The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-25
"Reminiscences of the Victorian Ar.

partly because Of the interest it may hav,
for his children and his contemporaries
The writer was for many years private sec.
rotary 10 Mr.. Gladstone. and his work con-
tains many "reminiscences Of the great
Premier. as well as anecdotes Of other
prominent men and women OF his time
Covering an eventful half-oentury Of the
reign OF Queen Victoria, 1t deals with near
ly every occurrence Of any Importance
which took place during the lifetime oi
the author.
A considerable part Of the book is oc-
cupied with stories of Sir Algernon West S
family. childhood. and early life. Like
most works of its kind. 1t contains much
material which is not b. any means inn
portant as history or biography, and val
liable only as anording some additional
glirnpses of the daily life Of past gen.
Grafton. There is great deal of the
writer's individuality in 1T, and his own
views and opinions crop out on almost
every page together with frankly ex-
pressed ideas abou; the degeneracy Of the
present age in certain respects.
This string of anecdotes. extending over
a period equivalent to the lifetime Of the
average man, seems to form connecting
link between ourselves and a past gener-
first half of the century. the days of Beau
Brummel and Wellington. of the Empire
and the court of THE young English
Queen. Among the glimpses Of these by
gone days are some which Will probably
make the modern reader quite reconciled
10 living in this age OF the world. Duel
ing was common, the treatment of crimi-
mails was barbarous, and that Of lunatics
equally 80. Ii is recorded that shortly be-
fore the Queens accession to the throne
a little boy was sentenced tn death for
stealing some sweetmeats from corfec-
toner's window. and that the insane were
commonly chained together on beds Of
straw naked, handcuffed, and shown to
visitors at twopence head.
Some Of the pictures OF fashionable peo-
pie and well-known characters in the So
oiety OF that day are decidedly quaint. We
have, for instance, a pen portrait of Dis
rael as he was in 1876:
In ls4e he had written most Of his famous
novels; he had already passed through ten ses-
sions OF Parliament. and his dress osten-
tztious afectat,on enough alone TO have made
him notorious. lie wore ! saie-colored velvet
coat lined with satin. purple trousers with gold
band down the outside seam. 4 scarlet waist
coat. long lace nfies falling down 10 the tips
of his fingers, white gloves with brilliant rings
outside them. and long black ringlets ripping
down over his shoulders; and when he rose
in the House he wore q bottle-green frock coat,
with white waistooat, collarless, and a need
less display OF gold chains.
Again. this is sort OF fash-light picture
OF Elton at about the same time:
In 1888 l went TO Eton, to the same house
and the same room that my two elder brothers
had occupied before me. ] see it now. al the
top OF the house, with ssnded floor and q shut
up bcdstead, and no tub, for washing in the
winte- then unknown; in the summer we
bathed in the river Ny brother Richard won
all the prizes for headers" Ny dame was Mrs.
Angelo, an old, painted lady with a reputation
somewhat furnished, but furnished long ago
that she forgiven. and was in charge OF
house Q. from fifteen TO twenty boys. My tutor
Edward Pickering OF cricketing renown, WHO
took more interest in the game, ! think, than
In Latin verse Among the boys OF my
time four have since obtained Cabinet offices.
Lords Salisbury and CarnaTon NJ. Narde Hunt,
and Mr.. George Defeyre.
Among the events of which heeting and
sketchy descriptions are given are the
Queens coronation, the Duke of yelling
toms funeral. and the arrival aud wedding
of the Princess Alexandra, OF Denmark,
now Princess Of Wales; and OF Thackeray's
funeral the author says:
j went to his funeral with Mrs. John Leslie
81 keassl Green. He was a great friend OF
hers, and spent many hours q her company. His
death Wa very sudden, he was engaged TO dine
with her on the Sunday before his death; his
letter saying Pate and the Doctor prevented him
from keeping his engagement was the last he ever
wrote.
Standing By his open grave was Charles Dickens,
looking bowed down with sorrow, and John Leech
and Milais wept as the coffin was lowered into It's
last resting place.
How curious It is 10 and on looking back
that, Just az at present, we English people seem
TO be incapable Of ever thinking o. more than
thing at q tiInei Each year or probably
Ssair. 2 ite eIl-d.fi
This is fair example OF the way in
which Sir Algernon treats the events of
which he CHANGED TO be q witness. Among
anecdotes of people more or less noted in
their time we find the following:
We paid visit TO Lord snd Lady Fitzwilliam at
Wentworth, & splendid oldfashioned house, said
TO be quarter OF mile long. There was a
Mr.. Bland, Of Kippax Park, who determined
not to be outdone in the length. al any rate. OF
his house. he brought the whole of his available
resources to the 'front.' office, and everything, and
satisfied his curious ambition By making his house
Longer than Wentworth.
Lord and Lady FitEwiliism were ine types OF |
the old-fash!oned country families The outward /
mafnifcence Of the house and place was balanced 4
by rigid simplicity indoors
Lady Fitzwilliarn told her husband he ought |
not to be 30 entirely in his servants hands, and |
should sometimes visit his Offices, which the next 1
day he did, and. finding a boy as the solitary |
occupant Of the lower regions. he asked him who |
he was "Why," said he. 81 the boy who 1
docs ali the work IN this ere 'ouse and who the
devil are your" Lord Fitzwilliam told his wife /
that he had dore she had asked him, but he 4
eould hardly say it wes success. ON another |
occasion, before going to bed. Lord fitzwilliam
rang the bell two or three times without any
result; at last a servant came, and be asked
for q glass OF water, which not brought 10
him, 30 in resigned way he said, II suppose
must 90 without that glass of water"
They were very silent iamily-am0st as silent
as the fifth Duke OF Devonehire and his brother
Lord George Cavendish, who, when travelling
down to Yorkshire, were shown into 4 three
bedded room The curtains of one OF the four
posters were drawn. Each brother in turn looked
In and went TO bed. Toward the close Of the next
days posting, one brother said to the other:
Ibid you what was in that bed lat nightY'
"Yes, brother" was the only repy-they mad
both seen q corpse.
And here are others:
Many rtories are told Of Lord westbug's wit
enc sharp sayings. On his becoming Solicitor
General in Lord Pslmes;on's government, he was
called upon by the committee OF the Conservative
Club to resign his membership. Before obeying he
presented himself and addressed them. He had
Q small and, 81 may use the expression mincing
or nnicking voice. Some one at the end OF the
room called out: ''spesk upl'' u should have
thougit,'' he said THAT the OF anyone
IN this committee were long enough to have
heard me-
When the borses in his carriage bolted, he shout
ed out to his coschnsn, "DTiye into something
chsspi"
II cannot be said that all of the anec-
dotes in this book are distinguished either
for wit or importance but they are all
characteristic Of the people, big and little.
Of whom they are told. The writer is not
by any means a Boswell, and a compare
lively small part of the book is given up
to Gladstone. The statesman appears in
these pages TO be considerate msster-at
least. that is what Sir AlgerDon West says