The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope Part 23

We English view with such horror all despotic Governments that we cannot conceive the possibility of happiness existing under the sway of an absolute Sovereign. Yet such I found to be the case at Vienna.

The Government of the Emperor is mild and paternal, the people seem to have as much freedom of speech as they could enjoy even in England, and at this particular moment the measures of the administration are anything but popular. The Emperor is supposed to be devoted to the cause of Napoleon, whilst his subjects are almost universally enthusiastic for the liberty of Germany. Upon some occurrence, I think it was upon the occasion of an insult offered to the Conte de Narbonne, the Emperor was reported to have said--"Monsieur l'Amba.s.sadeur, you and I are the only two _Frenchmen_ in the country!"

The Empress was described to me as a woman of a proud and violent temper, whilst the Crown Prince was spoken of with great interest, but as a young man kept in the highest subjection. When the Emperor summoned him to accompany himself and the Empress on their way to meet Napoleon and Marie Louise, then on their road to Vilna previous to opening the Moscow Campaign, the Prince was said to have replied that he should have been most happy to have gone to meet his sister, _but not that Man_!--the consequence of this was that he was immediately put under arrest.

I was much pleased with the simple and unaffected manner in which the Imperial family seemed to mix with the people. The Archd.u.c.h.esses frequently drove about the streets without Guards or more attendants than any lady of fashion would have had, though among the n.o.bility there is occasionally a display of state that is not to be found in any other capital in Europe. I saw a man of rank going to Court who had with him at least twenty servants magnificently dressed; and although it was drawing towards the end of the season, Vienna still appeared to be extremely brilliant and luxurious.... The city, however, still bore marks of her recent misfortunes; the French cannon-b.a.l.l.s were still visible, and ruined buildings still testified that she had been forced to yield to the proud will of a Conqueror.

At length, on what John Stanhope subsequently described as the happiest day of his life, he reached Cannon Hall; and he used to relate that one of the first discoveries which he made on entering his old home convinced him how confident at one time his family must have been that he was numbered with the dead, for a very valuable collection of prints, which he had greatly prized, had, in view of his supposed decease, been employed by his brothers in papering one of the bachelors' bedrooms!

Naturally, he was strongly urged by his relations not to risk leaving England again, and many of his friends added their persuasions to those of his family, pointing out the serious risk which he ran in again visiting the continent. To all such representations he turned a deaf ear, since he held that, as his liberty had been granted him with the ostensible object of enabling him to prosecute his proposed researches in Greece, he was in honour bound to fulfil that obligation. His brother Edward decided to accompany him, and to his brother William he wrote:--

CANNON HALL, _September 1813._

Edward and I start for Greece next month, & my old friend Bonaparte is at such a low ebb that I think perhaps I may be able to return through France without the agreeable t.i.tle of Prisoner.

You seem to think that I am not obliged to go into Greece. The truth is that I do not consider myself as positively obliged, but I consider that the honour of a Stanhope must not only be maintained, it must not even be suspected, so go I will, be the consequences what they may.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EDWARD COLLINGWOOD, SON OF WALTER SPENCER STANHOPE, ESQ., M.P.]

Thus it befell that John Stanhope nearly became, for the second time, a prisoner of Napoleon, and the tale of his adventures may be concluded here.

He had promised that he would _en route_ deliver some despatches to the Queen of Wurtemburg; he therefore journeyed to Stuttgart, where he had a lively interview with the former Princess Royal of England, who, although now forty-seven years of age, and exceedingly ma.s.sive in figure, still retained her girlish sprightliness. On hearing that a young Englishman desired to see her, she at once concluded that someone had been sent with fresh news of her father, George III., the thought of whose mental affliction was a constant source of grief to her. John Stanhope writes:--

STUTTGART, _January 10th, 1814._

As soon as I had breakfasted, I went to the Palace. I was shown into a sort of ante-room, the servant took in the letters, and returned for answer that the Queen would see me herself. In another moment she hastened into the room where I was, and without giving me time to make my proper salutations, she burst out with--"_How is the King_?" I was astounded at so disagreeable a question, and with difficulty answered--"Much the same?" "What, no better?" continued she in great disappointment. At first she supposed that I was a messenger, but upon hearing my name, she took me herself into another room and remained conversing with me for full half an hour.

