THE GREVILLE MEMOIRS: THE QUEEN AND THE COURT.*

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2107, 9 January 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GREVILLE MEMOIRS: THE QUEEN AND THE COURT.*

The lonjr-delayed second part of the famous Greville Memoirs, in three large volumes, of 400 pageB each, waa published the other (lay by Messrs Longmans and Co. Mr Henry Reeve, the editor, introduces the memoirs in a long preface, the salient points of which may be thus summarised : — The volume* embrace a period of fourteen years, extending from the accession of Her Majesty in 1537 to the coup d'utat of Napoleon 111. in 1831. The latest events recorded in these pages are separated from us by an interval of about thirty-four year*. Thfe occurrences which took place after the close of 1851, the subsequent establishment of the Imperial power in France, the formation of the Cabinet uf Lord Aberdeen, followed in 1853 by the Crimean War, mark an important epoch in the history of this country and of Euiope. " I have therefore thought," says Mr Reeve, " that this date is the appropiiata conclusion of this portion of the woik. Mr Grevillo rontinued his journal for nine years more, until the close of 18G0, though in his Liter years he was less conversant with public affairs than he had been in the more active peiiod of his life. Should life and health be vouchsafed to me, I shall endeavour to complete the task he confided to my caie b}" the publication of <<no or two conclnding volumes at no distant period." In justifying tfee publication the author say*.: — But although I am of opinion that the tune has at lived when a further portion of those journals may without impropnety be published, yet I am sensible that as the narrative draws nearer to the present time and touches events occuirinp dining tlie reign of the Sovereign who still happily occupies the thione, much more reticence is required of an editor than he felt in speaking of the last two reigns, which belong altogether to past history. There were in tho records of those reigns topics of scandal and topics of ridicule, already familiar to the world, which cast a shadow over those pages, and the more so as they weie true. In narrating tho earlier passages of the reign of Queen Victoria no such incidents occur. The Court was pure ; the persons of the Sovereign and her Consort profoundly respected. The monarchy itself has been strengthened in the last foityeight years by a strict adherence to the principles of moral dignity and constitutional salutary impression ; and they will afford to future generations no unworthy picture of those who have pluyed the most conspicuous p.irt in the last half-century. Nevertheless, the delicacy and caution which ought to be observed in recording the language and the actions of eminent persons, some of whom are still alive, appear to me to prchciibe the omission, at the piesent time, of passages that may more fitly be published hereafter. Accordingly I have exercised to some extent the discretionary powers entrusted to me by the author with these manuscripts ; and I have withheld from publication details which appeared to be||of a strictly confidential character, or which related to the conversations of living persons.

A Royal Dinxer Party. On March, 11, 1838, Greville dined, "much to his surprise," at the Palace, and his account of the Royal dinner party will perhaps do something to console humbler individuals who have not had the same honour :— The Queen sat for some time at the table, talking away very meiiily to her neighbours, and the men remained about a quarter of an hour after the ladies. When we went into the drawing-room, and huddled about the door in the sort of halfshy, half-awkward way people do, the Queen advanced to meet us, and spoke to everybody in succession, and if everybody's "palaver" was aa deeply interesting ai mine, it would have been worth while to have had Gurney to take it down in shorthand. The words of Kings and Queens are precious, but it would be hardly fair to record a Royal after-dinner colloquy. . . We had plenty of instrumental music during and after dinner. To form an opinion or the slightest notion of her real character from such a formal affair as this, is manifestly impossible. Nobody expects from her any cle\er, amusing, or interesting talk, above all no stranger can expect it. She is very civil to everybody, and there is more of frankness, cordiality, and good-humour in htr manner than of dignity. She looks and speaks cheerfully ; there was nothing to criticise, nothing particularly to admire. Tho whole thing seemed to be dull, perhaps unavoidably so, but still so dull that it is a m\rvel how anybody can like such a life. This was an unusually large p-irty, and therefore more than usually dull and formal ; but it is much tho same sort of thing every day. The Qitkkn and Lord Melbourne. Gieville, who as Clerk of the Council had frequent opportunities, was much struck with Lord Melbourne's manner to tho Queen, and hers to him :— His, so parental and an\ious, but always so respectful and deferential; hers, indicative of such entire confidence, such pleasure in his society. She is continually talking to him, let who will be there; ho always sits ne\t her at dinner, and evidently by arrangement, because lie always takes in the lady-in-waiting, which necessarily places him ne\t her, the etiquette being that the lady-in-waiting sits ne\t but one to tho Queen. It is not unnatural, and to him it is peculiarly interesting. I have no doubt ho is passionately fond of her as he might be of his daughter if he had one, and the more because he is a man with a capacity for loving without having anything in the world to love. On the crisis with Peel over the ladies of the Queen's household, Greville says :— I had a conversation with Lord Whaincliffe, who pioved beyond a doubt that there was no luck of deference and consideration on the part of Pee), but, on the contrary, the clearest indication of an intention and desire to consult her wishea and feelings in eveiy respest, and that, instead of a sweeping demand tor the dismissal of all her ladies, lie had approached that subject with delicacy and caution, and merely suggested the expediency of some partial changes, for reasons (especially when taken with other things) by no means insufficient. So little disposition was there on the part of Peel to regard her with distrust or to fetter her social habits, that when she said, " You must not expect me to give up the society of Lord Melbourne," he replied that "Nothing could be further from his thoughts than to interfere with her Majesty's society in any way, or to object to her receiving Lord Molbourne as she pleased, and that he should always feel perfectly secure in the honour of Lord Melbourne."

