in these scrawls) a negotiation was set on foot to bring together
all the opposers of Governt. to procure a degree of concert in their
proceedings. Tierney was instrumental in getting Ld. Moira and Ld.
Lansdown together. Soon after, a numerous meeting at the house of the
former was held, where Fox, D. of Bedford, Grey, and others all came
to an agreement as to their mode of acting in case of a Regency. The
King recovered unexpectedly and rapidly, and the zealous _Patriots_
dispersed.
Ld. Moira is offended, and thinks himself ill-used by the desertion of
his new allies, who, immediately upon the chance of getting into power
becoming more distant, each fled and followed his own devices. Tierney
also is discontented, and declares himself no longer a party man,
wishing it universally to be understood that he will not consider Fox
as his leader.
Previous to the King’s illness I was witness to rather an unpleasant
scene at my own house between him and Grey, where the D. of Bedford was
the moderator. The immediate cause of the dispute was that Sheridan
most unjustifiably repeated and _added unto_ a conversation held
over a table when most of the hearers and talkers were drunk. The
origin of the quarrel, however, was more remote. Tierney came into
Parlt. entirely by his own talents, neither owed his election or his
success in the Committee to the interference of any of his political
friends. Shortly after his becoming permanently seated, secession began
to be rumoured; he had spoken several times, but had not then much
distinguished himself. Fox still attending of course made him diffident
of putting himself too forward, nor probably had he acquired the
facility of speaking or weight enough to claim the notice of the House.
At a meeting held in Mr. Fox’s house upon the measure of seceding,
he offered to resign his seat, adding that he felt it incompatible
with his duty as a member of the H. of Commons to represent a body of
people without fulfilling _actively_ his engagements towards them; and
submitted to the will of Fox what he should do. (Ye D. of Bedford, who
was afterwards displeased with Tierney for his attendance, saying it
spoilt the effect of secession, affects ignorance of this proposal of
Tierney, but Fox himself, Fitzpatrick, and others, but especially the
first, say that Tierney behaved well, because he behaved frankly.)
Fox could not, and did not exact his renunciation of his seat, and
he remained near three sessions alone, unassisted, and unsupported,
Sheridan alone of the Foxites ever attending, and his attendance was as
much directed against Tierney as it was against Pitt.
[Sidenote: TIERNEY AND GREY]
This solitary opposition was of infinite use to T. as an orator and
as a public man; the daily use of his tongue taught him readily to
debate, and his diligence, ability, and plainness acquired him the
respect and confidence of the country. Successful as he was, he wanted
aid; he knew the aristocratical temper of the House was such that the
obscurity of his family would retard his progress, but that assisted
by Grey he could be high and well propped. Grey was a fit subject to
work upon; of an active, restless, unsatisfied temper, of boundless
ambition, he found himself a prey to melancholy in calm retirement.
Chance threw them together in the neighbourhood of Ham. Tierney did not
fail of encouraging his disposition to return, and strove to combat his
feelings of remorse about Fox, who had merely in compliance to Grey
and ye Duke of Bedford, adopted the measure of secession, a measure
notoriously against his own judgment.[170] In short, Grey resumed
his post in Parlt. Things went on smoothly, Grey made some capital
speeches, the divisions of Ministers fell off, but Opposition gained
nothing. Some of Fox’s old friends, the _staunch_ ones (such as Coke,
Ld. J. Townshend, and a few others), were offended at being written to
to attend, replying that no good could be done if Fox abstained from
coming, and that without his presence they would not attend. Grey,
always fickle, and generally desponding, grew soured; he saw Fox, and
at length persuaded him to come up upon his motion upon the State of
the Nation. Tierney, when he knew Fox was coming, expressed himself
strongly upon the absurdity of Grey’s going down to St. Anne’s to get
sense, and imprudently enough at the Friday Club declared his intention
of keeping away on the day of the debate, unless Fox gave a pledge of
his future attendance.
