IV
CHOLERA AT BRENTFORD—FALSE RUMOURS ABOUT THE QUEEN—DISMISSAL OF EARL HOWE—DEATH OF THE PRINCESS LOUISE—AT WINDSOR AGAIN—AN AFTERNOON ON VIRGINIA WATER
IN 1832 the cholera made its appearance in many parts of the country, and claimed many victims. At Brentford the people disputed hotly about it, some alleging it was not Asiatic cholera, fearing that the prevalence of that epidemic would be detrimental to the little trade of the town. At the parish meetings feeling ran so high that the disputants almost came to blows, and Colonel Clitherow 'never had so much difficulty in keeping them in decent order.'
In the autumn of the previous year Earl Howe[*] had been dismissed, at the request of Lord Grey, from the post of Chamberlain to the Queen. As this office had always been regarded as independent of the Ministry of the day, the incident attracted a good deal of attention at the time, and formed the subject of a question by Mr. Trevor in the House of Commons, to which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Althorp, returned a diplomatic reply. Yet, however unusual the action taken by the Government may have been, there can be little doubt that, considering the feeling of the country respecting reform, their decision was a wise one. Earl Howe had twice voted against the Reform Bill, and it might have been inferred that he had been influenced in this action by the Queen against the King's wish. His dismissal did not, apparently, prevent rumours to this effect becoming current, and the Queen and her friends were much annoyed at the imputations thus implied and expressed. That these somewhat natural inferences had no substantial foundation is made clear by a letter written from Boston House, April 11, 1832:
[*] Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, second Viscount Curzon; born 1796, created Earl Howe 1821, his maternal grandfather, the celebrated Admiral, having previously borne that title.
'We are often annoyed at the unaccountable falsehoods put about of our dear Queen. The world now says she and the King are on such bad terms that she is going to Germany. My brother called on Lady Mary Taylour[*] (she is Princess Augusta's Lady of the Bedchamber), who said she had that morning read a letter from the Queen to the Princess, in which she said she had been very unwell, her anxiety was so great about the Princess Louise; her mother was ill, and her sister not coming, but, she added, "My comfort and consolation is the extreme kindness of the King. Nothing can exceed it.' This is from one you may believe. When we were at the Pavilion, early in December, she was too ill to come out of her room, but sent for Mrs. Clitherow after dinner, and she had a tête-à-tête with her for an hour. She spoke much of the insult to her of dismissing Lord Howe, but what hurt her most was her fear lest the King should be blamed, for she was sure he never would have done it could he have helped himself. I think now, if you hear the report, you may contradict it on sure grounds. I do believe her excellent and good.'
[*] Eldest daughter of the first Marquis of Headfort, born 1782.
Within a week or two after this, Colonel and Mrs. Clitherow again visited Windsor by the Royal commands, and Miss Clitherow, in her minute chronicle, shows that, while they cherished no pride of pomp or station, they fully appreciated the honour of the King's friendship:
'BOSTON HOUSE, 'May 13, 1832.
'Thank God the cholera does seem subsiding! And in what mercy has that scourge visited England compared to other countries! Yet, such is the fatal blindness of the multitude, they see none of God's mercies, and only provoke Him more and more by increasing wickedness. The downfall of our Church seems the first object. But you know as much as I know, and a truce with the subject.
'I will tell you of our Courtly doings, and how thankful we are that we just take the cream, free and independent, without rank or place—no troubles, turmoils, or jealousies. We receive the most flattering notice—and it can be from no other motive than liking us—a rare occurrence at Court, and of which we have a right to be proud.
'Lately a command came to my brother and Mrs. Clitherow to come to Windsor Castle on the Monday and stay till the Wednesday. There were no other visitors. Nobody breakfasts with the Queen or takes luncheon unless sent for. You have your breakfast in your own sitting-room, or at the general breakfast, as you prefer. We always take the latter, but this visit Jane was with her at every meal, the King the only gentleman admitted at breakfast, and only his sons, or very few, at luncheon. Each evening the Queen called Jane to her sofa and work-table, where, also, no one approaches but by her invitation, and on the Tuesday morning the King took my brother all round the Castle with Wyattville, giving orders and directions. I fear greatly the improving mania is coming upon His Majesty, which, in these times, will be very unfortunate.
