logical, as in the following instance, were
very numerous. The _Exeter Gazette_, quoted in the _Times_ of January
3rd, says--
"The following 'Swing' letter is the most ingenious commentary
which we have met with on the present infatuated attempts to
destroy machinery. Here is a fellow threatening the life of a
respectable person, because he is the means of reducing the
number of water-carriers, and supplies the inhabitants with a
quantity of that prime necessary of life, on terms cheaper than
they could obtain it from the moveable reservoirs which convey
some fifty or sixty gallons at a time round the town, at the rate
of a halfpenny a pailfull. The climax of the joke is the threat
which it holds out, of burning the Waterworks!
"'GOLSWORTHY.--This is to inform you that you and your waterworks
being the pest of the City of Exeter, not only by taking the
bread out of the mouths of the poor watermen, but by your
overbearance and pride, this is to inform you that if you do not
destroy that vile machine of yours, in 9 days, it shall be burnt
to the ground; and, further, if you neglect this notice, you
shall not only have your property burnt, but a mark shall be made
of your body.
"'From your deadly enemy,
"'SWING.
"'Neglect not this, or you will know the weight of lead.'"
Cobbett's lectures and writings undoubtedly influenced the minds of
the ignorant agricultural labourer, and one man, under sentence of
death for incendiarism at Battle, wrote the following confession:--
"I, Thomas Goodman, once herd of one Mr. Cobbit going a Bout
gaveing out lactuers; at length he came to Battel and gave one
their, and there was a gret number of Peopel came to hear him and
i went: he had A verry long conversation concerning the states of
the country, and telling them that they war verrey much impose
upon, and he said he would show them the way to gain their rights
and liberals, and he said it would be very Proper for every man
to keep gun in his house, espesely young men, and that they might
prepare themselves in readyness to go with him when he called on
them, and he would show them wich way to go on, and he said the
peopel might expect fire as well as other places.--this is the
truth and nothing But the truth of A deying man.
"THOMAS GOODMAN."
There was a very curious case connected with these agrarian riots,
which occurred at the Special Commission at Salisbury, where Isaac
Locker was indicted for sending a threatening letter to John Rowland,
in these words--
"Mr. Rowland, Haxford Farm.--Hif you goes to sware against or a
man in prisson, you have here farm burnt down to ground, and thy
bluddy head chopt off."
Some evidence was produced to show that the prisoner, in his
conversation, had justified the machine-breakers and fire-raisers, and
that the magistrates and military, who disturbed the proceedings of
the mobs, were the only breakers of the peace; but the case turned on
the question, whether the letter was in the handwriting of the
prisoner. Locker was found _guilty_, and the judge, in spite of the
man's asseverations of his innocence, sentenced him to transportation
for life.
The judge and jury retired for some refreshment, and in their absence,
the man's son, Edward Locker, came forward and declared that he had
written that and other letters. The judge expressed his surprise that
this evidence had not been brought before him previously, and
proceeded to try the prisoner on two similar indictments, when his son
got into the witness box and testified that the letters were in his
handwriting. The trial ended in the father's acquittal on those two
counts, and the judge said that he would lose no time in getting the
former conviction and sentenced quashed. An indictment was immediately
prepared, and found against the son, to which he pleaded guilty, and
was sentenced to transportation for seven years.
The Special Commission ended its labours on the 15th of January,
having hanged many rioters, and sentenced very many more to long terms
of transportation.
Besides Cobbett, there was a noted atheist, named Richard Carlile, who
is still looked upon as a persecuted martyr by Freethinkers. On the
10th of January, he was indicted at the Old Bailey for having written
and published two seditious libels--one tending to bring the Crown
into disrepute, and the other, which was addressed to the insurgent
agricultural labourers, tending to produce an insurrection among the
labouring and agricultural population. He was acquitted on the first,
but found guilty on the second count, and he was sentenced to pay a
fine to the King of £200, be imprisoned in the Compter of the City for
the space of two years, and at the expiration of that time, to find
sureties for ten years to come, himself in £500, and two sureties in
£250 each, and to be imprisoned until such fine was paid, and such
sureties provided.