She inquired if I was Captain Stanhope's son, and upon hearing that I was a Spencer-Stanhope, she made a sort of start of surprise, she said she knew my father and well remembered my mother's marriage. She added that she remembered it particularly from one circ.u.mstance, the King was desirious of buying for Princess Sophia a diamond pin which my father had previously ordered. There was much _pour parler_ about the matter. My father refused to renounce his purchase to any other intending purchaser, and the King refused as obstinately to give up all hopes of persuading the unknown owner of the pin to relinquish his rightful claim. At last my father learnt who was his rival, and instantly gave up the pin to the King!

I had for some time found it difficult to keep up the respectful manner necessary to be observed to Sovereigns, but here, at the thought of our respective parents obstinately haggling over the same bit of jewellery, with a jeweller who was in great terror of offending either, we both threw etiquette to the winds and laughed outright.

She asked me after Lord Chesterfield, and inquired how he bore the death of his wife. She asked after the Arthur Stanhopes. I told her the story of my recent imprisonment. She inquired whether the Queen [Charlotte] appeared much older; and also asked the number of our family, when she laughed yet more heartily at my saying that I could not tell how many girls there were without counting. She said to me, "You see I know more about your family than you do!" She at length told me she was much obliged to me for the trouble of bringing her letters and curtsied me out.

After this interview Stanhope saw the Palace which, he says, "is a splendid building, and on its summit appears a magnificent new crown that does not fail to remind the spectator of the recent acquisition of the Royal t.i.tle."

He was shown the apartments of the King, which he found handsome and well- furnished, "but amongst the decorations, parrots, plants and musical clocks made a conspicuous figure, as well as no little clamour for the attendant setting all the clocks in motion as he pa.s.sed, a singular concert was produced, which was increased by the screaming of parrots, paroquets and macaws.

"I afterwards went through the gardens of the menagerie, where there is, amongst other creatures, a large collection of monkeys; then to the farms where there are some cattle, but a most singular a.s.semblage of monsters, such as _sheep with five legs_, etc., etc.; rather an odd taste in farming, to which pursuit the King professes to be much attached! In some of the fields I saw Kangaroos, which were originally a present from our King, and have bred and become numerous."

He then saw the King's carriages, "one built by Hatchard in England which cost a thousand pounds"; also, in contrast, the humble little garden chair in which her Majesty usually drove out, "And, I a.s.sure you," the attendant added confidentially, "_she fills it well_!"

He finally visited Beau Sejour, where he says:--

I was not a little surprised, on entering a salon in a building opposite to the Palace, to find myself in the midst of an a.s.sembly of Knights in robes of their respective orders. I involuntarily started back at being thus transported, as it were, into the days of chivalry, but as soon as my first surprise had pa.s.sed away and allowed time for a little reflection, I observed that my Knights were made of wood and intended to show off the habiliments of the different orders.

I afterwards went to a little island where there was a chapel built upon some rock-work. I was conducted by my guide into a cell which had been formed underneath it, and I saw the figure of a monk seated near a table on which was a skull and an hour-gla.s.s. Upon my entering, he turned his head round suddenly to look at me, but though the deception has been very well contrived. I was not long in discovering that this also was a fict.i.tious monk.

Another anecdote relating to Continental Royalties of that day did John Stanhope send to regale his family. During his travels he met Sir Francis d'Ivernois, who, he explains, was a native of Geneva brought up to the French bar. Having made himself of considerable use to the English Government by exposing the arts and deception employed by the French Government, he became a great authority on finance, and was rewarded by an English pension and a knighthood. Stanhope recounts the following adventure which once befell d'Ivernois:--

"He was at one time on the Continent as a travelling tutor with two young Englishmen. He happened one day to be sauntering with his pupils near one of the Royal Palaces of Prussia, when they observed some young and very striking-looking girls walking at a little distance. This was enough to excite the romance of the young Englishmen, who were in no great awe of their tutor. They began to give chase, which excited an evident alarm among the ladies. In her embarra.s.sment, one of them dropped her handkerchief, which was immediately picked up and presented to her by one of the young gentlemen. This, of course, tended to increase the agitation of the ladies, who retreated as fast as they could, and disappeared through a door in the wall before them.