'The Queen took my brother and Jane a long drive in her barouche.
'Now, in this kind of social visit you get at much of a person's mind and opinions. The Queen seemed to enjoy a freedom of speech with friends. Poor thing! how seldom can she feel that! She terms Jane her "friend who tells her true." I can safely say, in contradiction to the abominable reports circulated to her disadvantage, that she and the King are on the best terms possible. In all her conversation, her anxiety was on his account, lest he should get blamed. She has strong sense and good judgment. She said: "I must have my own opinion, but I do not talk to the King about it. It would only make him unhappy, and could do no good."
'After the drive she took them into her room, and clasped a bracelet round Jane's arm, begging her to wear it for her sake, and, as the stone was an amethyst, the A would remind her of Adelaide, and then she kissed her cheek. To my brother she presented a silver medallion of the King, telling him her name was on the back, and he must keep it for her sake. She always has something obliging and kind to say. She sent a ticket for her box at Drury Lane. It was "Admit Colonel and Mrs. Clitherow." Jane asked her if that meant two places. "No, no; the whole box, to be sure. It holds eight. But, when I name one of you, I cannot help naming both."
'King William IV. forgot little me when he sent his commands. On their going in he said: "Where is Miss Clitherow? I hope illness has not prevented her.' On an explanation, "Then next Monday meet us at dinner at Bushey, and bring your sister with you.' And we did meet them. The King came over with Wyattville to inspect Hampton Court Palace. The Queen followed, to dine with him at their dear Bushey. They returned to Windsor at ten, the Princess Augusta to town. Only Lady Falkland and Miss Wilson attended the Queen. The company were the inmates of Hampton Court, where we have never visited, and therefore to me the dinner was dull.'
At this time there was a grave political crisis through the action of the House of Lords respecting the Reform Bill. The Cabinet advised the King to create a batch of peers to form a Whig majority, as had been done by Harley in 1711. This, however, the King refused to do, and Lord Grey consequently resigned. The letters which passed between Lord Grey and the King at this time are of considerable interest, and show that the King exercised a greater influence and tact as a ruler than has generally been ascribed to him. The Duke of Wellington was summoned, but could not meet with sufficient support to accept office. Earl Grey, therefore, returned to power, and the deadlock was removed by the King persuading the Duke of Wellington and some of the peers who supported him to absent themselves from the division on the Reform Bill, and thus allow it to pass.[*] Miss Clitherow touches but lightly on this subject, but it seemed desirable to put the facts before the reader. Her letter proceeds:
[*] There are several letters on this subject towards the end of vol. ii. of 'The Correspondence of the Late Earl Grey with H.M. King William IV., and with Sir Hubert Taylor,' edited by his son, and published by John Murray in 1867. Anyone desiring to have a clear idea of the political anxieties which Miss Clitherow tells us harassed the King would do well to consult this interesting work.
'The Thursday after we went to see Lady Falkland, who is on a visit to papa King. We found her, her widowed sister Lady Augusta Kennedy, and Miss Wilson very comfortably at work. They were the two Fitz-Clarences; we saw a good deal of them when they lived at Bushey.
