Ladies' dresses at the Fête -- The banquet -- Carlton House
thrown open to the public -- The crush -- Sir F. Burdett's
action against the Speaker -- Relief of British Prisoners in
France -- Scarcity of guineas -- Lord King and his tenants --
Stories respecting the Currency.
The ladies had been requested to dress themselves in the productions
of British industry, and some of their costumes were truly
magnificent. They are so uniformly beautiful, that in the examples I
give, I take them as they follow, and make the extracts for the sake
of their brevity.
_The Marchioness of Downshire_ wore a petticoat of white satin,
trimmed at the bottom with a Spanish net of embossed silver, over
which was a tunic of the most beautiful silver stuff, of Irish
manufacture, on which was delicately woven the shamrock: over the
shoulders were superb epaulettes of embossed Spanish silver. The
tunic was laced with diamond chains, and fastened in front with
large diamond brooches. Her ladyship's ear-rings were the largest
diamonds at the fête, to which there was a corresponding necklace,
and a profusion of diamond ornaments.
_The Marchioness of Sligo._ A dress of white satin, with a superb
border of brilliant embroidery round the train; a robe richly
embroidered in silver shamrock, round which was an elegant, and
brilliant border, to correspond with the dress; diamond stomacher,
armlets, necklace, and brooches. Head-dress, diamonds and ostrich
feathers.
_The Marchioness of Tavistock._ Splendid dress, embroidered in white
and gold.
_The Marchioness of Hertford._ White satin dress, embroidered in
white and gold.
_The Marchioness of Stafford._ Violet satin dress, richly embroidered
in gold.
_The Marchioness of Exeter._ White satin, embroidered in gold.
_The Marchioness Cornwallis._ White satin dress, richly embroidered
with amethysts.
_The Marchioness Waterford._ White satin dress, richly embroidered
with silver.
_The Countess of Cavan._ A dress of white and silver tissue, with
a superb border of prominent silver jonquils; body and sleeves
splendidly ornamented with diamonds. Head-dress, diamonds and ostrich
feathers.
[Illustration: Gudgeon Fishing à la Conservatory.
(_Published July, 1811, by S. W. Fores._)]
Needless to say, this grand fête was made fun of--and so we see in
"Gudgeon fishing _à la_ Conservatory," the meandering stream down
the centre of the Regent's table is caricatured, and the fair ladies
are provided with rods and lines. The artist has taken liberties with
his subject--the Prince, for instance, sat on a plain mahogany chair,
and the "stream" was banked up with moss and flowers. The Earl of
Moira, and Sheridan, are taking wine together, and on the right of
the Regent sits the Duchesse d'Angoulême. A person in plain evening
dress is in the extreme right, and points to a paper on the ground,
"Admission to John Bull to look at the Gold."
This was the subject of another caricature, called "The Regency
Fête, or John Bull in the Conservatory." This shows John Bull, his
wife, three men and one woman looking at the royal table loaded with
gold plate and wine, a beef-eater and a butler guarding the plate
on the table and on the buffet behind the royal chair. Says John
Bull (scratching his head) to his wife: "Why, odd Zookers! this is
marvellous fine indeed. Oh, Nan! how we should enjoy a rasher on one
of they monstracious beautiful plates. Why, now I think I shan't
grumble to pay three or four Bank Tokens towards this grand treat;
methinks I should just like a nippikin or two." Mrs. Bull: "Oh, John!
one of our milk-white chickens roasted by myself by our wood fire
would be lusciosious indeed." The speeches of the others are not
worth reprinting.
