You, who have read and thought a great deal upon men and manners, must be aware that there are situations almost unknown in Europe from which persons, in what is called a semi-barbarous country, cannot extricate themselves with honour without taking a part either for or against humanity: besides, there are extraordinary gusts of knowledge—of extraordinary information—which, if you do not take advantage of them at the moment, are lost to you for ever. I have, therefore, exceeded my pecuniary means, but always with the hope of extricating myself without the assistance of any one; or at least (and ever before my eyes, should the worst come to the worst) with that of selling the reversion of what I possess. Your magnificent Queen has made me appear like a bankrupt in the world, and partly like a swindler; having given strict orders that one usurer’s account must be paid, or my pension stopped, without taking into consideration others who have equal claims upon me. Her Majesty has not thrown the gauntlet before a driveller or a coward: those who are the advisers of these steps cannot be wise men.
Whatever men’s political opinions may be, if they act from conscientious motives, I have always respected them; and you know that I have had friends in all parties. Therefore, without any reference to the present or past political career of ministers, or her Majesty’s advisers, their conduct would appear to me, respecting myself, identically as it was, gentlemanlike or blackguard. But, having had but too strong a specimen of the latter by their attempting to bully a Pitt, and to place me under consular control, it is sufficient for me to resign the name of an English subject; for the justice granted to the slave of despotism far exceeds that which has been shown to me. Believe me, with esteem and regard, yours,
Hester Lucy Stanhope.
Friday, February 2.—To-day, I found her ladyship busied in sorting out certain articles of apparel, which had just before been brought home for herself: they had been made by the wife of Lufloofy, the person at Sayda who generally lodged English travellers. As the fair sex may like to know what the texture of ladies’ under-garments is in the East, these were made of half cotton and half silk, and, to the appearance and touch, not unlike crape. Some women have them all silk. Either kind is favourable for absorbing perspiration, and, under any circumstances, never strikes cold to the body.[29]
There had arrived, also, from Marseilles six cases of claret, two of brandy, one of rum, twelve baskets of champagne, one case of Kirsch water; and from Leghorn six cases of Genoese pâte, two Parmesan cheeses, some Bologna sausages, pots of preserve, one barrel of salmon and tunny, one ditto of anchovies, brooms, scuppets, perfumery, two chests of tea, and numberless other good things, to meet the wants of her expected guest, the Baroness de Fériat, who was coming from the United States. It was sad enough that Lady Hester herself, with abundance of choice provisions and wines, was unable to partake of any. However, when samples of them were brought in, as the cases were opened one after another, to be shown her, her usual (what shall I call it?) greediness of manner manifested itself. She tasted everything, and swallowed a great deal: the natural consequence of which was that she threw herself back in her bed, gasping for breath, and suffering horribly. On these occasions, her favourite plan was to relieve the succession of momentary symptoms by a host of palliatives, never leaving her stomach empty or her digestive organs at rest, and always fancying that it was want of nourishment that generated uneasiness or caused the oppression on her chest, from both of which she never was free; nor would she listen to any arguments that tended to show she was in error.
February 4, Sunday.—This morning it was discovered in my house that a silver spoon had been lost. I had a man-servant and a boy, the former a Greek, the latter a Mahometan. The Greek had one of the most sinister countenances I ever beheld: he was the same man who had accompanied Mr. Moore and Mr. Beck to the Dead Sea,[30] and had been sent to me from Beyrout by the innkeeper there: he was a knave, a drunkard, and a liar. Suspicion fell on him, and he, to throw it on others, first accused the milk-girl, and then the water-carrier.
Theft, in houses in Turkey, where many are suspected, generally leads to the punishing of them all; and Logmagi suggested that he should apply the korbàsh to all three, to elicit the truth. However, I thought it more just to resort to the European way, saying if the spoon were not found, the two servants must pay for it, not doubting the innocence of the water-carrier, a hard-working fellow of good repute. Logmagi objected to this. “You must flog that Greek,” said he, “or you will lose, one by one, everything of value you possess.”
Here the matter rested, as the morning had been fixed for answering Colonel Campbell’s letter: so I wrote from her ladyship’s dictation the following laconic epistle to him, and the friendly one to Mr. Moore, British consul at Beyrout. When I had finished them, I asked Lady Hester what she would have me put at the close, and how she chose to subscribe herself. “Say nothing,” replied she: “how many times I have said I could never call myself the humble servant of any body. I hate and detest all those compliments so unmeaning and so false: but to Mr. Moore you may express my esteem and regard. I know I shall have a great liking for Mrs. Moore, if ever I see her: is she so very handsome as they say? When you go to Beyrout, you must tell her that I consider it a duty to like her: she does not know why, no more do you.”