Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-02-03
ABOUT THAT BOOK.
The Life Of a Royal LibertiHe Recalled
The Last Of the Four Georges
A Rake without Re
deHptiOn.
The Story Of Mrs. Fifzherbert-Has
She the Wife OF "Ihe First SEN
tIeman OF Europe !"-The
Anxieties Of Royalty.

We yesterday published dispatch
! from Louisville setting forth the fact
/ that q copy of a certain book advertised
I for by the British government, and for
/ which reward Of one thousand pounds
! had been offered, had been found in the
. library of Mr. Fox, lawyer of that
] city, much given TO old and curious
! books. Ia the Courier, Journal of Mon
| day we find the following editorially,
/ giving an insight into the contents OF
| the work, which betrays motive for
/ the anxieties of British royalty concern
/ ing it. Our cotemporary says:
ABOUT THAT BOOK.
The work entitled Memoirs and IltTigUeS Of
George ", which has caused such sensa-
has beeen offered, and which is in the hands
I Of a gentleman of this city, 1s Julcy and en-
4 curate account of the principal amours of
/ the corpulent Noluptuary, and contains some
dissertations on virtue and the most ap-
| proved and successful modes OF destroying 1t,
! which are picturesque in the extreme. IN
/ conversation with sheridan, the royal rake
! takes the ground that this quality, which is
| 50 essential to the hope and happiness of
! woman, is never so strongly guarded that 1t
cannot be overcome. He rudey assails its
| sanctity, and falls far below the standard of
/ honorable men in his estimate of It's value.
! Entertaining such views, and possessing such
/ opportunities, II is not wonderful thal ne mas
! furnished the historian with material for this
! most soTrOwful and revolving narrative, and
! posterIty with a picture of human depraNity
which causes us TO congratulate ourselves
with shudder that we do not live in an age
during which such crimes are possible,
even among princes. 1t was the frequent de-
vice OF the prince TO assume some fictitious
name and, through the influence of one OF
his high-bcrn pimpS secure admission to the
hospitality and confidence OF his intended
victims. In one instance he was introduced
as Colonel Fox" to the family OF a clergy
man, whose beautiful daughter was just then
ripening into n rotund and delicious woman
hood. The "coionei" was a man of priDceiy
bearing and most attractive manners. His
generous gifts, his insinuating compliments,
and his more than hute-llke melody OF voice,
soon found their way TO the affections of the
al tless and trembling believer. He had evil
IDENTIFY studied the female mind and knew its
Weakl lesses. he knew Where the strong WORKS
were, and where and how to flank them. He
was man of the world, full of society gossip,
and uncOmmonly free with his money. The
simple-ninded father suspected nothing. The
old maiden aunt at first had her opinion, but
one or two well-put comp iments, and sin
gle handsome present, made her either lose OF
change it.. The mother being herself fond of
society, a woman OF flesh and fashion, and
possessing a female weakness for glitter
and ostentation, was delighted that her
daughter should receive the attentions of an
aristocratic gentleman who dressed in gold
lace and Partisan frillS, who smiled at her,
and who had the advantage of an intimacy
\ with all the grandees of the court. The young
lady herself was of course captivated, and the
wicked colonel" viewed with eyes of glOat-
ing delight the first tumuit of love that agi-
tated her bosom and flushed her cheek. An
interview was arranged at a house in New
Bond street, and there the lovers met, as il
were, "by the mereSt accident in the world"
which does not always preclude the idea of
malice p epenSe. The meeting was not ant1cl-
pated, however, by the young lady, and she
was both alarmed aud surprised at the sudden
ana curious circumstance which brought
them together. In her dying hours-when
she lay alone, mere atom OF neglected suf
fering-her mind turned with mOurnful and
hat SIn
was albeit a clergyman 5 daughter, and
HAD doubtless heard about the Stygian river,
And heli-and purgatory-hut forgot
Just in the very CRISIS she ought not.
Indeed the work Is chiehyg azen up in the
record OF maidens deceived and ruined, of
false oaths od broken vows. The Instance
alluded 10 is only one OF many 1ntrigues which
disgrace the memory Of this enemy OF female
virtue and kingy honor. The account given
of the secret marriage OF the prince with
Lady Fitzherbert seems, however, to furnish
the chief motive for the purchase and sup
preston of the work. It is known that the
prince adopted the most dishonorable means
Tor producing the impression that there had
never been such marriage. In some way be
induced Fox TO state during a debate in par
lament that ii was untrue. Fox subsequent
ly declared that he had a letter written by the
prince himself, authorizing him to make the
statement, but the letter was never produced.
