The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay Volume Ii Part 69

We returned home to dinner, and in the evening went to the

Page 321 play. Mrs. Siddons performed Mrs. Oakley.(313) What pity thus to throw away her talents ! but the queen dislikes tragedy, and the honour to play before the royal family blinds her to the little credit acquired by playing comedy.

THE ROYAL PARTY AT THE a.s.sEMBLY Rooms.

Sunday, Aug 9.-The king had a council yesterday, which brought most of the great officers of state to Weymouth.

In the evening, her majesty desired Miss Planta and me to go to the rooms, whither they commonly go themselves on Sunday evenings, and, after looking round them, and speaking where they choose, they retire to tea in an inner apartment with their own party, but leave the door wide open, both to see and be seen.

The rooms are convenient and s.p.a.cious : we found them very full.

As soon as the royal party came, a circle was formed, and they moved round it, just as before the ball at St. James's, the king one way with his chamberlain, the new-made Marquis of Salisbury, and the queen the other with the princesses, Lady Courtown, etc.

The rest of the attendants planted themselves round in the circle.

I had now the pleasure, for the first time, to see Mr. Pitt but his appearance is his least recommendation ; it is neither n.o.ble nor expressive. Lord Chatham, the Duke of Richmond, Mr.

Villiers, Lord Delawarr, etc., were in the circle, and spoken to a long time each.

A JOURNEY To EXETER AND SALTRAM.

Thursday, Aug. 13.-We began our Western tour. We all went in the same order as we set out from Windsor. We arrived at Exeter to a very late dinner. We were lodged at the Deanery; and Dr.

Buller, the dean, desired a conference with me, for we came first, leaving the royals at Sir George Young's. He was very civil, and in highest glee: I had never seen him before; but he told me he introduced himself, by this opportunity, at the express desire of Mrs. Chapone and Mrs. Castle, who were both his relations, as well as of Dr. Warton. I was glad to hear myself yet remembered by them.

The crowds, the rejoicings, the hallooing, and singing, and garlanding, and decorating of all the inhabitants of this old Page 322

city, and of all the country through which we pa.s.sed, made the journey quite charming : such happy loyalty as beamed from all ranks and descriptions of men carried close to the heart in sympathetic joy.

We pa.s.sed all the next day at the Deanery, which was insufficient to our party, that not only the gentlemen, one an(l all, lodged at the hotel, but even Lady Courtown and the two Lady Waldegraves. I saw nothing of any of them while we stayed at Exeter. I strolled with Miss Planta about the town, which is populous and busy enough, but close and ugly. The princ.i.p.al parade for company, however, takes in a fine view of the country; and the cathedral is old and curious.

The next morning, Sat.u.r.day the 15th, we quitted Exeter, in which there had been one constant mob surrounding the Deanery from the moment of our entrance. We proceeded through a country the most fertile, varied, rural, and delightful, in England, till we came to the end of our aim, Saltram. We pa.s.sed through such beautiful villages, and so animated a concourse of people, that the whole journey proved truly delectable. Arches of flowers were-erected for the royal family to pa.s.s under at almost every town, with various loyal devices, expressive of their satisfaction in this circuit. How happy must have been the king!-how deservedly ! The greatest conqueror could never pa.s.s through his dominions with fuller acclamations of joy from his devoted subjects than George III. experienced, simply from having won their love by the even tenor of an unspotted life, which, at length, has vanquished all the hearts of all his subjects.

Our entrance at Saltram was, personally to Miss Planta and me, very disagreeable: we followed immediately after the royals and equerries and so many of the neighbouring gentry, the officers, etc., were a.s.sembled to receive them, that we had to make our way through a crowd of starers the most tremendous, while the royals all stood at the windows, and the other attendants in the hall.

The house is one of the most magnificent in the kingdom. It accommodated us all, even to every footman, without by any means filling the whole. The state apartments on the ground floor are superb, hung with crimson damask, and ornamented with pictures, some few of the Spanish school, the rest by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Angelica, and some few by other artists.

Its view is n.o.ble; it extends to Plymouth, Mount-Edge-

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c.u.mbe, and the neighbouring fine country. The sea at times fills up a part of the domain almost close to the house, and then its prospect is Complete.

MAY "ONE" COME IN?

Sunday, Aug. 16.-Lord Courtown brought me a very obliging message from Lady Mount-Edgec.u.mbe, who had been here at noon to kiss hands, on becoming a countess from a baroness. She sent to invite me to see her place, and contrive to dine and spend the day there. Her majesty approves the Mount-Edgec.u.mbe invitation.

Aug. 18.-This morning the royals were all at a grand naval review. I spent the time very serenely in my favourite wood, which abounds in seats of all sorts - and then I took a fountain Pen, and wrote my rough journal for copying to my dear Sorelle.(314)

In the evening, Lord Courtown, opening my parlour door, called out, "May one come in?"

"May one?" exclaimed Colonel Goldsworthy; "may two, may three,--may four?--I like your one, indeed!"