Needless to say the privilege of visiting the scene of festivity was
eagerly embraced by the public, and they came in such shoals, that
the Horse Guards had to keep order, and it was feared some accident
would occur. And sure enough, on the last day, the 26th of June,
there was a pretty scrimmage. This is _The Times_ report:--
"Yesterday being the last day that the public were permitted to view
the interior of Carlton House, the crowd, from an early hour in the
morning, was immense; and, as the day advanced, the scene excited
additional interest. Every precaution had been adopted to facilitate
the entrance of the visitors. The Horse-guards paraded in front of
the House, and were stationed at both ends of Pall Mall, and the
various streets leading from it. The pressure to gain admittance was
so great, that early in the day several females fainted away; many
lost their shoes, and endeavoured to extricate themselves from the
crowd, but this was quite impossible. The gates were only opened at
certain intervals, and, when this was the case, the torrent was so
rapid, that many people were taken off their feet, some with their
backs towards the entrance, screaming to get out. The scene, at
last began to wear a still more serious aspect; when it was deemed
expedient that some measure should be resorted to, to prevent farther
mischief. Lord Yarmouth, and the Duke of Gloucester appeared, and
announced to the public that the gates would not be again opened:
and that, for the sake of preventing the loss of any lives, they
had to express the strongest wish that the persons assembled would
cease from endeavouring to gain admittance. This, however, had not
the desired effect; as many, who probably were ignorant of what had
happened, remained, in the anxious hope of being admitted at last.
"The greatest pressure to obtain admittance took place about
half-past two o'clock. About one, the crowd in the inside of Carlton
House had accumulated so much, that it was found necessary to shut
the gates. The line of carriages now extended the whole length of
Pall Mall, up to the very top of St. James's Street, and, as there
had been a complete stoppage for above half an hour, hundreds of
ladies left their carriages, and hastened on foot towards the gates
of Carlton House. At this time you might see ladies and gentlemen
coming out of the crowd covered with perspiration, and unable any
longer to bear the pressure. Those who thus made their retreat in
time will be able to congratulate themselves on their superior
prudence.
"Hitherto all was comparatively well, and the scene rather afforded
amusement than excited alarm. But the case was most materially
altered when the gate of entrance was next opened. It became exactly
like some of those rushes at our Theatres, which have sometimes
produced such melancholy consequences. Those behind, irresistibly
pushed on those before, and of the number of delicate and helpless
females who were present, some were thrown down, and, shocking to
relate, literally trod upon by those behind, without the possibility
of being extricated. When, at last, the crowd got inside Carlton
House gates, four females were found in a lifeless state, lying on
their backs on the ground, with their clothes almost completely
torn off. One young lady, elegantly attired, or, rather, who had
been so, presented a shocking spectacle; she had been trodden on,
until her face was quite black from strangulation, and every part of
her body bruised to such a degree, as to leave little hopes of her
recovery: surgical assistance was immediately had, but her life was
not expected to be saved. An elderly lady had her leg broken, and was
carried away in a chair; and two others were also seriously hurt,
but, on being bled, were restored to animation. One of them was able
to walk home, the other was led by two men.
"The situation of almost all the ladies who were involved in this
terrible rush was truly deplorable; very few of them could leave
Carlton House until furnished with a fresh supply of clothes; they
were to be seen all round the gardens, most of them without shoes or
gowns; and many almost completely undressed, and their hair hanging
about their shoulders. The crowd outside, at one time, literally
carried away the Horse-guards for several paces, when the animals
became restive to an alarming degree, rearing on their hind legs, and
beating down all within their reach with their fore ones: several
women were trodden under foot, and received considerable injury; and
five or six men were so overcome, that they fainted, and were carried
off."
_The Morning Chronicle_ of the 29th of June says: "The number of
stray shoes in the courtyard of Carlton House, on Wednesday, was so
great, they filled a large tub, from which the shoeless ladies were
invited to select their lost property. Many ladies, however, and also
gentlemen, might be seen walking away in their stockinged feet. About
a dozen females were so completely disrobed in the squeeze, they
were obliged to send home for clothes, before they could venture out
in the streets, and one lady was so completely disencumbered of all
dress, a female domestic, in kind compassion, wrapped her up in an
apron."