The question of the reform of Parliament was now taken in hand
seriously, and it was not before it was needed. The expenses attendant
on elections were something enormous. The _Leeds Mercury_, quoted in
the _Times_ of August 30, 1830, speaking of the county of Yorkshire,
says--
"At the great contested Election of 1807 the expenses of the
three candidates amounted to a quarter of a million--and, at the
Election for 1826, when there was no contest, but only a
preparation for one, the four candidates had to pay £150,000."
An example of how the money went may be found in the election bills
of the Hon. S. Wortley, in contesting Forfarshire, in 1830. One dinner
bill is thus--
£ _s._ _d._
Ginger beer, 6/-; Brandy, 20/- 1 6 0
Champagne, £20; Claret, £21 41 0 0
Gin, 20/-; Ale, 16/- 1 16 0
Brandy Toddy, £2; Gin Toddy, £1 3 0 0
Dinner, £4 10/-; Madeira, £17 10/- 22 0 0
-------------
£69 2 0
And here is one of his tavern bills.
"The Hon. S. Wortley to John Morrison.
1830. £ _s._ _d._
July 21. The Dinner above mentioned 69 2 0
" 22. Champagne, £13; Gin, 12/- 13 12 0
" " Brandy 0 15 0
" 23. Whisky Toddy, 10/-; Brandy Toddy, 18/- 1 8 0
" 24. Claret, £9 10/-; Champagne, £10 19 10 0
" 26. Supper, £1; Brandy, 10/-; Gin 12/- 2 2 0
" " Gin Toddy, 20/-; Whisky Toddy, 16/- 1 16 0
" " Champagne, £12 10/-; Claret, £13 25 10 0
" 27. Brandy Toddy, 18/-; Gin Toddy, 20/- 1 18 0
" " Sherry, £5 2/-; Port, £4 16/- 9 18 0
" 28. Champagne, £8 10/-; Whisky Toddy, 10/- 9 0 0
" 29. Supper, £1 7/6; Perry Cider, 20/- 2 7 6
" " Brandy Toddy, £1 4/-; Gin Toddy, £1 10/- 2 14 0
" " Champagne, £13; Ginger beer, 6/- 13 6 0
" 30. Suppers, 22/6; Gin, 8/-; Brandy, 7/6 1 18 0
" " Gin Toddy; 30/-; Brandy Toddy, 30/- 3 0 0
" " Champagne 12 0 0
Aug. 1. Claret, £8; Sherry, £5 8/-; Port, £7 4/- 20 12 0
" 2. Suppers, 17/6; Gin, 16/-; Brandy, 30/- 3 3 6
" " Whisky Toddy, 20/-; Champagne, £7 10/- 8 10 0
" 3. Claret, £10; Gin, 15/-; Brandy, 18/- 11 13 0
" 6. Champagne, £8; Gin, 5/- 8 5 0
" 9. Whisky Toddy, 13/10; Brandy Toddy, 18/- 1 11 10
" 12. Madeira, £6; Champagne, £9 15 0 0
" 12. Madeira, £7 10/-; Champagne, £8 15 10 0
" 21. Champagne, £5; Claret, £7 10/- 12 10 0
" 23. ditto £2 10/-; do. £5 10/- 8 0 0
" 25. ditto £6 10/-; Port, £1 4/- 7 14 0
Sep. 15. ditto 6 0 0
--------------
£308 5 10
And the representation wanted a thorough reorganization, as may be
seen by the following list of close boroughs which were intended to be
disfranchised, with the number of voters in each:--
Aldborough 60
Aldeburgh 80
Appleby 110
Bedwin 70
Beer Alston 90
Bishop's Castle 45
Bletchingly 70
Borough Bridge 48
Bossiney 30
Brackley 32
Bramber 19
Buckingham 13
Callington 45
Camelford 24
Castle Rising 43
Corfe Castle 55
Dunwich 18
Eye 95
Fowey 76
Gatton 5
Haslemere 58
Heden 246
Heytesbury 45
Higham Ferrers 145
Hindon 250
Ilchester 70
East Looe 50
West Looe 55
Lostwithiel 30
Ludgershall 70
Malmesbury 13
Midhurst 18
Milborne Port 90
Minehead 10
Newport (Cornwall) 62
Newton (Lancashire) 60
Newton (Isle of Wight) 40
Okehampton 230
Orford 20
Petersfield 140
Plympton 210
Queensborough 270
Reigate 200
Romney 150
St. Mawe's 20
St. Michaels (Cornwall) 32
Saltash 36
Old Sarum 7
Seaford 98
Steyning 110
Stockbridge 110
Tregony 100
Wareham 20
Wendover 140
Weobly 90
Whitchurch 70
Winchelsea 40
Woodstock 400
Wootton Bassett 100
Yarmouth 50
For the following list it was proposed to have only one member:--
Amersham 125
Arundel 450
Ashburton 170
Bewdley 13
Bodmin 36
Bridport 340
Chippenham 135
Clitheroe 45
Cockermouth 180
Dorchester 200
Downton 60
Droitwich 12
Evesham 600
Grimsby 300
Morpeth 200
Northallerton 200
Penryn 400
Richmond 270
Rye 25
St. Germains 70
St. Ives 200
Sandwich 955
Sudbury 800
Shaftesbury 30
East Grinstead 30
Guildford 250
Helston 36
Honiton 350
Huntington 240
