Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-06-26
Couyivialities or the Pittites.

A correspondent Of the London Court
Journal, contributes paper on the bribery
and corruption Of politics, and contrasts
the present period in England. with past
days, more especially the days of Pitt
He says that with respect to the outward
and visible part, politicians are more cor
rect and respectable than they were in
those days-but there is less of that open
dissolutcness, in which the Walpoles,
Granvilles, Halifaxes, Sheridans, Foxes,
&C., glored. But he thinks that in the
matter of corruption-the internal man
agemcnt, the trick, contrivancc, and duplic-
ity ofpolitical parties-there is no real i'm
provement. In illustration of the convivial
excesscs of the old English politicians,
he relates the following very amusing an
ecdote.
remember hosring from an old apoth-
ecary at Wimbledon two stories which
showed that in the matter of sobriety, at
least, tbe Pittites had not much to boast of
over their antagonists. Pitt lived on Put
ney-heath, and his most intimate friend and
trusted colleague, Dundas Lord MELVILLE
at Wimbledon; my friend the apo,hecary
attended both families. On one occasion
he was reused from his bed to visit some
members oftheprime Minister'S household
1t was late at night, or rather early in the
morning, when he arrived at the villa;
and before his ministering was concluded
1t was the month of July-the day had
broken. While engaged with his patient,
b,h h,I thaa hat
Mr.. Pitt would be happy to see him be-
fore he went. He was ushered into the
dining where he found that the party
who had assembled at dinner some seven
or eight hours before, had not yet separa-
ted. The lights had been extinguished,
and through the open windows the newly
risen sun pournd its light into the room,
while the convivial party were collected
on the lawn. There the grass had been
newly moved and collected into heap,
in the centre of which struggled the all
powerful Minister, the "pilot who wealth
cred the Storm" while his colleagues were
actively employed in covering him up with
thchay.
The second part of these "Memoires
dun Medecn;" was rather more tragic
The scene lay at Duudas house ut VIM
bledon, whittier the doctor was summoned
in haste, late one evening. On arriving
hewas ushered into the dining room, where,
to use his own expression, "some gentlemen
were drinking their wine and conversing at
the table, some were lying asleep under
the table, and the master Of the house
was standing by the fire, very steady on
his legs as long as he kept fast hold of the
mantlepiece." On entering the room he
was thus addressed by the First Lord Of
the Admiralty, who lnadean unsuccessful
attempt to quit his "coign of'vanta age" the
chimney-piece; but finding it absolutely
necessary to his support, was compelled to
reel back to it. doctor, I'm (hccup)
glad you've come; here's (hiccup) young
friend Of mine who has committed an in
discretion" The doctor looked round
the room, rather wondering Of which Of the
party this might not have been said; he
perceived standing at side table in
corner,a young man without coat,waistcoat
or neckcloth, bleeding, as he told US, "like
a pig" into basin placed before him.
The "indiscretion" which the victim had
committed consisted in the fact that some
body had thrown bottle at him, which
breaking, a piece Of the glass had just miss
ed the carotid artery! Who threw the
missile the doctor never knew; but what
astomshed him the most in the whole bust
ness was the extreme ooolness with which
an accident which might easily have been
fatal was treated by the other convives;
just as if they were accustomed to meet
with similar occurrences every day Of their
lives,