This was the conversation reported by Sheridan to Grey, and brought
forth a burst of rage and indignation from Grey against Tierney. The
expressions used on both sides were alarmingly strong. Upon T. saying
he should withdraw himself, if Fox was to come down occasionally and
Grey was not generally understood to be the leader, G. accused T. of
deceiving him by betraying him into attending by promises of support.
In short, the explanations and accusations were sharp and bitter on
both sides.
The King’s illness put a stop to the question; the motion was put off
from day to day, and Fox came, grew eager, and coalesced with Moira, as
has been mentioned elsewhere. The King’s recovery, like magic, drove
the whole set back to their hiding-places. Some fancied that Fox would
have continued in town but for Mrs. A. and the expense of a house; upon
which it was suggested to Ld. Hd. to hire one for him. This with his
usual alacrity to serve his uncle, he did without hesitation, announced
it to him by letter, and received the following reply.[171]
_April 28, 1801._--When Tierney heard of his determination against
coming, except to Tooke’s business, he told Grey peremptorily that he
should adhere to Ld. Moira and the neutrals. The assurance of attending
Horne Tooke’s question has not added to his popularity. In short, all
are offended with him.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: A FOOLISH PROTEST]
_Holland House: April 30th, 1801._
Dissentient.
We deprecate and protest against this Measure because, as far as it
may be carried into execution, it tends to dissolve the allegiance
of the subject. A country over which Martial Law is exercised may be
crushed or subdued, but it is not governed, much less is it practical.
Allegiance is not more a duty on one side than protection on ye other;
the character of subjects and of enemies cannot exist together. A
military force can exercise nothing but the dominion of the sword. With
respect to the people there is no government. We, therefore, conceive
it to be our bounden duty, in our endeavours to preserve the Governt.
of the United Kingdom, not to lose sight of those advantages which
alone render it worth preserving.
THANET
ALBEMARLE
HOLLAND
KING.
This protest was entered against the Martial Law Bill for Ireland.
The composition is Francis’s, whose brevity and terseness make the
performance nonsense.[172] Mr. Pitt remarked that the sentence which
asserts the incompatibility of the character of subject and enemy is
the precise definition of a traitor.
This foolish Protest made a great deal of noise; Ld. Clare moved the
expunging it on account of its treasonable and seditious tendency,
which was opposed by 17 peers, some of very respectable characters.
I quarrelled with Francis, and would not make peace with him. His
explanation was worse than the original offence; he declared that he
disapproved of the sentiments, and feared the making them public would
get the protesters into a scrape. Then _why_ abet and assist what you
think mischievous and of bad consequence to your friends?
Ld. Wycombe returned about a fortnight since from Paris, and tho’ he
will not see _me_, he has entrusted his journal for my inspection.
‘Paris, which I had known under so many different circumstances, and
which I had originally known in times so very opposite to these. It
is an observation of Thucydides that, in the country of which he was
a native and of which he wrote, the traveller could not take a step
without treading on historic ground. With equal truth may it be said
that it is impossible to traverse Paris, without at each step being
reminded of occurrences which are destined to become the materials of
future history: occurrences which are the more striking, inasmuch as
they have not been received by us on the faith of tradition obscured
by the lapse of ages or gathered from the Annals of our ancestors, but
have taken place within our own memories, have involved the fall of
persons we ourselves have known, have overwhelmed institutions with
which we have been personally conversant, and have already materially
affected the destinies of the generation to which we belong.’
‘The most eloquent discourse cannot half so well illustrate the
character of human passion, the vicissitudes of human fortune, the
vanity of human pursuits, and the instability of human things, as the
aspect of this metropolis.’