Hythe 150
Launceston 15
Leominster 700
Liskeard 100
Lyme Regis 30
Lymington 70
Malton 270
Marlborough 21
Marlow 235
Tamworth 300
Thetford 21
Thirsk 60
Totness 58
Truro 26
Wallingford 180
Westbury 70
Wilton 20
Wycombe 65
Lord John Russell prepared the first Reform Bill, and introduced it
into Parliament on March 1st. The first division for the second
reading was taken on March 22nd, the numbers for, 302; against, 301.
Majority 1. General Gascoyne, on the motion for a committee, moved the
following amendment: "That the number of representatives for England
and Wales ought not to be diminished," which was carried by 299 to
291. Of course, after this, there was nothing to be done but dissolve
Parliament at the earliest period possible, and this the King did on
April 22nd.
The King on this occasion was loudly cheered, but it was not always
so--for Greville records under date of February, that--
"The King went to the play the night before last; was well
received in the house, but hooted and pelted coming home, and a
stone shivered a window of his coach, and fell into Prince George
of Cumberland's lap. The King was excessively annoyed, and sent
for Baring, who was the officer riding by his coach, and asked
him if he knew who had thrown the stone; he said it terrified the
Queen, and was very disagreeable, as he should always be going
somewhere."
On the 24th of February the Queen's birthday drawing-room was held, at
which the Princess Victoria made her _debût_ in society. The following
is the official account by the Court newsman:--
"Their Royal Highnesses, the Duchess of Kent and the Princess
Victoria, with their suite, came in state, in three carriages,
escorted by a party of the Life Guards. Their Royal Highnesses
were attended by the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte
St. Maur, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, the Hon. Mrs. Cust, Lady
Conroy, Baroness Lehzen, Sir John Conroy, and General Wetherall.
The dresses of their Royal Highnesses were made entirely of
articles manufactured in the United Kingdom. The Duchess's robe
was of silk embroidered with silver, and was made in
Spitalfields; the train was of Irish poplin, blue figured with
silver. The Princess Victoria was dressed with great simplicity
in a frock of English blonde.... The Princess Victoria stood to
the left of her Majesty."
We next find the Princess and her mother at Covent Garden Theatre on
April 14, witnessing the performance of Spohr's Opera _Zamira and
Azor_.
Before the dissolution of Parliament, the _Times_ newspaper got into a
scrape with the House of Lords on account of some remarks in its
issues of April 15th, which were as follows:--
"Yet mean, cruel, and atrocious as every civilized mind must
consider the doctrine, that Ireland has no need of poor laws, or
some equivalent for them,--hateful and abominable as is such a
screen for inhumanity,--there are men, or things with human
pretensions, nay, with lofty privileges, who do not blush to
treat the mere proposal of establishing a fund for the relief of
the diseased or helpless Irish, with brutal ridicule and almost
impious scorn. Would any man credit that an Irish absentee Lord
could say what he is reported to have uttered in the House of
Peers last night, when Lord Roseberry presented a petition,
praying that a compulsory tax on land might be introduced into
Ireland, towards alleviating her poor? We shall not name him,
because the House of Lords is armed with a thing called a 'Bar'
and other disagreeable appendages. But there are members of that
House who surprise nobody by declaring their indifference to
'popular odium'--especially when they are at such a distance from
Ireland as to ensure the safety of their persons."