Mr Grevili,e has a Chat with the Dctke of Well^qtox. Mr Greville found the Duke of Wellington in his brother's room and in high good humour :—: — I bewin talking to him about the discovery lately mado at Woodstock of the Duko of Marlborousrh's correspondence, which Sir George Murray had told me of ; and this lud linn to talk of the Duke of iMarlborough, of his character and military genius, and ho on to other things. He said that ho ciiusidored the principal characteristic of the Duko of Marlborough to have been liin Htronft sound sense and great practical sagacity. That it was a mistake to say ho watt illiterate. People fancied so because of the way in which hit words wero misspelt, but in his time they spelt them

•" The Gr«>villo Mcmnin." Second part. A. Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria frflm 3837 to 1852. Hy the late C. F. Greville Three vols. (London: Lvngmanj, Green and Co. ISBJ. 9Q$.)

as they wore pronounced. He thought the errors he had committed were owing to his wife. The Dnke then talked of thp military genius of Marlborough, and said th.it though he wan a very great man, the art of war was so far advanced since his timß that it was impossible to compare him with more modern generals; and unquestionably Napoleon was thf greatest military genius thato\er existed; that he had advantages which no nther man ever posspssed in the unlimited mean* at his command and his ab~olut'i power and lriesponsibility, and th it \w ni-.er nernpled .it any expenditure of ii"i>;in life; but nevertheless liv employment of his means and resources was wonderful.

Mil Gmdswne. The following inference to Mr Gladstone may be interesting :—: — Gladstone has already displayed a capacity which makes his admission into the Cabinet indispensable, and he must find some means of getting rid of Knatchbull. The very look of the man, which ia that ot a twaddler approaching to the ridiculous, is enough to make his exclusion an object, and as he is entirely useless and lias fallen into universal contempt in the House of Commons, the sooner some decent retreat is found for him the better for himself as well as for the Government.

The QrEEN's Dancixcj L.F<soys. Greville paid hfc first visit to Balmoral in 1849 (the present Castle was not then built), when he was suddenly summoned for a Council there : — The place is very pretty (he says) but hinoll. They lire there without any state whatever ; they live not merely like private gentlefolks, but like very small gentlf-Mk-s small house, small rooms, small establishment. There are no soldier", and th-i whole guard of the Suveieign and the whole R yal Family is a single policeman, who walks about the grounds to keep off impertinent intiuders or improper characters. The Que^'ii is running in and out of the house all day long, and often goes about alone, walks into the cottages, and '•its down and chats with the old women. In the evening we withdrew to the only room theie is besides the dining room, which serses for billiards, library (hardly any books in it), and drawing room. The Queen and Prince and Ivr ladies and Gordon boon went back to the diningriodiii, where they had a Highland daneinarmaslpr, who pave them lessons in reels. We (John Rus-ell and I), were not adn itted to this exercise, so we played at billiards.

Heavy Gambling. There is an inteiestmg story of Lord Geotge Bcntinck and his betting trans actions. Nothing written for a long time, and for tho old reason—the Derby and the racecourse. ... I have been very slightly concerned in this great specul Jtion, but larger sums have been w igered on it than e\er were heard of before. Georga Bcntinck backed a horse of his called (rappr (and not a good one) to win about €12,000. On the morning of the race the people came to hedge with him. whon he laid the odds against him to £7,000—17,000 to 7,000, I believe, in all. Ho had three b'ts with Kelbuiti" of unexampled amount;. He laid Kolbnrno 1.1,000 to 7,000 on Cotherstono (the winner) asfaiust tho British Yoeman, nv\ K>lburne laid him K>,ooo to 2,000 against Gaper. The result I believe wj-3, to thes>e two noble lords, tint (4eoreo Bentmck won about £0,000 and the other lost £0,000 or £7,000. Iha * c never much inclination to record mcing details, though thpse particulars may not be unamusing or " uninteresting many years hence."