The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-27
THACKEBAYS LECTURES ON THE GEORGES.
GEORGE THE FOURTH.

0sI
The bravery of the Brunswicks, that all the
family must have it, that George possessed it,
are points which all English writer's have agreed
to admit; and yet cannot see how George ~
should have been endowed with this quality.
Swaddled IN feather beds all his life, lazy,
obese, perpetually eating and king, his edu-
cation was quite unlike that of his tough old
progenltOrs. His grandsons had confronted
hardships and war, and ridden up and fired
their pistols undaunted into the lace OF
death. His father had conquered luxury and
overcome incidence. Here was one who never
resisted any temptation; never had desire but
he coddled and pampered it; If ever he had any
nerve, frittered 1t away among cooks, and
tailors, and BARRIERS, and turniture-mongers, and
opera-dancers. What muscle would not grow
Aaccid in such a life-a life that was never
strung up to any aclon-an endless Capua
without any campagn-all fddling, and
flowers, and feastings, and iattery, and follyl
When George III was pressed by the Catholic
question and the India bill, he said he would
retire to Hanover rather than yield upon either
point; and he would have done what he said.
But, before yielding, he was determined to fight
his ministers and Parliament; and ne did, and
he beat them, The time came when George ~
was pressed too upon the Catholic claims; the
cautious Peel had slipped over to that side; the
grim old Wellington had joined it; and Peel tells
us, in his Memoirs, what was the conduct OF the
King. He at first refused TO submits whereupon
Peel and the Duke offered their designations,
which their gracious master accepted. he did
these two gentlemen the honor, Peel says, to
kiss them both when they went away. (Fancy
old ArthuT's grim countenance and eagle beak
as the monarch kisses it.) When they were
gone he sent alter them, surrendered, and wrote
TO them letter, begging them TO remain IN
office, and allowing them TO have their own
way. Then his majesty had meeting with
Eldon, which is related at curious length in tie
latter's Memoirs. He told Eldon what was not
true about the interview with the new Catholic
converts: utterly misled the old ex-chancellor;
cried, whimpered, fell on his neck, and kissed
him too. We know old Eldons own tears were
pumped very freely. Did these two fountains
gnsh together? l can't fancy behavior more
unmanly, imbecile, pitable. This is defender
of the faith! This chief in the crisis of great
nation! This an inheritor of the courage of the
Georgesl
Many of my hearers no doubt have journeyed
to the pretty old town OF Brunswick in company
with that most worthy, prudent, and polite gen
tleman, the Earl of Malmesbury, and fetched
away Princess Caroline tor her longing husband,
the Prince of Wales. Old Queen Charlotte
would have had her eldest son marry a niece
OF her own, that famous Louisa of Ntrelitz
afterwards Queen of Prussia, and who shared
with Maria Antoinette in the last age the sad
pre-eminenCe of beauty and misfortune. But
George Ill had niece at Brunswick: she was
richer princess than her serene highness of
Strelitz-in fine, the Princess Caroline was
selected TO marry the heir to the English throne.
We follow my Lord Malmesbury IN quest of
her we are introduced to her illustrious
father and royal mother: we witness the balls
and fetes OF the old court; we are presented to
the princess herself with her tair hair, her
blue eyes, and her impertinent shoulders-a
lively, bouncing romping princess, who takes
the advice of her courty English mentor most
generously and kindly. We can be present at
her very toilet, if we like, regarding which, and
for very good reasons, the British courtier i'm
plores her to be particular. What a strange
court What queer privacy of morals and
manners do we look into Shall we regard it
as preachers and moralists, and cry Woe against
the open vice and selhshness and corruption, or
look at 1t as we do at the king in the panto-
mime, with his pantomime wife and pantomlme
courtlers, whose big heads he knocks together,
whom he pokes with his pantomime sceptre,
whom he orders to prison under the guard of
his pantomime beef-eaters as he sits down to
dine on his pantomme pudding? 1t is grave,
it Is sad, it is q theme most curious Tor moral
and political speculation; it is monstrous, gro
tesque, laughable, with its prodigious littleness,
ettquettes, ceremonials, sham moralities; it is
as serious as sermon, and as absurd and out
rageous as Punch's puppet-show.
Malmesbury tells US OF the private life of the
duke, Princess Carone's father, who was to
die, like his warlike son, in arms against the
French; presents us to his courtiers, his faVo-
rites; his duchess, George III's sister, a grim
old princess, who took the British envoy aside,
and told him wicked old stories of wicked old
dead people and times; who came to England
afterwards when her nephew was regent, aud
lived in a shabby furnished lodging, old and
dingy ana deserted and grotesque but some
how royal. And we go with HIM to the duke
TO demand the princess hand In form, and We
hear the Brunswick guns fire their adeuX of
salute, as II. r. Fl. the Princess OF Wales departs
In the trost and snow and we visit the
domains OF the Prince Bishop OF Osnsburg-the
Duke OF York of our early time; and we dodge
about from the French ReVolutlonists, whose
ragged Iegions are pouring over Holland and
Germany, and gaily tTampling down the Old
World to the tune of Ca ira; and we take ship
ping at Slade, and we land at Greenwich,
where the princess ladies aBdthe princes ladies
are in waiting to receive her roy al highness
What history follows Arrived III London,
the bridegroom fastened eagerly to receive his
bride. When she was first presented to him,
Lord Malmesbury says she very properly at
enough, embraced her, and, turning round to
" Harris, am not we'll; pray get me glass
of brandy
81 said, Sir, had you not better have glass
of water p
Upon which, much out of humor he said,
with an oath, no; will go TO the queen.'n
What could be expected from a wedding
which had such beginnmg-from such bride
groom and such bride 1 am not going to
carry you through the scandal of that story. or
follow the poor princess through all her
Vagarles; her balls and her dances, her travels
10 Jerusalem and Naples, he jlgs, and her
| Junketings, and her tears. AS / read her trial
IN history, vote she Is not guilty. don't say
IL is an impartial verdict; but as one reads her
story tue heart bleeds for the kindly, generous,
outraged creature, II wrong there be, let II lie
at ms door who wickedly thrust her from 1t.
spite Oh her tollles, the great, hearty people OF
| England loved and protected and pitled her.
| God bless you we will bring your husband
| Dack TO you" said a mechanic one day, as she
| told Lady Charlotte Bury, with tears streaming
down her cheeks. They could not bring that
| husband back; they could not cleanse That
| lHAFt. hers