The peer alluded to was the Earl of Limerick, who moved, on the 18th
of April, "That the editor of the _Times_ newspaper be ordered to
attend at the bar of that House to-morrow." The legal citation would
be on the printer, and, accordingly, on the 19th Mr. Lawson attended,
and a debate ensued, at the end of which he was ordered into custody
of the Usher of the Black Rod, to be produced next morning, and was
taken by two messengers of the House to Oliver's Coffee House, where
he was kept in durance. But, before their lordships met, he sent them
a petition--
"That your petitioner feels the sincerest regret at having given
offence to your right honourable House, and to the Earl of
Limerick in particular, and craves pardon for the same; and
humbly begs, in consequence of this acknowledgment of his error
and regret, he may be set at liberty by your right honourable
House."
All that day, and a great part of the next, the House debated upon the
crime of this wicked man, until it came to the conclusion that the
Lord Chancellor should reprimand and discharge him, which was
accordingly done; and the _Times_, in revenge, on the 26th of April,
published the following:--
"EPIGRAM.
To call a Lord a 'thing' is voted treason:
To call him 'no-thing,' then, must be in season."
The elections for the new Parliament now engaged the popular
attention; and, as elections were conducted in the "good old times" on
very different principles than at present, one or two little items
respecting them may be acceptable. _Times_, May 10th.
"REDUCED PRICE OF VOTES.
"A police constable belonging to a division at the east end of
the Metropolis, who has a vote for a borough not more than thirty
miles from London, applied to his inspector for permission to go
into the country to poll for one of the anti-reform candidates,
on Saturday morning. 'What do you expect to make by going down?'
inquired the inspector, from motives of curiosity. 'Only £10 and
the payment of my expenses,' was the reply of the 'independent
freeman.' 'Is that all?' exclaimed the inspector. 'I thought you
would make double that sum by your vote.' 'Oh no,' replied the
policeman, 'they don't come down now as they used to do. I have
had as much as £40 for my vote, and never less than £25; but now
I am glad to get £10.' 'Well, you may go,' said the inspector;
'it will be the last time you will be wanted to vote, I have no
doubt.' 'I hope not, sir,' ejaculated the policeman, with a
long-drawn sigh; 'and if that Reform Bill passes, it will be a
sad loss to me and my brother freemen.'"
Again (_ib._, May 11th), quoting the _Scotsman_:--
"Strange stories are abroad as to the sale of services at the
election for the City of Edinburgh. Two persons are named as
having received round sums; and the daughter of one of them, when
asked by some civic functionaries of a humble class whether her
father had not received £500, is said to have answered, 'No; he
only received £300.'"
In connection with electioneering, there was a curious action for
libel tried on June 18th, at the Court of King's Bench, before Lord
Tenterden and a jury. It arose out of certain proceedings at Great
Grimsby, during the General Election in 1830. The plaintiff was
lieutenant of the _Greyhound_ Revenue cutter; the defendant, an
attorney at Great Grimsby. The libel was the following letter, dated
from Great Grimsby, and published in some of the London papers. The
blues were the Whig party; the reds, their opponents:--
"At the late election, some extraordinary interferences took
place on the part of the persons employed in his Majesty's
Revenue Service here. The Collector of the Customs was observed
to join in the parade of the red party, and in its greetings and
huzzas. His Majesty's Revenue cutters, _Greyhound_ and _Lapwing_,
landed from seventy to eighty of their crews, who kicked up
occasional rows, to intimidate the peaceful inhabitants and the
blue party; and in one of these, which became a serious riot and
affray, they were actually led on by one of their commanders,
Lieutenant Howe, of the _Greyhound_. This gentleman canvassed for
the reds, attended their parades in their uniform, and wore a red
ribbon, the cognizance of the party his efforts were intended to
support. Several sailors were employed to erect a booth in front
of the lodgings of the red candidates. A top-mast from the stores
of the _Greyhound_ was raised up, to which a stage was fixed, for
the red candidates to make speeches from. Custom House flags were
carried in the red parades, and hung out of public-houses in the
red interest, and a Custom House ensign was suspended from the
top-mast in front of the red candidates lodgings. _The Greyhound
was laid in the Humber, about two miles from Grimsby, to receive
such of the blue party as could be made intoxicated, and
kidnapped on board her; and two of them were actually confined
there until the election was over._ Are such things tolerated by
Government?"