"Upon the return of the youths to Monsieur d'Ivernois, he addressed them with--'Well, gentlemen, unless I am mistaken, you have got into a pretty sc.r.a.pe. I suspect that those ladies were the Princesses of Prussia!'

"'Pooh, pooh, nonsense!' answered his pupils, highly amused.

"'Not so much nonsense as you suppose; by their dress and appearance they were evidently persons _comme il faut_; they were frightened and embarra.s.sed by your conduct, and they retreated through a gate which opened into the Palace gardens!'

"The young men laughed at their tutor's conjecture, but shortly after, they were at some ball or reunion at Berlin, when the d.u.c.h.ess of Brunswick went up to Monsieur d'Ivernois and addressed him with--'Monsieur d'Ivernois, come with me, I want to speak to you.' Conducting him into a more retired part of the room, she continued--'The other day the young Princesses were guilty of an indiscretion. Tired of always walking in the Palace Garden at Potsdam, they could not resist the inclination they felt to steal out and enjoy a walk in the open country--a pleasure enhanced perhaps by the feeling that it was forbidden. They were followed and addressed by two young English gentlemen who were in company with a man older than themselves, and of a grave and more sedate appearance, who was supposed to be their tutor. I have taken it into my head that you were this person of more sedate appearance, and that the two indiscreet young men were your two pupils. Now if I am right in my conjecture, I suppose that you have no _great wish_ to pay a visit to Spandau, and therefore I need not impress upon you the absolute necessity of holding your tongue on the subject. The Governess, who is fully aware of the indiscretion she committed in permitting such an escapade, is in the greatest alarm and as anxious as you can be that the strictest secrecy should be observed, so that _she_, at all events, will not boast of the adventure.'

"M. d'Ivernois had nothing to say in reply. He took the hint, for the name of Spandau effectually sealed both his lips and those of his pupils, whilst the Princesses, when their alarm had subsided, were most probably flattered to find that their beauty produced no less an effect when not enhanced by the splendour of Royalty."

s.p.a.ce forbids following in detail the adventures of John Stanhope _en route_ to Greece or the outcome of his researches there; an account of which latter, moreover, he published personally. He accomplished his journey without misadventure and succeeded in closely investigating the historical remains of Olympia, the description of which, brought out in two separate volumes, he dedicated to the Inst.i.tute of France. [3] A severe attack of fever, however, unfortunately brought his operations to an untimely ending; and on becoming convalescent, he was forced to start upon his homeward journey.

Retracing their steps through Italy, he and his brother found the land terrorised by the gangs of robbers with which it was infested, but who, far from being common banditti, he explains, were to be looked upon as a body of men who were at variance with the Government of that day.

"At one part of our journey," he writes, "the driver flatly refused to go the route we had chosen, declaring he must go a shorter way for safety; thereupon a priest, with whom we had been conversing, exclaimed--'Come with me, you will be quite safe; here is _my_ pistol.' He drew back his coat and displayed the cross which was attached to his breast. He then told me that one day, as he was travelling, a robber with black moustachios and a very ferocious appearance came to attack him. He instantly drew back his gown, and with an air of authority showed the cross. The robber immediately sank upon his knees and implored a blessing.

What a strange state of society in which men can unite to the greatest veneration for their religion, an open violation of its most sacred laws!"

Another day Stanhope had to go through a lonely Pa.s.s which was known to be occupied by a very celebrated band of robbers. "We entered a dreary dismal country and at length came to a wild but extensive plain. We suddenly perceived, on our left, a small troop of nine men, well mounted and drawn up in a regular line, and evidently exercising themselves in a military manner. Our Gendarmes informed us that they belonged to the banditti. This was by no means acceptable intelligence, and we were not a little thankful to find that we pa.s.sed quietly on without molestation. This was the spot in which they had captured an immense Government treasure a few months before. It was escorted by 250 men. These were so confident in their strength that, concluding that there was no danger of their being attacked, some were at least a mile in advance and others as much in the rear. Those who had remained near the treasure were so confounded by the unexpected attack that they were soon put to flight, and the contributions of all the Province beyond the Pa.s.s fell into the hands of the robbers.

"Murat, indignant at so great a loss, disgraced the General, who commanded the Province, and sent down another with a thousand men and orders to exterminate the robbers.

