Capt. Blake waited on Lord Egremont, to acquaint him with our arrival. We were immediately sent for, and, after some few questions, dismissed. Lodgings were ordered, and taken by Mr. N—— Caccanthropos. We were again sent for by Lord Egremont, but more to gratify the curiosity of some of his friends than about business. I however took this opportunity of flipping my letter of recommendation into his Lordship’s hands, which he read, and assured me he would shew it to the King that day; telling me to let the Indians or myself want for nothing; that as I was a perfect stranger, he had ordered Mr. Caccanthropos to provide whatever we desired.
My first care was to equip the Indians. I attended Mr. Caccanthropos, to order all after the mode of their own country.
As several days passed before I had any further orders, the Indians became extremely anxious to see the King. “What is the reason,” said they, “that we are not admitted to see the Great King our Father, after coming so far for that purpose?” I was obliged to reply, “That his Majesty was indisposed, and could not be waited on till perfectly recovered,” which in some measure pacified them. We were taken not long after to court; but I was only asked a few questions, of which I gave the interpretation to the Indians that might be most favourably received.
The uncommon appearance of the Cherokees began to draw after them great crowds of people of all ranks; at which they were so much displeased, that home became irksome to them, and they were forever teizing me to take them to some public diversion. Their favourite was Sadler’s-Wells; the activity of the performers, and the machinery of the pantomime, agreeing best with their notions of diversion. They were likewise very fond of Ranelagh, which, from its form, they compared to their town-house; but they were better pleased with Vauxhall, tho’ it was always against my inclination I accompanied them there, on account of the ungovernable curiosity of the people, who often intruded on them, and induced them to drink more than sufficient. Once, in particular, one of the young Indians got extremely intoxicated, and committed several irregularities, that ought rather to be attributed to those that enticed them, than to the simple Indians, who drank only to please them. I cannot indeed cite sobriety as their characteristic; but this I can say, these excesses never happened at home. A bottle of wine, a bowl of punch, and a little cyder, being the ordinary consumption of the three Indians, Sumpter, and myself; and as we were seldom at home, it could not put the nation to a great expence. If the bills given in for these articles were to the greatest degree excessive, let them that charged them answer who consumed them; I only know that no more was ever drank by us.
This was not the only thing laid to my charge; I was accused of receiving money for admission to see the Indians. The sheep was accused by the wolf of rapine, who carried his point. He was a thorough-paced under-courtier; the sheep, a raw Virginian, who, ignorant of little arts, innocently believed others as honest as himself, and could never believe such impudence existed, as to accuse another of crimes his conscience assured him he was sole actor of. I was so prepossessed with these opinions, that I can scarce as yet, however severely I have felt it, believe that some men have no ideas of conscience, and esteem it the prejudices of education, and a narrow mind; and that blasting an innocent person’s character, whenever it answered their ends, or that robbing the nation was no crime, when they could escape punishment.
It was a long time before I knew any thing of these money-taking works. The following accident was what brought it to light. Finding myself entirely confined by the continual crowds of visitors, I resolved to lessen the number, by ordering the servants to admit none but people of fashion. This was what would have been at once agreeable to the Indians, and raised their ideas of the English nation. So far from these orders being complied with, the whole rabble of the town was ushered in the next day. Not a little mortified, I complained to Lord Egremont, who, already perhaps prepossessed against me, only told me coldly, that he would speak of it to Mr. Caccanthropos. At my return, tho’ I found the house full of people, I said nothing more.
Some days after, Sumpter, who had contracted some genteel acquaintance, some of whom he was bringing to see the Indians, was stopped by the servant, Mr. Caccanthropos’s relation, who refused to admit them without money. The young man, who had faced all dangers for the service of his country in the war, who had been so highly instrumental in saving us from the dangers that threatened us in going to their country, and had accompanied us ever since, received that affront from an insolent servant; but not being able to bear the insult, he took a warrior’s satisfaction, and knocked him down. A blunt Virginian soldier cannot know the laws of England, as little can he bear an insult from so mean a quarter.
The servant informed his kinsman, who came next day open-mouthed, threatening Sumpter with the crown-office. He next gave me such scurrilous language, that I was perfectly at a loss how to retort it adequately; I had subject enough, but being accustomed to gentlemen’s company, I could scarce understand his dialect: piqued, however, at the stinging truths I told him, he threatened me with confinement also, assaying to intimidate me from publishing them, by reminding me that he was a justice of the peace. Happily I reflected on the disparity of his years and strength to mine; my hands had near disgraced me, by striking a person I so much every way despised. He dared not, however, put his threats into execution; his only vengeance for affronting me, was ordering the people of the house to feed us for the future on ox-cheek, cow-heel, and such like dainties, fit entertainment for Indians accustomed to only the choicest parts of the beast, and very fit to raise their opinion of England. I however understanding Lord Egremont’s orders in a different light, took care to provide whatever was requisite for the Indians, avoiding at the same time all appearance of extravagance.
Sumpter’s company were not the only persons to whom admittance was refused; the same servant had even the impudence to stop Lady T-r—l-y. Her Ladyship sent immediately for Mrs. Quin, the gentlewoman of the house, to enquire if I encouraged the servants in taking money for seeing the Indians. Mrs. Quin set her Ladyship to rights in that particular; but still whatever exactions these fellows made, the public generally laid to me. I was cleared, however, by Cacanthropos himself, who once attempted to stop Mr. Montague; and his fear and confusion on finding whom he had offended, in some measure revenged me.
Soon after these disturbances, orders were given by Lord Egremont, that no person whatever should be admitted, without an order from himself, or Mr. Wood, under Secretary of State: but instead of the throngs decreasing by this order, it rather increased; and I really believe few persons have more friends than Mr. Wood, if he knew but half of those that were ushered in under that name; nay, grown bolder by that sanction, they pressed into the Indians dressing room, which gave them the highest disgust, these people having a particular aversion to being stared at while dressing or eating; on which last occasion, if I was irksome myself, judge what a crowd of strangers must be. They were so disgusted, that they grew extremely shy of being seen, so that I had the greatest difficulty in procuring Lord C—t—f—d a sight of them; on which, being a little angry, I was afterwards informed his Lordship had been offended at something I am yet a stranger to. It ever was against my inclination to give offence to even the lowest class of mankind, much less to Lord C—t—f—d.