This letter, with the exception of the passage in italics, was
published in the _Globe_ of August 6, 1830. A similar letter, with
that passage included, was published in the _Courier_ on the 20th of
the same month. Evidence was given confirming the truth of the libel
in every respect, whilst Captain Harris and Colonel Challoner, the
red candidates, stated that they and the plaintiff did every thing in
their power to prevent disturbance, though the attack was commenced by
the blue party. These and several other witnesses went into details in
contradiction to the testimony of the defendant's witnesses, but the
jury found for the plaintiff, damages £10.
There was a law case much talked about at this time. The _King_ v.
_Cobbett_, tried before Lord Tenterden, in Court of King's Bench, on
7th July. It was an action against the notorious William Cobbett,
charging with the publication, in the _Weekly Political Register_, of
December 11, 1830, of a libel, with intent to raise discontent in the
minds of the labourers in husbandry, and to incite them to acts of
violence, and to destroy corn, machinery, and other property. The
trial lasted all day, and as the jury could not agree, they were
locked up all night. Lord Tenterden came to Court next morning, at
eight o'clock, and finding that the jury, after having been locked up
for fifteen hours, could not agree, discharged them.
On July 16th, Prince Leopold, the husband of the late Princess
Charlotte, left London for Brussels, having been made King of the
Belgians.
CHAPTER VII.
1831.
Opening of New London Bridge--After the luncheon--State of the
waiters--Provision for the Princess Victoria--Sale of Sir Walter
Scott's MSS.--The coronation--Its expenses--A "half
crownation"--The Lord Mayor and his gold cup.
The next subject for general conversation was the opening of New
London Bridge, on August 1st, by the King and Queen, who went in State
by water from Somerset House, which must have been a beautiful sight,
as any one who can remember the civic water pageant on Lord Mayor's
Day can imagine.
The following contemporary account, which is the shortest I can find,
is from the _Annual Register_:--
"At three o'clock, the hoisting of the Royal standard of England
over the centre of Somerset House, announced the arrival of their
Majesties, and was followed by discharges of cannon of all sorts
from the wharves and barges. When the King and Queen appeared on
the steps descending to the platform from which they were to
embark, the cheers from the crowd was almost deafening. The
awnings of the barges had been removed by his Majesty's desire,
so that a full view of the Royal party could be obtained
throughout the whole line.
"It was past four o'clock before the Royal barges reached the
bridge. An awning had been thrown halfway over the bridge. On
the London side, adjacent to the side of Old Fishmongers' Hall,
was erected a splendid pavilion. This was the position allotted
to their Majesties, the Royal suite, the Civic authorities, and
the more distinguished of the company. The pavilion was
constructed of standards that had, formerly, waved over the
armies of almost every civilized nation in the world. The breadth
of it was equal to that of the bridge. Its form was quadrangular,
and, at the four corners, were placed, upon raised broad
pedestals, groups of men in armour. The pillars which supported
the royal pavilion were adorned with flags, shields, helmets, and
massive swords. Their Majesties' seats were beneath a gorgeous
canopy of state of crimson cloth, the back of which was formed of
plate glass.
"To the right and left of this canopy were places for the members
of the Royal family, the ministers, and many of the nobility.
From the ends of the principal table, and at right angles to it,
ran two other narrow tables, which were reserved for civic
authorities and members of Parliament. No other tables were
placed in the royal pavilion, and thus a large open space was
preserved in front of their Majesties, whose view of the whole of
the company under the awning was free and unobstructed, except
for the drapery which formed the front of the tent....
"The stairs on the London side of the bridge had been covered
with crimson cloth, and at the bottom of these stairs, their
Majesties were received with all the formalities usual upon the
occasion of royal visits to the City. The King was handed out of
his barge by Mr. Routh, who gave his Majesty his arm. Mr. Jones,
as chairman of the 'New London Bridge Committee,' was present to
receive her Majesty on her landing. Upon stepping ashore, the
King addressed these gentlemen in the following words: 'Mr. Jones
and Mr. Routh, I am very glad to see you on London bridge. It is,
certainly, a most beautiful edifice; and the spectacle is the
grandest and most delightful, in every respect, that I ever had
the pleasure to witness.' His Majesty then paused to survey the
scene around him. At this moment the air was rent with the most
deafening cheers on all sides, and the King, taking off his hat,
acknowledged this hearty greeting of his subjects by repeated
bows.
[Illustration: Opening of New London Bridge, August 1, 1831.]