'A page soon came to conduct my brother to the King, another to desire we would take luncheon in the Queen's room. On entering the King called Jane by him, the Queen me; she rose up and shook hands with both. My brother went down to the general luncheon. Nothing could be more good-humoured and pleasant than they were. The King was cheerful but silent; 'twas the day after Lord Grey's resignation. The Queen certainly in particular good spirits; the King's firmness respecting the making no peers had delighted her. They went to his apartments, and we to Lady Falkland's, and were preparing to depart, when a message came. The Queen had not taken leave of us, and hoped we were in no hurry, but would stay and Walk with her. Of course we did. The party consisted of the Queen, Miss Eden (Maid of Honour), Miss Wilson, Lord Howe, Mr. Ashley, Mr. Hudson, Sir Andrew Barnard, and our three selves. She took us through the slopes to her Adelaide Cottage and her flower-garden to see Prince George of Cambridge at gymnastics, with half a dozen young nobility from Eton, who came once a week to play with him. We were walking nearly two hours. The Queen is very animated, and Mr. Ashley and Mr. Hudson full of fun and tricks, and amused us all much. In short, I have but one fear when with her—forgetting in Whose presence I am; her manner is so very kind, but there is dignity with it that keeps us in order.'
Before Miss Clitherow wrote again to her old friend, the Queen's little niece, Whose illness has been already alluded to, had passed away. Her Majesty was tenderly attached to the young Princess, and had shown her every possible attention during her illness. She was greatly grieved at her death, and the sorrow and anxiety seem to have affected her health for some little time.
'WINDSOR CASTLE, 'September 3, 1832.
'Here I am writing with Royal pens, ink, and paper, which last I dislike of all things, it being glazed.
'We have not seen our dear, amiable Queen since the Ascot week, and, poor thing! she has gone through a great deal, but her conduct through the whole was beautiful. Princess Augusta gave us the account of the closing scene, and with tears in her eyes described the feeling and resignation of the Queen, and the extreme kindness and attention of the King to all her little wishes at the time of the funeral, which, by all accounts, was the best managed and most affecting thing possible. She has very much recovered her spirits, which are naturally very cheerful, but she is still most miserably thin.
'The King is particularly well.
'The visitors here besides ourselves are the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester[*]—she is too unwell to appear—Prince George of Cambridge; the Duke of Dorset; Mademoiselle d'Esté; Sir Henry and Lady Wheatley, with two daughters; Lady Isabella Wemyss (Lady of the Bed-chamber), a most pleasing, lovely woman, sister to Lord Errol; Miss Johnson (Maid of Honour); Miss Wilson (Bed-chamber-woman); Mademoiselle Marienne, Lord and Lady Falkland, Sir Herbert and Lady Taylor, Sir Andrew Barnard, Sir Frederick Watson, Colonel Bowater, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Shifner, and Mr. Wood.[**] Princess Augusta and Lady Mary Taylour came every day from Frogmore, which, with the household medical man, Mr. Davis, makes a party of thirty, reckoned here a small party.
[*] H.R.H. was the King's cousin, and the Duchess was the King's fourth sister, Princess Mary.
[**] Many of these are obviously members of the household rather than visitors.
'The dinners are always princely, gold plate, quantities of wax-lights, and servants innumerable, yet very agreeable and with less of form than you could suppose possible.
'Yesterday threatened much rain, but after luncheon it cleared, and we started, four carriages, four in each and a number on horseback, and went to the Fishing Temple by the Virginia Water to see a model of a vessel to be moved by clockwork. After seeing it exhibited we all took boat, and in parties rowed about that beautiful lake. We had the six-oared boat and various little boats. Prince George and Mr. Hudson rowed Her Majesty about, and the whole had so much ease and good-humour it was very delightful.
'Our evenings are always the same, the band playing most beautifully, work-tables and cards for those who chuse.
'The first evening the Queen called us both to her table; the second she sat with the Duchess of Gloucester till her bedtime, so that we had not much of her company. She is always about some elegant work, which she does remarkably well, and has a great deal of cheerful conversation.
'This is our third day, and we leave on Monday. Our invitations say when we are to come and when to go, which is very agreeable. We have our time to ourselves in our own sitting-room from breakfast till luncheon at two.
'So I have scribbled to you, though no post goes till to-morrow. A trio of kind regards.
'Yours truly, 'M. CLITHEROW.'