[Sidenote: THE INFERNAL MACHINE]
‘When we were within a few steps of the _Théâtre de la République_ we
were surprised by an explosion resembling the report of a cannon.[173]
On stepping out of the carriage I perceived a column of smoke making
its way over the tops of the houses. In an instant the rattling of
cavalry announced the approach of the First Consul, who drove by us
with rapidity. We entered the theatre lost in conjecture as to the
probable cause of so strange and sinister an incident. We had but
little disposition to attend to the business of the drama, which was
presently put a stop to by the account of that heinous atrocity which
exhibits such a melancholy instance of the most deliberate depravity,
and which had so nearly terminated the transcendent career of that
illustrious man, whose fame will be more durable than the Pyramids
he has visited, whose life is consumed in a succession of dangers,
whose preservation should be dear not only to all good citizens, but
to all good men, whose fortunes may be deemed inseparable from the
fortunes of the Republic. The actor who came forward upon this occasion
made the audience acquainted neither with extent or particulars of
the misfortune which made it indecent to proceed. The theatre was
immediately evacuated; guards were seen moving in various directions,
and the measures of precaution were taken with a degree of calmness,
quickness, precision, and intelligence which served to give me some
idea of the perfection of the military system.
‘No one was able to tell what was the number of persons who had been
killed and wounded; but it was understood that the disaster had
originated in an attempt to destroy the First Consul in his way to
the Opera. At the portico of the Opera, I heard that the performance
was going on without interruption, and that Bonaparte, unmoved, was
partaking of the entertainment, which was an Oratorio,[174] as if
nothing unusual had happened. The next morning heard a few particulars;
some of the manner in which the Chief Consul had conducted himself. He
appears to have expressed a conviction that in his situation and at a
period like the present, such an occurrence was not to be considered as
being justly matter of surprise. He told those who had an opportunity
of seeing him that when, a short time before, his life had been
conspired against, he felt no particular solicitude in relation to the
punishment of a crime which seemed to have him only for its object; but
that now when the blow which was levelled at himself had fallen upon
others, when the safety of a part of the population of the capital had
been actually endangered, and when several individuals had become the
innocent victims of so great an atrocity, he should not hesitate to
demand a law authorising the immediate trial of those who might prove
implicated in its guilt. That as to what regarded himself personally,
he should die with as much glory at the head of the Legislature as
he could do at the head of one of the armies of the Republic. To the
Prefect of the Police[175] he expressed his dissatisfaction with
an asperity which sufficiently proved that he imputed a defect of
vigilance to that department.’...
[Sidenote: A REVIEW]
‘Went to the Review. In front of the Thuilleries were drawn up the
Grenadiers of the Consular Guard, who had followed Bonaparte to
Marengo, and had from their conduct in that memorable battle been
compared by Berthier to a redoubt of granite. On ye remaining sides of
the square were drawn up other troops. In the centre of the _place_
were stationed the officers of the _État Major_ on horseback, whose
uniforms and accoutrements were splendid to the greatest degree.
A beautiful cream-coloured Spanish horse, adorned with crimson
velvet, magnificently embroidered in gold, was held in readiness for
Bonaparte. A sudden burst of martial music, issuing from a profusion of
instruments, proclaimed his descent from the Palace. He wears no plume.
He is distinguished by the quietness of his deportment, the pensiveness
of his aspect, and by the paleness of his countenance, which thought
and watchfulness have worn. He was attended by his Mameluke. Mounted
on his docile charger, he galloped thro’ the ranks. The air resounded
with acclamations of applause, to which he seemed insensible. His
attention was confined to the troops. When he passed the colours he
saluted with a singular propriety of manner. After having rapidly
inspected the difft. corps, he rode to the centre of the ground, where
he prescribed the evolutions of the day, which took up very little
time. Nothing can exceed the precision and intelligence with which
the whole manœuvre is conducted. I particularly remarked the fine
appearance of the Pioneers, who, as well as the Grenadiers, seem to be
picked men. The flying Artillery is much to be admired, but the horses
of the Dragoons, altho’ active, were inferior in beauty to those which
are commonly purchased for the English Cavalry.’...