"Their Majesties proceeded to the top of the stairs, where the
sword and keys of the City were tendered to the King by the
Lord Mayor, and, on returning them, his Majesty signified his
wish that they should remain in his Lordship's hands. The
Chairman of the Committee then presented his Majesty with a gold
medal, commemorative of the opening of the bridge, having, on one
side, an impression of the King's head, and, on the reverse, a
view of the new bridge, with the dates of the present ceremony,
and of the laying of the first stone. As soon as these
formalities had been completed, the whole of the Royal party had
assembled in the pavilion, their Majesties proceeded to the end
of the bridge, attended by their Royal Highnesses, the Dukes of
Cumberland and Sussex, and by the principal members of the Royal
family. The officers of the Royal household, nearly all the
ministers, and a vast number of the nobility, and of the members
of the House of Commons, composed the Royal procession. In going
to, and returning from the Surrey end of the bridge, their
Majesties threw medals to the spectators on each side of them.
"As soon as it was announced that his Majesty was approaching the
bridge, Mr. Green had caused his balloon to be filled, and just
as the Royal procession had reached the Surrey side of the
bridge, Mr. Green made his ascent. His Majesty showed himself
from the parapets on either side of the bridge to the assembled
multitudes below.
"After the conclusion of this ceremony, the Royal party returned
to the pavilion, where a cold collation was laid out. A similar
repast was served up to the guests at all the other tables. After
the healths of the King and Queen had been drank, amid loud
acclamations, the Lord Mayor presented a gold cup of great beauty
to the King, who said, taking the cup, 'I cannot but refer, on
this occasion, to the great work which has been accomplished by
the citizens of London. The City of London has been renowned for
its magnificent improvements, and we are commemorating a most
extraordinary instance of their skill and talent. I shall propose
the source whence this vast improvement sprung. 'The trade and
commerce of the City of London.' The King then drank of what is
called the 'loving cup,' of which every other member of the Royal
family partook.
"At six o'clock their Majesties re-embarked, amidst the same loud
cheering, firing of artillery, ringing of bells, and other marks
of respect which had marked their progress down."
As a pendant to this picture, let us read a paragraph out of the
_Times_ of August 4th:--
"Rather an odd picture presented itself under the pavilion on
Monday night. The wines, it was well known by all who partook of
the hospitality of the Directors of the Bridge House Estates, out
of which all the expenses of the magnificent entertainment are to
be defrayed, were most abundantly supplied. Several of the
waiters, over whom nobody seemed to have any control, after the
bulk of the company had departed, took care to appropriate the
champagne and hock in such a manner that the Aldermen and other
members of the Committee looked about in vain for a bottle. Mr.
Oldham, the Chairman of the Royal Entertainment Committee, who
was upon his legs all day, in attendance upon their Majesties,
was obliged, at the conclusion of the feast, to beg, for God's
sake, for a glass of wine out of a bottle, which a gentleman had
taken out of a waiter's hiding-place; and Sir Claudius S. Hunter,
after running about for some time, to accommodate a few of his
female friends, was obliged, at last, to 'give it up.' In the
meantime, the wine was, every moment, sent forth from the cellar
in abundance. In a little while, however, the cause of the
deficiency was discovered. The Marshals, in going round,
perceived that almost all the waiters were blind drunk, and they
moved them, by dozens, from the scene of festivity, amid the
laughter of the crowds at the barriers. The fact is, that the
waiters employed upon this occasion were all trustworthy persons,
many of them the proprietors of respectable taverns; and they
calculated that, as through their means the plate and other
property were all safe, the least they could do was to drink
their Majesties health in overwhelming bumpers."
On the day following the royal visit, the bridge was thrown open to
the public, and it was computed that about 200,000 people passed over
it from the London side.
The next thing that gave people something to talk about, was the
King's message to Parliament respecting a suitable maintenance for the
heir-presumptive to the throne. This he did on August 2nd, as
follows:--
"WILLIAM, R.--His Majesty, taking into consideration that since
the Parliament had made a provision for the support of her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Alexandrina
Victoria of Kent, circumstances have arisen which make it proper
that a more adequate provision should be made for Her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent, and for the honourable support and
education of her Highness the Princess Alexandrina Victoria of
Kent, recommends the consideration thereof to this House, and
relies on the attachment of his faithful Commons to adopt such
measures as may be suitable to the occasion."
