The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-29 00:00:00

Field Marshal Lord Clyde's Codicil

" STRANGE TO SAY, ON CLUB PAPER."

Quoting from the Observer newspapeiroi!the27tla
September (sth page, 4th column)—, The codicil
appended to the will of the late Lord Clyde,
a reo
f
exe-
cuted at Chatham, 'and bearing the signature
Clyde, F.M.,' is written, strange to say, on a sheet
of paper bearing the Athenaeum Club mark''.—Mr.
Thackeray, in the new number of the Cornhill
Ilfetgazine, discourses thus charmingly, gravely,
humorously, pathetically, impressively :
The will of Field-Marshal Lord Clyde signed at
azatlzain, mind, where his lordship died—is • written,
strange to say, on a sheet of paper bearing the Atheneum Club mark /
The inference is obvious. A man cannot get Athenreum
paper except at the Athermum. Such paper is not sold at
Chatham, where the last codicil to his lordship's will is
dated, And so the painful belief is forced upon us, that a
Peer, a Field-Marshal, wealthy, respected, illustrious, could
pocket papar at his club, and carry it away with him to the
country. One fancies the hall porter conscious of the old
lord's iniquity, and holding down his head as the marshal,
passes the door. What is that roll which his lordship
carries ? Is it his marshal
conveyed from the club. What has
ihteisonahroisllborfeafsoto,lsucanpder his great-coat? Is it his Star of
India? No ; it is a bundle of envelopes, bearing the head
of Minerva, some sealing-wax, and a half-score of pens.
Lct us imagine how in the hall of ono or other of these
clubs this strange anecdote will be discussed.
"Notorious screw," says Saeer. " The poor old fellow's
avarice has long been known."

" Suppose he wishes to imitate the Duke of Alurlborough,'
says Simper.
" Habit of looting contracted in India, you know ; ain't
so easy to get over, you know," says Snigger.
" When officers dined with him in India," remarks
Solemn, "it was notorious that the spoons were all of a
different pattern."
." Perhaps it isn't true. Suppose he wrote his paper at
the club ?" interposes Jones.
"It is dated at Chatham, my good man," says Brown.,
"A man if he is in London, says he is in London. A rnar.L
if he is in Rochester, says he is in Rochester. This n27.a,
happens to forget that he is using the club paper : and he
happens to be found out : many men don't happen to be
found out. I've seen literary fellows at clubs writing their
rubbishing articles ; I have no doubt they take away reams
of paper. They crib thoughts : why shouldn't they crib
stationery ? One of your literary vagabonds who is capable
of stabbing a reputation, who is capable of telling any mon-,
strous falsehood to support hie, party, is surely capable
of stealing a ream of paper."
" Well, well, we have all our weaknesses," sit;hs
Robinson. " Seen that article, Thompson, in the Observer
about Lord Clyde and the club paper ? You'll find it, up-
stairs. In the third column of the fifth gage towards the
bottom of the page. I suppose he was so poor he couldn't
afford to buy a quire of paper. Hadn't fourpence in the
world. Oh, no I"

" And they want to get up a testimonial to this man's
memory—a statue or something 1" cries Jawkins. "A.
man who wallows in wealth and takes paper away from his
club 1 I don't say he is not brave. Brutal courage most
men have. I don't say he was not a good officer; a man
with such experience must have been a good officer, unless
he was born fool. But to think of this man loaded with
honours—though of a low origin—so lost to self-respect as
actually to take away the Athenmum paper I These, par-
venus, sir, betray their origin—betray their origin. I said
to my wife this very morning, Mrs. Jawkins,' I said,
' there is talk of a testimonial to this man. I will not give
one shilling. I have no idea of raising statues to fellows
who take away club paper. No, by George, I have not,
Why, they will be raising statues to men who take :Auk)
spoons next 1 Not one penny of my money shall they
have l' "

And now, if you please, we will tell the real story which
has furnished this scandal to a newspaper, this tattle to
club gossips and loungers. The field-marshal, wishing to
make a father provision for a friend, informed his lawyer
what he desired to do. The lawyer, a member of tbo
Athenaeum Club, there wrote the draft of such a codicil as
he would advise, and sent the paper by post to Lord Clyda
at Chatham. Lord Clyde, finding the paper perfectly satis-
factory, signed it and sent it back : and hence we have tha
story of "the codicil bearing the signature of Clyde, P.M.,
and written, strange to say, upon paper bearing the Athe-
ream Club mark,"

Here I have been imagining a dialogue between a half-
dozen gossips such as congregate round a club fire •place of
an afternoon. I wonder how many people besides—whether
any chance reader of this very page, has read and believed
this story about the good old lord ? Have the country
papers copied the anecdote, and our "own correspondents"
made their remarks on it ? If, my good sir, or madam,
you have read it and credited it, don't you own to a little
feeling of shame and sorrow, now that the trumpery little
mystery is cleared ? To " the new inhabitant of light,"
passed away and out of reach of our censure, misrepresen-
tation, scandal, dulness, malice, a silly falsehood matters
nothing, Censure and praise are alike to him—" the music
warbling to the deafened ear, the incense wasted on the
funeral bier," the pompons eulogy pronounced over the
gravestone, or the lie that slander spits on it. Faithfully
though this brave old chief did his duty,honest and upright
though his life was, glorious his renown—you see he could
write at Chatham cn London paper; you see men can ba
found to point out how "strange" his behaviour was,

MARKETS--This Day,

MARK-LANE.

IMPERIAT. WEEKLY AVERAGES. —Wheat, 40s Ocl ;
barley, 33s Ild ; oats, 18s 7d; rye, 28s 9d ; beans, 36s 5d ;
and peas, 35s Bd.
THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGES. Wheat, 42s Ocl ;
barley, 348 9d ; oats, 19s 7d ; rye, 30s 8d ; beans, 378 7d ;
peas, 36s 3d,
ENGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.—Wheat, 104,742 ;
barley, 90,353 ; oats, 12,185; rye, 179; beans, 4,323; peas
1,787 quarters.