‘One of the party had been in the society of the First Consul, where
General Lannes was present, subsequent to the villainous attempt made
in the Rue Nicaise. B. observed that when the circumstance took place
he was a great way off in imagination, that the explosion had been
heard by him without reflection, and that he was first excited to
attend by Lannes, who was with him. General Lannes explained by saying
that he thought at the time, by the breaking of the glasses, that
musketry might be firing at them. ‘Lannes,’ said B., ‘you are not of
the Institute; if you were, you would have known that it was the air
contained within my carriage which broke the windows of it.’
On 16th May, 1801, I dined at Mrs. Sharp’s, in the City, on Irish Hill,
to meet Horne Tooke. He was ill, and in all probability would not
have kept his engagement, had he not been aware that the dinner was
expressly made to give me an opportunity of seeing him, and wise as he
is, he is not free from the frailty of the weak (and oftentimes of
the wise, as in this instance), in possessing a considerable portion
of vanity, for he was gratified at knowing he was sought as a _sight_.
He is an infirm, exhausted old man, with a mild, placid countenance,
a small penetrating eye, and a flat, broad forehead. His manners are
those of a remarkably high-bred, old-fashioned man of quality; his
sentences are precise, clear, and short. His language obsolete and
affectedly so, but often productive of a happy and singular effect,
witty and brief. He so evidently laboured under the pressure of bodily
pain that he only _flashed_, but from those scintillations I could
easily perceive what he must have been in his days of vigour, when
his mind, unfettered by physical infirmity, could give itself full
scope. His praises of Mr. Fox were extravagant. He said: ‘God Almighty
has made that man to show his omnipotence.’ He said to Ld. H.: ‘You
see, my Lord, how your uncle has kicked me in the dirt!’ The answer
was puzzling, as it was difficult to know to what he alluded, but he
explained by adding: ‘He makes me despise myself. He, whom I have
abused from the commencement of his political life, has been the first
and only person who stood manfully forth in my defence.’[176]
_17th Nov., 1801._--Indisposition and indolence have combined to
prevent my either writing, reading, or thinking for three several
months back--after our return from Worthing. We stayed here about
a month, during which period we went to Ld. King’s at Ockham, to
Roehampton, and dined at Chiswick, and at Dss. of Leinster’s at
Wimbledon. Went to Brighthelmstone, September 15th; stayed there
till October 21st. During that interval passed 6 days at Ld. Robert
Spencer’s at Woolbeding. I _called_ at Goodwood, D. of Richmond’s,
on our way back to Brighton; returned here October 22nd. Sleep
occasionally at a house we have taken in Albemarle Street for the
play-nights and the late nights in H. of Lords.
[Sidenote: MINISTERIAL NEGOTIATIONS]
Peace has been made. Pitt continues supporting Ministers; the
Grenvilles are in open opposition.[177] A negotiation has just broken
off between Grey and Ld. St. Vincent, the purport of which was to
bring in G., the Duke of Bedford, and Ld. Moira into the Cabinet. Grey
gave up Fox with a quibble; the others excluded Sheridan, Lauderdale,
and Lansdown; insisted upon maintaining Ld. Clare in Ireland, and Ld.
Hardwick. G. said, if he is kept, we must have a Ld.-Lt.; they would
not agree. Ld. Moira objected to D. of Portland; King could not be made
to give him up. The arrangement, when they came to terms, could not
take place. G. used the D. of B.’s name further than he was warranted,
I suspect. It is all over now; only Tierney remains with Addington.
Fox was given up shamefully. For if ever one man was bound to follow
the bad and good fortunes of another, it is surely Grey, whose vehement
and rash judgment drove the other out of the high post he occupied;
and yet he is the first to negotiate and give him up. Fie, fie, for
such patriots, when they are not true to their friends as private men.
However, Grey is perfectly honest, only violent and irresolute, and
easily swayed by sudden impressions. Pelham[178] is Secretary of State
for the Home Department: he is married to Lady Mary Osborne, the Duke
of Leeds’s sister, an amiable person, who will no doubt make him happy.