Accordingly, next day, the House of Commons went into committee on the
matter, and Lord Althorp (Chancellor of the Exchequer), in a short
speech, compared the situation, as heirs to the throne, of the
Princess Charlotte and the Princess Victoria. He pointed out that upon
the birth of the Princess Charlotte, the Princess of Wales received
£6000 a year for her maintenance; and that, in 1806, the sum was
raised to £7000, to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund. In addition
to this, the Princess Charlotte was paid a sum of £34,000 out of the
Droits of the Admiralty, and received £9777 from the Civil List. Upon
the whole, the income received by the Princess Charlotte, from the
tenth year of her age, amounted to £17,000 a year. In 1825 the sum of
£6000 was granted for the support of the Princess Victoria, and that
was all that had been voted by the public for her maintenance. It was
his duty to make a proposition for the future support and maintenance
of the Princess Victoria, and it was his intention to follow the
precedent of 1825, and to vote the money to her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Kent, to be by her applied to the support and education of
her daughter.
The amount of income received by the Duchess of Kent was £6000 a year,
an allowance settled upon her at the time of her marriage, and a
further sum of £6000 which she received on account of the Princess
Victoria. He proposed that £10,000 a year be added to this income,
which would make the whole allowance received by the Duchess of Kent,
£22,000; namely, £6000 for the Duchess herself, and the remaining
£16,000 for the maintenance of the Princess Victoria. He, therefore,
proposed the following resolution:--
"That it is the opinion of this Committee, that his Majesty
should be enabled to grant a yearly sum, not exceeding £10,000
out of the Consolidated Funds of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, for a more adequate provision for her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent, and the honourable support and
education of her Royal Highness the Princess Alexandrina Victoria
of Kent; and the said yearly sum to be paid from the 5th of
January, 1831."
To this there was no objection made by any member of whatever shade of
politics he might be; indeed all said they would heartily support it,
save one. Henry Hunt, the radical member for Preston, who, "feeling
that he should not do his duty to his constituents if he did not
oppose every kind of extravagance, he moved, as an amendment to the
resolution, to substitute £5000 for £10,000." But in the end, on a
division of the committee on this amendment, the numbers were--Ayes,
0; Noes, 223; majority, 223. The Bill received the Royal Assent
September 6th, 1831, and is known in the Statute book as 1 and 2 Gul.
IV. c. 20.
Apropos of this, there was a little joke, in the shape of a drawing by
H. B., which can neither be placed as a satirical print, nor a
caricature, but is a simple bit of pure fun. About the time of this
discussion, the Bishopric of Derry was vacant, value about £11,000 a
year, and it was humorously suggested that, to save the nation the
£10,000, the Princess Victoria should be made
[Illustration: "The New Bishop of Derry."]
On the 17th of August a bronze statue, by Chantry, of William Pitt,
the statesman was erected in Hanover Square, where it now stands.
On the 19th of August there were sold, during the lifetime of their
writer many manuscripts of Sir Walter Scott's novels. The auctioneer
was Mr. Evans of Pall Mall, and the prices they fetched were as
follows: "The Monastery," warranted perfect, £18. "Guy Mannering,"
wanting a folio at the end of the second volume, £27 19_s._ "Old
Mortality," perfect, £33. "The Antiquary," perfect, £42. "Rob Roy,"
complete, but the second volume wrongly paged, £50. "Peveril of the
Peak," perfect, £42. "Waverley," very imperfect, £18. "The Abbot,"
imperfect, £14. "Ivanhoe," £12. "The Pirate," imperfect, £12. "The
Fortunes of Nigel," £16. "Kenilworth," imperfect, £17. "The Bride of
Lammermoor," £14 14_s._ In all, £316 4_s._
But _the_ topic of conversation for the year was the coronation, and
much was the gossip and town talk thereon. It was to be nothing as
grand as that of George the Magnificent, the amount voted by the House
of Commons, on September 1st, to be expended upon it, being only
£50,000. There was to be no banquet in Westminster Hall, no Champion;
and the people satirically called it a "half-crownation." But the
spirit of economy was abroad, and the tastes of the _bourgeois_
monarch were simple. And the outlay was well within the sum granted,
the actual expenditure being--
£ _s._ _d._
In the several departments of their Majesties
households 22,234 10 3