On the 6th of April, 1810, Sir Francis Burdett was, by a majority of
38 Members of the House of Commons, sentenced to be committed to the
Tower, for a breach of privilege committed by him against the house,
in an address written by him in _Cobbett's Weekly Political Register_
of March 24, 1810: "SIR FRANCIS BURDETT TO HIS CONSTITUENTS, DENYING
THE POWER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS TO IMPRISON THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND."
After some trouble, and a great deal of rodomontade on his part, he
was safely lodged in the fortress--after which a slight affray took
place between the mob and the troops in which one of the former was
killed, and eight wounded."[5]
[Footnote 5: See _The Dawn of the Nineteenth Century_, by
John Ashton, 1 vol. edit., pp. 166 to 176.]
The demagogue did not like the position in which he found himself,
and breathed fire and fury. He would bring actions against the
Speaker, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Earl of Moira, who was then
Governor of the Tower. He was released, on the prorogation of
Parliament, 21st of June, 1810, and on March 8, 1811, he brought
an action against the Speaker (Abbott) for a trespass and assault
in breaking open his house on the 6th of April, 1810. The Speaker
pleaded justification, and the case was tried on the 19th of June,
when the jury found a verdict for the defendant, thereby admitting
and enforcing the right of the House of Commons to commit for breach
of privilege.
Mention has already been made of a fund started by a number of
Merchants, Bankers, and others of the City of London, at Lloyd's, for
the "Relief of British prisoners in France," which, on the 29th of
June, reached about £54,000. But their practical charity did not end
here, for there was also another fund begun "for Relief of Portuguese
sufferers during the French Invasion," which, on the 21st of June,
amounted to nearly £52,000. The West End, evidently tried to emulate
the City, and at Willis's Rooms, under the presidency of the Duke of
York, there was a "Fund for the Relief of the Unfortunate Sufferers
in Portugal--who have been plundered and treated by the French Armies
with the most unexampled barbarity." By June 29th this had reached
£15,000.
Silver, as we have seen, had got, to use a mercantile phrase, "a
little easier," but the Guinea! it was almost as scarce as Russian
gold coins are now, and, in spite of every effort, it was quoted at
a premium, and yet was exported. Here is a Police report, anent it:
"Mansion House, 23rd of April. James King, guard of the Yarmouth mail
coach, was brought up for examination, upon a charge of purchasing
eight guineas, the Coin of this realm, at a price considerably beyond
their current value. The Charge was brought by Mr. Nalder, the Under
Marshal of the City of London; who, in consequence of information
received from the Treasury, that there were persons about town
employed as agents to purchase guineas for exportation, made diligent
enquiry, and having found out the defendant, he marked eight guineas,
and went with Sayer, the Bow Street officer, who sold those guineas
to the prisoner, and received for each £1 5s. 6d. Mr. Nalder shortly
afterwards took the prisoner into custody, found the marked guineas
upon him, and brought him before the Lord Mayor; the transaction
being against the Statute of the third of Edward III., which subjects
offenders to the penalty of twelve months' imprisonment, and fine
at the discretion of the Court. The defendant was admitted to bail."
Ultimately he was fined forty shillings.
On the 6th of May the officers rummaged a smack called the _Union_,
and found, in a hole between the timbers, seven canvas bags
containing 4,500 guineas, making in all 11,128 guineas found in that
vessel.
The greater part of May was taken up by the discussion in the House
of Commons of the Report of the Bullion Committee, which recommended
the resumption of specie payments by the Bank of England as speedily
as possible. This was negatived, on the ground that the Bank paper
was not depreciated--but, as a matter of fact, it was. _Vide_ the
following letter from Lord King to his tenants:--
"By lease, dated 1802, you have agreed to pay the annual rent of ----
in good and lawful money of Great Britain. In consequence of the
late depreciation of paper money, I can no longer accept of any bank
notes at their nominal value in payment of your rent in the legal
coin of the realm; at the same time, having no other object than to
receive payment of the real intrinsic value of the sum stipulated
by agreement, and being desirous to avoid giving you unnecessary
trouble, I shall be willing to receive payment in either of the
manners following, according to your option--
"1st. By payment in guineas.
