PRINCE OF SCANDALMONGERS

Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1928, Page 4

PRINCE OF SCANDALMONGERS

THE GLENBERVIE DIARIES. “MY LOIIDS AND PEACOCKS.” These diaries have been excellently edited, a.ml though, not of the first political importance are of immense peioonai interest. Lord Gleubervio, who was bom in 1743 and died in 1823 was a specialist in scandal. He was in a position to know what was going on as lie was the son-in-law of Lord North, one of George Hl.’s Prime Ministers, and the friend of the King himself. His defect was that he was always too ready to believe the worst, and some of the tales which he tells of the King’s daughters are really appalling. There are large gaps in lii.s journals, for instance, they contain little or nothing for 1805, 180.fi and 1807, and thus make no allusion to the secrets pf Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who died in this period, or to the deaths of Pitt and Fox, and the strange proceedings of Lady. Hester Stanhope, Pitt’s niece, which, frotn other sources, arc known to have attracted not altogether favourable comment. This is a .specimen of the biting wit of Wilkes in a remark to the Prince of Wales, the future George IV. The Prince of Wales made a little free with him, and among other things pressed him to sing. He declined, but. the Prince insisting, he sang “God Save the King.” “How long” says the Prince, “has that been a favourite song with you?” “Ever since I have had the honour of your Royal Highness’s acquaintance.” WAS PITT MAD? The mistress of the future William IV.—notorious for his boring habits—quitted him. because she could not persevere in hearing him rend the “Live; of the Admirals.” She had borne this through one half of the work, hut, finding that as much remained, her patience sank under it, and a quarrel and separation ensued. Gleubervio, who was in Pitt’s Government has this strange story of Pitt in 180.1: Sir W. Pulteney, says he is possessed of positive proof that Pitt has been actually mad. Mr Dundas’s first conversation with me at Wimbledon after his (Pitt’s) second return from Che 1 -, ten ham gave one the impression that lie had either been or near it, or that it was to lie apprehended, and a fendays ago Farqubar (Pitt’s doctor) told me that there are things concerning Pitt’s illness which none but Addington and he knows. As for the oratory of the House of Commons at. this period, which lias so often I iron field up to tfie- world, we read this .sarcastic reference from one who hoard it, to the long, long speeches of the two leaders, Pitt and Fox, and a few others, who exhaust the .'.abject and the House’s patience' n>nd leave nothing to the. junior counsel. There are many unfavourable mentions of flic then Princess of Wales.Caroline, the wife of tfie future George IV. Tfio Princes* told one of her ladies who remonstrated with her on her conduct: She neither desired nor liked nor improved fiv advice, that she had her ladies for attendants, not counsellors, and that .she had on several occasions observed that some of them by their looks arid manner had put on an np]>earanee of disapproving of her conduct and therobv had drawn the eves and observations of others to what otherwise would not have been noticed. Lady Gleubervio was attached to her service, and seems to have thought her guilty of some at least of the grave charges brought against her. Other members of the Royal Familywere not very pleasant people—'•Mrs Trail says the Queen’s (Queen Charlotte, wife of George III.) temper is become intolerable, and that the Princesses are rendered quite miserable by it.

There is the story of George 111. revealing his madness in this way: As he was going to open the session last winter, bo said to the persons in the state coach with him, “ 1 shall surprise the two Houses by the beginning of my Address to them. I mean to say I My Lords and Peacocks.’ ” The attendants wore confounded. Some of them ventured to say, “ Surely your Majesty would not use that expression.” “Yes, hut I shall: i shall certainly say, ‘ My Lords and Peacocks.’ ” He did not, however. The diarist knew the mother of the great Duke of Wellington well: She gave me an account of his early life, which she says was far from announcing his present unexampled pniinence. He was so poor a scholar, so inept and so unwilling, that the

piasters of Eton advised her (she had been early a widow with the care of that numerous family) to take him from (.hat school, and that she had then placed him under a Mr Gobert at Brussels, and some time afterwards sent him to an Academy at Angers, then in great repute, but that at both these places lie continued incapable, from idleness and want of any disposition to apply, of redeeming his character in point of scholarship. That be was always good-naturef|, frank, pojpu-

Therc is a glimpse of Lady Nelson : A tall, large but fine figure, with fine dark eyes and (lark hnjr, t|(p remains of a fine complexion, and something altogether of a poble air. But she is stupid heavy, yet fond of talking if slip can find a listener. pile soon sees that s|ie is in her nature eager xo attract attention, and hurt if she is not treated as a principal personage. KILLED BY COSMETICS. Of Napoleon’s first wife, the Empress Josephine, Glenbervie says: She was gentle, not 'clever. She used mineral cosmetics and at last fpll a sacrifice to that practice. The Emperor Alexander, among his numerous conquests, bad the ambition to succeed with the divorced Empress when first, in Paris, and her vanity as well as his youth and good looks, led her to encourage bis gallantry. They used t:f take long walks in the dusk and damp air, tete-a-tete, at Malmaison, when the effect on the washes she used was so pernicious as to produce the illness : of which she died. ! At a dinner in Mme. do StneTs . daughter’s house Glenbervie was treat- , e;l with scant courtesy: }

As for my attempts to say a single word or two on their frequent references to our English inodes of legislating, I was not permitted to finish a sipgle sentenco, and all I did utter was taken as if I had said nothing. She thinks women read and write a great deal more and better in England than in France, but shine much less in conversion and in grace. At Talleyrand’s house, the diarist says:

Mme. de Perigord (the Duchesse do Dino) gave me a cold, I may say, impertinent reception.. . . There is a—hazard table in one of his rooms, and sepminglv some high play. . . The scandalous chronicle already circulates pleasantries on Mme. de Perigordks new title. Dino, if made two words of Dino, means (in Frpnph) “ Say-no,” and the joke (if one) is that she has not been much used to say No. The London of that day was not so cheap os might havg been In 1803 (lip au*’W says hp dined with a friend, from curiosity, at the coffephogse lately gffgjjijshgjj jn Boy §tro©f, a jjace much cried up, the mastgEj Jaoquier, having been maitre 4’hotel to

Lord Clarendon. The bill for a very temperato meal, both in the quality and quantity, including, indeed, a bottle of soi-distant Cdte-rotie at 13s 6d and one of Busales (perhaps Bucellas, a white wiue of Portugal) at os, amounted to 345. Waiter, 3s in all £1 17s.