And in they all entered, and remained in sociable conversation till they were all called, late, to cards.

AN EXCURSION To PLYMOUTH DOCKYARD.

Aug. 19.-Again this morning was spent by the royals at Plymouth dock--by me in strolls round the house. The wood here is truly enchanting--the paths on the slant down to the water resemble those of sweet Norbury park.

The tea, also, was too much the same to be worth detailing. I will only mention a speech which could not but divert me, of Mr.

Alberts, the queen's page. He said n.o.body dared represent to the king the danger of his present continual exertion in this hot weather,--"unless it is Mr. Fairly," he added, "who can say anything, in his genteel roundabout way."

Aug. 21.-To-day the royals went to Mount-Edgec.u.mbe, and her majesty had commissioned Lady Courtown to arrange a plan for Miss Planta and me to see Plymouth Dock. According, therefore, to her ladyship's directions, we set off for that place, and, after a dull drive of about five miles, arrived at the house of the commissioner, Admiral La Forey. Here

Page 324 Mrs. La Forey and her daughters were prepared to expect us, and take the trouble of entertaining us for the day.

Three large and populous towns, Plymouth, Stockton, and Dock,(315) nearly join each other. Plymouth is long, dirty, ill built, and wholly unornamented with any edifice worth notice. Stockton is rather neater,-nothing more. Dock runs higher and Is newer, and looks far cleaner and more habitable. The commissioner's is the best-situated house in Dock: it is opposite a handsome quay, on an arm of the sea, with a pretty paved walk, or terrace, before the house, which seems used as a mall by the inhabitants, and is stored with naval offices innumerable.

The two ladies received us very pleasantly. Mrs. La Forey Is well bred, in the formal way ; but her eldest daughter, Mrs. Molloy, is quite free from stiffness, yet perfectly obliging, very easy, very modest, and very engaging, and, when dressed for a ball in the evening, very handsome. She does not become a deshabille, but cannot look otherwise than pleasing and agreeable, from her manners and countenance.

Captain Molloy, her husband, was gone to attend in the naval procession that conducted the royals to Mount-Edgec.u.mbe, where he expected to dine ; but he had left a younger officer, Lieutenant Gregory, to do the honours of the naval show to us.

The commissioner himself is yet more formal than his lady, but equally civil. An unmarried daughter appeared next, who seems sensible and good humoured, but very plain.

We sallied forth to the dockyard, with these two daughters, and Lieutenant Gregory, a very pleasing and well-bred young officer.

How often I wished my dear James had happened to be here, in any employment, at this time!

The dockyard you will dispense with my describing. It is a n.o.ble and tremendous sight, and we were shown it with every advantage of explanation. It was a sort of sighing satisfaction to see such numerous stores of war's alarms !-ropes, sails, masts, anchors,--and all in the finest symmetry, divided and subdivided, as if placed only for show, The neatness and exactness of all the arrangement of those stores for tempest, filled me with admiration; so did the whole scene--though not with pleasure.

All a.s.surances, however well to be depended upon, of safety, are but so many indications of danger.

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While we were seeing the anchor business,--which seemed performed by Vulcanic demons, so black they looked, so savage was their howl in striking the red-hot iron, and so coa.r.s.e and slight their attire,--we were saluted with three cheers, from the accidental entrance of Lord Stopford, Lord Courtown's son, and Mr. Townshend, his nephew, a son of Lord Sydney, just made a lord of the Admiralty. And the sound, in those black regions, where all the light was red-hot fire, had a Very fine demoniac effect.

In beating the anchor they all strike at the same instant, giving about three quick strokes to one slow stroke; and were they not to time them with the most perfect conformity, they must inevitably knock out one another's brains. The sight of this apparently continual danger gave to the whole the appearance of some wild rite performed from motives of superst.i.tion in some uncivilised country.

While we were yet ]it the dockyard we were joined by two sea-captains, Captain Molloy and Captain Duckworth. Captain Molloy is a sensible and agreeable man, but somewhat haughty, and of conscious consequence. Captain Duckworth is both sensible and amiable in his style of conversation, and has a most perfect and kind openness of manner and countenance; but he greatly amused me by letting me see how much I amused him. I never surprised him looking near me, without seeing on his face so irresistible a simper, that I expected him every moment to break forth; never even trying to keep a grave face, except when I looked at him in full front. I found he knew "Burney, of the Bristol," as he called our James, and I named and conversed about him by every opportunity. .

A VISIT TO A SEVENTY-FOUR.

Captain Molloy invited us, when we had exhausted the show on land, to see his ship. I dislike going anywhere beyond the reach of the Humane society, but could not be left without breaking up the party: this was my first water-excursion, though two had been proposed to me at Weymouth, which I had begged leave to decline.

All, however, was smooth and calm, and we had the best possible navigators. We went to the ship in Captain Molloy's large boat, which was very trim and neat, and had all its rowers new dressed and smart for royal attendance, as it followed the king in all his water-excursions.

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