_H. House, 18th Nov., 1801._--General Fitzpatrick told us yesterday
of a curious circumstance about a copy of Gibbon’s works, which
belonged to Mr. Fox. As a marginal note Fox wrote in the beginning of
the book, ‘This gentleman, on such a day, told me that the country
could not be saved unless the heads of three or four of the Cabinet
Ministers were laid upon the table of the House of Commons. On such
a day, about a week after he delivered that opinion, he was made a
Lord of Trade by those very men.’ Topham Beauclerk, who was a _friend_
of Gibbon’s, offered him anything for the book, saying: ‘I must soon
die, and my books will be sold after my death by public auction, so
Gibbon’s shabbiness will be notorious and perpetuated.’ Some time
after, an execution was put into Mr. Fox’s house, and his goods were
seized, but, having been assigned over to Mr. Moore, their seizure was
resisted. There was, in consequence, a trial in the Court of King’s
Bench, and one of the opposite counsel handed up this very book to Ld.
Loughborough, to prove to him that Mr. Fox must have considered the
book as his own, and not as Mr. Moore’s, by the marginal notes, and
that if necessary they should be read in court. Ld. L., who was a more
cautious friend than Topham Beauclerk, gave the book back, saying it
was unnecessary to read them to the court. Ye General was a party to
the bond, and was in court himself when this passed.
* * * * *
Some months, passed in anxiety and grief, have elapsed since I even
thought of this Journal. The winter had nearly proved fatal to
Charles. Illnesses and relapses succeeded each other so rapidly, that
his strength was almost exhausted, and in February we almost ceased
expecting that he could recover. He did, but to avoid the danger of a
return, we are to pass the ensuing winter in a warm climate.
[Sidenote: DUKE OF BEDFORD’S DEATH]
The death of the D. of Bedford followed. What did not that calamity
cost me! In him I lost the truest and best friend I possessed. His
society was amongst the greatest of my pleasures. I loved and respected
him, and was proud to see intimately the man on whom the eyes of the
public were turned with approbation and confidence. He died as he
had lived, an example to all who saw him. At the close of a medical
consultation about Charles, on ye 28th of Feb., Dr. Vaughan wished me
joy of the success of the operation which had been performed the eve.
before upon the D. of B. Frightened at this I asked an explanation,
and heard from Mr. Knight, the surgeon (who was here for Charles), the
nature of the disease.
* * * * *
We left H. H. on the 8th of July (1802), with the following persons
belonging to us, ourselves, Charles, Henry Edward,[179] Mr. Allen, Mr.
Howard, and little Marsh, for Paris.
We had apartments taken for us some time before we came; they are very
spacious and convenient, the whole _rez-de-chaussée_ of the Hotel
Beauveau, Faubourg St. Honoré. The next day we went to Maret,[180]
the Minister, to see the parade. The Carrousel has been considerably
extended, and 15,000 troops can manœuvre in it. The explosion of the
infernal machine, by destroying some houses, rendered it more easy
to enlarge the court. The Brazen Horses from Venice are placed upon
the Grille which runs across the Carrousel; they stand separate, and
produce a very poor effect.[181]
Nothing can be more splendid than the uniforms of the officers, and
the housings of the horses. The Consul rides a fine white Arabian. He
is known amidst his officers by the plainness of his dress and unlaced
black hat. The corps of Mamelukes appeared for the first time; their
sudden and uncombined evolutions give a wildness to their appearance
that shows a little what they must be when attacking in reality. The
town was illuminated in the evening, and as carriages were prohibited
in the streets, we walked, and saw everything with the greatest ease
and facility. There were public dinners given by the Government to some
hundreds of the soldiers at each public garden.
When I first came, I saw much of Madame de Coigny, but latterly less;
she is inquisitive and talkative.
On the 15th of Fructidor, Mr. Fox was presented to Bonaparte, who
seems to have studied how to receive him in a distinguished manner. He
addressed him in a speech evidently got by heart and of course highly
complimentary. The purport was that he was the greatest man of one of
the greatest countries, and that his voice had always been exerted on
the side of humanity and justice, and that to its influence the world
owed the blessings of peace.
[Sidenote: ST. CLOUD]