The Press. — London, England, 1856-03-15 00:00:00

fiteraturr. A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Brakes, Esq., from 1831 to 1847. Two Vols. Lon- don : Longmans. No one has a better chance of readily obtain ing admission to the best West-end circles than a man with good City connections. On the onine ignotum principle, his wealth and in fluence arc sure to be magnified; his opinions on commercial and monetary transactions are regarded with reverence ; the depth of his pocket is thought to be unfathomable ; and he establishes a convenient link between those two classes of society whose tastes, habits, and pursuits are directly opposed—the class which lives to spend money, and the class which lives to make it. By birth and connections, Mr. Thomas Raikes belonged to the latter class ; by incli nation and mode of life to the former. His father was an eminent London merchant, and in due time our Diarist became a partner in the house, but " cut the shop," and became a man of fashion From some cause not explained, the experiment, though completely answering Mr. Raikes's expectation as to social views and advantages, did not succeed in other respects. It is said briefly in the preface to this journal that, through embarrassments of the house with which he was connected, he was com pelled in 1832 to break up his London estab lishment, and reside in Paris, where he re mained till 1846 ; he returned to England in 1846, and died in 1848. The journal commences in January, 1832, when the Reform Ministry of Lord Grey was at the height of its power, and in the midst of its embarrassments. The fate of the Bill was in suspense ; democratic agitation was rising to a fearful height; the Belgian question threatened European war; and Russian diplo matists dropped sinister hints of the danger that must ensue from the foreign policy of Lord Palmerston. That policy is fairly enough described in an entry under date of August, 1832 : Matuscewitz [joint plenipotentiary with Mince Lieven at the London Conference 3 said to me this evening, " What are we to think of your ➢tinistry, who professed friendship for the allied powers ; who, whenever a revolu tionary movement is made in Europe, affects to sympa thise with it, but when the crisis arrives refrains from giving its assistance ; who incurs all the obloquy and sus picion of fostering such principles, but does not openly avow them ?" To this Mr. Raikes made a sensible reply, showing how the Ministry were ruled by the press in their language, and how they advo cated Liberal opinions without having courage to act up to them. But had the question been put to him at a later date, he would, no doubt, have said that the policy of first fomenting and then disowning revolutionary movements, amounted simply to " judicious bottle-hold ing " ; that it gave rise to a good deal of sport, though of rather a sanguinary kind ; and that, whatever became of those who took part in the deadly affray, the bottle-holder himself could easily keep out of harm's way. The portion of the journal here published only extends to the middle of June, 1836; it is full of anecdotes of the politics and society of the time, for, while residing in Paris, Mr. Raikes kept up au active correspondence with his friends in London, and seems to have been much trusted and respected. The Duke of Wellington communicated with him in the most confidential manner, and, "though no " party man," Mr. Raikes was as stanch a Tory as the whole empire could produce, and was in most of the secrets of the party. He was at one time almost as despondent re specting the effects of the Reform Bill as Mr. Croker himself :—" No words can describe the " desponding, hopeless view which he takes of " all public matters ; national bankruptcy and " ruin with him are inevitable." But subse quently Mr. Raikes took a more hopeful view. Events since (848 seem to prove that modern societies, es societies, rest on too firm a basis for political convulsions to greatly disturb them. An extract of a letter from the Duke of Wellington is given here, which shows that Shough moat favOtable to keeping up an excel• THE PRESS. lent understanding with France, he did not think it wise to secure that understanding by the sacrifice of all our other continental alliances : Widmer, Nov. 14 [1832]7 It is quite true that France and England united are too strong for the rest of the world : but what are the objects of this union? Are they French objects exclusively? Or English objects? Or European objects ? The answer is bvious: " French objects exclusively." Look abroad at this moment; Holland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Medi terranean,—all tending to the establishment, not of French influence, but of French rule and supremacy. But it is said, we may atop. When, where, and in what manner? We may stop, but it must be at the rink of war, and at an expense equal to that of the last war, and without a chance of ultimate success. We have no objects in Europe ex cepting the independence and tranquillity of all, and par ticularly the independence of France. The object of France is dominion, dominion to be acquired anyhow, but particularly by domestic disturbance. how can two such powers, with such different objects, continue in alliance? A step cannot be taken which is not