The examination of a number of witnesses
on this point by a committee of parliament
Is given with apparent accuracy, and there
seems to be no doubt that the marriage did
ity to understand why such extraordinary
steps should be taken by the English govern
ment TO suppress the work. Statements
printed in book are not legal testimony be-
fore any tribunal unless The publisher is pros
ecuted for libel, which is not the case. Should
IL be urged that the son of this couple might
be still living and that it is TO deprive him OF
the information which this book furnishes in
the event of his making pretensions TO the
throne of England that the present govern
ment wishes to destroy the work, ii must still
be remembered that book which may or
may not be 3 romance, a mere print emanat-
ing from an unofficial publisher, and possess
ing none of the requisites of legal testimony,
could hardly be OF value IN such an enter
Prise. IL is more than possible that the Sensa-
zion has been gotten up by some enterprising
publisher, who wishes to republish a work
which he feared would not sell without some
such mode of advertising.
THE SKELETON IN THE ROYAL CLOSET.
From the New York Graphic.l
A rather startling placard has been posted in
various public places offering in huge black
letters, reward of one thousand pounds sterl-
ing for one copy of certain book published
in London in 1880, and suppressed at that
time by the lord chancellor at the instance of
the royal family, because, as the placaTd
mildly puts it, it contained certain Statements
regarding a member of the royal family. The
name Of the book is not mentioned, but from
the names of the publisher and printer,
which are given, the book is recognized as a
sort OF scandalouS chronicle which was
published in the year named, and which gave
what purported to be an accurate account of
the secret marriage of King George ~ with
Mrs. Fitzherbert, and of the issue of that mar
rlage-a son, who was either kept in conceal
ment or spirited out of the country, but " no.
il this story be true, could now make very
strong preIensions 10 the British throne and
the title of George V. This story has been told,
more or less in detail, in two or three books |
which have appeared since 1880, and that !
some degree OF import ance is attached TO it
by the present royal family is shown by the
fsct that every one of these publications have, |
without exception, been suppressed by the
government by the inf1ictOn of Sc |
we're punishments and the payment of large
rewards for the possession of stray |
copies: The book now advertised for was
and printed by T. Jackson, Newgate street, |
and both publisher and printer suffered long
injunction OF the lord chancellor. About |
three years ago the scandal threatened TO |
burst forth again, for single copy of the |
book, which had escaped the destruction of |
the original edition, came into the possession |
OF the editor of the London Standard, who |
threatened TO publish 1t serially In his paper. |
This came TO the ears of the government, |
which at once offered the editor the choice of |
two alternatives-either 10 publish the story |
and go to prison for contempt of the lord |
chancellor, or TO refrain from publishing IL |
and accept five thousand pounds for his copy |
of the book. The editor looked upon the lat |
ter alternative as the most desirable of the /
two, and poe keted the five thousand pounds, |
turning over the book TO be burned. With /
the destruction of this copy the government /
supposed that the work was extinct; but IL /
has lately been rumOred that one more copy /
of the book remains, and is somewhere in /
America. Inc pldCdGu OOCS not Dear any tNl- ]
dsnce OF being issued or authorized by the /
government, and is, perhaps unknown 10 the |
British authorities. Another publication of |
the story was made some years ago by Rey- !
nOds, a London publisher, under the title OF |
The llJSteTieS Of the Court of George "; but !
this work was in the form iof fiction, and be- !
ing SO evidently overdrawn as 10 convey but |
little impression that IL was founded on facts, /
IL did not so seriously attract the atten- /
tion OF the government, Another |
book, which the authorities have |
zeRlousIy ehdeavored TO suppress, but with !
only partial success, is a alisIory of the Fitz-
eTbert letters, published within few years
by Bentley, o.! which at least one copy is /
now in this city. II is a matter of history
that King George ~ had an dGdiye du cOair |
with Mrs. FitZherbert, and IL l. said that he !
was privately married to her; but the legali- |
ty Of this marriage is seriously questioned, as
man who performed the ceremoney was a
Protestant EpiscOpalian. Mrs. Fitzerbert sur
yiyet the King and also his successor, King
v llllafn ~ for the GTeville memoirs, Just
published mention the fact OF her coming
when an old lady TO look at the remains oil
the last-named monarch. she died at aH ad-
yanced age at the early part OF The pre-ent
reign, and according TO the Bentley story,
Ele conhued 10 her executors a sealed packet,
which was T. be deposited in bank aud re-
main unopened unlecs her character was as
sailed, when II was TO be opened ana pub
lished in vindlcatiOn OF the purity OF her re-
laliOns with George ~. The executors, who
Eers the Duke OF Wellington, Lord Alber-
marie and another, deposited the packet in
Coutts's bank, but few years after heT death
a highly offensive attsCk upon her memory
was made in the Edinburgh RegfssJ. Upon
this the third executor requested the consent
a Il n ha n