"2nd. If guineas cannot be procured, by a payment in Portugal gold
coin, equal in weight to the number of guineas requisite to discharge
the debt.
"3rd. By a payment in Bank-paper of a sum sufficient to purchase (at
the present market price) the weight of standard gold requisite to
discharge the rent. The alteration of the value of paper money is
estimated in this manner.
"The price of gold in 1802, the year of your agreement, was £4 per
oz.; the present market price is £4 14s., owing to the diminished
value of paper--in that proportion, an addition of £17 10s. per cent.
in paper money will be required as equivalent for the payment of rent
in paper.
"(Signed) KING.
"N.B.--A power of re-entry and ejectment is reserved by deed in case
of non-payment of rent due. No draft will be received."
[Illustration: Jew ---- Depreciating Bank Notes.
(_Published July, 1811, by S. W. Fores._)]
This gave rise to a pictorial _jeu d'esprit_ entitled "Jew =_King_=,"
depreciating Bank notes. A farmer, of the then typical John Bull
type, has called on Lord King to pay his rent, and says to him, "I
be come to pay you some money! but I cannot get Guineas for love nor
money! so you must take Bank Notes.--Why! no person ever refused them
before." To which Lord King replies, "I tell you I will have Guineas.
If I take Bank Notes I will have 20 per cent. I like good profit."
With one hand he points to some Guineas, and, on the table, are the
"Laws of Landlord and Tenant," and "Tables of Interest."
Earl Stanhope, on the 27th of June, in consequence of Lord King's
action, introduced a Bill into the House of Lords to prevent the Gold
coin from being paid or received for more than its nominal value, or
the Bank paper for less. In the course of the debate he stated that
guineas were publicly bought at Manchester, at an advance of _twenty_
per cent. by persons from Ireland, for the purpose of paying their
landlords, who insisted on gold: and the Earl of Lauderdale declared
that he knew an instance, where a landlord called upon his tenants
to pay in gold; and the latter having represented to the steward the
impossibility of procuring gold, they were each told that there were
100 guineas at a Chandler's shop in the neighbourhood, which might be
purchased; and it was a fact, that with those 100 guineas, passing
from one to another, a rent of £7,000 was actually paid. The Bill
passed both Houses, and received the royal assent on the 24th of July.
In _The Morning Chronicle_ of the 11th of July we find: "It has
been for several weeks a known and common practice, at one shop
in the City, for a man to have a twenty-shilling note, and a dish
of fish, for a guinea." And so it was after the passing of Earl
Stanhope's Act, the guineas were still bought at an advanced price,
and the first Commitment under the Act is recorded in the same
paper of Monday, the 9th of September, 1811: "On Friday sen'night
Adkins, the Bow Street officer, arrived at Worcester, in pursuit of
one Thomas Woodford, who was known to have dealt pretty largely in
guineas; having found him, Adkins offered him eight guineas, and
three half-guineas, for which Woodford gave him £10 18s. 6d. in Bank
of England Notes.--He was immediately apprehended, and committed to
gaol."
It was no use trying to fight the purchase of these precious coins:
every plan possible was put in force--How is this? "LOST--EIGHT
GUINEAS--Whoever may have found the same, and will bring them to ----
shall receive ten pounds reward." It was all of no use, the guineas
used to be smuggled out of the Country as much as ever, and on July
3rd, in the Court of King's Bench, in the case of De Yonge, who had
been convicted of purchasing guineas for more than 21 shillings, and
whose case had been reserved for the opinion of the twelve judges, it
was decided that such purchase was not an offence punishable under
the existing laws.