inconsistent with our interests and anti-Anglican. The Peace, then, which this alliance gives us is hollow, and must terminate suddenly by a state of hostility, the most extensive, the most expen sive, and disastrous—because the least expected and prepared for—that the annals of this country have known. The editor has published many things spoken or written in confidence, and this letter among them, which we think would have been better withheld. But it is before the world. The name of Wellington gives it importance, and, without in the slightest degree depreciating the worth or stability of the French alliance (though a few years after this letter was written there was danger of a complete rut:)• ture with France), it is evident that the true policy of this country is rather to cultivate a good understanding with all the powers of the world, and to unite them in defence of princi ples of international equity and independence, than to trust to the alliance of one State alone ; and to create a sentiment of mistrust as to our good faith, and a feeling of animosity by reason of our vexatious interference with the internal government of other countries. The anecdotes told in these volumes are amusing, and have the merit of coming to us at first-hand. Is the following another ver sion of Talleyrand's celebrated " Deja," or a distinct story Talleyrand's bons-mots always fly about. His friend Montrond has been subject of late to epileptic fits, one of which attacked him lately after dinner at Talleyrand's. While he lay on the floor in convulsions, scratching the carpet with his hands, his benign host remarked with a sneer, " C'est qu'il me parait, qu'il vent absoltr.nent descendre." The history of the once celebrated Watson Taylor is neatly condensed into a para graph : The ruin of Mr. Watson Taylor declared, and execu tions put into his houses in town and country. At his outset in life he was a regular independent man, with about 1,5001. a year, and happy. At forty-five years of age he inherits above 60,0001. a year, through the death of his wife's brother, Sir Simon Taylor; and in twelve years he is completely ruined. The state of \Vest Indian property may have contributed to this catastrophe, but his wasteful expenditure was beyond all conceptiou,—plate, pictures, houses, furniture, and curiosities cf all sorts, and at double the price that others would give, without any order or con sideration, and merely to engross public notice. Sir Robert Peel said the other day, at dinner, "So man ever bought ridicule at so high a price. The next concerns George IV., and the narra tor of the story is the Duke of Wellington:— Three or four of us were sitting round the fire, before we went up to dress for dinner; amongst whom was the Duke, who amused us much with several anecdotes of the late King. He was in a very gay, communicative humour, and having seen so much of George IV., one story brought on another. He said that, among other peculiarities of the King, he had a most extraordinary talent fur imitating the manner, gestures, and even voice of other people. So much so, that he could give you the exact idea of any one, however unlike they were to himself. On his journey to Hanover, said the Duke, he stopped at Brussels, and was received there with great attention, by the King and Queen of the Netherlands. A dinner was proposed for the follow ing day at the palace of Laacken, to which he went ; and a large party was invited to meet him. His Majesty was placed at table between the King and Queen. "I. sail the Duke, " sat a little way from them, and next to Prince Frederick of Orange. The dinner passed off very well ; but, to the great astonishment of the company, both the King and Queen, without any apparent cause, were at every moment breaking out in violent convulsions of laughter. There appeared to be no particular juke, but every remark our King made to his neighbours threw them into fits. Prince Frederick questioned me as to what could be going on. I shrewdly suspected what it might be, but said nothing: it turned out, however, to be as 1 thought. The King had lung and intimately known the old Stadtbolder when in England, whose peculiarities and manner were at that time a standing joke at Carlton-house ; and of course the object of the Prince's mimicry, who could make himself almost his counterpart. At this dinner, then, he chose to give a specimen of his talent, he so completely took_'off the and Queen were thrown off the. maintain their composure during "He was indeed," said the DT ' nary compound of talent, wit, good feeling—in short a med; qualities, with a great preponderance saw in any character in my life." Tho following story of by Lord Alvanley. The so that the incident mu: occurred during the sess A little more than a twelvemom Peers, the Marquis of Londonderry attack on the foreign policy of tration, made some very persol character of Prince Talleyrand, foreign Court, he might have omit opinion on this subject in the Wellington rose immediately to finishing his speech with many the Prince on his great talents which he had performed on man: Europe. Alvanley went to visit ing day, and found him perusin; ceding night, and though much I - L., still more affected by the ft Duke. He expressed his gratitt while the tears ran down his " J'en suis