"I heard an anecdote of the Captain of the band that savours so much of the time of Robin Hood that I cannot help relating it. The d.u.c.h.ess of Avellino, who was on the point of pa.s.sing from her chateau to Naples, happened in some public place to mention that she was much alarmed at the thoughts of going through the celebrated Pa.s.s. A gentleman present a.s.sured her that her fears were groundless, and that there was not the smallest danger. Shortly after, the d.u.c.h.ess pursued her journey, and when she arrived at the Pa.s.s she perceived a stranger riding at no great distance from her carriage. She felt considerably alarmed. However, he followed the carriage closely till it was out of the Pa.s.s. He then rode up to the window, pulled off his hat, and told the d.u.c.h.ess that he was the Captain of the Band; that he had escorted her out of the limits of his territories, and that she was then perfectly safe. She offered him money, but he refused it positively, though politely. He then took his leave, but not before she had recognised in him the man whom she had met at the dinner party, and who had a.s.sured her that there was no cause for alarm.

"Not long ago one of the haunts of the banditti was discovered, and an enormous amount of booty was found in it."

At Naples Stanhope and his brother arrived in time to be invited to a masquerade given by the Princess of Wales. Caroline, weary of her anomalous position in England, had in 1814 obtained leave to go to Brunswick, and subsequently to make a further tour. She lived for some time on the Lake of Como, an Italian, Bergami, who was now her favourite, being in her company. Feted by Murat, King of Sicily, [4] she pursued unchecked her career of eccentricity and indiscretion.

"Directly the Princess heard that we were at Naples she invited us to her masquerade. My friend Maxwell was going in a Turkish dress which he had brought with him from that country, therefore I thought I might as well adopt a costume of the same land, and chose that of a black slave. The ball began by fireworks which were let off in a little Island immediately in front of the Palace in which we were a.s.sembled. I had been a.s.sured that the Commandant had declared that as he had a considerable quant.i.ty of gunpowder in the Fortress, he could not allow anything of the sort without an express order from the King, as the danger would be considerable. None the less, out of deference to the wishes of the Princess, the order appears to have been given. The ball which followed was brilliant, the dances were magnificent, and the King and Queen took part in almost every dance. She is an extremely pretty woman. The King, to my amus.e.m.e.nt, changed his dress frequently in the course of the evening. In the middle of the proceedings a little cabinet was thrown open, in which was disclosed a bust of Murat with the Inscription Joachim 1er Roi de Naples.

I met the Princess of Wales coming out of the cabinet, and was informed that when the door was first opened she was stationed near the bust, and in a theatrical manner placed a crown upon its head.

"To all this magnificent entertainment _there was no supper_!

"A few days afterwards, to my dismay, I received an intimation from the Duc di Gallo that the King wished me to be presented.... On New Year's Day, at the appointed time, I accordingly repaired to the Salon destined for the Corps Diplomatique. I there found many people a.s.sembled, and a table set out with a good breakfast, coffee, tea, all sorts of wine and liqueurs. We were at length ushered into the Presence Chamber and formed a circle round the King.

"I had been far from pleased with Murat's manners at the Princess of Wales's ball, but he now certainly played the part of a Monarch like a consummate actor. The former Inn-keeper's son was dressed magnificently in a Spanish costume. He walked round the circle, and when he came to me he exclaimed, as if aside, '_Ah, un beau nom!_' He asked me whence I came and whether I intended to remain long in Naples; upon my answering the latter question in the negative he said, 'J'en suis fache!'

"As soon as our audience was terminated we were ushered into the Chapel where all the n.o.bility of the Court, both male and female, were a.s.sembled.

Each seemed to vie with the other in splendour of dress. The music was immeasurably fine; but this theatrically magnificent a.s.sembly in a Chapel seemed much like a mockery of Religion. Murat, however, who was in a very conspicuous place, acted his part very well. His little boy stood near him and he found out the different parts of the service in the child's prayer- book. As soon as the ma.s.s was over the Duc di Gallo placed us in a room which opened into that in which the King received the ladies of the Court, so that, by standing near the door, we could see the whole of the ceremony. The Queen was absent as she had caught cold at the Princess of Wales's ball. The ladies, in consequence, only pa.s.sed with a side step and solemn demeanour, making _en pa.s.sant_ a low, deferential bow to the King.