d'autant plus reconi c'est le soul homme d'etat daps dit du Bien de moi." The confession Mr. Raikes shows a ke, different characters of Charles X. The form stood the art of govei position. It is said calembourg in his mouth My friend, General Clari, preceding his dissolution, the Tuileries came to him as usual the parole and countersign to is customary on these occasiol saint for the one, and of a Louis, with a significant look, (J'y vais). Several stories are rec King." The following, con, Napier, is one of the most Mrs. D —showed me a letter went yesterday with their Majesties the] exhibition at Somerset•house. " President of the Royal Society, pointed out to the King that of been commanding the fleet for did not hesitate to show his poli, by exclaiming immediately, ' Captain sir, and you may be d—d, sir, and if here, sir, I would kick you downstairs, Existing events show made by the Russian Mi 1833 : He said, " With regard to any power to dictate to us ; it there close at hand, and can before any other interference can It is strange that shrew , sian diplomatists should taken the temper of the error subsisted up to Nicholas. It is now Even Lord Aberdeen, 01 Czar, saw at last how vl make the country a nivance. A characteristic trait Wilson Croker : Lord Lowther goes away on is commissioned to find out ' dts 31emes Plaisirs at Versailles in some book that Miiabeau ads' in IM9, and as the critic doubts holding such a number, he contradict it from authority, w' him. Numerous passages tel but we must conclude amusing anecdotical rei sketch of Brighton some In those days, the Prince races the gayest scene of th , Pavilion was full of guests ; the all the rank and fashion from London daring that week; the best horses were brought from Newmarket and the North, to run at these races, on which immense sums were depending ; and the course was graced by the handsomest equipages. The " legs " and betters who bad arrived in shoals, used all to assemble on the Steyne at an early hour, to commence their operations on the first day, And the busz was tremendous, till Lord Foley and Mellish, the two great confederates of that day, would approach the ring, anti then a sudden silence ensued to await the open ing of their betting•books. They would come on, perhaps, smiling, but mysterious, without making any demonstra tion ;at last Mr. Jerry• Clo n es would say, " Come! Mr; Mellish, will you light the candle and set ns a going. Then if the Master of Buckle would say, "I'll take a s n t a d d a t t h oe tivdhteSehe m r 14111 11 . 41 . 1 1 111 1 1 1.11 wordthat tst li, et hhioDetepr ospokee ' their guard, and cou ld not nery, obstin acy, an d luring the whole of t h e day. n '.i e t 7l tik l b ey ulte,' Of ‘ Inderance of good—that I ever ife." of Talleyrand was told ie date is January, 1833, lust, we suppose, have , ssion of 1832 : vemonth ago, in the House of inderry, in the heat of &violent of the present Whig Adniinis. ersonal allusions to the private nd, which, as ambassador to a omitted. There was only one the house ; and the Duke of f to protect his veteran friend, I any handsome compliments to ents and the eminent services many occasions for the good of visit the Prince on the follow. ?rusing the debates of the pre- ach hurt at the attack of Lord e friendly intervention of the ratitude in the warmest terms, his cheeks, and then added, econnaisant i M. le Due, que days le monde qui sit jamais :oufession was rather ludicrous. keen appreciation of the of Louis XVIII. and •mer thoroughly under- vernment and his own that he died with a th told me that on the Sunday the officer on guard at the ival in the evening to receive i to be given to the troops. It isiona to give the name of a a fortified town for the other. c, gave, " St. Denis and Gyvet" *corded of the " Sailor , concet ning Sir Charles lost curious : Ater from —, which says, " lajesties to the private [view of souse. We were received by the ety, who among other portraits : of Admiral Napier, who has t for Don Pedro. His Majesty political bias on this occasion Captain Napier may be d—d, r, and if the Queen was nut lownstairs, sir.' " ✓ the vanity of the boast dinister to the author in to the East, we will not allow it is our natural field. We are :an always take our measures can clash with our views." .ewd men like the Rus- uld so greatly have 'Ms- Le English people. The ) the fatal plunge of effectually dissipated. the " old friend" of the vain were his efforts to a party to his con- k is recorded of John r on Saturday for London : lie •ut the dimensions of the Salle titles for Croker, who has read addressed 6,000 people in it übts the possibility of the room e is very anxious to be able to which I believe I can furnish tempt us to quotation, le our notice of these reminiscences with a me fifty years ago : made Brighton and Lewes the year in England. T he the Steyne was crowded wi th mLondon during that week ; n from Newmarket and the on which immense sums were was graced by the handsomest id betters who had arrived in on the Steyne at an early erations on the first day, And ill Lord Foley and Mellish, the bat day, would approach the , nee ensued to await the op en- They would come on, perhap s, thout making any demonstra• meg would say, " ComeL ]lr : candle and set us a going• tackle would say, " take